I swung the scythe and it cleaved through a patch of tall wild grass like it was nothing.

[ Energy 98/100

You have gained 5 Fibrous plant materials ]

The worlds floated above me until I mentally dismissed them. Energy? So my actions here corresponded to points of energy. Let’s test this thing out. I took a few steps forward and back and willed the energy meter back into existence.

[ Energy 98/100 ]

I stroked my chin as I considered what this meant. It seemed that only certain actions took energy points and others did not. It did beg the question, however, what happened once my points hit zero? I figured that this was not something I wanted to find out.

I looked out at the mess of the farm in front of me. I could spend all day, every day, for quite some time just cleaning the place up… but that wasn’t my idea of a good time. Since the wizard was gone and I wasn’t in any apparent danger, nor was anyone coming to my rescue, I supposed I should check out the new digs. I turned and walked back up the porch. I looked at the tool in my hands and focused on dismissing it. When I did so it disappeared and my inventory popped up in its place.

[ Inventory(2/8)

* Scythe (Rank 1)

* Fibrous plant materials (5/99) ]

I mentally exited the display, opened the door, and entered the farmhouse. It was smaller than I expected, even smaller than my apartment, which was saying something. I paid a premium to live downtown just a block away from the firm. But at least there I had a separate bedroom and bathroom.

My new “house” was actually just one large room. The interior walls were made of exposed logs with a few beams running from floor to ceiling as supports. In the center was a large open fireplace. On the right-hand side was the bed and a few empty bookshelves. On the left was a small open kitchen. I walked over and checked out the bed first.

[ Would you like to sleep? One day of time will pass but your energy will be fully restored! (Yes / No) ]

I selected no, I was still at nearly full energy and the day was just beginning. Plus I wasn’t sure I was ready to spend the night here, not if I could find a way out. I checked the cupboards but they were empty. There was no phone or any other modern technology inside that I could use to contact anyone. My pockets had been cleared out after the teleportation so I had no wallet and no phone. Other than this farm and my few harvesting tools, I seemed to have nothing to my

name.

Well, it looks like there is only one thing to do. It’s time to explore this place and see what I can find. The wizard made it clear that I need to plant crops and gather resources to get out of here, if he’s right I better check out the town…

I walked out the door and took a long hard look at the land that now belonged to me. I noticed the sun had moved higher in the sky. I wondered what time it was and, as with everything else, an explanation magically appeared.

[ Now, it is 11:00 am]

Interesting, so time here moved quite quickly. I would have to keep that in mind. It seemed like a fair tradeoff for how automated the rest of my life was here with system mechanics. I looked in all directions for a sign or a way out. To the east of the farm was a dirt path that wasn’t totally overgrown like the rest of my farm. I decided to follow it. I paused after a few steps.

“Max, are you coming?” I called out. There was a bark and the sound of thudding paws in the dark and a very muddy Max appeared and licked his lips and wagged his tail. I hesitated and then pet his head gingerly, worried about muddying my suit. Max shook violently, globs of mud covering me and soiling the suit.

I looked down at him and sighed. “Okay, great. Thanks for that buddy. Well, I’m going into town… wanna come along?”

Max tilted his head and then sniffed. He whined and then turned and galloped back off into the fields. I shook my head. It seemed my new dog was pretty keen on doing his own thing. He was probably hunting some of the wildlife that was hiding in all the detritus around the farm.

I looked down at my suit. Okay, I now have two things to do in town. One: find out where the hell I am. Two: find a good dry cleaner.

After just a few minutes down the path I was rewarded with a wooden sign with letters chiseled out to spell “Town Centre”. Below them was an arrow pointing in the direction I was walking.

I smiled. Great! Things are finally going my way!

It only took a few minutes more to enter town. The dirt path gave way to cobblestones. I found myself in a large courtyard with a fountain in the center. Well, it appeared to have been a fountain. It was not running at the moment. Several of the shops looked closed and boarded up. One, however, was open for business. In just a few minutes of observation, I saw several people enter and exit. I took my cue from them and headed for it.

As I did, a bespectacled woman bumped into me, dropping a stack of books on the floor. She gasped and blushed. “Gosh mister, I’m so sorry! I… I… didn’t see you there!” she stammered.

“Not a problem at all! My fault actually, I’m just a little slow today…” I knelt and began to help her gather her things. Our gazes met as we both reached for the same book and I let her grab it and put it onto the pile. Her eyes were a brilliant green and… what…? Her ears were pointy and her hair was green to match! She stood up and balanced the books in both arms against her chest.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She’s a freaking elf!

She avoided my gaze. Her delicate features were all the more cute for embarrassment.

This can’t be happening, elves aren’t real… yet there she is. Right in front of me!

“Well, I better be going then…” she muttered and began to walk off. I held up my hands.

“Wait, sorry. Let’s try this again. I’m new in town. My name is George.”

“George,” she said the name softly, looking off into the distance. “A nice name. I’m El’an’tha’ria’ti’ama.” she paused and then looked at me for just a moment. “But most people call me Ella. Nice to meet you, George!” She bowed and then hurried away.

This time I didn’t try to stop her. She seemed both shy and in a hurry. On top of that, my head was spinning with possibilities.

Who is she? Where did she get all those books? What valuable information on this town and world might they contain? And there are elves here!?

It was all a lot to process. I shook my head, centered myself, and opened the door to the building.

“Welcome to Barbold’s general store! How might I help you traveler?” a gruff voice came from behind the counter. Only, there was no accompanying person to attribute the words to. I looked around the well-stocked shelves. There was nobody else in the place! I took a few steps toward the counter.

