Your orders from the local lord are simple:Reclaim the wasteland and turn it into a productive farm.
After walking through the wasteland all day, you reach an old shack just before sundown. This must be your new home!Inside the shack you find an old unpolished hoe with a rough wooden handle hanging on the wall. It's your first real possession, so you'd better treat it right!EQUIPPED: OLD HOEOn the other side of the shack is a bed.*klump*You hear a noise outside.When you go outside and look around the back side of your shack, you don't see anything, but then you notice something sneaking up behind you!It's a huge, feral onion with an expressive face. It's a very hungry expression.Suddenly the Hungry Onion hops toward you and sinks its fangs into your boot! You're glad this isn't the kind of game that tracks equipment durability.Unfortunately for you, this is the kind of game that tracks PC durability.You kick your foot out with the Hungry Onion still attached and then fall backward and drag yourself out of your boot as the Hungry Onion keeps chewing.The Hungry Onion stops chewing on your boot and looks up at you and then leaps toward you! You grab the hoe with both hands just in time and the Hungry Onion bites the handle in front of your face!You roll over and stand up and then swing your hoe blade-first into the Hungry Onion.*chok*The Hungry Onion stops moving and its eyes roll back with the hoe blade stuck into its side. After your breathing slows down, you look around and see your boot. You hop back toward your boot and put it back on, then look back at the Hungry Onion with your hoe stuck in its side.You wiggle the blade loose and then hit it again just to make sure it's dead.*klink*It sounds like you hit something... metal?You wedge the blade back into the gap and pry the Hungry Onion open with a crisp wet snap. Embedded in the center, something glitters yellow in the setting sunlight.You reach your hand in and pull out a small lump of gold!FOUND 1G!
*klump**klump**klump*You look up from the lump of gold and see three more Hungry Onions hopping toward you!>Fight>Run
>>6420484>Fight
>>6420484>It's your first real possessionIt's serf time>Run
Cute artstyle so far, QM!>>6420484>Fight
>>6420484>>Fight
>>6420484>FightI will make you fools into S O U P
>>6420484>RunJust the one was too much, I'm out of here!
With the promise of riches and more, you raise your hoe and swing it downward like a club at the closest Hungry Onion!*chok*The blade embeds itself in the Hungry Onion and it tilts to the side as its eyes roll up!But the blade of your hoe is embedded in the dead Hungry Onion...Another of the Hungry Onions bounces over the embedded hoe and hops along the handle! Before you can duck out of the way, it leaps off the handle and bites you in the shoulder! The Hungry Onion's fangs sink in deeper as its jaws close and then the third Hungry Onion bites you in the leg!You finally tear the second Hungry Onion off your shoulder and fling it away and then stumble backward with the weight of the third Hungry Onion chewing your leg. As you crawl, you grab the dead Hungry Onion and look up at the handle of your hoe. Your hand reaches out and grabs for it and then you finally grab hold and pull on it but it's still embedded in the dead Hungry Onion!The hoe finally comes loose and you accidentally swing it all the way around toward your leg!*chok*Luckily, you hit the Hungry Onion and not your leg!Your vision is starting to get blurry...Using the hoe as a crutch, you can just barely pull yourself back upright.*klump*The last Hungry Onion hops over the body of the second dead Hungry Onion and hops toward you!*klump*You turn around and hobble back toward the door of your shack as fast as you can!*klump*The Hungry Onion is gaining on you!*klump*You grab the door and fling it open and fall inside and kick it shut!*klump**klump**klump*After a while you can't hear the Hungry Onion anymore. You pull yourself up and cautiously look out the door. When you see the two dead Hungry Onions, you think about the gold inside them and step out into the open just as something flaps overhead!A big crow with a sneering expression lands on one of the dead Hungry Onions and pecks it to pieces until it finds the gold inside!*flap flap*Another Smart Crow lands on the other dead Hungry Onion and pecks it apart for the gold and then the two Smart Crows look back toward you in the doorway!You slam the door as hard as you can and wait until they're gone.When they finally fly off, you look out the window and then sit back down on the floor and take a deep breath.Somehow, you survived!Your vision gets blurry again and you crawl across the floor toward the bed.
"Hello? Hello, is someone in there?"It's already light out when you wake up. You can hear someone calling from outside the shack. Miraculously, your wounds seem to be fully healed.You look out the window and see the first Hungry Onion that you killed yesterday. When you open the door, you see a man on a horse-drawn cart."Oh, there really is someone here!" The man on the cart waves again and climbs down. "I heard someone had taken over this farm. My name is York. I sell farm tools." York looks down at the dead Hungry Onion. "I also buy crops. I'll give you 1g for this Hungry Onion."That would double your wealth... but you also haven't eaten for a few days.>Sell crops>No thanks
>>6420515>No thanks
>>6420515>Sell CropsAnd if possible>Sell hoeThen let's use the gold to buy something better to defend ourselves with? >Buy scythe? Sickle? Greatsword? Something that won't get stuck in an onion and can keep us safe. Then when York leaves we go hunting for another onion or anything else edible, this place is crawling with monsters.
Even knowing that it tried to eat you, the allure of the Hungry Onion is too much. You grab it before York can pick it up and then take a bite. It crunches in your mouth just like a regular onion."I'm afraid I don't have any weapons." York pulls back a sheet and shows you a row of hoes. "Care to take a look at my wares?">Old Hoe: 10g>Used Hoe: 50g>Iron Hoe: 800g>Gold Hoe: 2500g"Hmm..." York inspects your old hoe. "I'll give you 5g for this old hoe."You look at the single lump of gold in your hand and shake your head. Even if you sold your hoe, you wouldn't have enough to buy a nicer one."Not enough gold, eh?" York climbs back up onto the cart. "Well, no matter. I'm heading back to the village of Glynton. You're welcome to come with, if you like. It's a day's walk, but we can be there in an hour.">Tend field>Visit town
>>6420555>Tend fieldWelp, we ain't much of a farmer without a field.
>>6420555>Tend fieldWe don't even have enough gold to buy anything even if we do go to town...
>>6420555>Tend field
"See you around." York cracks the reins and his horse trots away from your shack.After the dust settles, you look out at the wasteland and then put your hoe over your shoulder and walk toward the roughest part while you eat the rest of the Hungry Onion.With your hunger sated, you work the rest of the day turning the field with your old hoe. After working all day, the field is starting to look more improved. You stand up and stretch your back...That's when you notice something slowly sneaking up behind you. It's another Hungry Onion! You grip the handle of your hoe and swing it around and when it hits you can feel the Hungry Onion tilt sideways. You pull your hoe back out and look around and see another Hungry Onion hopping toward you down the row.When it jumps into the air, you swing your hoe and chop it down in one hit. This time you pull the blade of your old hoe out with no struggle.*flap flap*Just as you finish pulling the clump of gold out of the second Hungry Onion, a Smart Crow flies overhead!The Smart Crow flies in circles overhead. You turn and turn keeping an eye on it but then it dives toward you and pecks your pocket!STOLE 1G!You grip the handle so tightly the wood creaks under your hands and swing your hoe upward as the Smart Crow tries to fly away. The blade catches it in the back of the neck and it plunges back down into the barren soil.The gold it stole tumbles out of its limp beak. As you retrieve your gold and wrench your hoe loose, you see something stuck inside its craw. It's a lump of gold just like the ones in the Hungry Onions, only twice as large!With a quick look in your inventory, you already have 5g and two Hungry Onions. This was definitely a productive day. Arms loaded with Hungry Onions, you hurry across the field back toward your shack before any more Smart Crows show up.
Inside your shack, you just can't seem to get comfortable. No matter what you do, there's a breeze blowing on you from somewhere. Finally, you get out of bed and feel around under your bed where the breeze is coming from.It feels like there's something under your bed.You pull the bed away and find a trapdoor on the floor underneath where your bed was!You lift up the trapdoor and look inside the pitch-black space but it's too dark to see anything.Hoe in hand, you crawl down through the trapdoor into the darkness below your floorboards. At first you grope around until you feel a stone wall, then you follow it around an unexpected corner. After a minute, you realize this place is a lot bigger than a cellar.*klump*There's something moving around down here!Suddenly you see a pale shape wobble across the stone floor toward the sound of your footsteps! With the handle gripped tightly, you swing your hoe at it with all your might!*chif*The blade scrapes against its surface and peels off a few layers but then the gnashing nightmare spins around and leaps out of the dark at you!You fall back and land on the stone floor and crawl back to your feet and back up, looking all around for the Blind Onion. It pops up right in front of you!You fall backward and swing wildly and...*klink*You can't feel it moving! You pull your hoe's blade out of it and feel around and pull out a lump of metal that feels even larger than the one in the Smart Crow!With this, you have 8g.>Press forward>Go back
>>6420585>Press forwardC'mon, double-digits!
>>6420585>Check own statsHopefully we have enough HP to continue...BTW can we negotiate with the crows to get protection from aboveground monsters, in return for a cut of the gold reward?
>>6420585>Press forward
>>6420585>>Press forward
It's more wealth than you ever thought you'd hold. Something stirs in the darkness in front of you and you grip the hoe's handle tightly. Another noise moves behind you. It seems it's not safe to stand in one place here!You tie the Blind Onion to your belt, along with your other produce, and reach out to feel the stone wall. It runs deeper under your field. The wall becomes a corner again, and then another corner turns you back. The thought occurs that this would be easier if you could see.As you feel your way down the stone hallway, you begin to smell something ripe and sweet.Suddenly a pulsing purple head drifts out of the darkness at eye level, and you hear the familiar shuffling sound of another Blind Onion following close behind!Hoe in hand, you grip the handle and ready your swing, but then the Brainfruit's unfocused eyes swivel toward you and it whispers "Paralyze."Your entire body numbs!It's a struggle to even keep your hoe from falling to the unseen stone floor. You can't move your neck or head to see where the Blind Onion is. The pain of it biting into your leg is just as excruciating even while paralyzed.In front of your face, the Brainfruit drifts forward closer and closer.The sharp pain unlocks your paralyzed limbs just in time. The blade's weight is swinging as soon as you can find the strength, up in an arc and down crosswise with the valley between the pulsing brain lobes before it can chant Paralyze again.*splot*The hoe comes out easily from the Brainfruit's soft rind. The silent air reeks of its sweet cloying juice. Your breath is held in your throat, eyes desperately darting through the blackness in front of you.The Blind Onion finds your wounded leg first.The raw open flesh is torn further as its jaws close and open again, gnawing the moment it makes contact. With a shout of pain you swing your hoe against it over and over.Its jaw finally begins to open. You sink to the stone floor and pry the Blind Onion's mouth apart enough to remove your leg, grimacing blindly all the while. You feel yourself sway for a second. The Blind Onion. The lump of gold. Groping in the darkness, you find its shriveled leaves and carefully pry it open. The blade of your hoe scrapes against the gold inside. The Blind Onion is tied alongside the other.The Brainfruit is easy to find. Inside its collapsed rind, a smaller lump of gold.Weighing your hands in the dark, you've acquired 13g so far.
Thankfully, only one leg is injured. Kneeling alongside the wall allows you to force yourself to a standing position. From there...You aren't sure which way is forward anymore. The fiery pain in your leg is distracting.As you feel along the wall, slowly limping, you find the hairs on the back of your neck standing up.Someone else is near you."Say, friend. It seems like you're bleeding."The voice comes out of nowhere, and then you see the slightest reflection of glistening eyes moving forward in the dark."You seem tired. Why don't you close your eyes for a while?">Press forward>Run home
>>6420690>Run home
>>6420690>SPRINT HOME
Your hoe clatters against the stone wall as you stumble backward away from the voice. A useless look around the blind blackness confirms nothing. You hopefully limp faster and faster.Another Brainfruit drifts out of the darkness toward you."Para-"Before it can finish speaking you hurry past, too terrified to risk your life for a lump of gold.And then suddenly your groping free hand scratches against the old wooden ladder beneath the trapdoor.As soon as you're free of the dark stone and up through the floorboards of your shack, you slam the trapdoor shut and shove your bed back over it, weighting down the trapdoor enough to ensure it stays closed.At least, that's your hope.Your sleep is fitful. You wake with a start, as the Blind Onions in your nightmares gnaw your bones.The wound on your leg is vanished."Hello?"Outside your window, the merchant from yesterday has come calling again.When you step out of your door and into the morning light, York looks at the Blind Onions and Brainfruit still tied to your belt."Dungeon crops? Where did you... Well, never mind that. This is your lucky day! I'll pay you 4g per Blind Onion, and 5g per Brainfruit.">Sell crops>No thanks
>>6420710>Sell crops
"Let's keep this between ourselves." York inspects the Brainfruit and the pair of Blind Onions and then he counts out 13g.Another 13g means you've just doubled your wealth. With 26g in your possession, that Used Hoe in York's cart is no longer just a distant dream.York climbs up onto his cart. "I have to get these dungeon crops to Glynton right away." York looks back at you. "Unless...">Tend field>Visit town>Explore dungeon
>>6420735>Visit town
>>6420735>Visit townYeah, let's hit up the town.
"Oh? Changed your mind, did you?" York reaches down a hand to help you up into the cart.About an hour later, you see a stone wall encircling a collection of houses and buildings. York slows the wagon to a stop and waves as you climb down."I'll visit your farm again."The wagon rolls past and you take in Glynton! After being alone for so long, it probably seems more impressive than it is.The first building you see at the edge of town where York left you is the village inn. "Hello there!" The old man wipes his hands on his shirt. "I'm Gust, the innkeeper. It's 5g per night if you want to stay."You aren't quite ready to call it a night."The wasteland is even more dangerous at night, you know."
Gust's advice, self-serving or not, makes you pause for a second and consider how long it will take to walk back to your shack on foot. If you leave right now, you might just make it by nightfall.On the other hand, this is your first time in Glynton."Are you a farmer?" The voice comes from beneath the table in the inn's tavern. "Thud knows all about farms." A huge, musclebound man with a thick beard and flowing hair leans forward over the table. "I'll help out on your farm." He stands up to his full height. "10g per week."It does seem like he'd be good at picking up rocks.It might be nice to have some hired help, but before you spend any gold you still want to see what else Glynton has to offer.
There's a shop with a sign that looks like a question mark. Not wanting to appear uncultured, you confidently enter."Don't tell me, I know. You came in here... because you didn't know what kind of business this is." The portly man twitches his huge mustache and looks up at you from across the countertop. "I'm Hans, the scholar. People pay me to answer their questions." Hans seems to see the doubt in your expression. "I know the answer or your money back!" He twitches his mustache again. "100g per question."That answers that question."Come back when you have the money and I'll tell you how to spend it!" Hans watches you leave his shop.
Outside, you look around at the other buildings and then you turn around and bump into a woman. "Oh!" She looks at your hoe "Are you a farmer? My name is Lily." She looks at the two Hungry Onions on your belt. "I'll buy your crops and sell you new seeds. How does 1g per Hungry Onion sound?"You still haven't tried making Hungry Onion soup.
When you start to turn away, Lily calls out "How about just one Hungry Onion?"Lily hands you a gold coin as you untie one of the Hungry Onions. That makes 27g."Why not take a look at my seeds for sale?">Normal seeds: 10g>Fancy seeds: 20g>Novelty seeds: 40g
I have to go to bed but if you guys discuss what you want to do, I'll pick this back up in a few hours!
>>6420787>Normal seeds: 10gleaving us with 17, I think we should save 5 for the inn and spend the rest on better equipment
>>6420787Huh, looks like we can buy normal seeds and plant it topside, while we delve underroot.>BUY 1 NORMAL SEED
>>6420787Yeah I think we actually should go all out here. 5g to spend the night, hire Thud for 10g, and buy normal seeds for 10g. With the seeds and a Barbarian, we will make a lot more money and can start really grooving...
"Really? You'll buy some seeds too?" Lily smiles as she hands you a small cloth pouch of seeds. "Please bring me more crops to sell! I'll pay you double the normal price next time."You return to Gust's inn, where Thud is still sleeping over the tavern table. He wakes up with a snort and looks up at you and grins. "Thud knew you would choose him." When you give Thud the gold, he nods. "We will leave whenever you like."Gust hurries over to the table. "You're still in town? Does that mean you'll be staying the night?" The old man's eyes light up when you hold up some more gold for him.Lying in bed in your room at the inn, you look at the 2g that your fortune has shrunk to.The next morning, you and Thud set out for your farm. Without a hoe of his own, Thud won't be able to do much else besides pick rocks. You'll have to get him a hoe of his own.Just as the sun is starting to get low in the sky, you finally arrive back at your shack. From there, you and Thud walk up the edge of the field along the small strip you started working on yesterday.You take out the pouch of seeds you got from Lily and plant them in the trench you dug yesterday.That's the first planting on your farm!
With sundown approaching and your farming chores finished, you and Thud return to your shack.*flap flap*The tranquil encounter-free afternoon is shattered by the flapping wings of a Smart Crow flying overhead!This time, you have a Barbarian on your side! You look over at Thud as Thud creeps backward toward the shack. "Thud is only being paid to farm."It seems you incorrectly assumed Thud was the fearless kind of barbarian.The thought had occurred to you that the Smart Crows might be smart enough to be bribed. With your remaining 2g, could it be possible to bribe it into cooperating with you?>Fight>Run>Item
>>6421052>Item: 2gOur 2g isn't going to get us anything tangible anyway. Might as well see if this works.
>>6421090+1 Gotta spend money ta makes it!
>>6421090+1
Instead of putting up a fight, you toss one of the gold lumps up into the air. The Smart Crow immediately dips its beak and snatches the lump in midair and then flaps its wings to fly away.Suddenly you call out and it catches sight of the last piece of gold in your hand. The Smart Crow nervously shifts the piece of gold in its beak around but it doesn't have room to carry two pieces at once.When you look around, you can see the Smart Crow came from a grove of trees on the horizon. The Smart Crow looks at you and then follows as it keeps its eye on the gold piece in your hand. You and Thud and the Smart Crow follow each other toward the grove of trees.*flap flap*A huge crow with a gold beak flaps down and lands in front of you. The King Crow tilts its head away and looks at you sideways and then it takes a surprised step back as you kneel down and toss the last piece of gold at it.The King Crow catches the piece of gold in its beak and then listens silently as you explain how you're finding it difficult to to farm with regular monster attacks. At the offer of a peace agreement, the King Crow nods and caws, but then it suddenly steps back and forth in front of you, posturing for a fight!Before you can ready your hoe, the King Crow lunges forward, pecking you in the chest! The King Crow climbs onto your toppled form, standing on your legs as it raises its beak again!"Thud hasn't gotten an advance on next week's pay!"You grit your teeth and grip your hoe and swing it against the King Crow's head to knock it sideways. As you struggle to your feet, the King Crow flaps its wings and takes flight, circling around and slamming into your back.You tumble forward and the King Crow soars past, but then you grab its ankle and it drags you along until you stick the blade of your hoe into the ground and force it to a stop.From there, you give it one final swing.The King Crow gives a loud caw and flops onto its back, the talons on one skinny leg twitching.Before you can harvest the gold inside, you and Thud find yourself surrounded by Smart Crows as the Smart Crows begin to caw in unison and step closer, drawing the circle around you tighter and tighter."Thud will put in a good word for you with my ancestors."*flap flap*The King Crow sits up and caws, silencing all the Smart Crows. The Smart Crows move aside for the King Crow as it struts forward, something in its beak that isn't the piece of gold.It's a rolled-up piece of paper.The King Crow holds the paper in its beak until you reach out and take it, and then the King Crow watches as you unroll it.As Thud looks over your shoulder, you realize it's a map of the dungeon under your floorboards. There's even an "X" marked on the far edge of the map.It's not clear what the King Crow has in mind, but the Smart Crows aren't attacking you for now.
You and Thud back away from the grove of trees and then Thud helps you back toward your shack. He helps you into your bed and then lies down on the floor and quickly begins to snore.The next morning, you wake, ribs intact and no worse for the King Crow fight. Thud is already awake and on his way out the door."I'll start with the biggest boulders."You stand up out of bed and follow Thud out the door into the morning sun. When you look to the side of your shack, York is already arriving on his cart.With no gold for a hoe or for seeds, and no crops to offer York or Lily, your choices are simple.>Tend field>Explore dungeon
>>64211830: >>6421184>Tend fieldIt's honest work
>>6421184>>Tend field
York slows as he approaches but when he sees you waving him on he flicks the reins and turns his cart back toward Glynton.Hoe in hand, you and Thud start working on expanding the cleared section at the edge of the field.At the end of the day, one thing is clear: Despite Thud's enormous strength, he has a hard time pulling rocks out of the ground without a hoe. Tomorrow, you think you might let Thud use the hoe all day and see how much progress he can make on his own.*klump*The familiar sound of a Hungry Onion hopping toward you is less terrifying than it was a few days ago. If there were three of them, you might panic. Instead, you walk toward it, circling sideways to take advantage of its inability to quickly rotate.Then you bring the blade of your hoe down on its top.*chok*Now that you've had some practice, it's easier to crack the Hungry Onion open and pull out the small lump of gold inside. All finished, you stand back up and wave to Thud and tie the Hungry Onion around your belt as a second Hungry Onion, fortunately alone, hops out of the wasteland toward you.*chok*As you pull the gold out of the second Hungry Onion, Thud stands up and stretches and walks toward you."I'm hungry."You crack the Hungry Onion in half and hand Thud his half, and then take a satisfying crunch of its sharp wet side as the two of you walk back toward your shack.That's 2g from the Hungry Onions, with another 1g tomorrow if you sell it to York. You're already working your way back to riches!You take another bite and stop as you notice something tiny and green sprouting from where you planted the seeds yesterday.It's your farm's first sprouting!With the sun setting at the flat edge of horizon, you and Thud hurry inside your shack and close the door.Thud sits down on the floor and crosses his arms. A moment later, he rubs his arms with his hands and looks at you. "There's a draft in this room.">Explore dungeon>Turn in
>>6421244
>>6421244>>Explore dungeon
>>6421244>Explore dungeonLet's burn some midnight oil
>>6421244>Explore dungeonLet's make some money.
It's high time you let Thud in on the secret!You grab the side of your bed and pull it away from the wall. Thud looks over your shoulder as you reveal the trapdoor and pull it up, opening the whistling black emptiness beneath your floorboards. Thud sticks his head inside the hole and pulls it back up.When you take out the map, Thud eyes it and shakes his head. "I will stay in the shack."The allure of "dungeon crops" is too much for you to wait any longer. You climb down the wooden ladder with your hoe and look up at Thud far above you, and then you turn and blink into the darkness.With a map to guide your route, the way is much quicker. Soon you come to a familiar open room where you fought a Brainfruit and a Blind Onion. You can still smell the sweet scent of its rind.Too late, you realize it's fresher than you thought. A Brainfruit drifts out of the pitch darkness, followed by another, and a Blind Onion hopping between them. Without hesitation, you swing your hoe down on the closest Brainfruit before it can chant Paralyze.The second Brainfruit turns its slack empty eyes toward you, and you grip the handle of your hoe tightly."Pain."No sooner has the chant been uttered that you feel a fiery wave wash over your skin.The Blind Onion has caught you unaware. Its teeth sink into your leg and you drag it forward toward the Brainfruit opening its toothless jaw a second time. The hoe is in your hands and swinging through the air and into its soft pulsing rind.*splot*The Blind Onion takes two strikes to kill, but then you feel the satisfying crunch of your hoe's blade through its exterior all the way to the lump of gold inside.
With three dungeon crops and 9g under your belt, you hurry through the room with the thing that whispers invitations for you to sleep.Once past it, you slow and grope your way along the stone hallway. A glance at the King Crow's map shows you're almost halfway toward the "X" marked on the far edge.The map is rolled again and you step blindly out of the hall and into an open space. Surely you must be across it by now.Suddenly, you collide with something waist-high and made of heavy polished wood. As you feel along its surface and find the edges and the hinge, your eyes widen in the dark.It's a chest!Forcing open the long-closed hinges, you reach inside, and in the velvet-lined center cushion waits a small metal tin filled with a sweet-smelling salve.FOUND SALVE!What fortune! It can heal you completely, even from the brink of death!This is something you could sell for a lot of gold. You quickly clasp the lid back onto the salve.That's when you hear them.Three Blind Onions approach you from all directions. The first is caught by your hoe, but then they all set upon you, gnashing their teeth, drawn to the sound of your quickening breath. One bites your leg, another your arm. The third leaps against your back and rakes itself down your spine.Your strikes become wild. Their order becomes confusing. You can't focus on killing one without the others drawing your attention.*chok*Your hoe finally breaks through the first of the Blind Onions. Its heavy dead weight drags down your hoe to the unseen stone floor at your feet as the second Blind Onion lunges past you, a rare opportunity that you take full advantage of.*chok*With one left, the final Blind Onion is easier to dispatch. Your legs become heavy once the rush of battle leaves your body. You sink down to the floor and begin prying the gold from the dungeon crops as you pant in exhaustion. Between the three Blind Onions, you find 9g worth of gold, doubling your current wealth. 18 gold will easily buy another Old Hoe from York tomorrow morning, assuming you make it back to your shack.The Salve crosses your mind. Unwilling to part with its value, you instead rise up and tie the three Blind Onions to your belt alongside the other Blind Onion, the two Brainfruits, and the Hungry Onion you killed in your field.
Beyond the hall is another open room, with six stairwells all leading down. Without the map, you would easily wander this dungeon until you die, salve or not.But with the map, your route is clear.You descend blindly down the wide stone steps further and further under your field.Beneath is a tiny cell of a room at the bottom of the stairs and a long, long hallway. The way becomes so narrow you can feel the walls on both sides of your shoulders.The hall opens into a room.You begin to unroll your map but then you can feel something approaching.A voice behind you asks "Are you lost?"Hoe in hand, you swing it around and wave it back and forth in the darkness in front of you.A woman leans forward and looks at the hoe. "Are you a farmer?" The woman looks down at the Hungry Onion and her eyes widen in surprise. "Sunlight crops!"You hold onto your hoe for a second and then let it down partway."I'm Byep. I sell armor." Byep glances at the Hungry Onion on your belt again. "And buy your crops. Especially sunlight crops. I'll give you 5g for that Hungry Onion."If she's offering to pay, she probably isn't a monster. And 5g is more than you'd get from York or Lily... this seems like an easy decision!Byep counts out 5g as you untie the Hungry Onion from your belt. You've already acquired 23g today!
"While you're here, how about taking a look at what's for sale?" Byep shows you a collection of coats, as well as a menacing-looking suit of black armor.All of them are far beyond your current price limit.Byep sees you examining the black armor. "That Ancient Armor is really just a display piece." Byep polishes the Ancient Armor with her sleeve. "This dungeon used to be ruled by a Dark Lord. All his soldiers wore this kind of armor."Byep seems to know quite a bit about the dungeon. You take out the map you got from the King Crow and show Byep your route from your shack, and your destination at the "X" on the map's edge."You should avoid that place." Byep taps her finger on the "X" and shakes her head. "That's the Dark Lord's throne room.">Press forward>Return home
>>6421325>Return homeMmmm we have pressed our luck, we'll make good money selling these dungeon crops, we can buy a hoe, and in no time we'll be farming enough money for that ancient armor!!!
>>6421325>>Return home
>>6421325>Return home
With another glance at the Ancient Armor, you thank Byep and turn back toward the staircase.Fortune smiles upon you. The only thing you encounter is a single Blind Onion that you can elude long enough to escape.You emerge from the trapdoor gasping and covered in blood and juice, a collection of Blind Onions and Brainfruits strung across your waist, your purse heavy with gold.Thud looks into the trapdoor and quickly shuts it as you push your bed back over it.You fall into bed exhausted. In the blink of an eye, the sun is up and York's cart is approaching."M-more dungeon crops?!" York's look of shock turns to happiness when he sees your gold. You count out 10 gold, and York hands Thud one of the Old Hoes from the cart.Thud sets off to start turning the field."About those dungeon crops." York points at the four Blind Onions and then the two Brainfruits. "How about 4g per Blind Onion, and 5g per Brainfruit?"That's 26g!On the other hand, Lily said she'd pay you double the normal price the next time you saw her. Turning these dungeon crops into 52g might be easy profit, but you'd be away from your farm all day.>Sell crops>Visit town
>>6421331>Sell cropsLet's not get greedy. We're the Dungeon FARMER,,, Not the Dungeon MERCHANT, right folks?
>>6421331>Sell crops
>>6421331>>Sell crops
You agree with York and toss all the Blind Onions and Brainfruits into his cart as York counts out 26g."I'll see you tomorrow!" York cracks the reins and eagerly speeds toward Glynton with a cartload of dungeon crops.As the cart rolls away, you turn toward your field and follow after Thud to join him in clearing away the rocks and debris.After equipping Thud with his own Old Hoe, it quickly becomes clear that he's turning the field at almost twice your pace. Between you and Thud, you've now cleared a full quarter of your field and turned it into long even rows of freshly-tilled soil ready for planting.Near the end of your day, you stop to inspect the sprout from Lily's seeds and see several more sprouts have emerged along the same row, filling in the area where you planted them. You'll have to get more seeds and start making use of your field's arable section."I'm hungry. Thud has conquered many rocks today."You look up from the sprout at Thud and nod. As you stand up, you see three Hungry Onions behind Thud, slowly wobbling back and forth as they sneak closer. Thud notices your eyes and leaps away from the Hungry Onions just as one of them hops forward toward him. Denied a meal, it turns on you, as your hoe comes down on its head.*chok*The second Hungry Onion leaps at you and bites your thigh, but you've already begun looking for the third. The one that hasn't yet attacked.You find it sneaking around behind you. When you see the third Hungry Onion, it looks guiltily upward at you before you chop it with the blade of your hoe.*chuk*The final Hungry Onion is easy to deal with on its own.*chuk*"Are you alright?"You look at your thigh and then look at Thud and nod. This is the first time you've fought three Hungry Onions without finding yourself near death!"Then let us eat!" Thud bites into one of the Hungry Onions and hands another one to you.The third Hungry Onion is tied to your belt as you both return to your shack.As the sun sets, a quarter of your field is arable land ready for planting, and you have 42g in hand!You and Thud sit on the floor as you finish eating your Hungry Onions."You will go back to the dungeon tonight." Thud nods at you when you look at him. "Thud has seen that look in men's eyes before."You take out the map and unroll it and look at it again. Now that you've been as far as Byep's shop in the center of the map, it doesn't seem like much further to the "X" at the map's far edge.Then again, being in the dungeon is more terrifying than looking at the map.>Try to reach the Dark Lord's throne room>Just harvest a few dungeon crops tonight>Stay in your shack all night
>>6421679>>Just harvest a few dungeon crops tonightI suppose a farmer should harvest
>>6421679>Just harvest a few dungeon crops tonightSlow and steady...
>>6421679>Just harvest a few dungeon crops tonightForget the dark lord, we need to grind enough money to be able to sow our wild oats all over our arable land
>>6421693>>6421701i like these fellers
>>6421679>Just harvest a few dungeon crops tonightWe need funds to upgrade our hoe and buy more seeds. Also, maybe we should consider gathering up those stones Thud helped us conquer to set up a stone fence somewhere down the line? Farming’s just as much about protecting your fields as anything after all.
You roll the map back up and drag your bed away from the wall. As the heavy trapdoor swings upward, the draft whistles out from the darkness beneath your floorboards.Thud looks over your shoulder and shakes his head. "I'll will wait here for you."You nod to Thud and climb down the wooden ladder into the darkness.Instead of pushing forward until you fear for your life, you instead remain in the area near the trapdoor's ladder. Eventually you encounter a Blind Onion that hops in from the adjacent hallway.The Blind Onions seem to be drawn to the sound of your footsteps. The Brainfruits tend to follow the Blind Onions or each other. Only once have you encountered a solitary Brainfruit.Your weariness begins to overtake you, and you stumble back toward the room beneath the trapdoor and climb the wooden ladder, mangled but still on your feet. Of gold, you have gained 24g. The thought of your profits from the dungeon crops themselves gives you the strength to hurry up the ladder. Between the Blind Onions and the Brainfruits, you can sell them for 39g, or 78g if you bring them to Lily in GlyntonThud is waiting when you crawl up through the floorboards.Later, as Thud snores, you count out your current wealth of 66g.The next morning, York is delighted to see all the dungeon crops under your belt. "It was smart to get some hired muscle." York watches Thud toss a boulder into a pile at the edge of the field. "If bandits find out this is the farm with the dungeon crops... you might have some unpleasant visitors."York grins and nods when he looks at you. "I promise not to say anything. And speaking of your hired muscle, how about a replacement for that Old Hoe?" York pulls back the cloth on his cart and holds up a Used Hoe. "This will cut through that field like a fish through water!"You examine the Used Hoe on York's cart. It might make faster work of clearing the field, but that 50g could also buy several pouches of seeds in Glynton if you're willing to spend the day away from your field.>Buy tools>Sell crops>Visit town
>>6421772>>Buy tools>>Sell cropsLet's keep grinding for now, once we have one more haul of money with our new hoe in hand, we can buy some seeds. We should give Thud the hoe we have, and upgrade ourselves to the Used one. Thud is a Barbarian, but he hasn't really helped us with any of the fighting yet.
>>6421772>>Visit townwe could pay Thad and drip him out more if we go to town. he is one of Gods gentle creations and a natural steward of the earth.
>>6421772>Buy tools>Sell cropsgotta pay if you wanna play gotta pay if you wanna play
>>6421809>>Buy toolsUsed Hoe(for thad)
After looking over the hoes on the cart, you select a Used Hoe. You count out the 50g, leaving you with 16g.From there, York looks over the dungeon crops and gives you 39g. He points at your belt. "I'll give you 1g for that Hungry Onion." With that, you have 56g.You give the Used Hoe to Thud, and Thud hands you back the Old Hoe you bought for him yesterday."I'll give you 5g for that Old Hoe." York doesn't say anything, but it's clear he's enjoying the knowledge that you paid him 5g for a 1-day rental of that Old Hoe.When all is said and done, and York is on his way back to Glynton, you have 61g, and Thud is now equipped with a Used Hoe.Having decided to wait until you have more gold so you can buy more seeds at once, you and Thud get to work turning the rest of the field.Watching Thud with his Used Hoe is like watching an ox dragging a plow. By mid-afternoon, you and Thud have turned almost half of your field into arable land.Another four Hungry Onions appear throughout the day. Two are eaten during your afternoon break, and two are added to your belt.That night, Thud watches as you climb down through the trapdoor.In the dungeon, you kill seven Blind Onions and four Brainfruits before your legs begin to shake. Inside the dungeon crops, a total of 29g, putting your new wealth at 94g.You almost have enough gold to ask Hans a question.York arrives the next morning as usual. And as usual, he's happy to see so many dungeon crops. It even looks like he spit-shined all the hoes on his cart.York polishes one of the blades with his sleeve and smiles. "How about a second Used Hoe to match the one your hired man has?"You take out your 94g and look over the hoes on the cart."While you're thinking about a replacement hoe, let's talk about these dungeon crops." York looks over the Blind Onions and Brainfruits and nods. "I'll take them all off your hands."By your estimate, the dungeon crops you harvested last night are worth 48g if you sell them to York, or 96g if you sell them to Lily.>Buy tools>Sell crops>Visit town
>>6421833>>Visit townwe need seeds to plant
>>6421833>Visit townOk... Things seem to be coming along. Let's maybe sell our dungeon crops to Lily and ask Hans our first question?Maybe what we need to be prepared for the Throne Room....We'll still have close to a hundred gold, maybe we can buy some new seeds?
>>6421833>Visit townIt's about time we broke triple digits.
Instead of buying or selling, you surprise York by asking for a ride instead."Going to get some seeds? Well, this is a farm, even if you do seem to have a lot of dungeon crops." York holds out his hand to help you onto the cart and then he cracks the reins.You leave Thud to continue turning the field with his Used Hoe.An hour later, you arrive in Glynton. After you climb down from the cart, you tactfully wait for York to leave before selling these dungeon crops to another merchant.Looking up at the sign above Hans's shop door, you briefly think about spending 100g on a question about the Dark Lord's throne room, but for now, you'll need to sell these dungeon crops for Lily at double the regular price!"Oh, it's... it's you!"Lily doesn't seem thrilled."Dungeon crops? And so many of them?" Lily inspects one of the Brainfruits with awe. At the mention of her earlier offer, she nervously stands upright and glances at the dungeon fruits on your belt. "Of course I remember what I said about paying double... It's just that I'm a little short on gold right now, and I didn't expect to see you back so soon!"In other words, you're not getting 96g for these dungeon crops."But I'll buy them for 48g!"It appears you're a captive market.You untie the Blind Onions and Brainfruits as Lily counts out 48g and nervously hands it to you. "Sorry!"With this, you have 142g.Lily fidgets with her hands for a second. "Oh! To make it up to you, I'll sell you these mystery seeds." Lily unwraps a pouch and shows you some red seeds. "Not even Hans knows what type of seed they are.">Buy Regular seeds x14>Buy Regular seeds x9 and Mystery seeds x1>Buy Mystery seeds x2>Visit Hans
>>6421878>Regular seeds*Normal seedsProofreading is for chumps
>>6421878>Buy Fancy Seeds 2x Leaving us with 102g, enough for a visit to Hans, perhaps?
>>6421878>Buy Regular seeds x9 and Mystery seeds x1
>>6421878>>Buy Regular seeds x9 and Mystery seeds x1
>>6421878>Buy Regular seeds x9 and Mystery seeds x1Maybe one of these will actually be wild oats.
You briefly consider if this entire setup was a ruse to bait-and-switch you with some worthless seeds, but when you look closer, you don't think you've ever seen this type of seed before.Moving on to the fancy seeds, you might have a higher profit when you harvest them, but for now you want to get as much of your field in use as you can.Eventually you settle on nine cloth pouches of normal seeds, and one pouch of the mystery seeds, leaving you with 2g.You take your seeds and hurry back across the wasteland, the sun sinking ever lower toward the empty edge of the world.Your shack comes into view, and you can see Thud in the center of your field.Thud waves when he sees you approaching.Suddenly, three Hungry Onions surround you!*chok**chok**chok*You pull the gold lumps from the three Hungry Onions and tie them to your belt as Thud finishes dislodging a boulder.The two of you walk toward the single planting at the corner of your field. The first batch of seeds you planted seems to be taking root. You scatter the normal seeds and the mystery seeds along the freshly-turned rows of soil after it as Thud covers them behind you.Finished with your current planting, you and Thud continue back toward your shack. As you approach, you notice a large rock in front of the shack, caked in long-buried soil.When you get closer, you realize it has a very strange shape. The base is square, the top is rounded. As you look closer, you wipe some of the dirt away and see a strip of ancient metal banding across wood so old it's nearly turned to stone.It's a treasure chest."I found it while turning the field." Thud holds up his Used Hoe. "Thud was waiting for you to return before we opened it."You look up at Thud and then look back at the ancient treasure chest, then you stand up and wedge the blade of your Old Hoe into one corner of the chest as Thud wedges his Used Hoe into the other corner.*crack*The hard soil caked to the sides of the ancient chest breaks away in clumps and the lid begins to hinge open.Thud looks over your shoulder as you push the heavy lid open.FOUND 120G!You hold one of the ancient coins up to the setting sunlight and turn it over, the face of an unfamiliar king looking out toward your field. Whatever its mintage or vintage, you're certain it will be accepted as currency in Glynton.You hand Thud one of the Hungry Onions and the two of you eat your supper on the floor of your shack as the sun goes down.With 125g, you can afford a Used Hoe of your own, twelve more pouches of normal seeds, or even a Leather Coat.>Just harvest a few dungeon crops tonight>Visit Byep
>>6422275>Visit ByepThink some armor is essential if we're gonna go into someplace as welcoming as the demon lord's throne room
>>6422275>Visit Byep
Whatever you might find in the Dark Lord's throne room, the King Crow seems to think it's important. And before you risk delving that deeply into the dungeon beneath your field, you're going to need something to help keep you safe!With a nod to Thud, you take a deep breath and climb down the wooden ladder into the dark square beneath the trapdoor.Your step is surer now. You're familiar enough with this part that you hardly need to touch the walls. A Blind Onion lunges out of the darkness, thankfully alone. The fight is prolonged by its tough skin, resistant to the worn and weakened blade of your Old Hoe.By the time you reach Byep's shop, two more Blind Onions are added to your belt, and one Brainfruit."Hey, it's you! I didn't know if you survived after you left the last time." Byep is happy to see you counting out 70 gold as she dusts off the Leather Coat. "I'll buy that Hungry Onion for 5g."It's almost like you got a discount.EQUIPPED: LEATHER COAT"Well?" Byep exchanges 5g for the Hungry Onion on your belt. "What do you think?"You bend your arms and turn your waist to stretch out the Leather Coat and then nod at Byep."See you around!" Byep waves and you turn away back toward the stairs to the dungeon's top level.Suddenly, a huge peapod lunges out of the darkness downward toward you! It stabs the stone floor hard enough to spark and then the tip sways back and forth, confusing your defenses!You grip your Old Hoe and swing it down on the Sharp Pea's head, but the blade can hardly shave it, much less hack it.The Sharp Pea strikes downward from your blind spot, burying its dagger-like stem deep in your shoulder. You strike it again and again, and it tugs itself free of your bloodied flesh and stabs down again, raking your ribs.Your retreat is blocked by its thrashing, swaying endpoint.It stabs again. A miracle occurs, the thing misses.You strike it with all your remaining strength, cleaving the forepea all the way down to its lump of gold.The pod drops in a limp heap on the stone floor. Byep gives a surprised exclamation at your feat, but your spirits aren't raised by her outcry.You know it was just a lucky hit.
Your eyes search the pitch-black room for more of them."It's probably alright." Byep leans over the counter and looks down at the Sharp Pea. "The lower levels are swarming with Sharp Peas, but they rarely come up to this level." Byep looks up at you and smiles. "Maybe it's because you're here! Uh, that was just a joke. But the armor worked well, right?"You look down at the hole in your shoulder.Byep crosses her arms and looks away. "Well, you did buy the cheapest coat, after all."You clumsily tie the Sharp Pea to your belt and turn back toward the direction of the stairs, your heart thudding at the thought of encountering another Sharp Pea.Byep leans over her counter and waves at you. "Come back soon!"You wave at Byep and trudge as fast as you can back along your route toward the ladder, encountering two more Blind Onions along the way that trap you in a blind corner with no escape.By the time York arrives the next morning, you have 81g.It seems like York spent a lot of time polishing the Used Hoe on his cart.York eyes the dungeon crops you harvested last night.The hole in your shoulder is gone, and the rent along your side as well."That Leather Coat... did you get that in Glynton?" York examines the Leather Coat closely. "Well, no matter." He looks at the dungeon crops again. "I'll give you 25g for the Blind Onions and Brainfruits, and 7g for that Sharp Pea.">Buy tools>Sell crops>Visit town
>>6422382>>Buy toolsI figure making our farming efficient with good tools would help a lot.Or a nice solid blunt weapon to defend ourselves.
>>6422382>Buy toolsDungeon crops are really nice, but we need to start thinking ways to make our money move itself. Crops are the way we'll get there...and for that we need tools.
>>6422382>Buy tools
York is ecstatic to finally sell you the Used Hoe.EQUIPPED: USED HOE"I'll give you 5g for that Old Hoe, if I'm being generous."You think about York's offer for a second, then decide to keep your Old Hoe around in case you get another worker.He counts out the gold for the dungeon crops as you load them on his cart, and then York hands you the gold and waves as his cart speeds away.You hang your Old Hoe back up in your shack and head out to the field alongside Thud, your Used Hoe in hand.Throughout the day, four Hungry Onions attack. You and Thud eat one each after your work is over.That's when you start to consider long-term plans. At some point you'd like to start building a stone wall around the edge of the field. It might help with your daily monster incursions.For now, you have 67g in hand.>Grind for Iron Coat (500g)>Grind for Iron Hoe (800g)>Grind for normal seeds x89 (890g)
>>6422432>Grind for Iron Coat (500g)That gay peapod was able to cut right through our gay leather coat... We need a gay iron coat to keep our gay organs safe
>>6422432>Grind for Iron Coat (500g)
>>6422432>Grind for normal seeds x89 (890g)Empty land is useless land. It's not even being laid fallow for improved soil fertility.One day, our or York's new riches will get noticed. We need an excuse for how we're making so much money, and a full normal farm is the best way to divert suspicion.
>>6422432>>Grind for normal seeds x89 (890g)We gotta farm
>>6422432>Grind for normal seeds x89 (890g)
>>6422432>Grind for normal seeds x89 (890g)Empty land IS useless.
>>6422432>Grind for normal seeds x89 (890g)Once it's big enough, the farm will pay for itself.
You know, by the time we even get that much, we might just have the 11 crops ready...at that point, we'd have to get 100. I'd like us to get a full batch every time, so we can time our profits right.
It occurs to you that having all your crops being raised on the same cycle would be more efficient. You've become more proficient at harvesting the lucrative dungeon crops, making the extra 110g required to round off your full spread of 100 seed pouches seem like less of a concern than when you first arrived on your farm.On the second day after trading your Old Hoe for a Used Hoe, you and Thud break up the last corner of your field and celebrate with some midday Brainfruits you set aside just for this occasion.You've turned your entire field and readied it for planting!Thud nods as you explain your ideas for improving your field's efficiency, and for constructing a stone wall around the farm to hinder monsters and bandits. "That's a wise choice. Thud will keep an eye on the plantings until they're ready for harvesting."With your field fully hoed, you and Thud set yourselves to the new task of building a wall using all the stones and boulders you've unearthed.As Thud sorts the field debris, you notice many of the larger stones and boulders have fairly straight edges, once you get the dirt cleared off.Most of them, in fact.
After the stones and boulders have been sorted into rough piles, you and Thud return to your shack as the sun begins to set. Along the way, you grab a couple of Hungry Onions for your supper. It seems no matter how many of them you kill, more always arrive seeking your flesh.Your Leather Coat is thick enough that their fangs hardly scratch you when one manages to catch you by surprise. That night, you make your usual rounds inside the small loop of dungeon rooms and corridors.It's pitch dark when Thud wakes you.Thud covers his mouth and gestures toward the window. The two of you look out as the clouds enshrouding the moon begin to unfurl.A figure dressed all in black is crossing your field."A bandit." Thud squints and whispers. "I only see the one."Thud surprises you by standing up and walking toward the door."Thud will not allow bandits in your field."A few seconds later, the bandit is struggling helplessly in Thud's grip.Thud lifts the bandit off the ground. "What is your name?""Daro!" The bandit kicks his feet in the air and tugs on Thud's arm."What are you doing in this field, Daro?" Thud holds the bandit up higher. "You will answer Thud!""I heard there might be some expensive crops here!" Daro looks down at you standing on the ground in front of Thud. "So I thought, you know...""Thud does not know!"Daro sags as he gives up. "I sneak onto your farm and steal your crops."Thud looks at you. "Thud will leave your fate to the master of this place.">Let him go>Kill him>Throw him in the dungeon
>>6422886>Throw him in the dungeonYou can come out when you have enough dungeon crops to make up for what you were going to steal.
