Farmer

by Tom Larcombe

  She nodded.

  “That happens, especially here in the forest where you have to work to see the sky.”

  “Okay then. But this has been pretty good experience for me. Two more days like this and I'd level.”

  “If we could manage a goblin village you'd level a lot faster, plus it would be a lot more worth our while also.”

  Oh yeah, the amount of experience I needed to level jumped a lot when I hit level three. I can't imagine how much they need since they're a few levels higher.

  “Well, let's head out then. I'll have plenty of time to cook up some meat on a stick for tonight I guess. I was wondering if I'd be able to do both this and that.”

  Allie shook her head, then found a spot where she could see the sun herself.

  “This way,” she said, heading off into the forest.

  The trip back was uneventful, leaving Eddie plenty of time to get ready for another evening of playing food vendor.

  ~ ~ ~

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Aaron examined the logs for Eddie's day. Karl's logs were in another file just waiting to be perused.

  “Good, good, he got in a lot of combat today and the readings look nearly identical to those of a player on the standard setup. I suppose the biggest chance of there being a difference is going to be after the thirty day mark, but still.”

  The head tech, Tom, was within earshot, checking the physical pods to make sure the alterations they'd made were functioning as intended.

  “Well, there is a little bit of new code in there that could make a difference before thirty days. I don't think it will though,” he said.

  “I almost feel bad,” Aaron said. “I told them we needed them to go adventuring and do all the normal things players do. I didn't mention the fact that we're going to need them to die at least once. I kind of told myself it was one of those things all the players do, but...”

  Tom laughed.

  “Yeah, I understand. I can't conceive of standing in front of someone, even just in game, and telling them that they have to die for science. I just don't think it would go over well.”

  “Hopefully it isn't an issue and they do it on their own,” Aaron said.

  “If not, we've still got the intervention procedures we can run, right?”

  “Yeah, but you know the only tests on those tended to show that they were more than a little over the top, right?”

  Tom shrugged.

  “Just saying. If you need them to die then over the top ought to do it, now shouldn't it?”

  ~ ~ ~

  Dominic wasn't around when Eddie woke up. It didn't worry him much though, they'd told the wizard they'd be leaving for the forest at about three hours past dawn and given him instructions to the farm.

  Although it's not like he needed much in the way of instructions. Head east on the road until you see a farm, that's it. It's not like you need GPS to find it or anything, Eddie thought.

  For whatever reason, he was the only one awake yet, and he wasn't even hungry. Deciding to put off breakfast he opened the front door, only to find three bunnies laid out across the porch and Lucky napping on the far end.

  Huh, if they're coming back I'd better check the main crop. Hopefully Lucky caught them before they did much damage. Not that I know what I'm going to do with this stuff yet. I've got no idea what they're for even. Gourmet herbs? Alchemy ingredients? It's not like there's a fancy restaurant or an alchemist in the Meadowlands. I may yet have to hire a group to go to Brightport if only to sell this stuff off once it's fully grown. Speaking of Brightport, I ought to see if Paul replied to me.

  A quick scan through the cash crops showed no damage, evidently if the bunnies were from on the farm, Lucky had a handle on them. Going back to the farmhouse, he settled in on the swing on the porch, close to Lucky. The cat must've either not been asleep or woken up from his movement since a moment after he opened his private message screen he felt her rubbing against his legs.

  Yup, he did reply, Eddie thought. Let's see how much he's going to take me for to get a set of inn blueprints.

  'Eddie:

  You were right, there's no business for a builder here, the competition between the ones already in Brightport is fierce. I was thinking, if your offer still stands, I'll happily take care of blueprints for the inn, and help you build it, if you'll cede me a share of the profit, net profit of course.

  I seem to recall that there was a lake just west of town. I'm thinking I might build a house there for me and my family. If you're still amenable to the deal let me know. Also, this might sweeten the deal, I'm going to pay for a teleport so my wife and daughter don't have to risk the trails. The standard teleport includes baggage up to a ton (including our weight), so if there's anything you need, I can pick it up for you and you can pay me for it when we get there. Just let me know if you still want to make the deal.

  Paul.'

  Damn, he sounds pretty eager to make that deal now. Is it really that bad in Brightport? Eddie wondered.

  He shook his head and composed a quick message to Paul. In it, he laid out what resources he knew he had access to, just rough hewn planks and logs so far, and asked him to compare it to an inn blueprint and see what else they might need. He told him to bring along whatever else they'd need to build a good inn and that would do it.

  By the time he closed out the message screen Lucky had gone back to sleep, lying across his foot now. He felt guilty for moving her, but slipped his foot out from under her after giving her some pets, then headed into the house where he heard someone moving around.

  Lucky chuffed as he slid out from under her, then went back to sleep. He opened the door and headed for the kitchen, finding Tiana awake and moving around in there.

  “What I wouldn't give for some coffee,” he said.

  She jumped and spun.

  “Don't do that to me!” she yelped. “But yeah, coffee... or maybe a nice cola loaded with caffeine. That's my biggest problem with being in here, lack of coffee. They actually have some in the bigger cities, but it's expensive.”