“Well? Is there anything I can help you with, sir?” the voice came again.

My heart rate quickened. An elf.. that I could handle! But a ghost I wasn’t so sure about.

“Sorry, it’s just… I’ve never talked with a ghost before… this is a little creepy…” I confessed.

“Ghost!?” the voice rose in volume angrily.

Oh shit, I’ve upset it!

A head popped up from behind the counter. Then I heard the scraping of wood and footsteps as the body appeared. “I’m no ghost ye nincompoop!” came the voice. “I'm a dwarf! And me name is Barbold!”

And indeed, he was. Standing about three and a half feet tall on the stool behind the counter, wearing a rumpled jerkin and sporting a long black beard, was a grumpy dwarf straight out of the silver screen. He drummed his hands on the counter and squinted at me

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there. I’m new in town, and well, new in this whole… part of the world… it seems. So forgive me if I make a few social blunders,” I explained hastily.

The dwarf looked me up and down and then clapped. “I see! I heard a rumor that someone was taking over the old Golden Acres plot to the west of the city! Might it be that you are Master Thrandon’s boy?” The dwarf seemed to drop his grumpy facade quickly as he continued to chatter on. “He was a heck of a man, we threw down a mean pint together many times!” The dwarf chuckled and stared off into the distance as if lost in the memory.

“I… well. Yes and no. I did inherit the farm, but I’m not his son. His grandson. Or so I’m told. I never met the man, I just found out he existed a few days ago.”

“Mmm, I see. Well, his blood still runs in your veins. It's good to keep such things in the family. But the place hasn’t been tended to in quite some time. I expect you’ll need a fair amount of supplies. You’ll need to clear out the land and start planting your summer crops. Good thing you arrived today, the first day of summer is a perfect time to begin! Although I reckon it’ll be hot out there, and hard work all by your lonesome.”

“Well I do have Max,’ I ventured. When The dwarf stared at me blankly I continued. “My dog, he’s a retriever.”

“Well, that won’t do you much good lad. I recommend you start making friends around town, maybe even hire some hands for the farm if you’ve got the coin to do so. For now, though what’ll it be? I got a full load of summer crops, potions, cooking gear, and adventuring supplies. Just take a look!”

A menu opened up before my eyes and I was able to scroll through all the items available in the Barbold’s store. He was right in saying he had just about everything, although a lot of it was meaningless to me at the moment. I scrolled down to the crops, I sensed where this was all headed.

I need to grow crops and maintain the farm. I wasn’t sure at what stage I’d get an opportunity to leave, but I needed to maintain the appearance of being a farmer at the very least. I checked the prices and did a double take. They were all in the currency of gold coins. Thankfully at the top left of the menu, I could see my own holdings in bold letters. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear to be a lot. I had 200 gold to my name, apparently the same amount as I had in dollars in my wallet that had disappeared on my arrival.

So my money was converted. Interesting.

The cheapest crop was 20 gold and the most expensive was up to 200. I selected one of the 20 gold crops, tomatoes. I purchased five, leaving me with 100 gold remaining. That stung a bit, but I felt it was necessary. Given I had no money, it was clear that I’d need to farm to turn a profit.

And I’ll need to turn as much profit as I can if the wizard is to be believed.

“Um, is there like a market or somewhere I can sell these tomatoes after I plant and harvest them?” I asked Barbold.

The dwarf laughed. “A market? Lad, you are ambitious. There are fairs now and then, sure, but most farmers here just deposit their crops in the assembulator to get reimbursed. You should check behind your farmhouse, I’m sure your grandfather had one installed!.”

“Assembulator?” I asked dumbly.

Barbold rolled his eyes. “Gods, ye truly aren’t from around here, are ye? The strange livery should have tipped me off. An assembulator takes your items and returns gold to your inventory at market value the following day. You could, of course, sell them at a market… but I’d recommend against that for now. The permits alone would run you in the red.”

“Thank you! I truly appreciate you explaining everything to me Barbold. I have two more questions for you. First, can you tell me where we are? I mean, what city is this? And how far away are we from New York? And secondly… where can I buy a new outfit?” I said, grinning sheepishly as I pointed at my mud-spattered jacket and pants. “Or at least get this one cleaned.”

The dwarf shook his head as if I was daft. “Well, this is the town of Halfmoon Hills, of course. I’ve never heard of this ‘New York’. That sounds like a nice name for a pub though… gosh, I can’t wait for closing time. Er, I mean, I love doing business!” He smiled at me unconvincingly. “And your other question, clothes. There is a seamstress in town, Madame Pomme. You just, er, want to be careful what you say to her. She’s been known to gossip. Best be on her good side, she has a lot of power in this town!”

Barbold leaned over the counter and squinted, looking me up and down. “They call her the matchmaker. She can make or break a marriage proposal, or so they say!”

“Well, I’m more interested in crops than a relationship at the moment, but I’ll definitely stop by to get some clothes!” I said, putting the seeds in my inventory.

[ Inventory(3/8)

* Scythe(Rank 1)

* Fibrous plant materials (5/99)

* Tomato Seeds (5/99) ]

“Barbold, one last thing. There was a man, a strange man who led me here. A wizard. Do you know anything about that?” I asked

Barbold gave me a blank stare. “A wizard? In Halfmoon Hills? Surely not mister. No, nothing like that here… not at all! And I would advise against you asking this to anyone else. They may take offense to the very suggestion, or think you are a bit mad.”

I nodded. “I thought as much.”

So even here, what happened to me is uncommon. I’ll have to be careful who I share information with.

For now, I’d have to survive here and continue to gather clues and lay low. I nodded at Barbold and thanked him once more and headed for the exit.