More than excited about the chicken eggs, the kids immediately start to work on an incubator. Donnie and Curtis are glad to hear Dominick is still around, and quite amused Rob is now King Malkav.
Not much has changed in the day-and-a-half since we were gone. The Settlement wallet’s gone up by a few thousand Credits. There’s a new cottage, and we got two new residents, putting us at thirty-seven. A half dozen more runs were done with the Sleipnirs, bringing in a bunch more usable materials.
I spend the rest of the day tending to business, settling disputes, and generally keeping up with the required activities of a Settlement owner. Now that people have their own residents, and the crafters have materials and space to keep themselves busy, things are getting less tense.
Speaking of crafters, they’re gaining a steady amount of XP as they construct various consumer goods. As they get more levels, their skills improve and more Talents unlock, furthering their productions.
Sally, the Artist, is cranking out paintings for everyone, further improving morale. The Farmers are preparing fields for sowing with the Sleipnirs. Our Blacksmith, Jeremy, is working with Donnie to build mechanical contraptions to replace the modern conveniences we’re all so used to. The other dozen plus crafters do their part, and together, Carcosa’s coming together nicely.
That evening Dominick and Doctave lead a team into the White Witch’s Playground. With two mages they make quick work of the dungeon. While they’re gone, I pay a visit to Chugg.
“Evenin’. What can I do ya for?”
“Went into Springfield and met the merchant Ketrell. Seems you two know one another.” I pull one of the mystery eggs from my inventory. “I bought some eggs, and he gave me these as a bonus.”
Setting down his hunk of whittled wood, the string bean of a Shop owner looks at the egg with squinted eyes. “Oh yeah, that orc sure does like to give away little stuff like that.”
“He said this can hatch into any egg-laying species on the planet. Is that true?”
“Yep. Yer gonna want to be careful about that. The critter could exhale sulfuric acid, or have laser beam eyes.”
I look at the man skeptically. “You don’t say…”
“But lots of animals have valuable parts. Might even get ya a mount of some kind.”
I tap my finger to my chin. “Hmm, I didn’t think about that.”
“If yer lookin’ for a specific kind of thin’, I can sell ya an incubator and some alchemical substances. It’ll give ya a higher chance of certain types hatchin’, but it’s not a guarantee.”
“What’s the price on that?”
Chugg sends the list to my menu. The incubator, a Tier IX single egg unit, costs 1,000 Credits. Each modifier, of which there are hundreds, costs 200 Credits each at the cheapest. With several thousand in my wallet, and no real need for anything else at the moment, I purchase the unit and three low end modifiers for each egg.
I retreat to the bunker and go into what was once the storeroom. Technically, it still is one, but once we got the communal building going, I had all the food and supplies moved there. Some residents have me store things here, but it’s 90% empty. Setting the incubator on a table, I consult the device’s manual.
The incubator, a rather crude looking device, is made from metal bands and wood. Its base contains a stone enchanted to radiate thermal energy. Using several vents on the walls of the wooden enclosure, the unit can maintain a consistent temperature within the straw nest. Matching the largest egg, which is a bit bigger than a goose egg and speckled with cobalt blue flecks, to an image inside the manual, I’m told it should be incubated at 89o Fahrenheit. It probably belongs to some kind of reptile.
The modifier liquids are poured into small reservoirs on the side. As the incubator does its thing, the liquids evaporate and soak into the egg, modifying the DNA of whatever’s inside. The effects are broad and nebulous, so there’s no guarantee, but I’ve added ones for strength, size, and durability. Better modifiers exist, but they get expensive.
There’s no information about how long it could take to hatch, so I try to figure out what to do with the second egg. A quick look shows it’s probably a bird. Since my System inventory prevents any sort of decay, I leave it in there for now.
Dominick and Doctave return from the dungeon later that day, both making it to level twelve. Neither received anything other than common loot, but Doctave’s glad to have so many skeleton bones. He’s eventually going to specialize into a Necromancer.
*****
The next morning, and after another run of the Playground, Dominick and I sit down in the bunker to talk about future plans.
“I’ve got to say, for being out in the boonies, you guys have a good thing going here.”
“Thanks, Dom. We found some gold in a hidden safe. That let us get things started.”
“Pretty crazy bunker these people had.”
“Right?” I look around the space. “The supplies helped a lot, too.”
“Our start was pretty rough. Once we snagged up all the jewelry, it became much easier.”
“How much did you find?”
Dominick lets out an exasperated breath. “Oh man, it’s hard to say. King Malkav has access to the wallet, so he’d have an exact figure, but I’d guess a few million.”
“From all the shit he bought? At least.”
We both laugh.
“He did go a bit ham, that’s for sure.” Dominick shakes his head and smiles. “Too bad we’re low on funds. It would be nice to have a few dozen soldiers.”
I look at Dominick sideways. “What do you mean by soldiers?”
“Oh, you guys don’t know because you don’t have ramparts yet.”
“Know what, Dom?”
