Winston slipped into his normal seat at the lunch table with a contented sigh. He’d logged out of Otherworld and gone to bed early last night. He’d gotten all his school work for the week down already and had even done some workouts with Josh in the backyard. He felt good and not even the school’s sub-par lunch selection was dragging him down.

“You’re looking happy? Find yourself another girlfriend?” Trish asked as she sat down next to him.

Winston snorted. “No, That would not be a reason to celebrate.” Winston said teasingly. “I did meet a girl in game last night, but I kinda pissed her off. Besides she’s like 30 or something. Nope, I just got back to wheat farming and got a lot done last night. Think I aced my math quiz today too.

“What about you? You’ve seemed a bit down since you left your guild and I haven’t heard from you at all in game? What have you been doing.” Winston asked.

Trish sighed as she picked at her steamed vegetables as she shrugged. “Haven’t really been playing at all. I spent a day at the beach in game just to get some sun and get away from everyone but I don’t know what I want to do next.

“I”m was a raid leader but I doubt I’d get a raid slot in another guild with my wierd class and build. I mean, I’m high-level but nothing too special. I just don’t know what I wanna do.” Trish said.

“Got any skill points left? You could take a crafting skill.” Winston said. “I’m having a good time with mine.” Winston said with a shrug. “Or you could just come hang out with me and the guys. We’ll the guys anyway. Not sure how long I’ll be looking for this stupid dungeon.”

“No can do. Only get new skill points at 25 and 50.” Trish said. She was getting ready to say more but Ruger and Brad slapped their own plates down at the table.

“Speak of the devils.” Winston said with a grin.

“I’m not sure you can have more than one devil.” Brad interjected as he found his seat.

“Where’s Jason?” Winston asked. “Haven’t seen him all morning.”

“Home sick today I think. Talked to him a bit last night.” Ruger answered.

Winston frowned and sent Jason a quick text on his phone before look back up to Trish. “Well, you wanna go out this weekend? Been a week or two since we had a real date.”

Trish looked interested as she asked. “Have anything in mind?”

Winston didn’t but he frantically tried to come up with something. “It’s a surprise.” He said eventually.

Trish snorted and laughed but didn’t call him out.

“So when you heading over to our guild? I thought you’d be there by now.” Ruger asked as he looked down at his food options.

“Prolly a week or so I’d guess. Maybe longer.” Winston said. “I’ll gonna spend tonight looking around the zone and trying to get some info. We’ll see how I do. If I have to hunt by foot it might be a month, I doubt it though. It’s only a level 20 class quest.”

“Well, we could use you. We’re in a bit of a pickle at the moment.” Ruger said.

“What kinda pickle?”

“Well, we got in a small scuffle with another guild over a dungeon spawn. Not a raid or anything, but one of the big multi-day dungeons. We wiped out a good dozen of them and claimed the dungeon. They tried to hit our guild but couldn’t get through Brad’s wards and we killed them again. Now they are really pissed and ganking all our players they can catch alone.” Ruger said with a scowl.

“And how am I supposed to help with that? I’m a farmer.” Winston asked.

“Yeah, but didn’t you say you’ve got a bunch of skills to help with defense and fortifications?” Ruger asked.

Winston held up and hand and waggled it back and forth. “Maybe….” Ruger might have a point. He hadn’t been able to improve his faith by any means but Divine mandates. If he really wanted to up his skills he needed to start using them for what they were meant for and that was for fortifying walls, at least as far as Winston could tell.

“It’s not that I don’t have the ability for it. It’s most I’m just low-level. Hell after my last death I’m only 17, and it’ll take me at least a week of farming to get back to 18.Prolly a month to 20.”

“Then why are you doing that quest now? Shouldn’t you have waited?” Ruger asked.

Winston shrugged. “I didn’t want to get distracted once I got my farm really up and going. I plan to go all-out this time. Out-buildings, silos, a greenhouse, Acres of land, all of it. I even plan on hiring some builders to do the right thing.” Winston said.

“Well hurry your ass up.” Ruger said.

“Yes sir.” Winston said as he gave a mock salute.

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

Winston moved swiftly as he moved across the field. It had taken him a while to get used to the motion but if he twisted his hands and feet just a little as he pulled his claws out of the earth he could extend the range of the effect and speed up his plowing. As small as he’d made his little field he could do the whole thing in a few minutes.

He shook the dirt off his claws as he stood upright again and twisted to stretch his back. His golem followed behind him, planting the wheat seeds Winston had been given by Sarah the elf. It was say three of his dungeon hunt and he still had nothing. He’d spent at least two hours a day wandering the areas away from his farm and asking the NPC’s about any rumors or strange cave-systems but he had nothing.

That didn’t surprise him. He’d always known the quest would be mostly blind searching but it annoyed him he didn’t even have a direction to look in. It was hard to stay motivated when he had no method to measure his progress.