>>6422889But what if he hurts Byep?!>>6422886>Let him go"Look around! You think we have ANYTHING here? It's just a bunch of rocks!"
>>6422891>attacking the shopkeeper Bad idea...
>>6422886>Let him goHave him look at our very normally seeded farm and our diet of very normal hungry onions.Strip him of his bandit outfit before letting him go. We could use some stealth gear, and when he returns home in humiliation he can talk about how normal our farm is to counter the rumors, and based on how much equipment costs he might even give up his life of crime.Do NOT throw him in the dungeon. People do NOT need to know we have a dungeon.
>>6422886>Let him goWe don't have a dungeon to throw him in? Go away Daro, we are a merciful farmer. We have Normal Seeds growing Normal Crops, and a big musclebound guy. Go somewhere else.
>>6422886>>Let him gomake him help us farm(build wall) and then pay him
Daro watches you closely until you shrug and shake your head at Thud.Thud drops Daro on the ground.The bandit scrambles away from the barbarian and stands up. "Thanks a lot!" Daro flees past the rockpiles and into the darkness. "See you later!"Thud nods. "It was wise to spare him. Maybe he'll tell other bandits the rumors are untrue."When you open the door to your shack and see all the dungeon crops laid out on the floor, you think a locked storehouse for crops might be useful in the days to come.After that, your farm is unbothered by anyone or anything except the constant creeping Hungry Onions that form the basis of your diet and Thud's weekly pay.A month after you first arrived on your farm, all the normal seeds have grown into Cowberries ready for harvest.The mystery seeds have sprouted into unremarkable weedy stalks, and no further.When York arrives the next morning, he inspects your Cowberries while you look over the Iron Hoes in his cart. Putting temptation aside, you turn your thoughts to future cultivation.With your current 839g, you don't yet have enough to buy 100 pouches of normal seeds.Still, it might be nice to visit Glynton.>Buy tools>Sell crops>Visit town
>>6422933>Visit town
>>6422933>>Visit towni say we get 25 fancy seeds and 25 normal seeds, an idea to mull over on our way to town.
>>6422886I really, really love this image btw. I saved it to my desktop and will be sending it to my friends and loved ones unprompted, regularly, forever. >>6422933>Visit TownHANS!!!! I GOT *counts fingers* ONE QUESTION FOR YOU: What do I need to survive the Dark Lord's Throne Room...?
>>6422933>Visit townHans is a scam. A scam I say! We need that money to build a wall and a storehouse and get ourselves a better blade!
That nighttime visit from a bandit has been weighing on your mind for a while now. It might be a good idea to sell these Cowberries in Glynton with a lot of witnesses around.You wave to Thud and climb onto York's cart.York cracks the reins and the cart speeds away from your farm and toward Glynton.When you arrive, you unload the 10 bunches of Cowberries and carry them through town on your way to Lily's stall."Hey, you there! The farmer with the Cowberries!"When you hear someone loudly calling out, you can't help flinching.The voice belongs to a tall man in heavy armor. Looking at the way he's dressed, you're certain you've never seen him in Glynton before."I am Grif the Warrior. I heard there was a dungeon around here." Grif leans down and stares at you. "Know anything?"You stammer for a second and then shake your head."Oh, hey, it's you again!"You and Grif both look to the side as Lily waves at you from her stall. Grif watches as you hurry toward Lily's stall and dump the Cowberries on the countertop.Lily examines the Cowberries.Grif examines you."Um..." Lily holds up one of the Cowberries and looks closely at it. "I'm really sorry, but I can only pay you 1g per bunch for these Cowberries. It's because they're poor quality."The frankness of Lily's statement might sting if this transaction wasn't purely for show.Either way, your expectations for your first harvest were low. The quality of your field's soil will improve once you've grown some crops in it. You now have 849g.>Buy Normal seeds x25 and Fancy seeds x25 (750g)>Buy Normal seeds x84 (840g)>Visit Hans>Return home
>>6423389>Buy Normal seeds x25 and Fancy seeds x25 (750g)Let's do this so we can ask Hans a question about the THRONE ROOM!!! And keep up our farmer act.
>>6423389We should not be buying fancy seeds if our soul is so bad..>Buy Normal seeds x84 (840g)I really believe we should, after this, wait until our whole plot is free...so we can plant 100 at a time.
>>6423396>not be buying fancy seeds if our soul is so badFancier plants will probably improve the soil quicker and to a higher cap, though.
>>6423408Even if that was true, which I don't know, We want the whole plot to be good, not just a small part.
>>6423389>>Buy Normal seeds x25 and Fancy seeds x25 (750g)>>6423396How do you feel about doing our field in quarters?
>>6423415Bad idea, I'd say...we only have one soil quality indicator. We need to improve the whole thing. Using fancy seeds right now is wasting them
>>6423432>we only have one soil quality indicatorThat's overall; the game tracks each plot individually.
>>6423437Well how are we gonna know the quality of each plot...
>>6423438Asking (^: >>6423437What are the qualities of our various plots, QM, do we have a grid we can view?
>>6423447>do we have a grid we can view?I was thinking about putting together a map tileset... I guess I'll have to now!But it won't be for a while. For now just assume all the plots are more or less uniformly low quality.
>>6423452OP you are awesome, I'm loving the art and vibes. Thanks for running!
>>6423389>Buy Normal seeds x84 (840g)Guess we'll have 2 questions next time we go see HansHow to survive the throne roomHow to improve our soil quality
>>6423389>Buy Normal seeds x84 (840g)No point throwing money after fancy seeds when our soil quality is garbage.And we're definitely not throwing that money after that scammer Hans! He could tell us that held captive inside that throne room is some beautiful princess who wants to try her hand at farming, and we'd only know we'd been hoodwinked and it was packed with those darn sharp peas when we're being stabbed to death by them!
After contemplating the open pouch of Fancy seeds on Lily's countertop, you settle on 84 pouches of Normal seeds. This will be enough to sow almost the entirety of your field, even if it won't be very productive right away.Eventually, even a wasteland can be broken by the roots of successive crops.You count out 840g as Lily and Grif watch."Are you still getting many Hungry Onions on your farm?" Lily puts thirty cloth pouches of seeds into a large canvas sack. "And Smart Crows?" She puts another thirty pouches into another canvas sack.You recall to Lily the number of both as being several times higher than what you really remember. By your estimate, the inflated number would account for most of the gold you've harvested from dungeon crops.Grif's expression turns from suspicion to admiration when you mention defeating a King Crow."Wow, a King Crow!" Lily puts the last twenty-four pouches of seeds into a third canvas sack. "I've only heard of those."You sling the three sacks of seed over your shoulder and wave at Lily.Grif is standing directly in front of you when you turn.You sidestep around Grif and quickly-slowly-quickly walk away from Lily's stand toward the gate in the town wall.Above your head is the question-mark sign of Hans's shop. Perhaps the seemingly learned scholar really does know the answer to almost any question. Lily seems to think so.On the other hand, Lily might not be the best judge of character.You might revisit questioning Hans when you next visit Glynton, but for now you hurry past the town walls and out into the wasteland with your sacks of seed heavy on your back.It's slow going with the burden of your seeds. The sun is setting well before you can even see your shack.This is the first time you've been on the open wasteland after sunset. You recall Gust mentioning the wasteland is more dangerous after night.Something moves in the withered weeds behind you. Hoe in hand, you turn and face a huge blood-red rabbit that twitches its nose and leaps at you.The sacks are dropped. Your hoe is raised and swinging through the air.It strikes the Red Rabbit and you feel how dense the beast really is.The Red Rabbit lands off-balance and looks at your Used Hoe and then it screeches twice. You raise your hoe to finish it off, when the weeds on both sides of you are disturbed.Another Red Rabbit springs out at you, while the third strikes immediately afterward.The two of them drag you down to the hard ground. You struggle under their weight while the first Red Rabbit's tremendously strong jaws gnaw painfully at the Leather Coat around your thigh. Its teeth bruise your flesh through the material.One hand is freed as the other Red Rabbits suddenly bite and leap at one another, fighting over their place in the feeding order.You strike the first Red Rabbit with your hoe, feeling a satisfying split as you cleave its head.The others turn on you, their squabble forgotten for the moment.
Thud looks up at the dark doorway. When he sees the three Red Rabbits tied to your blood-soaked belt, he grins. "Thud will prepare a fire."You cross the room and set the three sacks of seed down in the corner. It feels good to finally have the load off your back. The relief is quickly dashed when you realize the sacks take up as much room as Thud.It would be nice to have a storehouse once you and Thud finish building the stone wall around your farm.Thud prepares a fire while you prepare the Red Rabbits. Each one has a lump of gold worth 4g tucked deep in its chest. That night, you and Thud feast on Red Rabbits. Weary from your fight with the trio, you crawl onto your bed, your belly full of cooked meat and 21g in hand.The next day, you and Thud are beset by Smart Crows.They attack in twos and threes, retreating when driven off, then returning. The peace you had after your battle with the King Crow seems to have been broken.And their cawing sounds like "X!""X!""X!">Grind for Normal seeds x15 and asking Hans a question (250g)>Grind for Normal seeds x15 and Iron Coat (650g)>Grind for Normal seeds x15 and Iron Hoe (950g)
>>6423912>Grind for Normal seeds x15 and Iron Hoe (950g)It is clear our current hoe is not enough..
>>6423912>>Grind for Normal seeds x15 and Iron Hoe (950g)
>>6423912>Grind for Normal seeds x15 and asking Hans a question (250g)>Ask Thud if he knows how to make a SCARECROW, or where to buy one
>>6423912>Grind for Normal seeds x15 and Iron Hoe (950g)
That evening, you resume your dungeon harvesting. Though you've begun to feel more confident facing Blind Onions and Brainfruits, the realm beyond Byep's shop is a place of insurmountable danger.An Iron Hoe seems necessary to continue harvesting deeper into the dungeon on your way to the Dark Lord's throne room.Later that night, safely back above ground, you ask Thud about a method to keep away the Smart Crows."The Smart Crows won't be fooled by a scarecrow." Thud scratches his beard. "They'll destroy your crops if not watched closely."The next morning, you and Thud begin sowing the field with the sacks of Normal seeds.Once finished, you and Thud turn your full attention to finishing the wall around your farm.Your evenings are spent harvesting dungeon crops. Your days, fitting stones together. The wall is erected at a speedy pace, made easier by the straight edges of all the boulders and rocks.When the wall is finished ten days later, you and Thud celebrate with a meal of Brainfruits and Red Rabbits.The Smart Crows have taken to perching on the wall and watching as you fend off Hungry Onions.
And thus it goes, dungeon, field, dungeon field. For three more weeks you toil above and below, until one day York counts out his payment for your day's harvest and you find yourself with 1061g."The Iron Hoe?" York grins. "Then I shall give you 25g for your Used Hoe."You shake your head and set your Used Hoe aside. If you do get more workers, you'll want to be able to equip them right away.Instead, you count out 800g for York and he gives you the spit-shined Iron Hoe.EQUIPPED: IRON HOEYork helps you onto his cart and then cracks the reins.Thud waves as you and York leave for Glynton.The Smart Crows lining the wall turn to watch York's cart as it passes.York lets you off at the edge of Glynton and his cart rolls away down the road with you walking after it."You're back again! How's your farm going?" Lily puts fifteen cloth pouches of Normal seeds into a canvas sack as you count out 150g. "You know, I still have some Mystery seeds."The Mystery seeds you planted two months ago haven't amounted to much yet, and with these fifteen pouches of Normal seeds, your field will be fully sown.Then again, it might be wise to stock up while they're available, just in case.The thought occurs to you that with 111g left, you could instead squander 100g on a visit to Hans before you returned home.>Buy Mystery seeds x2 (100g)>Ask Hans a question (100g)>Go straight home
>>6424008>Buy Mystery seeds x2 (100g)>Ask Hans a question (100g)Ask about what we need to reach the throne room.
>>6424008>Ask Hans a question (100g)Dude the crows are getting uppity, what will I have to face in th demon lords throne room
>>6424013+1 I want to know about how to brave the throne room and extract its treasures....
Where would we find more workers I wonder.
>>6424008>>Ask Hans a question (100g)man im so curious, how do i safely clear out the dungeon.
Oh I could ask Hans!
>>6424024didnt mean to interrupt
>>6424008>Ask Hans a question (100g)
>>6424008>>6424013Support.Hans....this is your one chance to prove that you aren't a sneaky scammer. Do no waste it.
That 100g seems easier to replace now that you've become adept at harvesting dungeon crops. With a carefree breath, you enter Hans's shop."You again!" Hans's mustache twitches. "You already know what this shop is, so you must be here to ask a question." He crosses his arms as you count out 100g and then he nods. "What do you want to know?"Hans listens quietly as you explain your interest in reaching the Dark Lord's throne room and returning alive."How to survive the Dark Lord's throne room? Hmm..."Hans thinks for a second and nods at your Leather Coat."An Iron Coat should do it." He inspects your Iron Hoe. "Equipping yourself with a Gold Hoe wouldn't be a bad idea. However..." Hans looks you over for a few seconds. "You appear to be fairly sturdy. I dare say you could survive an encounter with the Doom Crow if you follow my advice. Especially since you already possess a tin of Salve." Hans scratches his mustache. "I mentioned the Doom Crow, didn't I? It was the Dark Lord's familiar. It guards the Dark Lord's throne awaiting its master."Hans pokes the inside of his ear with one finger and scratches. "They say it's immortal, which is patently untrue. It's only undying." Hans clears his throat. "Anyway, that's it for your question. If you want to know anything else, you'll have to pay me!"With 11g to your name, you couldn't ask anything more from Hans. Instead, you give thanks and depart for your farm, two clear goals at the forefront of your mind: Sow your field with your ninety-nine pouches of Normal seeds, and acquire at least another 789g to afford the purchase of an Iron Coat.
Burdened only by knowledge, your step is lighter as you cross the wasteland.Your stomach rumbles as the sun begins to sink. The thought of more roast Red Rabbit grows with each step.No more than a minute later your dreams of dinner are realized. An Iron Hoe fells the rabbits in a single hit, before they can call their kin.This time, you return with four Red Rabbits and half a dozen Hungry Onions under your belt. The gauntlet of Smart Crows on either side of you all turn their heads to watch from the stone walls as you enter your farmyard toward your shack.In the dim light, you see Thud wave from behind the shack.Thud surprises you with a crude but functioning stone-built kiln!With this kiln, you may soon have pots and bowls, and then finally Hungry Onion soup with Red Rabbit.For now, the two of you enjoy your Red Rabbit cooked over an open fire.With supper filling your stomach, you rise and pull your bed aside to reveal the trapdoor into the dungeon below your field.The next day, you and Thud sow your entire field with Normal seeds.You've seeded your entire field!As you walk back toward your shack to celebrate, you see the Mystery seeds you planted have begun to sprout a second layer of leaves.It seems the Mystery seeds have at last taken root and started growing!After a long meal of dungeon crops and Red Rabbit, you and Thud both rise."Thud will be making clay for pots."It only takes Thud a week to finish glazing the first cooking pot.The dungeon crops are harvested faster than before. The Blind Onions bite just as viciously, but their skin cleaves easier beneath the weight of your Iron Hoe.On the night you and Thud enjoy your first bowls of Hungry Onion soup, you return from the dungeon with enough gold in hand to buy an Iron Coat.>Grind for a Gold Hoe (1705g)>Visit Byep
>>6424299>Visit ByepWith the crows already stalking us I say don't push our luck, especially since we have salve.
>>6424299>Visit ByepLet's just go...
>>6424298Ok he is NOT a scam!!! >>6424299>Visit ByepLet's just go for the iron coat; it may be a tough fight, but the Dark Lord's treasure will be worth a scrape or two!
>>6424299It wasn't a scam and I'm man enough to admit I was wrong.>>Visit Byep
You sleep, your belly full of Hungry Onion soup and roasted Red Rabbit, eaten from bowls, with a companion. What a difference from two months ago, when you were cowering against the door of your shack, alone and hungry.The next morning, Thud rises from the floor to resume work on his pottery.You polish your Iron Hoe a second time. The trapdoor is lifted.You descend into the dungeon, this time with purpose.The way to Byep's shop is easier now. You recall that first desperate dash after blundering too deeply into the dungeon, the voice imploring you to close your eyes and sleep, and how fierce the Blind Onions and Brainfruits were.The trek toward the stairwell downward is soon over. Your belt is already lined with dungeon crops, your pocket with their golden lumps."Hey, it's you!" Byep leans over her countertop as you squeeze through the narrow hallway at the foot of the stairwell room and out into the pitch-black ballroom where you fought the Sharp Pea.The Ancient Armor looms over you as you approach the counter."You're starting to become a regular here!" Byep grins when she sees you take out your gold. "The Iron Coat? Then I'll take your Leather Coat for 35g."For a moment you consider keeping your Leather Coat, but Thud doesn't seem to be interested in having his body clothed. You nod to Byep and count out the rest of the 500g for the Iron Coat. Between what's left of your purse and what you harvested on the way here, you have 351g remaining.You sling the Iron Coat over your shoulders and flex your arms. The metal plates covering the longcoat's leather surface clink as your arms collide. The heavy weight is reassuring, not impeding.With a deep breath you turn and rest your Iron Hoe over one shoulder as you venture through the doorway into the untrod beyond."Are you going to the Dark Lord's throne room?" Byep leans far out over the countertop to see you as you start to walk away. "Pick the furthest stairwell! Good luck!"A cryptic clue for now, but you have no doubt Byep's advice is sound.At the first step into the lower level, you are set upon by three Sharp Peas.The battle is long. Even with your Iron Hoe in hand, the hard skin of their pods is less cleaved than it is hacked open.Your first foray to this depth leaves you more exhausted than injured. Your will drives your feet forward into the darkness.Three more Sharp Peas rush toward you as you cross the room. A stroke of luck kills one of them on the first hit. The others are too quick, and strike you again before you can finally cleave the gold lumps from them.When a lone Sharp Pea catches you from around the corner, you're almost relieved to be only facing the one.
At last you reach a stairwell, your belt slung with Sharp Peas. Again you set foot even lower into the dungeon.Beyond the stairwell base is a maze of dead-end corridors. Without a map, you would easily expire here. But with your map given by the King Crow, you pass through a narrow twisting series of hallways. The air is pungent with something sharp and acrid, then from out of the black corners drift a pair of discolored Brainfruits dripping with tarry congealed juice.The Rotten Fruits belch noxious vapors, bloated lips dripping slimy puddles as they circle you. Their toothless mouths babble uselessly, no longer able to chant spells. They float half-blind and awkwardly, eyesockets swollen nearly to bursting around their sunken and clouded-over eyeballs.But their rubbery and leathered rinds make your harvest slow-going. You grip the handle of your Iron Hoe tighter, acutely aware that you may not have even been able to split their flesh with your Used Hoe.The Rotten Fruit are finally dashed to the ground. Inside, the lumps of gold each weigh 5g.You sniff the slimy juice on your hand and recoil. It seems Rotten Fruits may be unsuitable for harvest.Just in case, you tie the both of them to your belt.Three more Rotten Fruits linger beyond the next corner, drifting closer as they sense you.You emerge from the fight coated in slime and coughing from the miasma of their stringy pulp. The gold you take, but your belt is full and you'd rather not carry any more of these Rotten Fruits.The warren-like maze of hallways opens into a wide, low-ceilinged room. The floor is chasmed with six huge square stairwells descending down into the floor.You take a moment to rest and lean on your Iron Hoe.Just as Byep said, from where you've come in, the stairwell in the far corner of the cavernous room is furthest from you.The stone stairs lead down into the blackness, further and further. You grip your Iron Hoe tightly with both hands, cautiously stepping around the bend as the stairs spiral ever deeper.At last you reach the foot of the stairwell.At the end of the hallway beyond, the floor is a narrow walkway spanning over a chasm so deep and vast that all sound seems muffled. You pause at the edge and look everywhere around. An ambush here would mean certain death.In the complete absence of light, your eyes begin to see a faint eldritch flickering through the doorway on the far cliff.With a heavy breath, you slowly pick your way across the narrow walkway, the wind whistling up from the chasm below you, looking over your shoulder the entire time.But there are no monsters here.
Panting and sweating with nerves, you cross the last of the walkway and stumble out onto the terrace before the tall stone doorway.On either side are huge spiked hinges of a metal not iron, affixed to enormous doors made of something like coral, banded in the same black metal as the hinges and hanging wide open.A large golden key is turned in the black keyhole of the left door.Beyond is a tall throne of polished onyx. The stone floor surrounding the base of the Dark Lord's empty throne is scored with deep slashes and pitted with rough craters where the stone has been eaten away by some terrible acid. And at the top edge of the throne, a huge black crow with blood-red eyes and a petrified beak slowly tilts its head toward you.The Doom Crow's beak hinges open with the sound of bone scraping against bone, and it utters a croaking proclamation."Death!"*flap flap*The Doom Crow flies off the throne and into the air. As you watch the beast circle, you grip your hoe's handle and ready for its dive.When it does, you raise your hoe to strike but the Doom Crow flaps its wings and draws up short and caws."Agony!"At the moment it chants the word, your body is wracked with terrible fiery pain, worse than anything you've ever felt. Even as it fades, your muscles are stiff and sore from clenching.With one foot on the bottommost step, you feint and swing your how upward from below, striking the Doom Crow on the underside of its beak!The Doom Crow rolls in the air, propelled by magic more than the flapping of its wings and dives back down to peck at your chest with its fleshless bony beak.Your Iron Coat blocks most of its fury but its attack knocks the breath from your lungs, and you stumble gasping backward onto the mountainous steps leading up to the throne.The Doom Crow swoops back around for another attack. As it descends, you strike your Iron Hoe against the Doom Crow's mummified feathers, again and again.A blow from the Doom Crow's wing sends you sprawling down to the foot of the steps. With both hands on the handle you push yourself upright to standing and stumble forward over a gouge in the stone floor.The head of your Iron Hoe has grown heavy. It drags along the surface of the stone behind you as you shuffle toward the throne, your vision cloudy with sweat and blood. When it flies at you, the weight is lessened by your terror and you swing wildly, striking its underbelly.The Doom Crow feints this time. When your hoe is raised, its beak strikes you from the side hard enough to break one of your ribs.You collapse and prop yourself up with your Iron Hoe and look up as the Doom Crow opens its beak."Agony!"This time you falter as you attempt to rise. Only fear drives you to grip the handle of your Iron Hoe and force your shaking legs to stand.>Fight>Run>Item
>>6424435Hmm, I want to use the Salve...but is it necessary? I don't wanna get greedy, but if we need it later but never find another...
>>6424435>ItemLet's hit that salve and smack this smelly fuck!!!
>>6424435>Fight
>>6424435>ItemUse the salveAlso we should see if rotten fruit makes good fertilizer for our crops
>>6424435>>ItemI like the idea of try to fertilize
>>6424435>Item>Use salveWe are not a hoarder who barely beats the game with 15 phoenix downs and 100 full heals still in their inventory.
The Doom Crow circles the black ceiling and flaps downward to perch atop the Dark Lord's throne. It hops onto the armrest and then the dais, croaking a gloating chuckle as it hops down another step.You grip your Iron Hoe's handle, but your bloodied hand is too slick to find purchase and you falter to your knees once more.The Doom Crow croaks another chuckle as it hops down to the final step and stands above you. Its heavy bone beak is hoisted upward, ready to spear your back.Something glints on the stone floor.The Doom Crow cocks its head and stretches out its creaking neck to look at the small, open tin."Salve?"Its bloodshot eyes widen at the revelation and you swing your Iron Hoe upward just as the Doom Crow turns its gaze upon you. The blade strikes the ancient beast against its beak with force enough to send chips of bone exploding outward. The Doom Crow hits the floor and skids along in a tumbling heap of dusty feathers.By the time it rights itself you've already crossed the distance. Your broken rib is just a memory.Your grip on the Iron Hoe has never been firmer as you raise it for the killing blow.The Doom Crow looks up at you from the floor and dips its beak into the patchy tuft of feathers on its chest. For an instant you think it's cowering in fear, when it once again raises its head to you.In its beak is a ring of the black metal."Yours."Wary of the beast, you carefully reach out. The Doom Crow obediently stretches its neck toward you and drops the ring from its beak into your palm.GOT DARK LORD'S RING!The Doom Crow steps back and tilts its head quizzically up at you, its gaze twitching between your hand and your eyes. The beast steps back again and ruffles itself, dipping its beak low to the ground and then it looks upward at you once more and caws."Home."
In a flash, the door of your shack appears in front of you.Startled by your sudden appearance, a crowd of loitering Smart Crows around you all take to the air in an explosion of feathers. You stumble backward and turn in disbelief, gawking at your farmyard and the evening sky overhead.Thud flings open the door and stops. "How did..."His face quickly turns to joyfulness as he sees the Rotten Fruits under your belt.You look away from Thud back toward the wasteland and hold up your unfolding fist.Thud looks over your shoulder at the Dark Lord's ring in the palm of your hand. "A treasure of the dungeon?" He points at the Rotten Fruits. "These are the real treasures."When you mention turning them into fertilizer, Thud shakes his head impatiently. "If you turned your field with the Rotten Fruits, they would surely poison your crops. Only Priests can make use of Rotten Fruits in such a way." Thud's grin widens. "But Thud can distill them into liquor."That night, you add the 80g of gold lumps from the Sharp Peas and Rotten Fruits to your hoard. The Salve is gone, but in its place is a different relic.>Put it on>Better not
>>6424781>Put it onYou heard the crow, it's ours.
>>6424781>Put it onDooming our soul? Sure! Might as well try.
>>6424781>Put it onRight on the pinky, Saul Goodman style
>>6424781>>Better notNooooooooooo
>>6424781>>Better notIf we put it on, wear it on a chain, Frodo style.
>>6424781>Put it onIts our dungeon and its our farm. Plus the bird gave it to us for a reason.
With a deep breath, you place the ring onto your finger.EQUIPPED: DARK LORD'S RINGYou turn it this way and that. The thought crosses your mind that it may simply be something the King Crow desires.The next morning, Thud is looking out the window when you wake.A crowd of Hungry Onions surround the shack, still and unmoving.You push the door open a crack, but they remain in place as you swing the door open and walk out into the morning sunlight, Iron Hoe in hand.*chok*When you split the closest Hungry Onion's top, you expect some response from the others, but instead the rest of the horde simply turn their faces back toward you.As you root around its center for the lump of gold, your eyes catch the ring of black metal on your hand.You and Thud feast on Hungry Onions and leave the rest for Hungry Onion soup.York arrives soon after, grinning wildly as he sees the seven Sharp Peas. "I'll take those two Rotten Fruits as well."Thud clears his throat. When your eyes meet Thud gives you a hopeful look.At Thud's insistence, you keep the Rotten Fruits.Thud crosses his arms. "When I have distilled them, we will drink together. Thud declares it."You and Thud load the Sharp Peas into York's cart and then York cracks the reins and speeds away.Thud picks up the two Rotten Fruits and carries them toward one of the clay pots. He stuffs them into the pot and carefully sets a lid on top. When Thud stands back up he turns toward you and wipes his hands. "We should think about where to build the storehouse."The two of you walk away from your shack toward a plot of unused land between the shack and the field. As the two of you stand at adjacent corners and debate the best placement, you see two people approaching on foot.As they draw closer you see it's that warrior you met in Glynton. There's another man with him wearing a red robe.Thud turns to look at the pair as they approach. "Grif?""Thud, my old friend!" Grif gestures at the man in a tall pointed hat next to him. "This is Flam, a Wizard."The other man nods."I didn't expect to see you here!" Grif turns toward you. "Ah, the farmer!" Grif turns his head toward your field and turns his gaze back toward you. "So you really do have a farm." "It's good to see you again, Grif." Thud nods at Flam and shakes Grif's hand. "Have you come to this farm to work?" Grif laughs. "We're seeking a dungeon."Thud nods. "You were always eager to delve them.""It seems many more dungeon crops have been sold in the past few months." Grif leans forward toward you and Thud. "There must be a dungeon somewhere in this wasteland.">Chat with them>Drive them off
Wouldn't driving them off just make them more suspicious
>>6424916>Chat with them
You feel it would be best to act hospitable. After all, these two men might be useful as long as they don't look too closely at what's under your bed.You invite Flam and Grif to come sit in the shade on the other side of your shack.Thud builds up a fire near the kiln and then you chop some Hungry Onions into the pot. "Thud and I used to adventure together." Grif helps you chop the Hungry Onions with his sword while he talks.It's hard to imagine Thud going on adventures.When you look at Thud, he spots the disbelief on your face."Grif tells the truth. I was once a member of his group. We delved many dungeons." Thud stirs the pot. "Now the two of you search for a dungeon in the wasteland?"At Thud's question, the wizard Flam interrupts. "Three of us, actually.""Oh?" Thud takes a sip of Hungry Onion soup.Grif cleans his sword and sheathes it. "We split up to cover more ground." Grif sniffs the air. "We'll all be meeting in Glynton tomorrow. Is that Hungry Onion soup almost ready?"Thud hands out bowls and everyone slurps their soup.Grif and Flam wipe their mouths and stand up. "We'd better get back to Glynton so we're not late. Don't want to keep a Priest waiting, right?"Flam nods at you and then at Thud. "Thank you for the soup."The two of them turn to leave, but then Grif stops and walks back toward you. "Oh, just one more thing..."You look up at Grif as he blocks out the overhead sun."Where did you say you fought a King Crow?"You and Thud both point toward the grove of trees."There were also Smart Crows." Thud scratches his beard. "Many Smart Crows.""I think we can handle weak monsters like Smart Crows!" Grif nods at you. "Thanks for the Hungry Onion soup."After Grif the Warrior and Flam the Mage leave, you and Thud have another bowl of soup and sit in the shade.The topic turns to your field, and Thud's earlier comment about a Priest's ability to turn Rotten Fruits into fertilizer."Thud wouldn't bother with Priests." Thud hastily pours you a third bowl of soup. "Your field is doing well enough."You wonder if Thud is superstitious about Priests, or if he just doesn't want anything cutting into his supply of Rotten Fruits.That night, you harvest another five each of Blind Onions and Brainfruits. Without a distillery, there's little incentive for you to press through the swarms of Sharp Peas in order to reach more Rotten Fruits.Byep is delighted at the leftover Hungry Onions under your belt. "You're the only one who ever has sunlight crops!"The thought occurs that Byep might have enjoyed the Hungry Onion soup.The next morning, York arrives, already counting out gold for your dungeon crops. His cart slows to a stop near where you and Thud have begun laying the foundation for your new storehouse.>Visit town>Continue working
>>6424997>Continue workingI wonder if burying dead monsters might increase soil quality.
>>6424997>Continue workingNothing to do but wait...
>>6424997>Continue working
>>6424997>>Continue working
You load your dungeon crops onto York's cart as he counts out your gold, and then you and Thud resume laying the stones for your storehouse.The next day is the same, and the next. On the fifth day of construction, you and Thud finish the roof.You completed a storehouse!With a storehouse, you finally have a place to keep your crops that's protected from the elements. Now your stored crops will last longer.The rest of the month passes without any new incidents. Each morning, you find a crop of Hungry Onions waiting obediently outside your door. You and Thud begin to look forward to your meals as your selection of foods expands.Five days after your visit from the warrior and wizard, Thud finishes work on the distillery. The next day, you see him at the kiln, but the day after that, Thud begins work on a new, less crude kiln.When he finally finishes constructing the new kiln, Thud's first work of pottery is a large short-necked jug with a handle on one side.Finally, a month after you and Thud sowed your entire field, a nearly full field of Cowberries is ready for harvest. The Mystery seeds have grown a third layer of leaves, but no more.>Store crops>Visit town>Grind for a Gold Hoe (440g)
>>6425012>>Store cropsCan't let our harvest go to waste
>>6425012>Store cropsNeed to keep our crops steady.
>>6425012>Store crops
You and Thud finish the harvest all in one day.Rather than sell it to York, Lily, or Byep, you move the entire harvest of Cowberries into your new storehouse.For now, you'll let your field lie fallow. The next time you visit Glynton, you'll have to buy more seeds and eventually sow your field again.You consider whether to grow more Normal seeds, or try the Fancy seeds. Until now you had avoided planting Fancy seeds in the harsh wasteland soil. Perhaps you might be able to improve your field's soil more quickly with a Priest's help.You don't know if that's something you'd have to pay for.After York leaves empty-handed the following morning, you and Thud enjoy a day of rest with Thud's newly distilled Rotten Fruit liquor.The smell and taste are only marginally better than the name.Both of you manage to drag yourselves into your shack before night falls.You wake to a crushing headache and York's voice calling from outside.When at last you push open the door and stumble squinting into the too-bright sunlight, York climbs down from his cart and rushes toward your shack."Those Cowberries! Do you still have them?"Wincing at York's words, you nod and hold your hands up to silence the merchant as you lead him toward the storehouse."There was a fire at the storehouse in Glynton last night! All the crops went up! Everyone's paying five times the regular rate!"York plucks one of the Cowberries and inspects it closely. "Hmm... These are very poor quality, but that doesn't matter." York looks at you standing in the doorway of your storehouse. "I'll give you 5g per bunch for these Cowberries."That's five times what you got for your last harvest! Even thought they're poor quality, you were lucky with supply and demand!York quickly counts out 495g as you and Thud carry all the Cowberries out of your storehouse and onto York's cart.With this, you have 2574g!>Buy Normal seeds x99 (990g)>Buy Thorn Coat (1200g)>Buy Fancy seeds x99 (1980g)>Buy Gold Hoe (2500g)
>>6425059>Buy Normal seeds x99 (990g)Our soil is still crap.
>>6425059>Buy Normal seeds x99 (990g)
>>6425059>>Buy Normal seeds x99 (990g)>>Buy Thorn Coat (1200g)Shoppy shoppy
Cleaned up the map a bit.
>>6425059>>Buy Normal seeds x99 (990g)>>Buy Thorn Coat (1200g)
>>6425110:0
>>6425059>Buy Normal seeds x99 (990g)>Buy Thorn Coat (1200g)No point getting any fancier seeds until we grind up our field level. Our next plan of action should be locating this priest (sorry Thud)
>>6425059>Buy Normal seeds x99 (990g)>Buy Thorn Coat (1200g)>>6425194I’m not against meeting the Priest, but if they’re looking for the dungeon, providing the fruits without explanation might give us away prematurely so we should consider playing it safe.
"Gotta get these to market before anyone else brings in some crops!"York cracks the reins and the cart begins to roll away before you can ask for a ride. As it speeds away you can barely hear York shout "See you tomorrow!"You suppose it won't hurt to let your field lie fallow for one more day.Thud looks out at the empty field but then you notice him looking at you out of the corner of his eye. "Will you go into the dungeon again?" Thud scratches his beard and looks back at the field. "Thud has an idea for improving the distillery."The thought of filling your belt with Rotten Fruits becomes less repulsive with Thud's hopeful expression looming over you.You briefly consider using one of the canvas sacks Lily gave you, but it seems unwieldy to carry and would likely be ripped to shreds in a fight.After breakfast, you pull back your bed and lift the trapdoor into the dungeon and then you climb the old wooden ladder down into the pitch black stone, a pair of Hungry Onions for Byep tied to your belt.You've been down these corridors enough times that you no longer need consult the map. The route to Byep's shop is simple, if winding.The gold lumps inside the Blind Onions and Brainfruits are harvested along the way."You're alive!" Byep leans forward over the counter. "I thought you were dead because you never came back! How did you..." Byep stops when she sees the Dark Lord's ring on your finger. "Oooh!"Byep stands back up and crosses her arms. "Just because you have the Dark Lord's Ring doesn't mean you're the Dark Lord, you know." She tucks her hair behind her ear and looks away. "You'd also have to have the Dark Lord's Armor, and the Dark Lord's Crown. And those have been lost for a thousand years."When you start counting out gold, her expression changes instantly. "The Thorn Coat? Already?" Byep gawks at the 1200g as you remove your Iron Coat and then she quickly counts out 250g for the trade-in.EQUIPPED: THORN COATThe Thorn Coat is similar to the Iron Coat, a thick leather longcoat covered in iron plates, but while the Iron Coat's plates were smooth, the Thorn Coat is studded with barbed iron spikes protruding from the plates."Are dungeon crops really that valuable in the sunlight?"At that, you remember the Hungry Onions tied to your belt and set them on the countertop. Byep squeals in delight and quickly counts out 10g. "You should bring more sunlight crops next time. A neighbor of mine really likes these Hungry Onions. I'll introduce you the next time you visit."You thank Byep and wave as you leave with 1640g.The Sharp Peas are more easily harvested with your Thorn Coat. Before long, you find yourself surrounded by Rotten Fruits.Thud is inside when you return up the ladder, covered in stinging slime and 1704g in hand. When you lower the trapdoor and push your bed back over it, Thud points out the window.The farmyard is full of Hungry Onions and Smart Crows.
Thud looks over your shoulder as you open the door and step outside. The Smart Crow directly in front of the door moves aside and the flock stares silently up at you, ignoring the placid Hungry Onions among them.At the corner of your field, the plot of Mystery crop remains uneaten. The Hungry Onions and Smart Crows seem content to stand in place, on the ground and along the fence, atop your shack and the storehouse, everywhere except your field which they seem to understand is forbidden ground. You and Thud look at each other and then you both slowly back up into your shack and close the door.As soon as you take off the Dark Lord's ring, the Smart Crows flap their wings and fly up into the evening sky.The Hungry Onions begin to sway and wobble and then one begins to hop away and the rest all follow in a spontaneous migration.Thud's attention turns to the slew of Rotten Fruits tied to your belt. "We have plenty of pots and lids now."The next morning you wake to the sound of York's cart approaching, armor mended and wounds healed.You climb onto York's cart and the two of you ride into Glynton. "That harvest of Cowberries really helped everyone out! I made sure to let them know it came from your farm."When you arrive, York's cart rolls away and you walk through town toward Lily's stand.Lily turns from another customer and smiles when she sees you. "It's been a while since we saw each other! Did you have any luck with those Mystery seeds?"You count out 990g as Lily stuffs the cloth pouches into canvas sacks. Of gold, you have 714."There are more adventurers in town lately. They've been staying at Gust's inn.">Stay at the inn (5g)>Maybe later
>>6425349>Maybe laterI don't want to go to the Inn with our Thorn Coat on, it's a bit too badass for a farmer, after all.
>>6425349>Maybe laterNah...we're good.
>>6425349>Stay at the inn (5g)There might be a priest amongst the adventures
>>6425349>Maybe laterWhat do we, a completely innocent farmer who's biggest concerns right now are our shitty soil and repenting for calling Hans a filthy scammer, have to do with a bunch of adventurers? Nothing! Nothing, I say!
>>6425349>>Maybe later
You don't know if there are any adventurers in Glynton aside from Grif's friends, but it might be the only place around to meet a Priest and get an idea for how feasible it would be to refine Rotten Fruits into fertilizer."I like your new coat!" Lily points at your Thorn Coat. "It looks... um... rugged?"Looking at the barbed iron thorns, you feel this might give a too-honest impression if you were to ask about Rotten Fruits while hiding your dungeon harvesting.Instead you thank Lily and hurry out of town into the wasteland toward your farm with your 99 pouches of Normal seeds in four canvas sacks.Burdened with the sacks of seed, your footsteps are heavier. The sun is down without your shack in sight.The Red Rabbits still attack despite you wearing the Dark Lord's ring.You return home with four Red Rabbits under your belt.Thud builds a fire and begins roasting them. "Wood is becoming scarce. We have used most of what was near this farm."It would be nice to have some amenities like a table or a chest. Unfortunately, the only source of wood within walking distance is the grove of trees where the flock of Smart Crows and the King Crow live.After supper, you pull up the trapdoor and climb down into the dungeon for your nightly harvest.You wonder if Hans would know the location of the Dark Lord's crown and armor. He does claim to be able to answer any question or your money back.Then again, you don't really see how those remnant raiment would help make your farm more productive, even if the Dark Lord's ring is useful while working your field.Thud looks up as you push open the trapdoor and climb out with five Rotten Fruits, three Sharp Peas, and 773g.The next morning, York is happy to pay 21g for the Sharp Peas.Curious, you show York the ring for sale.York examines the ring and tosses it back to you. "I'll give you 1g if I'm being generous."For all the trouble you went through to get it, that seems like a poor trade.Instead, you wave to York and then join Thud sowing the Normal seeds.By mid-afternoon, you and Thud have finished your fieldwork.>Visit Byep>Visit the King Crow
>>6425931>Visit the King CrowI want to. Anyway, there's nothing left to do but wait for the farm to get better..and for us to get enough gold for a golden hoe.
>>6425931>Visit the King Crow
>>6425931>>Visit the King Crow
Byep said she'd introduce you to her neighbor upon your next visit, though it seems more tactful to wait at least a few days to return to her shop.Instead, you and Thud set off across the wasteland toward the King Crow's grove, Thud with his Used Hoe and you with your Iron Hoe.Thud grips the handle of his hoe with both meaty fists. "The Smart Crows may be less reverent in their lair."You reach into your pocket and grasp the Dark Lord's ring and slip it on your finger. That should help with negotiations.It's already afternoon when you finally reach the grove of trees.The constant cawing begins to quiet. As you approach the first of the Smart Crows, they look at the Dark Lord's ring and dip their beaks low to the ground, staring up at you as you and Thud pass.The other Smart Crows begin to bow as well. You walk through their parting ranks until you come to the tree in the center of the grove and the King Crow perched on a branch.Suddenly, the King Crow caws loudly and raises itself to its full height, cawing again. Some of the Smart Crows bow to you, but then the others turn toward the King Crow.The King Crow caws again."King!"The Smart Crows rise up again and all turn their gazes on you and Thud in unison."Maybe we should ask York about lumber instead." Thud takes a step backward and stops as the Smart Crows surround you.You raise your hands in a show of friendliness and begin to ask about harvesting wood when the King Crow flaps its wings and flutters down onto the ground."Gold!"The King Crow struts and hops through the crowd of Smart Crows toward you as the Smart Crows squawk and flap upward into the trees.You take a step back but the King Crow is upon you. It feints a peck and then caws again."Gold!"When you glance over your shoulder at Thud, you see him sneaking away through the trees.Seasoned by the rigors of harvesting dungeon crops, the King Crow is struck down in three measured swings.There is a long silence, and then one of the Smart Crows caws and flaps itself downward through the air to the ground in front of you.In an instant the rest of the flock joins it, surrounding you and the defeated King Crow, and they all caw."Lord!""Lord!""Lord!"The King Crow stirs and you turn your gaze downward toward it. The flock is suddenly silenced again, their eyes flitting between you and the King Crow cringing at your feet, as they await your judgment.>Promote the King Crow to flock leader>Demote the King Crow to peon status>Execute the King Crow
>>6426291>Promote King CrowHe's smart, here's hoping he gets a Queen Crow and create a Crow dynasty
>>6426291>Promote the King Crow to flock leader
>>6426291>Promote the King Crow to flock leaderI wonder what they use all that gold for...
You raise your hands to reassure the Smart Crows that there will be no executions today.The King Crow raises its heavy gold beak as it looks up. As a beam of afternoon sun strikes its surface, you glimpse the overlapping ridges like dragon-scales, and see that the King Crow's gold beak is really made from beaten coins of gold.With a word, the King Crow rises, and you reach into your pocket for 1g. As you hold it up before the rapt audience of Smart Crows, you see it's one of the ancient coins from the treasure chest Thud dug up in your field.A fitting payment for your new subordinate.You hold out the coin and the King Crow bows quickly and then snatches the coin from your hand with its gold beak.Despite Thud's great strength, your hoes are ineffective tools for felling trees.You and Thud gather up as much fallen wood as you both can carry. By the time you're finished and turn back toward your shack, the sun is already low against the flat line of the wasteland horizon.The King Crow and the Smart Crows circle and caw overhead as they keep pace all the way to your farmyard.More Hungry Onions are gathered outside the wall, their toothy jaws placidly unhinged as you pass by them through the gateway into your farmyard.You and Thud pile all the wood next to your shack.After a quick meal of Hungry Onions, you venture back into the dungeons. Thud's pots are already full of Rotten Fruits, but you can profit the most from harvesting Sharp Peas.The dungeon crops are uninterested in the Dark Lord's ring.The next morning, you wake to the realization that York hasn't arrived. From your window, you can see his cart at the edge of the farmyard beyond the wall, too afraid to enter for all the Smart Crows perched atop the wall, the storehouse, Thud's kiln, his distillery, your shack, and the pile of unused unearthed masonry.As you hurry outside, you stop and turn to see the Smart Crows have organized all the wood gathered by you and Thud.With a wave of your hands, the Smart Crows take flight in a cloud of black feathers, back to their grove.The King Crow remains perched above you atop the roof of your shack.When you explain to York that you and the King Crow have come to an agreement, York cautiously shakes the reins and drives his cart into your farmyard.His apprehension is lessened even further when he sees the eight Sharp Peas. By the time your morning crop sales are finished, you have 881g.When you explain to York your newfound interest in woodworking, York smiles."Take a look at some of my new inventory!" As York draws the cloth tarp from the hoes, it drags over a toothy length of flat, thin metal.>Grind for Gold Hoe (1619g)>Grind for Old Saw (2119g)
Spruced up the tileset a bit.I'll probably end up making maps for Glynton and the dungeon at some point.
>>6426397>Grind for Gold Hoe (1619g)The saw isn't that helpful until we find a source of wood
>>6426408You have a source of wood in the Smart Crows' grove of trees; you just couldn't make use of it with your hoes alone.
>>6426397>Grind for Old Saw (2119g)I think once we have the saw, and wood, however, we should leave our armor at home, go to town with York then look into the following: >Buying a steed so we can go to and from Glynton more easily and at our leisure; we don't have to hitch a ride in with York, and when we leave we don't have to worry about critters so much on the way back>Hiring on some help - not just a priest for the soil, but someone else to help us manage tasks around here, and possibly an archer. We can use the wood for a little tower/platform and if the archer sleeps during the day, he can guard the field at night >Asking Hans about the Dark Lord's other relics >Asking Hans what would happen to us if adventurers learned about the dungeon - will they invade? Will they loot it of all valuables? I don't want them to get the loot before we do! >Asking Hans where the next nearest dungeon is... I am up for any of those if other anons want to pitch them the next time we are in Glynton
>>6426397>Grind for Gold Hoe (1619g)
>>6426397>Grind for Gold Hoe (1619g)Since it's the last(?) upgrade and the dungeon crops are only gonna get stronger. Once we can take down sharp peas easier we can grind for a saw
>>6426397>Grind for Gold Hoe (1619g)With this, it should be a lot easier to farm dungeon crops while we wait for our farm to be less...horrible.