“System has RTS as well as RPG mechanics.”
“Wait, like build a base and train troops RTS mechanics?”
“That’d be the one. We didn’t find out about it either until we built the walls.”
Dominick gives me the rundown of the basics. Once ramparts are built, the Settlement is classified as a Base. Then, several kinds of conscripts can be recruited from specific buildings, like the barracks or stables.
“Damn, that’s pretty crazy.” I think to myself about the implications of having a standing army. “Where do the troops come from?”
“Ketrell tried to explain it to me, which was complicated, but the gist is that criminals across the galaxy are put into a penal unit. Depending on their crimes, class levels, and other factors, the criminal is slotted for certain conscript roles. Their quality affects their price, too.”
I purse my lips. “That sounds like slavery.”
“Not really. After so many battles, the number of which is determined by the severity of their crime, they’re freed. Granted, they have to survive that long.”
“Huh, interesting. Where do they come from? Are they transported here? Do they march in? What?”
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
“As far as I understand it, once you have the requisite building, they kinda just walk out of it like in a video game.”
“How compliant are they?”
“The rest of the galaxy is at a much higher tech level than Earth was before System. Each of the soldiers has a control implant. It makes them quite compliant, from what I’m told. Obviously, they’ll obey reasonable orders, but they won’t jump off a bridge or anything.”
“What about feeding them, weapons, etc.?”
“You have to feed them, but they come with their own equipment. The armory building allows for equipment upgrades, but that costs money, of course.”
This is an interesting development.
“It’d be nice to free up some people from guard duty. That eats up a lot of manpower.”
“Don’t we know? Being in the city, there’s so many monsters. We’re constantly attacked. Plus, raids from the other Settlements are always a concern.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “You think another faction will attack in force?”
“It happened to a small group about two weeks ago.” Dominick shakes his head as he exhales. “We’re not sure what the cause was, but one Settlement went in hard and fast, captured a bunch of people, and took their Core.”
“Damn.”
“Truth.”
“Think they’d try something like that on VTR?” I patently refuse to call it a kingdom.
Dominick shrugs. “We’ve got the ramparts and a good amount of people, so I doubt it. But, every day more people flock in, and as resources get tighter and tighter, it’s bound to happen.”
“I can only imagine. I’m assuming food is a scare in the city?”
“Very. We can purchase almost anything we’d need from Ketrell, but as I said, we’re running low on funds.” Dominick huffed in amusement. “When the money was coming in hand over fist, we bought up all the cool stuff, right? Now that things are tight, and without a steady source of food, more and more Credits are going towards necessities. We can get a greenhouse, but it won’t fix the problem in time.”
“We’ve got the opposite problem. Not enough money, but more than enough food. Er, well, the potential for enough food. Lots of farmland around here.”
“And that’s why we’re having this discussion.” Dominick gives me a slight smirk. “Malkav wants me to negotiate a trade agreement between Carcosa and the Kingdom.”
“I kinda figured.” I give Dominick a serious look. “How close to being screwed are you guys?”
“Kinda close, to be honest. We’ve got a few weeks of food stockpiled, and enough Credits coming in from taxes to keep us going a few weeks longer. Might stretch it three months if we ration.”
“What about raiding stores for supplies?”
“Most food comes in plastic packaging. Like everything else from the modern age, it’s degraded away. Plus, canned food isn’t as plentiful as you’d think, especially with everyone else looking for supplies.”
Dominick was, of course, right. The bottles of cooking oil, the supplemental nutrition drinks, and other such packaging had rotted away. That was almost half of our supply store. Luckily, people outside the city liked their cans of beef stew and jerky.
“Ok, you’re telling me VTR has maybe three months before people start to starve.”
“That’s if we don’t get more residents between now and then.”
“Well, that’s just fucking great.” I shake my head in dismay.
“Don’t we know it? Hence the desire for a trade agreement.”
I cross my arms and lean a little further back into the couch. “Alright then, Dom, let’s negotiate. What sort of trade goods does VTR have for us?”
Frowning, Dominick leans back as well. “Unfortunately, not much. We know the dungeons well enough, so we could help run your people through; we’ve got some good crafters, but from what I've seen you don’t really need what we’re making; of course, unlimited access to the Settlement and Ketrell.”
“Your primary concern is steady food, right?”
Dominick nods.
“From what our Farmers tell me, crops will be ready to harvest in about a month.”
“Holy shit. That soon?”
“With all the various bonuses, we’ve at almost 400% growth speed.”
“So, what’s it going to take for us to get some of those crops?”
That’s an interesting question. It’s never good to give something away, especially when you need something yourself. But allies are critical in any survival setting. With the amount of food we have, which is about four months’ supply, we’ll be sitting pretty when the harvest comes in. The Farmers say that’ll give us another three months. Considering a harvest takes about five weeks, Carcosa could give away the food and not blink an eye. That’s not even factoring in the better farm equipment we’ll buy in the future.
