The harbor spread below Theo. He clicked his tongue, looking down at the empty areas where trader’s ships should have been. The alchemist flicked a gold coin into the air, catching it before releasing a sigh. Upgrading buildings always brought a sense of accomplishment, but without traders to buy Monster Cores from that wouldn’t happen. After lingering there for some time, he departed. Half-way back to the town’s center he realized something.
“We have a trader.”
From the town square, a road ran to the east. A while ago, the only thing along this road was Xam’s bathhouse and Miana’s ranch. But the industrious half-ogre Azrug had created two ventures of his own. His stables had been a flop after the creation of the railroad, but his other business was doing very well. After a short walk, Theo spotted Azrug’s general store resting atop a slight hill. He had been operating out of a house for a while, but it was nice to see the young man finally getting his stuff together.
Theo entered the general store, stopping just at the threshold. “You’re not Azrug.”
A wiry elf sat behind the counter, looking around and shrugging. “Nope.”
“Do you guys stock monster cores?”
The elf snorted, then laughed. “Yeah. Of course.”
Theo cleared his throat, approaching the counter and getting an idea for the price of the cores. Azrug was charging slightly higher than what the alchemist considered a wholesale price. Most merchants docking at the port offered that slightly discounted price, making the cost easier to stomach. After throwing a bit of weight around, the archduke got less than wholesale, as he bought the entire stock of the store out.
“What a joy,” the elf said in his native Taranthian tongue.
“Goodbye,” Theo said, responding in his pidgin version of the language. He really needed to work on memorizing the language more.
The cost of the Monster Cores wasn’t so bad. Theo’s funds were constantly bolstered by his various holdings around town. Before upgrading the town to the next phase, which should make it a city instead of a town, the alchemist wanted to bring most buildings up to level 30. Fortunately, that was a relatively short list.
The smelters, sawmill, small farm, large farm, manor, town hall, herbalist’s workshop, weaver, and butcher were all the standard buildings that he was in charge of below Level 30. Until he got an ability to take advantage of the Herbalist’s Workshop, he wouldn’t worry about that one. The Weaver was top on his list, as it made an absurd amount of money. Not only was the Starbristle Flax useful for ship making, merchants bought it at a premium. That was because Tarantham wasn’t exporting it anymore, and they had been the global source for the uniquely colored cloth for as long as anyone could remember.
“Weaver first,” Theo said, making his way over to the small building by Zarali’s Enchanter’s Workshop.
Kaya ran the weaver. She was an older elven woman who kept to herself. Theo suspected she was still in shock after her house escaped from Tarantham. She spoke no Qavelli at all, and seemed eager to keep it that way. The alchemist entered her building and nodded his head. She was working on processing a new crop of flax and barely paid any attention to him.
“Please help,” Theo said in Taranthian. “Upgrades.”
She nodded, smiling up at him. The lines near her eyes deepened. Theo noticed a younger elf in the room, not even an adult. She worked the various equipment in the room with the older elf, averting her eyes from the alchemist.
The building, named Fields of Blue by Kaya, had three upgrades. Efficient Spindles made her weaving more efficient. Tough Fibers made all cloth produced in the building stronger. Processing Room added another room to the building. When actions related to weaving were performed in that room, they consumed less stamina and were faster. It was the room they were currently standing in. Theo cleared his throat, selecting Monster Cores that were close in level to the building. As the building leveled, he expanded it in random directions. There was enough land in any direction. So long as he didn’t expand it to the road.
[Tero’gal Empowerment]
Threads woven in the Weaver will be empowered by the Dreamrealm of Tero’gal. The resulting fabrics will be more durable with a slight resistance to magic.
Theo struggled to translate what he read into understandable Taranthian. After several agonizing moments of snapping his fingers, the little girl spoke up. In her squeaky little voice, she offered to translate. The alchemist was surprised at first, but was happy enough for the help. When the description had been translated, Kaya gave him a flat look. She said something in her native tongue, but he caught none of it.
“She doesn’t want to be a slave to your realm,” the girl said.
“She could select the other upgrades.”
The girl went back and forth with Kaya for a moment before turning back to the alchemist. “She wants the empowerment upgrade.”