>>6426397>>Grind for Old Saw (2119g)
Your heart races a bit at the thought of a Gold Hoe, once an unreachable daydream, now almost within your grip.That evening, you harvest eight Sharp Peas and four Rotten Fruits.Thud has finished another batch of his Rotten Fruit liquor. The two of you sit outside in the cool night air surrounded by Smart Crows as you sample it.Thud's new distillery has improved the quality significantly. It's approaching palatable.There's a clacking noise from the other side of your shack. When you hear it, you realize you've been hearing it for a while.Some of the Smart Crows are moving small stones around into piles. Another five Smart Crows are struggling to move one of the larger pieces of masonry, but their strength is inadequate.You wake to the too-bright sun in your eyes, the ground beneath your head. Thud is sprawled at the edge of the field, an empty jug in each hand.The Smart Crows have killed the dozen Hungry Onions around the farmyard and sorted the gold from the crops. As you squint and stumble to your feet, the Smart Crows all greedily eye the pile of gold glinting in the morning sun.The sun is shrouded by a dark cloud, and thunder cracks through the air above you, rattling your shack.You stumble bleary-eyed across the farmyard toward Thud, and shake him, but he merely turns his head away.The first drops of rain fall and you shake him again as the Smart Crows begin to caw irritably.One of the Smart Crows flaps its wings and flies toward the storehouse, gliding through the doorway with a dozen more quickly crowd into the storehouse behind it. The laggards beat their wings against the mass of Smart Crows filling the storehouse, cawing loudly at the others who pretend not to hear them.Even though the Smart Crows are attempting to be useful, allowing them to loiter around the farmyard may be bring more trouble than they're worth.>Send them all back to the grove>Build a roost on your farmyard
I really need to start proofreading better lol
>>6426842>Build a roost on your farmyardNah they're our crew now. And we can't be cowering from adventurers forever!!
>>6426842>Build a roost on your farmyardWe are the crowman
Thud begins to stir at last. He blinks and frowns and then squeezes his eyes shut in displeasure at the torrential rain. When he turns over, Thud slips on the wet soil and crawls toward the overstuffed storehouse.You shout to be heard over the thunder and Thud crawls another five paces before he notices you clinging to his rippling shoulders.The King Crow is already inside your shack.The rain pours down harder. Your shack fills up with Smart Crows.As you and Thud press against the wall, you mention building a roost.Thud nods and looks out the window through the sheeting rain, to the pile of stones in the far corner of the farmyard. "There is material enough for a tower."It rains all night and by morning the wasteland is dry again.For the next week you and Thud work as your crops continue to rise. The Smart Crows and the King Crow watch the growing stack of masonry from afar.It's another week before Thud is able to make enough bricks to finish the structure. To build the four-level roost tower took every remaining masonry and stone pulled from your field."Home!"The King Crow struts back and forth and caws again and then it bows its beak low to the ground.When the King Crow caws again, the Smart Crows take to the air and circle the many-windowed tower, squawking and cawing with delight at every pass. Below them at the base of the tower, you and Thud share a smile at the completion of your long work.Your evenings spent harvesting dungeon crops have brought you to a much-anticipated meeting with York."The Gold Hoe?" York is ecstatic, but recovers quickly as you begin to count out 2500g. "Then..." He looks at you and the Iron Hoe. "Then I suppose you will be keeping your Iron Hoe, as you kept the others?"Your count is finished, leaving you with 12g.You hand Thud your Iron Hoe. York invites you to yourself take the Gold Hoe from his cart. When you grasp the handle, you're amazed at how easily it fits into your hand.After all your toil, owning a Gold Hoe feels like you've made a second major accomplishment this day!
I'll be traveling for a few days so the next update will be either Sunday or Monday. If you guys want to talk about plans for the immediate future, I'll pick this back up as soon as I can.
>>6426936Thanks for running!
Just caught up. This is a fun quest, woodberry!>>6426842>You wake to the too-bright sun in your eyes, the ground beneath your head. Thud is sprawled at the edge of the field, an empty jug in each hand.We maybe ought to be careful about the both of us getting do drunk we have trouble functioning. This place is a lot safer, but we could still get raided by someone that puts together all the cash we've been spending, the significant building we've done on the farm, the weird behavior of the Hungry Onions, and the influx of dungeon crops. Or York might eventually have a slip of the tongue.>>6426935That tower could be useful for all sorts of other things, such as a watchtower, signal tower, we could shoot arrows (or throw rocks as we lack a bow & arrow), belltower, all sorts of good stuff.Did we keep any of the previous coats? The Thorn Coat is powerful, but ...unsubtle. We might want to not wear it when going into town, at least.York is ripping us off on the saws, though with our stone dried up the lumber would be valuable. I'm tempted to look for an alternate supplier. Someone's got to have a woodsman's axe they're willing to part with, or something. Or we could look into how the town got the materials it's built with, maybe a professional lumberjack or stonemason?As far as plans, We don't really have an objective at the moment. We could try to get the rest of the raiment, but would that be helpful for farming?I'm tempted to go back to the Throne Room, just to see what's changed.Byep is the only person we've met in the dungeon, though she says she "has a neighbor" we've somehow never come across in all our time down here. Or maybe it's the creepy sleep voice we never actually dealt with?It's interesting that she seems unaware of the surface entrance we use that's not really that far away from her. If nothing else, I'd expect her interest in surface crops to tempt her into finding how we get down here.I suspect that ludicrously expensive Ancient Armor is the Dark Lord's Armor
>>6426936I suspect there is likely a quarry or mine nearby, if not within the dungeon itself(likely), which would explain how it was expanded upon. Still gotta find it. Also I somehow doubt the entrance in our hovel is the original entrance to the dungeon itself. Probably some secret passage that got forgotten. Byep having neighbors implies it still somehow functions despite being entirely cut off from the surface, given the lack of surface foods. This indicates its original entrance is likely destroyed and why the Adventurers are finding fuck all for results.We gotta find a new source of stone anyway for construction materials. Probably gotta look around in the dungeon for that, considering this entire area is wasteland ever since the dark lord was taken out. This strongly indicates this region's economy originally was based on an underground dungeon economy.>>6427108We could likely get a better deal on tools if we find a blacksmith in town. Some animals might also be nice even if we do seem to be going the uh...dark lord monster master route? You know what I wanna keep sticking with the taming monsters route. That is so much cooler and more interesting than just normal farm animals.
>>6426936i think we should visit town soon(no thorn cloak), looking for alternate suppliers, and ask Hans some questions. im thinking 2 or 3. so far im thinking>what would a map of the dungeon and its entrances look like? or can you explain the entrances and layout of the dungeon to me?>what will happen to me if the dungeon is discovered? (will i be rewarded or punished by my lord?) >what is my best path twards irrigation?>save for farming and clearing the dungeon what are the best ways to reclaim the wasteland?>can you explain all the seeds to meback at the farm i think we should expand the field by at least 1.5x, gotta reclaim that waste land. and expand the hovel and hide the entrance better if we can, maybe build a living room and bedroom.and the visit Byep(bring a gift) and her neighbor
Welcome back to Dungeon Farmer!I'm still writing, but I finished the map of your dungeon. At the bottom-left corner of B1 (the top-most dungeon level) is the ladder leading up to the trapdoor under your bed.The black area with the red eyes is the mystery voice that invited you to take a nap when you were bleeding out.The empty chest in the large room to the left of the mystery voice contained the Salve that you found.There are many staircases that you haven't explored yet. The map you received from the King Crow was only the direct route from your shack to the Dark Lord's throne room. The stairs are labeled (A connects to A, B connects to B, etc.).Descending downward, Byep's shop is on B2.The Dark Lord's throne is on B11.
>>6428016That's not a good idea. We should work on what we have until it's decent...when the soil goes good, reclaiming further areas will be far easier than having it be shitty.
>>6428072QM this dungeon map is fucking amazing dude... Really in awe of the effort and skill you are flexing here. >>6428016I had said something before about a tower and an archer, but having a flock of Smart Crows seems like plenty of deterrent to me. I do absolutely wanna ask Hans about the Seeds, and I want to ask him about the dungeon too. Frankly I would like to ask him multiple questions about the dungeon situation - how exactly does this ring work? Is it wise to obscure the dungeon's location? What was the entity that told us to rest? Is it possible to clear out dungeon crops permanently at some point and purge the place? Are there any other dungeons nearby?
That night, when you hang up your Gold Hoe on the wall next to your Old Hoe, Used Hoe, and Iron Hoe, you can't help thinking of how hard you worked for that Used Hoe during your first forays into the dungeon beneath your field.A pile of sixteen Hungry Onions and another of 16g greets you when you wake.After breakfast, you tie six of the remaining Hungry Onions to your belt and then Thud puts the other six in the storehouse while you inspect the Smart Crow tower.The tower has a sturdy roof that would support a small bell, although it seems the tower is always occupied by at least a few Smart Crows.The King Crow sees you looking up at the tower and glides down around the tower to your feet. It tilts its beak of beaten gold coins up as you explain how the tower could be used to watch for danger. The King Crow bobs its beak up and down and squawks upward at the tower full of Smart Crows."Watch!"Halfway up the tower, a Smart Crow pokes its head out one of the many windows and looks downward at the King Crow."Watch!"Another Smart Crow sticks its head out a window and then more look down over the edge of the roof."Watch!""Watch!"Your new sentry post seems to be in working order. You thank the King Crow and then it nods and squawks again."Guard!"Thud is working with the kiln in the back yard. He looks over his shoulder as you approach. "You will go to the dungeon today?" Thud sees the Hungry Onions on your belt and points at your Thorn Coat. "Thud remembers how much Hungry Onions are worth in that dungeon." He stops and looks at you again. "Thud would enjoy some Brainfruits tonight." Your supper fare has become more elaborate since you spent your first nights hiding in your shack cowering from Hungry Onions.Suddenly Thud grins. "You should invite her up to the farm!" He holds up his hand to imitate a cup. "We can drink Rotten Fruit liquor together!"Before you can muster a reply, the kiln flares and Thud grunts as he looks toward the fire.Inside your shack, you adjust your Thorn Coat and grasp your Gold Hoe from the wall, and then drag back your bed and lift up the trapdoor to the Dark Lord's dungeon.The 28g in your pocket has swelled to 60g along with four Brainfruits on your belt. The Blind Onions you cast aside after harvesting their gold.You've hardly worked up a sweat when you reach the staircase down to Byep's shop.From the bottom of the stairs you hear an unfamiliar voice and then Byep's laugh. A man leaning on the counter stands up and scratches his head and then the both of them see you approaching.Byep smiles. "We were just talking about you!" She gestures at the man. "This is Snaz, an Artificer." Byep suddenly grins again. "You got a new hoe!" She turns to Snaz triumphantly. "I told you he was a farmer."Snaz eyes your Gold Hoe. "That's a fine Gold Hoe, and I should know. I sell tools and enchant your gold." When Snaz sees the confusion in your eyes he adds. "It costs 1001g per enchantment."
Byep excitedly counts out 5g for each of the Hungry Onions.Snaz eyes the Hungry Onions. "I heard you were working with sunlight crops. I brought along some tools of interest to you." He unrolls a large black cloth along Byep's counter. As he does, you see an Iron Saw much nicer than anything York offers, but then an unfamiliar item catches your eye.Stoneworking chisels."Ah, my favorite tool." Snaz picks up the Iron Chisel. "When working with stones or jewels, a good chisel is vital."As your gaze passes over the Gold Saw, you halt and stare at a tool made of something you can't describe. It looks like ice that glimmers from within in a scintillating shifting rainbow aurora."The Crystal Hoe?" Snaz nods. "My finest work yet. With a Crystal Hoe in hand, one can turn any land, regardless of condition." He scratches his ear and then adds "A mere 300000g."Your eyes are drawn to the price cards tied to each tool.>Iron Chisel 10000g>Iron Saw 12000g>Gold Saw 30000g>Gold Chisel 24000g>Crystal Chisel 90000g>Crystal Saw 120000g>Crystal Hoe 300000gWith 90g in hand, your Gold Hoe will remain equipped for the moment. Instead you inquire about the enchanting of gold."Oh? You don't know about enchanted gold?" Snaz grins. "I suppose it is an uncommon trade." He scratches his nose. "Have you even wondered why dungeon crops contain gold?"Byep leans forward over the counter. "They grow them!""No!" Snaz ignores Byep's flinch and turns to you. "When gold is underground, it naturally absorbs magic energy. With enough energy, it can form a monster." Snaz holds his hands apart. "The larger the amount of gold, the more it can absorb, and the more powerful the monster."Snaz rolls up his wares in the black cloth. "With enchanted gold (e), a magic-user like a Wizard or Priest can artificially create or transform monsters." Snaz ties up the cloth. "For example, a wizard can use 1e to create a Hungry Onion."Byep leans out further. "That was why I was so happy to see you had sunlight crops!" She mimics Snaz and scratches her own head. "That reminds me, how are you able to leave the dungeon?"At the mention of a ladder, Byep and Snaz look at one another.You unroll your map onto Byep's counter and before you can do anything else Snaz leans over it mutters "I'm certain there's no ladder as you're describing. And I've been all over the dungeon." Snaz pokes one finger onto the room where you heard the voice imploring you to sleep. "Not past this point, obviously, but..."Byep looks at you. "Do you mean... you came from beyond there?"As you begin to ask Byep what it is, she interrupts. "Um..."Snaz's voice is so low it's almost a whisper. "We don't like to talk about it."Byep cradles her arms. "It's something the Dark Lord locked up.""Needless to say, no one goes near there, with good reason." Snaz looks at you and swallows nervously. "I may have misjudged your strength. I do apologize."
>>6428016I'm not strictly against asking questions, but they are expensive, so we should restrict ourselves to only a few. Which in turn means we should be deliberate in choosing what to ask.On expansion, I don't really see the need at this point. The main bottleneck for normal crop growing looks to be soil quality, which will improve as we continue to work the land. Construction work on the hovel has my backing, especially work to hide and/or secure the dungeon entrance, though we'll need a new source of construction material at a minimum first.>>6428072That is some gorgeous work on the dungeon map there, OP.
Byep turns around and leans back against the counter. "Did you ever finish that wall around your farm?"When you mention a lack of material for ongoing work, Snaz nods. "The Dark Lord stripped this region of its stone to build the castle." Snaz dismisses his own words with a wave of his hand and funnels both hands toward the stone floor. "The deeper underground, the more radiant magical energy. That's why the Dark Lord's throne room was constructed in the deepest level beneath the castle." Byep sits up on top of the counter. "After the Dark Lord was slain, the explosion of magical energy caused the castle above the dungeon to completely collapse.""In other words..." Snaz looks at you and scratches his nose. "All the workable stone in this region is probably buried above our heads."You feel you've gotten a tremendous amount of knowledge and insight into how the universe functions!You thank Snaz for showing you his selection of tools and then Byep thanks you for bringing the Hungry Onions.The trek back through the dungeon toward your shack is almost pleasant until you come to the room Byep and Snaz fear, and something stirs in the blackness.Your heart pounds harder as you grip your Gold Hoe and hurry past.York's call from outside your shack knocks you from uneasy sleep into the morning sunlight, your Gold Hoe held tightly to your chest as you lie in bed.A pile of 18g and eighteen harvested Hungry Onions are piled in the front yard as you walk out your door to greet him, equipped only with your Old Hoe.You climb into York's cart atop the six Blind Onions you harvested last night, to visit Glynton for the first time in two weeks. As he drives his cart toward the town wall, York slows for a pair of carts in front of him. When you finally roll through the gate of Glynton and climb down from York's cart, you have to move aside for another cart.By the time you get to Lily's stall, you've seen three more carts."Oh, hi!" Lily smiles widely. "You haven't been around lately! Glynton has a lot more business lately!" Lily turns to help a customer with an order of Fancy Seeds. When she's almost finished Lily looks at you again. "They're saying the roads are a lot safer lately because there aren't as many monster attacks."When you inquire about adventurers, Lily quickly nods. "They're still staying at Gust's inn. They say they're almost about to find a dungeon!"You step up against Lily's counter to make room for another cart and watch it roll out into the wasteland.Lily adjusts her display seed pouches. "I still have some Mystery seeds!"With 132g in hand, you could afford two pouches of Mystery seeds and weigh your options as Lily weighs out another order of Normal seeds for a customer.While it never hurts to stock up on seed, you have questions which Hans may be able to answer, and more than a passing interest in meeting a Priest.>Stay at Gust's inn (5g)>Buy Mystery seeds (50g)>Ask Hans a question (100g)>Go back home
>>6428160>Stay at Gust's inn (5g)Let's finally see what these adventurers are about. If nothing else, we can eavesdrop to see what they know about the dungeon.Welcome back!
>>6428160>Ask Hans a question (100g)"What's the deal with all the different kinds of seeds, and how they grow?"
>>6428072:0 EPIC>>6428160>>Ask Hans a question (100g)what should i know about seeds?can we still seek out a priest?
>>6428160>Stay at Gust's inn (5g)
>>6428160So the wasteland was a former magical nexus until the dark lord died and the castle blew up. Their economy was mining, monster, and magic based. With the Dark Lord dead everything regressed to the point of becoming a wasteland. Also explains why they couldn't find a surface exit. It got blown up. So there is some kind of underworld going on likely connected to the dungeon and why the denizens survived.>Buy Mystery seeds (50g)
>>6428160>Stay at Gust's inn (5g)Now we look the part of a harmless farmer we can eavesdrop better
You promise Lily you'll buy Mystery seeds at a later time and then Lily is too busy with customers to press the issue.Hans's shop is close to Lily's stand. As you enter, Hans puts the book in his hand back onto the shelf behind the countertop. His back is still to you when he begins to speak. "Don't tell me, you only have one question."Hans turns and grins at you from behind his huge mustache. "And no need to thank me for the other day."He dusts off his hands and crosses his arms as you count out 100g."'What do I need to know about the different types of seeds?'" Hans twitches his long mustache. "That's a very interesting question!" His mustache sways as he twitches it again. "Most Normal seeds purchased locally will be Cowberries or rarely Pigeonberries. They can typically grow in even the poorest soil." Hans jabs one finger in your direction. "I don't think I have to tell you that poor soil grows poor Cowberries!"His mustache twitches again. "On the other hand, most Fancy seeds will grow flowering crops like Beebrush or Foxglove. These are somewhat inedible on their own, but are used as seasonings and decoration." Hans makes a cutting motion across the countertop. "If planted in poor soil, Fancy seeds may not produce anything worth harvesting at all.""On the other hand, Novelty seeds..." Hans crosses his arms and uncrosses them again. "Novelty seeds require near-perfect growing conditions. Sometimes they won't even sprout in poor soil. Novelty seeds often have other requirements like special fertilizer in order to produce a quality harvest." Hans's mustache sways as he waggles his finger. "But I'll tell you right now, all of Lily's Novelty seeds are Pigsqueak! If you can harvest a crop by the end of the year, you'll make a lot of money selling it to single men!"He crosses his arms again and looks toward the shelves of books surrounding him behind the counter. "Of course, that's just an overview of the seeds available in this region." He looks toward you and grins. "If you get your hands on Exotic seeds from other regions, come see me!"Once more, Hans has impressed you with the breadth and depth of his knowledge!
You thank Hans and then step out of his shop and walk toward Gust's inn on the edge of town."Welcome!" The innkeeper smiles when he recognizes you. "Ah, you again!" Gust watches you count out 5g and then smiles again. "Your room is the second-last on the left.""You there, with the Old Hoe!"At once you recognize the voice of Grif the Warrior. You turn and see Grif sitting across from the wizard Flam at one of the tables.Grif sets his cup on the table. "You're Thud's friend. You should tell him to help us instead.""We've almost found the dungeon we're looking for." Flam drinks from his cup. "We don't need anyone else getting a share."You sit down in the corner table and lay 1g in front of you. A few minutes later Gust sets a cup of beer on your table and takes the gold.When you sip, you begin to recoil, expecting the taste of Rotten Fruit liquor. You have to stop yourself from enjoying another sip. Instead, you pretend to take another long sip and then you look out the window as Grif and Flam converse.By the time you've finished half your beer, the sun has gone down."This dungeon must be very old since it's not on any of the maps." Flam covers his mouth with one fist and mutters "I wonder what that shop with the question mark sign is.""Forget about shops. We have to find that dungeon soon, before any more adventurers show up." Grif yawns and then his chair legs scrape the floor as he stands up. "I'm not waiting around for Lark to get back."Flam looks at his empty cup and nods. "We have an early day tomorrow."The wizard rises and follows Grif past your table. Both men give you a curt nod as they pass and then you hear them walking up the stairs toward the sleeping rooms on the inn's upper level.You slowly sip from your cup as the night settles over Glynton and the town begins to quiet. Finally, you finish your cup just as Gust rises from behind the counter. "You'll have to go up to your room. I'm about to lock up for the night."At the top of the stairs is a short hallway with four doors on each side. You walk down the hallway counting doors on your left until you reach the second-last door.Inside is a modestly furnished room, though by the standards of your shack it's a paradise.The blade of your Old Hoe clinks on the floor as you lean the handle against the bedside and lie down.No sooner do you close your eyes does the door open.A woman dressed in the white cowl and striped robe of a Priest steps into your room, blinking blindly in the dark. She takes another step and sees you and then gasps. "Sorry, I thought this was my friend's room!">Ask about Rotten Fruits>Pretend to be asleep
>>6428482>Ask about Rotten FruitsGive lore
>>6428482>>Ask about Rotten Fruitsneed to know
>>6428482>Ask about Rotten Fruits
Lark begins to turn to flee when you sit up and bid her to wait."A Priest? Yes, I'm a Priest." Lark holds one hand up to her mouth, nervously considering her situation. When she sees your Old Hoe leaning against the bed, Lark's posture changes and she takes another step into the room.You move to sit up on the side of the bed and then inquire what she knows of Rotten Fruits."Yes, I've heard Rotten Fruits are very unpleasant to fight. None of the dungeons I've been in have held them." Lark's head begins to tilt and her brow furrows as you ask about transforming Rotten Fruits into other monsters, but at the mention of fertilizer her expression changes again."Oh, that's what you're talking about!" Lark nods and giggles. "I thought you wanted to change Rotten Fruits into Poison Fruits!" She turns and paces back and turns to face you again. "I think you're asking about Angel Fruits. They say if you use an Angel Fruit as fertilizer, anything can grow there." Lark holds up one finger. "I would need 1e to transform a Rotten Fruit into an Angel Fruit."In other words, you would need 1001g for each plot of soil in your field, or 100,100g to fertilize your entire field with Angel Fruits.Lark takes another step into the room and puts one finger on her chin as she thinks. "But Angel Fruits are extremely rare." She smiles at you and adds "I suppose that's why you would want a Priest to make them instead!"Suddenly the door on the far side of the hall opens and Flam looks out. "Lark? What are you doing with that farmer?""N-nothing!" Lark steps backward and hurries out of the room, slamming the door behind her."I went into the wrong room!""I told you it was the second-last door on the right!"You lie back down on the comfortable bed and think how long it will take to acquire 100,074g from dungeon crops. When you remember your field yields 1g for every 10g spent on seeds, the idea of Angel Fruits seems daunting.Then you remember Lark mentioning other dungeons.Grif and the others are gone when you wake.>Hang around town>Go back home
>>6428514>Go back home
>>6428514>>Go back home
>>6428514>In other words, you would need 1001g for each plot of soil in your field, or 100,100g to fertilize your entire field with Angel Fruits.Sheesh. getting that many Rotten Fruits would be just as difficult as pulling together that much cash. And having that many Fruits would lead to some very awkward questions.>>Go back home
Just realized I messed up the lettering of the stairs and skipped from C to D.This is the correctly-labeled map.
Carts are already rolling through the gate into Glynton when you step out of the inn. While you have many more questions for Hans, such as the secrets of the Dark Lord's ring and the existence of other dungeons, you instead set out into the wasteland with 26g in hand but with a wealth of knowledge concerning agriculture.From what Hans told you about Novelty seeds, it seems there's a local custom with a high demand for that particular crop about nine months from now.As you walk, you begin to imagine turning an additional field for Novelty seeds or Mystery seeds after you've improved the quality of your first field. With proper storage, you could keep the seeds and plant them at the optimal time.The first Red Rabbit attacks while you're still daydreaming of farm improvements. Without your Thorn Coat, its teeth sink into your leg, snapping you from your revelry.Your Old Hoe swings downward, hard enough to force its jaws open, but the pitted and dulled blade is but a club now that you've grown used to harvesting crops with your Gold Hoe.A second Red Rabbit seizes its chance and leaps out of a hole in the uneven ground. Fortune smiles upon you, and your Old Hoe brains the beast in midair.The third Red Rabbit attacks as you're pulling the gold lump from the first of them.Thud hurries to build a fire when he sees the three Red Rabbits on your belt.You and Thud eat the roasted Red Rabbits and Hungry Onion soup as Thud sips from his jug of Rotten Fruit liquor. The Smart Crows flap and jostle one another until they form a wide circle ringing you and Thud in the darkness beyond the fire.The Smart Crows listen as you and Thud discuss plans for improving the farm, beginning with a better living space."A saw would be useful for woodworking." Thud takes another bite of Red Rabbit. He nods and frowns when you convey Snaz's predictions about quarrying stone. "This region has long been known for poor stone." He continues to chew the bone in his hand. "The people of Glynton import much of their stone."
The King Crow nods its golden beak and looks toward Glynton."Ours!"The Smart Crows begin angrily cawing."Ours!""Thieves!""Stole!""Thieves!"Thud tosses the bone over his shoulder. A Smart Crow immediately snatches it in the air and Thud wipes his mouth. "Thud had thought as much." He points at the storehouse. "The walls of Glynton are made of the same stone. No doubt carted away from the rubble of the Dark Lord's castle."When you finish your supper and rise, the Smart Crows move aside and you enter your shack to armor yourself in your Thorn Coat.Gold Hoe in hand, you climb down the old wooden ladder into the dungeon.The voice in the dark is silent, though your heart pounds just as loudly.At the entrance to the huge chamber and the stairwell down to Byep's shop, you pause.Perhaps tonight you will go further than your usual round.>Explore the dungeon>Visit the Doom Crow
>>6428841>Explore the dungeonField trip!
>>6428841>>Visit the Doom CrowThe end of our last encounter was... ambiguous. And hey, now that we beat him and got the ring, maybe he will be a little more helpful?
>>6428841>>Visit the Doom CrowI'm so curious ngl
You stride forward with purpose, Gold Hoe gripped in both hands, and down the stairwells deeper and deeper beneath your field.At first you face only the Blind Onions and Brainfruits. The first Sharp Peas attack before you've even moved beyond sight of Byep's shop.From there, your progress is slowed by the swarms of Sharp Peas. Unlike the Blind Onions and their attendant Brainfruits, the Sharp Peas seem to aggressively seek you through the pitch-dark corridors.The silence that greets you when you clear the final stairwell is not comforting.Beyond the long, long narrow walkway over nothingness is the flickering light of the Dark Lord's throne room. The Doom Crow is just as imposing atop the Dark Lord's throne as it was before your first fight. It tilts its head away to look at you and then its bony beak hinges open."Ask."The Dark Lord's ring is in your grip. The Doom Crow's eye is drawn to it as you inquire on its workings.Suddenly, the Doom Crow flaps its wings and hops down to the throne's armrest and onto the dais, and then down the steps toward you.You grip the ring tightly in one hand and your Gold Hoe in the other when the Doom Crow stops. The withered beast dips its beak until the bony tip clacks against the stone floor and then the Doom Crow cowers before you and spreads its spindly wings in supplication as it caws."Weak!"It then rises up, making you take another step back as its beak is nearly level with your neck, and looks away with a disdainful flourish as it caws again."Strong!"As you understand, weak monsters will obey you, though stronger monsters will refuse. The Doom Crow nods its beak and then it hops up the dais toward the throne and looks at you once more."Sit!"The Doom Crow hops back down a step and gently nudges you with its beak. Its flat unblinking gaze is inscrutable.The Dark Lord's throne is a long way up the dais steps. The Doom Crow tilts its beak as you look at it again and then you step up to the next rise and again.When you stand before the throne, the Doom Crow watches as you sit, arms trembling in expectation of some grim fate. Hidden knives from the back of the throne, or perhaps a curse that immolates you to your bones.Instead, there is nothing but the cool, hard onyx, smooth as glass.The Doom Crow looks from the throne to you and caws."Ring!"You unfold your fist and look at the Dark Lord's ring and then place it on your finger.Immediately, a glow surrounds you. In panic you leap from the throne and the light fades. You raise your Gold Hoe as you turn to face the Doom Crow, when it caws again, its beak pointed toward your legs."Look!"The wounds from the Red Rabbits and the Sharp Peas are healed.
You harvest Sharp Peas and Rotten Fruits late into the night, returning to the throne each time. Seated upon the Dark Lord's throne and equipped with the ring, you find no need for sleep nor sustenance.With your final foray at a close, you return once more. The Doom Crow nods its beak."Strong!"You climb the dais steps and sink into the Dark Lord's throne as the wave of refreshing power washes through you.The Doom Crow is surprised and caught speechless when you turn your head to thank it. You rise on steadying legs and step down the dais and across the floor."Wait!"It caws as you are nearly to the open doors banded in the same black metal as the Dark Lord's ring. You stop at the great golden key jutting from the keyhole and the Doom Crow caws again."Crown!"It can only mean the Dark Lord's crown, but your interest in these artifacts is limited to their use on your farm."Talk!"It crows again."Me!"You climb back up the ladder with 918g and eight Sharp Peas.Thud wakes and nods without lifting his head and then falls back asleep.You hang up your Gold Hoe and Thorn Coat and push back your bed.The next morning, there's a new piece of masonry in the yard when you step out to sell your Sharp Peas.York counts out 56g for the Smart Peas. You're already up to 974g!As York's cart speeds away, you and Thud walk over to the carved stone piece. The masonry is already surrounded by Smart Crows. They look at one another and caw questioningly until one of them squawks and flaps its wings until the others are drawn closer.You follow behind them and see one of the Smart Crows poking its beak into a hole beneath the masonry.Suddenly, a Red Rabbit emerges from the hole and quickly disappears again when it sees the Smart Crows.>Grind for an Old Saw (2026g)>Explore the dungeon
>>6428972>Grind for an Old Saw (2026g)
>>6428972>Grind for an Old Saw (2026g)Rather than going through the priest, a better option would be to cut the middle man and ask Hans where we can find angel fruit in the wild. Even if we can only get a couple that still saves us 1001 gold a pop and once we know where they're a rare drop IN we can grind other dungeon crops
>>6428972>>Grind for an Old Saw (2026g)I still want to look for a blacksmith or somesuch in town, but for now we need construction material.
>>6428972>>Grind for an Old Saw (2026g)
With the power of the Dark Lord's throne, you easily harvest dozens of Sharp Peas, returning again and again to the throne to refresh yourself.After the first day it's no longer becoming any easier to harvest the Sharp Peas. You begin to wonder if there's an even stronger dungeon crop somewhere below your field.You end the third day with 3353g. When York arrives the next morning, he can hardly contain his joy as he watches you count out 3000g for an Old Saw.York waves as he snaps the reins with his other hand, leaving your farm laden with Sharp Peas and leaving you with 409g.Equipped with an Old Saw, Thud heads for the grove of trees half a day's walk from your farm. As you follow past the edge row of your field, you see it looks like you'll have a full crop of Cowberries, the lone plot of whatever the Mystery seeds are becoming notwithstanding. The Cowberries should be ready to harvest in about a week.When you and Thud reach the grove and Thud begins sawing lumber, it quickly becomes apparent that you could use a cart.Thud nods. "Thud could pull it."For now, you and Thud carry as much raw lumber as you can back toward your shack. Along the way, you discuss constructing a larger living quarters for the two of you.It would be nice not to have to listen to Thud snoring.A black cloud of feathers around the farmyard wall catches your attention.Another piece of masonry has been unearthed. The Smart Crows clustered around and atop it all caw accusingly at the hole beneath the stonework when you approach to inspect it.The next morning, Thud begins working to construct a cart in the yard.York arrives on his own cart shortly after. When you ask about a blacksmith, York shakes his head. "There hasn't been a blacksmith in Glynton for a long time." He stops and tilts his head in thought. "But that might change. The town is becoming busier, after all."He counts out 56g for the eight Sharp Peas as you load them onto his cart, and shakes his head again at your next question."I've only heard of Angel Fruits. They say they're only found on the tops of clouds."For knowledge of Angel Fruits, dungeons, or the Dark Lord's ring, it seems you'll have to ask Hans. With 465g in hand, you could ask him several questions.>Visit town>Explore the dungeon>Grind for another Old Saw (2535g)
>>6429422Hmm...I'd like to get a cart, honestly.
>>6429422>Visit townWe must accrue wisdom
>>6429424>Hmm...I'd like to get a cart, honestly.Thud's working on one, but just like turning your field, projects like building a cart or a new house will go faster if you both have the right tools.
>>6429422>Grind for another Old Saw (2535g)I suppose we might as well grind for another saw...
>>6429422>Visit townApart from asking Hans about angel fruit do we have any other pressing questions for him?
>>6429422>>Grind for another Old Saw (2535g)I want dat cart
>>6429422>it quickly becomes apparent that you could use a cart.>Thud nods. "Thud could pull it."For now, sure. In time, it would be great to have a beast of burden. And with such a beast, we could go to and from town in the hour or so it takes York, instead of needing the long walk back.>Another piece of masonry has been unearthed.I can't quite tell if it's the Crows doing this, or if they're popping up on their own.>"There hasn't been a blacksmith in Glynton for a long time."Drat. I'm half tempted for us (or Thud) to try our own hand at it, considering how well the pair of us seem to have taken to other such work. Normal metal might be in low supply, but we have gold aplenty, and that's what the potent gear seems to be made of anyway.We could bootstrap from no tools and no forge or anvil, but it would be slow and painful.>Explore the dungeonThe MC has the sense that there's more to the dungeon (and we know there is).>>6429431>projects like building a cart or a new house will go faster if you both have the right tools.mmm. That's part of why I was hoping for a smith. We need basic tools if we want to be able to do any sort of real construction and repair, like hammers, adzes, axes, knives, a whetstone, maybe even a hand auger.For the actual farming work, a real plow would be miles faster that the hoes, though we'd need something/one that could pull it. It'd also be nice to have some other basics, like shovels and sickles (or even scythes). Pickaxes & chisels wouldn't go awry with all the stonework around the farm.Without a smith in town, I'm sure all such tools will be hard to some by, and expensive when we can find them. Still, maybe in time we can find someone willing to sell (or rent) such general tools?Completely unrelated, but seeing as our old Hoe isn't really used in farming anymore, I wonder if we could sharpen it to make it slightly less terrible in combat. We'd need a way to sharpen it first though, hmmm...
The lure of woodworking is undeniable. A second Old Saw has become a necessity you must possess.And with the Dark Lord's throne, it's within comparatively easy reach. While Thud works on the cart, you descend back into the dungeon, down toward the throne room, and then up the stairs again, to wade through the thick scuttling Sharp Peas until you've harvested nearly 800g and an uncounted number of Sharp Peas.The other denizens are always hungry. You've learned that leaving harvested dungeon crops lying about for more than a minute means they'll likely be found and eaten by something else.The second day is much the same as the first. You descend, you harvest, you rest upon the Dark Lord's throne. And then you resume your harvest. The Sharp Peas are without number.On the third day, you resolve to only harvest Rotten Fruits. Their lump of gold is slightly larger than that of a Sharp Pea, but after being bathed in a second splatter of the reeking slime, your self-imposed challenge is easily foregone and you resume harvesting Sharp Peas.On the fourth day, you climb from the dungeon, shaking with exertion but 3361g in hand.The next morning, you wait for York until the sun is high overhead. When he fails to arrive, you carry the eight Sharp Peas to the storehouse and look toward the gate opening in your farmyard wall.York has visited you every day without fail since you first arrived on your farm. The day seems incomplete without his appearance.The next day is just as silent.You and Thud share an uneasy glance at one another as you stand in the empty farmyard. One of the Smart Crows atop the tower looks out at the wasteland and then looks down at you and shakes its head.The Old Hoe seems like the best choice of equipment for now. You don't need any suspicion cast upon your farm, especially if York's absence is connected to your dungeon crops.Thud nods when you ask him to watch over the farm. "Thud will not let anything disturb your field." Thud looks at the King Crow and the King Crow looks at all the Smart Crows. The Smart Crows all form a line on either side of you and watch as you walk down the lane, Old Hoe in hand.It's late afternoon by the time you begin to see the walls of Glynton. At first it seems the way ahead is foggy, but then you see smoke rising from inside the walls.You run the rest of the way.Inside the walls, the villagers are running back and forth from the well putting out fires.A coughing behind you draws your attention to the innkeeper. Gust looks at you and nods in recognition. "We were attacked by bandits!" He points away from your farm toward the distant mountains at the edge of the wasteland. "They stole several carts full of valuable goods!" Gust coughs again. "Those adventurers followed them toward the Cloudcutter Mountains."Hans shoves a bucket full of water into your hands. "I knew you'd show up. Here, get to work!">Go back home>Visit the bandits
>>6429556>Visit the banditsOh hell fucking no!!!
>>6429556>>Visit the banditsShould we get a better hoe from home first?
>>6429563>>6429564Oh if we don't have our thorn coat and gold hoe on us, we should head home, maybe bring a Smart Crow Cadre with us...
>>6429556>Go back home>Fully equip ourselves>Visit the banditsWe are severely under-equipped for combat at the moment. I don't regret us downgrading our equipment for town trips, but we're certainly paying for it.
>>6429582We should tell Thud our plan, tell him the weak are in peril. We can't force him to help but I hope his heart picks the right way.
Bucket after bucket, you and the people of Glynton work to quench the fires. When the last water is drawn, you turn and grab your Old Hoe and hurry back to your farm as the sun goes down.Fortune smiles upon you, and no Red Rabbits tarry you along your way.You reach your farmyard after dark. Thud hears your approach and appears from behind your shack as you race inside to hurriedly don your Thorn Coat and swap your Old Hoe for your Gold Hoe."This is not about the dungeon crops." Thud nods when you catch your breath and tell him what's happened to Glynton. "Very well."THUD JOINED YOUR PARTYYou turn and hurry back to Glynton as fast as you can. Thud easily keeps pace but the path is long and the sun is up again before you arrive.The villagers are waiting when you stumble through the gate.The innkeeper is the first to approach. In Gust's hands is a stout wooden club with a metal band. He hands it to Thud. "This isn't much, but it might help."EQUIPPED: USED CLUBHans claps you on the shoulder and nods. "Very smart, bringing a Barbarian with. Now, the bandit camp is hidden behind the nearest mountain. There's definitely a guard at the base of the mountain, so you'd better approach them at night!"Lily smiles at you and holds out a heavy cloth bag. "I packed you some food so you don't have to stop to hunt." She hands you the bag and adds "It's pickled Hungry Onions. I packed enough for both of you." Lily looks up at Thud and grins again. "I knew you'd come with!"Everyone waves goodbye and Lily calls "Good luck!" as you pass through the far gate and out into the dark wasteland.
The rising dawn illuminates the jagged mountains at the edge of the wasteland as they slowly rise higher and higher.You and Thud rest at midday in the middle of the wasteland, the hot sun overhead, and eat some pickled Hungry Onion."A brining tankard would be nice." Thud contemplates a slice of pickled Hungry Onion, his eyes squinting in the sun, and then chews it.After the meal, you rise again and run toward the Cloudcutter Mountains. By mid-afternoon, the closest mountain is evident. When the base comes into view you turn away from the mountain and move toward the rocky ground at the side of its base.At dusk you stop again to eat the rest of the pickled Hungry Onion.Thud slaps the Used Club against his palm to test the weight and then rises from the rough rocky ground.You and Thud pick your way along the edge of the mountain's base as night falls over the wasteland and the icy caps in the sky above you begin to glow with moonlight.Hans was not wrong. You see a figure slowly pacing in front of a narrow path that leads further into the mountains.Thud crouches and creeps forward. You follow behind, when the guard suddenly turns toward Thud and sees you!Thud raises his club to brain the man when instead Thud grabs the bandit and holds him up in the air!"Thud knew he recognized this bandit."Thud holds the struggling bandit in front of you and you realize it's Daro, the bandit you and Thud caught trying to steal your crops!"What of your vow to end your criminal ways? Have you forgotten?" Thud holds Daro up so they're face to face. "Thud has not forgotten!""Please, I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt!" Daro flinches as Thud lifts the bandit higher. "I'll tell you where the leader's tent is!"Thud pauses and turns his eyes toward you.Daro coughs as Thud tightens his grip. "Let me come with you!">Let him come with>Tell him to go home
>>6430083>Tell him to come withMake him an offer he can't refuse, though: after the bandits are done, you're working at the farm! Put him as subordinate of King Crow, if he tries to go back to his criminal ways, he'll get pecked to hell and back!
>>6430083>Let him come withBut keep him at clubbing distance in case it's a trap
"Thud cares not for tents." Thud lifts Daro up higher and holds him closer. "Where is the merchant York and the carts you stole from the people in Glynton?"Daro grips at Thud's meaty arm with his feet dangling off the ground. "They usually keep the carts they steal further up the mountain. That's probably where your friend is!""You will take us there." Thud glares at Daro. "After that, you will work to amend your misdeeds." Daro begins to speak when Thud interrupts. "On the farm."Daro sags and looks between you and Thud and then nods weakly. He lands on his feet when Thud lets go.Thud nudges Daro with the Used Club and drives the bandit up the path in front of you. When you round halfway up the mountain, Daro stops and holds up a hand and then points above you.Another bandit is standing above your heads. You turn to Thud and see him already climbing the face of the mountain. As the bandit turns away, Thud scurries onto the rise and clubs the guard. A few seconds later Thud waves down to you and then you and Daro hurry the rest of the way up the path.At the top of the rise are several dark tents, and a scattering of lit tents. Daro leads you through the maze toward one with a light glowing inside.The three of you slip between the back side of the tent and the face of the mountain cliff and then you halt as you hear voices from beyond the canvas."Just when all the Red Rabbits disappear, that other monster appears!""It was pretty good timing for those adventurers to show up trying to rescue the carts.""Do you think any of them survived?""Even if they did, it will finish them off before long.""Yeah, but now we can't get to the carts because of that monster in the way.""If we can't get the loot, we'll just have to forget about it for now.""What about that merchant?""Better him than us!"Daro looks back and waves you to follow him and then you and Thud creep past the tents and then hurry further up the path.Suddenly you hear voices and you halt again but then you recognize the voice of the priestess Lark!"Oh, it's you! The farmer in Glynton!" Lark follows your gaze to Grif and Flam sprawled on the rocky ground. "We followed the bandits to where they keep all their stolen goods, but then a huge monster attacked us! I healed them as much as I could, but they're both too injured to move right now."Thud crouches next to Grif and the two men grasp hands as Grif struggles to rise."Th... Thud?""Rest, my friend." Thud cradles Grif and eases the warrior back to the ground. "Thud will tell you of my brave deeds when we have rescued the merchant York and the carts from those bandits.""Wait!" Lark stands up as you turn to leave. "I've done all I can for Flam and Grif! I'll help you fight the monster!"You're not sure if you want Lark to know what you've been doing in the dungeon beneath your field.Then again, you're already wearing your Thorn Coat and holding your Gold Hoe.>Let her come with>Tell her to stay here
>>6430131>Let her come withWe're strong and we have Thud. If the adventurers want into our dungeon they can fight us... And lose! Or maybe pay a fee?
>>6430082>"It's pickled Hungry Onions. I packed enough for both of you."That's sweet.I wonder if we could get into pickling or other methods of food preservation. I dunno if it'd help much with moneymaking, but it might be nice to be able to stock a small larder for a rainy day. Also, it might add some variety to our palate.>>6430083>"A brining tankard would be nice." Thud contemplates Great minds think alike, I see.>>6430131>Let her come withWe do good work for a guy with some armor and a (fancy) hoe, but if this thing wiped the floor with actual professional adventurers, we need all the help we can get.Even if we could win without her, it will be obvious what happened when we come back victorious.>>6430141I'm not keen on letting others into the dungeon, since we still know so little about it (and it's where we make the lion's share of our dough. But if push comes to shove, a fee, a cut of any loot, or something else like info or maps would be acceptable.
You grip the handle of your Gold Hoe as you open your mouth to speak, but then you look down at Grif and Flam lying on the ground at Lark's feet.When you nod, Lark's expression shifts from happiness to grim determination.LARK JOINED YOUR PARTY!"I'll stay here and watch over these guys." Daro starts to creep away when Thud nudges the bandit with the Used Club and drives him in front of you further up the path."You will bring us to York and the carts."Daro cringes at every step as you walk higher and higher up the path around the mountain.Thud stops and you look down at the ground where he crouches and see a mess of footprints."This was where it caught up to us as we were fleeing." Lark looks around with wide eyes. "We managed to escape, but I think it didn't want to follow too far down the mountain." She points up the path. "The carts are just a little further ahead."With Daro in the lead, the four of you wind your way around the bend and then you come up onto a flat ridge and see a collection of battered carts as well as York lying on the ground!No sooner do you move toward York and the carts, when the ground begins to shake.Daro cries "Landslide!" and begins to flee when Thud grabs the bandit's neck."No."You, Thud, Daro, and Lark all turn to look upward at the huge, heavy beast galloping toward you down the mountain slope. The green horse-like creature seems to be covered in grass until it leaps forward and shakes the mountainside with its stone hooves and you see that it is no horse but a monstrous mule.The Earth Mule snorts a cloud of dust from its rocky nostrils and brays through its stone teeth.Daro moves behind Thud as you raise your Gold Hoe next to the barbarian with Lark at your back and then Thud raises the Used Club.>Let Thud lead>Take the lead
>>6430169>Take the leadEARTH Mule????What fucks up EARTH more? A club? Or a hoe? That's right, baby, watch this ferocious farmer throw that shit back in a circle B^)
>>6430169>Take the leadThud could take a hit better, but we're better armed and armored.Horses and their ilk tend to have vulnerable legs, and especially feet, if I recall correctly. Something about a large amount of weight focused on such (relatively) small supports? Maybe try focusing on them.Shame we don't have a spear or pitchfork or something. A piercing weapon would work wonders on this foe.>>6430180Also this. Gotta play to our strengths!
>>6430169>Take the lead
>>6430169>>Take the leadAmazing updates tn QM, really got me in the feels
Thud glances toward you as you raise the Gold Hoe in front of him and then the barbarian grins with understanding and nods his assent.You raise your Gold Hoe as Thud charges the Earth Mule. The beast churns the rocky ground as it pushes its weighty form around and around following the capering barbarian and then you bring the blade of your Gold Hoe down upon its back.The Earth Mule brays and kicks at you but then Thud is upon it, battering its stony head with his Used Club.Your next strike draws forth another bray. The Earth Mule suddenly swings its head around at Thud before he can raise his club, and bites Thud's arm hard enough to chip its own teeth together.It rears up and strikes Thud sprawling and then the Earth Mule charges in a circle and sets upon you as Lark crouches above Thud. It leaps about, agile as any beast of flesh despite its tremendous weight.You swing your Gold Hoe but the Earth Mule leaps away.Thud strikes it from behind with his Used Club.The Earth Mule brays and swings its head between you and Thud, but then its hooves scrape furrows in the mountainside as it lunges forward and charges toward Lark!Thud chases alongside the Earth Mule and moves to leap upon it from behind when you see the beast swing its head to sneer at Thud and dig its hooves in to skid to a stop. You can't call out a warning before the Earth Mule kicks both hooves backward and strikes Thud directly in his chest."Thud!" Lark cries out as you watch him land in the far corner of the field. She raises her hands and then turns to you with fear. "I can't heal him from this distance!"The Earth Mule is smarter than you realized.You swing your Gold Hoe but the Earth Mule bucks and kicks as it leaps about, too unpredictable for you to deliver a solid strike.When its head swivels to the side and it snorts, you finally notice Daro dragging York away from the carts.The Earth Mule's stone hooves carve the ground as it turns and charges at Daro, braying at his back as Daro drops York and flees. The bandit looks over his shoulder and his eyes widen in fear as the Earth Mule runs him down. It bucks and prances, shaking the ground and braying angrily within the cloud of dust.