What to ask for in return? Giving away the food might lead to VTR feeling as though they owe us, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Even footing is best for both diplomacy and trade.
“Alright, Dom, I have an idea. If you provide us the remaining 8,000 Credits we need to buy the ramparts, we’ll give you a month's supply of food now. Then another two months once the harvest comes in.”
Dominick thinks about the offer for a moment. “That’s a significant chunk of our funds. Counter offer: we give you 5k, and we take two weeks now and two months at harvest.”
I stand and offer my hand. “Deal.”
*****
More or less phasing into place, an eight foot tall, three foot thick, stone and wooden defensive barricade materializes around the Settlement. It’s a weird thing to watch, that’s for sure.
With proper defenses in place, the entire populace breathes a collective sigh of relief. People can spread out, take long walks, and generally not be relegated to a small space for fear of monster attacks. It’s a massive boost to morale.
So is the trade deal with the Twin Rivers. Knowing another Settlement is out there, and that it’s friendly, helps to keep people from feeling the crushing weight of the apocalypse.
Dominick and Doctave decide to stick around for a few more days. Their main goal completed, the pair run the Playground until they max out XP gains, then go on a few scouting missions with Andy and his crew.
One such scouting mission, this one aimed at finding more survivors, heads to Harmony. It’s a four-mile trip one way, so they plan to stay the night.
While they’re gone, I listen to a popular request by the residents. They want to visit VTR, mostly to see other people, and a little to check out the other Shop. Because of the distance and danger involved, a few requirements are instituted: you must be level ten, you must have a weapon, and you must have at least two combat classers with you.
Another issue is the scouting parties. All the structures for several miles to the north, east, and south have been looted. Though Andy and his team are talented and efficient, they’re needing to stay out overnight just to make the trip worth it.
We discussed going further numerous times. South Charleston, which is roughly seven miles away, is the next closest city. Then there’s London, another eleven miles further. Hopefully, we can visit and see if there are other Settlements soon.
The only thing left to do is to venture into Springfield. The high level zone at the industrial park is tempting, but with our average level still around eight, it’s not really doable. Then again, there’s that one saying: fortune favors the bold.
As the sun goes down a day later, the scouting party returns with a lot of people. And stuff.
The trip to Harmony paid off better than we could have hoped. A small Settlement of eleven people, a farm market full of food, a bookstore with hundreds of titles, and a huge antique outlet, all provide much needed funds, supplies, and populace.
Like we found out from King Malkav, books are a significant source of income. At least, the first new title to be sold to the Shop is. Out of the 600 or so volumes, fifty-six of them are the first, bringing in 28,000 Credits. The others are worth fifty Credits each, totaling another 27,500.
The antique center near us is a trove of items, but most of it is bland, mass produced, junk. By no means is this the case with the outlet. 120,000 square feet of antiques is far too much to bring back in one trip, but what they have is valuable indeed.
Of the eleven new residents, six of them are combat classes: two Wizards, one Monk, and three Fighters. The other five are composed of another Blacksmith, two more Farmers, a Mason, and a Shepherd. All are a welcomed sight. With the funds they have from selling their Settlement Core, the new arrivals purchase several single and multi-occupant cottages. They also have the Credits to kit themselves out with Talents and equipment.
Standing in the barn, around the monstrous pile of antiques, the core group and I try to figure out what to do with it all.
“I vote we sell it. All of it.” Curtis, eager to get more funding for his concoctions, rubs his hands together.
“People might like to have some amenities for their homes.” Jennifer, holding a small vase, turns it over a few times before returning it to the pile. “Maybe let them take their pick, then sell the rest?”
Everyone else is split between the two ideas. As the leader, and the tie-breaking vote, I decide on Jennifer’s plan. Once the residents take their share of the antiques, I sell the rest to Chugg.
As is the norm, twenty percent of the take goes to those who brought it in. Though it’s split between the eleven new people, Dominick, Doctave, and Andy and his team, it’s still a good amount for everyone. Carcosa’s wallet is double what it was before the rampart purchase.
Loading Dominick and Doctave up with as much food as their inventory can store, we wish them a safe trip back. The first group to visit VTR, a total of ten people, leaves with them. Most are crafters, though a few combat classers are going to run Cheap and Easy.
The rest of the week goes by uneventfully: the ramparts make dealing with the monsters hilariously easy; the children, having designed and built an incubator for their eggs, are already taking orders; Donnie’s and Curtis’ shops are given a loan and an upgrade. Access to better tools and equipment means they can produce more and better quality products. It’s a sizable chunk of the new funds, but it’s worth it in the long run.
The new residents, and their large wallets, increase the number of buildings Carcosa has. The combat classers make runs through the Playground, while the new Blacksmith and Mason set up their own shops in the big barn.
I take a sip of ice cold beer as I watch the sun set on top of the ranch house. Though it was a rough start, Carcosa is finally stable. All that’s left to do now is keep things running smoothly while we see what adventures this new world throws at us.