Your orders from the local lord were simple:Reclaim the wasteland and turn it into a productive farm.
Your task became much easier, though your life became much more complicated, upon discovering the long-forgotten dungeon of the Dark Lord's castle which lies beneath your farmyard.Aided by the long-lived Dark Folk who still dwell inside (and outside) the dungeon, the Dark Lord's throne which heals your injuries, the Dark Lord's ring which grants you rule over lesser monsters, and the Dark Lord's crown which enables you to commune with your tamed monsters at a distance, you've expanded and improved your fields, made many friends, and seized for yourself the Dark Hoe, forged by the Dark Lord a thousand years ago.You have not been unopposed.The Dark Folk Ponz, claiming the title of Dark Lord, seeks the ring and crown, and the Dark Lord's armor as well. Through his minions, he has set in motion both death and suffering in his quest for the Dark Lord's raiment.https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Dungeon+Farmer
With your fields fully sown and two weeks remaining before the harvest festival in nearby Glynton, you've taken an Earth Mule-drawn cart along with your loyal Smart Crow Korr, the Wind Mule colt, and your fiery Dragon Dryad past the southern edge of the wasteland to explore the unfamiliar land, as well as to provide your young monsters with experience of the world beyond your farmyard walls.Southeast of the valley pass, on the edge of a vast body of saltwater, lies the town of Shawport. Though the town storehouse has unwittingly set out priceless Dragon Dryad seeds for sale, the seeds remain out of reach, for you have only 182g in hand.This would be enough for two pouches, but in the past week prices in Shawport have inflated tenfold, ever since sea monsters began attacking boats for their cargo.Such a strange occurrence seems like the kind of evil deed brought about by Ponz.
The men of Shawport still seem to view you with suspicion for your menagerie of monsters, though their ire is lessened when you pay the full 180g for a room at the Shawport inn.As the sun rises, you hitch the Earth Mule to the cart and set out from Shawport, to return your young monsters and the Earth Mule to your farm and employ the Water Mule in its stead. The Earth Mule trots along the shoreline as the Wind Mule colt leaps up in the back of the cart and brays at the receding town walls, its hooves kicking as it floats above the cart. As the cart begins to move out from underneath it, the colt brays in surprise and churns the air with its hooves, struggling to turn around in midair.The Dragon Dryad shrinks down on the seatboard next to you and Korr, hunching its shoulders and scowling at the expanse of water shining in the morning sunlight.The touch of autumn has not yet reached this southern land, and as the sun rises you quickly become warm beneath your Leather Coat.Suddenly, Korr flaps its wings and flies off the backboard into the air, and a pair of huge citrus fruits bob up from beneath the water and tumble onto the beach toward you! The Earth Mule rears up on its back hooves, sending the Wind Mule colt and the Dragon Dryad tumbling out of the cart. The colt brays fiercely at the two sunlight crops, but then the Feral Lemon bares its jagged teeth and the Wind Mule colt brays in surprise and stumbles backward.The Dragon Dryad giggles at the Wind Mule colt and then turns toward the approaching Feral Lime and scowls."Flare!"A rush of wavering air billows around the Dragon Dryad and ignites into a roiling cloud across the beach. The Feral Lime lunges forward out of the fire with an angry hiss, its waxy rind unscathed by the flames.The Dragon Dryad turns to flee but the Feral Lime is quicker and the Dragon Dryad looks up at you on the cart seat with pleading eyes."Daddy!">Harvest the sunlight crops to take home>Let your monsters fight the sunlight crops
Welcome back to Dungeon Farmer!
>>6465981>Let your monsters fight the sunlight crops
>>6465981>Harvest the sunlight crops to take homeI can't say no to eyes like that :(
>>6465981>Harvest the sunlight crops to take homeCan't we just take out one of them and let the kids try to take the other?
