Farmer

by Tom Larcombe

  Eddie sighed inwardly, but cheered up quickly enough just thinking about being in the game.

  “Well, I've got the job then?”

  “Sure do, I'll just need your signature on some papers and you'll be good to go first thing tomorrow afternoon.”

  Eddie followed Allan back to the office where he signed what seemed like an entire stack of paperwork. After reading the first few pages and finding it to be the standard boilerplate of a job application and EULA combined he stopped reading and just skimmed the title of each page before signing it. Once he was done, he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Don't forget, don't eat anything after midnight tonight. If you do we'll need to do a heavy dose of quick laxative to clean you out before you go into the pod. We'll do a lighter dose regardless, don't want to foul the pods.”

  Eddie blushed, thinking about it. He'd forgotten that aspect of LTI, despite reading about it in the past. The nutrient solution used didn't cause fecal matter to build up in the players body, only urine, which the pod could easily handle. So they had to ensure there wasn't any fecal matter in the player's body before entering the pod.

  I probably forgot about it because I didn't want to think about it. Oh well, it'll all be worth it, he thought. That's another good reason to stay in on my day off though, I won't have to deal with that every week.

  “I'll remember that. By the way, if room and board is part of the deal, do you have a place I can store my stuff here? I don't want to keep paying for an apartment I'm not using.”

  Not that I've been paying for it recently anyhow, he thought.

  Allan chuckled.

  “It's a warehouse. It had the wiring we needed so we acquired it, but there's plenty of extra space. You can have a few of the lockers in the old employee area to store stuff in.”

  “Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow,” Eddie said, as he noticed Allan turning his monitor back on.

  “First thing after lunch. Let's say one o'clock,” Allan replied, turning back to his monitor and staring.

  Eddie left the office, waving to the receptionist as he walked past. She spared him a brief glance before turning back to her computer and continuing to type.

  ~ ~ ~

  Chapter Two

  Allan walked through the virtual soil of the farm. Beside him was the man he'd hired to build the farm in game.

  “So we're all set Paul? I've got my first worker coming in tomorrow,” he said.

  “Yeah boss, we've even got the first batch planted. We started the food garden for the workers before we even did anything with the fields or house, so it's coming on strong already. There's a decent well too, so food and water is covered. You saw the bunkhouse yourself.”

  “Yeah, I did. Good work on the building there. The furniture is a little cruddy, but good enough I suppose.”

  “Sorry,” Paul said, “but the carpentry skill branches out and I've been working on the structures branch. I figured the house, bunkhouse, and barn were more important than what goes in them.”

  “Like I said, it's good enough. If they want better they can make their own. You said they'll be able to pick up skills, right?”

  “Yeah, the character creation you're using is a template, one they made for all those actors they used when the world first opened to the players. You just swapped out the stats and skills to the ones you wanted these guys to have, right? So they'll start with those, but they can potentially learn other things just by trying to do them a few times. Any player can.”

  “Good, good. Everything looks to be okay here then. You're sure the workers aren't going to be in any danger here, right? I'd hate to lose time or product because they got cut down.”

  “Yeah, this is a pretty peaceful zone. It's recommended for player levels one to five, but it's surrounded by a bunch of higher level zones. Doesn't make much sense to me, but I think they'd intended to use this as a starting point at some time and then never got around to it. No hostiles. The mobs are all things like bunnies, deer, or raccoons. They won't be aggressive to the workers unless provoked. So a bunch of low levels ought to be just fine. And if not, that's why you've got guards coming too, right?”

  ~ ~ ~

  Eddie laid down in the pod, feeling pretty relaxed. When he'd told his landlord he was moving out, the man had said he'd use the money from Eddie's last month and security deposit that he'd paid when he moved in to cover the past month, the one Eddie hadn't been able to pay yet. Then he'd pro-rated the current month and, after a quick inspection of the apartment, decided to return everything from the security deposit beyond the pro-rating portion of this month. So he had a couple hundred dollars more in the bank than he'd thought he would.

  Not like you can actually be comfortable in a three hundred and fifty square foot apartment unless you keep it clean and in good condition, Eddie thought. So the only surprise there was that he actually gave the rest of the deposit back to me. I figured he'd just keep it. I guess doing my own maintenance and never calling him worked in my favor. Good thing I never had a plumbing issue, I can do minor electrical and carpentry, but not plumbing.

  He knew he was letting his mind wander to avoid thinking about what had just happened. With the dose of quick laxative in his system, he'd spent thirty minutes on the toilet, then cleaned himself up and come out to find that he was expected to climb in the pod nude. It made sense though. If he was going to be in for long term, then he really didn't want the same clothes on him right through, plus they'd get in the way of some functions of the pod, like cleaning and liquid waste elimination. His biggest problem was that the pretty receptionist was evidently not just a receptionist. She was in the room to do the final calibrations to his pod, which wouldn't happen until he was in it.

