Fantasy World Farm, page 5
“This…” Wilbur trailed off as he chewed.
I waited with bated breath for his reaction, and I found myself leaning in closer, too.
“Is fucking amazing!” he declared with a hearty laugh. “On my mother’s tits, this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”
“Let me try,” the human guard said as he hurried over and plucked one down.
The second he bit into it, his eyes fluttered closed, and he let out a deep groan.
“Well, now I’m intrigued,” Ellyn said with a smirk as she watched the two men practically salivate all over their apples.
“Go ahead,” I said and gestured to the trees. “See what you’re missing out on.”
Ellyn slowly stepped forward, and I noticed she walked so gracefully it almost appeared like she was gliding. She stopped in front of the many fruit trees and reached a pale hand to one of the apples, and then her delicate fingers wrapped around the red base and tugged.
She examined it with a curious eye once it was in her hand, and I walked over to her side and chuckled as her eyebrows tugged down into a frown. They really must not have seen fruit like this before. So fresh and so vibrant.
“This is more than impressive, Noah,” Ellyn said as she ran her thumb across the shiny red skin. “This is magic.”
“Not quite,” I said in amusement. “Just hard work, years of steady watering, and patience.”
“The ‘irrigation’ you mentioned to me earlier…” the elf trailed off. “Does it help grow food like this?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “It stops them from dying out. The trees drink as much as they need to sustain themselves.”
“Interesting,” the blonde said as she looked down at the apple in her hand. “I suppose there’s no use in me just looking at it, is there?”
“Tasting it is the best part,” I stage-whispered behind my hand.
Ellyn giggled before she brought the apple to her lips and bit down. I couldn’t help but be completely ensnared by the sight of her plump lips wrapping around the fruit, and the way juice dripped down her chin the moment her teeth sank into it.
I felt my breath hitch in my throat as her eyes fluttered closed, and her tongue darted out to lick up the spilled juice. She didn’t even know how much those two little movements turned me on, and I tried my hardest not to let it show. Especially in front of the Overseer of the town I’d been portaled right next to.
I cleared my throat before I scratched the back of my head.
“So, you like it?” I asked awkwardly.
Ellyn nodded and moaned as she started to chew, and one of her thin fingers reached up to wipe away the remaining juice. I swallowed hard as I watched her, and I kept scratching at my head to keep myself distracted.
“We have to order fruit from the next town over,” Alden said as he walked over to us in a daze. “And we haven’t had that in a very long time. Not since the drought.”
The half-orc reached up and grabbed an apple, and he immediately shoved it into his face. His tense shoulders dropped as the taste flooded his mouth, and his dark eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“Fuck me sideways,” he mumbled through a mouthful of apple. “You… You’ve got yourself a deal, Noah.”
“Yeah?” I asked in surprise. “You… You really wanna trade with me?”
I thought Alden would have put up more of a fight, if I’m being perfectly honest. He was pretty standoffish, and I knew it was gonna take a little while to get him to trust me and my intentions, but apparently, trying one of my apples was enough to get the ball rolling.
“The people of Gladewood Crossing deserve something nice like this,” the Overseer said. “Something good. Something tasty.”
“Something that isn’t crooked carrot stew,” Wilbur added as he bit off every last morsel of apple from the core.
“You’ll need to fortify this place, though,” Alden said as he looked at my fences. “Whatever pests you had in your world, forget about them. The ones here are meaner, greener, and will certainly do a lot more damage.”
“What do you mean greener?” I asked in confusion.
“Goblin bandits, from time to time,” the Overseer explained with a casual wave of his hand. “They’ve been known to push out of the woodland surrounding Gladewood to try their luck with some of our crops. It usually doesn’t end well for them, once me and my boys get word, but you’re pretty far outside of town.”
“So, I’ll need to protect myself,” I finished with a sigh. “Great. Goblin bandits are a bit of a jump from wild hogs and coyotes.”
“A very big jump,” Alden grumbled. “I don’t envy you, being all the way out here with this much land.”
“Thanks, Alden,” I commented with an amused scoff.
“You’ll manage, I’m sure,” he said and clapped a big green hand onto my shoulder. “Oh, and don’t forget wolves, bugs, Witches Fingers Weed, Death Veins, all the different types of deadly mushroom--”
“Alden, I don’t think that’s what he wants to be hearing right now,” Ellyn cut him off and rested a reassuring hand on my bicep. “I can help you learn these things, but they’ll take time. There’s no point reeling them off to you just for you to forget straight away.”
Alden grumbled to himself as Ellyn sent him a pointed look, and the half-orc scratched at the back of his neck.
I was kinda glad the Overseer had pointed out all of that stuff, even if it was too much at once. I knew now that I really did have to fortify this place if I wanted myself, my crops, and my animals to survive in Mystica.
Protecting the Dawson farm just got a whole lot harder.
Chapter Four
Ellyn snapped me out of my thoughts by squeezing my bicep again. I looked down and saw the elf smiling up at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. It was like she just radiated warmth and good energy. Maybe it was something to do with her race, or maybe it was just her. I would have to learn all of the traits about each race in this land at some point, but for now, I was just glad I had such a positive force seemingly willing to help me.
