Caleb found himself in a grueling cycle. Liam and Jax had the hunting part down, but he had to keep up with the constant trips between the city and the hunting grounds to turn in the Plumehide feathers. Liam’s arrows glowed with magical energy, thanks to Jax’s spells, and the Plumehide bucks fell quickly. Despite the physical strain, Caleb persevered, running with a sense of purpose as he turned in 60 feathers on each trip. The small reward of just under 2 silver per trip was enough to boost his morale, pushing him to overcome his exhaustion and keep going. After the first two hours of doing this, a surprising notification came to Caleb:
> > Congratulations, +1 Dexterity has been earned through your hard work and determination.
A few hours later, Liam and Jax told Caleb that they were about to log off from the game, which left him dejected, but also kind of relieved. His body ached and his feet hurt but he was happy with the productive session.
“It’s been awesome working with you, Caleb. We’ve only got about 500 feathers each left until we complete the quest,” Jax said. “Do you think we could do this again tomorrow?”
Caleb smiled and shrugged. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Although I’d like to ask you a favor,” he said.
The two players glanced at each other and Liam nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I’d like to also complete the quest if possible. After we complete both of your quests, I’d like to switch up the deal. We still do what we’re doing—you harvest the bucks and I turn in the feathers—but I want to hand it in for my own quest.”
Liam looked thoughtful. “Okay, man. I’m happy with that. As long as we get the coin for the feathers.”
Caleb nodded with a tired smile. “Sounds like a deal.”
The pair logged off after their goodbyes, their bodies fading to nothing in front of Caleb. He stood in the middle of the hunting grounds and took in a deep breath, savoring the feeling of a hard day’s work. He looked at his earnings for the day:
> [Wealth]
> Silver: 28
> Copper: 80
He smiled and logged off from the game.
Caleb sat up in his bed, his helmet visor transparent now that it was shut down. He felt a bit groggy but it was expected after going through an ten-hour session. He removed the helmet and willed himself to get off of his bed, his legs weak and stomach rumbling. He groaned when he looked in his refrigerator, only to find a nutrient bar and some two-day-old noodles he forgot about.
Today, his real-life side hustle had earned him enough to order a more substantial meal, but he hesitated as he considered the weight of his financial responsibilities. Rent, bills, and now the hefty gaming subscription cost all weighed heavily on his mind, causing him to think twice about indulging in a luxury he couldn’t fully afford. Although his session in Frontier Realms was productive, he had a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn’t be able to make enough to even cover next month’s subscription.
He ate the nutrient bar as he sat in front of his computer. He scrolled through the Frontier Realms related websites, trying to find a way to scale his upstart business. He researched ways to increase his inventory space, so he could complete the quest runs more efficiently. With the cotton bag he purchased, he was able to fit 60 feathers in his inventory—each slot was only able to stack 10 feathers. This was very profitable, but Caleb understood that even if he did these runs twelve hours a day, he wouldn’t come close to earning enough.
He went down a rabbit hole of wiki entries and forum posts until he stumbled across a particularly interesting post unrelated to his bag capacity research. A player, who had gone on a mining expedition was ranting about the durability of his horse-drawn wagon when one of his wheels shattered a hundred kilometers from the nearest town. The post intrigued Caleb, not because he found the story interesting, but the fact that the player mentioned he was carrying frack-tons of ore. Caleb smiled as he found his first lead into expanding his business.
Caleb awoke from a restless night, plagued by a nightmare of blue-feathered creatures exploding into a red mist of death and agony. He shook off the remnants of his dream and focused on the day ahead as he got out of bed. Ordering his weekly batch of nutrient bars online, he made sure it was within his budget and enough to last him through the entire week. Once the order arrived, he scoffed down a bar, along with the VR immersion pills, and logged back into Frontier Realms.
Caleb returned to the hunting grounds, but his mind was racing with ideas. After a night of research, he had a plan that could significantly increase his profits. By offering his porter services to other players, he needed to become more efficient and save time running back and forth between the hunting grounds and the city. “I need to work smarter, not harder,” Caleb murmured to himself, brimming with excitement about his new strategy.
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Caleb approached a guard and made a few inquiries, which led him to the shabby stables he was standing at. It had a dilapidated wooden exterior that was once painted red but now faded into a dull, dusty hue. The wood-slatted roof was uneven and patched with mismatched materials, and the entrance gate creaked on its hinges with every gust of wind. The smell of hay and manure filled the area, and the stalls were small and cramped. Two horses were tied to a hitching post and were eating from a trough.
Caleb approached one of the horses, crouching in front of it. The creature was unperturbed by his presence and kept munching on the food in the trough. Slowly, he reached out and tentatively touched the horse’s head, feeling its soft, velvety nose and watching its ears swivel forward with interest but no alarm. He was suddenly curious and inspected the horse with his ability.