Its snort carves a hole in the cloud and then it snorts again, this time in surprise, as through the parting swirls it sees you and Thud and Lark all standing together.Lark's hand is on your back and a sensation like the first warm day of spring washes over you, and all your fatigue is gone.Thud grins. "We will conquer this monster together."When the Earth Mule charges toward you, Thud leaps at it and grabs the beast around the neck with his Used Club. Thud wrestles the Earth Mule, barely able to encircle its neck with the club gripped in both meaty fists.You bring your Gold Hoe down on the Earth Mule again and again and when you strike the back of its neck the creature brays so loud it echoes through the mountains.Thud releases his grasp and stumbles backward out of the path as its collapse shakes the ground one final time.You and Thud look at one another and then look toward Daro lying face-up on the ground as Lark rushes to him."I'm sorry for all the bad deeds I've done..." Daro slowly turns his head to look between you and Thud. "Looks like I won't get to work on that farm after all...""You don't need any healing." Lark dusts off her hands and stands back up. "Somehow you completely avoided being trampled!"Daro pats his chest and then looks up at Thud grinning downward at him.Lark gasps and backs into you and you all turn to see the Earth Mule shift with a clattering of pebbles and then it stumbles to its feet.Thud raises his Used Club and you grip the handle of your Gold Hoe tightly in both hands.The Earth Mule slowly walks closer until it stands before you, and then its heavy head sinks lower and its grassy mane sags as its front legs dip to kneel.Its nostrils blow another cloud of dust that scatters the gravel and then it turns its gaze upward at you.>Bridle the Earth Mule>Kill it and take its gold>Set it free
>>6430519>Bridle the Earth MuleTea for the tillerman, let's PLOW brothers
>>6430519>Bridle the Earth MuleHORSIE!!!
>>6430519>Bridle the Earth MuleTime for automation.
>>6430519>Bridle the Earth Mule
>>6430519>>Set it freeWild equine always remind me of my mother
>>6430519>Bridle the Earth Muleomg horsie!!
>>6430519>>Bridle the Earth MuleEven before the earth stuff, having a work animal will be great!We're going to need a huge stable to house the thing though.
At your feet is a length of rope torn from one of the stolen carts. A knot is drawn and looped around the Earth Mule's thick neck, and then the Earth Mule stands up and snorts at something beyond your backs.The bandits crowd the path below the rise. One of them steps closer and shouts "Surrender!"The Earth Mule brays loudly at the bandits and then lopes away from you, charging the crowd. The bandits break and flee back down the path with the Earth Mule thundering at their heels and after a few seconds you can no longer feel the ground shaking.Lark kneels aside York and cradles his head as they both begin to glow with sunlight and then York blinks and looks around at you and your other friends.You, Thud, Daro, Lark, and York all follow after the Earth Mule down the path until you find Grif and Flam backed against a rock and shivering in terror as the Earth Mule stands above them."It's alright, you two!" Lark pets the Earth Mule's neck. "Rocky is really very sweet!" She rubs the Earth Mule's snout and asks "Aren't you?"The Earth Mule brays happily as Grif and Flam cower beneath it.You and Thud help Grif and Flam down the path to the silent bandit camp. The bandits have evidently fled, leaving not only their own horses in a pen at the edge of the camp, but all the horses of the stolen carts penned next to them.By the time the sun has come up the next day, all the carts have been readied for travel.The bandits' horses trot alongside next to the carts as they're led across the wasteland back to Glynton. At the front of the train is the Earth Mule, dragging a strung-together caravan of other carts and wagons retrieved from the mountain.The villagers have gathered long before you cross through the gate of Glynton.Gust looks up at the Earth Mule as it slows to a stop. "That's...""An elemental mule!" Hans looks from the carts to the Earth Mule and then to you. "This is a very interesting turn of events!"Lily is suddenly on the other side of the Earth Mule's head across from Lark. "How cute!"Lark and Lily both coo and pet the Earth Mule as it brays again in delight.That night, the town of Glynton hosts a party for the heroes.When the topic turns to the subjugation of the Earth Mule, your recollection becomes one of accident and happenstance. With more than just the carts returned, and a stable of extra horses, the details of the rescue become less important as the night goes on.Thud is happy to boast of his mighty deeds in wrestling with the great beast at each new round of beer.
The next day, you and Thud return to your farm with Daro and the Earth Mule in tow. The Earth Mule brays at a group of Smart Crows clustered along the wall, sending them scattering into the air.Daro looks up at the stone tower as you pass through the farmyard gate.Thud stops Daro and nods toward the tower. "This will be your home for now."*flap flap*Daro stumbles backward and falls onto the ground as the King Crow lands next to him and caws a challenge.Thud points at Daro. "Keep an eye on this one."Another Smart Crow in the middle of the farmyard caws and caws again, bringing your attention to the second piece of masonry sitting unearthed in the yard. The piece of worked stone begins to shift and rock until the Smart Crow caws irritably and flaps itself into the air.The masonry tumbles sideways, exposing a huge hole into the ground. As you and Thud approach, three Red Rabbits back outward from the mouth of the hole, dragging another piece of masonry behind them. Three more Red Rabbits emerge from the other side as the huge chunk of stone is rolled outward next to the other piece of the Dark Lord's castle wall.The six Red Rabbits all turn toward you and bow until their floppy ears are touching the ground, and then they all scurry back down the hole."Building a house of stone would be easier and faster with a stoneworking tool." Thud is unperturbed as always.At his words you recall Snaz had several chisels for sale. On the other hand, with Thud's cart and the Earth Mule, you can begin felling and hauling lumber from the grove of trees to construct a new wooden house.At the rate the Red Rabbits are excavating masonry, you may have enough material to build a stone house within the month.The next morning, York is there on his cart."I can't thank you enough for everything." York clears his throat. "That's why..." He takes off his hat and chews on the brim. "I've... decided from now on everything is..." He chews harder and mumbles through his brim clenched in his jaws. "Half price."Thud carries out all the Sharp Peas from the storehouse as you mention plows to York.Your current crop of Cowberries will be ready for harvest within the week, but eventually you'll want to expand your farm. If you had a plow for the Earth Mule, you could more easily turn new fields.That night, you return to the dungeon for the first time since the attack on Glynton.The Blind Onions and Brainfruits no longer attack you.The Sharp Peas are still as vicious as ever before.York is an hour late when he arrives the next morning. "I spent all night looking for one of these." York draws back the sheet over a heavy, well-worn Old Plow.With 3807g in hand, you find yourself facing several paths toward improving your farm.>Buy an Old Saw (1500g)>Buy a Used Saw (3750g)>Grind for an Old Plow (3693g)>Grind for an Iron Chisel (6193g)
>>6430721With the mule, we don't really need more beasts, but it's still a shame to let those extra horses go. Ah well.>>6430724>Thud stops Daro and nods toward the tower. "This will be your home for now."I cannot imagine how smelly that tower will be, considering the sheer amount of birds living in it.>As you and Thud approach, three Red Rabbits back outward from the mouth of the hole, dragging another piece of masonry behind them.Huh. That is not how I expected we'd be getting more stone. Can't complain though.>"I can't thank you enough for everything." York clears his throat. "That's why..." [...] "Half price."Glad to see he's willing to take the edge off of his prices, even if he does seem to enjoy ripping us off on occasion.>Grind for an Old Plow (3693g)Now that we've got the mule, we can dramatically increase the amount of land we can work with a plow. The soil quality may still be bad, but growing on it will improve it.And once Thud has a workable cart, we should be able to make trips to town and back in an hour or two, instead of a full day.
>>6430724>Grind for an Old Plow
>>6430724>Grind for an Old Plow (3693g)More fields = more money. We should be shooting for that flower festival in nine monthsBut with more fields we really need to ask hans where to find angelfruit. Think we should forego the wood house and just tough it out until we can make one out of stone. We can then use the wood for other projects down the line
>>6430724>>Grind for an Old Plow (3693g)
In five days' time, you've accumulated a total of 7622g, and harvested 99 bunches of Cowberries ready for market, along with your daily harvest of eight Sharp Peas. The Mystery sprouts have unfurled a fourth layer of leaves, and grown no further.Thud lifts the Old Plow from York's cart and begins moving Sharp Peas and Cowberries out of the storehouse as you count out 7500g beneath the merchant's eager gaze. Though York has halved all his prices, he still pays you 99g for your sickly-looking crop of Cowberries piling higher and higher.York runs a hand over Thud's cart and nods. "Very nice work. You know, this would be smoother if you used a better saw. I'll keep that Used Saw polished for you."Any more saws must wait until you have more than 221g in hand. The Earth Mule is restless, and you have a new field to turn.You thank York for finding you a plow, and as his cart rolls away, you and Thud work together to yoke the Earth Mule.The great beast brays again, but follows when you lead it by a rope toward the wall. Thud hurries ahead and moves a section of wall for the Earth Mule to pass through.Once beyond the farmyard wall, you drop the plow blade and begin leading the Earth Mule up and down the flat ground east of the farmyard. No ordinary draft animal could break the wasteland with such a dull plow, but the Earth Mule brays and carves furrows under its hooves as the Old Plow churns the tumbling soil behind it like the wake of frothing water that trails a ship at sea.By the end of the second day, you've tripled your arable land.There are fewer by half the number of the Dark Lord's stones in this section of land. The number, though less than the western field, is not inconsiderable. Even with Thud prying them loose before the Old Plow and hauling them to the piles along the field's edge, the amount of masonry quickly becomes a nuisance.Waiting for the Red Rabbits to unearth enough stone for a new house is no longer a concern. Now, the only impediment is labor and time, working without a chisel in hand.The Earth Mule seems unbothered by rain and wind, and grazes on nothing but Hungry Onions, of which it consumes in single crunching bites, gold and all. Still, a properly-sized barn would serve to keep the Earth Mule out of sight when needed.The easiest use of your new stone is removing the eastern wall and beginning to enclose the far field. A wall would help ensure crop safety, but your watchtower stuffed with Smart Crows means an enclosing wall isn't as vital of a concern as it was when you first arrived on your farm.Perhaps you could use your first field as a garden for specialty crops once you've improved the soil's health.>Expand the farmyard wall (6 days)>Raise a wooden house (6 days)>Raise a stone barn (10 days)>Raise a stone house (18 days)>Grind for an Iron Chisel (9779g)
>>6430910>Grind for an Iron Chisel That seems like a better usage of our time, for the moment....none of the other options are strictly 'needed'.
>>6430910>Raise a stone barn (10 days)E-Mule may not care overmuch, but I'd still feel bad about not having a home for him.I wonder if he would tolerate being ridden? Assuming we could even manage to get onto his back.I wonder what Daro has been up to? It's been almost a week since we brought him back.
>>6430910>Raise a stone barn (10 days)Animal Farm
>>6430910>>Grind for an Iron Chisel (9779g)
>>6430910>Raise a stone barn (10 days)Home for horsie.Next goal needs to be raising enough to plant this new field and ask Hans about angel fruit though.
Thud grins when you inquire about Daro. "I've set him to work." Thud only grins again and won't elaborate. From what you can see, Daro is doing something with a piece of cloth and two pots of boiling water behind the distillery. It appears to be unpleasant, laborious work.You and Thud begin laying the foundation for the Earth Mule's barn. As you work, the Smart Crows gather on the stones to watch and comment. You look again to Daro working behind the shack and catch the gaze of the King Crow.The Smart Crows are informed that under no circumstances is Daro allowed inside your shack.It will be nice to have a more secure home, and more importantly, a more secure enclosure for the trapdoor entrance into the dungeon.After five days of labor, Daro is finished making brine.Thud proudly presents his brining tankard added on to the distillery as Daro chops the first Hungry Onion into thin slices. "Thud will pickle many things." He turns to you, still grinning. "From this point, Daro can help with the rest of the work raising the barn."While Thud and Daro resume work on the half-completed barn, you spend five days returning again and again to the Dark Lord's throne.At this rate, you estimate you have another week before you've harvested enough to afford an iron chisel.On the tenth day, the barn is finished.You lead the Earth Mule to the barn doorway and then the great beast brays and walks around the structure. It sticks its head inside the doorway and brays again and then walks inside and begins grazing from the trough of Hungry Onions near the doorway.
The next day, you begin mapping the rest of the dungeon.Until now you've hesitated to stray from the path on the King Crow's map. The dungeon is dark and laid out in a confusing maze designed to trap intruders. More times than you care to admit, you thought perhaps you would become lost and devoured by dungeon crops.But now you walk the stone floors with a sense of proficiency. The Blind Onions and Brainfruits are expected and easier to harvest. The Sharp Peas and Rotten Fruits are no longer terrifying to encounter.Instead of the stairwell down to Byep's shop, you set foot into the unknown darkness.On the same level as Byep's shop, but separated by countless tons of rock and earth, is a room that seems like it might also be a shop, though the shopkeeper and goods are absent.You run your hand over the empty countertop and notice a nook shadowed in the far corner and the smell of water wafting up from a concealed stairwell.At the base of the stairs is a tiny outcropping on the dungeon wall above a rushing torrent of water. An unplanned lake has formed where an underground river has flooded the entire section of the dungeon.The fast-running water seems too dangerous to enter.From another stairwell, you harvest your way down to the flooded third level and find a wide set of dry rooms and Snaz's shop."The farmer!" Snaz scratches his hear. "I didn't think you'd visit this part of the dungeon."You ask about the water and Snaz nods. "The flooding downstairs is a lot worse than it used to be." He holds up one of his Iron Chisels. "Come see me if you want to try your hand at stoneworking. I'll give you some advice."In the lower levels, your progress is stymied by a new obstacle: enchanted doors. They appear nothing more than stout wooden doors bound in iron, but your Gold Hoe can neither crack nor chip their surface.Sealed shut through unknown means and unlocked by unknown ways, your curiosity is spurred when through the keyhole of a door on the sixth level you spy a room with a table and fireplace.The path becomes more treacherous from the fourth level, where parts of the floor have fallen away, rent open in the ancient cataclysm that sealed this place.
Your final task is investigating the pair of stairwells in the northeast region of the dungeon's upper floor. The winding paths converge again on the level below, and then a long, long narrow hallway and still deeper down into the dungeon.Another deep stairwell leads further down into the black. After walking a hundred steps or more, your eyes begin to see the same wan glimmering of eldritch light illuminating the Dark Lord's throne room.At the base of the stairwell is a room of obvious importance, though its use is unknown to you.In the center of the imposing wall is another enchanted door, set far back into an alcove. You walk across the small room toward the door and look closely at the words carved onto it.'Only the crowned may speak.'The scrape of metal on stone draws your attention an instant before a huge sword swings overhead, slicing the dark air above your head as you quickly crouch and fall backward.At first you take them for adventurers clad in metal, but your attackers are silent and as they move closer, the Ancient Armors, identical to the suit in Byep's shop, float through the air toward you, legless and headless.You raise your Gold Hoe and swing it with all your might, striking the Ancient Armor directly in the chestplate.The haunted armor raises its sword, unimpeded by your strike, and slices downward again, severing the tip of your Thorn Coat.The second Ancient Armor nearly takes your head off before you recover your footing. You turn to flee and the first moves to block the stairway.These are not mindless dungeon crops. They fight as well-trained soldiers.The second Ancient Armor raises its sword again and strikes.Panic sets you flinging yourself forward beneath its swing. The first Ancient Armor turns and raises its sword as you hurry past. You raise your free arm to ward off the blow and then your hand is gone.The event is so sudden you don't even think about it. You already have eight Sharp Peas on your belt. The stairs. There's no need to tie anything else to your belt. More stairs. Blind Onions now, and Brainfruits, content to gawk as you stumble past.The ladder. Your Gold Hoe tucked into your belt. One hand. The stone floor impacting hard against your back. The ladder again. One hand. One foot. The other foot. One hand.The trapdoor at last. The next morning when York arrives, your thoughts are filled with the haunted Ancient Armors and you walk out of your shack to Thud and Daro and York with eight Sharp Peas still tied to your belt.Daro says nothing, but you feel his eyes on you and the dungeon crops.>Tell Daro about the dungeon>Don't tell him anything
>>6431220>"Thud will pickle many things."Excellent! This should open on some more options for cooking, and allow us to keep some food for longer.Slightly odd question: have we ever actually tried tasted the cowberries? We've grown several crops of them, but I think we just sold them all every time.>>6431222Wow. Good bit of ego puncturing there. I know have several questions about the set of Ancient Armor Byep is selling>Tell Daro about the dungeonHe's not exactly trustworthy, but it's going to be impossible to hide this from him for long.
>>6431222>Tell Daro about the dungeonIf we trust him, maybe he will learn to trust us.
>>6431222>>Tell Daro about the dungeontell him this is the biggest opportunity we have ever had to bring prosperity to the wasteland, tell him it his opportunity as well and his life will never be the same. finally tell him he will not have a 3rd chance and ask what we can build or give him to make the transition to his new life easier.
>>6431265>Wow. Good bit of ego puncturing there. I know have several questions about the set of Ancient Armor Byep is sellingShe did tell you a little about it>>6421325>Slightly odd question: have we ever actually tried tasted the cowberries?No, but your current crop is essentially animal feed, not something people will look forward to. At some point you will be able to enjoy them.I'm really bad at replying to players so please don't think I'm ignoring anybody on purpose
>>6431222>Tell Daro about the dungeon
York waves as his cart rolls away and then you and Thud and Daro all stand silently until you clear your throat and tell Daro to follow you back into the shack.Thud raises one eyebrow and follows.Daro enters behind you, confused at the otherwise empty shack. "I thought you might have a chest in here." He glances back as you pull your bed away from the wall and then Daro looks again at the revealed trapdoor. He kneels and sticks his head into the hole. "A dungeon, right here!"He seems less than terrified at the knowledge of a dungeon beneath his feet.Daro sits back up and grins at you. "How about letting me take a look around down there?""Thud thinks you're trying to avoid chores."Daro shakes his head and looks at the hole again. "I have experience with dungeons!"In light of your surprise encounter with the Ancient Armors, being accompanied by someone with experience seems wise.The next day, Daro accompanies you down the old wooden ladder after studying your map.Immediately, a Blind Onion approaches. Daro cowers behind you until he realizes the dungeon crop merely gapes its jaw open vacantly as it slowly rocks back and forth.Daro says nothing as the next two Blind Onions allow him to pass by.You lead him deeper into the dungeon, past the silent Brainfruits, until you reach the depths filled with Sharp Peas, and then he cowers behind you again as you harvest more and more.At the sight of the metal cell bars, Daro pauses and gestures toward them. "You can unlock any bars with a Skeleton Key." He looks at the bars again and runs his hand down the ancient metal. "You could also use a saw, but it would have to be better than a Gold Saw to cut through bars like these."With Daro clinging to your back, you resume your harvest downward into the lower levels."Enchanted doors." Daro's words confirm your thoughts but then he again reveals his surprising knowledge of dungeons. "You need a Magic Key to open an enchanted door. Unless you're the one who locked it, the Magic Key is destroyed."The bandit's terror has subsided now that the topic is burglary and he begins to ramble. "Magic Keys are hard to find but sometimes a Shadowfruit has a Magic Key inside of it instead of a lump of gold."The Doom Crow will not allow Daro to enter the Dark Lord's throne room. Each time you return to the throne, it sits atop the tall headrest and glares at the doorway where Daro stands waiting.
For the next week you and Daro jointly harvest dungeon crops. Each day is more profitable with the extra eight Sharp Peas tied to Daro's belt.On the second day, you encounter few Sharp Peas and more Rotten Fruits than usual. "You know..." Daro wrings the foul slime from his shirt. "You can distill Rotten Fruits to make liquor."On the fourth day, you bring along a haul of Hungry Onions for Byep. She happily counts out 80g for the sixteen sunlight crops and then turns her head toward Daro. "Need something?"Daro clears his throat and leans one elbow on the countertop. "I'm not sure what size I need. How about you give me a fitting?"Byep rolls her eyes and turns away. "I don't have any armor for your class."On the sixth day, you and Daro crawl up the ladder laden with Sharp Peas, 10151g in hand.When York leaves happy with the new regular double crop of Sharp Peas, you and Daro return to the dungeon and Snaz, with a Hungry Onion for a gift."The Iron Chisel? Of course!" Snaz grins and nods his thanks when you present his Hungry Onion.Daro examines the Crystal Saw while you count out 10000g.Snaz is giddy as he polishes the Iron Chisel one last time and hands it across the countertop to you. "This is your first chisel, isn't it? I told you the chisel is my favorite tool." He scratches his chin. "There used to be a mine in the Cloudcutter Mountains. This was back when the Dark Lord was still alive." He takes a bite of the Hungry Onion and looks away wistfully as he chews. "I always got my best materials from that mine."You and Daro return to the surface laden again with Smart Peas, though of material, for now you only have on hand the crumbled walls of the Dark Lord's castle pulled from your fields.With only 151g, it will be several days before you've harvested enough to purchase the two hundred and ninety-nine pouches of Normal seeds that will allow you to begin sowing your new field.Your current task is stoneworking, made easier with your new Iron Chisel.You're not sure you have enough stone to expand the farmyard wall and raise a new stone house large enough for you and Thud. The Red Rabbits have been unearthing new masonry from the ground roughly once per day, though this excavation will obviously not continue forever.>Expand the farmyard wall (3 days)>Raise a stone house (12 days)>Grind for Normal seeds x299 (2839g)
>>6431819>Grind for Normal seeds x299 (2839g)
>>6431819>There used to be a mine in the Cloudcutter Mountains.This is a good tip, though we rarely have time to leave the farm for more than a day or so. I wonder what sort of materials they extracted?>>Expand the farmyard wall (3 days)We can build the house out of wood, if needed. But the walls should really be stone if we want them to be more than a hindrance to ne'er-do-wells.It's not exactly a pressing issue (for multiple reasons), but at some point we should fully enclose our little growing compound with a gate.
>>6431819>Grind for Normal seeds x299 (2839g)Gotta keep improving the soil
>>6431819>>Grind for Normal seeds x299 (2839g)
>>6431819>Smart PeasI've been trying so hard to catch this but I keep writing Smart Peas instead of Sharp Peas
>>6431874Must've been mingling with the Brainfruits too long, they're starting to become their own species!
Your field has sat fallow for long enough! It's time to sow your fields with Normal seeds and begin raising a new crop.But for now you and Daro enter the dungeon every morning after a breakfast of Brainfruits and Hungry Onion soup."You're sure good at using that Gold Hoe." Daro watches from over your shoulder as you harvest your way through the day's crop of Sharp Peas. "I've never even been on a farm other than yours."The Gold Hoe clinks against the gold lump inside the first Sharp Pea and you split it open with the deft hand of practice."I'm from a village called Mirkham." Daro backs away from the far doorway as another Sharp Pea scurries into the room and you raise your Gold Hoe again.*chok*"There's a forest on the far southeastern edge of the wasteland. That's where Mirkham is." Daro picks up the two harvested Sharp Peas and ties them to his belt. "The crops in Mirkham are different than the ones around here." Four days after you purchased your Iron Chisel, you've raised your wealth back to 3098g. It's finally time to buy some seeds and get your field producing!Thud and Daro load up the previous day's crop of Sharp Peas from the storehouse and York points his thumb at the back of his cart. "Need a ride into Glynton?"With Thud's cart complete, you decline as casually as you can, but inside you're eager to try employing the Earth Mule as a means of conveyance!
Thud rolls his two-wheeled cart down the lane toward the barn and as you walk closer the Earth Mule sticks its head out the doorway and brays at you and then walks out into the morning sunshine and brays again.You and Thud yoke the great beast and no sooner do you climb onto Thud's cart does the Earth Mule start trotting forward unbidden in the direction of Glynton.The villagers may remember that you've tamed the Earth Mule, but you still wish to stop outside the town wall to keep from scaring anyone. The Earth Mule stops again, and then you climb down and walk toward the city wall. For a moment you think someone may steal Thud's cart, but a glance back at the enormous beast and its thunderous bray puts you at ease."You're back!" Lily leans over her counter and looks around behind you in disappointment. "Aw! I suppose you didn't want to scare any of the traders!" As you count out 2990g, Lily begins filling the cloth sacks with pouches of Normal seeds. "Those adventurers are all out looking for the dungeon."You thank Lily and pocket your remaining 108g and then you lift the ten sacks of seed over your shoulder and turn away toward the gate and the Earth Mule.Perhaps after you stow all the sacks in Thud's cart, you can visit Hans. Your prospects harvesting Angel Fruits are unknowable at present, and the old mine Snaz once frequented is of more interest now that you have a well-crafted stoneworking tool."Oh, I almost forgot to tell you!" Lily waves as you turn back around to face her. "There's a new blacksmith in town who just set up shop!"It's easy to find the blacksmith from the noise of the hammer striking. You plod past and out the town gate toward the Earth Mule.When you've loaded all the sacks of seed, you walk back into town and see a bald man striking a hammer against a strip of metal outside the rear of the shop.The man looks up at you and wipes his brow. "Howdy." He nods at your Gold Hoe. "That's a nice Gold Hoe. You must be a good farmer." He sets the hammer down and steps away from the anvil. "My name's Iver. I sell metal objects and buy your metals."
"Come on over here. I'll show you what I have in stock. You have a cart, right? I saw you carrying a load of sacks." Iver rolls out an iron-banded cartwheel. "These Metal Wheels can roll over rough ground without falling off. And my Spiked Wheels are great for mountains and swamps."Iver notices you looking at an iron gate. "The Iron Bars? You're the only one who can unlock them." Iver laughs. "Unless they have a Skeleton Key!" Your farmyard fence's gateway would need two sets of Iron Bars to function as a protective gate. If you wanted to close off the side gate in the farmyard wall leading out to the eastern field, you would need a third set.>Metal wheel (5000g)>Spiked wheel (8000g)>Iron bars (10000g)Alas, with only 108g in hand, none of Iver's wares are within your means."I also make custom equipment." Iver follows you as you turn away from the wheels and bars back toward his anvil. "If you have any work for me, I'm sure we can come to an agreement."You wave at Iver and walk past the anvil and back onto the street. No doubt you and Thud will eventually need something from the town's new blacksmith, but for now you have no pressing concerns.>Ask Hans about Angel Fruits (100g)>Ask Hans about the old mine (100g)>Buy Mystery seeds x2 (100g)>Just go home
>>6432261>>Ask Hans about the old mine (100g)
>>6432261>Ask Hans about the old mine (100g)Ostensibly we are a farmer, but I have to say I'm just way more drawn to the Dungeon part of this game...
>>6432261>Ask Hans about Angel Fruits (100g)
>>6432261>Ask Hans about Angel Fruits (100g)This was almost the entire point of returning today.Remember?
>>6432259>With Thud's cart complete, you decline as casually as you can, but inside you're eager to try employing the Earth Mule as a means of conveyance!Woot!>>6432260>"There's a new blacksmith in town who just set up shop!"WOOT>>6432261>"If you have any work for me, I'm sure we can come to an agreement."I'm sure we'll make use of this sooner or later.>Ask Hans about Angel Fruits (100g)This is asking where to harvest them, yes?We do also always have the option of rolling our own fertilizer: mule leavings, green manure, even night soil (not recommended for health reasons).
The idea of fertilizing your fields with Angel Fruits interests you greatly, and so you turn toward Hans's shop. A cart blocks your way, then another.Hans turns his head toward you and slots the book in his hands back into the tall shelf alongside the countless others. "Don't tell me, you were wondering if you were going to be run over by a cart. Well, not as long as you're in here!" Hans clasps his hands together excitedly with the prospect of having his knowledge tested. "Now, my interesting friend, what kind of interesting question do you have for me?"You count out 100g onto the countertop between you and Hans, and then ask where to find Angel Fruits for harvest."Angel Fruits!" Hans's huge mustache twitches. "My! Oh my." He crosses his arms and looks at you again. "But I suppose in your case, you're likely interested in using them as fertilizer." He nods at your change of expression. "You see, some people seek them out for enlightenment. There are legends that they might whisper some deep spiritual truth if you listen long enough, but that's probably nonsense. However!"Hans turns and walks away from the counter toward the back corner. When he returns, he lays a parchment on the counter and smooths it with both hands, revealing a map of the realm.The idea of fertilizing your fields with Angel Fruits interests you greatly, and so you turn toward Hans's shop. A cart blocks your way, then another.Hans turns his head toward you and slots the book in his hands back into the tall shelf alongside the countless others. "Don't tell me, you were wondering if you were going to be run over by a cart. Well, not as long as you're in here!" Hans clasps his hands together excitedly with the prospect of having his knowledge tested. "Now, my interesting friend, what kind of interesting question do you have for me?"You count out 100g onto the countertop between you and Hans, and then ask where to find Angel Fruits for harvest."Angel Fruits!" Hans's huge mustache twitches. "My! Oh my." He crosses his arms and looks at you again. "But I suppose in your case, you're likely interested in using them as fertilizer." He nods at your change of expression. "You see, some people seek them out for enlightenment. There are legends that they might whisper some deep spiritual truth if you listen long enough, but that's probably nonsense. However!"Hans turns and walks away from the counter toward the back corner. When he returns, he lays a parchment on the counter and smooths it with both hands, revealing a map of the realm."There's only one place you need to look." Hans taps the tallest point of the Cloudcutter Mountains. "At the very top of this mountain, you can find Angel Fruits that have been dislodged from passing clouds." He slides his finger down to the base of the mountain and looks up at you. "There's an old mine at the bottom of the mountain, so you'll know when you arrive."
You thank Hans as he rolls the map and nods a quick goodbye, and then you step back out into the street and hurry toward Thud's cart and the Earth Mule.Rather than walking all day, the Earth Mule pulls you and the ten sacks of seed speedily through the wasteland back to your farm.The cart slows to a stop at the edge of the storehouse. When you unyoke the Earth Mule, it brays to itself and ambles toward the barn and the trough of Hungry Onions.Thud calls to you and waves as he raises a jug in his other hand."Thud has finished distilling high-quality Rotten Fruit liquor." He hands you a cup and pours it halfway full. The smell doesn't seem much different from the previous batches.Daro raises a finger. "How about a round for everyone?"Thud holds the jug out of Daro's reach. "Thud will allow you to drink whatever the King Crow offers."At your first sip you are surprised by how tolerable the concoction has become.The next day, Thud brings a jug along when York arrives. He pours a half-cup and hands it up to the merchant. "Thud promised you would drink with us when the task was complete!" Hans sniffs the cup. "Rotten Fruit liquor?" He glances at you and then tilts the cup back and swallows. The next second he coughs and blinks a few times to clear his eyes and then sways his head toward Thud. "You made this?"Thud crosses his enormous arms with satisfaction."Those adventurers might be interested in this." York takes another swig. "I'll pay 1g per barrel."You shake your head without hesitation. As it takes four Rotten Fruits to make a barrel, it's not worth the effort of harvesting Rotten Fruits.York's cart rolls away, drifting from side to side, as you and Thud and Daro walk across the farmyard toward the sacks of seed.By the afternoon, you've sown the entirety of both your fields with Normal seeds!The lone plot of Mystery sprouts is still growing at a nearly unnoticeable pace. Perhaps they're some kind of tree?The chunks of masonry unearthed by the Red Rabbits continue to appear at roughly one piece each day. The ancient walls of the Dark Lord's castle are starting to impede movement around your farmyard. >Begin raising a stone house>Begin expanding the wall>Begin expanding the storehouse>Just pile everything for now
>>6432664>Begin raising a stone house
>>6432664>The lone plot of Mystery sprouts is still growing at a nearly unnoticeable pace. Perhaps they're some kind of tree?Or a bush, maybe. >Begin expanding the wallThe wastes still have plenty that might be inclined to trample or feed on our crops.
>>6432664>>Begin expanding the wallLet's go huge on this one, maybe we should expand on both sides so we don't walk as much to and from the fieldsWould be cool do plan something out a little if we are gunna build a permanent stone house. It would also be nice to get some practice and some better tools before we build the house.
>>6432664>Begin expanding the wall
>>6432664>Begin expanding the wallBefore we go messing around on mountains we need to get our defenses up
I'm still writing, but here's the map Hans showed you, with your farm (center) and the village of Glynton.The Cloudcutter Mountains are in the northwest region.Mirkham is somewhere in the southeast forest area.
The next two days are spent hauling the stones from the current east wall to the far edge of the eastern field. With the masonry unearthed by the Red Rabbits, you and your workers just barely manage to enclose the entire eastern field inside the new wall.This will help keep all your crops safe!You still have plenty of room inside your farmyard for more plots or buildings.That evening, as you all sit in the cool breeze next to your shack, you inquire to Thud about planning a trip to the Cloudcutter Mountains to harvest Angel Fruits."Thud would not travel those mountains alone." He nods at the barn. "The Earth Mule may not be the only powerful monster lurking there.""If you need some guards, you can hire adventurers in Mirkham." Daro crosses his arms. "I can even guide you there."Thud drinks the last from his cup of high-quality Rotten Fruit liquor and wipes his mouth. "You're trying to get out of work again." He tilts the jug upside-down and shakes the last drops into his cup and then raises it at you. "Mirkham is some distance, but you could probably find it on your own. If you did hire mercenaries, the cheapest may be 5000g."You've never been to Mirkham, and indeed never heard of it before learning it was Daro's hometown. Perhaps you could visit it first and find if Daro's claims are true.Then again, the adventurers in Glynton may be willing to help you out of kindness.With 144g, you could even ask Hans another question.>Visit Glynton>Visit Mirkham with Daro>Visit Mirkham alone>Grind for adventurers x2 (9856g)>Grind for Ancient Armor (9856g)
>>6433067Ohh, neat! We are right in the middle of the wastes, huh? The cart is going to be invaluable.From what direction did we originally come from?>>6433085>Visit GlyntonIt's a quick trip nowadays. We can see if the adventurers are willing to do us a favor.
>>6433089>From what direction did we originally come from?East-northeast
>>6433085>Visit Mirkham with DaroBOYS ARE BACK IN TOWOWWOWWWWOWNNNNNNNNN
>>6433067Beautiful!!!
>>6433085>Visit Glynton
>>6433085>Visit GlyntonTO GLYNTON! Also neat map, QM
>>6433085>Visit GlyntonWe might as well ask Hans about the mine since presumably we need to get though it to reach the summit
>>6433085>>Visit Glyntonask about irrigation, could help speed things up once we get bigger farm plots
York arrives the next morning, delighted to pay 124g for the sixteen Sharp Peas that you and Daro harvested the previous evening. "The new wall looks sturdy. I see you got your hands on an Iron Chisel. That's quite a remarkable tool."When you ask York for his thoughts on irrigation, he thinks for a moment and then looks to the west. "They say a river once ran through the wasteland. You might be able to divert water from somewhere else." York looks at the Old Plow standing at the edge of your eastern field. "You'd need a bigger plow for a job like that."Thud and Daro finish loading the Sharp Peas onto York's cart and then the merchant cracks the reins and speeds toward Glynton in a cloud of dust.You walk toward the edge of the west field to get Thud's cart for your own trip into Glynton. As you lift the cart handles, you see the Mystery sprouts have grown a fifth layer of leaves. The stalks are now nearly to your waist.The Earth Mule is yoked and you drive the huge beast through the wasteland to the meadow beyond the village wall. From there you cast off your Thorn Coat and Gold Hoe and equip yourself with your Old Hoe.The morning is already bustling with traffic. Fortunately for you, the inn's entrance is next to the closest gate. You find Grif and Flam inside poring over a crudely made map of the region.Grif's scowl turns to a grin as he sees you approach. "Our friend the farmer!" Grif turns his chair toward you. "Or perhaps we should call you mule-tamer!" The warrior laughs and gestures at another chair. "Please, sit with us!"Flam nods and rolls the map. "What brings you to Glynton?"Grif and Flam listen as you explain your goal of Angel Fruit fertilizer."Hmm..." Grif looks toward the north and the Cloudcutter Mountains. "We are greatly in your debt. Our party will accompany you on your quest." He clears his throat. "We will need 1000g for supplies. The Cloudcutter Mountains are treacherous.""You should have metal cartwheels." Flam leans back in his chair and folds his hands. "Even with your Earth Mule, there may be points where the cart must cross rough ground. This expedition rests on its sturdiness."Grif stands up and reaches out his hand. "Come see us when you have 1000g and we'll discuss a good time for the expedition."
You shake hands with Grif and walk further into Glynton toward Hans's shop.As soon as you open the door, Hans turns to you from across the counter. "I knew you'd be a regular customer from the first time I saw you!" He watches you count out 100g and then Hans crosses his arms and nods. "It seemed like you already knew about the mine when I mentioned it before. 'Does the mine lead toward the summit?' Well, yes, there is an exit partway up the mountain, but you'll have to scale the face of the mountain from there. Some of the tunnels dug by the Dark Lord's forces have collapsed, but the route toward the summit is still open."His mustache twitches and then Hans pokes one finger into his ear and scratches. "Not many people know this, but the Dark Lord's Crown is actually inside that very mine! The Dark Lord's mount carried it there a thousand years ago and it's been there ever since! Of course, the Dark Lord's mount is still inside the mine along with it." He clears his throat and crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Anyway, if you're planning a trip, make sure you don't underprepare!With 156g in hand, your options for preparation are limited at the moment.>Ask Hans another question (100g)>Buy Novelty seeds x3 (120g)>Buy Mystery seeds x3 (150g)>Go home
>>6433558>"You'd need a bigger plow for a job like that."Talk about an understatement. If we want to dig a canal, we're going to need a lot of helping hands, and some very good earth-moving tools.>>6433559>Go homeI'm not willing to buy the mystery seeds until we know what they result in, or if they care about soil quality. And it's not worth planting novelties in our poor soil.While they're not Angels, I wonder if plowing under Cowberries or Hungry Onions would meaningfully improve the soil quality? For that matter, I wonder where on the plant the seeds of the Cowberries grow, and if we could harvest them ourselves before plowing the rest of the plant and berry under.
>>6433559>Go home
>>6433559>Ask Hans another question (100g)>Ask about the mineIf we're going to that mountain might as well do all the research on it first. Plus we will probably have to go through the mine to get to the summit
>>6433559>>Ask Hans another question (100g)I'm down for a mine question. Maybe asking about different sustainable forms of supplementing the farm with resources from the mine
>>6433559>Go homeWe need to stop by doom crow and get the deets on the crown
Hans's mustache twitches as you count out another 100g onto the counter, another question already in mind.The scholar nods as he thinks. "'What should I expect to find when passing through the mine?'" Hans crosses his arms and uncrosses them again. "The mountains are crawling with Frozen Peas, but the mines themselves shouldn't have anything worse than Deep Onions and whatever remnants of the Dark Lord's forces are still active. In your case, it seems like you're more interested in resuming mining. The iron and gold veins have been exhausted, but there is one remaining vein of crystal." He waves one finger at you. "If you could get your hands on some of that crystal, a skilled artificer would be able to make all kinds of objects. You could also sell it for a lot of money. Crystal is one of those materials that was only seen a thousand years ago, and even then it was in very limited use. Most of it was fashioned into equipment employed by the Dark Lord's forces, of course. Large-scale mining in the middle of the Cloudcutter Mountains is a project no one but the Dark Lord could have carried out."Hans's mustache twitches. "Speaking of carrying it out, it would be easier if some manner of flight was used to transport the raw material from the mountains. Or you could employ a Wizard or Priest who knows the chant of 'Home' to transport it to another location." Hans crosses his arms and nods. "Deep Onions and the Dark Lord's dragon are the only living things you should encounter in the mines."You begin to open your mouth, but with only 56g in hand, you already know the answer.Instead you thank Hans, and then hurry back to Thud's cart and the waiting Earth Mule.A group of children has gathered on a rise overlooking the meadow where you left Thud's cart.The bravest among them steps forward closer to the edge, but when the Earth Mule brays idly, the boy falls backward in terror and scurries away across the rise amid the excited shrieks of the other children.They all fall silent as you approach and climb onto the cart. You wave toward the rise and the silent children, but then when the Earth Mule walks forward and brays again, the children all begin to call goodbye and wave.The sun is still well above the horizon when you roll into the farmyard. As you pass through the opening in the wall, you think again about the blacksmith Iver and his Iron Bars.With your fields sown, your current concerns are mostly metal. Iron Bars, Metal Wheels, Ancient Armor, and the Dark Lord's Crown.>Grind for Ancient Armor x1 (9944g)>Grind for Supplies x1 and Metal Wheels x2 (10944g)>Grind for Iron Bars x2 (19944g)>Visit Mirkham
>>6433924>>Grind for Iron Bars x2 (19944g)a gate would be awesome, we could make a new field while we grind.will farming fortify our body and make us stronger?
>>6433924>Grind for Iron Bars x2 (19944g)Yeah finish this off and then between the fortifications and the crows we can waltz off for longer periods. Then we should probably work on fortifying the cart.
>>6433924Could we do a cross shaped field while we grind?
The uneasiness you feel at leaving your farm for more than a few hours returns. Even with Thud's presence and the Smart Crows, a dedicated assault could easily destroy everything, and the bandits were scattered, but not put in stocks.A rising desire to secure your farmyard drives you downward through the trapdoor with Daro close at hand.For twenty days you return to the dungeon and the Dark Lord's throne.On the second day, you enter the dungeon without Daro, and move straight to the Dark Lord's throne where the Doom Crow waits.The Doom Crow makes a rusty chuckling noise and nods its bony beak at the mention of the Dark Lord's Crown inside the ancient mine.When you ask the beast for knowledge on the Dark Lord's Crown, the Doom Crow caws."Speak!"It swings its beak and scrapes an irritable sound from its desiccated throat and then it caws again."All!"On the twenty-first day, the Red Rabbits have assembled in the farmyard beneath the irritated glares of the Smart Crows. The huge birds jostle and caw angrily as they cling to the rooftop edges, driving you from your bed long before York arrives.The Red Rabbit that seems to be the foreman points its ears toward the four corners of your farmyard and then shakes its head and draws one ear sideways in a cutting motion.It would appear you've reached the last of the masonry unearthed from the ground beneath your farmyard. You think back to what Thud said when the first stones were still being dragged from your field. The people of Glynton were carting stones away from the rubble of the Dark Lord's castle hundreds of years ago. That there's even this much left is a small miracle.With nothing else to give, you offer the Red Rabbits your sixteen Sharp Peas and your thanks for their work.The Red Rabbits are confused at first, until you coax them to eat, and then the crew hungrily devours the entire night's harvest of dungeon crop, chittering excitedly all the while.The foreman among them approaches you and bows, and then each of the rest bows in turn as they file back into the holes surrounded by the unearthed masonry.When they are all gone, the Smart Crows ruffle their feathers and caw irritably.Finally, six days after the Red Rabbits announced the end of their work, you climb from the dungeon with 20899g.The next morning, your fields are full of crops ready to harvest.All the walls are lined with Smart Crows watching as you and Thud and Daro walk the rows harvesting Cowberries.Suddenly you catch sight of an irregularity: a patch of Pigeonberries hidden among the Cowberries!Daro calls out, unsure of what to do. Thud raises a sack, a Pigeonberry bunch already clutched in his other hand, and gathers all the Pigeonberry bunches separate from the Cowberries. When you've finished harvesting both fields, the total is two hundred and ninety-four bunches of Cowberries, and five bunches of Pigeonberries!
With Thud's cart, you can easily collect all the harvested crops across both fields.You can't help looking over your first harvest of Pigeonberries again and again, despite their sickly look. From what Hans said, you assume Pigeonberries are a somewhat rare crop in this region.One of the Cowberries is broken open, driven against a hard rock by last night's pounding rain. The seeds drying in the morning sun are withered compared to what Lily sells.It will be some time before you're able to begin letting your own crops overripen and go to seed. But first the land itself must be made less poisonous. If that happens, you may be able to begin cultivating your own breeds of crops most suitable for the barren wasteland fields.Your thoughts and eyes turn again to the hazy strip of the Cloudcutter Mountains looming above the wasteland horizon. The highland plain above the bandit camp is the furthest up a mountain you've ever traversed. You can't imagine what the top of a mountain looks like.Of Hans's claims you have no doubt, and the highest mountain catches Angel Fruits knocked from the tops of passing clouds.The lone plot of Mystery seeds has grown a cluster of waist-high stalks, each with a new sixth layer of green leaves. If nothing else they function as accurate timekeeping devices of how many months since their planting.York's cart arrives as it does nearly every day, but York is shaken, his horse panting from being driven hard across the wasteland."The midsummer festival is going on today in Glynton, but..." York glances at the open section of wall behind him. "Everyone's talking about a rumor those bandits might attack.">Take Gold Hoe, Thorn Coat, and crops to Glynton>Take Old Hoe to Glynton>Stay here and guard your farm
>>6434052>Could we do a cross shaped field while we grind?You can definitely make some new fields. This is a good time to do it.You can either make some more small fields inside the farmyard wall, or make some larger fields outside the wall.If anyone has a suggestion for where they'd like to see fields placed, please post!
>>6434063>"Speak!">"All!"A universal translator? Assuming that extends to animals, that's cool, but not exactly revolutionary for our work.>That there's even this much left is a small miracle.It's a shame, but I'll not look this gift horse in the mouth.It sounds like we've enough stone for maybe one more project? We really need to secure ourselves a proper stone supply.>>6434064>It will be some time before you're able to begin letting your own crops overripen and go to seed. But first the land itself must be made less poisonous.Drat. Doesn't do us much good as fertilizer then, at least at this stage.Still, the potential for custom-bred crops is an alluring future.>Take Gold Hoe and crops to GlyntonThe Thorn Coat is the really conspicuous element of our "proper" attire. The Gold Hoe could be written off as farmer stuff, but literal spiked armor is a little harder to justify.It seems likely that if bandits do attack, they'd hit the town again, not our farm (do they even know it exists?). We can tell the Crows to keep an extra eye out today, and make sure Thud and Daro keep weapons nearby.I wonder if we could upgrade the Crows' combat potential somehow. Air power is incredibly potent, and we've got a bunch of them with some good C&C via the King Crow. Maybe metal talons, or something drop-able from on high? There's always pebbles, but their carrying capacity can't be that strong. Push came to shove, I suppose Thud's moonshine could be dropped with a lit rag tied on as crud firebombs, but he would not be happy about it.>>6434068I'm thinking we want the buildings to largely be clustered together for ease of use and better defense. As such, I'm thinking we avoid new plots inside the walls, and stay away from the western side to leave expansion space for buildings. The north side is tempting, but with the only gate on the south side, access to fields up there would be annoying. For now, I figure any new fields should go on the east side, outside the walls.