  He'd finally given in and asked her to turn around while he stripped and got in. She'd grinned at him, but done it. Now the pod lid was closing on him and he was nervous as all hell.

  He flinched when the first electrode made contact with his skin before the lid was fully shut. He knew there was more to come, more electrodes, more monitoring devices, and finally a needle for the nutrient solution. The intravenous feeding needle would deliver the nutrient solution that would keep his body healthy while he was in the game. Fortunately, the needle didn't go in until after he was already in the game and his body unconscious.

  He was a little nervous about the pod, even though it was in good shape. When Allan had said an older model than the L.O.POD Mark V, Eddie had been expecting the Mark IV. The pod he was in was a Mark III though, from several years earlier. Pod upgrades had been happening left and right the last few years and Eddie had read up on the Mark IV after packing last night. He didn't know a thing about the pod he was in though, except that it was a Light Online approved pod.

  The lid clicked shut and he heard a hissing noise as it pressurized. A rubber ring extended from the pod, closing in around his neck. Once it had a firm seal he heard movement and felt a trickle of motion on his scalp. He waited, tensing up from his expectation that he'd feel the nanites somehow as they integrated with his brain. Instead, his eyes closed and a blank blackness sprang up in his sight.

  ~ ~ ~

  Text sprang into view on the blackness:

  Welcome to Light Online!

  After a moment the text swelled in size as though it were coming closer to him. The center of the letter 'o' in the word 'Online' filled with colors, the text continuing to swell until those colors filled his view. The circle of color, mostly blues and greens with a smattering of brown and white, began to rotate and as it grew larger he realized that it was a planet.

  He rushed towards the rotating planet, his speed growing faster and faster. He tried to close his eyes, but realized that he couldn't, he didn't currently seem to have any eyes. As he continued to rush forward, his speed finally slowed when he couldn't see the entire world any more. It slowed yet more and he realized that he was being targeted on a specific area. It appeared to be lightly forested, the forests interspersed with large me
adows. There was a mountain range to one side of this area and a thick forest encircled almost all the remaining borders of the meadows and lighter forest.

  He was still going far too fast when he was close enough to make out structures in one of the meadows. Sure he was going to strike the ground at high speed, he tried to close his eyes again. This time everything went dark. Vertigo struck him as the sense of movement suddenly ceased. His eyes sprang open in surprise and his legs buckled beneath him. A friendly arm caught him before he could fall.

  “Whoa there big guy,” a voice said. “Hang on a second, that'll pass right quick.”

  Eddie gulped and hoped the voice was right. Within a second or two, he was feeling better so he turned and looked at the speaker.

  The man was a little shorter than him and a bit stouter. Despite the extra weight, he still looked strong. The hand on Eddie's arm was callused, he could feel the rough texture of the other man's skin where he gripped Eddie's arm.

  Obviously, he works for a living, Eddie thought.

  Then the rest of it hit him.

  Wait, I can feel the calluses on his hand? Vertigo? My knees trying to give out under me? It's just like having a real body. This is incredible!

  “I'm good now, thanks,” Eddie said.

  He straightened his body and looked at his surroundings. He was in some sort of barracks type building, crude beds lined the walls on either side, each with a roughly made chest at its foot. Only one of the beds had anything on it, and it was the one right in front of him. What looked like a scratchy wool blanket had been put over the top and a lumpy sack resided on the end of the bed near the wall, apparently to serve as a pillow.

  “What the...” he asked, trailing off as he continued to look around.

  “Where am I?” he asked after a few more seconds.

  “You're in Light Online, where did you think you were?” the other man replied. “I'm Paul, the builder of this farm.”

  Of this farm? Eddie thought. You've got to be kidding me right? Did I sign on to farm as in plant farming and not mobs?

  “Please tell me we're farming mobs?” Eddie said.

  Paul laughed, a genial sound that echoed through the mostly empty bunkhouse.

  “What gave you that idea? This is a functional farm. They supply high end foodstuffs to a number of restaurants in the major cities of Light Online and components to some of the magic guilds. There's big bucks in it if done right.”

  Eddie groaned and once more his legs buckled beneath him. This time he settled back onto the bed behind him.

  Well, that tears it. I know I'll be spending as many days off in the game as I can. I suppose working on a real farm, wait... Real? Virtual? Real virtual? Who knows what I should call it?

  He shook his head before continuing his train of thought.

  I suppose working with plants is no worse than working with nutrient solution and it lets me be in game for the rest of the time, no commute to worry about or anything. But damn, what a let down. Not much else I can do though, I don't have an apartment any more, and not enough money to try to find a place. Plus I've been looking for a job forever, it seems like, and haven't found one, so I guess farmer it is.

  Eddie sighed heavily and looked up at Paul.

  “So, what are my duties going to be here?” he asked.