He let his golem finish the planting and cast [Norish the Land] over his little wheat patch. He was only farming about a 20x20 foot patch, but he’d likely have his 200 bushel done in another day or two. His farming and grain skills had gone up a decent bit during his Kishik excursion. He wouldn’t be hitting Practiced any time soon, but for something small scale like this Apprentice III was definitely over-kill.

“You make that look easy.” Said Sarah as she walked over to inspect his field. “By the look of our storage shed you’ll be done tomorrow wont you?” She asked.

Winston shrugged. “I haven’t really been keeping track. I suppose when it’s not your money you don’t care as much.” He said with a laugh.

“Where are you going to go afterwards?”

“Nowhere really. Maybe find an inn somewhere in the zone to stay. I’m still looking for my dungeon.” Winston answered her. Then he looked at her sideways. “Say, you haven’t heard anything about a dungeon have you? Maybe some odd cave systems, old ruins? You now anything dungeony? I mean your guildhall is here you’ve gotta have people all over this zone right?”

“Nope, sorry. I would have told when you said you were looking for a dungeon the first day I hired you. I guess I can ask in guild chat though. Most of our questers and raiders are in different zones, but we’ve got a few gatherers around.” She said thoughtfully.

“Please do, cause I’m coming up with nothing.”

Winston summoned some water from the end of one finger and gave the field a decent spray down while he waited. The water would evaporate in a few minutes but every little but helped.

A few minutes later Sarah looked up from her interface.

“Any luck?” Winston asked, as he killed the flow of mana and the spray died.

“Maybe, One of the miners said he found an interesting tunnel South of here in an old quarry. He found it by accident when he was cutting out some limestone blocks. He says the game might have refilled the stone by now, so you might have to mine it out again to get to the tunnel. He doesn’t know if it was actually a dungeon though.” Sarah explained.

Winston shrugged. “That’s at least a hint of something. Even if it’s not the dungeon I’m looking for, or it’s just a cave or a monster lair or something it’s more to go on than I have now. I’ll check it out tomorrow after school.”

It wasn’t the only thing he had to check on tomorrow after school. Jason has missed the whole week. They’d texted, and he’d even talked to Jason a few times online but he hadn’t been in Otherworld and they’d only talked a bit on the phone.

Winston was going to go see him to drop off his homework and see if he needed anything. Knowing Jason’s family he could be laid up in bed for a month and none of them would give a damn.

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

Winston pounded on the door of the small run-down house. It was a one-story that had been built in the 60’s or 70’s and it obviously hadn’t been cared for. The gutter on the south roof of the house was hanging down and it needed new paint years ago.

“Jason! Open up dammit. It’s freezing out here.” Winston yelled at the door. They’d passed Mid-Winter and the Holidays but it wasn’t likely to warm up until at least March. He pulled his phone from the pocket his coat and dialed Jason’s number.

He heard the phone ring inside and killed the call. Winston knocked again even louder and was just about to consider doing something drastic when Jason finally answered the door. As soon as Winston saw his face he swore. He had a black eye and his lip was slip, although it was already scabbed over and healing.

“That old bastard.” Winston swore.

“It wasn’t my dad. He’s an ass when he’s drunk but he’d never hit me.” Jason said with a sigh.

“Well, someone did.” Winston said.

“Ya think?” Jason snapped. “It was my sister's new boyfriend. I mean she’s always with some winner or another but this guy’s just nuts.”

“Well, why didn’t you call the cops then. I mean, the guy probably has a record and he beat up a minor.” Winston said.

“I wouldn’t say he beat me up.” Jason said bitterly. “And it’s more complicated than that.”

Winston wasn’t sure he agreed but it wasn’t his deal. He’d just come to see if Jason was Ok. He wasn’t going to get involved unless Jason wanted him involved. Besides, it wasn’t like there was much he could do to help anyway.

“Well, you missed a math quiz, and we’ve got a book report due next week in English.” Winston said, changing the subject. Jason nodded and the two made small talk in the doorway for a while before Winston asked.

“Are you gonna be alright here?”

Jason hesitated before he opened his mouth but Winston talked over him. “Than just come crash on my couch this weekend. Hell, you can have Josh’s room. He’d hardly ever at home anymore since John moved out and mom actually treats me like a human being again.”

“Are you sure?” Jason asked, looking a bit guild, but relieved.

“Of course I’m sure. Me and Trish are going out tomorrow night but you can just use my system to play Otherworld or something while I’m gone. You should at least stay until Monday. Then we should start looking for someplace to rent. If we split it, we should be able to afford it. You’ll be 18 in february right? And I’ve been looking to move out forever.”

“If you’re step-dad left and your mom is treating you better now why do you still wanna move out? Cause I’m not being being your roommate if you just gonna use our place as somewhere for you and Trish to shack-up.” Jason said with narrowed eyes.

Winston gasped in mock surprise. “I’m offended by the very suggestion. I'm pure and wholesome boy who’s trying to help out his best friend in his time of need.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”