>>6434064>>Take Gold Hoe, and crops to Glyntoncan we tell Thud to start a big fire if they attack the farm? we could bring a crow so they could fly and see it. it would still take time to ride back but its the best plan i can think ov. would be awesome if we could train one to fly to town and back.>>6434063>Red Rabbitswonder if we can train these guys to do all our fields. happy to keep giving them snacks either way>>6434068>If anyone has a suggestion for where they'd like to see fields placed, please post!id love to go west twards the river but if its a tie im happy to go east in the direction of the city.
You nod and wave to York. The merchant seems happy to leave unburdened, and quickly snaps the reins and speeds from your farmyard back into the wasteland.The Sharp Peas are put into the storehouse for the Red Rabbits, while the rest of the crops are loaded onto Thud's cart.You turn to Thud and then the two of you discuss a signal while Daro nervously watches the farmyard wall.Thud nods at the idea of a fire. "But Glynton is too far away to see a fire from the ground." You and Thud both look at the Smart Crows.When the King Crow sees you, it hops forward and you explain your need for an airborne lookout.The King Crow looks around at the Smart Crows and then caws."Korr!"One of the Smart Crows hops forward and the King Crow looks at you."Korr!"The Smart Crow bows when you repeat the word. It seems this Smart Crow's name is Korr.The King Crow caws again."Alert!"The other Smart Crows all flap their wings and caw as they fly upward and begin circling around the farm high in the air.Thud hauls the cart toward the barn and yokes it to the Earth Mule, then you and Korr ride Thud's cart out of the farmyard toward Glynton.*flap flap*Korr flies into the air, circling the cart, and lands again on the seat next to your Gold Hoe. Without your Thorn Coat, and with a cartload of low-quality crops, you appear to be only a slightly suspiciously well-to-do farmer, draft animal notwithstanding.
An hour later, the Earth Mule stops in the meadow outside the town wall.Korr flaps its wings and circles as you unyoke the Earth Mule. The Smart Crow lands on the cart and then you ask Korr to keep an eye on the village.The Earth Mule brays once and then dips its huge head and raises it again, idly chewing a rock.Korr flaps its wings and flies off the edge of the cart into the air.As you haul the cart inside the town walls, a shower of flower petals rains over you. The midsummer festival is just starting!You look up as you pass under a wide banner and into Glynton. Overhead, the spaces between structures are all strung with colorful bunting flapping in the warm breeze, and wreaths of flowers are hung everywhere along the walls. From somewhere up the street, you can hear someone playing a musical instrument."You made it!" Lily leans over the counter as you haul the cart full of crops toward her stand. "Did you come for the festival?" Lily examines one of the Cowberry bunches and then smiles at you. "Everything's selling, so today I really can pay you double for your crops!" She looks through one of the sacks and smiles again. "Oh! Pigeonberries!"Lily counts out 608g and hands it to you. "Do you want some more seeds?"When you mention having to spend everything on Iron Bars to protect your farmyard, Lily nods and frowns. "Everyone was worried about bandits attacking Glynton today, but it seems like everything will be fine!"Suddenly, you hear a Smart Crow cawing.Korr lands on top of Lily's stand and waves its beak toward one of the town gates and caws."Trap!"You and Lily look toward the town gate and see three men dressed as merchants step in front of the open gateway as a cart rolls across the other side and stops, blocking the exit.Another merchant standing across the street from you and Lily looks your direction, and you recognize him as the leader of the bandits who ordered your surrender!You turn away from the bandit leader toward Lily so quickly she gasps, but then she sees your expression and cautiously peers past your shoulder.You quickly look from side to side at the crowded street and see two more men dressed as merchants walking next to a cart as it rolls toward the other town gateway.From where you stand, you may be able to make it through the gate before the way is barred."I saw the adventurers earlier this morning!" Lily peers over your shoulder again. "They said they were going to stay in town for the festival!"The bandit leader walks past and glances toward Lily's stand. You and Lily both turn away and glance at one another and then Lily whispers "What are you going to do?">Attack the bandit leader>Search for the adventurers>Run toward the Earth Mule
>>6434479>Search for the adventurersThe Earth Mule is deadly enough to handle himself, and while we could slay the bandit leader, that would make it impossible to catch the rest of the bandits we don't recognize once they scatter. Finding the adventurers is the easiest way to save the town and keep up appearances.
>>6434478Smart Crows are smart.>>6434479>Search for the adventurersIdeally, we'll be able to invert this trap on them and wipe the whole lot out instead of allowing them to scatter and regroup later.
>>6434479>>Search for the adventurerslabor for the canal, they cant keep getting away with this
The bandit leader passes by and then you whisper for Lily to pretend nothing is amiss.Lily watches with concern as you sneak away from her stand.Glynton isn't very large, but with all the decorations and the crowd of outsiders, it's hard to make your way from one side to the other.A group of revelers parts and you catch sight of Lark just as she turns and waves to you. "The farmer! Are you here for... Aaah!" Lark recoils at the sight of Korr until you hold up one hand and introduce the Smart Crow by name.Korr looks up at Lark and caws."Korr!"Lark nods. "H-hello, Korr!"Korr nods its beak and caws at Lark again."Trap!"When Lark looks at you with confusion, you nod toward a group of nearby men in merchant robes and quietly explain their ruse."A Smart Crow!""I'll get it!"You turn to see Grif and Flam just as Grif raises his sword toward Korr!Korr flaps upward leaving a cloud of black feathers floating downward.Lark steps in front of the men and shakes her hands. "This is Korr!"Korr lands atop a barrel and nods its beak and squawks at Grif."Korr!"Lark raises one hand to her mouth and leans forward toward Grif and Flam. "The bandits have disguised themselves as merchants!"Grif nods. "We know. We came back to plan our strategy." The warrior smiles at you and adds "It's good to see you here."Flam scratches his short beard and looks toward the bandits' cart blocking the closest gate. "If we can sabotage the carts blocking the gates, the bandits will be trapped inside the village walls."Lark flicks one finger toward the closest gate and mutters "I can chant the spell of Sleep to put those bandits to sleep."Grif nods and looks at you. "Can we count on you and Korr to sabotage the cart at the other gate?" When you nod, Grif looks at Flam and then at Lark. "Flam and I will round up the rest of the bandits." Flam raises one hand for caution. "Once we begin, the bandits will know they've been found out. The carts need to be sabotaged by then."The four of you all nod to one another and then you slip away toward the far gate with Korr circling overhead.You push yourself through the crowd and walk underneath the bunting toward the village wall.When you get closer to the gate, you see Lily's stall is empty, and then you hear rough laughter from behind the corner of a building.As you look around the corner you see one of the bandits disguised as a merchant, gripping Lily's wrist tightly with one hand while he tries to grab at her waist with the other!"C'mon, just one dance!">Confront the bandit yourself>Send Korr to harry the bandit>Stick to the plan
>>6434597>Send Korr to harry the banditShe just needs enough of an opening to get away.While he's doing that, we>Stick to the plan
>>6434597>>6434629 +1
>>6434597>>Stick to the plan
No sooner do you think it that Korr wheels around in the air and dives toward the merchant. As you run past Lily's stand you can hear the bandit's surprised cries and Korr's angry squawking but then suddenly a hand is on your shoulder."I knew I recognized that Gold Hoe."You turn your head to see the bandit leader scowling over your shoulder as his grip tightens and four other men dressed as merchants step closer to surround you!An explosion and the subsequent flare of fire upward into the sky is followed by the sounds of battle and the panicked cries of the revelers.The bandit leader lets go and takes a step back away from you as he looks toward the source of the explosion. "Looks like we've been found out!" He angrily waves one arm at the cart blocking the opening in the town wall. "Get that cart out of the way!"One of the other bandits moves in front of you as you begin to sidestep away from them. "What about this farmer?"The bandit leader looks over his shoulder as he hurries further into Glynton. "Take care of him!"You turn in a tight circle as the four men raise their Used Clubs, and then one of them strikes you from behind. Bereft of your Thorn Coat, the pain is immediate and knocks you to the ground.When you scramble to stand up, another bandit charges forward and swings his arm downward, barely missing your skull as his Old Club thumps against the ground.Gold Hoe in hand, you swing again and again, driving them back. The fourth bandit steps sideways to attack from behind and you hurry backward until your back slams against the side of Thud's cart sitting next to Lily's stand and you face the bandit, each feinting at the other as you both try to force an opening.Hoofbeats approach and you hear the bandit leader's voice shouting "Out of the way!"The bandit leader clings to the seat of a cart as he drives the horse as fast as he can toward the opening in the village wall!>Push Thud's cart toward the gate>Jump onto the bandit leader's cart>Swing your Old Hoe at the cartwheel
>>6434879>Push Thud's cart toward the gate
>>6434879>>Jump onto the bandit leader's cart
>>6434879>Swing your Old Hoe at the cartwheelAin't no way!
>>6434879>>Jump onto the bandit leader's cartim afraid the Old Hoe wont do enough damage
>>6434879>Jump onto the bandit leader's cart!!!!!
>>6434943>im afraid the Old Hoe wont do enough damageI foolishly wrote Old Hoe when I meant Gold Hoe
The bandit swings his Used Club and you duck beneath his arm and run around the corner of Thud's cart. As the bandit leader approaches, you climb onto Thud's cart and then you jump onto the other cart as the bandit leader rolls by!You tumble into the back of the cart and grab the side as you're nearly knocked out the back side! The bandit leader looks back as you right yourself and when you swing your Gold Hoe, the man expertly dodges and surprises you with a strike from his Iron Club!The bandit leader whirls around and lunges at you, slamming his Iron Club against the handle of your Gold Hoe as you block just in time. The driverless cart jostles across the wasteland as you and the bandit leader struggle. He strikes again and your Gold Hoe blocks but the man and his Iron Club are clearly more powerful and in the cramped confines of this brawl his weapon gives him the advantage.Your hands ache more with each blocked strike. Another rock beneath the cartwheels flings you apart from the other man and your stumble knocks you against the front wall of the cart.The bandit leader regains his footing and slowly steps forward, one hand on the side wall.You look between the bandit leader and then over your shoulder at the galloping carthorse when you see the Earth Mule look up from its grazing on gravel as you pass by. The horse has run in a half-circle from the wasteland back toward the village walls.The bandit leader takes another step and raises his Iron Club but then you turn and put one foot on the front wall of the cart and leap onto the horse!Before the other man can climb over the cart, you uncinch the harness and the art falls forward and flips over!The bandit leader is thrown from the cart through the air, and lands at the feet of the Earth Mule.The huge beast brays in surprise and rears up. The bandit leader gives a cry of fright and then the Earth Mule tramples him until the air is choked with dust.The Earth Mule wanders away through the clearing cloud of dust toward a tantalizing pile of stones and then you approach the remains of the bandit leader and kneel next to him.Unlike Daro, this man wasn't lucky enough to avoid the Earth Mule's hooves. You don't have to be a Priest to see that the bandit leader will never steal from anyone again!As you stand, you hear cheering and clapping at your back.Everyone in Glynton is standing outside the town walls on the rise overlooking the meadow!Grif, Flam, and Lark stand at the edge of the crowd, along with ten bound men struggling and cursing. Grif nods as you approach the rise. "What should we do with these bandits?""After a show like that, the people will abide your decision." Flam scratches his beard. "As shall we."Lark smiles and nods. "Whatever you decide, we'll support you!">Execute them>Take them to your farm>Let them go
>>6435299>Execute themMore labor is tempting, but we already gave them one chance to clean up their act. If they didn't take the out then, they are not likely to turn over a new leaf.Also, we lack the space to house them, and I worry that this many could scheme to overpower us and Thud.Make sure we scoop up that Iron Club for Thud!
>>6435299>>Take them to your farmi honestly feel so bad for them, nobody hopes they become a bandit when they grow up. as i child i longed for the mine and the combine, maybe they did to. we got gifted a piece of land, they probably have nothing and hate their life. i say we ask them what they want out of life, most people just want four walls and a warm meal and a meaningful job, we can offer 2/3 those immediately and work on wooden houses asap.we have the crows and we can also take watch, i say we pay them more than fair wages and keep them for a year, at the end offer them the tools they end up using and a plot of land for themselves. teach a man to fish and such.
>>6435356+1 We can make them sharecroppers, which maybe isn't the nicest practice but these aren't the nicest guys, hm? And if they're chill then we can let them have their land and be neighbors. We have crows to keep them in line, so I say we give the club to this and tell these goobers to pitch some tints out front and make their first job the construction of a living quarters for themselves.
>>6435299>Take them to your farmCome on boys, we have some hoes for you
>>6435488Also>HandsI've been meaning to ask if the dark lords throne was powerful enough to regrow a hand but I guess it was?
The adventurers are stunned to silence when you announce you'll be taking all ten bandits back to your farm. As you explain your plans for expanding your fields, and the potential long-term public works project of diverting water from the western edge of the wasteland to restore the ancient river that once ran through this region, their faces change from incredulous to understanding.The bandits mutter unhappily to one another until Grif raises his sword. "If you dislike farming, I'll be happy to provide another punishment."The Earth Mule brays again and the bandits glance fearfully at one another.Your foot strikes something solid. The Iron Club is at your feet.Thud will definitely appreciate this trophy of your battle with the bandit leader. Unlike the Used Club, a simple wooden club with an iron band, the Iron Club is completely made of iron. You can barely lift it!When you look back at the Earth Mule, you see it hungrily eyeing the Iron Club.For now, you'll take the Iron Club back to your cart in town.A man in a bright hooded costume and ermine cape approaches from around the bottom of the rise and nods. "That was some performance!" He lifts the edge of his cape and looks toward the Earth Mule. "A struggle between good and evil, the humble farmer beloved by even the fiercest monsters, and even the redemption of the villainous thieves!" The man looks at you again and grins. "And I, Cary the Minstrel, will immortalize it with song and show!"Despite your assurances that it was all just happenstance, the minstrel seems determined to embellish the fight.The crowd follows you back through the gateway and before long you can hear music and cheering again as you walk back toward Lily's stall and Thud's cart.The Iron Club is hefted into Thud's cart and you wonder if you can still buy some Iron Bars or if the blacksmith's shop is closed today.You walk back up the street toward the blacksmith and when you turn the corner the reveling crowd of villagers surrounds you!Cary blows a lively burst of music on his flute and the crowd starts to clap and arrange themselves into a circle. At once the crowd cheers in recognition and begin to arrange themselves. An old woman hobbles out of the way for the revelers as they dance in a circle in the middle of the street, clapping and laughing."I can't thank you enough for giving that layabout barbarian a job!" Gust puts his arm around you and grins. "You know what dance this is, don't ya?"The innkeeper nods toward the center of the circle where Lily and Lark are both dancing and grinning at you. Everyone else is clapping along with the music and then you look at the innkeeper."This dance ends with you kissing your partner!">Dance with Lily>Dance with Lark>Dance with the old woman
>>6435795>>Dance with the old womanLet her be young and feel love again.
>>6435795>AbstainI'd prefer to be the cool and mysterious archetype.Also, I want to see the looks on their faces when we reject them all.
>>6435795>Dance with LilyI like Lily, but I'd change my vote to Lark if it means avoiding the other results. It's not a true farming simulator until you get a girl!
>>6435795>Dance with Lily
>>6435795>Dance with LarkWe must get a discount on angel fruit
>>6435795>Dance with LarkI'd vote for Hans if we could...
>>6435795>Dance with Hans>"I knew you were a homo"
okay so...is this like, a tie? are we gonna have a coinflip between lily and lark
>>6436188If it doesn't resolve itself in the next 30 minutes.
>>6436203So long as the flip is between Lily and Lark, I'm fine with either.
>>6435795>Dance with Lark
Gust takes your Gold Hoe and pats your back. "I'll hold this for you!"The circling crowd parts to ensnare you in front of both Lily and Lark as Cary begins to play faster. Lily giggles and grabs your hand, but then Lark giggles and grabs your other hand.The two young women glance at one another and then both smile at you and tug your hands closer as they continue to dance. Someone behind you claps your back, sending you stumbling forward into a dance with Lily in one hand and Lark in the other.An uproarious laughing nearly drowns out Cary's flute and the two continue to tug at your hands as you spin around in a circle between them.Lily giggles and tries to turn you away from Lark. "You have to hold both my hands, silly!"Lark pivots in the opposite direction as she grips your other hand. "This will be my first kiss!"The crowd is laughing harder now, so much that some of them have even stopped circling.For an instant, you feel both hands go slack, and you pull back from both Lily and Lark.Before either can grab you again, you turn and frantically search the crowd and then you shove your hands between two of the revelers and clasp the old woman's hands.The old woman gasps "Me?" and the crowd roars with laughter. Cary's music begins to overtake them again and the clapping resumes as the old woman leads you back to the center of the street.At once, the old woman kicks up her feet, matching the pace set by Lily and Lark, and then she seizes your hands and the two of you caper inside the circle while Lark and Lily stand shoulder-to-shoulder at the inner edge of the circling crowd, arms crossed and lips pouting.The music ends sooner than you expect and you find yourself holding the old woman with both hands as she flaps her lips to catch a stray strand of drool. Your head dips down as you quickly peck the old woman's cheek and then you glance awkwardly from the woman to the crowd of laughing onlookers and back again."Don't feel bad. I know you'd rather kiss one of those pretty young girls." As you begin to stammer out a denial, the old woman waves a hand. "The previous Dark Lord once gave me a kiss. I used to be quite the maiden, you know!"Your stammering is silenced and then the old woman grins."I suppose I haven't introduced myself. My name is Saff. The previous Dark Lord employed me as a Summoner. Of course, the previous Dark Lord commanded more monsters." She looks at the ring of black metal on your hand and grins again. "I never thought I'd see that ring again!">Ask Saff to come to your farm>Ask Saff to keep this a secret
>>6436265>Ask Saff to keep this a secretWe're not trying to found a town here you know? Just keep it on the DL, there's no reason to invite her.
>>6436265That went about as well as could be expected.>Ask Saff to keep this a secretWe can talk to her some time after the festival and see what she can do. For now, we don't seem to be having any trouble keeping our creatures under control.
I blame everyone who didn't vote for my option. If you all just agreed with me we could have gotten a smooch from a cute young girl.
>>6436265>>Ask Saff to keep this a secretwe dont really have room for any visitors XD we can always offer to have her visit in the future.
>>6436127My sides were obliterated by this post
Gust hands you back your Gold Hoe as Cary and the reveling crowd begin to move further up the street.You reflexively cover your hand and quietly mutter a plea for Saff to refrain from discussing the Dark Lord's Ring.Saff looks at you for a second and then glances at the ring of black metal. "Well, I swore fealty to the previous Dark Lord, so I suppose that includes you!" The old woman flaps her mouth again and looks up at the rooftop behind you.When you turn you see Korr looking down at the two of you from the rooftop's edge and the Smart Crow caws at the woman."Korr!""Mmm." Saff nods. "If you ever lose track of a monster and need me to summon it to your location, just let me know." The old woman turns and begins to hobble away and then raises a hand to wave. "Enjoy the festival, my lord!""There you are!"
A heavy hand is on your shoulder and you turn your head to see the blacksmith Iver."Thanks for taking care of those bandits. I was having a hard time getting metal because of them." Iver smiles and releases his grip on your shoulder. "Come see me before you leave town. I'll sell you whatever you want for half-price.""There you are!"Lily and Lark each grab one of your arms.The sun is hanging low in the sky when you finally break free of the revelers, and soon you're on your way back to your farm, with three sets of Iron Bars in Thud's cart, a train of ten bandits tethered to the back, and 6507g in hand.
Everyone stands on the rise overlooking the meadow and waves as the Earth Mule brays and begins pulling the cart out into the wasteland.Even at a slow amble, the huge beast's stride forces the bandits into a jog. By midnight the walls of your farmyard come into view."Is this really a farm?""Who would try to farm in the middle of the wasteland?""I should have stayed in Glynton!"The bandits grumble to themselves as the cart rolls past the barn.Thud is standing in front of your shack on the patch of dirt worn down from York's cartwheels.He nods and then scratches his beard when you explain the presence of the ten bandits all tied in a line. "Thud will welcome more laborers.""Daro?!""What are you doing here?""They got you too, eh?"Daro awkwardly stands outside the Smart Crow tower, still in his night-clothes, in front of the other ten bandits.The next morning, everyone travels to the grove of trees, along with the Earth Mule pulling Thud's cart, Thud with the Old Saw in hand.You arrive at midday and everyone eats a small meal of pickled Hungry Onion and then the bandits are set to work collecting as much usable wood as they can find.Thud works the rest of the afternoon removing branches, and by the time you all return to your farmyard, the cart is overladen with lumber, wheels creaking.On the following day, the former bandits begin constructing a bunkhouse along the south wall, while you and Thud work to fashion the Iron Bars into a set of secure gates for the entrance to your farmyard.With the third set of Iron Bars, you secure your storehouse.On the day after that, the former bandits once again begin to grumble."What are we supposed to do now?""So what if we built this flophouse?""I should have stayed in Glynton!">Let them turn a small field inside the wall>Make them turn a big field outside the wall>Turn the field for them with your Old Plow
>>6436330>>Make them turn a big field outside the walltake turns and help them ovc
>>6436330>Let them turn a small field inside the wall
>>6436330>Make them turn a big field outside the wallLet's lend a hand, but let's show them how to do some real work too.
>>6436330Oh good, housing is being handled.>Make them turn a big field outside the wallWe're going to start needing copies of some of the basic tools. We'll have to see if York will offer a bulk discount ha! on any of them.Anons, thoughts on other projects that would benefit from a glut of labor and lumber? I'm drawing a blank.
>>6436348vineyards or a windmill maybe a church......or a canal
>>6436348A canal, without a doubt
The next morning, York arrives at the farmyard gates."I heard you had some new farmhands." York pulls back the sheet over his cart to reveal stacks of hoes of all kinds.The men crowd around curiously as you look over the hoes with York grinning amicably next to them. Finally, you select the Iron Hoes and count out 4400g. Thud hands each of the ten men their own Iron Hoe, and then hands the last Iron Hoe to Daro.As the men look over their Iron Hoes, you hear one of them mutter "I can sell this for at least 200g..."Thud turns and slaps his Iron Club against his palm, silencing the men. "Thud knows you could sell it." He looks from eye to eye until the men glance away. "Or you can stay here and earn more gold through honest work."The men grumble quietly as York's cart rolls away but then all ten of them go with Thud and Daro out the farmyard gate and around the wall to the north.Thud acts as foreman while the eleven other men begin to work to turn an area of wasteland north of the farmyard wall with their Iron Hoes.You find yourself with idle hands and free time while your fields rest and the other men work. Again you think about Mirkham, Daro's hometown to the southeast, and what potential crops and seeds you might find there.At the thought, the Earth Mule brays and wanders out of the barn to graze on stones in the farmyard lane.It may be wise to leave the Earth Mule on your farm to avoid causing a panic in Mirkham.With 2107g, you could either deliver supply funds to Grif and begin planning an expedition to the Cloudcutter Mountains, or buy enough Normal seeds to set the former bandits toward their first honest harvest.The thought occurs that with a dozen men, your idle dream of redirecting water into the wasteland may no longer be a fool's errand. Of course, before you begin any major works project in the region, you'll have to first survey the area.>Visit Glynton>Visit the river>Visit Mirkham>Stay home and grind
>>6436600>Visit GlyntonThe allure of new seed types is tempting, but I think we need to get the track for our new labor stable first. I'm hoping that while this work is hard, dirty, and boring, they will still start coming around once they see the (literal) fruits of their labor.>"Or you can stay here and earn more gold through honest work."This does bring up an uncomfortable question. Currently, this lot are working off their debt to society. At some point, though, we're going to need to pay them for their work. Thud's pay is quite low for all the work he does, so it needn't be much, but it should be thought about it before they revolt.
>>6436600>Visit MirkhamI seek new worlds to conquer
>>6436610>At some point, though, we're going to need to pay them for their work.I think we start with a home and food, our ring makes that second matter trivial. I'd be glad to let them keep 50% of the value of anything they grow, honestly.
>>6436600>>Stay home and grindi think we really need to stay here and see things started. fufill the yeoman farmer dream, we have the perfect conditions. if we can get the bandits started making new plots outside the wall and cut them in on equal shares on the next harvest from the new fields.a large(3 levels?) wooden house with a cellar might be a good idea. better living conditions would help everyone.>>6434068can we still expand to the water side?
>>6436639>can we still expand to the water side?You can expand in all directions. I just picked north at random for this field.
>>6436653oooo okey ty!!
>>6436348Fences around our fields and so we can get more animals. We should totally get a canal though>>6436600>Visit the river
>>6436600>Visit the river
The empty cart is rolled toward the barn and then you and the Earth Mule pass through the farmyard gates. You wave to the King Crow watching you from high up in the tower as you round the corner of the farmyard wall.Thud and the other men look up as they see the Earth Mule come into view. The barbarian nods when you call to him and point toward the west and then the eleven workmen turn and resume breaking the wasteland soil with their Iron Hoes.The cart rolls out into the wasteland and a shadow passes overhead. Korr lands on the cart next to you and steadies itself on the edge of the cart wall and caws."Orders!"It seems the King Crow has your best interest in mind.You and Korr and the Earth Mule all head west toward where Hans's map showed a large body of water. Three hours later, you catch sight of a patch of lush weeds, and then more grassy patches appear and you begin to smell water.The Earth Mule brays as the cart slows to a stop on the bank overlooking a large fast-moving river.From Hans's map you know the river terminates in a lake further south, but from where you stand, you're nearly at the base of what you take to be the southern section of the Cloudcutter Mountains.While the Earth Mule grazes on stones at the river's edge, you climb off the cart and look around at the landscape.Suddenly you hear Korr cawing."Tomato!"The sound of running water muffles its approach but the Smart Crow wheeling above your head soars through the air and circles around to draw your attention, just as a huge shape, red and round, tumbles out of the tall grass toward you.The Killer Tomato's skin is easily cleaved with your Gold Hoe, but its substantial mass is a seemingly endless churn of half-congealed liquid. The ripped and ragged surface rolls forward, heedless of the nearby Earth Mule's angry braying.By the time you toss the Killer Tomato into the cart, you're breathing hard. You haven't faced a crop like this since back when the Sharp Peas could threaten your life.Inside its center is a lump of gold worth 6g.Korr lands on the edge of the cart and looks down at the Killer Tomato while you continue surveying the land around the river's edge.The river flows through a valley, but most of the wasteland seems to be a higher elevation. Rather than a canal, it may be easier to divert the flow further up the mountains where the headwaters begins, though you won't know which is true until the headwaters area is surveyed.You do know one thing: Thud's cart would be dashed to pieces on the rocky terrain before you reached the headwaters. If you're going to survey the headwaters, you'll have to go on foot.The Earth Mule brays again, and the idea strikes you that it might not have to be YOUR feet.>Follow the river up the mountains on foot>Try to ride the Earth Mule up the mountains>Go back home for now
>>6437114>Go back home for nowJust going isn't enough. We'd need to figure a way to be able to work for length periods of times in these regions...
>>6437114>>Follow the river up the mountains on footThe mule could handle it, but I'm wary of leaving the cart unattended.
>>6437114>Follow the river up the mountains on footWe're a wanderer
>>6437114>Try to ride the Earth Mule up the mountainsIt was fine last time where the bandits were.
>>6437114>>Try to ride the Earth Mule up the mountains
>>6437561>>6437114>>Follow the river up the mountains on footsorry, swapping bc i dont wanna make a tie, will read other votes first next time
The next update will be tomorrow (hopefully.)Thanks for playing so far!
I was sick all weekend but expect an update today!
>>6438436I hope you're feeling better, you're cool and have a neat quest.
>>6438436Glad you're feeling better!
You're just about to unhitch Thud's cart when you stop and look around the vacant prairie and then down the river shore. It doesn't seem like anyone else is around, but leaving a cart unattended seems like it may invite trouble.Instead, you pat the Earth Mule's neck and leave it to continue browsing the polished river stones as you hike up into the highlands, following the river upstream with Korr circling overhead.By mid-afternoon, the river has grown narrow and shallow but still just as fast flowing. With both feet in the water you continue the trek until a shadow moves at your back and a Killer Tomato pounces from a rock above.You strike at the fierce sunlight crop with your Gold Hoe again and again, its watery innards painting the shoreline rocks, but its jaws continue to gnash until finally you hear the hard clink of its gold lump and the Killer Tomato finally looses its grip upon your leg.The 6g lump goes into your pocket and the largest portion of the Killer Tomato goes into your belly before you resume the climb up the rocky cliff.Your head breasts the rise and you find yourself facing a small highland lake. Perhaps this is the headwaters you've been looking for!No sooner do you climb up onto the highland plain that Korr wheels in a circle above you and caws."Mule!"You turn to look down the slope but a splash from the lake is followed by another and then a gurgling bray shakes your bones.A huge horselike beast gallops across the shoreline toward you, its watery body refracting the afternoon sunlight and then the Water Mule rears up in front of you as you raise your Gold Hoe.Your strike is well-timed and sinks into its chest but your blade passes through as the water reforms in its wake.The Water Mule whirls and kicks out.Its hooves are as solid as the Earth Mule, drenching you thoroughly as it batters you through the air to sprawl painfully at the edge of the cliff. The huge beast turns around and charges forward.Before it can reach you and trample you to death, you tumble forward over the edge into the river, gasping and splashing until you can right yourself.The Water Mule looks down from the top of the ridge above you and brays again.The sun is almost down by the time you get back to the cart.>Bring the Earth Mule to the Water Mule>Make camp here tonight>Go back home for now
>>6438479>>Bring the Earth Mule to the Water Mule
>>6438479>Bring the Earth Mule to the Water MuleHmmmmm
>>6438479>Bring the Earth Mule to the Water MuleWe can set Korr to watching the cart. He has less intimidation factor, but he's watchful and can hustle away some lesser ne'er-do-wells.I dream of harnessing the 4 elements to pull a massive wagon.Also, a Water Mule sounds alarmingly close to a kelpie. Kelpies are malicious tricksters, so we ought to keep an eye out.
Perhaps the Water Mule will respond to a show of force!You wave Korr down to the cart and the Smart Crow nods its beak and caws."Guard!"The Earth Mule looks at you and then kneels down for you to climb atop its back. When the huge beast rises, it springs forward onto the rocks and then up the cliff from outcrop to outcrop, nearly heedless to your terror as you cling to its mane of grass.Your vision bobs wildly around the cliffs as the Earth Mule leaps upward and upward and then suddenly the sky and the first star of night come into view. The Earth Mule lands with a quake and snorts, and then the Water Mule brays from across the lake and begins to gallop over the water's darkening surface.The Earth Mule rears up and bucks you off.Your back impacts against the ground and you gasp as the air is knocked from your lungs. You cough and gasp and roll to one side, in time to see the Earth Mule and the Water Mule both rearing up with their front hooves high in the air as the two huge monsters bray at one another.The Earth Mule is the first to strike, but its fearsome stone hooves are no more a challenge than your Gold Hoe. As the two beasts snap and kick at one another, the Earth Mule's body first becomes shiny and then the Earth Mule slips on its own hooves and struggles to stand, for the Water Mule's attacks are turning the Earth Mule to mud!As the Water Mule turns its head in your direction, you grab your Gold Hoe and scramble to your feet. The Water Mule turns and charges, but then the Earth Mule brays an angry challenge to the Water Mule's back and the other monster stops and looks away from you.>Leave the Earth Mule and run>Taunt the Water Mule and run
>>6438540>>Taunt the Water Mule and runPound for pound, Earth Mule can put out a lot more damage than us, given the opportunity.
>>6438540>Taunt the Water Mule and run
>>6438540>>Taunt the Water Mule and runArtax noooooooo ;___________;
The Water Mule takes a step to turn and face the other elemental mule when you shout and shake your Gold Hoe. The Water Mule turns its head back toward you just as you strike its rump with your Gold Hoe.At the affront, the Water Mule utters a bone-rattling bray and then turns around and digs its forehoof into the mountain as it snorts a spray of mist, the Earth Mule forgotten.You take a step back and then quickly turn around and run up the rocky slope as the Water Mule breaks into a charge. The slope becomes a tumble of boulders and you scramble up the rocks just as the Water Mule snaps its shimmering teeth at your bootheels.The Water Mule races back and forth, dashing itself against the rocks, but then it turns its head toward a small waterfall pouring down the cliff face. The beast looks up toward the top of the waterfall and then looks at you.As you hurry to climb up the cliffside, the Water Mule springs toward the waterfall and then begins leaping back and forth upward through the falling water!Your hand loses its grip and you nearly fall before you find purchase again. The Water Mule brays angrily and snaps at you again as the paths converge and then you feel the steady surface of a flat area and climb up just ahead of the great beast.Another cliff, this one even steeper and narrower. The waterfall becomes a shallow trickle from halfway up the cliffside. With the Gold Hoe tucked in your belt, you struggle higher and higher until your feet kick and dangle over open air as you cling to the cliff, unable to find a handhold as the Water Mule's rage splashes against your soles.The Water Mule paces back and forth braying up at you as you cling to the cliff when suddenly a burly man wearing a robe leans over the cliff face."Looks like you're in a tough spot."The man grabs your hand and helps you up onto the narrow ledge. "Don't see many farmers up here. I'm called Shug." He notices the Gold Hoe on your belt and grins. "A rich farmer, eh? In that case, better give me all your gold. Or else..." He raises his fists. "I'll beat you up and take all your gold."You're loathe to part with your 2119g. The Water Mule paces back and forth and brays when you look down at it again.>Fight>Run>Item
>>6439062Oh fucking piss.... ;___; >Negotiate >"I'll pay you 2000 gold to help me tame that mule down there. But if you mean to rob me, I'll come back with my barbarian companion, my bandit sharecroppers, and my flock of smart crows. That is, if I don't defeat you myself, as I did the Earth Mule and the Doom Crow. I'm not just a farmer, I'm a warrior."
>>6439062We're a little busy, man.>OtherTake a handful of coins (~50?) and throw them at him. While he's distracted chasing after them, get out of dodge.My video game instincts keep telling me to jump into the waterfall and ride it back down, but that's a terrible idea for multiple reasons.
>>6439062>>ItemOffer him more gold than this if he can help us tame this thing and get it home
Shug crosses his arms and tilts his head as he listens to your offer to pay for aid in taming the Water Mule. "2000g? I suppose I could give you some help."You begin to count out 2000g and pause to mention your many fieldhands and friends."A farm in the Dark Lord's valley, eh?" Shug looks eastward and absently takes the 2000g. As he does, he notices the Dark Lord's ring and his gaze meets yours again and then he laughs. "Your mistake was trying to hit it with your Gold Hoe. If you want to fight a Water Mule, you need to chant the spell of Flare." Shug looks over the edge at the Water Mule again. "I suppose Whirl would also do it." He stands back up and shakes his head at you. "Anyway, didn't anyone ever teach you about elements? The only element you can hit with a normal object is Earth. For everything else, you need magic, like chanting the spell of Flare, or using a Fiery Whip."The adventurers in Glynton may know more about the chanting of spells, but your own knowledge is limited to only what you've seen chanted by monsters and by Lark the Priestess. Of the spell Flare, you know nothing.You look down at the Water Mule pacing below you and back to Shug as he grins. "Don't worry, you won't be stuck up here for long. Elemental mules don't like to leave their territory."Just as you look back, the Water Mule turns away with a snort and ambles toward the stream.The man turns and waves one hand as he walks around a bend in the ledge and out of sight behind the cliff face. "Well, I'm heading home. Good luck sneaking past that Water Mule!">Follow Shug>Climb down>Wait here
>>6439500He's going to be trouble later, I can smell it.>>Climb downClearly, we need to reevaluate and come back better prepared. Either we need some magic ourselves, or someone who can cast.
>>6439500>Climb Down Fucker! 2000 was for him to help us tame it with his hands! Not play like he's Hans!!! He will NEVER be Hans! >>6439539>He's going to be trouble later, I can smell it.I feel like he's our Gary. I HATE him.
>>6439500>Follow Shug
>>6439500>>Follow ShugBro has to help us get that horse
You call to Shug but the man is already out of sight in the darkness.From the edge above the slope and the trickle of stream, you can no longer see the Water Mule anywhere. It seems Shug was right about that.You reach one foot down until it catches against the cliff face and then lower yourself down from foothold to foothold until you reach the flat ground and then suddenly a gurgling sound behind you draws your attention and you see the moonlight shimmering though the Water Mule's body as it hides in the shadows at the base of the cliff!The Water Mule brays when you see it and charges forward after you down the mountain, snapping at your heels! The huge beast tumbles like an avalanche as its hooves churn the hard mountain slope, crashing into a stuck boulder and knocking it loose to roll alongside you as the Water Mule regains the lost distance between it and you.Stumbling down the mountainside, the highland lake shudders into view. Your ragged breath is nearly exhausted.Muddy footprints leading away down the slope are the only trace of your cartmule.The Water Mule trots to a stop and brays at the edge of the lake and your retreating back.It's almost morning by the time you get back down to the cart. The Earth Mule is still covered in mud. Korr's feet cling to the edge of the cart, two Killer Tomatoes in pieces on the ground.The Smart Crow opens its mouth to caw and but then looks between you and the Earth Mule and thinks better of it.The Earth Mule begins to dry out in the sun as it sullenly browses the rocks away from the river's edge. You and Korr eat the Killer Tomatoes beneath the shade of the cart.When the Earth Mule is fully dry that afternoon, the beast allows you to hook the cart shafts over its sides and trots back toward the farm.In only two days the workers have turned a good-sized field north of the farmyard. As the cart rolls past you see they've also unearthed more masonry.Perhaps the Red Rabbits had only dug up the masonry directly underneath your farmyard. There may still be more buried in the surrounding area.You may even be able to come to an arrangement for masonry in exchange for Sharp Peas.Daro waves as you approach and pushes open the farmyard gate. Unhitched from the cart, the Earth Mule ambles into the barn without a sound.Korr caws as Thud approaches and you see the barbarian chewing his beard. "Thud has failed." He looks at the workers and you realize there are only six men aside from Daro. Thud nods when he sees your count. "Four of the bandits ran away."Such a thing was not unexpected. That six of the ten captured bandits remain on your farm is something of a miracle.Your immediate concern is helping the remaining farmhands through their first harvest as sharecroppers!The men are still quick to grumble to themselves about their new home, but their mouths are soon full of the Killer Tomatoes harvested along the ride.
The next morning, Thud and the other men begin clearing more wood from the grove of trees, as you return to the Dark Lord's throne.At the end of the week the workers have accumulated a large pile of lumber piled next to the storehouse, and you've harvested enough dungeon crops to pay for 499 pouches of Normal seeds!The day after that, you make a special trip into Glynton and return with the cart overflowing with sacks of Normal seeds. Thud and the former bandits and the Smart Crows all line up as you roll the cart to a stop at the edge of the north field.Daro and the six other men listen as you explain they'll receive the full amount for the crops grown in the north field. It doesn't take much more convincing before they're laughing and calling to one another as they seed the rows with pouches of Normal seeds.In another two days, you have the 1000g Grif requested to help prepare for an expedition to harvest Angel Fruits from the highest peak of the Cloudcutter Mountains, and to face whatever lurks in the mines below the mountain's depths.The warrior is alone when you enter the Glynton inn.Gust sets down a cup of beer in front of you and Grif nods as you count out the 1000g. Between this expense and your bar tab, your wealth has diminished back to 198g.Grif nods again at the mention of Flare. "Yes, my companions know many chants." Grif pockets the 1000g. "Flam knows the spell of Flare, and Lark knows the spell of Sleep. Between them, we may be able to subdue this elemental mule.>Ask Grif to prepare for the expedition>Ask Grif to help tame the Water Mule
>>6440059>Ask Grif to help tame the Water MuleI think the mule will be useful for the expedition... And whatever is in the mines!
>>6440059>Ask Grif to help tame the Water MuleMuuuuuuuullleee
>>6440058>Such a thing was not unexpected. That six of the ten captured bandits remain on your farm is something of a miracle.Those that left have burned the bridge we tried to help them build back to civilization. They will not get a second chance.>>6440059>Ask Grif to prepare for the expeditionI badly want to add the Water Mule to our roster, but the Earth Mule already spends most of his time idle. And does the barn have space for multiple Mules?
>>6440059>>Ask Grif to help tame the Water Mulei feel like we should wait a little before we leave again. i really want to help these bandits start a new life, i feel like we should ask again what we can do to make the next year they are here comfortable. did the leader get away? if not we should really try to talk to him.
>>6440106>did the leader get away? >Unlike Daro, this man wasn't lucky enough to avoid the Earth Mule's hooves. You don't have to be a Priest to see that the bandit leader will never steal from anyone again!We would have had much more trouble keeping the rest of the bandits in line if they'd still had their old ringleader.
>>6440254OOOOO ty anon! i still say we should stick around for a little and grind, i dont want bandits to escape and wreck the town again. we already gotta tell them 4 got away and to be on the look out.
Grif sips from his cup of beer as you describe the route from your farm to the highland lake and the Water Mule. "A second elemental mule would be useful for drawing carts." Grif takes another sip. "If you mean to harvest a great number of Angel Fruits during this expedition, a second cart would be useful for carrying supplies up, and to carry the harvest back down again."Thud and the sharecroppers have harvested enough lumber to fashion at least two more carts, though with only one saw, Thud will need a few days to build another cart. "You'll need metal cartwheels for your carts. Wooden wheels will surely be dashed to splinters before we reach the highest peak." Grif finishes his beer and wipes the back of his hand over his mouth. "But to subdue this Water Mule, we will need both Flam and Lark. Our party will arrive at your farm three days hence." Grif leans back in his chair and grins as he folds his arms across his chest. "Then we will catch your Water Mule."Gust and Grif look at one another with a flicker of worry as you mention the four bandits that recently disappeared from your farm. Gust looks toward the village gateway. "We've been thinking about hiring a guard. I'll have to mention this at the next village meeting."Korr is waiting when you return to the cart and the Earth Mule in the meadow outside the village wall.Perhaps it may be wise not to mention your plan within earshot of the Earth Mule.When you return to your farm, Thud agrees a second cart would be useful, especially with a second elemental mule.The thought occurs to build a large wagon drawn by more than one beast, but Thud shakes his head. "Thud knows nothing of wagons."While the sharecroppers watch Thud begin to saw lumber with the Old Saw, you step back inside your shack and then down into the dungeon.Iver's prices, even reduced, are still considerable, and with two carts, you'll need four metal cartwheels for the expedition to follow your taming of the Water Mule, and perhaps even the obvious protection of Byep's Ancient Armor.Without thinking, you hurry past the place where the shadows are darkest, when suddenly..."Oh?"There is a sound of something moving softly over the stone floor, and your heart is hammering and your hair has stood up, for the voice and the dim unblinking gloss of eyes in the dark is suddenly at your side."It seems you met one of the stragglers."Your mouth is dry, jaw clenched closed, unable to breathe, and the voice goes on."If you bring him back here, I'll give you a treat."Your hands clench the handle of your Gold Hoe and you wordlessly stumble forward into the dark until you reach the stairs down to Byep's shop and your heart can finally begin to slow.The words spoken by the voice were clear: It means to have the villainous brawler Shug.The thought of receiving its award does little to comfort you.>Ask Byep about Shug>Ask Byep about the voice>Just grind for now
>>6440817>>Ask Byep about Shug>>Ask Byep about the voiceLore. Now.
>>6440817>>6440837+1 I would like to know MORE
>>6440817>Ask Byep about Shug
>>6440817>>Ask Byep about Shug>>Ask Byep about the voice
>>6440817>>Ask Byep about Shug>>Ask Byep about the voiceMaybe we should haul a few planks or stones or something down here and block off that path, or at least mark it out as dangerous.
>>6441034It's not dangerous they offered us a treat (^:
>>6440817>>6440909QM is it okay that I picked 2 things on this one? Do you specify when it's a pick only one scenario?
>>6441121There are no wrong answers in this game!It sort of weights the responses but mostly it's just to give players options
>>6441034>Maybe we should haul a few planks or stones or something down here and block off that path, or at least mark it out as dangerous.At present, it's necessary to cross by that area in order for you to access the dungeon from the trapdoor ladder.
"You finally came back?" Byep turns away and unconcernedly polishes the Ancient Armor but then you spy her glancing at you and she smiles. "You said something about a mountain before. Was that the mine Snaz used to visit?"Byep's eyes widen and the Ancient Armor is soon forgotten, so enrapt is she in your tales of bandits and elemental mules.At the mention of Shug's name, Byep's face takes on a strange countenance. "You met Shug? Then that means..." She glances toward the upper stairwell and then to you. "Were there any others?"You see a sudden urgent hope cross Byep's face but to lie would gain you nothing, and then Byep blinks and wrings the rag in her hands when you press further about the thing in the cell."We don't like to talk about it." She echoes Snaz's words without thought. "It's..." Byep looks at you and then at the Dark Lord's ring and finally lowers the rag. "But I suppose it's alright if it's you."Byep's hands are shaking. You take them in your own, worried she may be offended, but she continues heedless."This was just before the collapse. The Hero was attacking the Dark Lord, and then everyone was running around and shouting and no one else seemed to know what to do. Sudz the Armorer told me to follow him and Snaz and some of the others. Then that cell broke open and Sudz..."Byep looks away and blinks. "It's something the Dark Lord imprisoned." Her whisper is tinged with fear but then she sighs. "I suppose the Hero chanted the spell of Home while all this was..."Byep looks down at your hands holding hers and gives a surprised squeak as she pulls her hands away and turns her face to the shadows."A-anyway, if Shug got out, then maybe..." Byep clears her throat. "Y-you know, this Ancient Armor was never worn!" Byep finally looks over her shoulder at you. "It would really help if you were going somewhere dangerous." She puts one fist over her mouth and mutters. "...wouldn't mind some Killer Tomatoes, either.">Bring some Killer Tomatoes to Byep as fast as you can>Visit Snaz first>Promise Byep you'll bring her some Killer Tomatoes in four days
>>6441236>Bring some Killer Tomatoes to Byep as fast as you can
>>6441236>>Bring some Killer Tomatoes to Byep as fast as you can
>>6441236>Visit Snaz first
With a grin, you turn and hurry back into the narrow hallway toward the upper stairwell as Byep calls to your fleeing back. "Where are you going?"Byep's recollections have moved your heart and as you step forward into the blind dark you find yourself elated at the prospect of granting her this favor.Then the voice chuckles."I'm looking forward to those Killer Tomatoes."At once, your skin grows cold and tight, and your stumbling feet have turned to lead. Halfway up the ladder you realize you've forgotten to breathe.The Smart Crows strutting about the farmyard burst into flight as you fling the door open and stride panting toward the barn and the Earth Mule.Korr is already sitting on the edge of the cart when you step back outside.You drive the Earth Mule out the gate, the great beast braying into the dark sky as it trots across the wasteland beneath the sliver of crescent moon.The moon is low in the sky when you finally see the first weeds appear at the edge of the wasteland.The rustle of weeds and then grass flits over the cartwheels and then the smell of water strikes your nose. The late night air blown over the river is cool enough to draw a shiver.Suddenly, you hear something rolling through the grass toward you.A Killer Tomato bounds into the air, its jaws hinging open above you as it begins to fall toward you, and then a second and a third appear bounding through the grass on either side!No sooner have you harvested the last of them and slumped panting as you pry the gold from their cores do you hear the grass begin to shift again at the sound of another approaching.Within the hour, you've filled the cart with ten Killer Tomatoes.Korr flaps off the edge of the cart and squawks in surprise as the Earth Mule surges forward into a gallop. The monsters seem to sense the urgency as you hurry back to your farm.One of the sharecroppers watering the night soil sees you running from the barn into your shack with eight Killer Tomatoes tied to your belt and two more clutched in your hands.You carry the extras down the ladder one at a time.A lone Blind Onion slowly wobbles from side to side as you set the ninth Killer Tomato next to it at the base of the ladder and climb back up for the tenth.At the place where the voice waits, you kneel and quickly set the two sunlight crops on the floor and then hurry onward before your resolve breaks.
