The Hellfire Harvest
By @john1208
It all starts with a shady deal being struck in a dimly lit tavern. Tarlok Vosh, a world-weary and sarcastic botanist, thinks he is signing the deed for a cheap, government-subsidized community garden. He doesn't realize he just bought Floor 88 of the apocalyptic Chasm of Krov. Armed with a rusty hoe, Tarlok completely misunderstands the rules of his new reality. Told in alternating perspectives between Tarlok's mundane grumbling and the terrified awe of Orikala Zev - a double agent sent to assassinate the "New Dread Lord" but who ends up silently pining for him while weeding his tomatoes - the absurdity only escalates. Tarlok's bizarre crops, like carrots that permanently boost agility and eyesight, have accidentally spawned ruthless black markets, crashing the outside economy with magical lettuce. Meanwhile, a demonic succubus has abandoned soul-stealing to furiously bake pies in his kitchen, and the towering dungeon boss begged to be hired as a farmhand just for free food. But with the world's elite vanguard mobilizing to raid his cozy sanctuary, how long can Tarlok remain blissfully ignorant of the apocalypse just past his picket fence?
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