After a good night's rest Winston had gotten up early Monday morning. The sun hadn't even risen in game yet when he logged in. The wind had picked up and was blowing over the burnt grass and naked earth that now made up his half of the courtyard. The place was a wreck and the weak light of sun-rise made it all the more evident. Giant holes had been blasted in the chest-high wall around the keep. The little shed with the tools and seeds in it had been smashed and chunks of the keep itself had been blown off.

Rimmi had apparently been busy and a half finished tower sat in the middle of the courtyard. Winston stood their just taking it all in as the sun rose. He supposed he should re-dig his fields but he wanted to get some other things first. He brought up the In-game web browser and opened it into a transparent window in front of him. Then he used his auctioneer addon for the first time to start looking at the game's markets. If he was going to start being a real player instead of just a peon he needed more information.

He started sorting through prices, looking at both grains and produce and blinked in astonishment. The prices for these things was truly ridiculous. One gold per normal grade turnip? He almost laughed aloud. He was going to be rich.

He scanned through some other things he could buy. It was cold here and the soil was pretty poor. He popped open a web-browser window and started doing some google searching on what plants grew in cold dry environments. Beets would probably grow. Potatoes were cold weather crops. Cabbage, Broccoli, maybe some peas or something? The grain prices were ridiculously high right now, but high-quality vegetables were where the real money was at. Grain was a decent staple crop but unless he got some kind of accelerated harvesting or planting skill there was a limit on how much he could realistically grow.

No, if he wanted to be serious about farming he needed to pick higher priced crops. Chef's would pay ridiculous money for top quality fruits and vegetables for their dishes. A master Chef could make food that gave huge bonuses that guilds would pay hundreds or thousands of gold for but they required top quality ingredients. Things like fire-mana infused truffles and golden apples could go for dozens of gold each.

The thought of apples brought up more possibilities. Apples would probably grow in the cold weather, but he wasn't sure about how much moisture they needed, maybe pears or cherries? . Cranberries grew in Maine but you needed water for those and this place was too dry. The sun was peeking over the horizon when he finished his searching.

He pulled up the Otherworld forums and looked for a courier willing to run some items out here from the closest auction house. With money and items to trade he was in a much better position to get things done. It would likely be expensive but he should be able to find someone to come out here for enough gold.

He opened up another window and brought up the trade forums. The Otherworld trade forums were were massive and well organized. Brethen Plains was a pretty remote location and a city with an auction house was over two days ride away by normal horse. Couriers normally had very fast mounts but getting someone to make a special trip out here would be really pricey and he didn't have THAT much money.

He started messing with the filters until he had it narrowed down all the options to Verith, the city closest to the keep. There were only four couriers in the city. One had a wagon and only did bulk orders. One wasn't leaving for four days. One only did special orders and wanted a 500 gold down payment and 100 gold an hour after that. The other was apparently a lowbie who was willing to negotiate. Winston chose him and brought up the messaging system.

*************************************************************

Trollogisics sat in the sullenly in the courtyard of the Verith Wagoner's guild. He used to be Norgil Buttertong a level 35 gnome fencer but when he'd turned thirty he decided to shelf his adventuring. His girlfriend had left him for some damn orc and he'd decided to try and do something more useful with his video gaming time.

He'd deleted his character and decided to go into business. It had started alright. He'd had a plan and his idea for a cheap and fast mount had paid off. He'd unlocked the Wagon Driver class pretty early and had gotten his set-up going in a surprisingly short amount of time. The good times hadn't lasted.

The problem was that he had no work. His mount and wagon were only good for short-jaunts not long journeys through multiple zones. What he needed was to haul high value items and charge a premium for his raw speed. The problem was that he was new to the business and no-one trusted him to haul such cargo. His only real option was to do quests for NPC's but those paid next to nothing. He'd solved part of that problem by heading to one of the more remote areas in the game. Brethen plains had few players so the game increased the NPC quest rewards to draw more people to the area. It didn't really work but it did let him keep cashing in on the bonus money and xp.

Trollogistics had managed to corner the market on NPC hauling quests and was leveling up pretty quickly. The problem was needed money to really expand his business. Not to mention he had to make a living in the real world.

The problem was there just weren't many opportunities for player business out here. His ears picked up the sound of boots on the street and he sighed.It didn't help that those ass-holes hung out here too. Three men walked past the gate to the guild courtyard.

"Ohhhh, no business today again I see? No wonder your woman left you." Tollogistics gritted his teeth in rage. This was his punishment for getting drunk in game. He needed to learn to keep his damn mouth shut. Two ale's and he'd started telling those idiots his life story while crying into his beer.

