Randall froze. Ten minutes have passed where he blinked rapidly, pinched his cheeks, or rubbed his eyes with his hands over and over. "This can't be real... Come on. Wake up! Wake up!"
It's the same farmhouse from his Stardew Valley save file. Fully furnished, and he immediately recognized the assortments of plants with furniture and decorations placed over a significant amount of time. He was relieved at that. "Well, at least this is not the save file where I go crazy with everything, thank goodness," he murmured.
Randall went outside. Of course, it is Spring season, the last time he saved. He concluded that this should be the third year in-game, chuckling inwardly after remembering that he reached 100% completion. He had to admit, it was a very relaxing feeling to breathe some fresh air for once, especially since he lived in the downtown area back in his world.
Randall checked his inventory window, and saw his iridium tools. "Yep, there they are, cool! Wonder if I can do the charging feature here too..." Randall chuckled afterwards, "Well, even if I don't, I got all the stardrops, so that won't be too much of an issue either." He's really glad that he has way more stamina here compared to his body in the real world because of it.
"Holy shit! This is the pink cake I made last night before I saved!" Randall remarked. He decided to try it out, because when else can he do something like this? "Mmmmmm, so good! I guess that's to be expected from the highest quality farm products." Randall smiled. Even though he's still worried about finding a way back home, he thought, "I'm fucking rich here, and I got a lot of supplies in this farm! Maybe it would be fine to stay here for a while..."
At least, that's what he thought until he saw two pillars of light shining through his farmhouse, and he heard screams from it.
.....................
"ARGH!"
"H-honey, where are we?"
Randall rushed into the living room after hearing the commotion, and he saw... "Mom? Dad? You guys are here too?!" He wondered a bit since the two looked... younger? Or maybe it really has been a while since he saw them in person.
Randall's mother, Helen, stuttered, "R-R-Randall? Is that you? Oh, thank God we're all together!" She rushed and hugged Randall.
Randall's father, Eric, eyed him with suspicion. "Are you really... our son? Sorry about this, but can you say something only the three of us know?"
Randall was confused. That's a... weird question, but his dad tends to be like that whenever he brought new friends home. He decided to clear up the suspicion and sighed, "Remember the time when I just turned eight? You decided to make some barbecue, and Mom adopted this Lucky as a pet dog for my birthday gift since I kept whining about having one that entire year. Since Mom was the one who chose him, he didn't know about you.
"So, when he entered the house and noticed that you smell very strongly of cooked meat, he charged right at you and you ran all the way to one of the trees in our backyard and climbed it in a frenzy. You made us swore not to tell that story to anyone, even though all three of us agreed that it was a very funny moment," he smirked.
Randall and Helen laughed, while Eric blushed. "Gah, that embarrassing story will always be remembered, it seems." He sighed, "Sorry, son. It's just been quite a while since you moved out, and well... Never mind. Do you know where we are?"
Randall scratched his head, "Well, uh, we're in a video game, Dad. My favorite farming simulator game. Don't ask me how we got here either, I just woke up earlier than you two."
.........................
The three grew silent. Randall knew his parents are currently trying to process what he said, so he let them be for now instead of flooding them with more info.
Eric nodded suddenly, "Well, that explains a lot of things. I have to say, though, Rand, really liking what you did here in this room. Remind me to ask you for advice if Helen and I decide to redecorate our house."
Helen nodded at this as well, although she was still worried. "What should we do, though? Both of us are not into games, we never understood most of the mumbo-jumbo you said whenever you talk about them. Maybe... we should try to find a way out somehow?"
Randall frowned, "I wish I knew how. The game is not really one with an... ending, although I know there is a wizard NPC in this game, so maybe he can help out?"
Both Eric and Helen got a glazed expression, and blurted out at the same time:
"What's an... uh... ennn-pee-see?"
"Wizards are a thing?"
...Hoo boy. As much as Randall loves his parents, this is why he does not involve them with his gaming activities. Oh well, since they are here, he just has to be patient.
............
"Well, I play as the farmer for this land, see? In any games, there would other characters, bad or good, that you can talk to in the game. We refer to them as NPCs, short for Non-Playable Characters. And yes, one of them is a wizard here, with real magic and all," Richard explained thoroughly.
Hmmm, actually? Randall wondered, "What kinds of mods did I install for this save file again?" Randall warned his parents, "Don't freak out, but I want to try casting some magic."
His parents rolled their eyes at this. Randall ignored them, focusing on casting the Lantern spell. He confirmed his theory as he saw that familiar light spirit behind him.
Eric jolted at this, while Helen seemed very... enthusiastic, actually. "Holy shit!" They both exclaimed. Helen added, "Ooh, Rand, can you tell me how you do them!?"
Eric shook his head after calming down. "Well, son, at least that distracted her from our situation for now. What do you think we should do now?"
Randall hesitated for a bit, and he decided to confess. "Actually, Dad, Mom? I was thinking of staying, and I wish the two of you would be fine staying here as well. I mean, I know this house is fully upgraded, so I can make a bit of adjustment to it if needed. Hell, since we're in here now, maybe Robin can make us another house."
