GrainfieldsDay 15 of the Grainworks Initiative
Mark woke up thinking about the work he had done last night on his skill progression. Realizing that he had been trying to do too much, too fast, he decided to spend the morning continuing that work. No rushing off to solve problems. He would just do something to progress himself. He brought up his lessons screen.
[Lesson Progress]
Riding Level 1✓ Demonstrate basic control.
RemainingRide at least 10 miles on a trained mount. (Progress: 2 / 10 miles)Mount and dismount 20 times using proper technique. (3 / 20)
Reading Level 1
✓ Read unfamiliar document.
Read three different written documents completely. (2 / 3)Correctly answer questions demonstrating comprehension◈ ◈ ◈
Remaining
Writing Level 1✓ Copy one page of text✓ Complete journal entry
RemainingProduce one written report documenting an observed location or completed project.
He was going to complete at least two of these today and maybe find another skill or two to work on. Looking over his list, he decided the written report would be the quickest to complete. The Grainworks project was underway, and he had not really followed up yet. He had not even attended council meetings on it yet. He looked up his map and saw that the Freight & Distribution Yard was nearby, and he could go observe the construction and write a report to give to the council the next time they met.
Mark was not sure what he had expected when he headed in this direction, but it was not what he found. It had only been fourteen days since the start of the project, yet the place already had a fence around it and was fully under construction. He could see that it was large enough for two or three wagons to load or unload freight at once. A grain silo and a couple of warehouses were under construction, with stakes marking where other buildings would go. He found a chair that someone had left and sat down out of the way to observe.
It did not take long for him to see who was in charge, and he noted the man's name on his sheet of paper. He pulled up the Grainworks Initiative page in his interface, found the freight yard, and reviewed its completed and assigned tasks. He could see from the schedule that they were a little behind the scheduled plans because of a wood shortage and made note of that to add to his report.
Looking over the list, they had a dedicated team; there was a lead with five full-time workers, and then there were at least two wagons that were coming on a regular basis to drop off goods. Mark spent about an hour watching until the project lead for this site came over and asked what he was doing. Mark told him about his homework and the report he had to write. The man left and told him that Sarah had already reached out to Garrick, and he was informed that he had to send at least one person a week for skill training.
Mark finally had enough notes written down and went back to his cabin to sit down and write the report. It took longer than he thought as he messed up about halfway through it and had to throw the first one away and do it again. Because this was an assignment from the System, he could not just scratch out his mistake and move on. He finally finished the task and, after reviewing it three times for mistakes, set it down on his desk, and that was when he received the System message.
[Skill Acquired]
Writing Level 1
Write simple words and short sentences. Create basic notes and labels. Improve legibility of handwritten text◈ ◈ ◈
He now had one of his three skills done. He reviewed the list and looked at Riding. That one he could do in a day but was not practical, as he would do it naturally in the course of the next couple days. So he looked at Reading; he needed to read one more document, and then it looked like he needed to answer some questions, so he would need to find Sarah and figure out how to do that part.
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Mark went to the inn and talked to Dale, as he knew he was making a cookbook, and he could read that as his third document. After Dale handed him the cookbook with the promise not to damage or lose it, he went into the common room at the inn and sat down to read. It was much longer than Mark had thought a cookbook could be, and it made him extremely hungry while reading it. When he finished, the item was checked off his list, and he returned the cookbook to Dale.
Mark then went and found Sarah in the back room; she was talking to Emily while they were assisting students that were working on some skill assignments.
Emily said, "Sarah, I just got it. I finally finished Teaching.” Then Emily shared the skill with them.
[Skill Acquired]
Teaching Level 1
Improves ability to explain basic conceptsIncreases effectiveness of one-on-one instructionSlightly improves student learning speed◈ ◈ ◈
Emily continued, “Now that I have it, I plan to go to Wayrest and start a school there and see what different subjects they have available in a school started there."
Mark said, "Wait, different subjects? I thought all schools would have the same offerings.”
Sarah said, “When I created the school here, the system gave a list of available subjects to pick from. Basic Education and Teaching are the same in all schools, but for the other subjects, you get to pick from a list of related skills to the area.”
Emily said, “I have a friend in Wayrest, and there is an herb shop there, and they specialize in herbs, healing, and other things related to the forest. I want to see what I might get for subjects there and help it grow.”
Mark said, "Oh, does that mean I can sign up and be a student there too? I would like to gain a few more skills, but nothing stands out as interesting to me. The herbs, though, are quite a bit different from back home.”
Sarah said, “I would assume you can be a student in more than one place. As we are new to this, I don't really know, though. You could go up to Wayrest and figure it out and let me know, though.”
Mark said, “I think I will.”
Emily said, “Okay, Sarah. Sorry to run out on your school, but this is exciting. I am going to leave now and see if I can get it created today.”
Sarah said, “I understand, Emily. It was fun to start this school, and you starting your own would help the community, so go do it.” Then turning to Mark, she said, “I assume you came over here to talk to me about your skill progress, right?”
Mark said, "Yes, I got finished with writing, but my reading assignment. I don't know what I really need to do," and Mark showed her what he had.
[Lesson Progress]
Reading Level 1
✓ Read unfamiliar document.✓ Read three different documents.
RemainingCorrectly answer questions demonstrating comprehension◈ ◈ ◈
Sarah said, "Yes, that is a part that I administer to you as a teacher. Some skills, like writing, you can completely do on your own. Some other skills need some teacher intervention, and this is one.”
Mark and Sarah spent the next half hour going through the tasks he needed to complete to verify his comprehension. When they finished, Mark received a System message and shared it.
[Skill Acquired]
Reading Level 1
Read simple written words and short passages.Recognize common symbols and signs.Improve comprehension of basic written instructions◈ ◈ ◈
Sarah said, “Congrats, Mark. That leaves you with one more skill to earn to finish my little experiment with you.”
Mark said, "Yes, I have Riding still to finish. I have to mount and dismount a bunch of times and ride a few miles. I figure I will work on that over the next few days. My original plan was to pick up two more skills. But sadly, none of the ones on offer here excite me enough to want to do them. I've already spent months building, farming, and surviving. I'd like to learn something I've never had the chance to learn.”
Mark continued, “Once you unlock Level 2 skills, I would like to upgrade a couple, but for now I think I want to go see what the school Emily starts will offer.”
Sarah said, “I think that's a great idea. Make sure to let me know what you learn.”
Mark then went and ordered lunch, and after finishing it, he was about to leave when Dale walked over and let him know that they were having a council meeting to update the status on Grainworks and he could go if he had time.
Mark spent the entire afternoon and evening going over projects and requirements with the other members of the council. He shared the report he had written and told them about the new school and its offerings. The entire council talked and all agreed that they should support the community school, and they each agreed to take at least one class. Even Dale relented, though he protested that he did not need to learn any more about cooking. Mark suggested Basic Education or Teaching instead, since Dale already did a lot of teaching as a chef and kitchen manager.
As Mark went to bed, the only thing on his mind was what fun types of skills might be available in this new school, and he promised himself that he was going to sneak off to the school before anyone else found a task for him to do or solve.