"Screw off Freeze." He said to the brawny fighter. The fighter paused then held up his hands as if to defend himself.

"Ohhhh… Noooo, The little gnome wants me to screw off….. What shall I do?" he said in high falsetto voice that was full of scorn. The motion looked ridiculous with his large body and scarred face. "Just leave already." The fighter told the gnome in a normal voice. "There's nothing here for you and seeing your face around town all the time pisses me off."

"Why don't you leave. Your face makes me nauseous." He snapped back at the larger player.

"Well, if that's how you feel then why don't you put your money where your mouth is little man." Freeze sneered. "Tell you what." he said, puffing his chest out as he walked over. "If you can make a thousand gold this month. With your stupid cart and your stupid troll. I'll pay you another 500 gold and leave. If you can't, which I'm pretty sure you can't. Then you pay me 500 gold and you get your stupid gnome ass outta my city." He said.

[You Have Been Challenged!]

[The Player Freezepop has Challenged to you!]

[The Game Has deemed this as a worthy challenge and will enforce the rules of the bet.]

[Goal: Earn 1000 gold in 1 month with only hauling fees]

[If you win: gain +500 gold from player Freezepop. Freezepop must leave Verith. Fame Increased by 10. +2000 xp]

[If you Lose: Pay +500 gold to player Freezepop. You must leave Verith. Fame Decreased by 10]

[If you refuse the challenge: Fame Decreased by 15]

Trollogistcs hardly even saw the popup as his body was suffused with rage. He'd had enough of this prick.

"Fine asshole! I hope the drawbridge won't hit you in the ass on the way out of the city!" He snarled.

[Challenge Accepted!]

An hour later Trollogistics lay with his head against an uneven table in the Orcish Handmaiden. He wanted to get drunk but he knew he needed to save all the gold he could. He was about to lose every coin he had. He was an idiot. That muscle brained moron had goaded him into accepting the challenge. -15 fame hardly mattered to him. He could make that up just doing NPC quests, but 500 gold. He didn't even want to think about it. Most of the NPC quests he did paid one or two gold each.

He raised his head to order a drink anyway when his communicator buzzed with an incoming text message. He frowned at it but accepted.

Win Mills: Hey man, what would it cost me to get you to come out to Grimstone keep?

Trollogistics's mind came to a screeching halt, but he nervously tapped on the keyboard with shaking hands. Was this actual work? Was he saved? He tried to calm his breathing but it was hard, so hard. He took a deep breath then responded.

Trollogistics: Where's that?

Win Mills: Brethan Plains… East side….. There's a road…. I think it runs this way from Haden's Village.

He frantically pulled up a map from a wiki and started pouring over it. He finally found what he was looking for and measured the distance. It wasn't a bad run, a little farther than he'd prefer under normal circumstances but who the hell was he to argue. It's not like he was spoiled for choice.

Trollogistics: Hmmmm, that's what 14 hours or so on ol' Betsy. 300 Gold.

Win Mills: I've got about 125, with a thousand worth of items. Can we deal?

He winced. He needed coin not items. Still he could just action them. Although the market out here was a mess he should still be able to move decent gear. He decided to play coy.

Trollogistics: Hmmmmm, that's not very reassuring.

Win Mills: Common. I'm gonna be in this area for a while. Work with me and I'll have lots of goods for you to move. I'll give you all my gold and all the items. They are all level 40+ and you should get good money for them. I just need a dozen apples, some pears, potatoes, beet seeds, cabbage seeds, and a silver brazer."

Tollogistics frowned. What kind of list was that? Still, the only thing he needed more than a job was a job with a potential for more jobs. He decided to play up the humor a bit.

Trollogistics:..... Making a virgin sacrifice to a gardening demon?

Win Mills: Sorta… I'm a farmer just starting out, working for one of the Swords feeder guilds. I'll have lots of produce for you to move. Besides even with all that you'll still clear what… 800 gold at least?

That was interesting, A farmer and one working for the swords. He reeled in his excitement. This was his chance. If he played it straight with this guy he might really get his company off the ground.

Trollogistics: Fine but that's too much. Let's do 500 for the whole trip.

Win Mills: Deal

***************************************************************

Winston waved away the messages and stared into the courtyard again. It was still early and he had a lot of work to get done. He looked down at the patch of earth where his field had been before. He needed to try something. Leveling skills in Otherworld could be done by simple grinding but that would take forever it would be months until he got into the Apprentice ranks if all he did was farm his fields. To quickly level skills you had to innovate, try new things, experiment. He'd managed to get his farming skill to level four extremely fast but getting to Beginner rank would take at least another five or six days unless he came up with some new ideas.

