~Thorben~
An adorable bunny, two slithering snakes, and a strange two headed mole later, and they were back awaiting the rest of the villagers. He’d tried to enjoy Charlie’s attempts at conversation. No matter how hard the unicorn tried to sell the strong silent type persona, he continually drew parallels between Baherune and his home world.
“I suppose without granular fertilizer and aeration techniques, it shouldn’t surprise me that the grass is greener on Earth.” Charlie’s latest observations on something called yards puzzled Thorben. Who wanted extra chores? He understood maintaining a defensive perimeter clear of obstructions for a camp. Putting in the same amount of effort just so strangers could admire it made no sense. In response to Thorben’s grunt of a response, Charlie glanced over. “Still wrapped up in knots over the girl?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘wrapped up in knots,’ just nervous. I’ve never been responsible for training someone, especially someone who has been through a trauma of this magnitude. She deserves someone qualified to help her. I don’t want to mess it up, or mess her up.” Thorben said. He closed his eyes, shaking himself out of his introspective state before it devolved further. He’d always been one to internalize problems until they consumed his every thought, eventually leading him into a ‘moody’ episode. While he would still occasionally sink down into these moods, his father had worked with him to develop habits that helped counteract this when he felt himself slipping down that road. He still remembered how his father would gently grab him by the scruff of his neck and say, you can’t let the burden of responsibility become an obstacle. It is challenging enough without getting in your own way. It was during these times that the hardened and calloused hands of his father were surprisingly gentle.
His father, while firm, was always a fair man. He always knew when a situation called for a gentle heart to heart or a more aggressive attitude adjustment. He opened his eyes. Thorben couldn’t help but smile as the nostalgia of childhood washed over him. He desperately hoped to see his parent’s again soon and hoped his brother was safe.
“I’d like to help however I can,” Charlie stated.
“We’ll talk later,” Thorben said as a cloud of dust neared. “For now, we have people to help settle in.”
An errant thought struck him. The Accommodations Altering Apparatus! He hoped that this piece of equipment worked as great as it sounded. Well, maybe not the sound of the name. Thorben hated alliterations. He placed more hope in the sound of its purpose. He unofficially renamed it the Triple A machine.
Welcome to the Accommodations Altering Apparatus
Would you like to view the tutorial?
He had skipped this the last time as he’d felt overwhelmed with scrubbing the keep of every trace of McDongless. As he had a bit of time before the others arrived, he selected yes, and nearly removed his hand in shock as a window to another place opened up. It was almost as if he was magically spying on a teacher who explained the basic concepts of the Triple A machine. He’d gained a lot of insight and was very excited at the possibilities that this system presented.
He gave a quick glance through the menu and saw an option to view a bird’s-eye view map of the keep. Thorben noticed he could make changes beyond the keep walls. As he glanced through the options, he noticed that there were basic buildings, utilities, and even a section for special features. The system had greyed out the vast majority of upgrades to show their unavailability, but the ones that he sought were available to him. First, he needed to have a place for the many people set to arrive could call home both inside and outside of the keep. Luckily, there were numerous abandoned houses surrounding the keep that were in various states of repair, mostly habitable. The village was lacking a good sized inn, so he selected that option and began perusing.
Taverns/Inns
Tavern: Eat, drink, be merry and walk home at closing time. (Poor, Sturdy, Grand, Exquisite)
Inn: Eat, drink, be merry, and sleep it off in one of our room options! (Poor, Sturdy, Grand, Exquisite)
An inn was the more practical option, as people could both rent rooms and buy food, so he selected that and examined the choices that he had.
Taverns
Poor: a humble dive cobbled together with whatever resources are available. While not pretty, it will get the job done in a pinch. Features include a small common room, barely adequate kitchen, two windowless rooms to rent, and a hitching post for patrons’ mounts.
[Building Kit: Insta-build:]
Sturdy: a simple but well-constructed building designed for practicality. This simple layout is easily recognized, weathers storms, and provides basic security. Features include a medium-sized common room, five small furnished rooms to rent, and a small stable to accommodate mounts.
[Building Kit: Insta-build:]
Grand: a large well-built structure with above average finishes. This two story layout is designed for a blend of practicality and comfort. It is an ideal place for people to conduct business, enjoy a relaxing evening, or seek temporary to semi-temporary lodging. Features include a large common room, a business lounge with semi-private booths, ten medium-sized rooms to rent, two private suites, a large stable to accommodate mounts, and a servant’s quarters in the stables.