  “Expensive a gold a bag or a gold a cup?”

  “Gold a bag for beans, bag being roughly a pound.”

  “In that case, I think we can get some here pretty soon,” he said, nearly drooling at the thought of it.

  “One moment,” he said dropping back into his message screen.

  He dashed off a quick note to Paul.

  'and bring coffee, as many bags as you can get up to... say... fifty. Plus a percolator or however they brew it here.

  Thanks, Eddie.'

  “There,” he said, “you remember Paul?”

  “The guy Aaron teleported to Brightport?”

  “Yeah, he has his family in game, then realized there was no work for him in Brightport, too much established competition. So he's going to move out here, help me build the inn, and take a share of the profits. He asked me if there was anything he should bring and I didn't think of much, until we talked about coffee. So coffee coming up, hopefully within a few days.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “You're a godsend.”

  He grinned.

  “Don't forget it,” he said. “Breakfast?”

  She nodded.

  “Doesn't look like there's that much left here though.”

  “I've got the last few venison steaks, plus there's lots of stuff in the garden. Let's go take a look.

  ~ ~ ~

  Dominic arrived well before they were supposed to leave. He was surprisingly interested in the farm itself when he saw it.

  “So that's where you're getting all the produce from?” he asked.

  Eddie nodded.

  “Yeah and a lot of the bunnies I cooked and served came from here also. The place was practically infested with them when I got here.”

  “Nice setup. I wish I had a house like that in game, that damned tent is drafty. I have to crank the sensation levels way down just to get to sleep in it.”

  “I'd offer you a bed in the
bunkhouse but I took all the mattresses for the new bunkhouse I'm renting out and haven't replaced them yet,” Eddie said.

  Dominic shook his head.

  “That's fine, if the offer stands I'll bunk out on the floor even. Still gonna be better than the tent.”

  “Sure, why not. Here, I'll show it to you.”

  While Eddie showed him around, he also pitched the idea of Dominic getting his own house built in the area.

  “I got a friend,” Eddie said, “who's a non-adventuring class, that's going to be in the area soon. I bet that if you really wanted a house, he could take care of building one for you. No idea what he'd charge, but it's probably not that much since most of the materials are available locally.”

  Dominic considered the idea for a minute.

  “Tell you what, once he's here, put me in touch. I don't know if this would be the best place to have a house, but it is tempting.”

  “Worried about what to do after you're higher level?”

  The wizard nodded.

  “Flip it, sell it off to some lower level group that's doing well. You might even make a profit, who knows?”

  “That's a thought. I'm sure I'm not the only one hating the tents.”

  “I'm trying to take care of that, that's why my friend is coming here. We're going to build an inn, but even then there won't be enough rooms for all the adventurers in the area.”

  Dominic dropped off the excess gear he'd been carrying in the bunkhouse. Confessing that he was glad he didn't have to carry it. He hadn't wanted to leave it down near the other tents after what had happened to Tiana and Allie's tent a few days back.

  “You're welcome to stay there as long as you like. Sooner or later I'll get some more mattresses for those beds too,” Eddie said.

  “It's no big deal. I'm just drooling over that fireplace. I'll bunk out in front of the fire if the spark guard on it is good enough.”

  “Worked when I had to stay there for a few days,” Eddie replied.

  The two of them made their way back to the farmhouse and waited for everyone else to be ready.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Alright,” Allie said, “let's see how quickly we can drop a patrol. Dominic, you remember the tactics, right?”

  She'd taken the lead the day before and they'd done alright, so everyone was letting her keep the role.

  “Yeah, yeah, drop a fireball in the center of their group when they rush us, then step back and use fire arrow on targets of opportunity if necessary. It's been less than a week since we were doing this together, remember?”

  Allie shook her head at him.

  “Everyone else, just like yesterday. Instead of following me on the initial attack though, follow Dominic. Once his fireball goes off, follow up with your own attacks. Karl, make sure you're at least fifteen feet off the trail or you might catch some of that fireball yourself.”

  “Did you hear her, Lucky? Way back off the trail,” Eddie said, bending over to scratch the bobcat. “I don't want you to get burnt either.”

  He was sure that she understood what he was saying. She'd reacted to his words, as opposed to his tone, too many times for it to be a coincidence.

  At this point I'm assuming that she's just messing with me when she doesn't listen, he thought.

  They didn't have to wait long for the first patrol to show up. Less than ten minutes after Allie sketched out the plan Karl held up his hand.

  “I think I hear something,” he said.

  Just like the day before they spent a few moments talking louder, trying to be heard and get the patrol, if that's what it was, to come after them. Karl and Lucky disappeared off the trail and a minute later they spotted the patrol coming into sight.

  Dominic was positioned along with Tiana, in the center of the group. When the goblins got close enough, he gestured with his arms, muttering something under his breath.

  A brilliant flash of light formed in his hand, racing outwards fast enough that Eddie thought it looked like a solid light beam. When the light struck a goblin, the beam disappeared, and a large sphere of orange-yellow flame roared out, originating from the point of impact.