"What are some things farmers do…?" He asked himself as he paced around. Irrigation? That would be difficult. He'd have to look into eventually if he planned to expand his crop selection not that he knew where he'd get that much water from. Winston looked around for inspiration until his eyes landed on the stables at the side of the keep. One side was pretty badly charred from the fire-storm but they still stood and all of the animals inside had survived. Winston grimaced but walked over and picked up the bucket Rimmi had been using to carry sand in.

"What is that smell?" Rimmi said when he got into the game two hours later. Winston's fur was lathered up as he lugged another heavy bucket over and dumped it on the ground with a wet splat. He picked up the nearby shovel and started working the ground with it.

"Dire tiger manure" Winston said as he dug up the earth and mixed in the foul smelling crap from the keep's stables. He'd never thought the process would be so much work, but he had to really work the stuff into the soil so it would mix. He was ten buckets in and hadn't even got half his field done.

Rimmi shook his head as he got back to brick laying and the two worked in companionable silence until Winston was so exhausted that his stamina zeroed out and his character literally passed out. He woke up ten minutes later with his face in a pile of dire-tiger poo. He wiped the filth out of his face and raised his noodly arms up enough to summon a stream of water to wash his face off.

[Farming Skill has Ranked Up!]

[Current Rank: Novice Rank V]

[Bonus Crop Yield: 10%

Bonus Crop Quality: 7.5% +15.0% (22.5%)]

[Grain Sub-Skill has Ranked Up!]

[Grain Sub-skill]

[Grain Subskill: Novice Rank V]

[Bonus Grain Crop Yield: 15%

Bonus Grain Crop Quality: 12.5%]

[Your Farming Skill Has reached the Skill Cap.As you are not yet level 10 you do not have access to the full skill system, You are allowed to increase one skill beyond beginner rank. Do you Wish to Pre-Spend your primary skill point?]

[Yes/No]

Winston sighed as he tried to wipe the muck out of his fur as he heard Rimmi laughing. Winston growled and hit yes on his pop-up. Green light flashed around him as his farming skill reached the next level.

[Your Farming Skill Has Reached Beginner Rank! New Ability Unlocked!]

[Soil Sense]

[User is able to feel the general quality, pH levels, and any special characteristics of soil. While holding a seed the user is able to ascertain if the soil he's standing on is suitable for growing it.]

[Rank: N/A]

[Activation: Passive]

[[Your Grain Sub-Skill Has Reached Beginner Rank! New Ability Unlocked!]

[Hearty-Grains]

[Grains farmed by the user recover 25% more hunger points.]

[Rank: N/A]

[Activation: Passive]

[Current Rank: Beginner Rank I]

[Grain Subskill: Beginner Rank I]

[Bonus Crop Yield: 13%

Bonus Crop Quality: 9.5 + 15 (24.5%)]

[Grain Subskill]

[Bonus Grain Crop Yield: 19%

Bonus Grain Crop Quality: 15.5%]

[You Have Unlocked The Hidden Class: Farmer]

[Unlocked by reaching Beginner rank in Farming]

[A production class based around the raising and harvesting of grains, fruits, and vegetables. They are able to increase the productivity of land, and feed the masses with fields of golden grains.]

Winston started to rub his chin before realizing how filthy his hands were and stopping. His gains this time were pretty good. The skill from farming would be useful although not spectacular. The skill from grains was the same good but not earth shattering. The class would likely have a better skill but he hesitated about taking it.

Once you had a class it was impossible to change it. You had a bit of wiggle-room with class promotions but once you started down the road you were stuck on it. Winston wanted to be a farmer but he wasn't sure about taking the farmer class yet. There were likely more powerful farming classes out there but he had no idea how to get them and he doubted the wiki would either. People with a secret production class weren't the type to share.

That left him staring at the courtyard again and all the mixed up manure he'd been digging. He knew you weren't supposed to plant in it. Normally you'd need to leave it for a few weeks/months to let it break down into the soil otherwise it would be too concentrated. Winston figured he'd just wait the ten or twelve hours until Trollogistics showed up with his new seeds. That should be enough of a wait in video game logic time. He burnt all his mana summoning water to wash himself off then logged out.

Winston spend the day catching up on his homework, surfing the Otherworld markets, and trying to keep his legs and shoulders from cramping up. He took the day to relax and enjoy his truancy. When his mom came home at 4:30 he was on the couch watching the Otherworld news.