[Building Kit: Insta-build:]
Exquisite: an extremely large and grandiose building teeming with extravagant high end finishes. This four story building with a basement goes beyond what most consider outlandish. Intended as an outlet for the uber wealthy to flaunt their wealth, its amenities provide many options for wasteful spending. Features include a large common room, private social rooms on a balcony overlooking the common area, a wine cellar with private tasting rooms, a hidden gambling room, a concierge desk, a dozen suites to rent, two penthouse apartment complete with personal chefs, a large stable, and a shuttle service.
[Building Kit: Insta-build:]
He had learned that ‘Triple A’ purchases were available in two forms: a building kit that was essentially a prepackaged box filled with all the materials needed to construct a building yourself, and the Insta-build where in a matter of minutes to hours the building would build itself. While the Insta-build option would save a lot of time, it shocked him just how much more it cost than the building kit. He had thought his massive windfall from Duke McDongbite would be enough for him to at least live comfortably for the rest of his days, but after seeing the cost of upgrading the keep, he was forced to reevaluate this belief.
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Thorben had never understood extravagance, and the price difference between the grand and exquisite inns was just too steep for him to justify. Knowing that the people coming would be busy with all the projects associated with relocating and that manpower would be a limited commodity for the foreseeable future, he somewhat begrudgingly selected the Insta-build version of the grand inn, and placed it just outside the keep walls. A colossal sum of money streamed out of his account. It stung, but the knowledge that an inn would be a tremendous boost to the town soothed it a bit. With that done, he strode out and continued to prepare to greet everyone.
As Thorben walked past the location he had chosen for the inn, he noticed a cube green box roughly the same height as himself. There was a soft click as the lid of the container swung open. As he watched, the framework lumber began floating into place as if guided by giant invisible hands. The sound of nails anchoring the lumber in place followed each setting of a board. It was mesmerizing to watch. The magic was apparent, as there was simply no way for the box to contain the volume of materials it did, nor the length of many of the materials. As much as he would have loved to watch the construction longer, the villagers were almost there.
The afternoon passed in the blink of an eye. Most of the new residents had claimed houses near the keep walls, but a few had asked about serving in the keep as support staff. Although the town’s houses were still dilapidated and mostly empty, the influx of people had brought with it a refreshing sense of life. A faint feeling of purpose was in the air. A few of the more industrious individuals were already setting up little market stalls along the main road to the keep, while others were diving into repairing their house. Thorben mentally noted that he would have to nurture this atmosphere of purpose, hoping it would grow, but maybe from a distance with the whole debuff situation.
Villagers had bombarded Thorben with questions and requests, with fear in their eyes, until Abuela had taken control. She began assigning housing, organizing help squads to help others unload or settle in as they could. It was her skillful delegating that had the several hundred people settled with relatively little chaos before the sunset. There had been the occasional dispute over housing claims based on both perceived and actual location benefits, but Thorben, with Abuela’s advice, had settled those quickly enough. Most people selected reasonable accommodations based on their profession or family need, but there were always exceptions. People who didn’t practice that profession had claimed quite a few of the trade buildings, prompting a minor investigation. As he was mediating the claim of the third of the disputed trade shops, the smithy, he discovered the commonality.
“Wilkens? Any relation to a Tod Wilkens?” Thorben asked the man he’d been talking to for the past quarter hour.
“Yeah. He’s my cousin. What of it?”
The Wilkens family had placed themselves at the center of the claiming of workshops and trade buildings. “Nothing big, Ted. Family is family. You don’t get to pick who you get. Just curious is all. I just got done talking with Tod and mediating his claim of the apothecary shop, and if I remember correctly, there was also a Sheila who was trying to claim the tannery. Neither of whom knew anything about those two professions. I guess I’m just curious why history is repeating itself here, and if I need to worry that I will have to have more of these conversations.” If he was being honest, he didn’t mind the conversations as each one had ended with an experience notification and he’d leveled up in his intimidation skill. He’d attempted to persuade, but he’d take whatever got the job done.