> [Item Name]
> Draft Horse (Female) (Level 8)
>
> [Description]
> A medium-sized, sturdy creature with a strong build and a calm temperament. This horse has been trained as a workhorse, capable of pulling wagons, ploughs, and other equipment.
>
> [Appraisal Report] (Vaguely Accurate)
> Regional Average: 8-12 Gold
>
> > Congratualtions, your Appraisal skill has reached level 2!
“Can I be helpin’ ye, laddie?” a voice came from behind Caleb. He shot up in alarm and quickly turned. A burly woman with long braided red hair and twinkling blue eyes stood with her hands on her hips. She seemed short although her proportions matched her height. A dwarf? Caleb thought.
“Uh… yes,” Caleb said, regaining his composure and trying to think of what to say. Caleb was still trying to understand the information he’d just seen when he inspected the horse. 12 gold was definitely a crazy sum of money for him at this time and he was sure the stable master would inflate the cost, not to mention the price of the wagon he planned to purchase.
“Out wi’ it. I aint go’ all day,” the woman said, her accent was strong but Caleb got the gist of it.
“I’m looking to purchase… well actually, rent a draft horse for the day,” he said, remembering the exorbitant price. “Everyone I spoke to, told me you’re the best stable master in the city,” Caleb decided that flattery was better than directness, hoping his highest skill, Charisma, might improve the encounter. It seemed to work for a moment as the dwarf woman relaxed her face but soon recovered her stony expression.
“I can guarantee ye, ye won’t be findin’ anyone better than me. One of my ponies can do the job of two of any others around here,” she said, gesturing around.
“That’s great,” Caleb said, a friendly smile on his face. “would you consider renting one to me?” The woman narrowed her eyes.
“I don’ usually rent out ma ponies, laddie. I don’ trust that they’ll be taken care of if they’re just rented,” she said.
“I give you my word. I’ll treat your babies as if they were one of my own. In fact, I want to purchase one for myself. It’s uh… just out of my budget for now,” Caleb said. The woman nodded.
“Alright, you can rent Rosie over there for the day. But mind you, if I see so much as a scratch on her, you won’t be renting from me again. Do we have an understanding?” she said. Caleb nodded.
“How much for the day?” he asked.
“20 silver for the day,” she said. Caleb winced and looked sheepish. He still had to come up with enough to rent a wagon too.
“I’m a little short. Could I pay you 10 silver for five hours and if I’m able to come up with the rest, I’ll pay you for the rest of the day?” The woman sighed and shook her head.
“Aye, aye, get on with it then, laddie. I’m no’ gettin’ any younger, and my head’s already poundin’ like a drum,” she said. Caleb paid the woman, who then showed him how to set up the bridle and harness, as well as how to go about hitching her to a wagon.
Caleb walked through the streets of Ravenholm, leading his rented workhorse by the reigns. His next stop was an open-aired carpentry workshop, which had a massive courtyard filled with half-finished creations. Caleb approached one of the men, an old man who wore a leather apron filled with an assortment of woodworking tools.
“Good day, sir. I’m looking to rent a wagon for the day and was pointed in your direction,” he said. The man nodded his head as Caleb spoke, his eyes almost closed as if he was about to fall asleep, but he replied immediately.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure I’ve got something in the back. Follow me,” Caleb followed the man, who walked at a slow shuffle, annoying Caleb who kept checking the time in his interface. Eventually, they arrived at a row of parked wagons under an awning attached to the workshop. Caleb looked at the wagons, his excitement waned as each of them was either half assembled or waiting for repair.
“Excuse me, sir, but are there any working wagons here?” Caleb said, a little bit of irritation in his tone. The man rubbed his chin and examined the wagons from where they stood, his slow demeanor annoyed Caleb.
“Ah, don’t worry your cotton socks, young man,” the old man said. “We’ll get a wagon up and running for you in no time.”
After an hour of haggling, Caleb finally secured a wagon for 15 silver for the day, but the negotiation with the indecisive old man had been slow and frustrating. Despite his annoyance, Caleb knew he couldn’t waste any more time if he wanted to put his plan into action. When he inspected the wagon, he found the wagons to be just under the value for purchasing a horse:
> [Item Name]
> Cargo Wagon (Level 5)
>
> [Description]
> A large wagon designed to transport heavy loads over long distances. It typically has an open bed and sturdy wheels to support the weight of the cargo.
>
> [Inventory]
> 80 Slots
>
> [Appraisal Report] (Fairly Accurate)
> Regional Average: 5-8 Gold
Caleb was hitching his pony to the wagon when he got a notification:
> [Group Chat]
> > Jax is online
> > Liam is online
He smiled as he sent his new friends a message.