  ~ ~ ~

  Eddie looked around again as Paul left the building. There wasn't much for him to do yet, so Paul had told him to just take a day to get used to the game. The topic had come up and he'd told Paul he'd never been in full immersion before. Paul had immediately asked him a bunch of questions about how he felt. Aside from the vertigo on landing, Eddie was feeling great, physically at least. The idea that he'd signed up to farm plants instead of farming gold and items was wearing on him though. So he decided to do something about it.

  He walked out onto the porch and took a deep breath. He remembered the smell of clean, fresh air from real life. It wasn't something he normally experienced, living in the city as he did, but the air here smelled even fresher and cleaner than it had on the few camping trips he'd taken when he was younger. He looked around at the vibrant greens that surrounded the plowed area they'd be farming and sighed happily.

  Okay, maybe farming this way won't be as bad as I thought, we'll see what other options are in the area for my time off though.

  There was a bench along the back edge of the porch, using the front wall of the bunkhouse for its back. He settled in and spoke out loud.

  “Stats”

  A light blue box appeared in his line of sight, blocking half of his vision.

  Edward Hunter

  Human

  Male

  Level: 0

  Class: N/A

  Strength: 9

  Intelligence: 9

  Agility: 16

  Wisdom: 12

  Heartiness: 10

  Charisma: 8

  Willpower: 11

  Health: 10

  Endurance: 10

  Mana: 12

  Luck: 13

  Stamina: 25

  Experience:

  -2500/0

  After checking his stats, his eyes widened.

  “Level zero? What the hell?” he yelled, his frustration getting the better of him.

  Evidently Paul wasn't in earshot since Eddie didn't get a reply. He sighed heavily again, realized that he'd done so at least ten times since logging on, then pulled up his skills.

  “Skills,” he said softly.

  Edward Hunter

  Human

  Male

  General:

  Animal Handling: 1

  Animal Husbandry:1

  Farming: 2

  Herbalism: 2

  Weather Sense: 1

  Combat:

  Staves: 1

  Magical:

  N/A

  He shook his head and stood, deciding to give himself a tour of the farm.

  Well, at least they gave me something in combat skills, he thought. I was worried they'd just neglect it entirely. I can pick up a thick stick or something while I'm wandering and have some sort of weapon at least.

  He spoke again as he was walking.

  “Settings”

  The blue panel came up again, blocking half his vision and the first thing he did was shrink the panel and make it more translucent. Now he could see through the panel and it was only partially obscuring the upper left portion of his view.

  “Hey, Eddie,” Paul said.

  “Yeah?” he asked, still thinking through his settings and trying to decide how he wanted them.

  “I heard you muttering and staring into the distance. You do know you can just think to access your panels, right? No need to talk out loud?”

  “You can?”

  It wasn't something he'd been used to in the headset and gloves VR he'd done before. He'd always needed to speak to access his information. In some cases, it was even more primitive than that, requiring hand movements and the like.

  “Yeah, full immersion baby, you'll get used to it and when you do it's so much sweeter than any other kind of VR.”

  Eddie stared at Paul for a moment, thinking. A panel popped into his vision.

  Paul Rogar

  Class:

  Level: 9

  Craftsman

  You are currently unable to obtain more information about Paul with Evaluate.

  You have obtained the skill Evaluate.

  After a moment, Eddie realized that he'd been thinking about what Paul's stats might be when the panel popped up. He dismissed the panel and tried again. He stared at Paul and thought about the Craftsman's stats. The same panel popped up again, minus the message about gaining the skill.

  Hmm, I wonder if the actual skill will give more information, he thought.

  He looked at Paul again, but this time he thought: Evaluate

  Paul Rogar:

  Class:

  Level: 9

  Craftsman

  (Carpenter)

  Specializat
ion: Structures

  You are currently unable to obtain more information about Paul with Evaluate.

  He broke into a grin. The skill had given him more information, still not very much, but more than he had been getting.

  “You just checked out my character, didn't you?” Paul asked.

  “Umm, yeah... sorry.”

  “No big deal, although some people consider that rude. I know you're new though, so I'll forgive you this time.”

  He smirked to let Eddie know he was just messing around.

  “Anyhow, yeah, you can think any of the commands that you might want to speak. Makes it a lot quicker and less irritating to the people around you,” Paul said.

  “I'll remember that. I was going to take a look around the farm, is that okay?”

  “Yeah, there's not a lot to see yet. Like I told Allan, the food garden is up and doing well. There's beasts in the barn, the ones we use for plowing and other heavy work, but the for profit crops were just planted yesterday, it'll be another day or two before they sprout.”

  “That quickly?”

  “Yeah, in game it's a lot easier to grow things than in real life, quicker too. They've got a number of AIs that determine how long things should take. No clue what algorithm they use, but it definitely favors the farmer. Same deal with everything else. There was an AI responsible for creating the terrain, a different one handles the weather, so on and so forth. The NPCs think the AIs are the gods and I suppose in a sense they really are the gods of the game world.”