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