“You’re gonna help a lot of people with this food, Noah,” she murmured. “A lot of people.”
“She’s right,” Alden agreed as he wiped his chin and finished off the rest of his apple. “We’ll buy whatever you’ve got spare. Then we’ll sell a large portion to the market stall owners. That’ll allow them some commerce. How does three gold pieces a bushel sound?”
Wilbur started violently choking on his own spit and had to bang his chest hard. Even Ellyn’s eyes almost popped out of her head from Alden’s suggestion.
“Three gold a bushel?” the dwarf asked after he’d recovered. “Are you out of your mind?”
“The crops are worth it! You can’t deny that was the best thing you’ve tasted in all your miserable years,” Alden joked with a crooked smile. “And we have enough money stored away for something like this. Our people need food, and good food at that. And Noah can provide that for us.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” I said as I extended my hand to the burly Overseer.
I still didn’t know much about the currency over here, but judging by everyone’s reactions, that seemed to be one hell of a deal, and I’d be a fool to pass it up when I had nothing to my name.
Alden grinned and shook my hand with a firm grip. I smiled back and hid the wince as he squeezed with excessive strength.
Well, at least I knew something about half-orcs now. Never get in an arm-wrestling match with them.
“The potatoes won’t be ready until a few months’ time, and neither will the corn, but I can set aside some of the fruit and vegetables from my drip irrigation patches for you,” I said.
“What have you got in those ‘drip irrigation’ things?” Alden asked with an inquisitive look on his wide face.
“Carrots, cucumbers, potatoes,” I listed off. “They’re ready to be picked whenever, so I’ll make some time to do that for you guys.”
“Much appreciated, Noah.” The Overseer nodded. “We look forward to it.”
“Yeah, we do,” Wilbur said with a hearty laugh as he licked his fingers clean of the apple juice. “Gods, I feel like I’ve eaten a banquet.”
“I’ve never tasted anything like that in all my years in Mystica,” the human guard said. “How it’s not magic is beyond me.”
“Like I said, just hard work and patience.” I shrugged.
“And this fabled ‘irrigation,’” Alden said. “Sounds like wizard shit to me.”
“Not wizard shit,” I chuckled. “It’s a type of watering system to make sure plants get enough water. There are loads of different ways to do it, but I mostly stick to just two.”
“Still sounds funny,” the half-orc grumbled. “Well, we’ll leave you to it, I suppose. I don’t like being out of the town for this long.”
“Alright, thanks for coming out,” I said as I started to lead them back to the main entrance of the farm.
“No, thank you.” Alden laughed deeply. “I think you’ve changed Wilbur’s life. And you’re about to change a lot more once we get this into town.”
“I’m just glad it’s not all gonna go to waste,” I said with a bashful smile. “Better to sell it at a fair price to people who actually need it than let it all rot.”
“And that’s very noble of you,” Ellyn said as she walked by my side, still holding onto my arm. “You just got here, and instead of keeping everything to yourself, you’ve offered to help us. Not many people would do that, Noah.”
“No one I know would,” Wilbur scoffed. “Selfish bastards.”
“But can you blame them?” Alden asked. “The people of Gladewood Crossing have been starving for… far too long.”
A solemn look befell all of them as they turned their gaze to the ground, and I could tell this really was something that had affected them for a very long time. If the way the citizens looked wasn’t enough to give it away, their reaction was very telling.
They needed help. Maybe more than I realized. And I reckoned it’d take a lot to make a man like Alden ask for help.
“The point is, we’re very lucky it was Noah who dropped out of the sky and portaled his way here,” Ellyn said with a soft smile as she looked up at me. “A generous farmer. Something we desperately need.”
I felt my heartbeat quicken at her words, and my cheeks flamed with heat. She was looking at me like I’d hung up the moon for her, and I knew right then that I’d give away half of this farm if it’d keep her smiling at me like that.
For the first time in a long time, I was starting to feel like I had a purpose. Like there was actually something bigger than me that I was helping with. Back home, if I’d decided to quit farming and keep all of my produce for this season, it wouldn’t have made a difference. The shortfall would have been made up by another farmer, and the markets I sold to would have had a whole-ass list of farmers raring and ready to sell all of their stock.
But here… here I mattered. Here I could make a real difference and probably save a lot of lives.
And that did make me feel like I’d hung up the moon in a way.
“I don’t know how pleased my father will be about having another farmer to compete with, and a pretty good one at that, but if you need wheat or barley, I’m sure he’ll put his ego to one side and trade with you,” the blonde elf said. “Especially once he sees what you’ve grown.”
“Yes, I’m sure Frederik will have to come around, if he knows what’s good for him,” Alden joked with a rumbling laugh. “Pride be damned!”
“Pride be damned!” Wilbur and the other guards echoed.
“He’ll come around,” Ellyn agreed with a playful roll of her eyes. “After his stomach does the talking rather than his head.”
“That sounds about right,” Alden mumbled to himself.