Snaz is leaning on the counter of Byep's shop. The two of them turn their heads to look as you squeeze through the narrow hallway's mouth and Snaz nods a greeting.Byep is delighted at the sight of the Killer Tomato in your hands. "Sunlight crops!" She takes the Killer Tomato from you and then pauses. "Wait, this is... You went all the way to..." Byep blinks. "For me?"Her expression turns to shock when you pile the seven other Killer Tomatoes onto the counter."I can't take these!" She looks over the pile and swallows. "I suppose I could take three or four." Byep quickly grabs an armload. "But you should give the rest to Snaz!"Snaz scratches his chin. "I can't recall the last time I ate a Killer Tomato." The man takes one of the sunlight crops in hand and then gives you an embarrassed smile. "Would you mind helping me carry these down to my shop?" Snaz nods at Byep as he picks up a Killer Tomato in his other hand. "It will just be a moment."You pick up the last two Killer Tomatoes and follow Snaz around the bend toward the stairwell. Just as you turn, you catch sight of Byep leaning one elbow on her countertop, her cheek resting on her palm, as she watches you and Snaz descend toward the third level.The damp smell of the flooded section rises from halfway down the stairwell."We can leave them here for now." Snaz places the two Killer Tomatoes on the countertop of his shop and then nods as you set the other two next to them. "You know, the Dark Lord was once a farmer. I think that's why she's so taken by you."When you look up at Snaz, the man's expression has shifted from jovial to flat."Byep was quite young when the collapse occurred. I wasn't her superior, but after that moment when the cell broke open, I became like a father to her." Snaz clutches a fist with his other hand and holds them to his breast. "The Dark Lord created it only to find it was too fearful to be left free. Too fearful for the Dark Lord!" Snaz waggles his finger at you. "And you... you are not the Dark Lord, though you may have the Doom Crow's loyalty. It's not right to go filling her head with stories about other places."Snaz turns away and his head sags as he rests one hand on the countertop. "Places she will never visit.">Vow to keep telling Byep stories about other places>Vow to defeat the thing in the cell and free everyone>Vow to learn the chant of Home and then wed Byep>Don't make any vows right now
>>6441656Gee, I like Byep, but I'm not all too sure about locking her in right now when there's other girls to learn about. But if we lose her opportunity here, then decide late she'd have been the best, it'd be disappointing...
>>6441656>Don't make any vows right nowI want to end the thing in the cell, but I've no interest in making a formal vow to do so.I've never liked romance sub-plots.Snaz isn't really wrong, necessarily. There's a certain degree of cruelty in talking to prisoners about the outside world. That doesn't mean we shouldn't, only that we should have a degree of care in about what we tell, and how we tell it.
>>6441656>Don't make any vows right nowWe don't even know what the thing is and I would rather get to know the girls better first. We really haven't had hardly any personal interactions with them.
>>6441656>Don't make any vows right now
Won't refusing to take any vows kinda close us off from doing it later, anyway
>>6441656>Vow to defeat the thing in the cell and free everyoneGo big or go home
>>6441656>Vow to defeat the thing in the cell and free everyoneUnder new management
>>6441884No? Not promising to do something is unrelated to being unable to do that thing.My other point of wariness about killing the thing in the cell is that while it's keeping Byep, Snaz, and presumably other non-hostiles down here (apparently, despite the workaround visible on the map), it's also keeping all the actual hostiles bottled up. I don't think we want Ancient Armors swarming out from under our bed while we sleep.
>>6441918>No? Not promising to do something is unrelated to being unable to do that thing.We won't always have the opportunity, althoughbeit...
>>6441918I thought I should point out there's nothing keeping it in the cell.
The silence stretches for a moment, and then Snaz looks up and gives a start as he sees beyond your shoulder. You turn to Byep half-hidden beyond the shop's doorway."Uh... I didn't mean to overhear. I was thinking about Zuzu. I thought maybe..."Even from inside Snaz's shop, you can hear the rush of water churning over the broken brick and masonry as it pours down into the lower levels. Anyone trying to cross the flood would be battered upon the shards of stone. Even as you stand in front of Snaz and Byep, you hear a brick come loose as the water slowly erodes the dungeon.Snaz's head turns toward the water as he scratches his ear. "As I said, that break in the wall happened quite recently." Snaz glances at Byep still watching the dark hallway roaring beyond Snaz's shop. "Zuzu was on the other side of the flood."Your thoughts go at once to the Water Mule, for you've seen with your own eyes that the elemental mule can bound up waterfalls and gallop across lakes.The trapdoor beneath your bed, however, is scarcely large enough for one man at a time, and the cramped dungeon hallways may be ill-suited for a beast of its size.Such questions will have to wait until you've actually tamed the Water Mule. Snaz looks down at the stone floor and clears his throat. "If perhaps you, er, that is, happened to find yourself with surplus crystal from that mine, I'd be willing to pay with enchanted gold."You nod, and stifle a yawn, for the hour is late and the hot summer sun is nearly rising. Shaz waves a hand to shoo Byep out of the shop and they both walk with you up to the second level."See you tomorrow!" Byep waves as you squeeze yourself through the narrow hallway.Snaz crosses his arms and scratches his nose. "Thank you for those sunlight crops."Just as you reach the stairwell alcove at the far end of the hall, you hear Byep's distant exclamation."And I'm not taken by him!"The next morning, as Thud and the sharecroppers assemble to begin picking weeds in the fields, you climb back down into the dungeon.The voice is silent for now.On the evening of the third day, you climb from the dungeon back through the floor of your shack with 2648g in hand, and eight Sharp Peas for York.On the morning of the fourth day, York arrives on his cart, with Grif, Flam, and Lark riding along.The adventurers hop from the cart and Lark smiles as she turns in a circle to look around the farmyard. "What a grand farm this is!"You wonder if Lark has ever been on a farm before.At the sound of Lark's voice, the Earth Mule brays and ambles out of the barn toward her. Lark giggles and embraces the Earth Mule's huge neck. "Rocky!"
The Earth Mule brays again as Thud approaches Grif.The two men grin and grip one another's hand. "Thud, my friend! Will you journey with us to tame this Earth Mule for your master?"Thud shakes his head and nods toward the north field where the sharecroppers toil. "Thud is needed here." He turns toward Flam and Lark, and then glances at you. "What is your plan to face this monster?"Grif draws his sword enough to catch the morning sun and grins at you. "My Gold Sword is just as useless as your Gold Hoe. We two stout men will stand before the Water Mule, and keep it at a distance from Flam and Lark."The priestess Lark nods. "I'll chant the spell of Sleep, then Flam will chant the spell of Flare." Lark pauses and glances at you. "The Water Mule may wake before I can chant again.""If you draw its ire, it shouldn't bother us." Flam scratches his beard. If it does..." The wizard reaches into the pocket of his robe. "This may be of use." In his hand is a tiny red crystal that flashes from within. "This is a Fiery Shard. It will enchant your Gold Hoe with the spell of Flare, but only for a few seconds."You carefully take the crystal in both hands and place it deep in your pocket, but inside your heart is thumping at the idea of wielding magic yourself, if only for a moment."What's this?" Flam reaches into the Earth Mule's cart and lifts up a sack and then he sniffs. "Pickled Hungry Onions?"Thud scratches his beard. "Thud... accidentally made a double batch."You appreciate Thud's generosity too much to thank him, and so you and Korr and the three adventurers ride out the farmyard as Thud and the sharecroppers and the rest of the Smart Crows all wave and caw goodbye.You reach the riverbank at midday."And the Water Mule's lake is near the headwaters of this river?" Grif chews a slice of pickled Hungry Onion."They say this river wasn't always so wide and deep." Flam licks his fingers. "A thousand years ago, the Dark Lord's defeat was said to be heralded by earthquakes that changed the land."Lark rubs the Earth Mule's chin as everyone rises and gathers their armaments. "See you later, Rocky!"Korr and the Earth Mule watch you and the three adventurers as you pick your way up the slope following the river higher up into the mountains."That's the lake?" Grif chews around a mouthful of Killer Tomato. "I don't see any elemental mule.""It's probably beneath the surface." Flam looks up at the high sun. "That's where I'd be."You and your friends creep forward toward the shore when suddenly the water explodes upward, drenching you all, and you hear the angry echoing bray of the Water Mule.Lark gasps. "Look!"A shape like flower petals rises up from the shore and out it rises a column of water in the shape of a comely maiden crested with a pair of long horns!
"Keep to the plan!" Grif raises his sword at the Water Mule and glances back at you. "Your hoe, man!"You grip the handle of your Gold Hoe in both hands and raise it upward, shouting and cavorting as the Water Mule swings its huge head between you and the warrior swinging his sword back and forth as he bellows and hoots. Grif lunges forward in an obvious feint and then looks to the priestess and shouts her name. "Lark!""Right!" Lark steps back a pace as she narrows her eyes and clutches her hands together. "Sleep."The Water Mule slumps from side to side and then its head droops."Good!" Grif grabs your shoulder and drags you backward away from the drowsing Water Mule. "Flam, your spell!"Flam clears his throat and raises his hands. "F-""Silence."The Dragon Dryad speaks the word and Flam's mouth opens wide as though he's mutely shouting!Above you, the bright summer sun is suddenly refracted in a rippling starburst that rises up from the lakeside, and then a wet snort drenches you.The Water Mule has woken up.>Taunt the Water Mule with Gold Hoe>Attack the Water Mule with Fiery Hoe>Attack the Dragon Dryad with Fiery Hoe
I accidentally posted a rough draft of the Dragon Dryad so please refresh the thread and pretend you didn't see anything.I will be gone for the next couple of days, so the next update will be Saturday at the earliest. I hope everybody is still having fun!
>>6442239>Taunt the Water Mule with Gold HoeStick to the plan, gentlemen >>6442240>I hope everybody is still having fun!Dungeon Farmer is a balm for the wounded in these troubling times.
>>6442239>Taunt the Water Mule with Gold HoeWait a thousand years ago? Holy crap it only now ocurred to me that old summoner granny in town is over 1000 years old. Goddamn. How much magic does that even take? How strong must she have been in peak...
>>6442239Between us and Grif, one needs to keep the Mule's attention and one needs to merc the Dryad. Hopefully we can quickly communicate this with him, if he doesn't come to the same conclusion.>Taunt the Water Mule with Gold Hoe>>6442240Wouldn't be here if we weren't enjoying ourselves. Thanks for writing!
>>6442280Dang that's true.It also means everything/everyone we've spoken to down in the dungeon is the same age range.
>>6442239>>Taunt the Water Mule with Gold Hoe
The Water Mule's teeth are hard as rock when it bites into the shoulder of your Thorn Coat. It turns at Grif's taunt and drags you forward across the ground until it opens its mouth again to bray.You shake your Gold Hoe and strike at the Water Mule and then you hear Lark call out."Sleep."The Water Mule's head swings toward Lark as she chants the spell of Sleep and then the huge monster shakes its head and brays.The spell did not work!"Been waiting for this!" Grif holds up a flickering crystal of his own and then squeezes it until the tiny Fiery Shard cracks and explodes into dust. At once the blade of his Gold Sword is enveloped in a roaring flame and Grif slices at the Dragon Dryad's watery form as it begins to steam.The Dragon Dryad holds up its arms protectively and scowls at the warrior. "Flood."An explosion of water sprays outward as the Dragon Dryad chants the spell of Flood! The sudden torrent batters Grif, sending him tumbling across the battlefield choking inside the churning mass.The warrior plunges his flaming sword into the ground to stop from being swept away, but then the Water Mule bursts through the receding water and charges toward Lark!"Flare!"When Flam's spell strikes the Water Mule, the huge beast turns momentarily orange as it's knocked stumbling sideways across the steaming hot sand and then it looks around until it sees the wizard and brays at Flam."Hold on, Flam!" Lark clasps her hands together.The Dragon Dryad frowns at Lark. "Silence.""That's enough out of you!" Grif plunges his Fiery Sword into the Dragon Dryad.The Water Mule ambles past you, ignoring you completely as it breaks into a charge toward the wizard.Flam takes a step backward and looks around frantically at Grif fighting the Dragon Dryad and then at you. It seems the time has come for your magic!You snatch the Fiery Shard from your pocket and crush it in your hand. A stream of sparks race upward around and around the handle as the blade of your Gold Hoe begins to glow with heat when suddenly the blade catches fire!The Water Mule stops and turns its head as you brandish your Fiery Hoe.
"Flam!" Grif takes a step back. "Let's finish this together!"Flam raises his hands toward the Dragon Dryad as Grif charges forward swinging his Fiery Sword, while you bring your Fiery Hoe down upon the Water Mule as it thunders past!The Water Mule pivots and rears up on its hind legs to crush you with its forehooves like an avalanche but then Lark is at your back."Sleep."Lark grins as you glance from her back to the slumping Water Mule and you both hear Grif exclaim."My sword!"The fire dwindles and Grif shakes the blade through the air to reignite it but the magic is gone."I still have a little magic left in me..." Flam raises one hand and then the other toward the Dragon Dryad. "F-Flare!"The burst of fire washes over the Dragon Dryad and its face contorts as it evaporates into a cloud of steam.Flam drops to one knee, panting and shaking.You grip the handle of your Fiery Hoe when the Water Mule brays.The huge monster charges across the shore toward you as you raise your Fiery Hoe, and you strike just as it tries to lunge to one side, exposing its flank to the blow!The Water Mule stumbles and collapses onto the shore and your Fiery Hoe sputters as the flame is doused.Like the Earth Mule before it, the Water Mule limps closer and then bows as it glares pridefully upward to you and the Dark Lord's ring."You really have a way with those monsters, don't you?" Grif helps Flam walk across the shore with the wizard clinging to one shoulder. When they near you and Lark, the warrior holds out his hand."There was no gold, but we found this."In his hand is a pouch of seeds. Grif tugs open the pouch and everyone leans forward around his upturned palm and a ripple of recognition spreads over your face.The blue seeds in Grif's hand are the same triangular shape as the red Mystery seeds you bought from Lily and planted in your field more than half a year ago.Grif looks up from the seeds at you. "Have you ever seen seeds like these before?">Yes>No>Can't recall...
>>6443477>>YesI'm a farming farmer
>>6443477>>YesSo good at farm stuff
>>6443477>YesCould it be that the mystery seeds will spawn Dryads? It would explain the long time to sprout...
>>6443477Hard-fought, but a good battle.I almost wish we could have collected the Dryad as well. She had that silence spell, and the intelligence to use it at the right moment.>The blue seeds in Grif's hand are the same triangular shape as the red Mystery seeds you bought from Lily and planted in your field more than half a year ago.Welp, we should immediately buy the last of her seeds. If they're this rare, they must be worth something to someone.>YesI don't see any reason to lie here. Even after all this time, the mystery seeds are still, well, a mystery.>>6443586>Could it be that the mystery seeds will spawn Dryads?Oh man I hope not. we've got, what, 50 of them planted at the moment? We would be overrun in an instant when they sprouted.
>>6443586Terrifying. Hans!! Hans!!!!!!
Grif looks at the pouch of seeds again. "'Mystery seeds'?" He shrugs and hands the pouch to you. "I'm no farmer. You'll have to let us know what grows from them."Korr and the Earth Mule are waiting when you reach the base of the slope. With the three adventurers riding alongside in the cart, you all roll back toward Glynton.The Water Mule follows alongside the cart as the two huge beasts bray at one another.Soon the walls of Glynton come into view from across the wasteland, and the two elemental mules are left in the meadow as the adventurers hop down out of the cart."We will be ready for the next expedition whenever you decide. It will need to be in the next two months, before the mountains gather too much snow and the way becomes impassible. Until then..." Grif shakes your hand. Behind him, Flam nods and Lark waves as they depart.With 2716g in hand, you'll be able to buy a few dozen pouches of Mystery seeds from Lily's stand!"You want more Mystery seeds? Oh..." Lily glances down at the empty spot on her stand's countertop as Korr lands on the edge. "I sold the last ones just after the midsummer festival. I didn't have many to begin with, and then everyone else complained because they wouldn't sprout..." Lily looks at the empty spot for a second and then looks up at you and gawks. "You mean you got them to sprout?" She grins and crosses her arms. "I knew you were a good farmer!"Lily nods when you show her the pouch of blue seeds. "They do look a lot like the Mystery seeds. Except for the color, I mean." She looks up the street toward Hans's shop as she scratches Korr's head. "Hans didn't know what the Mystery seeds were, but maybe he'll know what these are."Along the way to Hans's shop, the sound of the blacksmith clinking stops and Iver steps from the door of his own shop and waves.He wipes his brow as you walk up from the street and gestures toward the corner of his shop. "Grif the warrior said you'd be coming back with another elemental mule. I have the four Spiked Wheels finished and ready." The blacksmith glances at the far corner again and clears his throat. "For you, the cost will be 16000g."It seems Grif has prepared for everything except payment.With an assurance that you'll be taking the four Spiked Wheels very soon, you hurry on to Hans's shop, the pouch of seeds in one hand and 100g in the other.
"Sorry." Hans shakes his head and pushes the gold back across the countertop. "I have no idea what these seeds are. They certainly look a lot like those Mystery seeds Lily was selling, don't they? Other than the color, of course. Where did you get these?""A Dragon Dryad? Very unusual. There aren't any records of encountering those in the recent era." Hans's huge mustache twitches as you recount the battle to tame the Water Mule. "And you say the seeds were left behind after this Dragon Dryad was vanquished?" Hans looks at the pouch of blue seeds again. His mustache twitches again. "I don't know what Dragon Dryad seeds look like, or even if they come from seeds. It's certainly possible they come from seeds. They're not actually related to dragons, you know. It's just a name they acquired because of their appearance." The scholar turns and runs his finger along a row of books on the side bookshelf behind the counter as he mutters quietly, and then snatches one out and quickly begins flipping through it. "Come back and ask me again in a month."You return to the pair of elemental mules and then to your farm, unspent gold in hand and unanswered questions left behind, uncertain how to proceed with this expedition to the mines of the Dark Lord and the distant peak high above it.>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 (13284g)>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 and Ancient Armor x1 (23284g)
>>6443831>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 and Ancient Armor x1 (23284g)
>>6443831>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 and Ancient Armor x1 (23284g)It's honest work
>>6443830>I sold the last ones just after the midsummer festival.Drat, I suspected this might happen. Ah well, easy come easy go.If we're the only ones that could get them to sprout, there's an outside chance disgruntled growers will want to offload their unplanted excess.Actually, this implies there are other farmers nearby (as you'd expect near a town). I wonder if we'll meet them at some point.>>6443831Wow, a question Hans couldn't answer.>>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 (13284g)we're time constrained if we want to go before the mountains are snowed in for the winter.
>>6443831>>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 and Ancient Armor x1 (23284g)New field???
What a quest this is. Didn't expect to have such a badass farmer>>6443831>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 and Ancient Armor x1 (23284g)gimmie gimmie gimmie
>>6443831>Grind for Spiked Wheel x4 (13284g)Hopefully that takes a month, so we can go and ask Hans at the same time as we ask the adventurers for help again.
I'm almost finished writing but the next update will be tomorrow because it's so long...
>>6444405Thanks for the notice, but don't stress, we aint goin anywhere
Thud has completed his second cart. The barbarian waves as you roll into the farmyard and the sharecroppers all gather at the edge of the barn to gawk at the Water Mule."Was the fight as planned?" Thud opens the pouch of blue seeds when you hand it to him and then he ties it closed again as you recall the battle. "It was fortunate you had fire magic."Suddenly, the Water Mule snorts and charges at the crowd of sharecroppers! The men shout in surprise and lunge stumbling from its path but the Water Mule gallops across the farmyard heedless of the men and then it leaps the wall. When it lands it slows to a trot near the north field and then it turns and strikes the wasteland ground with one hard hoof.Again it strikes, and again, digging downward with tremendous ground-shaking force until a long splatter of mud coats the dry earth behind it. You and Thud and the sharecroppers and all the Smart Crows perched along the wall watch as a spring of water begins to burble up from the ground beneath its hooves.The Water Mule stands in the middle of the spring and brays at you and then lies down in the shallow water.It seems you won't need to bother expanding your barn. Perhaps you can use the Earth Mule and your Old Plow to dig some irrigation ditches.The sharecroppers cower behind the pile of unearthed masonry as the Water Mule brays in their direction.Perhaps Thud and the other men will be able to make some progress with ditches when the Water Mule is elsewhere.
For now, you descend back into the dungeon beneath your farmyard, armed with your Gold Hoe and wrapped in your Thorn Coat.Eleven days later, you surprise Byep with a beltful of Hungry Onions and Killer Tomatoes.Byep grins around a mouthful of Hungry Onion. "You're really working hard! Do the people in Glynton really like dungeon crops that much?" She breaks off another piece and chews it. "But I suppose that's why I like sunlight crops!"When you mention Iver waiting to be paid for his four Spiked Wheels, Byep nods and then she looks down in surprise at you counting out gold on the countertop."The Ancient Armor? Are you joking?" Byep looks down as you continue to count out gold and then her expression changes to amazement. "10000g? You must be the best farmer in the world!" You finish counting out 10000g and Byep helps you take off your Thorn Coat. "I suppose you'll keep this like the other coats."Your Thorn Coat may be conspicuous, but certainly less so than the armor of the Dark Lord's soldiers. With a nod, Byep folds the Thorn Coat on the countertop and then begins to clad you in the Ancient Armor."Only a few months ago you were too poor to afford a Leather Coat!" Byep pauses with a spiked pauldron in hand. "Uh, that is, you've really worked hard." She quickly assembles the rest of the Ancient Armor around you. "Sorry it took so long. I haven't done this in a while." Byep takes a step back and puts her hands on her hips with a satisfied nod. "How does it feel?"The heavy armor seemed cumbersome, but once donned it rests easily on your shoulders. You shift from one side to the other, extending your arms, and then wrap both armored fists around the handle of your Gold Hoe and pose as though harvesting dungeon crops.Byep can't suppress a squeak of joy and claps her hands together tightly as she holds them to her breast.Suddenly, Byep's face contorts and she sniffs and then starts to cry. When you step forward she raises one hand and then raises her smiling face, still teary-eyed. "This was the last set of armor Sudz made. He wouldn't have wanted to see it just sitting around like that." Byep wipes her fist across one cheek. "He would be happy to see you wearing it!"
Thud gasps and raises his Iron Club to brain you as your metal fist clutches the trapdoor frame but then your head rises above the floorboards and the barbarian lowers his club. "Truly, that is a grand dungeon."After that, harvesting Sharp Peas becomes easier than you'd expected. You find yourself returning to the Dark Lord's throne to heal your weariness only once each day.In a fortnight, you hold 16891g, more than enough to pay Iver for two sets of Spiked Wheels.The next day, your fields of Cowberries are ready for harvest, along with the north field given over to the sharecroppers, and so you leave your Ancient Armor inside your shack and step out into the morning sun wearing your Thorn Coat.At first, you think the lone plot of Mystery sprouts has been trampled by some animal in the night, for the waist-high stalks are tangled together, but then you look closely and see they've grown a seventh layer of leaves and begun to intertwine.As you work along the rows, you find the Cowberries grown in your oldest field are less withered than the others. Among the plots of your new field, you also find 4 bunches of Pigeonberries.When the harvest is finished, your 99 bunches of Cowberries from your old field and 196 bunches of Cowberries from your new field are put into separate piles.The pile of Cowberries from your old field draws York's attention when he arrives. "Hmm..." York squeezes one of the Cowberries and nods. "I'll give you 2g per bunch for the Cowberries in this pile." He picks up one of the Pigeonberries. "And 2g per bunch for these Pigeonberries."Despite operating your farm at a continued loss, your old field's harvest now only cost you 8g per plot instead of 9g per plot!York counts out 402g and hands it to you and then moves on to the piles of Cowberries and the four bunches of Pigeonberries from the north field.Daro and the six other sharecroppers nervously shuffle behind York, looking over the merchant's shoulders as York looks over the Cowberries. "Hmm... I'll give you 196g for these Cowberries, and 8g for these Pigeonberries." York counts out 204g as the sharecroppers mutter to one another."All that for just 204g?""How much is a share?"York looks over his shoulder at the sharecroppers. "That's 29g for each of you."The sharecroppers all count out their 29g and then Daro holds up 1g. "What about this last 1g?"Suddenly a Smart Crow flaps downward out of the air, snatching the gold out of Daro's hand and cawing as it flaps away."Mine!"
After York leaves, you stow your Ancient Armor wrapped in seed sacks into the cart as Thud hitches it to the Earth Mule. When Thud hitches the Water Mule to the new cart, the ropes sit atop its shoulders without sinking into its shimmering body, though they're soon damp.If ever you are to bridle a Fire Mule, you may need something stronger than Thud's hemp rope.Daro pushes the farmyard gates open and the Earth Mule ambles through the gate toward Glynton with the Water Mule pulling its cart alongside.Korr flaps down next to you and clings its talons to the seat beside you.The two elemental mules bray at one another, at the passing landscape, and seemingly at nothing at all, but the journey is swift, and in an hour the walls of Glynton can be seen.You unhitch both carts in the meadow near the wall and wheel them one by one through the gate to Iver the blacksmith with Korr riding atop each trip.Iver greets you as you walk into his shop. His smile broadens when he sees you starting to count out 16000g. "I'll get your Spiked Wheels put on those carts right away!"While Iver replaces your cartwheels with Spiked Wheels, you step out the door and then up the street toward Hans's shop.Hans's mustache twitches as you set 100g and the pouch of blue seeds in front of him, and then you see him grinning as he draws the gold across the countertop toward himself. "You're prompt as usual. Now, to answer your question. 'What kind of seeds are these?'" Hans crosses his arms. "These are indeed Dragon Dryad seeds. And it wasn't easy to find that out, let me tell you! It cost a lot more than 100g to track down this book, but my professional reputation was at stake."Hans opens a book and flips through it until he finds a page and jabs it with his finger. "This is all apocryphal, mind you. Records from a thousand years ago are a mix of truth and exaggeration, but it does seem that the Dark Lord had some sort of garden, and that the four types of monsters we now call Dragon Dryads originally sprang from that garden." He turns the book around and holds the page up to you and you see the sketched image of a Mystery seed."Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Hans snaps the book closed and his mustache twitches. "Any more questions?"You grab the pouch of seeds thank Hans as you turn toward the door when he calls to your back."And don't think there's anything else I can't answer!"You step out into the street, still looking at the pouch in your hand, but when you turn back toward the blacksmith you see Grif, Flam, and Lark standing outside along with Iver as the adventurers appraise the Spiked Wheels on your carts."There you are!" Grif claps your back and nods at the carts. "With these Spiked Wheels and your elemental mules, we should be able to harvest plenty of Angel Fruits."Flam nods. "The supplies are all packed at the inn. We can leave as soon as they're loaded.">Go home and raze the patch of Mystery sprouts>Visit the Cloudcutter Mountains
>>6444632>Visit the Cloudcutter MountainsLet's go! We need those damn angel fruits so we can start actually turning a profit from our farm..
>>6444632>Visit the Cloudcutter MountainsWe need some sort of profit or else the ex-bandits are going to revolt
>>6444632>Go home and raze the patch of Mystery sproutsNope. Also we need to pay the sharecroppers, or it will get bad. >Grind in the dungeon enough to pay each sharecropper 200g, a small investment to help them continue to get started and not lose hope That should only take a very short time for us but will make a difference. Then we can hit the mountains.
>>6444631>"All that for just 204g?"It's not much, but it's honest work, wrought and earned by your own hands. And it doesn't get the law on you.In time, if these guys stick with it, we could offer an alternate pay structure.>>6444632>If ever you are to bridle a Fire Mule, you may need something stronger than Thud's hemp rope.Sounds like a project for the smith. Though depending on the heat they put out, they might outright melt such a setup, or ruin the temper (leading to premature failure). We'd have to discuss with him to check viability.>>6444632>Visit the Cloudcutter MountainsHa! I hope we can find more questions that stump the Scholar. If the Dark Lord was growing Dragon Dryads, he must have had a way to control them. I doubt the ring alone would have accounted for that. I'm tempted to ask Hans to keep digging on this topic, as it's going to be very relevant to us soon.Can Thud read? If so, we should send him a note via Korr about the new discovered dangers of the Mystery Seed plot. I'm willing to give him leave to destroy the plot if it gets dangerous while we're gone, but I'll solicit the other anons before committing to that.Relatedly, I have a suspicion that these will be fire-based Dryads, as their seeds were red and and the water-based's ones were blue (assuming the "4 types" mentioned are elemental variants). If that's true, trying to burn them out may backfire, literally.Also, we might should talk to Lilly about just where she found those Mystery Seeds, and who all she sold to. Those Dryads are dangerous, and the source of the seeds must have have unwittingly stumbled across some buried treasure, which might yield more valuables with some digging.Speaking of using Korr as a messenger, I wonder if we could train some of the Smart Crows to set up a basic messenger pigeon/crow network. I don't know if the crows would find it stimulating, but it could be valuable to send/receive messages remotely. Alternatively, we could spin it into a small business and make a small profit from letting the townsfolk use it among themselves.
>>6444641>Grind in the dungeon enough to pay each sharecropper 200gI suspect this will backfire. They got 29g for somewhere around a month's worth of work, roughly 1g per day (Thud makes ~1.4g per day). If we hand each of them almost 10x their monthly wage after a few days of labor (so 1200g total in a few days) we've got 6 of them left, right?, they're either going to think we're filthy rich, or that farming isn't worth it if they can horn in on our major income stream.Remember this is their very first crop. I don't mind giving them a little bonus as a mixture of "you grew your first crops" and "you didn't run away" (maybe 5-10g each), but too much will cause more problems than it solves.
>>6444643>Can Thud read?You don't have any reason to think so. Perhaps Hans would know.>>6444651Seven sharecroppers, including Daro.
>>6444651Kay I will change my vote but if more of them run away because they aren't making enough gold to get by, I will post: >"e7QvkIw/ WAS WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING AND I WAS RIGHT!" And then that post will be in the thread, and in the archive, and that's forever. >>6444641>Just go home and take the Mystery Seeds, rest for a night, then go to the Cloudcutter Mountains I still don't want dryads loitering all over the damn place when we get home.
>>6444632>>Go home and raze the patch of Mystery sproutswe could give them a 10g bonus and pay them a extra gold or two if they wanna dig ditches>It seems you won't need to bother expanding your barn. Perhaps you can use the Earth Mule and your Old Plow to dig some irrigation ditches.WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The thought of your farmyard overrun with Dragon Dryads lingers in the back of your mind, but for now you thank Iver again and walk with the three adventurers toward the inn.Within the hour, both carts are loaded with crates and sacks. From their organization, it's clear the adventurers are familiar with the rigors of expeditions. You and Grif wheel the carts out the gate toward the meadow and the waiting elemental mules and then hitch them both.Grif begins to climb onto the Earth Mule's cart when Lark clambers up the Spiked Wheel and drops herself next to Korr."I want to ride on Rocky's cart!"Grif winks as you turn your head away and then Grif climbs onto the Water Mule's cart. Flam climbs up the other side and then Gust the innkeeper waves as you and the adventurers from the town gate.The carts are set north toward the Cloudcutter Mountains and the peaks soon begin to sketch themselves above the flat wasteland horizon.The sound of metal clinking draws Lark's attention and she turns around in her seat and draws open the sacks wrapped around your Ancient Armor. "Oh!" Lark looks at you as she kneels backward on the seat. "You don't plan to wear this, do you?"Korr looks up at Lark and shakes its beak back and forth and caws."Worn!""It does look..." Lark turns back around in her seat and glances back at the spiked pauldron sticking out of the sack. "Protective?"Before long, the base of the closest mountain is in sight. The Earth Mule drags your cart up the narrow path once guarded by Daro, with the Water Mule following behind.You reach the abandoned bandit camp by mid-afternoon and Grif calls for you to stop. A moment later, both elemental mules slow to a halt and the carts creak as they settle back."Nightfall comes quickly in the mountains." Grif hops from the cart and inspects the ragged but still-standing tent next to him. "Better to stop here rather than be caught on a slope at sundown."Flam climbs off the cart and looks toward you and Korr and Lark. "Let's see what we can salvage before we open up our own supplies."Among the abandoned bandit tents, you and the adventurers find enough dry firewood and even a clean cooking pot.The next morning, you don your Ancient Armor as the others break camp."That armor!" Grif drops the armload of firewood and hurries toward you. "It's..." The warrior grabs you by both arms. "Magnificent!""Indeed." Flam inspects the Ancient Armor. "The secret art of working darkmetal has been lost for centuries." The wizard looks up at you. "A family heirloom, I presume?"Suddenly the Earth Mule snorts and the Water Mule brays.Beyond the edge of the bandit camp, three huge Sharp Peas crusted with ice creep down the slope toward you!
"Frozen Peas!" Grif draws his sword and slashes it through the air. "Don't let them get close to the carts!" The first Frozen Pea stabs its frost-rimed stem downward at Grif as the warrior parries.You charge the second and raise your Gold Hoe but the third stabs at you with its own stem and knocks you stumbling sideways as the painful hiss of frost forming on your side nearly distracts you from your harvest.The Gold Hoe fractures the surface of the second Frozen Pea but the sunlight crop is nearly hard as rock. A hot wind roils over your back as Flam chants the spell of Flare and the third Frozen Pea writhes in the fiery blast.What emerges is a Sharp Pea, dripping with water!Grif slices at the Sharp Pea while you swing your Gold Hoe at the second Frozen Pea's forepea. Suddenly you strike a perfect blow and cleave its forepea open as it spasms and stabs its stem over and over against the ground.You scarcely have time to catch your breath before Lark gasps and points. "Look!"More Frozen Peas have begun to gather on the slope, drawn to the sounds of battle and the smell of blood."Get to the carts!" Grif waves at Flam and Lark and then turns to you as he charges the Frozen Peas. "We'll open a path and ride through them!"Grif raises his Gold Sword and you raise your Gold Hoe as Lark and Flam climb onto the carts and then you and the warrior both strike at the closest Frozen Pea. Behind it, the air explodes in fire as another Frozen Pea is melted by Flam's magic.The Earth Mule brays as it gallops past and then you and Grif leap onto the rolling carts. The Earth Mule and the Water Mule race up the slope with the Frozen Peas crowding together at your backs. From the other cart you hear Flam shout "Flare!" and then you grip your Gold Hoe and swing it to block a passing Frozen Pea lunging its stem at you.Korr whirls overhead and caws."More!"The Spiked Wheels of your carts are covered in a slick mash of Sharp Pea by the time you find a defensible outcropping and a small uninhabited cave.Flam gasps and slumps exhausted over the board behind him. "These Frozen Peas are stronger than I expected." As Lark lays her hands on Grif's back and chants the spell of Heal, Grif glances at the carts and then at you. "We have plenty of supplies, as long as nothing happens to them." He looks up at the midday sun. "Not making very good progress, though."Lark nods. "I can heal myself and Flam, but I can't restore magic power.""At least we found..." Flam gasps and wheezes. "...a good spot to make camp."When the camp has been set and the sun is nearly down, Grif crouches to build a fire with the rest of the bandit firewood. "Lark, you take first watch. I'll take second." The warrior looks from the snoring wizard to you as the fire catches. "Go ahead and sleep for now."That night, as you watch the fire, you realize someone is standing beyond the edge of the firelight."Looks like you could use my help again."
You stand up and look toward the sleeping adventurers and then step quietly to the mouth of the cave."The mines of the Dark Lord? Sure, I know where the entrance is." Shug leans against the cave mouth, arms crossed. "I could show you a shortcut. If you give me that armor you're wearing."Shug frowns at your quick refusal. "Huh? You know I could beat you up and take it, don't you?"The Earth Mule snorts and Shug glances at the two elemental mules and the three sleeping adventurers. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be fair to embarrass you in front of your friends by taking your armor away. In that case, I'll show you a shortcut if you give me all your gold."1193g seems a small price to pay for a quick pass through the Cloudcutter Mountains, though you aren't certain your guide will be trustworthy.>Ask Shug to show you a shortcut (1193g)>Don't give him anything
>>6444999>Don't give him anythingOh I fucking hate this guy, he STINKS! I'm not doing business with him.
>>6444999>Ask Shug to show you a shortcut (1193g)I hope he tries to betray us so I can have a reason to beat him with a stick
>>6445005Oh you know what I change my mind let's fucking pay him for the shortcut and jump him to get it back, because he fucking ripped us off big time with the water mule. >>6444999>>6445002I change my vote to >Ask Shug to show you a shortcut (1193g)>And demand the money back because he owes us from the water mule
>>6444999>Ask Shug to show you a shortcut (1193g)
>>6444999>>Don't give him anything
>>6444999>>Ask Shug to show you a shortcut (1193g)h8 this guy
>>6444999>Ask Shug to show you a shortcut (1193g)maybe we should give him up to the Evil Fucking Dungeon Voice....
>>6444999>Ask Shug to show you a shortcut (1193g)I don’t wanna get beat up :(
"What are you upset about? You tamed that Water Mule thanks to my advice, didn't you?" Shug looks away from the fire into the dark. "You should be thanking me."You can't help gripping the handle of your Gold Hoe tightly and then Shug grins. "Do you want to take the shortcut, or do you want to play soldier?"With a deep breath, you reach inside the Ancient Armor and then toss the pouch of 1193g to Shug.He catches it and weighs it in his hand and then nods. "Alright." Shug pockets the gold and points at Korr sitting on the cliff above him. "Have your Smart Crow follow me. When your friends wake up tomorrow, it can show you the way."You open your mouth to protest Shug's plan when he looks up at Korr."This Smart Crow is smart enough to follow a path, isn't it?"Korr tilts its beak up at Shug and then silently flaps into the dark sky.Shug steps away from the cave mouth and walks out of the firelight. "Thanks for the gold."As you start to follow, you hear Lark's sleepy voice at your back. "Who're you talking to?"The priestess lifts her head from her bedroll and blinks drowsily and when you look back out into the dark, Shug is gone, and Korr as well.The next morning, everything is nearly packed when Korr flaps down into the mouth of the cave in front of the smoldering campfire. The Smart Crow hops across the cave floor toward you and looks up."Mines!""Mines?" Grif cinches the Water Mule's harness taut and looks at Korr. "Does this mean your Smart Crow has found a path to the highest peak?"Lark crouches next to Korr and scratches its head as the Smart Crow clucks happily. "What a good Smart Crow!"Flam sits up on his bedroll. "Let's hurry!"For now, it seems unnecessary to mention Shug's involvement.
Korr leads you forward through the mountains and nearly constant battles, until you and the adventurers are weary and sure you have faced your last, when you roll out onto a cliff overlooking the Dark Lord's mine. Even after a thousand years the weathered stone is still clearly carved as the waning light of dusk passes over it."We'll take watch again." Grif glances at Flam gasping as the wizard slumps over the cart.All through your watch you expect Shug to appear and harangue you once more, but the night is quiet other than the wind swirling down from the highest peak far overhead above the mine entrance.Suddenly Korr caws."Woman."A silhouette steps into the firelight and becomes a woman with flowing hair and a thin flowing gown.Behind you, Grif stirs and raises his head. "Hmm? What?"The woman looks toward Grif and whispers a chant. "Sleep."Immediately the warrior slumps back down onto his bedroll and the woman walks toward you. Korr opens its beak to caw but the woman's chant is faster."Charm."Korr's beak closes softly and the Smart Crow looks toward the woman as she gazes at the Dark Lord's ring."I am Drim the Sorceress." When she speaks her voice belies her stern visage. "Why has a farmer come to the mines of the Dark Lord?"The woman cannot hide her disbelief when you tell her your goal of harvesting Angel Fruits from the top of the highest peak, but at the mention of Snaz the Artificer, her lips part in surprise."You know Snaz? Then that means..." Drim blinks and straightens her lips. "If you're a friend to Snaz, then I'll grant you a boon."She holds up her hand, and between her elegant fingers are four tiny crystals, one sparking from within like the Fiery Shard you used to enchant your Gold Hoe, and with it another that splashes like the ocean and one that shudders with a grinding rock against its inner surface and one that billows like a stormcloud."I see you are familiar with Crystal Shards." Drim smiles and tosses her hair. "You may take one, if you like.">Fiery Shard>Wave Shard>Geo Shard>Wind Shard>No thanks
>>6445408>Geo Shard
>>6445407Oh my fucking God this guy is a genius... Fuck! I am gonna KICK HIS FUCKING ASS!!!! FUCK!!!!! >>6445408>Wave Shard I think whatever is in the mines will be earth based because it's underground, and it seems like fire magic is effective against water enemies, and water enemies are effective against earth enemies. I suspect that earth is effective against wind, which is effective against fire...
>>6445407man do I dislike that guy.>>6445408>A silhouette steps into the firelight and becomes a woman with flowing hair and a thin flowing gown.We gotta do something about these nightly ambushes, they are becoming a habit.We'll have to ask Snaz about her when we get back.>>6445408>Wave ShardA mine is intentionally built entirely underground, unlike what appears to be the case with our dungeon (iirc it was originally just the lower floors/basement of an entire castle?)We should spend a question with Hans (or find some other tutor) on the basics of elemental interactions. We know that fire was effective against water, but nothing else. Are fire/water strong AND weak to search other, is there a rock, paper scissors thing going on, or is there some other system at play?I'm willing to hope that we find earth-aligned baddies, and that earth is weak to water.
>>6445408>Wave ShardWouldn't a Wave Shard also be useful if we wanted to tame a Fire Mule? You know, water and fire..
>>6445606But flare and fire shards were what we needed to beat the water mule, so it wouldn't work the other way around, I don't think. And the water mule had an advantage against the earth mule.
>>6445408>>Wind Shard
"The Wave Shard? Very well." Drin flicks her hand and the other three Crystal Shards disappear, and then she holds the crystal filled with a tumbling roil of water in her palm for you to take.GOT WAVE SHARD!Drim smiles again. "It would please me to hear how a farmer came to wear the Dark Lord's ring." She holds out one arm and Korr flaps upward and into her arms to rest against her bosom as she strokes its head and looks toward the two elemental mules. "I am not disheartened to see you wearing it." She holds Korr to look at her and whispers "He treats you well, does he not?"Flam mutters in his sleep and the woman smiles once more."But now isn't the time." Drim holds Korr gently and turns the Smart Crow toward you and then she whispers in its ear "This is your master."Korr flaps down to the cave floor in a daze and then Drim begins to leave but turns back toward you. "Good luck with your Angel Fruits. And..." She looks at the Dark Lord's ring and the Ancient Armor and then to you."If you speak to Snaz again, tell him he is not forgotten."The next morning, Grif sits up and stretches with a yawn that becomes a smile.Flam ties his bedroll as he looks up at the warrior. "I trust you slept well?""Even better." Grif glances toward Lark petting the Earth Mule and Water Mule and then whispers to you and Flam. "I dreamed of a beautiful woman!"The morning sun glints off the Frozen Peas gathering on the ridgeline beyond the mine entrance. Everyone hurries to pack and the carts are soon rolling quickly down the slope and into the great worked stone mouth of the Dark Lord's ancient mine.As the light fades at your back, the three adventurers listen carefully to what Hans told you of this place."Deep Onions?" Grif scoffs. "If they're anything like Hungry Onions, they won't be a challenge to the likes of us.""There may be some reanimated corpses." Flam feels around for a torch and lights it. "The Dark Lord was said to have such things.""A dragon?" Lark's voice belies her surprise. "I hope we don't encounter..."*klump**klump*"There's something up ahead." Grif draws his sword as Flam holds up the torch and the light reflects off of a pair of huge inky-black eyes hop forward toward your caravan, and then the dungeon crop opens its toothy mouth.
The Frozen Peas were less dangerous. They at least were slow to follow when you escaped from the surrounding swarm.The Deep Onions pursue you relentlessly through the mines. The frenzied snapping of its jaws invariably draw more, and those in turn draw more. A single Deep Onion that catches you unaware ends in a pile of six or eight.At the end of a long hallway Grif raises his hand and motions for the torch. "Wait a second." The carts slow to a stop as Grif takes the torch from Flam.The warrior holds up the torch and looks down at the huge stairwell carved into the floor at his feet.Flam scratches his beard and looks back at the dark tunnel behind the carts. "We've covered most of this level.""Down's the last way we want to go." Grif holds the torch higher and peers down the stairwell. "But perhaps we can find a means to the higher levels from here." Grif nods to Lark and steps down the stairwell. Behind him, the Spiked Wheels begin to roll forward as the Earth Mule follows down the huge stone stairwell.The lower level is as meticulously carved as the rest of the mine. The two carts reach the bottom of the stairwell and roll down a long wide passage."No more Deep Onions." Flam looks around the edge of the flickering torchlight.You hear the sound of a sword being drawn and Lark looks to Grif. "What's wrong?"Grif draws his own sword and looks around the dark. "That wasn't me."
Suddenly, a skull wrapped in ragged black cloth floats out of the dark and a long, narrow sword slashes downward from above! You try to parry but your Gold Hoe is knocked aside and then the bony arms wrapped in the same black cloth slash again! Your Ancient Armor rings with the blow that would have bisected your Thorn Coat as the force bruises your side.Another swings its sword at Grif and he grunts with effort as he blocks it. The Necro Ninja's sword scrapes down the length of Grif's Gold Sword and then both combatants leap apart as a third Necro Ninja vaults downward from the mine ceiling toward Lark!Lark flings her hands up as she quickly blurts out the chant. "Sleep!"The black-wrapped bones collapse into a heap on the mine floor in front of Lark.The first Necro Ninja swings again, and you manage to strike at its blade and then follow through your own swing with a hard blow to its skull that chips the bone.Grif strikes and parries as he pants, but his dead opponent is tireless and strikes again as the warrior barely manages to block it with his own sword. "Flam!"The wizard plants his feet on the ground and slaps his hands together as he chants the spell of Flare.The Necro Ninja's wrappings are burned away and the steaming black bones tumble back with the blast, scattering across the mine floor.You strike at the first Necro Ninja again but it leaps upward and strikes down, nearly taking off your arm at the shoulder! You cry out in undeniable agony and swing your Gold Hoe wildly."Heal!"Lark's voice heralds a dulling of the fire in your shoulder but the agonizing pain remains as sharp as the Necro Ninja's sword.Grif takes its skull off from behind with a swing of his Gold Sword.The last Necro Ninja wakes when Grif strikes it, but you are prepared and the two of you overwhelm it.Lark lays a hand on the back of your Ancient Armor and closes her eyes as she chants the spell of Heal again. This time, the pain disappears entirely.Grif picks up the torch and you continue forward. When you reach a junction Grif pauses for a moment and then continues on but you soon find the mine has collapsed and the way beyond is impassable.The other route leads to another stairwell dug deeper down into the mine.Grif leans over the edge with you and Lark and Flam looking over his shoulders. The torch gripped in the warrior's hand flickers as a draft wafts up from below.>Continue moving forward down the stairwell>Go back and try to find another way upward
>>6445686>Go back and try to find another way upward
>>6445684>She holds out one arm and Korr flaps upward and into her arms [...] Drim holds Korr gently and turns the Smart Crow toward you and then she whispers in its ear "This is your master." [...] Korr flaps down to the cave floor in a dazeThis is... unsettling. I'm already regretting taking her gift.>>6445686>>Go back and try to find another way upwardWe are not prepared for things to get even more difficult. We can take a look later, with better equipment for us and our companions.