>>6465981>>Harvest the sunlight crops to take home
>>6465979>the Dark Lord's throne which heals your injuriesWait, the throne is the source of our healing?>the Dark Lord's crown which enables you to commune with your tamed monsters at a distanceWait, the crown works at range?>>6465980That's a lot of water.>>6465981>Harvest the sunlight crops to take homeNormally I'd let them get a taste of combat, but we've never seen these types before. Don't want to accidentally get them in over their head.Welcome Back!
The bravado of the two young monsters is insufficient armament, and so you leap down from the cart, the Dark Hoe gripped in both hands, and strike its blade down upon the Feral Lime.Its companion pivots on the sand at your sudden approach, and the Wind Mule colt snaps its jaws at the Feral Lemon's rind, only to immediately lunge its head away, tongue lolling as it shakes its head and brays unhappily at the sour taste.Before the Feral Lemon can spin back around, the Dragon Dryad rakes its fingertips across the rind, filling the air with a tangy scent, and the colt kicks out its back hooves with force enough to crush the side of the Feral Lemon's rind. The sunlight crop wobbles and the Dragon Dryad slashes again, tearing it to pieces.A lump of gold glistens inside the pulpy mess between them. The Dragon Dryad's hand and the Wind Mule colt's mouth both lunge forward toward the 8g lump when suddenly Korr swoops down and snatches the gold in its beak with a muffled caw.The Wind Mule colt brays as it watches Korr flap back up into the sky and the Dragon Dryad shouts up at the Smart Crow."Korr!"You bring the Dark Hoe's blade down on the Feral Lime a second time, cleaving open its tough rind until you hear the clink of gold. When you reach inside, you extract a 9g lump and wipe it against your tunic and then you pocket the gold and toss the Feral Lime up into the back of the cart.Perhaps Byep and Snaz will enjoy a new type of sunlight crop.
You arrive at your farm just as the sun sinks below the farmyard walls. The Iron Bars are cool to the touch as you open the gate and drive the Earth Mule toward the barn and then unhitch the elemental mule and lift the Feral Lime along with your well-wrapped Ancient Armor from the back of the cart. The Wind Mule colt clambers up over the sideboard and leaps down out of the cart and the Dragon Dryad climbs down, smiling as it looks around the familiar farmyard.Your Leather Coat is hung on the wall with your collection of hoes and coats, and you don your Ancient Armor and then your bed is pulled aside, revealing the trapdoor down into the dungeon of the Dark Lord.With the Feral Lime tied to your belt, you climb down the old wooden ladder and venture into the dungeon, past the docile Blind Onions and Brainfruits, through the stairwell down to the second level of the dungeon where Byep's shop awaits.Byep and Snaz look up as your Ancient Armor scrapes through the narrow gap and into the open room. Byep sniffs. "What's that smell?""Oh, my! A Feral Lime?" Snaz turns from the sunlight crop, his eyes half-closed. "Drim used to brew Magic Potions with a Feral Lime, a Feral Lemon, and a piece of enchanted gold..." He blinks and looks around the room, aware again of you and Byep and then Snaz scratches his nose and glances away. "Er, that is... You'll excuse me." He quickly steps back from the counter and turns to hurry toward the stairwell down to the third level, leaving you and Byep grinning at one another as she takes another bite of Feral Lime.By the time you finally finish chatting with Byep, the hour has grown late and the Feral Lime's rind has been picked clean. The thought of Dragon Dryad seeds slipping beyond your grasp weighs on you, and so you wave to Byep and hurry to the lower levels to harvest Sharp Peas until you have 715g in hand.As you pocket the last lump of gold, you feel the 20e given to you by Snaz. Until now, your only use for enchanted gold was in the transforming of Rotten Fruits into Angel Fruits to use as Angel Fertilizer.