I stopped just as we reached the gate leading out to the trail, which handily was still there and led somewhere down the hill. Alden turned with a sigh, and the rest of his men followed suit.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Noah,” the half-orc said with a firm nod. “Come by the townhouse whenever your produce is ready. I’ll send my boys out to come and help take it back to town.”
“Will do.” I nodded back. “Thanks again. Really. At least I know I’ve got a living over here.”
“For three gold pieces per bushel, no less.” Ellyn chuckled softly. “I’ve never heard of anyone getting more than one gold piece, at most.”
“I’m sure that is some comfort, yes,” Alden agreed. “But… the topic of your return to your world… Well, I don’t think any of us here in Gladewood will be able to help with that.”
“I don’t expect anyone to,” I said. “I guess this is just something I’ll have to figure out on my own.”
Or at all.
The question of whether or not I would choose to go back even if I did find a way to do it was playing on my mind. There were pros and cons to staying and leaving, but the biggest one was what was actually waiting for me back in Salinas Valley? Taxes and annoying relatives trying to pick my bones clean.
But here… here there was something more.
Alden nodded and raised his hand in goodbye before he ushered his men to follow him down the trail and out of sight. Ellyn watched them go while still holding my arm, and then she sighed.
“I should probably head back, too,” she said. “I don’t want my father getting worried about me. But I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“Much appreciated, Ellyn,” I chuckled. “I’ll, um, see you around?”
I tried to keep the eagerness out of my voice, but I don’t think I was very successful.
“Or you could see me tonight?” the blonde elf asked with a shy smile. “You should come to the Frostfyre Inn when you get the chance. I think it will do you some good.”
“You think so?” I asked as I started to walk with her down the trail. “I don’t have any money yet. I think it’d be a pretty dry night for me.”
“Do you always depend on alcohol to have a good time?” she teased.
“Depends on whether or not I’m with good company,” I teased back.
The blonde farmhand giggled and shook her head, and I watched as loose wisps of her pale hair fell in front of her face.
“I guess you’ll have to figure that out when you get there,” she said with a cute dimpled smile.
I felt the wind get knocked out of me, and I had to quickly cough to cover up my surprise. Ellyn hummed to herself in amusement at my sudden outburst, and she looked me up and down with a knowing smirk on her face.
“So, tonight then?” she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
I tried to ignore the way it made her cleavage push up. Tried, being the key word here.
“Yeah, I’ll come tonight,” I said with a weak nod. “I’ll… yeah.”
“Good,” the blonde elf hummed and smiled proudly before she started to skip down the trail. “See you later, Noah from The States!”
“See you later, Ellyn from Mystica!” I called back jokingly.
The elf spun around and playfully stuck her tongue out at me, and I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in my chest. I was really looking forward to seeing her again, and part of me wished she hadn’t had to go, but I needed to fix up my farm.
I waited until Ellyn was completely out of sight before I shut the main gate and locked it. Then I started doing another perimeter check of the farm.
There were some places where the wooden fence had completely shattered, so my first priority was fixing those up and securing the perimeter.
First things first, though, I needed to put my rifle back in its case on my side by side. It was time to get my hands dirty, and I didn’t want it getting in the way. I still had my Glock for protection if I needed it, though.
After I’d slipped the Ruger back into its case, I headed to the barn next to my house, which was currently filled with a bunch of miscellaneous shit while my animals grazed in the summer sun. I’d have to move it all out to the shed at some point once it started getting colder so my animals could sleep in there, but for now, it was my own personal haberdashery.
There was a boatload of spare wood lying around for odd jobs that needed doing, so I quickly headed for the back of the barn and found the wooden posts that had been leaning against the wall for God knows how long.
They were covered in cobwebs, but I just brushed them off as I picked up around six of them, as well as my toolbox in my other hand, which had been sitting on the seat of my John Deere. Then I returned to one of the broken areas of the fence and started rebuilding it.
As I worked, I moved down the perimeter, and I made sure to avoid the shards of wood that had come from the old pieces of fence. That would be one hell of a splinter, and I really did not wanna have to deal with picking out shards of wood from my kneecaps tonight.
I made a few trips back to the barn to get more wooden slats, and there was one particular stretch of fence that needed to be completely redone, so I got one of the larger posts as well as my mallet and headed back out to fix it up.
I also picked up my posthole digger, which was leaning against one of the old barrels Dad used to have his ale in. This thing made digging holes a hell of a lot easier, so I dragged it out to where I needed it and plunged it into the dirt. Luckily, this digger wasn’t electric, so it wouldn’t make too much noise and draw anything to the farm. I did have a gas-powered one in my shed, but there was no way I wanted to risk making myself an easy target for anything prowling by.
Once I’d used the jaws to pierce the ground, I clamped them shut and pulled up a chunk of dirt big enough to put the post in the ground. I let the digger drop to the ground, picked up one of the big posts, and dropped it into the newly formed hole. Then I started hammering it further with my mallet. Once it was at an adequate height, I began slotting in the remaining pieces of wood to make up the actual fence itself.
Sweat started to pool on my brow, but I wiped it away with the sleeve of my plaid shirt and looked down at my handiwork with a pleased smile on my face.
But the day was far from over yet.