>>6445686>Go back and try to find another way upwardWe seem pretty under equipped for this dungeon.
>>6445686>>Continue moving forward down the stairwell
Grif looks over his shoulder and as you shake your head he nods his own. "The depths of this place will be our tomb.""We may have missed something on the upper level." Flam grips one of the Spiked Wheel's spikes to steady himself. "I still have a bit of magic power left."By the time you and your party find a staircase tucked away in a back corner of the upper level, Lark is riding slumped in the back of the Earth Mule's cart, half-awake.*klump*You whirl in place and swing your Gold Hoe at the Deep Onion, and Grif's blade slices the dungeon crop as you draw back for another swing but then you and the warrior both look up.*klump**klump**klump**klump**klump*From the edge of the torchlight a dozen pairs of huge inky black eyes bob up and down, then two dozen, all chattering as their toothy mouths quiver."Go! Go!" Grif waves as he shouts. Flam climbs onto the Water Mule's cart as it rolls past behind the Earth Mule's cart as they speed blindly up the stairs. Grif turns back away from the stairs and raises his Gold Sword as you raise your Gold Hoe against the oncoming rush of Deep Onions.You and Grif and the carts race up the stairwell higher and higher with the horde of Deep Onions chasing at your heels. You swing your Gold Hoe as you skip sideways up the winding stairs, knocking away one of the snapping Deep Onions leaping up at you while Grif spins and kicks another and then slices a third with his Gold Sword as you both turn and hurry up the stairs.Up and up you race as the carts roll in front of you and then Lark calls out from above. "I can see light up ahead!"You fling a quick glance behind you and see the stairwell choked with Deep Onions, chewing each other and the stone itself as the mass surges forward up the stairs toward you!Flam leans over the back of the Water Mule's cart in front of you and raises his hands. All around you the air suddenly stills and then rushes up toward him as it combusts around his hands. "Flare!"You and Grif both leap forward and grab the back of the cart as Flam chants the spell of Flare one last time over your heads and grip tightly as you ride in front of the explosion.The Earth Mule bursts out of the mountain and skids sideways to stay upon the narrow cliff ledge and the Water Mule leaps out behind with the explosion of fire at the back of the cart. Your stomach plunges as the momentum carries you and Flam and Grif in the cart sailing over the edge of the cliff!The Water Mule digs in its heels and lunges forward, dragging the cart back around through the air until the Spiked Wheels skid along the cliff edge and the cart comes to a stop.
You and Flam and Grif all shakily peer over the edge of the cart at the long, long drop down the mountain and then hastily scramble out of the cart on the other side onto the cliff ledge.When everyone is out, you and Lark and Grif and Flam all look at one another and then you begin to chuckle and laugh at your fortune.The others begin to set camp as you carefully peer over the cliff edge and look down. Just as Hans said, you've come out the mines halfway up the mountain.That night, you make camp on the cliff ledge. It seems you're high enough that the Deep Onions will no longer bother you, and for the time being, there are no Frozen Peas.Their absence is short-lived. The next day is spent battling your way up the mountain fighting Frozen Peas the entire way.The immense height is dizzying. The mountain has nearly become a needle. When you look over the edge on your second night upon the mountain, you are sure you would fall for an hour or more before you finally reached its base.On the third night, the warm coats packed in the provisions are no longer enough. The wind is biting.Flam grips his hat to keep it from blowing away over the cliffside. "Maybe we can make camp around the next bend!"Grif squints into the wind and then looks back at you and the others. "There's something up ahead!"As you push forward through the hard wind you see a crack in the cliffside large enough to drive the carts through."It's warm!" Lark looks around the cavern and shrugs off her coat.Grif nods and reaches to loose the Water Mule from its cart.Suddenly the Water Mule lifts its head and snorts a cloud of mist and then it brays and rears up on its back legs, almost upending the cart!Something else brays in the dark and then the back of the cave is lit with a burst of red light. A huge burning shape like a mule made of hot coals ambles up from the depths, quaking the ground with its hooves, and shakes its mane of fire and then snorts flames from its nostrils as it brays again.>Fight the Fire Mule>Run away
>>6445734>You fling a quick glance behind you and see the stairwell choked with Deep Onions, chewing each other and the stone itself as the mass surges forward up the stairs toward you!Oh geez, how are we ever going to get back down this mountain with loaded carts?>>6445736>you and Lark and Grif and Flam all look at one another and then you begin to chuckle and laugh at your fortune.With absolutely no edge of hysteria to said laughter. No siree.>On the third night, the warm coats packed in the provisions are no longer enough. The wind is biting.Hopefully the Water Mules doesn't start turning into an Ice Mule on us.>A huge burning shape like a mule made of hot coals ambles up from the depths, quaking the ground with its hooves, and shakes its mane of fire and then snorts flames from its nostrils as it brays again.We are under-prepared, under equipped, surrounded by terrible terrain for combat, on it's home turf, have been caught flat-footed with both of our mules still hitched, and burns are incredibly painful.On the other hand, it will be a huge pain to get back up here if we want to try again later, and it would be fantastic to have a mobile heater to combat the bitter cold.Tempting, tempting. >Fight the Fire MuleI'm willing to try and feel it out. I doubt we can take it now, but if we can get it's measure, we'll have a better sense of what to expect next time.
>>6445736>Fight the Fire MuleNormally I would say run away but we just so happen to have a wave shard and can unhitch the water mule.
>>6445736>>Fight the Fire MuleWe just gotta ride the wave XD
As you charge the Fire Mule, the adventurers call and shout at your back until you hold up the Wave Shard in the dim flickering light of the Fire Mule."A Wave Shard!" Flam calls out as you shake your Gold Hoe toward the Fire Mule. "Where did you get that?""Forget where he got it!" Grif rushes after you toward the Fire Mule. "Get those carts free!"The blade of your Gold Hoe is glowing hot even at a distance. Grif joins you and harries the Fire Mule with his Gold Sword as the edge begins to shimmer and glow.Flam looses the Water Mule from its cart and a moment later Lark grunts with strain and pulls the cinch of the Earth Mule's cart free. "Go get 'em, Rocky!"The Fire Mule stamps its hooves at your bluff and then lunges forward to bite you with its teeth of flaming coals when a blur of water slams against the Fire Mule's jaw! The Water Mule batters its forehooves down again, dousing the flames along the Fire Mule's head.The Fire Mule lunges its head at the other elemental mule, snapping at the Water Mule's evaporating hindquarters as the two huge beasts grapple in a circle, each biting and kicking at the other.Suddenly, the Earth Mule kicks the Fire Mule sideways and then tramples on it until the Fire Mule is knocked down! The Earth Mule's grassy mane is blackening and smoldering amid the flames, its stony skin and hooves slowly glowing orange, yet it continues to stomp and bray as it smashes the Fire Mule into the cavern floor.You crush the Wave Shard and a stream rushes out from your hand across the handle of your Gold Hoe and envelopes the blade in a roiling sphere of water that streaks out behind it like a comet tail as you bring your Wave Hoe crashing down upon the Fire Mule.The explosion of water and steam blasts everything backward from the point of impact. The adventurers' cries are muted by the deafening hiss and you clench your eyes closed as your face contorts against the hot steam.The cavern is immediately filled with a thick blinding fog.When the air finally begins to clear, the Water Mule stands on one side of the cavern and the Earth Mule on the other, soaked and dripping, and between them and in front of you the flickering Fire Mule struggles to stand. It drops to its knees and the puddle beneath it hisses and then the Fire Mule glares up at you and your Wave Hoe and the Dark Lord's ring and then bows its huge head as its mane of flames begins to burn higher.
Grif wipes his face. "I don't believe it!""You've tamed another elemental mule?!" Flam wrings his hat in front of him as the water runs out onto the cavern floor.That night, your camp is warm and dry, even as the cruel cold air whips over the mountain face outside the cavern.When supper is over, you sit next to Flam and ask the wizard for a moment of explanation."The elements?" Flam looks toward the Fire Mule lying nearby, its waving flames serving as the night's campfire. "I suppose you've taken an interest in these things with your new barren." The wizard moves to sit across from you and then reaches into his sleeve and produces a small piece of chalk. As you watch, Flam draws a wave on his left side and across from it a flame on his right side. In front of you, he draws a diamond, and at his crossed feet he draws a cloud.Korr hops next to you and peers down at the chalk drawings between you and the wizard as Flam draws a line from the wave to the flame. The wizard glances up at you and taps the chalk against the cavern floor. "These elements oppose one another. The pour of water and the blaze of fire." He crosses it with another line from the cloud to the diamond. "The weight of earth and the lift of wind." He redraws the crossed lines from side to side. "Each clashes against its opposite."The chalk is dragged in a curve around the outer edge of the cross from the flame to the cloud. "This is the circle of the world. Fire eats wind." He drags the chalk in a curve from the cloud to the wave. "Wind steals away water." Flam draws the curve from the wave to the diamond. "Water washes away earth." The wizard completes the circle from the diamond to the flame. "Earth smothers fire."You and Korr sit in front of the chalked circle long after Flam and the others have gone to sleep.
The next morning, you resume your trek up the mountain with the Fire Mule in tow. The Spiked Wheels of your carts dig into the stony cliff and all around you the air has turned to white, and then the Earth Mule disappears and you follow it up into the clouds.The creaking of the carts is muffled, and the calls of the adventurers sound distant, but then your head rises above the top of the cloud and you look out over the entirety of the wasteland and the lands beyond it blurring into the far, far distance.A plump pinkish Brainfruit with a halo of golden light glimmering above it floats over the top of the cloud, oblivious to you.Lark gasps as her head rises up next to yours and she whispers "An Angel Fruit! I've never seen one before!"Grif's head pops up on the other side of your own. "What luck!" He glances excitedly toward you and Lark and then whispers as he draws his sword. "To think we'd find one right away!""We may not soon see another." Flam's head rises up on the other side of Lark and then the wind carries the Angel Fruit closer and you hear its quiet murmuring.The Angel Fruit drifts closer still, and you remember Hans once told you some people seek enlightenment in the words of this sunlight crop.>Harvest it before it gets away>Peacefully watch it for now
>>6445990Hmm, I don't know. You need an angel fruit for each single tile, right? A single one won't do much...
>>6445990>Peacefully watch it for now@___@ *watches*
>>6445990I'd say to lay low and tail it from a distance. We don't know how powerful these things are. The Brainfruit family have strange spells.
>>6445990>Peacefully watch it for nowLet's mentally communicate our respect to it
>>6445990>>Peacefully watch it for now^______^
>>6445987That was much easier than I feared. I suppose it helped a great deal to have the two elements most likely to be effective against fire (earth and water).>>6445989Yay learning!Sounds like the opposites are more-or-less equal, and that the real power difference is in the rock-paper-scissors arrangement.>>6445990>Peacefully watch it for nowWe are going to need a lot to make a meaningful difference on our land. It's worth letting this one go to learn the basics of how they function. Hopefully the extra knowledge will pay for its self soon enough.
The Angel Fruit murmurs continuously, golden ambrosia drooling from the pouched corner of its toothless mouth, but from where you and the others hide you can't quite discern its words. The winds shift and the Angel Fruit is spun around and begins to drift back away from you.The quiet sound of Grif sheathing his Gold Sword breaks the silence. "We missed our chance!""I agree we should be patient." Lark peers across the top of the cloud. "Where there's one, we'll surely find another."Flam nods. "Not much is known about Angel Fruits. Until now I wasn't certain they truly existed."Another cloud passes closer and closer to the peak and Lark looks up and points. "Look, there's another one!"Everyone else turns their heads and sees an Angel Fruit floating atop the approaching cloud. As it passes by it collides with the point of the mountain and tumbles off the broken-up cloud onto the mountaintop.Grif moves to leap at the Angel Fruit when Flam puts a hand on Grif's arm and silently nods upward.The shadow of another passing cloud overhead draws your gaze but then the cloud grows larger and larger as it sinks down toward you and the adventurers and you see it's no cloud but an enormous elemental mule with a coat of billowing white and eyes gleaming like the sunset sky!The Wind Mule is huge, at least twice as tall as the Earth Mule. Surely no dragon was ever larger than this beast. It lands as lightly as an autumn fog in front of you and the others cowering in the cloud, but in its presence you can feel the air pushed aside by its tremendous form.And then it brays.The sound begins like a thunderclap and rises in volume, and you and the adventurers hiding beneath it clutch your ears and clench your eyes tightly closed as the enormous Wind Mule brays again above your heads.>Attack the Wind Mule>Wait for it to leave
>>6446073>>Attack the Wind MuleIf we're going to be farming Angel Fruits up here, better to deal with this thing now while we any the initiative. Also, we've got all 3 other Mules as assistants. Water<Wind<Fire<Earth, I believe, so our newly captured Fire Mule should be helpful here.Also, holy crap, wasn't expecting to complete our collection anywhere near this fast. At some point we'll need to get ourselves a carriage or Large Cart, purely so we can team all four Mules together for style points.
>>6446073>Attack the Wind MuleLet's GOOO
>>6446073>Attack the Wind MuleOur roster is stacked. We have a guy that can cast flare and a fire mule. If this guy can fly, and we can ride him, we could add hunting angel fruit to our roster of farming tasks.
>>6446073>>Attack the Wind Mule
>>6446073>Attack the Wind Mule
>>6446073>Attack the Wind MuleMULE COLLECTIONNNNNN
I like that the elemental creatures are mules instead of horses
>>6446297What if we made the mules kiss? Or shipped the most compatible ones together.
You raise your Gold Hoe and shout a taunt to the Wind Mule, but the immense beast is faster than you expect and before you can even step backward it seizes you in its huge jaws, teeth clamped around your Ancient Armor!The Ancient Armor creaks beneath its bite and then the Wind Mule begins to thrash its head. As you lurch back and forth you catch sight of Grif running into the cloud toward the carts.Fire explodes against the Wind Mule's haunch and you're suddenly flung from its jaws and smash against the mountainside.The Wind Mule charges at Flam and rears up on its back hooves and brings its forehooves down to stomp him. The wizard falls back and raises one arm uselessly but then Flam is suddenly beneath the Earth Mule's underbelly. It brays as the Wind Mule's hooves slam against its back.The Earth Mule is driven to its knees with the next blow and Flam is pushed down by its weight."Sleep!"The spell does not work. The Wind Mule turns its gigantic head to look behind itself at Lark and then it kicks out with the force of a hurricane gale.Grif leaps in front of the priestess and grimaces as the Wind Mule's enormous hoof strikes him. Something sparking with firelight flies from Grif's hand and Lark, knocked back by the force of the blow, cries out as she falls and vanishes into the cloud.The Wind Mule turns back toward Flam and the Earth Mule. Grif lies unmoving.When you run toward where Lark fell, Grif groans weakly and mutters "Fiery Shard..."The cloud at your feet swirls open for a second and you glimpse the sparking crystal that fell from Grif's hand.GOT FIERY SHARD!Flam crawls out from underneath the Earth Mule but the Wind Mule easily glides across the cloud to block the wizard's retreat. Flam scrambles to stand and raises his hands in front of him."F-Flare!"Flam chants his last spell of Flare and collapses back beneath the swaying Earth Mule as the fire explodes against the Wind Mule's chest.The Wind Mule brays when you strike its leg with your Fiery Hoe.With one desperate idea in hand you look around and see through a quick opening in the billowing vapors to the carts below the cloud and then you shake your Fiery Hoe from side to side to catch the Wind Mule's attention.The Wind Mule, enraged at its last moving target, charges as you turn and run across the cloud to play your final card held close to your chest until this moment.Its thundering bray is terrifyingly close, and then the Wind Mule swings its immense head and bashes you sideways, sending you through the air and sprawling on your stomach. You roll over onto your back but the Wind Mule is already rearing up on its hind legs.It stomps its hooves against your Ancient Armor as it brays, thrashing your body and breaking your bones despite the armor's near-invulnerability.
But your ruse has worked. The Wind Mule rears up again and the great beast's eyes gleam cruelly as it means to trample you to death when suddenly you see the underside of the cloud glow with red light.The Fire Mule bursts upward out of the cloud and latches its teeth into the Wind Mule's haunch. Bursts of flame alight from the Fire Mule's white-hot teeth.Your vision has turned red and blurred. There is no strength left in your neck, though you can still see the battle.The Wind Mule stomps down on the Fire Mule, but its smashing hooves drive the Fire Mule's flames higher even as it pushes the Fire Mule down against the cloudy surface. The Fire Mule springs to its feet and rears up on its hind legs as it waves its forehooves in challenge at the immense Wind Mule twice its size.The Fire Mule is struck again by the Wind Mule's hooves as it stomps again and again, trampling on the Fire Mule so thoroughly that the Fire Mule's flames are blown out, but then the Fire Mule springs around and kicks the Wind Mule's jaw with its last bit of strength.The enormous Wind Mule rears up and brays one last time, a long angry thunderclap that echoes over the world below you, and then it tumbles backward in a huge puff of cloudstuff.As your vision begins to fade, you see the upper edge of the Wind Mule's huge unmoving form begin to waft away in the chill breeze as it loses substance, until soon there is nothing left of it.Then there is nothing more for you but pain and darkness and the murmuring of the Angel Fruit.Your blind purgatory upon the mountain drags on beneath the Angel Fruit's murmured words as the sunlight crop passes back and forth above your body.Above you, the murmuring voice of the Angel Fruit speaks a word you understand."Heal."Your lungs are too torn to gasp at the feeling and then the feeling passes and all that remains is pain and the murmuring Angel Fruit. In your blind insensate torment you see whole pageants of good and evil, faces familiar and unknown, and again the Angel Fruit speaks a word you know."Heal."The Angel Fruit's murmurings are almost distinct now. You lift your head to hear it better but the movement is tiring and you rest again. Your labored breath quiets and at last you comprehend its murmuring and for one brief moment you glimpse the world behind the world.GAINED 6 MPLEARNED THE SPELL OF PAIN
When the Angel Fruit chants the spell of Heal, you blink and sit up and then immediately collapse with a groan and a long wracking coughing fit yet somehow you are still alive, your body still intact.The Angel Fruit spins away and drifts in the wind as it continues to murmur.Grif groans as you stumble past him, your head filled with a confusing tumble of thoughts. The Angel Fruit's words are already a half-forgotten dream.The cloud envelopes you and then you find Lark sprawled on her side between the carts with the Water Mule standing over her. You crouch next to Lark and as you lift her head the priestess blinks and looks around and winces as she struggles to rise. "What happened? Did we..." Lark looks up at you and then grins when you nod and help her to stand.The two of you pick your way back up through the cloud and then Lark hurries toward Grif and kneels down next to the warrior. "Heal!"Grif sucks in a breath and rolls over and then pushes himself up onto his elbows and groans. "Did we...""The Wind Mule was defeated." Flam looks around the mountaintop and his gaze settles on the lone Angel Fruit slowly drifting toward the edge of the cloud. "We failed to capture it."Lark reaches out toward the Earth Mule and chants the spell of Heal and then turns toward the Fire Mule. "Heal!"The Earth Mule snorts and stands up and shakes its mane of grass and then the Fire Mule's flames begin to flicker higher.The Water Mule's head emerges from the cloud and brays at Lark."You don't need any healing!" Lark stops and looks to one side. Grif begins to speak but Lark holds up a hand. "Listen. Do you hear something?"A tiny shadow flits over you and high in the sky Korr circles around a small cloud and caws.Lark holds one hand over her brow to shield her eyes and squints up at the cloud. "What is it, Korr?"The cloud floats toward the mountaintop and you clamber up the point. When you begin to slide back down, something solid jars against your feet and the Earth Mule lifts you up higher with its head as the cloud drifts by in front of you.Nestled in the passing cloud is a tiny Wind Mule colt, no bigger than a lamb, curled slumbering inside an old broken horse bridle.>Take the Wind Mule colt>Leave it alone for now
>>6446381They're mules, so go nuts
>>6446422>Above you, the murmuring voice of the Angel Fruit speaks a word you understand.I'm kinda disinclined to kill a bunch of these for literal fertilizer now.Actually, I'm tempted to go back to plan A, namely, purifying Rotten BrainFruits. I'm thinking we don't need to do an entire field, just have a small plot we use for high-value crops and experimentation.>GAINED 6 MP>LEARNED THE SPELL OF PAINOh wow.Oh no....That could have gone better. Punished for our hubris, I suppose.And we didn't even get to complete our collection!>>6446424>"You don't need any healing!"Heh.>Take the Wind Mule coltThere's pretty good odds we drove off it's parent. Who knows when (or if) it will be back.
>>6446424yowch. We haven't been that close to death since our first foolhardy dungeon excursion. I'm not sure if gaining MP and a new spell called "Pain" is a good thing or a bad thing. Actually, I'm not sure what the consequences of obtaining magic are. I don't think we have traditional RPG leveling systems here, unless we never bothered to check our own stats...>Take the Wind Mule coltThis is usually a bad idea, but considering how thoroughly the Wind Mule was beaten into nothing, chances are this little one will die without a parental figure. Shame about the AngelFruit, but there's always next time to be better prepared for it.
>>6446424>Take the Wind Mule coltBaby
>>6446424>Take the Wind Mule colt>>6446433Rather than just drive it off it might just be dead.
>>6446424>>Leave it alone for now
You reach out as far as you can and cradle the Wind Mule colt and the bridle from underneath, swaying unsteadily as the Earth Mule lowers you back down.The adventurers crowd around you and gasp when they see the colt in your arms. The other three elemental mules all look down over your shoulders, and the colt half-opens its eyes and brays sleepily."Oh!" Lark squeaks in delight. "It's adorable!"The colt lifts up its head and bites at the pointed tip of Flam's dangling hat as he raises his head out of its reach. "Elemental mules are the offspring of elementals and other monsters or animals. This colt was likely left in the care of that giant Wind Mule by its true parent"Grif takes the old bridle from your arm and examines it closely. "Perhaps Iver the blacksmith can restore this."Another cloud drifts by and atop it an Angel Fruit floating aimlessly. The Wind Mule colt brays at the passing Angel Fruit and then squirms out of your arms and drops to the cloudy ground.The colt squeezes between Lark and Flam on wobbly legs and laboriously chases after, stumbling across the cloudy mountaintop and braying up at the Angel Fruit overhead. For a moment its hooves all rise from the ground and it kicks through the air, then it drifts back down to the ground and hops again, braying up at the sunlight crop floating out of reach above it.>Stay here and begin harvesting Angel Fruit>Return to your farm to harvest Rotten Fruit
>>6446481>The colt squeezes between Lark and Flam on wobbly legs and laboriously chases after, stumbling across the cloudy mountaintop and braying up at the Angel Fruit overhead. For a moment its hooves all rise from the ground and it kicks through the air, then it drifts back down to the ground and hops again, braying up at the sunlight crop floating out of reach above it.>image related>Return to your farm to harvest Rotten FruitI can't do it. Not after they saved our life.
>>6446481>Return to your farm to harvest Rotten FruitThese are pure, kind creatures, I cannot hunt them. Let us turn our gaze to their unfortunate cousins...
>>6446481>Return to your farm to harvest Rotten Fruitdamnit, this is too cute. and considering how we almost got put into the ground for good just to find these lovely little things, paying 1001g for transforming Rotten Fruits into Angel Fruits doesn't sound so bad.
>>6446481>Return to your farm to harvest Rotten Fruit
>>6446481>>Stay here and begin harvesting Angel Fruit
>>6446481>Return to your farm to harvest Rotten FruitWe can’t harvest these guys, they literally saved our life.
You see now the folly of your endeavor, but as you begin to mumble an apology, Grif shakes his head. "We agreed to help get you up here and back down, nothing more." He glances up at the cloud. "I can't say quite why, but the thought of harvesting these Angel Fruits makes me uneasy."Lark giggles as the Wind Mule colt butts its head against her thigh and brays up at her. "Does this mean you're thinking about transforming Rotten Fruits into Angel Fruits?""That may be more difficult than you realize." Flam shakes his head. "It's rare to come across a single piece of enchanted gold. Though I suppose you won't have to worry about that until you find a Rotten Fruit!"You and the Earth Mule and the Water Mule and the Fire Mule and the three adventurers all head back down the mountain with the Wind Mule colt riding next to Lark.Suddenly the colt leaps between the carts and lands on Flam's lap. The wizard's amusement is short-lived when it tries to bite the tip of his long pointed hat again.That night when you make camp in the Fire Mule's cavern, the Wind Mule colt stumbles around and around the cavern braying at everything. Lark reaches out to pet its head and it indulges her for only a moment before it trots away, braying loudly at the Water Mule as it does.The colt springs up onto one of the Spiked Wheels and brays at the Earth Mule resting next to it. The Earth Mule turns its head toward the colt and snorts a cloud of dust from its nostrils. The colt leaps from the Spiked Wheel and quickly trots away, braying back at the Earth Mule as it flees.The Water Mule stomps its hooves and brays in annoyance when the colt bites at its hooves. The Water Mule stomps and the colt stumbles away, braying at Korr as it passes the Smart Crow roosting atop one of the Spiked Wheels.Grif flinches and casts a nervous look toward the cave mouth. "If it keeps this up, the noise might attract other monsters."The Earth Mule suddenly pins the Wind Mule colt down with one stony forehoof. The colt struggles to free itself and then brays up at the Earth Mule but when the Earth Mule snorts twin jets of dust the Wind Mule colt is suddenly quiet.The Earth Mule licks out its sandstone tongue between the colt's ears as the Wind Mule colt remains pinned. When the Earth Mule lifts its hoof, the colt silently ambles toward the Fire Mule and then lies down next to it and curls up.
The next morning, you and the others break camp and continue down. With the Fire Mule, the chill is easily endured.The Frozen Peas are just as numerous, but the Wind Mule colt happily devours whatever is presented. On the second day down, the colt brays from the back of the cart as its forehooves hang over the board. When the carts curve around the next bend, the mine exit comes into view, still stained black from Flam's magic. The outside is littered with burned coals of Deep Onion. With the Fire Mule in the lead, and the path known, you and Grif can easily deal with the Deep Onions.You come out the mines with both carts laden high with Deep Onions.Flam nods intently as you explain the relative worths of dungeon crops and sunlight crops within the Glynton market. "I see. And you expect these Deep Onions will hold more value because of it." As you walk alongside the Water Mule's cart, the wizard turns and looks at the pile of Frozen Peas behind him. "I had wondered why you only took a score of these Frozen Peas."That night you camp out on the ridge overlooking the Dark Lord's mine. Your uneasy watch is spent waiting for guests that never arrive.By the time you've reached the end of Shug's shortcut, the thought of encountering Shug or Drim seems less likely with each rise you surmount.Fourteen days after you left your farm, the Wind Mule colt brays as you cross the wasteland, for the walls of Glynton are in sight."This was quite..." Flam scratches his beard as he looks from the Fire Mule to the Wind Mule colt as it trots ahead toward Glynton and stops and brays when it realizes how far away the walls really are. The wizard smiles. "Memorable."Lark kneels next to the Wind Mule colt and strokes its head and then she looks up at you. "Are you going back to your farm now?"Grif claps your back and puts an arm around your shoulder. "Why not stay the night and celebrate a successful expedition?">Stay the night in Glynton>Go straight home
>>6446805>Stay the night in GlyntonHmm, we might as well get to know the adventurers.
>>6446805>>Stay the night in Glyntonmight as well sell crops and get back to the farm in the morning
>>6446805>Stay the night in Glynton
>>6446805>Stay the night in GlyntonThese guys are our bros, I trust them now.
>>6446804>the Wind Mule colt stumbles around and around the cavern braying at everything.Reminds me of a puppy.>The Earth Mule licks out its sandstone tongue between the colt's ears as the Wind Mule colt remains pinned.It's easy to forget sometimes, but the Mules are rather intelligent.>>6446805>"This was quite..." [...] "Memorable."That's a good word for it.>Stay the night in GlyntonIt's already been a full fortnight. A single extra day won't make a difference. Plus, it provides a good opportunity to sell the Dungeon Crops directly in town.
>>6446805>Stay the night in GlyntonLet's party!
>>6446805>Stay the night in Glyntonlets rest up a bit
The adventurers share a cheer as you agree to stay the night. They part with you at the inn just past the town gates with a wave as you continue on toward Lily's stand.Two carts laden with dungeon crops would be difficult to wheel yourself, and so you decide to take the elemental mules into Glynton. To your surprise, few people react. Perhaps the villagers have grown used to seeing the Earth Mule waiting in the meadow outside the walls.More people are interested in the Wind Mule colt. It leans over the sideboard and happily brays at all the attention as the carts come to rest near Lily's stall.Lily's face turns to shock and then a surprised smile when she looks up from a pile of Cowberries. "You were gone for so long I started to worry! How did the expedition go?" The change in your expression is evident as Lily smiles again and looks over the two carts. "You sure got a lot of Deep Onions! Oh, and some Frozen Peas! This is a great harvest!"She looks over the carts again and nods to herself. "I'll give you 8g each for the Deep Onions, and 5g for each of these Frozen Peas."Just as you predicted; the dungeon crops sell for more than the sunlight crops, though each Frozen Pea had a lump of gold worth 7g and each Deep Onion's lump is worth 6g.You eagerly nod and Lily begins to count out 1540g that you add to the 1220g you pulled from the dungeon crops on your trek back down from the mountains. With 2760g in hand, you'll be able to pay for the adventurers' drinks all night.Lily walks around her stand to unload the carts and squeals in delight as she sees the Wind Mule colt leaning over the edge and quickly scoops it up in her arms. "Did you find this on the mountaintop?" The colt brays happily at Lily and then Lily looks at you with the colt held tightly. "That reminds me, a trader said Mirkham was having some trouble with bandits. We're going to have a village meeting tomorrow night to talk about hiring a town guard."
You and Lily finish unloading the carts and then you wave as you walk back toward the inn with the three elemental mules following behind and the Wind Mule colt braying in circles around you.Iver the blacksmith is outside his shop. He looks up as the Fire Mule passes by and wipes his brow. "That's a nice Fire Mule."At his words, the Fire Mule brays at the Water Mule and the Earth Mule.When you show Iver the broken bridle, he looks closely at it and then holds it at a distance and whistles in appreciation. "This was a real work of art."You begin to ask about repairing it but he quickly shakes his head. "I'll need at least one ingot of Slow Silver to repair this. Come back when you have that and we can discuss the price."The elemental mules and the carts are left next to the inn. The Wind Mule colt follows you through the doorway.The adventurers all cheer when you walk in.Cary the minstrel is there as well. "I heard you'd returned!" He flaps one edge of his cape and suddenly his flute is in hand. "And with monsters as fierce as the Dark Lord and as sweet as the mythical Angel Fruit!" Cary plays his flute as you sit next to Flam and Lark with Grif across from you.Gust the innkeeper brings you all cups of beer and then Cary nods in thanks from the far corner of the room when you hand Gust another gold coin for the minstrel's beer.Grif raises his cup in front of him and looks at Lark and Flam and then at you. "To a successful expedition!"Flam and Lark both cheer and the three of them all drink from their cups as you join them.Lark sets her cup on the table and looks between Grif and Flam. "How did we defeat that Wind Mule, anyway? I don't really remember anything from the time we saw the Wind Mule until the time I was healing you two."Grif takes another sip from his cup. "I had gone to retrieve the Fiery Shard from the cart. The Wind Mule kicked us. You were knocked away, I think."Flam nods and takes a long drink from his cup. "Grif was laid low by the kick, and Lark thrown toward the carts." The wizard glances at you and grins. "After that, the two of us and the Earth Mule battled it. I recall you found the Fiery Shard, though I can't remember anything after that."The three adventurers all turn to you and Lark takes another sip of beer. "What happened after that?">Tell them everything>Just tell them about the Fire Mule
>>6447234>Tell them everything
>>6447234>Tell them everythingWth..
>>6447234>Tell them everythingthere's a reason we didn't harvest the Angel Fruit. also I do want advice on our recent MP awakening. The Pain Spell felt pretty effective when the Brainfruit used it on us the first time in the dungeon.
>>6447234>>Tell them everything
>>6447234>>Tell them everythingThere's not much more to tell. The Fire Mule weakened it, but was defeated, giving us the edge we needed to finish it off, but were left bleeding out, then we were saved by a passing Angel Fruit.
Still writing but I finished the map of Glynton!
You look between the three adventurers and then down into your cup of beer, unsure where to begin and what to say. When you look back up, Lark smiles kindly and Flam nods as he scratches his beard, while across the table Grif waits eagerly for you to go on, and you realize these three have somehow slipped from troublemakers to friends.And so you begin at the beginning, with your failed taunt and the Wind Mule seizing you in its immense jaws. Flam grins at the thought of what he looked like running for the carts as you were thrashed back and forth through the air. Lark gasps in surprise and puts a sympathetic hand on Grif's arm as you recall the warrior leaping to block the Wind Mule's hoof.Flam finishes the last of his cup and raises it toward Gust. The wizard's proud grin vanishes when he remembers how he was only saved from death by the Earth Mule's strong back.Your voice grows lower and the three adventurers all lean forward over their cups.Lark gasps in shock at the Wind Mule stomping you nearly to death.Grif's eyes widen in fearful knowledge at how close was the battle between fire and wind and the thought of everyone dying on the mountaintop.Flam takes a sip of beer and says nothing at the Angel Fruit chanting the spell of Heal amid its murmurings, but then the wizard coughs out his beer and Grif and Lark both flinch at the mere naming of the spell of Pain."Are you sure it was..." Grif looks to both sides and then leans in and whispers hesitantly. "T-that spell?"Lark holds one sleeve over her mouth when you nod. "But why that spell?""It may well have been any other." Flam takes another sip and leans forward toward you. "To gain magic like this is an extraordinary thing. Magic is something a person is born with. Usually, a person only learns a few chants from growth and experience." Flam glances toward the minstrel across the room while Cary plays his flute. "Though it's said the Dark Lord learned from monsters the chants of every spell." Flam takes another sip and wipes his beard as he grins. "I suppose every legend has a bit of truth!"Grif finishes his cup. "You were able to sell your dungeon crops for a good price?"Flam smiles and nods when he hears what Lily paid for the Deep Onions and the Frozen Peas. "Your gamble paid off handsomely."At the mention of Lily, you recall the villagers will be meeting to discuss hiring a town guard and ask Grif about taking the job.Grif shakes his head. "My heart is too free to be bound to this place. What I truly desire is to discover the dungeon that lies somewhere near here."Flam nods. "That's why we came to this part of the world.""I'm beginning to think it doesn't exist after all." Lark takes a drink and then another. "If it exit... exists... then SOMEBODY would've already found it by now!" Lark takes another drink and looks around the room and then loudly calls to Cary. "Am I not right?">Tell them about your dungeon>Don't say anything for now
>>6447577>Don't say anything for nowNOPE NOTHING TO SEE HERE HAHA
>>6447577>Tell them about your dungeon>But make it clear that if they want to explore it, they can only do so WITH you, and only take PART of the treasure because it's YOUR land given to you by the Local Lord PLUS look at this fucking Dark Lord's Ring that you got which gives you DOMINION
>>6447577>>Don't say anything for nowAbsolutely not.I like these guys, but if word of the dungeon gets out we'll never be able to leave the farm again.We could defect, and ask why they want to find it, or suggest poking around in that mountain mine if they're wanting to delve the depths.
>>6447577>Don't say anything for nowThe mines are connected to it, right? Let's not get our farm raided endlessly by adventurers.
>>6447577>Tell them about your dungeonincluding the friendly inhabitants to prevent them being attacked by mistake and swear the adventurers to secrecy
>>6447577>>Don't say anything for now
>>6447577>Don't say anything for nowit was hassle enough when bandits were harassing our business partners and attempting to ransack our farm just to be dicks. Imagine having a gaggle of adventurers squatting in your house for dungeon treasure, or worse, kicking you out. These guys are alright, don't get me wrong, but even if there was an agreement not to tell, people would start asking why a band of adventurers keep going to a humble little farm and coming back with loot. And I haven't even mentioned how the dungeon citizens might feel about a bunch of rowdy strangers looking for riches. Our delicate system is fine the way it is.
>>6447559Sweet! A cozy little town.>>6447676>people would start asking why a band of adventurers keep going to a humble little farm and coming back with loot.We're lucky no one has started asking those same questions of us. I suspect selling them to York has helped obfuscate the crops' origin, and York is incentivized to not tell lest he lose his supply, but that risk is still there.
>>6447590Green circle is the bandit camp where you found the Earth Mule, blue circle is the headwaters where you found the Water Mule, and red circle is the mines/ highest peak where you found the Fire Mule and the Wind Mules.
[insert earth, wind and fire joke]
The minstrel raises his cup toward Lark and smiles.Lark's head turns toward you and she blinks with heavy lids. "You don't think it's real, do you?"Grif clears his throat and glances toward the priestess. "We should probably turn in.""Aww!" Lark tries to drink from her empty cup. "We should..." Suddenly Lark grins at you. "We should all go to your farm! I bet Thud is there! And..." Lark tries to drink again. "I bet those bandits are there. It would be fun to see them all!"The next morning, Lark is still sleeping when you and the others leave the inn.You first walk to Hans's shop. The scholar is already waiting when you enter."Slow Silver? That's not the kind of thing people normally carry around!" When you show Hans the broken bridle, he nods in understanding. "That would do the trick. You know, uninformed people think Slow Silver is cursed because it makes you so slow, but that's simply a property of the Slow Silver itself." Hans crosses his arms. "Anyway, you can sometimes find Slow Silver inside a Dried Fruit, and the closest place you're going to find Dried Fruits is the Ancient Temple, but that's quite far to the west."For now, the Wind Mule colt is too small to be ridden, and so you thank Hans and continue on with your day's tasks.A few customers around Lily's stall are looking over the last of the dungeon crops when you arrive. As they poke and squeeze the Deep Onions, you count out 2000g and Lily stuffs 20 pouches of Normal seeds into a pair of sacks.The thought of mentioning your expedition to Byep without any souvenirs catches you, and you impulsively buy the last Frozen Pea for 10g.With that you wave to Lily and leave with 547g in hand.Grif and Flam wave from the town gates as you lift the Wind Mule colt into the back of the Earth Mule's wagon and then ride off toward your farm with the Water Mule and the Fire Mule following behind.
Your fields are nearly unrecognizable.Thud and the sharecroppers have dug irrigation ditches from the spring along all three fields, and the dry wasteland soil is now flush with water.The Water Mule brays and trots up and down the ditches, splashing as it does.Thud looks into the empty carts and then to you. "Angel Fruits are truly as rare as they say."The Wind Mule colt leaps up into Thud's arms and brays in Thud's face and then squirms out of the barbarian's hands. It trots around the carts and then sees the tower and charges through the crowd of Smart Crows standing near the tower base. The Smart Crows take to the air in a flurry of caws and black feathers and the Wind Mule colt disappears inside. Its brays echo higher and higher as it trots up the stairs until it reaches the rooftop and brays down at you and Thud.The Ancient Armor wrapped in sacks is quickly moved back into your shack as the curious sharecroppers crowd around one another near the Fire Mule.You show the sacks of seeds to Daro and the other sharecroppers and they begin to unload them from the cart as Thud shows you the placement of the ditches and the footbridges spanning them. He glances toward the bunkhouse at the mention of bandits around Mirkham.Your tour of the farmyard takes you past the corner of the old field, where the tangle of Dragon Dryad stalks seems more entangled but otherwise unchanged since you left fifteen days ago."Dragon Dryads?" Thud crouches next to the tangle of stalks and looks closely at them.The Fire Mule brays and you and Thud look across the farmyard as it stomps impatiently around outside the Earth Mule's barn.Thud watches as the Earth Mule sticks its head out the doorway and brays at the Fire Mule. "The new barn should have a brick floor."
When you explain your plan to change Rotten Fruits into Angel Fruits, Thud nods eagerly. "There is room in the still for any extra Rotten Fruits you may harvest."For this miracle to work, you'll need the help of the priestess Lark, but you'll also need enchanted gold, and so you return to your shack and the dungeon beneath your bed.Byep smiles with delight when you emerge into her shop wearing your Ancient Armor. "From a distance, you almost look like... uh, never mind." She turns away and glances back at the Frozen Pea tied to your belt. "Did that come from the mountain above the mine?"Byep chews on the Frozen Pea as you tell her all about the trek.When you speak the name of the spell of Pain, Byep leans forward with cautious interest. "You really learned to chant the spell of Pain?" For a second her face is inscrutable but then she grins again. "That's amazing! I can't use magic at all!" Byep finishes the last of the Frozen Pea and licks a sliver of ice off her fingertip as she nods. "It's a very powerful spell. But you probably already know that. After all, you fought the Doom Crow, and it can chant the spell of Agony!""What's this about spells?" You and Byep look to the doorway and Snaz."He learned to chant the spell of Pain!" Byep glances down and guiltily wipes away the puddle of ice on her countertop. "From an Angel Fruit!""Indeed?" Snaz scratches his nose. "The Dark Lord said such things were possible. And how did your expedition fare? Were you able to find many Angel Fruits or crystal?" The artificer nods in sympathy when he hears your tale secondhand from Byep. "I see why you returned without harvesting any. Well, mercy is its own reward."Snaz grins at the mention of enchanted gold. "I'll be waiting in my shop."
For the rest of the day you harvest Sharp Peas. The Ancient Armor protects you from all but the worst of their needle-tipped stems.When you split the last Sharp Pea and pry out its lump of gold, you hold 1015g, as well as a belt of Rotten Fruits for Thud and your fertilizer experiment.You count out 1000g and then place another gold coin on Snaz's countertop."Now watch carefully." He touches the tips of his fingers to the edges of the coin and frowns. Soon the coin begins to shimmer and then Snaz sticks out his tongue in concentration as its surface combusts in white fire that burns away leaving the coin glowing like moonlight.Snaz wipes his brow. "Whew! I haven't had call to do that for a while! I was worried I might be out of practice." He presents the glowing gold coin to you. "And there you are. Enchanted gold. Your friend the priest should be able to make use of this."You thank Snaz for his presumably good work, but then his mouth puckers at the mention of Drim the Sorceress."Drim? Hmm... I can't recall anyone with that name." Snaz picks up his Crystal Chisel and nervously taps the blade against his palm. "I think I'd remember a woman with beautiful curled hair that always smelled like..." He clears his throat and scratches his ear with his Crystal Chisel as he looks away. "Come see me if you need any more enchanted gold.">Visit Glynton>Visit Mirkham>Stay here and grind for more enchanted gold
>>6447957>Visit MirkhamIt's been on the backburner long enough.
>>6447957>>Visit Mirkham
>>6447814Surprisingly close together. We haven't done much to the south, have we?I wonder what happens if two elementals of different elements mate.>>6447953>Thud and the sharecroppers have dug irrigation ditches from the spring along all three fields, and the dry wasteland soil is now flush with water.Fantastic work!>Thud looks into the empty carts and then to you. "Angel Fruits are truly as rare as they say."Ouch.We'll have to tell him the full story later.>Its brays echo higher and higher as it trots up the stairs until it reaches the rooftop and brays down at you and Thud.It and the Crows are either going to be best friends, or worst enemies.>Thud watches as the Earth Mule sticks its head out the doorway and brays at the Fire Mule. "The new barn should have a brick floor."I'm slowly getting the feeling that we're in a sitcom, and the Mules are the main characters.>>6447957>"Drim? Hmm... I can't recall anyone with that name." Snaz picks up his Crystal Chisel and nervously taps the blade against his palm. "I think I'd remember a woman with beautiful curled hair that always smelled like..." He clears his throatHmm...>Stay here and grind for more enchanted goldWe've been gone for 2 full weeks, easily the longest we've ever been away from the farm. We need a few days to rest, recover, and get back to grips with the place.I also suspect we're going to need to keep an eye on the Mules for a bit. We went from 1 to 2 recently, and then doubled them to 4 almost immediately after. They seem pretty docile overall, but they are powerful when they want to be, and we're the ones that hold their reins. I wouldn't be surprised if they have friction with each other, or with the Crows/sharecroppers.
Snaz's silence carries as you leave his shop and continue harvesting Sharp Peas.The next day, you sell eight Sharp Peas to York. He counts out 56g and then nods as you mention visiting Mirkham. "It should take you about half a day by horse. Or mule, in your case."You leave the Leather Coat, the Iron Coat, the Thorn Coat, and the Ancient Armor in your shack, and toss your Gold Hoe into the back of a cart and then cinch the Earth Mule's strap and drive it toward the farmyard gate.The Wind Mule colt brays from the top of the tower, and when you look up, it suddenly springs from the edge and plummets down!The Smart Crows caw frantically and dive after the colt. One snaps its beak closed on the colt's tail and flaps until it's surrounded by a cloud of feathers. The Wind Mule colt stops itself just above the ground and then drops to the dusty soil and brays up at you.The colt wiggles its hindquarters, readying itself to leap up into the cart, when you lift it up and hand it to Thud.Thud and the sharecroppers wave as you roll out the gate. You watch as the Wind Mule colt squirms out of Thud's arms and trots back across the farmyard toward the Fire Mule.Korr flaps down next to you and settles in as you drive the Earth Mule south into an unfamiliar land.By mid-morning, you reach the edge of the wasteland. Here, the air is fresher, a pleasant breeze rather than scouring grit. More mountains come into view, smaller than the Cloudcutter Mountains, but just as impassable. Between them, the valley curves and slopes downward and eastward into an expanse of forest as far as you can see.The Earth Mule brays at the top of the draw and then you descend down into the wooded country.The Spiked Wheels roll steadily along the forest path. Overhead, the hot summer sun is blotted by the canopy above you, cooling the air.Korr has begin to drowse, when suddenly the Smart Crow's eyes open and it caws."Bee!"Bidden by the Dark Lord's ring, the Earth Mule slows to a stop and you grab your Gold Hoe as you stand up on the cart, your eyes darting around at the trees.A second later you hear loud buzzing and wood cracking, and then an enormous woolly insect hovers slowly toward you, pushing the trees apart as it approaches.