Eric frowned, "Rand, this might be fine for you, but both me and Helen won't be able to fit here. Sure, we are retired, but we ended up here without any money. We would starve to death before we even start a living here."
Helen added, "Not to mention that this is a video game. I'm not sure if I can cook up good meals here for all of us, and not to mention, getting used to the area and the new neighbors."
......................
Randall laughed, confusing the two of them. "Ahhh, right, you guys didn't know. This is my ultimate save file for this game, so..." He decided to brag a bit by showcasing his safe, and Richard chuckled when he saw both of his parents' eyes bulged over this.
"Yep, I made a bunch of in-game money over all the achievements I made, and don't worry about food either. Try these, you two!" Eric and Helen sat down in reflex seeing their son taking out what looked like lobster bisque and squid ink ravioli out of nowhere.
Randall laughed, "I made a bunch of these beforehand before I saved, and I also stored a bunch of ingredients. Sure, my cooking is not as good as Mom's, but I can guarantee the taste since I maxed out the crop quality too."
The two hesitated, but their worries were slowly removed from the aroma wafting out of the food. Eric grumbled, and decided to take a bite of the bisque. The pleasant sound coming from him urged Helen to try as well, and the two can't stop eating afterwards. Randall smiled on how... relaxed the two looked now.
......................
After finishing up their meals, Randall decided to give his parents a tour of his farm. He walked them through his field with a variety of crops planted. Strawberries, coffee beans, and rhubarbs on the southeast part, with potatoes and garlic on the southwest. Kale, green beans, and cauliflowers on the northeast, and...
"Errr, what are... those?" Helen pointed at the vines producing something very unfamiliar to them.
"Randall chuckled, "Ah, these? Ancient fruits! Not edible, but apparently they can be used for blue dye and for tailoring purposes. They make some good fabric and sell for some good money. Anyways, here, you guys are going to love this!" He pointed at the greenhouse.
As the family entered, "Ooh"s and "Aah"s were exclaimed. Randall knew his parents would enjoy this view, since Eric is a big fan of apples while Helen is just obsessed with peaches and mangoes. "Feel free to grab some when they are ripe! I can guarantee their taste since the townspeople enjoyed them so much," he grinned.
......................................
Both Eric and Helen were glad that they are given this opportunity to catch up with their son. After Randall moved out, the contact between them grew less frequent to how busy he was with their new job. Randall never complained, he loves it. He swore to them that it's the good kind of busy since it's just the kind of work he enjoys, and he got some great coworkers in the company as well.
As Randall stepped inside the house grabbing some things to feed the farm animals, the two cooled down near the pond close to the house.
Helen asked, "So, honey, tell me what you think. It's been a while since I saw you this relaxed, you know?"
Eric laughed, "Can't hide anything from you, huh? Catching up to Randall is, I admit, a fun experience. We got lucky we got teleported to this kind of video game, as he says. I don't think we can last a second if it's one of his adventure games."
Helen chuckled, "Oh, don't be like that, Eric. I'm sure you noticed too, right? Our bodies are... Well, maybe it's just me, but I feel like I'm on my prime again. I know we are younger since you have way less wrinkles and you look healthier here."
Eric smiled and held Helen's hands, "Ah, Helen, I feel the same as you. In fact, I still feel like this is a dream, you know? Seeing you like this, it reminds me back to the time we got married and just had Randall. I just... Why do we look the same, but Randall doesn't?"
Helen chuckled, "Ah, maybe it has something to do with the game, but at the end of it, he's still our son. He's a bit dense though, might be too excited over being in his favorite game."
Eric sighed, "What do you think we should do, babe? I want to go back, but at the same time... It feels nice living in a place like this, doesn't it?"
Helen laughed, "We just got the best retirement package, don't you think? Back to when we were younger, our son taking care of us with his cooking, and he even got a bunch of money saved up with all these farm products!"
She sighed, "Eric, I... I still think we need to investigate about this world, just in case. However, we can also take it easy too, you know? And... if we can't go back, I'd say this is a good place to retire."
Eric kissed his wife, "I love you so much, dear. I don't think I can remain sane if I'm here alone. But yes, I have made the same decision, actually. Hell, I can't wait to help Rand out with his farm!" He laughed.
Helen smiled, "I love you too, Eric. I have a hunch that we can handle this together, with the three of us."
....................
Coming out of the house after grabbing some of his other tools from the storage chest, he approached his parents. Randall smiled when he saw them with bright expressions on their faces, enjoying the spring breeze by the pond. "Sorry to interrupt, but ready to see the farm animals?"
Eric and Helen nodded, "We're ready when you are, sport."
The parents were fine with the tour at first, with the farm dog, Lucky, tagging along with them. The sheep, ducks, cows, horses, pigs, and chickens...
"Is that a GOLDEN chicken?" Eric exclaimed.
"Honey, that chicken is... blue, and the other one is... an ostrich?" Helen balked.
"That's a fricking DINOSAUR," Eric said with anticipation on seeing a live one.
Helen just accepted the weird view at this point, "Look, honey, those are... slimes. Sentient slimes. Surprisingly... cute?"