Whatever worked for her. He selected Tero’gal Empowerment and added more cores to the building. Digging through his Monster Cores gave him time to think about the influence his realm was having on the real world. The more it grew in strength, the more the realm’s influence was seen in the mortal world. It was a boost to his ego he didn’t need, but the alchemist would snatch at any strand of power he could grasp.
“Next one,” Theo said as the building hit Level 25. He read the description for the girl to translate.
[Mana Loom]
A Mana Loom appears in the Weaver. Cloth created with this loom may be imbued with the weaver’s mana. The weaver may determine what aspects of the cloth to improve.
“She wants that one,” the girl said after only a moment. Theo didn’t need the confirmation. Kaya was excited about that upgrade.
The alchemist selected the upgrade and went back to work. While he had a good scattering of cores from the Level 20 to 25 range, his assortment of cores between 25 and 30 were sparse. With his plan to make each upgrade as efficient as possible, this fact annoyed Theo. He burned a few Level 30 cores but the result was the same. The Level 30 upgrade option appeared and he read it for Kaya’s little friend to translate.
[Metal Threads]
Using a corresponding upgrade for the Smelter building, the Weaver can create delicate threads made from metal. These threads can be crafted into metal cloth.
Theo paused, considering the upgrade as the girl translated. How did that work? The answer was almost certainly ‘magic,’ but he still had questions. After a while, Kaya shook her head and said something. The girl translated.
“Metal weaving is difficult,” the girl said, shrugging. “Too difficult for grandmother.”
Theo nodded, reading off the two other options that were presented when the building was originally planted. Kaya went with the Soothing Mist upgrade.
[Soothing Mist]
The building is filled with a constant cooling mist that imbues all processed fibers. The resulting cloth will be softer.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“That works for me,” Theo said, patting the girl on the head. “Good work on the translation.”
The girl didn’t respond, instead turning to help her grandmother some more. Before heading out, Theo inspected the entire building to appreciate his work.
[Weaver]
[Fields of Blue]
Owners: Theo Spencer
Operator: Kaya Wavecrest
Faction: [Southlands Alliance]
Level: 30 (5%)
Rent Due: SUSPENDED
Expansions:
[Efficient Spindles]
[Tough Fibers]
[Processing Room]
[Tero’gal Empowerment]
[Mana Loom]
[Soothing Mist]
Good enough for now. None of the upgrades seemed very impressive to him, but Kaya seemed satisfied with them. He left the Weaver and was unable to get the idea of metal threads out of his mind. The entire concept seemed so absurd that he now needed to see some. But if the weaver said she couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t press the issue. An area that the alchemist was woefully ignorant of was the needs of those who did combat. Would clothes woven from metal thread be useful for adventurers? Perhaps they were just a shiny status symbol. Instead of making his way directly to his next stop, Theo wandered for a while and thought.
The Holy modifier had opened a new realm of potion making for him. Theo passed by Xam’s tavern, deep enough in thought not to notice Sulvan come up alongside him.
“Busy day?” Sulvan asked.
Theo looked over at the smiling face of Sulvan Flametouched. It was a sight he thought he would never see, but there it was. Thanks to their history, the expression came off more as creepy than endearing. “Just upgrading buildings. Nothing taxing. How goes the healing?”
“Well enough,” Sulvan nodded. “I’m trying to not be frustrated with my progress. Or lack of progress.”
“I only recently learned that I was cheating from the start,” Theo said. “Champion of Drogramath and all that.”
“The order suspected you were his champion. But champions usually sing their own praises from the highest towers.”
Theo wanted to keep as far away from that topic as possible. His way of dealing with ditching an old life was to never talk about it, pretending it didn’t exist in the first place. “You’re doing Glantheir proud.”
“He tells me as much. Whispers into my dreams, mostly.”
“I have to go out of my way to talk to Drogramath,” Theo chuckled.
Sulvan walked in time with Theo, the smile still lingering on his face. “He’s like a loving father. Compared to the Eye…”
“If I could make cores, I’d give you one,” Theo said with a wink.
“I have a feeling Glantheir can provide my atonement better than you.”
“Too true.”
“Where are you heading? Did we just walk in a circle?”