The next day, you rise and don your Leather Coat and the Dark Lord's crown, and then you carry your Ancient Armor, wrapped in cloth sacks, outside toward one of the carts.As you concentrate your thoughts around the Water Mule, you suddenly see in your mind the spring of freshwater outside the farmyard wall lit by the rising sun. The Water Mule silently brays inside your mind as it hears your thoughts.In an instant, the Water Mule turns and gallops atop the irrigation ditch and then leaps over the high stone wall into the farmyard and trots toward you and the cart.You set your Ancient Armor in the back of the cart but then you feel the weight of the cart shift. The Wind Mule colt and the Dragon Dryad are on the cart before you can stop them. You reach for the colt and nudge it out of the cart, prompting a smug giggle from the Dragon Dryad before you turn and shoo it down from the cart as well. The Wind Mule colt brays at the Dragon Dryad as the fiery maiden crosses its arms and pouts its lips toward the colt and then the two young monsters watch as you toss your Ancient Armor into the back of the cart and climb onto the seatboard.Korr flaps down next to the Dark Hoe propped against the backboard, and caws up at the tower."Volunteers?"You look up at the tower full of Smart Crows, but as you do, all of them step back away from the windows and peek down at you from the shadows. As your gaze moves higher to the top of the tower, you see the King Crow's gold beak reflect the morning sun for an instant before it quickly hops back out of sight.It seems only Korr and the Water Mule will be accompanying you on this journey.
You drive the Water Mule from your farm and southeast through the wasteland until you see the familiar valley full of trees spreading out before you, and you descend downward into the forest toward Mirkham and the ruins of Murklore.The air is chilled under the canopy of trees. The low sun's light barely reaches you, and only by the time you've reached Murklore do you finally warm.Inside the "Grand Dungeon of the Dark Lord" beneath the ruins, you find the enchanted doors are still in place, just as securely locked as they were after your battle with Ponz. It takes but a few minutes and you are sure that your adventurer friends are nowhere to be found among the ruins.The sun is already behind the trees again when you step from the dungeon. You reach the walls of Mirkham an hour later, just as the woodsmen are returning to their homes. Inside the storehouse, Chuk is polishing an Old Saw when he looks up from across the countertop at you."The farmer from Glynton! Haven't seen you since the business with that, uh..." Chuk glances at a group of woodsmen walking past the storehouse doorway and whispers. "Dark Lord." When you ask about Grif, Flam, and Lark, the storehouse keeper nods and smiles. "Are you friends with those adventurers?" Chuk's nod turns to a head shake. "Those adventurers were looking around the ruins a few days ago, but I think they've gone somewhere east." Chuk scratches his head and thinks for a moment and then nods again. "That wizard mentioned something about Magic Keys...">Continue searching for the adventurers>Return to Shawport without them
>>6466443>"Drim used to brew Magic Potions with a Feral Lime, a Feral Lemon, and a piece of enchanted gold..."Ohh, that's a good tip. I wonder what sorts of potions she can make.>>6466444>As you concentrate your thoughts around the Water Mule, [...] The Water Mule silently brays inside your mind as it hears your thoughts.That must be the crown in action. Sweet!>The Wind Mule colt brays at the Dragon Dryad as the fiery maiden crosses its arms and pouts its lips toward the coltHeh. The Colt might not care, but the Dryad would really not like where we're going.>You look up at the tower full of Smart Crows, but as you do, all of them step back away from the windows and peek down at you from the shadows.Pfft. Smart Crows are a little too smart sometimes. Ah well, the Water Mule is still a powerful ally, and Korr can still provide overwatch and attacks of opportunity as per usual.>>6466445>"Those adventurers were looking around the ruins a few days ago, but I think they've gone somewhere east."Drat.>Return to Shawport without themIt's the Dryad seeds I'm most worried about, honestly. Otherwise I'd be willing to hunt down the adventurers.
>>6466445>Return to Shawport without themTell Chuk to let them know we're going to Shawport and might need their help!