Ted’s already red face darkened in anger. “Maybe we are looking to try something new! I got here first and claimed ownership. If he wants it so bad, then he can rent it from me.”
Thorben’s gut told him that the Wilken’s motivation was far less altruistic than he would have everyone believe, but the man’s words solidified this feeling further. The realization that this family was attempting the equivalent of a land grab used up the last of his patience.
Perception (lv. 1>2)
“You expect me to believe that three members of your family simultaneously changed professions unbeknownst to each other?” Thorben asked, each word containing less good humor.
“I don’t care what you believe! I was here first and claimed this building. It’s mine.” Ted bellowed.
All pretense at civility was gone, as Thorben softly yet menacingly said, “No, it’s not.” He turned to Mr. Barkus, the blacksmith who was also requesting the smithy. In as cheerful of a voice as he could muster, he congratulated him on his new facility.
Ted Wilkens was practically frothing at the mouth in outrage. “How dare you!” Thorben turned to look him in the eyes. Most people of average intelligence who saw the look of barely contained violence in his eyes would have found a reason to extricate themselves from the conversation, but Thorben got the impression that Ted had never been accused of being above average in the brain department. “Who died and made you King? You have no right to….” Ted screamed.
Not waiting for the dumbass to finish, he triggered his Perception Regulation skill. He blinked forward, clutching Ted by the throat, and lifted him into the air. His muscles forged by the fires of a smithy had no problem lifting the weasel of a man. “The former duke of this keep that I killed died and made me the closest thing to a King that you have. I have every right to assign things as I see fit. You would be smart to shut up and find different lodging before I assign you a stall in my stables.” He dropped the man to the ground and watched as the man gasped for breath.
“You will regret this,” Ted said. Choking the words out as he struggled to return his breathing to a normal tempo. Thorben said nothing in return as Ted shuffled off.
Abuela laid a gentle arm on his shoulder, “The Wilkens are difficult but mostly harmless.” His anger drained out of him at her words, but a creeping sensation of something filled its place. Shame? No, not shame. That was a long way off. In his opinion, people who were sneaky and tried to take advantage of others deserved a little rough handling from time to time. It was more a sense of concern. His frustration made him fly off the handle on Ted a lot faster than was normal. His emotions were a bit more frayed than they typically were. If he was being honest with himself, he’d even say he’d gone a little dictatorial. Since when have I thought of myself as their ruler? Assign you a stall in my stable? Where did that come from?
He looked around and saw that almost everybody was settling in. For the first time in a few hours, he found himself without a task and sat down for a break. He knew that the relocation effort of this magnitude would cause some people to grumble and not everyone to be satisfied. Yet, he felt content with the progress of the day. He made his way to the inn where Abuela had told Leah to hang out and wait for them. Abuela had offered to test out the new kitchen before Thorben and she had begun the long task of organizing the new settlers. While Thorben wanted to let everyone rest, he wasn’t one to turn down a meal.
The situation with Leah had taken up residence in the back of his mind. Abuela’s gentle nature, coupled with her ‘leadership through respect’ approach throughout the day, had gotten Thorben thinking. He was eager to sit down with them and hammer out details. Thorben only hoped that they would like his proposition. He wasn’t sure if they already had plans, but hoped they were willing to at least entertain his plan.
Time passed as he sat, lost in his thoughts. Not even the aroma of roasted vegetable stew could shake him from his introspection. It wasn’t until a bowl thumped down on the table in front of him he returned to the world around him. A smile lit his face as Abuela handed him a spoon. Abuela and Leah joined him in sitting at the table. Thanking her, he took a careful mouthful of the stew and savored it.
“This is amazing,” Thorben said. “Thank you. A perfect way to end the day.”
“You’re welcome. Though it seemed like you worked harder sorting your thoughts than we did cooking.”
“Leah, you helped with this?” he asked. She gave a nod. “Well, thank you as well. This is delicious.” Another nod followed this comment as she refocused her attention on her bowl.
Abuela pressed him again, “So, did you solve the problem you were pondering?” Her voice was casual, but her eyes communicated a silent acknowledgment of the seriousness of her question.
Thorben thought for a second and continued in as straightforward a manner as possible. “Your leadership impressed me today. What do you think of you and Leah moving into the keep and helping me to run a guild?” Silence followed. On second thought, maybe I should have eased into this.