Its stinger fortunately carries no poison. Nor do the next four Jumbo Bees you encounter before you finally see the walls of Mirkham, your limbs sore and bleeding.But the lumps of gold inside the Jumbo Bees each weighed 5g, and your pocket is lined with 128g.You leave the Earth Mule in the forest well beyond the wall and climb from the cart with a grunt to enter Mirkham on foot.Just inside the wall are an unexpected pair of small fields and two tiny dwellings at the far edge of the plots. Your eyes are greedily drawn to the rich soil quality before you notice the familiar Cowberry sprouts.Across the road from the fields is a long row of small houses. When you reach the far end of the row you see an ancient but well-made and well-maintained waterwell nearly identical to the well in Glynton.The air smells of cut lumber.Outside the north wall is a huge storehouse and workshop. Mirkham may not have a dungeon, but unlike Glynton, this village has a jail, currently unoccupied.The tavern and inn seems more popular than Gust's inn. Even at midday, the sounds of laughter can be heard from inside.
A large building adjacent to the watchtower draws your interest. The smell of cut wood is stronger inside, but above it you catch the familiar smell of seeds.A bald and bearded man shuffles from out of view toward the counter and silently looks over your unfamiliar face. He finally nods at your Gold Hoe. "I didn't think you were a woodsman. This is the storehouse, but I can sell you some seeds and tools." He turns and shuffles back out of view and returns with some pouches of seeds and some saws. "I'm Chuk, the foreman. Where did you say you were from?"Chuk smirks as you look over the saws and seeds. "Glynton? And I thought this place was the middle of nowhere!"The pouches of Normal seeds are identical to the Cowberry seeds you get from Lily, albeit for half the price Chuk is asking. The Cheap seeds, however, are of an unfamiliar type."You don't know about Cheap seeds? They don't produce any worthwhile harvest, but they grow fast. If you want to break up a new field, start with Cheap seeds."The thrill of new seed varieties is too tempting to resist. Before Chuk can continue, you count out 120g. Chuk nods and takes the gold and stuffs twelve pouches of Cheap seeds into a sack.The saws are priced beyond your reach, but your thoughts have already drifted to how you could turn a small area inside the farmyard into test plots for specialty crops. After a few harvests of Cheap seeds and some Angel Fruit fertilizer, you might even be able to grow Novelty seeds!Your fields have lain fallow for half a month, and it's time to seed them again! With only 8g in hand, your next seed purchase will have to wait, but now you find yourself facing a decision: to continue raising Normal crops in your two fields while you turn a new area of plots for rapid cultivation, or to sow both your fields with Cheap seeds.You thank Chuk and sling your sack over one shoulder, but as you step out of the storehouse you see two woodsmen leaving the inn across the street."I'm telling you, I heard an Earth Mule braying.""What would an Earth Mule be doing in the forest?""I don't know but it's the same noise I heard just before those adventurers and that farmer showed up at our old camp.">Follow them out of town>Hurry back to your cart
>>6448603>Follow them out of townGeorge Zimmerman mode activate, pursue and destroy skipping the part where we get our ass beat first
>>6448602Map!Heavily forested. Interesting that they're growing inside the walls, that suggests its at least somewhat dangerous around here.>>6448603New seeds!>but your thoughts have already drifted to how you could turn a small area inside the farmyard into test plots for specialty crops.Yes please.>but now you find yourself facing a decision: to continue raising Normal crops in your two fields while you turn a new area of plots for rapid cultivation, or to sow both your fields with Cheap seeds.I'm game for some rapid expansion. We now have 3 draft animals (-1 until we get a suitable harness for the Fire Mule), and the Earth Mule was already under worked.>Follow them out of townEarth Mule can protect himself if push comes to shove, and we need to follow up on this.If they have truly returned to honest labor, I'm willing to consider granting clemency. But if this is just a front for more ill deeds, we need to nip this in the bud.
>>6448638Anon, our fields are all useless. They're garbage. They're shit. We run all crops on a loss because of how awful the soil is.Unless we manage to get enough money to angel fruit our farm, we should use cheap seeds
>>6448639I have no issue with running Cheap Seeds everywhere until it stops costing us a net loss to grow on it (besides the sharecroppers' field, we don't want to short them by having them grow something they can't sell). I was talking about setting up more fields because we are badly under-utilizing our labor, and we will likely want those fields eventually.I'm still holding out hope that there's some more economical way we can boost the fertility of our fields. The Angel Fruit conversion is a nice option to have, but the scaling costs on it are brutal. (Plus, I worry about hunting the entire Rotten Fruit population to extinction). Hopefully at some point we can set aside a few plots to experiment on.
>>6448603>Follow them out of town
You quickly step back into the storehouse and peer around the corner. The two woodsmen walk out the gates, Old Saws in hand, and you hurry behind them further into the forest, Korr flying overhead."This is great! we find out when the merchants will be coming, and then we hit them when they're not expecting it!""Yeah, but pretending to be a woodsman is hard work. I think I'd rather be back on that farm.""Don't let Merl hear you say that."Ahead of the two woodsmen you can see an old stone building surrounded by trees."Who's this?"The voice from behind you catches you unaware. At your back are another two woodsmen with familiar faces. The other gawks as he recognizes you. "It's that farmer who ran us off the mountain!"The four bandits surround you as they drop their Old Saws and pull out their Used Clubs.You grip your Gold Hoe and swing, knocking the first bandit out of the ring with a solid blow to his chest. The second narrowly manages to block the blade of your Gold Hoe with his Used Club. The others step back warily but then someone says "Paralyze."One of the bandits yelps in surprise. "Merl!"You cannot move your head to see who speaks.A man wearing a pointed hood walks into your view and sneers at your Gold Hoe. "What's a farmer doing here?""This is that farmer we told you about who tamed an Earth Mule and beat up our old boss!"Merl's eyes widen as he looks from your Gold Hoe to your face. "What? How did he find us?""He must have followed us from Mirkham!""You idiots!" Merl glares between you and the bandits at your back. "The Dark Lord will hear of this!""What should we do with him?""Bind him and keep him here for now." The wizard turns away and looks back at you. "The Dark Lord will decide his fate!"Two of the bandits grab you while another grabs your Gold Hoe. "We could get a lot of money for this Gold Hoe!"The bandits tie your hands tightly behind your back and drag your paralyzed body toward the old stone building. They roughly toss you to the floor and one of them turns to another. "Keep an eye on him.""Right." The fourth bandit smiles cruelly and slaps his Used Club against his palm. "I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere."You sit up and look around the empty room, but the other bandits have taken your Gold Hoe and your hands are too tightly tied to break free.*flap flap*Korr lands in the open space that was once a window and looks down into the room at you.>Ask Korr to fetch the Earth Mule>Chant the spell of Pain at the guard>Remain quiet for now
>>6448891>"The Dark Lord will hear of this!"Sounds like we've got competition, boys.>Chant the spell of Pain at the guardThen>Ask Korr to fetch the Earth MuleI hope we unhitched him from the cart.Even if we didn't, we need the distraction if we're going to have a chance again Merl.Assume we KO the guard, we need to grab his weapon, even if it is a little blasphemous to wield non-farming implements in combat.Actually, if we're really lucky, we can snag some other loot out of this mess, but I'm not willing to be greedy here.Add a question for Hans when we get back into town: status effect counters/immunities, especially Paralyze.
>>6448898>even if it is a little blasphemous to wield non-farming implements in combat.You will have a severe combat penalty when wielding non-class weapons like Clubs.
>>6448898+1 to all of the above!
>>6448900Figured there was something like that, but as long as it's better than fisticuffs, it'll have to work until we can get our proper tools back.
>>6448891>>Ask Korr to fetch the Earth Mule
>>6448891>Ask Korr to fetch the Earth MuleI'm gonna brain those fuckers if anything happens to our mule or our Gold Hoe. Some people won't ever get it, no matter how many chances you give them.
You look up at Korr and whisper to fetch the Earth Mule, but as Korr flaps away the guard turns and raises his Used Club! "I'll teach you to keep quiet!"Before he can strike, you chant the spell of Pain and the guard drops to one knee with a cry. You nearly follow the bandit toward the floor, for your head is dizzy and your chest feels empty. This must be what Flam feels when he exhausts his magic power.You stumble past the guard and out the door and then run through the trees, your wrists still tied behind your back. Through the trees sunlight filters onto something gleaming in the dirt and you see one of the Old Saws dropped by the bandits!"The farmer escaped!" The guard has made it to his feet. You glance back and see the other three bandits running toward you, one of them still holding your Gold Hoe!You crouch down and rub the rope at your back against the Old Saw. The bandits raises their Old Clubs when the rope snaps free. You quickly snatch up the Old Saw and swing it back and forth at the bandits. The three bandits sneer and chuckle as they encircle you once more. At your back, the fourth joins in.Suddenly the bandits stop and turn as the Earth Mule gallops through the forest, pulling the cart as its Spiked Wheels tear up the ground behind it!The bandits shout in surprise and scatter and your Gold Hoe tumbles to the ground.You grab your Gold Hoe in your free hand and jump onto the cart with your Gold Hoe and the Old Saw!GOT OLD SAW!EQUIPPED: GOLD HOEWhen it seems like you're far enough away from the bandit camp, the Earth Mule slows to a stop and you ask Korr to find the wizard Merl.Korr flaps up into the air and flies away. You grip your Gold Hoe as you stand atop your cart, expecting another ambush.A lone Jumbo Bee blunders its way through the forest far enough from you to avoid noticing your presence. About half an hour later Korr returns and caws as it lands on the cart."Dungeon!"Korr flies through the forest as you follow behind in the Earth Mule's cart. The Smart Crow leads you to an overgrown and tumbled ruin of ancient stone buildings. The Earth Mule stops at a distance and you climb down from the cart and sneak closer.As you do, you see the wizard Merl leaving one of the buildings.>Try to sneak up on the wizard>Try to sneak into the dungeon
>>6449267>Try to sneak up on the wizardnot too sure of our chances braving an unknown dungeon alone, but that wizard guy has got to go. Have our mule do the ol' riverdance on him to teach him a lesson.
>>6449267>>Try to sneak up on the wizardThat Paralyze spell is one of the few things we have absolutely no defense against. We need to handle him before anything else.
>>6449267>Try to sneak into the dungeonMaybe we find something with which to defeat Merl....
>>6449267>Try to sneak up on the wizard
>>6449267>Try to sneak up on the wizardHe can’t possibly paralyze all 3 of us
>>6449267>>Try to sneak up on the wizardI want blood
The wizard's magic is formidable, and so you hurriedly devise a plan and whisper to Korr as you unhitch the Earth Mule from its cart. The Smart Crow flaps up into the air and you crouch low to the ground and follow after Merl.You grip your Gold Hoe in both hands as you approach the wizard from behind. Merl stops, his hood shifting as he looks from side to side. When he begins to turn you quickly hide behind a tree.The wizard's footsteps approach and then he stops again. With your breath held in your breast you peer around one side of the tree and then the other and see the wizard's red robe.Merl steps around the tree and turns toward you when a voice caws at his back."Decoy!"Merl turns toward Korr clinging to a low tree branch and then looks back at you just in time to see you charging him with your Gold Hoe raised!The wizard begins to turn and you strike Merl with your Gold Hoe in his side, knocking him to the ground. Merl groans and then glares up at you and shouts "Whirl!"A hard blast of wind tears at your skin and flings you backward through the air until you impact against a tree.You fall to the ground as the wizard steps closer and then Merl sneers "You're that farmer!" He laughs as you struggle to your knees. "How kind of you to save me the trouble of fetching you! I will bring you to the Dark Lord myself!" Merl raises his hands. "Para-"Korr suddenly dives at Merl and pecks at the wizard before he can finish chanting his spell.The opening is enough. Merl swats at Korr and turns to see you swinging your Gold Hoe at him once again. The strike is just as well-placed as your first. Merl crumbles forward as he groans and gasps but then the wizard looks up with a malicious grin. "Pain!"You reel backward and clutch at a tree to stay on your feet and watch as Merl turns and runs away back toward the ruins."To think I almost believed that farmer had tamed..." Merl stops as the hillock in front of him suddenly stands up and brays. Merl looks up at the Earth Mule and swallows. "...an Earth Mule?"The Earth Mule brays again as it rears up on its hind legs and Merl shouts in fear as the enormous stone hooves come crashing down on him.From out of the dust cloud, a glimmering key of heavy gold clinks along the forest floor and lands near your feet.GOT MAGIC KEY!Of the wizard, there is little left, save for his robe and hood. It's clear you no longer need fear him or his spells!A search of the ruins reveals a stairwell sunk into the ground, half-hidden behind the overgrowth of trees.As you look down into the dark and then at the Magic Key in your hand, you remember Daro's words, that an enchanted door can only be opened by a Magic Key, though the Magic Key will be destroyed.Your own dungeon beneath your farmyard has many enchanted doors, though this is the first time you've seen a Magic Key that could unlock any of them.>Take the Magic Key into the forest dungeon>Take the Magic Key back to your own dungeon
>>6449512>Take the Magic Key into the forest dungeon
>>6449512>The Earth Mule brays again as it rears up on its hind legs and Merl shouts in fear as the enormous stone hooves come crashing down on him.We're gonna make a pattern of ending notable baddies this way if we aren't careful not that I'm complaining.>GOT MAGIC KEY!>Of the wizard, there is little left, save for his robe and hood. It's clear you no longer need fear him or his spells!Woo!>Take the Magic Key into the forest dungeonWe can take it down here without using it. I want at least poke around a little.
>>6449512>Take the Magic Key back to your own dungeonWe’re short an adventuring party to be exploring other dungeons
The Earth Mule sticks its enormous head into the building and looks at you as Korr looks down from the closest tree. The Smart Crow shuffles back and forth across the branch. The Earth Mule cannot fit into the ruins without destroying the walls, and Korr clearly has no desire to venture underground. Instead, you leave them both as sentries outside the building and step down the dark stairwell until you're beneath the tree roots.This dungeon seems to have weathered the years quite well. The walls are stable, and compared to the cramped and twisting maze of your own more familiar dungeon, passage through this place is simple.The only monsters you encounter are Blind Onions and Brainfruits. Just as in the dungeon beneath your farm, these dungeon crops are content to simply wait patiently to be harvested.At the end of a long looping hall, you discover another stairwell leading downward still.You come down the stairs into a small room, adjacent to an empty cell locked with stout Iron Bars.The way beyond is closed by enchanted doors. Through the keyhole, you can see another stairwell leading down.>Use the Magic Key to open the enchanted door>Hold onto the Magic Key for now
>>6449811>>Hold onto the Magic Key for nowThis crew doesn't seem to have been using this dungeon for anything, as (i believe) we know of no way to create Magic Keys or Magic Locks.I am interested in coming back here some time in the future, but I'd rather reserve the Key for our dungeon for now.If we ever need a hidey-hole, this upper area of the dungeon might do in a pinch. Worth remembering.
>>6449811>Use the Magic Key to open the enchanted doorI wanna know what Merl was up to. He said the Dark Lord would hear of our meddling... What if another one of his trinkets is down here, like the ring we got in the throne room?
>>6449811>>Hold onto the Magic Key for nowHANS! WE GOT A QUESTION!
For now, this dungeon's secrets will remain hidden. Instead, you return above ground to Korr and the Earth Mule and then drive your cart back toward Mirkham. Along the way you stop at the bandit camp amid the overgrown stone buildings. The bandits are nowhere to be found, though you find the other three Old Saws where they fell.GOT OLD SAW x3!That makes five Old Saws in your inventory!You reach Mirkham an hour before sundown. The Earth Mule is left beyond the gates and then you hurry toward the storehouse to consult a local resident."Those ruins? There's nothing inside." Chuk waves a hand to dismiss the idea. "That place was picked clean by adventurers before I was even a boy. I once heard the walls of Mirkham were built from the stones of that place."Chuk begins sorting seeds, when his half-attention is drawn to you at the mention of bandits. "Hmm... I thought some of the new men seemed suspicious. I'll keep an eye out for anyone missing a saw."For the moment, you decide to refrain from mentioning the wizard Merl. Instead, you promise to return for more Cheap seeds, but as you turn with a wave and step from the storehouse, your own curiosity is drawn again to the pair of well-maintained fields inside the village walls, and you turn back toward Chuk."You said your farm was near Glynton?" The old man nods toward the forest beyond the walls. "Every now and then you run across an Iron Locust. If one of those finds your crops, it'll eat them all!" Chuk crosses his arms. "If you have any crops, I'll buy them from you."You thank Chuk again and hurry back to your cart where the Earth Mule waits. Korr settles on the seat next to you and you drive the Earth Mule back to your farm as fast as you can.Perhaps fortune finds Chuk's warning amusing, for no sooner does the sun set behind the treetops do you hear a loud and furious buzzing like a sword-blade shaking against a shield. A second later, the Earth Mule snorts and Korr caws in surprise as the canopy erupts in an explosion of leaves and then a huge and weighty locust impacts against the ground behind you.You leap from the cart, Gold Hoe in hand, to destroy the monster before it can destroy your cart, and strike it directly between its eyes. The impact jars your arms to numbness and leaves but a dent across its brow!The monster steps forward, pincer-jaws squeaking as they hinge to the sides, and you break and run back toward the cart. The Earth Mule begins to gallop and you leap to grab the back of it. Korr flaps its wings as the Smart Crow watches you climb back onto the cart and you both look back at the Iron Locust buzzing through the air behind you.
The Earth Mule's inexhaustible stamina wins out. The forest breaks up around you into open country and the Iron Locust slows and lands, antennae clinking together, as it watches you escape toward the wasteland.Dark has long fallen when you arrive at your farm.The next day, you show Thud the four Old Saws you acquired during your trip to Mirkham, as well as the Cheap seeds. Thud looks inside one of the pouches and examines the Cheap seeds. "Thud has seen these before. These are Goatsbeard seeds." He ties the pouch closed and nods. "They grow much faster than Cowberries."You and Thud walk through the plans for expanding the current barn into a larger barn to house the Fire Mule along with the Earth Mule. Once you have your farm's affairs in order, Thud begins making bricks as the other men begin moving stones and masonry.You return to your shack and don your Ancient Armor, and then descend through the trapdoor to harvest dungeon crops beneath your farm.The thought of sowing both your fields and a new test field with Cheap seeds drives you on, and you soon find yourself near Snaz's shop on the third level of your dungeon."Oh? A Magic Key?" Snaz eyes the heavy gold key in your grip. "I haven't seen one of those for a long time!" He scratches his nose when you ask about the enchanted doors on the level below you and the inscription upon them. "Those doors? They lead to the Dark Lord's tomb."You recall vividly the doors and the inscription. A glance down at your hand reminds you of your encounter with the haunted Ancient Armors, although now that you possess your own Ancient Armor, your death at their hands is less assured."The fifth level... Oh, yes, I remember the chest. The Dark Lord secured it behind those enchanted doors to keep it safe." Snaz scratches his ear. "I can't quite remember what was in there. Something useful, no doubt."At the mention of the cozy-looking room spied through the keyhole of the enchanted doors on the sixth level, Snaz nods. "Oh, that's Stox's room." He scratches his chin and then nods again. "Although Stox left explicit instructions not to be disturbed.">Use the Magic Key on the fourth level>Use the Magic Key on the fifth level>Use the Magic Key on the sixth level>Don't unlock any enchanted doors yet
>>6450166>Use the Magic Key on the fourth levelLet's ask Hans who tf Stox is and what to do about an Iron Locust and also where we can get more of these keys
>>6450165>That makes five Old Saws in your inventory!Yay loot!>"If you have any crops, I'll buy them from you."It'll be worth doing this at some point just to see what he's willing to offer.>The impact jars your arms to numbness and leaves but a dent across its brow!That's... problematic. A hoe is already a little like an axe, and iirc there's only one more level of hoe we can purchase. I wonder if we could find a decent mattock or adze or something with a degree of potential piercing capability. Or maybe commission one from the Smith, if none are for sale elsewhere.Maybe a spade fork or similar (Pitchfork tines are rather thin and spindly)? If we're going to be growing Goatsbeard (which sounds like a grass?), we'll want one of the forks anyway for managing it.>Use the Magic Key on the fourth levelThis indicates that Magic Lock was placed after the Dark Lord died, and thus after this place collapsed. This has to mean it was someone that survived that collapse that placed it.I suppose it could also be a preemptive tomb, built by the Dark Lord before his death, but there's some cracks in that theory.
"Of course, that meant Stox had to ask Zuzu to enchant the doors." Snaz chuckles and then glances at the sound of rushing water and scratches his cheek. "Zuzu has always been proud for being able to chant the spell of Lock. The only other one among us who knew that spell was the Dark Lord."The roar of water in the dark beyond Snaz's shop reminds you that there's at least one inhabitant of this dungeon you've never met. According to Snaz, the same person who enchanted the doors was on the other side of the flood when the dungeon wall broke open and hasn't been seen since.With a last wistful look toward the Crystal Hoe and its 300000g price tag, you wave to Snaz and return to the second level, and from there to the first level and the pair of stairwells leading back down.The long snaking halls take you deeper and deeper with each level you descend, until you reach the stairwell leading down into the room with the inscribed doors.Your hands begin to sweat at the thought of another battle with the pair of haunted Ancient Armors. For a moment you consider asking the adventurers for aid, but then you steel your resolve to see this through alone and walk with pounding heart down the stairs into the faint glow of reddish eldritch light.The Ancient Armors float toward you from either side as you approach the doors. You grip your Gold Hoe and frantically look between the drifting legless suits of armor, but the haunted armors simply float in place, flanking the alcove doorway.For a moment you stand baffled, gripping your Gold Hoe closely with both hands, but then the thought occurs that perhaps wearing your own Ancient Armor has pacified the guardians.You hurry onward toward the inscribed and enchanted doors before the Ancient Armors can waver and again you read the words wrought upon the doors.'Only the crowned may speak.'The Magic Key is in your hand and when you press the heavy golden key into the keyhole, it turns with a resounding click but then the Magic Key begins to glow and quickly disappears in a drift of sparks as the doors swing open. At the sight of the Magic Key vanishing, you recall Daro's claim that sometimes a Shadowfruit will contain a Magic Key instead of a gold lump.Beyond is a stairwell winding down into the earth. The red glow of eldritch light is stronger with each step.
At the bottom of the stairwell is a wide room lit so brightly you can faintly feel the crackling of magic power. Beyond the open gates is a high-vaulted hall lined with a set of enormous pillars on either side of the aisle.The far wall opens into an alcove, where the enormous black metal casket rests. As you slowly cross through the hall, the stone columns loom on either side of you, shadowless in the red light of the long-dead Dark Lord's magic.At last you reach the alcove but when you approach the casket you cannot stifle your surprised gasp, though in the next instant you are no longer surprised but simply awestruck, for you recall again Snaz's words, that the Dark Lord was once a farmer.Upon the casket lies a black-handled hoe made of darkmetal, its upturned blade still sharp after a thousand years.The air above your head moves, and you crouch with the instinct of battle. Your heart pounds as you grip your Gold Hoe expecting to see Ancient Armors, but the hall is empty, and then you hear the clattering of bony claws and turn to see the Doom Crow alighting on the casket above the hoe.The Doom Crow tilts its head to the side and gazes down at you, but then its head bows and its decayed beak drifts open and it caws."Lord!"When you reach out and grasp the black handle, you feel a swell of power that makes your Gold Hoe seem as nothing but a child's toy. The masterwork you hold now is a tool for breaking the most scoured and stony ground, and perhaps anything upon it.EQUIPPED: DARK HOEThe Doom Crow watches from atop the casket as you stride through the hall toward the gates. Waiting beyond the open doors are the Ancient Armors, and you pass between them unchallenged and back into the dungeon.A Sharp Pea has wandered its way to the top of the stairs. The dungeon crop raises its needle-sharp stem to strike as you approach.You cleave the Sharp Pea to its golden core in a single swing.
In three days' time, Thud and the barn crew have finished transforming the barn into a larger structure with separate stalls for the Earth Mule and the Fire Mule. Neither elemental mule seems unsuited to the brick floor.Meanwhile, the efforts of the logging crew, equipped with Old Saws, have more than tripled the lumber pile, while the sharecroppers' field is already sprouting with a new crop of Normal seeds.The Dark Hoe breaks the hard wasteland soil like water. In a single afternoon, you turn a small field's worth of plots next to the storehouse, the Wind Mule colt trotting alongside, and after supper you dig your new field an irrigation ditch.With 4273g in hand, you have more than enough to sow all your fields with Normal seeds from Lily's stand in Glynton, Cheap seeds from the Mirkham storehouse, or even enough to commission Snaz to create four more pieces of enchanted gold for you to begin the process of treating half your test field with reclaimed Angel Fruits.>Visit Glynton>Visit Mirkham>Visit Snaz
>>6450381>Visit MirkhamI wanna cheapmaxx to fix our dirt
>>6450381>Visit MirkhamI was gonna go with fixing the dirt but than I realized that was barely cover half a test field while leaving our other fields with nothing. That isn't a good idea especially with the Sharecroppers who need to keep farming to keep them reformed.
>>6450378>"Zuzu has always been proud for being able to chant the spell of Lock. The only other one among us who knew that spell was the Dark Lord."Now that is interesting. Hopefully we can eventually find a way across this flood, both for general reasons and to finally meet this ZuZu.>the Crystal Hoe and its 300000g price tagYeowch. It'll be a while yet before we're ready for that kind of expense.>but then the thought occurs that perhaps wearing your own Ancient Armor has pacified the guardians.Good to get soft confirmation on this, at least.>'Only the crowned may speak.'Sounds like something in here will respond to the Crown.>you recall Daro's claim that sometimes a Shadowfruit will contain a Magic Key instead of a gold lump.I'd forgotten about that. Maybe we ought to ask Hans where Shadowfruits can be found.>>6450380>EQUIPPED: DARK HOEOh, this was absolutely worth it.>>6450381>Visit MirkhamOur dirt is still pretty terrible, and there's no reason to let it lay fallow.I'm thinking we use the new small plot for experimenting. Staring with the first experiment being the Angel Fertilizer once we have the cash.
>>6450381>Visit Mirkham
The allure of Cheap seeds is too much to resist, and the next morning you leave the sale of the night's Sharp Pea harvest to Thud, and at dawn you hitch the Earth Mule to a cart and drive it from your farmyard, Korr and the Dark Hoe sitting next to you. Your cart's Spiked Wheels tear the wasteland ground as the Earth Mule gallops south toward the forest path and Mirkham.Soon you crest the rise and look out over the long draw downward and across to the expanse of forest valley below.You arrive at the walls of Mirkham before midday. Chuk looks up from counting seeds and crosses his arms as you walk into the storehouse. "The farmer from Glynton!"He watches as you look over the seeds again."The Cheap seeds?" Chuk nods and begins to stuff 299 pouches of Cheap seeds into sacks as you count out 2990g. "By the way..." Chuk looks around the empty storehouse and then whispers across the counter. "I haven't seen any of those suspicious-looking woodsmen around lately. They may have moved on after what happened."The thought would be comforting, but you don't wish the problem of these bandits on anyone else, and you doubt you've seen the last of them.Instead you thank Chuk for the seeds and then sling the three heavy sacks of seed over your back and return to your cart and the Earth Mule waiting in the forest beyond the village gates.With the sacks of seed loaded, you climb up onto the cart and drive the Earth Mule along the forest path, your eyes glancing back toward Mirkham, expecting to see the bandits any moment.The sharp buzzing clatter of metal shaking against metal rings out up the path and you drive the Earth Mule into a faster gallop.Ahead of you, four men with familiar faces ride up the other side of the rise into view. As the bandits on horseback charge toward you, their looks of terror change to shock as they see the Earth Mule, and they scatter from the path and through the trees on either side of you as they flee in the direction of Mirkham.But then a scream from over the rise draws your attention and you call to Korr to follow the bandits. The Smart Crow flaps into the air and you drive the Earth Mule up the rise.On the far side of the rise, an Iron Locust crouches on the path ahead of you beside an overturned cart. The Iron Locust turns its head to the other side of the path, where a brawny shirtless man stands in front of a young woman wearing a leather bodice. The barbarian grabs a stout branch and bellows while he slashes the branch back and forth like a swordsman.The Iron Locust shifts away from the cart and skitters across the road toward them.
The barbarian's makeshift club shatters against the Iron Locust's shell and the monster's jaws snap at him.He flings the broken branch, striking it between the eyes, then turns and grabs a rock when the young woman gives a shout, for the Iron Locust has turned its jaws toward her. She clutches her own heavy branch in both hands, holding the broken point toward the Iron Locust, and then she shouts and swings it as the monster skitters toward her.The man leaps at the Iron Locust and smashes the rock against the huge monster's head with force enough to stagger the beast but the rock in his hands shatters to gravel.The Iron Locust lunges forward toward the young woman.Before its pincer-jaws can slice her in half, you swing the Dark Hoe, lopping off one of its legs. The Iron Locust squeals a horrific shriek that echoes inside its metal body.It snaps its pincers at you, but with your next swing the Dark Hoe cleaves the monster's eye so deeply the handle impacts against the socket of its skull.Another swing takes off its head.Beneath its neck the ichor gleams gold, and you pull from its iron shell a lump of gold worth 10g.The barbarian claps you on the back. "Thank you for saving my daughter. I am Brug. This is Posy."The young woman grins at you and then Brug looks across the path toward the overturned cart. "We were going to a village called Glynton. I have heard there may be work there. Brug knows much about tanning hides." He rights the overturned cart and begins to pick up the spilled animal hides while you crouch next to him and Posy to help.At the mention of your farm near Glynton, Brug looks back up the path toward the Earth Mule and nods at you. "Farmers are an honorable class." He gestures toward Posy. "You may wed my daughter."Posy winks and grins at you.Before you can do more than begin to stammer, Brug claps you on the back again and happily nods. "With you around, the next Iron Locust will fall just as easily!"Posy slips one arm around yours and giggles. "That was a great fight!""Come!" Brug lifts the shafts of his cart and begins to wheel it forward up the path toward the wasteland. "You can ride together in your cart and talk on the way to your farm."Your mouth opens and closes silently and you pray for some distraction.*flap flap*Korr lands atop your cart and looks from Brug to Posy to the carcass of the Iron Locust and then caws at you."Camp!">Wish them well and follow the bandits>Escort them to the edge of the wasteland>Escort them all the way to Glynton
>>6450622>Escort them all the way to GlyntonShes cute
>>6450622>Escort them all the way to GlyntonWe can take them there, but I don't know about wedding this random barbarian lady. This isn't exactly a romance quest, but of the options we've had so far, the only one that seems to have much of a real connection with us is our dungeon gal.
>>6450622>Escort them all the way to Glyntona bit sudden, my man. It was the least we could do.
>>6450622>Escort them all the way to GlyntonThe Dark Lord also being a farmer is a very nice touch, imo. Makes the two of us feel connected. I wonder how he started off? How he felt during his first harvest?
>>6450622>Wish them well and follow the bandits>>6450636Honestly, my concern is the insane age difference. Those dungeon folks live an insanely long time. She is at least a 1000 years older than us. Like this is beyond cradle robbing and straight up grave robbing instead for bone dust tier. I mean at least she isn't a loli so huge blessing that...
>>6450657>Honestly, my concern is the insane age difference.Okay, but like...why should I care? She doesn't *look* old.
>>6450657eh, once you're like 30+ the upwards age difference doesn't really matter
>>6450622>The Iron Locust squeals a horrific shriek that echoes inside its metal body.Good to know the Dark Hoe does work.I wonder if all that iron would be worth anything?>Posy winks and grins at you.Thanks, but no thanks. All we need is our farm.>Wish them well and follow the banditsWe need to finally handle this loose end. They've been a thorn in our side for too long.
You look back up the forest path in the direction the bandits fled and then give a quiet sigh. Brug's mouth opens in a wide smile when you offer to escort them to Glynton."Is there a blacksmith in Glynton?" Brug eyes the headless Iron Locust. "This is yours by rights." When you nod the barbarian grips the edge of the immense carcass and lifts it into your cart. Korr flaps its wings to balance itself as the cart shifts under the weight and then Brug tosses the severed leg and head atop the rest. The Earth Mule trots forward, heedless of the burden, and Brug wheels his own cart alongside, easily keeping pace. "An elemental mule is a rare beast. How did you come by it?"Brug listens closely as you recall the tale of you and Thud following the adventurers to the bandit camp, and the battle fought along the mountainside.The sun moves toward the western rim of the world as you cross the wasteland, and you go on, telling the barbarian and his daughter more of the adventurers and your expeditions to tame the Water Mule and to scale the highest peak of the Cloudcutter Mountains for Angel Fruits only to return with the Fire Mule and a Wind Mule colt in tow.Posy silent watches the Earth Mule and then smiles at you. "Can you chant magic spells?""It is strange." Brug interrupts your stuttering. "There are no monsters nearby." He looks around as he trots alongside the Earth Mule. "Not even a Hungry Onion."For the moment, you decline to mention how all the Hungry Onions, Smart Crows, and Red Rabbits in the wasteland have congregated at your farm.It's well past sundown when the lights of Glynton come into view.Brug sets the cart down in front of the vacant building across the street from the inn and wipes his brow, then reaches into his trousers and counts out 10g and holds it out to you. "Brug will pay for your bed at this inn tonight." When you protest, the barbarian presses the handful of coins into your palm. "Posy and I will sleep in the cart."It seems Brug's honor would be insulted if you refuse his attempt at hospitality. Again you sigh quietly, and take the gold with a nod and a thanks.Brug and Posy wave as you step into the inn."Welcome! It's 5g per... Oh, it's you!" Gust wipes his hands. "We decided to hire a town guard. The pay will be 200g per month. Grif the warrior turned down the job." He takes the 5g from you and grins. "How about it?"You and Gust both look toward the door as Grif walks in with Flam and Lark following close behind.
The next morning, you drive the Earth Mule's cart to the blacksmith shop. A you climb down, Iver steps out into the sun and looks over the pile in your cart."Hmm..." The blacksmith raps his knuckles against the Iron Locust's skull and listens closely. "I'll give you 100g for this."Iver counts out 100g and drags the pieces of Iron Locust from the back of your cart. The Earth Mule ambles back across Glynton toward the gates and you see Brug unloading his cart in front of the vacant building while Posy excitedly chats with Lark and Flam."Posy! Come and help!" Brug turns to you and smiles. "This building will be suitable for a tannery."You glance toward Posy talking with Lark and then quickly nod to Brug and wave as you hurry out of Glynton toward your farm.When you arrive home, you drive your cart to the middle of the farmyard and unhitch the Earth Mule. The elemental mule brays and ambles toward the barn as you lift the sacks of Cheap seeds from the cart and sow the old field and the east field with the 299 pouches of Cheap seeds allotted for those fields.Once finished, you turn and sow your new test field with 10 of the 12 remaining pouches of Cheap seeds.The remainder of the day is spent harvesting dungeon crops below your farmyard.Byep cannot disguise her grin when she sees you emerge from the narrow hallway into her shop clad in your Ancient Armor with the Dark Hoe in hand. "Now you really do look just like... That is, at least from a distance, in the shadows."Laughter and the clinking of bowls from outside your shack greet you as you climb from the trapdoor and remove your Ancient Armor. Thud has produced a huge pot of Hungry Onion soup. He nods as you walk out and then Thud continues to ladle out bowls of soup for everyone. You and Thud and Daro and all the sharecroppers sit on the ground in the cooling summer darkness and slurp your soup as the men tell jokes.The Cheap seeds are already sprouted when you wake.York arrives at his regular time and looks across the farmyard as his cart rolls to a stop. "This place is starting to look like a real farm." He grins down and looks away. "That is to say, you've really improved this place."While you and York load the previous day's harvest of Sharp Peas, you recall to the merchant your recent trips to Mirkham.York glances toward Daro and the other sharecroppers as they pick weeds in the north field beyond the farmyard wall and then nods at you. "Some of those bandits had a mean look." York grins and points toward the Earth Mule nosing for loose stones at the edge of the wall. "At least those bandits will never attack you as long as your cart is hitched to an elemental mule." You look between your own cart and the nervous white mare hitched to York's modest cart as York tosses the last Sharp Pea into his cart and adds "Not to mention the Spiked Wheels.">Grind for enchanted gold x9 (6796g)>Ask York to borrow his cart and horse>Visit the bandit camp with the Earth Mule
Corrected the 'Ready' row
>>6450791>"We decided to hire a town guard. The pay will be 200g per month. Grif the warrior turned down the job." [...] "How about it?"Ha. We're a little busy running our farm.>>6450792>"I'll give you 100g for this."It's not a ton, but I'll not turn down what would have been otherwise wasted.>you see Brug unloading his cart in front of the vacant building >"This building will be suitable for a tannery."It'll be great to have a tanner available! Between a leather supply, metalworking, and raw lumber (that we cut down), we've got the foundation to make just about anything mundane we could possibly want.I hope he's not planning on setting up an actual Tannery within the town walls. Tanneries stink to high heaven due to the chemicals and processes involved, including lots of urine and rotting flesh. Historically, they tended to be on the outskirts and downwind, if they weren't outside the city entirely. Maybe this is just the store?>Grind for enchanted gold x9 (6796g)I want to get the test plot set up with good dirt.
>>6450792>Grind for enchanted gold x9 (6796g)
>>6450792>>Visit the bandit camp with the Earth Mule
For now, your mind is filled with the thought of your test plots, and so you wave to York and return to your dungeon with a sack in hand.The first Rotten Fruit is easily captured. The second, less so. The Sharp Peas still don't yield. The sacks are easily shredded.When you finally emerge, sweating from your ordeal, the pair of muttering Rotten Fruits in the sack are tossed into the storehouse where you leave them to drift from corner to corner. One floats toward the doorway but you swing the Iron Bars closed with a loud clang.For six more days you return again and again to the dungeon, capturing Rotten Fruits in sacks while you harvest Sharp Peas. The tenth Rotten Fruit is tossed in with the nine others, all murmuring to themselves as they bump against one another.You walk from the storehouse back to your shack and climb down through the trapdoor back into the dungeon, and then hurry toward Snaz's shop."More enchanted gold? Of course!" Snaz nods happily as you count out 9000g and set another 9g on the countertop next to it. He takes the 9000g and then one by one Snaz touches the edges of the gold coins with his fingertips while he concentrates intently until each coin flares with white flame and a never-ending glow. He wipes his brow when the ninth piece of gold is finally enchanted. "The Dark Lord would often ask me to enchant much more gold than this. I suppose I'm getting old!"Snaz scratches his nose and glances at the Dark Hoe tucked into your belt. "That hoe was forged by the Dark Lord, you know. Only the Dark Lord and Sudz the Armorer knew the secret of forging darkmetal. I tried it a few times, but I could never get it right." Snaz picks up the Crystal Hoe and puts it back on the rack again. Even in the darkness, the crystal blade shimmers with an inner light. "I wanted to make a hoe to surpass it. That's where I got the idea for the Crystal Hoe. But..." Snaz looks past you toward the dungeon wall at your back. "I didn't complete it until after the collapse."You thank Snaz with a promise to return and then climb from the dungeon to remove your Ancient Armor and push your bed back over the trapdoor. As soon as you lie down, you fall asleep, exhausted from a week of capturing Rotten Fruits but with 141g and 10e in hand.
The next morning, you load the pile of Sharp Peas in the yard onto York's cart, and then you hitch the Earth Mule to a cart and drive it toward Glynton with Korr riding alongside. The Wind Mule colt brays and leaps into the back of the cart as it rolls through the farmyard gates. The colt licks Korr and then looks at you expectantly until you scratch its head and it gives a happy bray.Fortune smiles upon you, for when you arrive at the Glynton inn, Lark is still outside, tarried by Posy.The Wind Mule colt leaps from the cart into Lark's arms and then brays at Posy as the barbarian squeaks with delight.Lark gasps when you show her the handful of glowing gold coins. "E-enchanted gold?!" She takes one of the coins and holds it up to examine it, nearly dropping it. "It's amazing that you were able to find ten pieces of enchanted gold!" Lark carefully places the glowing coin back in your hand. "And the Rotten Fruits?"The priestess nods when you tell her the Rotten Fruits are still at your farm. "Alright, let's go." The Wind Mule colt leaps from her arms into the cart.Lark takes your hand and climbs up onto the cart and then you return to your farm with Lark and Korr and the Wind Mule colt all riding in the cart.When you arrive, you show Lark the test plots next to the storehouse."I see." Lark looks over the two short rows of sprouts. "Ten Angel Fruits seems right for a field this size." Lark looks around the farmyard and smiles. "Where exactly are these Rotten Fruits?"You direct Lark to stand in front of the storehouse and hand her the pouch of enchanted gold, and then you grab the Iron Bars and swing them open.From the shadows inside the murmuring grows louder and then one of the Rotten Fruits drifts toward the doorway and its cataract eyes stare unblinking at the noonday sun. Lark takes a step back in surprise and then looks at you and gropes inside the pouch, finally pulling out a glowing coin. The enchanted gold glows brighter in Lark's fist until the cool white flames are flaring between her fingers.She flings the enchanted gold at the Rotten Fruit.When the glowing coin strikes its leathery green skin, the Rotten Fruit glows brightly and the gold disappears. The glow subsides and you see the Rotten Fruit has truly become an Angel Fruit! You look to Lark as the priestess beams a smug smile.Another Rotten Fruit drifts toward the doorway.Lark squeaks in surprise and flings another piece of enchanted gold.
Soon you have a storehouse full of Angel Fruits. Lark and Thud and Korr wait outside as you harvest them all with the Dark Hoe.Lark looks at Thud. "May I have an empty barrel?"Thud retrieves a barrel and then Lark puts all the Angel Fruits in a barrel and looks at you. "It seems a shame to stain a nice hoe like that. Do you have an Old Hoe?"You fetch an Old Hoe from your shack and then Lark rolls up the sleeves of her robe and uses the handle to stir and mash up the Angel Fruits while Korr watches down from the edge of the storehouse roof above the barrel.When the Angel Fruits are well-mixed, Lark lifts the Old Hoe from the barrel to examine the slimy batter dripping from the handle and then the priestess nods. "That should do it!"GOT ANGEL FERTILIZER x10!Lark unrolls her sleeves and brushes her hands together. "You can pour it directly over your fields."You lift the barrel and carefully begin to pour the sticky batter over the test plots when Lark asks "Have you planted those blue seeds?"Caught surprised, you nearly spill the barrel in the center of the plots before you right it again."Dragon Dryads?" Lark looks down at the pouch of blue seeds. "Are you sure that's what you planted?"You turn to look at the tangle grown from Lily's Mystery seeds.The Dragon Dryad stalks have twisted together into the shape of a single chest-high tree trunk.>Cut down the Dragon Dryad trunk>Leave it alone for now>Give it some Angel Fertilizer
>>6451363>Give it some Angel Fertilizer
>>6451363>Give it some Angel FertilizerSeymour moment
>>6451363>>Leave it alone for now
>>6451363>Give it some Angel FertilizerWhat could possibly go wrong?
>>6451363>>Give it some Angel FertilizerThis is a terrible idea, but I can't resist.
>>6451363>Give it some Angel Fertilizerfor science
Next update will be tomorrow!
>>6451713Thanks for letting us know!
"It's so hot today!" Lark squints up from the Dragon Dryad trunk toward the sky as she tugs the hem of her frock down and fans her neck. "I suppose this is the hottest time of the year."You stand up from examining the Dragon Dryad trunk and turn to see Daro and the other sharecroppers gathered around the back of the storehouse whispering to one another."It's that priestess from Glynton!""I never got a good look at her before!""Hey, quit shoving!"The sharecroppers jostle one another for a better view as you scrape the last bits of Angel Fertilizer out of the bottom of the barrel with the handle of your Old Hoe and flick it around the edges of the Dragon Dryad's trunk."I don't know if that's enough to make much difference." Lark bends over to inspect the nearby plots. "Oh, is this Goatsbeard?"Thud steps between Lark and the sharecroppers and glowers and then the other men hurriedly disappear behind the back of the storehouse."Time to get to weeding!""Looks like that ditch could use straightening!""Better get these Hungry Onions sliced!"*flap flap*Korr lands next to the edge of the old field and Lark crouches down to scratch Korr's head with one hand and the Wind Mule colt with the other. The Earth Mule brays and ambles past you as it dips its head next to Lark, nudging the colt aside.Lark playfully raps her fist against the Earth Mule's snout and giggles. "Rocky, that's not nice!" You glance around the farmyard at the sharecroppers busying themselves within sight of the old field and then ask Lark if she'd like to be taken back to Glynton.The priestess stands up from the menagerie and nods. "After all, I did promise Flam and Grif that I'd spend the rest of the day looking for the dungeon."The hasty clearing of your throat is muted by the Earth Mule's bray and Lark reaches up to continue petting its snout as she tries to alternate between Korr and the colt with her other hand. "It's no problem to do that trick again if you get more enchanted gold and Rotten Fruits. The gold has so much magic power that it doesn't take any of my own. If I used that much of my own magic power, I'd fall asleep! That's why enchanted gold is so valuable and rare."As you drive the Earth Mule's cart through the farmyard gates, the sharecroppers all gather to wave at Lark.
That night, Thud wakes you, his face and the walls of your cabin all lit by reddish light and filled with the upset cawing of Smart Crows.As you rise and look out the window you think the bandits have returned, for the old field is aflame.You hurriedly fling open the door and rush outside and see the fire is contained to the plots adjacent to the burning trunk in the near corner of the field. Above it, a dozen Smart Crows whirl in a wide circle, cawing angrily until you approach.The Dragon Dryad stalks twist and twine together, cracking and crackling, as they rise higher into the cloud of sparks flung upward at the dark sky. The leaves curl and glow yellow and fold back into the trunk and the flaring blaze illuminates the far walls of your farmyard as the stalks tighten into the comely form of a horned maiden.Bits of ash fly upward from the smooth face beneath and then the Dragon Dryad opens its eyes and screams a challenge that startles you back a step and scatters the Smart Crows.A thunderous braying and a wave of heat at your back answers the scream.You and Thud turn to see the Fire Mule galloping across the farmyard, flames pouring from its nostrils.It brays again as it gallops past you and then the Fire Mule rises up on its back hooves, braying and snorting as it waves its forehooves at the Dragon Dryad below it.The Dragon Dryad turns unflinching and screams up at the Fire Mule, arms spread, and you suddenly recall that the blue Dragon Dryad you faced at the headwaters knew the chants of more than one spell.>Try to intervene>Let them sort it out themselves
>>6452034do we have our armor on? I don't want to get between a fire mule and a fire dryad, but I also don't want our farm getting burned up.
>>6452035>do we have our armor on?
>>6452033>As you drive the Earth Mule's cart through the farmyard gates, the sharecroppers all gather to wave at Lark.Oh geez, now the lot of them are going to a bunch of lovestruck fools.>>6452034>Try to interveneWe're the one that wanted to see her grow to completion. The Water Dryad didn't respect our Ring authority, but this one is newly sprouted, an we know the Dark Lord used to grow them intentionally.And we don't want to see the entire farm in flames. That's important too.
>>6452034>Try to interveneGuess who the real boss is?
>>6452055then in that case>>6452034>Try to intervenethe garden is for growing not for burning you morons