You recall Daro's claim that sometimes a harvested Shadowfruit will contain a Magic Key rather than a lump of gold. Perhaps the adventurers know of a dungeon where Shadowfruits may be encountered.For the time being, you must hurry back to Shawport and the white Dragon Dryad seeds, and so you give Chuk a quick wave and quickly walk out of town and climb onto your cart and then you drive the Water Mule through the night until you rise up out of the forest valley and toward the mountain pass.There on the hillside, under the cool night sky, you make camp next to your cart, the Water Mule shimmering with moonlight.The valley pass is just as choked with Killer Tomatoes and Soggy Fruits when you set out the next morning, though you are more prepared and by the following afternoon you arrive in Shawport with more gold in your pocket and a pile of Killer Tomatoes and Soggy Fruits in the cart. The men are less surprised to see your second elemental mule, and you climb from the cart inside the town gate and hurry toward the storehouse.Boyd looks up and grins as he recognizes you and then nods at your attempt to calmly ask about Mystery seeds. "Oh, those seeds? Sure, I've still got them. But..." He nods and grins again as you begin to count out 500g and then Boyd hands you one of the pouches of white Dragon Dryad seeds.With 343g left in hand, more Dragon Dryad seeds will have to wait, but when you step from the storehouse you see again the shops on either side of the road.The larger shop next to the storehouse is manned by one of the sailors you met before. "Welcome! I'm Hoyl, owner of the Shawport weapons shop." He sees you looking at the selection of clubs, and other clubs, and then grins. "Most people around here can equip Clubs."Your attention is drawn to the Gold Club behind the counter as soon as you enter. Such a weapon would make a fine present to give to Thud during the winter festival, if only it weren't so expensive.
Across the road, the small stone building reeks of fish, and inside you see the old man who quelled the crowd when you first came to Shawport. "Oh? That farmer with the tame monsters?" The old man hobbles around the counter and looks over it at you. "By the way, my name is Went. I run the bait shop."A long strand of iron fishhooks is strung above the counter, though hanging on the wall is a golden hook that burns with the same cool white fire as your enchanted gold. Went sees you looking and nods as his head turns toward it. "Ah, the Magic Hook? That's only for the serious fisherman." Went turns back to you and places both hands on the countertop. "But then, you're probably here for something else."The old man nods as you gesture toward the Water Mule and then he walks back outside with you.While you unhitch the Water Mule from the cart, Went calls some of the other men to gather around the two of you and then looks around at the gathering crowd. "This farmer is willing to help us with the sea monsters."The sailors mutter to one another as they look the Water Mule over. "What good is that monster?"Without turning your gaze from the men, you point toward the docks and in your mind the Water Mule brays as it hears your wishes.The crowd of men shouts as they leap to clear a path for the galloping Water Mule and then it springs from the edge of the dock and trots around the surface, braying and prancing as the sailors gawk."It can really walk on water!""There's no way you'd drown with that monster around!"
Boyd glances at the other men as they whisper to one another and then he looks at you and nods. "Alright, we'll let you have the last boat." He turns as Went hobbles to the front of the crowd."We'll put some empty barrels in the boat as bait, but..." The old man looks at Boyd. "Someone needs to go with the farmer to steer the boat.""Uh..." Boyd glances at you and then smiles at Went. "I mean... I have to mind the storehouse!"Hoyl swallows when the old man looks toward him and then Hoyl scratches the back of his head as he looks away. "The thing is... I was going to spend the afternoon rearranging my Used Clubs!"Went nods his head. "Well then, I suppose I'll have to steer the boat.""You, old man?" Boyd crosses his arms. "You're too old for something like this."Hoyl nods at Went. "Yeah, there's no way you could face sea monsters by yourself.""I suppose you're right." Went nods and grins at Hoyl and Boyd as the two men grin at one another. "Well then, you'll both have to come with me."The two men suddenly stop grinning."Come on." The old man hobbles through the parting crowd. "Let's get those barrels loaded."
