The Apple Grotto Nymph (Dungeon Core Fairy Tale)

Theanore clapped her hands as the final mana point filled her reservoir. She rushed to where she had planted the deep wheat and touched the soil that hid the seed.

"I would like to use my twenty mana to grow this seed!"

Golden light enveloped her finger as she finished speaking, and it seeped into the soil. Then slowly the wheat grew from the soil, deep blue grains in a straight line shot upwards, connecting to the plant.

Theanore took the seeds and uprooted the now empty wheat plant. She had twenty-three seeds in total. If all the new seeds took root and gave about this much, then she would have plenty of food for her fish!

She went down the tunnel and then took a left turn, going into an unexplored tunnel. She planted the deep wheat in it and just as the first deep wheat was planted the words of her friend flashed before her.

Achievement unlocked: The farm grows.

Theanore patiently waited for the deep wheat to mature and now is rewarded with seeds which she plants in the dark. Because of that, she is allowed one free-of-charge upgrade on any plant in her seed sack.

A new upgrade? Why that was wonderful! She had seen some raspberry seeds. Maybe she could make the fruits extra tasty? No, faster growing and ripening! That was what she wanted.

Quick shot raspberry is chosen. Added to the seed sack.

Theanore watched as a light separated from her and went down the tunnel. She was going to check on her new upgraded seeds later. For now, she needed to plant her wheat.

Just so her fish wouldn't leave, Theanore had fed them the normal wheat seeds. She needed a field for them anyway, and she didn't have one. One day, her grotto would spill into the forest. For now, she had only the cave to work with.

After the last seed was planted, Theanore rushed to the seed sack and rummaged inside for a different-colored bag. She found a bright red one with shiny red seeds.

"Friend, what do I need to know about the quick shot raspberry?" Theanore asked and she was rewarded with more words.

The quick shot raspberry is a hardy thorny plant that does well both in the sun and in the shade. But it can't grow in total darkness.

Also, it tends to crawl and take up a lot of space. Consider planting it near the walls of the cave so it can crawl up them.

Achievement unlocked: Using your resources.

Theanore the nymph has used the system to gather information. As such, she is rewarded five more mana to her regen.

Theanore bounced on her feet at the new achievement. With the new fifteen mana, she was five mana away from growing a single deep wheat plant per day. She had to aim for more achievements!

Her friend, the system, had told her to plant the quick shot raspberry near the walls of the cave. And so Theanore shall.

Taking the red bag, she went outside of the cave. Something stopped her from going too far out, but she still managed to walk to where she had planted her petunias.

They were in triangles where the sun could shine on them. The left wall was free for raspberry planting.

Planting a single seed, Theanore was surprised when the stem immediately shoots up from the soil. It curled on the ground. That couldn't be healthy for the plant, thought Theanore to herself. She went to a tree and then took a stick that was laying at its base.

Returning to the quick shot raspberry, she buried the stick near it and wrapped the stem of the raspberry around the stick. It grew even more until it touched the wall of the cave.

Achievement unlocked: The crafty farmer.

Theanore has found the basics of growing quick shot raspberries. As such, she is awarded one fully grown plant of the species.

The quick shot raspberry earned its name and grew in size. It spread and curled into the cracks of the wall. Small raspberries grew and ripened in front of Theanore's eyes. She collected some and placed them to the side as she planted the rest of the seeds with sticks to support them.

Taking the raspberries, Theanore went to her fish. She threw the fruit inside and watched as her friends scrambled to get a bite out of them. Smiling, she sat by the water's edge to watch as her friends fed.

"I can feed you with berries until my wheat can be planted here," Theanore said to the fish as she watched the berries sinking into the water.

Your fish have reached an evolution point. Since they fed on wheat and berries, both not found in the sea, they can now grow larger provided you keep feeding them.

Upgrade silver baits into silver longtails?

"I will definitely keep feeding them, system. Upgrade them all!" Theanore exclaimed, and she watched as some fish, but not all, grew in size in front of her. She rushed back outside to her quick shot raspberry bush and picked more raspberries.

Back at the pool, the nymph spread the berries and watched as the silver longtails grew larger. She made a couple of more such trips until only green raspberries remained on the bush. Her silver longtails were now fifty centimeters long and were all looking at her expectantly.

"I don't have any more berries, sorry, friends," Theanore said, and the fish hid below the water again. The little nymph went back to her seed sack and took out a grapevine cutting. It would look good on the other side of the entrance.

She put the grapevine cuttings in a straight line near the right side of the entrance. Then she watered it and for good measure, she placed some stones around the sticks so that no animals could uproot them.

Then she did the same for her quick shot raspberries. Their stems were so fragile. They needed all the protection Theanore could offer them. Going back inside, she decided to check up on her fish again, only to see a horrifying sight.

There was a half-fish boy in her pool, and he was eating a silver longtail!

Theanore couldn't do anything against that, and could only watch as his teeth tore into her friend's flesh. When the fiend was finished eating, he moved so he was floating on his back and breathed a content sigh.

"Man, this was nice. I came here before, but the fish weren't this big. I might stay," the boy said.

 He had red hair and blue eyes and freckles. Theanore was terrified when she heard he was staying. He was going to eat her friends!

"Don't stay! This is my home! I was born here!" the nymph screamed, and the boy looked in the direction of the voice.

He had heard her!

"Hello? Anyone there?" the boy asked, and Theanore stepped closer to the water's edge.

"I am Theanore, and this is my home, and you are trespassing!" Theanore yelled at the boy who was looking at the water right where Theanore was standing.

"So pretty," he said, blushing.

The boy swam closer to Theanore's reflection, and the nymph looked down.

There, in the water, stood a little girl. She had strawberry-blonde curls, moss green eyes, and a beauty spot right above her right dimple, and she was wearing a green dress with vines and flowers sewed in.

Theanore waved at the little girl, and the little girl returned the gesture at the same time. Was this her?

The boy caught a fish and offered it to the reflection.

"They are tasty. Are you hungry?" he asked as he held the fish above Theanore's reflection.

"They are my friends! Stop bothering and eating them!" Theanore snapped, and she could see that the little girl in the water was frowning. She couldn't be more than two years old. Her curls bounced lightly as she held a finger pointed at the half-fish boy.

"I want you to leave!" She said, and the boy looked crestfallen.

"But, princess, I don't have a home. Can't I share yours? Please?"

The little girl's lower lip trembled. The boy had swum in here from the submerged tunnel. And he said he didn't have a home. It would be wrong of Theanore if she chased him away.

But she couldn't let her friends die either!

"I will feed you fruits and vegetables, but you won't be taking any of my fish from me!" Theanore said. The boy chuckled.

"Princess, you are being silly. I am a merman. If I don't eat fish, I will grow weak and die. I don't eat much. One per day will be enough."

"I am a nymph, not a princess," Theanore said, and the boy finally placed the fish he was holding back into the water.

"And I am a merman. My name is Marinus. I will be your friend now and always, Theanore!"

The little girl in the pool blushed bright red at the dreamy look that Marinus was giving her. Theanore felt a warmth spread on her cheeks.

 Boys were weird, she decided, before turning around and beating a hasty retreat.