  The flames disappeared, leaving seven pissed off goblins on the trail. They looked scorched and burnt but none of them had dropped. Allie's arrow shot out, striking one, the additional damage dropping the goblin. Eddie, meanwhile, had been staring at the fireball and was now blinking to clear his vision well enough to aim. A moment later he shot his own arrow and hit a smoking goblin in the center of its chest. The goblin dropped.

  They walked right through this patrol and Eddie acknowledged that Allie had had a point. The fight took less than a minute this way, whereas the day before the patrols had taken them significantly longer.

  When the fight was over, Tiana gestured and spoke. A small cloud formed overhead and started sprinkling rain down on the area that was still smoldering from the fireball. After she finished her spell she turned to Eddie.

  “First couple of times we tried that, we started a forest fire. It's hell to get away from one of those in here, so now we do this to make sure it's out before we leave.”

  Eddie nodded.

  “Good plan, I'd rather not burn to death. Can't imagine that's very good for your health, or psyche.”

  Allie cleared her throat from right behind Eddie. He spun to face her.

  “Next batch, you and I will take a pot shot at them when they're still at long distance,” she said. “We want a boosted patrol for our next target. If we take them down as easily as we did this one, then we can give a goblin village a shot today also.”

  “What's so great about the villages?” Eddie asked. “You mentioned them yesterday also.”

  “Better loot, more experience, and an experience bonus if we clear the whole thing. Although they are much harder since most of them have a magic using type, a shaman or priest, along with four to eight warriors.”

  “Better loot?” he asked.

  Allie nodded her head.

  “Yeah, if we're lucky we'll find a barrel of arrows we can split up. Plus the warriors in the villages can have better grade armor. I'm sure you noticed the pieces you got yesterday are ranked poor, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sometimes you'll get common ranked armor from the warriors in the village. Very infrequently you can get some decent items from their magic using type which could boost either Dominic or Tiana, so yeah, we like the villages.”

  “I understand,” Eddie said. “You're sure we can take one?”

  “That's what we'll find out by trying a boosted patrol. Plus they actually subtract the warriors that came out with the patrol from the nearest village, so that makes it a touch easier.”

  Eddie nodded.

  “So, we're just waiting on another patrol then, right?”

  “Yeah, shouldn't be too long with how loud we've been talking.”

  As if on cue there was a squeal from down the trail. When Eddie looked that way, there was another patrol of goblins coming. He raised his bow and fired, his arrow leaving his bow only a fraction of a second after Allie's. When the arrows went flying down the trail at them the goblins made an abrupt about face and raced out of sight.

  “Here we go,” Allie said. “Positions everyone.”

  The boosted patrol was almost a let down for Eddie. He remembered the difficulties they'd had the day before, nothing horrible, but they'd actually had to work at it. With Dominic leading off and damaging the whole patrol, then shooting fiery arrows into the warriors that Jern was fighting, it was anti-climactic. The fight was over in a little more than a minute.

  “Good,” Allie said. “I think we can take a village. Let's rest. Everyone make sure their health is at full, casters make sure mana is at full, then we'll track this patrol back to where they came from.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Eddie stared at the goblin village through the forest. Really it should've been called a goblin outpost instead of a village. It was populated entirely by scouts, warriors
, and a single shaman. He'd been relieved to find that there were no non-combatant goblins in the villages. With the way the NPCs acted in the game, he wasn't sure he could've handled it if there were.

  At least, not yet, he thought. Maybe after I've got more actual combat under my belt. Hunting animals just wasn't the same. Even the Warren Mother wasn't quite the same as killing goblins has been.

  He stared at the buildings in the village. They were more along the line of stick and sod construction than anything else. All five of the barracks-style buildings that made up the village were so poorly constructed that he couldn't believe they hadn't fallen over in the first stiff breeze.

  His bow was in hand, an arrow nocked but not drawn yet. Dominic would be setting off a fireball to signal the start of the attack. The wizard was waiting until he could catch as many targets in one spot as possible, then he'd fire and the rest of the group would join in.

  Eddie waited impatiently, trying to control his breathing and realizing that even though the attack hadn't started yet his adrenaline was already flowing.

  Finally a burst of orange-yellow flame roared through the center of the compound catching two warriors and four scouts in its embrace. Eddie stood and drew, loosing a shaft at one of the scouts that had been scorched by the fireball.

  That scout dropped from the arrow that struck him in the neck. Eddie nocked and drew again, loosing the arrow into another burnt scout. He didn't fall from that arrow, but the next one Eddie released did the trick. The arrow he fired after that flew off into the distance, missing entirely.

  The attention of the goblins, who'd been trying to search out the locations of those firing on them, was caught by Jern sprinting into the village, his short legs pumping rapidly.

  Huh, he's faster than I would've thought, Eddie thought idly as he decided on his next target.

  Jern's charge ended with him smashing his shield into one of the warriors that had been caught by a fireball. The goblin warrior went flying backward, losing his footing and tumbling to the ground. Tiana was striding into the village behind Jern, her armor jingling as she walked. She was trying to stay close enough to heal him while not getting inextricably tangled in the fighting.