Your cart is unloaded into the storehouse and the door locked, and then you and Boyd walk toward the docks where the Water Mule waits along with Hoyl, Went, and the other men standing at the dock above the last boat in Shawport.The Water Mule leaps down from the dock onto the boat's deck and you climb onto the boat along with Went, Boyd, and Hoyl. From the dock, the other men toss empty barrels down to Boyd and Hoyl until the deck is enticingly full.The Water Mule kneels down on the deck and then lies down fully. From outside the boat, the huge elemental mule seems nearly concealed by the stacks of empty barrels.Beneath your unsteady feet, the boat rocks and a strange sense of falling overtakes you as the boat drifts away from the dock and into open water. The other men standing on the dock wave and call out encouragement as they swiftly grow more distant.Went nods once and then looks at you and gestures toward the barrels. "You should stay out of sight for now."Boyd and Hoyl raise the sails and the boat begins to bounce and then the voyage becomes smoother and the docks of Shawport soon vanish around the coastline.Just as you move to shift position and stretch your cramped legs, Korr caws from atop the rigging and you hear the three men shouting.As you stand, a submerged boat rises up from the water, the anchor swinging wildly, but then from within the overturned hull gleam a pair of eyes in the shadows and two enormous pincer claws emerge reaching toward the boat!The Hull Crab smashes its claws against the side of the boat, clumsily knocking the barrels aside, and the Water Mule snorts an angry cloud of mist as it shifts itself to leap out from behind the pile.>Fight the Hull Crab with the Water Mule>Stay hidden for now
>>6466886>Stay hidden for now
>>6466882>With 343g left in hand, more Dragon Dryad seeds will have to waitThank goodness. We know from our current Dryad that you only need a single pouch of seeds per Dryad, so we've secured one. But hopefully we can pick up more seed bags later.>Such a weapon would make a fine present to give to Thud during the winter festival, if only it weren't so expensive.Couldn't have said it better myself. Yeouch that's spendy.>>6466883>5 MILLION goldoh. ok.wow.At what point does the sheer quantity of gold become a logistics problem? Simply storing and transporting that much gold would be considerable pain.>>6466885"I suppose you're right." Went nods and grins at Hoyl and Boyd as the two men grin at one another. "Well then, you'll both have to come with me."Heh. I like this guy,>>6466886>Your cart is unloaded into the storehouse and the door locked,Good thought. Especially with the generally unfriendlyness of the townsfolk here.>>6466886>Just as you move to shift position and stretch your cramped legs,That was fast. They must be actively blockading the port to be intercepting us this fast. That speaks to intentional action.>Fight the Hull Crab with the Water MuleHandling monsters like these is why we're out here, so there's no point in holding back.
>>6466886>Fight the Hull Crab with the Water Mulelooks like a big mean bastard with a nasty attitude, don't want our mule or these guys to get seriously hurt if there's something we can do about it
>>6466883>5 milThis economy is bizarre>>6466886>Fight the Hull Crab with the Water Mule
>>6466886>Fight the Hull Crab with the Water MuleOne of my favorite sprites you've posted so far, this guy is awesome.