"The Otherworld markets are still surging as all the major guilds are buying up all the commodities and reagents they can get their hands on. Food, potions, scrolls, and other consumables are up nearly 500 percent since the expansion was announced. With metals, lumbers, and stone close behind.

This has kicked off a golden age for many crafters and producers, while guilds are having to open their wallets to buy supplies as well as fend off other guilds looking to gain control of territorial resources.

Here we have a video of a battle between two smaller guilds over a granite quarry located in a mana saturated area. Supposedly it produces special stone used for high-level defensive constructions. "

The screen shifted and showed an intense battle between about a hundred players. Winston drank a Mt.Dew and ate popcorn as he watched the players slaughter each other. He was glad he didn't have to deal with things like that. Farming was hard work but relaxing.

"Have you done anything today?" His mom snapped, as she walked in the door. "Got yourself kicked out of school and you're just here lounging."

"Did my homework, Made about two-hundred dollars…. Spent most of it . Now I'm relaxing." Winston said as he put more popcorn in his mouth. His mother snorted and headed into her bedroom to change.

"Be at dinner tonight." She said before closing her door.

Winston enjoyed his work free evening and played a few games of Lota with Jason, Brad, and Ruger before he had to eat dinner. He didn't log back onto Otherworld until around ten and the first thing he did was message his deliveryman.

Trollogistics: Thank god, almost there. About thirty minutes out I think. Meet me at the gate.

Winston: Can do man. I'll have the money you have the product.

Trollogistics: I'm bringing you garden seeds not cocaine.

Winston: Are their cocaine seeds?

Trollogistics: I think you can grow moonsugar. Although, it's contraband in most cities.

Winston: Alright, I'll meet you.

Winston started digging his field for bit before heading to the front gate of the keep. He was just in time, as giant troll pulling a halfling in a rickshaw came barrelling down the road. The troll was sprinting at an unbelievable speed and the cart was leaving a dust cloud behind it.

Winston burst out laughing as the troll stopped in front of the keep and the halfling jumped out and rummaged around in the rickshaw until he held a canvas sack. The halfling drug it over to Winston who was only about about six inches taller than the halfling.

Winston poured his gold and items out on the ground. They made some solid clinking sounds as they landed in a pile. The halfling picked through them for a while then nodded. Handing over the sack he was holding to Winston while shoving the gear and gold into his own sack.

"So why the troll." Winston asked finally. The halfling grinned up at him, obviously hoping for Winston to ask the question.

"I played this game for quite a while doing the adventure thing, but after doing that for a couple years I decided to reroll and start a business. I started with a cart and a boar but then I found some interesting theorycraft on trolls and decided I'd try something out.

See you level up your tamer skill until you can get yourself a troll. That's not that hard, since trolls are really stupid and just want to be fed. You level them up a bit and dump all their stats into constitution. Then you buy these little haste potions. They are pretty terrible for real players since they only increase run speed by about 15% but drain a bunch of hp/sec. The thing is the potions stack multiplicatively. So if you feed someone say… 10 of them. You get about 400% bonus move-speed at the cost of around 1000 hp/sec in damage. Even the highest level tanks would only last a second or two with that much raw HP drain on them. However it counts as poison damage and trolls have 90% innate poison resist. Combine that with their massive HP regen and you can give them move speed on par with some of the top mounts in the game at a tiny fraction of the price and required skills. Hence the Troll Logistics shipping company was born." The halfling explained as he beamed. He was apparently expecting Winston to be terribly impressed with his cleverness and Winston had to admit he kinda was.

"Very nice." Winston said grinning. "How fast can you get him going."

"Last troll I got 14 pots in once. I figured I had him running about 80 miles and hour, but he stepped on a sharp rock and just kinda exploded. Was a damn shame, wasted weeks of training. I don't take Betsy here up above 10." He said, slapping the troll's leg as he walked past and climbed up into the rickshaw again. "Look me up if you need another delivery." The gnome said as he climbed into the rickshaw and the troll took off at a sprint.

Winston looked down at all the seeds he had and slogged back into the keep. He had one last thing to do before he could get back to work. He walked back to his field and stood before the small tower Rimmi had finally finished before he pulled out the large silver brazier the gnome had bought for him. He had to get a rock to stand on before he could get up high enough to place the brazier on the tower. He descended from his rock and looked at the tower satisfied. It was done pretty well, simple but better than a simple roadside shrine like was used in some places in game. Rimmi had got it looking almost exactly how Winston had imagined it.

Now he just needed a dedication speech. Words were important after all and a shrine dedication needed something profound or at least epic sounding. Winston cleared his throat then then spread his arms wide and called to the heavens and his new goddess.