The two stopped when they saw Lucky hanging out with the...
"D-D-DRAGON!?"
Randall was laughing with joy at first, and he stopped when he saw Bahamut from Final Fantasy. He slapped his head, "Er... Oops... That mod, yeah... It's all right, Mom, Dad, Bahamut's real nice. I just... er... modified some stuff with the game from this data I got from one of the folks online."
Eric and Helen warmed up to the dragon, though, the moment it rushed towards Randall and hugged him, with the dragon's tail wagging like a dog.
Eric chuckled, "Well, hun, seems like we won't get bored with all this stuff, won't we?" Helen laughed in return.
The rest of the tour was like Disneyland to the parents. Helen was very curious about the preserves jar and the seed maker, while Eric was doing really badly at pretending not care about the kegs. The two had a shared interest on the fairy dust too.
After showing the rest of the farm, Randall asked, "So, what do you guys think?"
Eric chuckled and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "The two of us discussed it earlier, Rand, and we will be staying here for some time. We will still conduct some investigation about us suddenly showing up here, but I have to say, you did an amazing job with this farm!"
Helen chuckled, "Teach me about your recipes too, why don't you? Oh, and the wizard! While we're here, I want to try out some magic."
Eric laughed, "Ah, look at her getting excited, reminds me of back then. You know, Rand, I share her enthusiasm too. I hope you don't mind having me as an apprentice to blacksmithing and using those kegs?"
Randall chuckled, "Of course I don't mind! Dad, Mom, I promise you will have some fun time while we're here."
.................
As they were walking back to the house, Randall felt like he should have remembered something. His dad's odd behavior at the start bugs him, but he forgot about it earlier because of his excitement seeing all his in-game stuff and being able to interact with them.
"You know, Dad? Why did you act like that at first?" Randall questioned.
"Like what, Rand?" Eric wondered.
"I'm glad I wasn't seeing things when I saw you two looking younger, as you guys confirmed, but... why so suspicious on me? I don't think I aged that differently since I moved, did I?" Randall was confused, deep in thought after saying this.
Awkward silence. Helen sighed, "Err, Rand? A bit slow, are we? You didn't notice... those?" She pointed at Randall's head.
"Not even the things on your... back?" Eric chuckled.
"What things?" Randall jolted when he felt... horns on his head, and... wings on his back. He checked on his reflection by the pond and saw a dragon looking back at him. He remembered now! That explains the Bahamut mod too, he decided to combine that mod and...
"Oh no, no no no. Listen, Dad, Mom, this might be another hard pill to take, but, er... you might be surprised that humans are... rare here."
Eric raised his eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
Randall lowered his head, "Please forgive me! I tried out this anthro mod that makes everyone similar like my appearance, and that means that you two are the only humans and..."
Before the poor dragon can explain any further, though, another bombshell was dropped on the parents by a rumbling voice.
"Hello, honey, how's my lovely husband doing? Little Timmy had a lot of fun being my little apprentice yesterday, and he missed you!" The dragon wearing wizard grab waved at them as he approached, with a little dragon sitting on his shoulder. "Ah, I see we have guests! Welcome to our farm! It's quite fascinating to see humans in this land."
Randall blushed. "So, errr, Mom, Dad? This is Magnus, the wizard I told you about. And... ah... we're married and have a kid."
Five seconds of silence, and the dam broke.
"You're married!?"
"To a wizard!?"
"Helen, we have a grandson!"
"And a dragon one, too, Eric! How cute!"
Eric and Helen were jumping with joy, overwhelmed by the news of their son getting married and having a kid, forgetting about being the only humans.
Randall slapped his head, "Of course I had to forget about this important detail."
Magnus approached with Timmy cocking his head. "So, babe, care to fill me in here? Keep this old wizard up to date with whatever is going on here."
Randall sighed, "For the last time, you're not old. All right, folks, let's have a talk inside, hmmm? I'll prepare some tea, coffee, or what the hell, alcohol."
............
From getting used to being teleported into a video game with his parents, and immediately jumping all that into introducing his own family in-game.
Randall is extremely happy that he is able to have proper conversations with the mage rather than the typical scripted dialogues. Whatever caused all this seems to have made this save file a world on its own with its inhabitants gaining sentience.
Eric and Helen's reactions on this? Let's just say that seeing Bahamut and the farm animals prepared them for this. The two don't really mind seeing all the anthro villagers, but they sure are obsessed with their new grandson.
The talk went great. Magnus understood about their situation due to his vast experiences in life, and he welcomed the parents with open hands. The three clicked with each other, and Magnus is completely fine with Randall as well.
The new additions to the Dragon's Lair Farm was given a grand welcome with the entire town doing a potluck festival. The family discovered the details about how they got here, but as they obtained this information, the three had long made the decision to live in this new world.
Eric is now the town's blacksmith and helping out the mayor with setting up unique festivals for the town. Helen is Magnus' apprentice along with Randall, and she would explore the caves from time to time with Eric, bringing minerals and monster materials. Randall? Well, let's just say the couple bonded even more over this outcome, and he found ways to create the video games he played back in Earth, generating another potential income for the family in return.
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