Barrels explode above your head as you hurriedly unwrap and don your Ancient Armor.The three sailors strike their Iron Clubs against the enormous pincers larger than barrels, the men shouting in angry terror all the while, but when the Hull Crab turns and grasps for them, all three fall back.It seizes an empty barrel and lifts it from the deck, but then crushes the barrel and reaches for another and finds it empty as well.Across the deck, the Water Mule vaults over the boat's broken edge and lands atop the churning water next to the Hull Crab. The Water Mule turns and kicks up with its back hooves, jarring the Hull Crab and sending the dangling anchor precariously close to crushing you, but then you swing the Dark Hoe down upon its other pincer and chip a piece of salt-encrusted shell that spins across the tilting deck and off the edge.The Hull Crab silently turns and lifts its other huge pincer claw away from the sailors and sweeps it across the deck toward where you stand. You raise the Dark Hoe but the Hull Crab's other claw surrounds you from behind and its razor-serrated pincers grind over the surface of your Ancient Armor.Your feet are suddenly dangling as the Hull Crab lifts you off the deck and carries you closer to the blinking shadow inside the briny boat hull. You swing down with the Dark Hoe and chip another piece of its shell, and another, but the monster draws you closer and now you smell rotted meat and hear the chaotic clatter of its jaws from inside the shadow.You strike again and the pincer-claw around you spasms opens enough for you to slip through, snapping closed just above your head as you fall into the cold water.From under the surface you see the Hull Crab pivot and begin to swim away, and you sink lower into the dark choking cold, for you cannot swim.The sunlight seems to pulse as it recedes, but then a muffled braying passes by all around and now the Water Mule is underneath you, carrying you upon its back as it canters upward through the water and you arise coughing into the sunlight.Korr caws from above and the sailors give happy shouts when they see you're still alive.The Water Mule turns at your thoughts and gallops away from the boat in the same direction the Hull Crab swam.Your hair is still wet when you see a large cove. As the Water Mule draws closer to land, you see the beach is strewn with broken barrels and tracks of monsters leading up into the hills. Beyond the hills, the hazy shape of tall mountains can be seen above the horizon.*flap flap*Korr flaps down onto a piece of wood jutting from the sand and ruffles its feathers, panting from the long flight.
With the Water Mule, the hills are easily crossed, and by mid-afternoon you catch sight of a doorway carved around a cavern at the base of the mountains at the top of the furthest hill.As you draw closer, a figure appears in the doorway, though before you can notice more than the movement, the figure retreats inside and vanishes from sight.The ground outside the stone doorway is covered in footsteps and monster tracks.The entrance is too small for the Water Mule. Korr watches from atop a nearby boulder as you slowly walk further inside, your grip around the Dark Hoe's handle growing tighter with each step.*klump**klump*Your heart pounds at the familiar noise, for the near-constant approach of ravenous Deep Onions haunted your sleep and your travels through the Dark Lord's mine.The first Deep Onion hops from the gloom toward you with its maw widening enough to gobble up the second to appear.Both are suddenly knocked tumbling aside by the legs of an enormous shiny monster like the Iron Locusts faced in the forest around Mirkham. You leap backward away from its snapping jaws. The monster lunges forward again and you strike at it when its head is low. Though it seems as mindless as the Iron Locusts, you find it holds one quality that sets it apart.The Gold Locust's shell is less easily broken by the Dark Hoe.You strike at the Gold Locust and it swipes its claws over your Ancient Armor, but then the Gold Locust suddenly turns and seizes one of the Deep Onions in its jaws and quickly gobbles up the hapless dungeon crop!Its vigor renewed, the Gold Locust skitters across the cavern floor toward you, slashing its limbs and snapping its jaws. You turn to flee but the other Deep Onion leaps at you and the blade of the Dark Hoe chops it open to its center but then behind you the Gold Locust is upon you, slashing at your flesh through the gaps in your Ancient Armor.When at last the battle is over, you haltingly pry the 6g lump from the Deep Onion and turn with a grunt of effort to the fallen Gold Locust.Inside its head is a mass of gold worth 40g.*klump**klump*>Press forward>Retreat for now
>>6467227>Press forward
>>6467226>and you sink lower into the dark choking cold, for you cannot swim.Ah. Oops.Though admittedly even if we could swim, trying to do so while weighed down by a full set of armor, weapons, and other equipment would be extremely difficult.>>6467227>Press forwardWe might want to take a short rest first. We're pretty bushwhacked from the Crab fight, and the Locust fight was uncomfortably close.Still, our equipment is as good as it can be for a while, so if we want to get to the bottom of these monster attacks we need to keep moving.