"O' Runa, spurned guardian of a fallen people. I dedicate this shrine unto thee. May your light shine again in mortal hearts. May your ears once more hear the prayers of your followers. May your blessings once again enrich the land and its people. May your flame burn eternal and may the walls of the faithful always stand."

There was a brilliant flash of blinding golden light then a boom of thunder so loud Winston was sure the sound alone had nearly killed him. He landed flat on his back as his vision filled with yet more messages. He was really getting tired of all the pop ups. He wondered if he could turn some of them off.

[Bong!]

[A Divine Mandate Has been Fulfilled!]

[You Have Completed A Shrine to Runa]

[Completion Level: Above Average]

[Rewards]

[Runa Skill Rank Increased to Novice IV

Shine has a passive 500ft Aura: Decreases crop maturation time by 10% Increases HP of all walls and fortifications by 10%

You Have gained 1000 Xp

You Have Gained Divine Skill: Clear the Land]

[You Have Gained A Divine Skill]

[Clear The Land]

[Use Divine Power to Ready Land for Planting]

[Rank: Novice I]

[Duration: N/A]

[Cooldown: N/A]

[Cost: 10 FP per 200ft2]

[Effect: Clears trees, rocks, shrubs, and other obstructions from a patch of earth to ready it for planting. Levels land and fills holes. Unlike most magical alterations these changes are permanent. Can only be used on land owned by the player or his guild.]

[You Have Unlocked Racial Hidden Class: Grove Tender]

[Unlocked by reaching beginner rank in farming, Completing a Divine Mandate, and being a member of the Yawnshu race.]

[The great underground kingdom of the Yawnshu race was one of the largest and most prosperous civilizations of the ancient world. Great groves were created and farmed in their caverns using massive crystals to refract sunlight down from the surface. These groves were incredible feats of engineering and art providing both food and recreational space for the Yawnshu people. The great groves were overseen by the Grove Tenders. A caste of farmer-priests that were renowned for their skill with growing things and their piety to the Yawnshu gods.]

Winston struggled back to his feet then grinned at the now flaming brazier. Rimmi was glaring at him from his field but Winston ignored him. He hadn't really minded Rimmi to start with but the gnome was just plain bitter. It wasn't like he wouldn't get the shrine bonuses as well.

This new class was exactly what he needed. A powerful farming based class, and a racial class too boot. Classes with race restrictions were usually a notch above normal classes and one that required a Divine Mandate completion should be an excellent class indeed. Winston didn't hesitate.

"Select Class, Grove Tender" He said aloud.

[Warning This Choice is Permanent and Cannot be Changed]

[Production based classes significantly alter the core gameplay of Otherworld.

Do you wish to Continue?]

Winston clicked 'yes'.

[Warning This Choice is Permanent and Cannot be Changed]

[Five Hundred Twenty-Two Classes Remain Locked. Do you wish to Continue?]

Winston rolled his eyes and clicked 'yes' again.

[You have Selected Class Grove Tender!]

[Attribute Bonuses]

[+ 1 bonus to End on level-up

+ 1 bonus to Wis on level-up

+ 1 bonus to Faith on level-up

User Farming Skill increases the Faith points of user. Current Increase 10%]

[Skill Bonuses]

[Farming is now a Primary skill(If already selected skill point will be refunded)

Users top Faith Skill is now a Primary Skill(Current: Runa) (If already selected skill point will be refunded)

Farming Skill experience gain is increased by 25%]

[Experience Changes]

[User no longer gains experience from killing monsters

User now gains experience from harvesting crops]

[Abilities]

[Nourish The Land(Active)]

[Casts a Blessing upon the Earth Increasing Crop Yield]

[Rank: Novice I]

[Duration: Three Days]

[Cooldown: Seven Days]

[Cost: 10 FP per 1000ft2]

[Effect: Increases crop yield in area by 15% while active]

[Restriction: Only one Blessing may be active at once. ]

Winston read over all his bonuses then checked his character sheet.

[ Name: Win Mills Level 3]

[ Race: Yawnshu Class: Grove tender]

[ Attributes Status]

[Str: 13 End: 14 Hp: 24/24 Mana: 20/20]

[Con: 14 Agi: 10 Stam:17/17 Panic: 2/10]

[Cord: 16 Int: 14 Hunger: 54/100 Thirst: 23/100]

[Wis 14(+2)16 Faith: 13(+2)15 FP:16/16]

[Res: 12 ]

[Guild: Seeds Titles: 1]

[Fame: 0 Friend List: 0/0]