“Ah. The butcher. I have a lot of buildings to visit, but I like Whisper. She’s nice.”
“Most bear-folk are.”
From what Theo had seen, that was true. He could only hope that they were truly safe up in their mountain homes. Benton claimed that his people were fine, but it was hard to say. The undead themselves were falling as a threat, but the corruption they left behind was a constant reminder.
Sulvan placed a hand on Theo’s shoulder after a few moments of silence. That same smile still lingered on his face. “Have you actually forgiven me?”
Theo paused on the road. “I was assured that the price for going against Glantheir was steep. Only someone who wanted to change would take his core.”
“Cores,” Sulvan said with a nod. “Just checking. Have fun with the butcher.”
Sulvan departed without another word. He had a spring in his step as he went.
Whisper’s Butcher was located to the west of the town square near both the Adventurer’s Guild and Sledge’s Sawmill. The building was only Level 10 with the Keen Knives upgrade that increased the effectiveness of butchering, and Dry Room which added a new room to the building. Whisper didn’t seem to care that her building was at a low level. When Theo entered the Butcher she simply nodded and continued to process a wolf. She was skillful with the knife to the point where the alchemist considered her combat potential. The alchemist shook his head, dislodging thoughts of a combat butcher from his mind.
The butcher didn’t stop working as Theo upgraded her building. While the interior should have smelled of blood and butchered wolves, none of the scent penetrated the extreme cold within. As a toora, Whisper kept the interior as cold as was physically possible with Throk’s air conditioners. The building soon reached Level 15, prompting the alchemist to select a new upgrade. He reviewed the new offering, reading it off to the busy woman.
[Bonus Items]
Depending on the level of this Butcher, butchered creatures may contain additional loot.
“May I keep the items?” she asked.
Theo shrugged. “Sure.”
“That one.”
Theo continued his process after selecting the Bonus Items upgrade. The building grew in random directions, adding a healthy amount of space to the interior. Whisper didn’t stop her butchering. She didn’t even raise her head to see what he was doing. The building hit Level 20 before long, presenting them with another option. Theo read it aloud.
[Purification]
Creatures butchered in this building are less likely to carry parasites, diseases, etc. Also allows the butchering of naturally poisonous, or otherwise toxic creatures depending on the level of the butcher.
Whisper had to think about that one for a minute. She even stopped her butchering, tapping her knife on the massive butcher’s block as she thought. After a minute of contemplation, she shrugged.
“That one.”
Theo obeyed, selecting the Purification upgrade. He hadn’t heard of people suffering food-borne illnesses in town, so didn’t see the value. But he wasn’t the butcher. The alchemist thought about that as he shoved more cores into the building. Whisper got back to work. The Level 25 upgrade option appeared and he read it out for her.
[Live Storage]
A building appears behind the Butcher. A single living, non-sapient creature may be stored in this building forever. They will not experience time until they are removed.
A grimace spread across Whisper’s face. It was often hard to read the expression of a toora, but Theo could tell she was suddenly pissed off. He held his hands up defensively, ready to disarm whatever situation he had instigated. But after a few steady breaths, she waved her hand in the air and shook her head.
“Not that one.”
“Alrighty. I’ll just read the other two options,” Theo said before reading the other options for her to pick from.
Theo didn’t need to wait long. He read Cold Storage out first, which simply added a way to store meats for a long time. That was useless in the face of dimensional storage. The next one was of some interest to her, though. Spoilage Prevention would allow her to get more meat from each creature she butchered. She selected that one, but seemed too distracted to get back to work. Whisper just glared into the middle-distance. The alchemist tried not to think about the connection between her and the Live Storage upgrade. Perhaps it was just a moral objection. He moved on, inserting more cores into the building to bring it to Level 30.
“Yeah. That’s just weird,” Theo said, reading out the next upgrade. “Do you worship Benton?”
“Don’t like minor gods.”
Theo read the upgrade out for Whisper to consider.
[Touch of Bohor]
Through death comes life. Meat produced in this Butcher will be more sustaining and filling.
Unless there was another Bohor, the upgrade was referring to Benton’s realm. That brought questions about how all this worked. He remembered back to when Khahar told him about interdiction and the way people were connected. Perhaps meeting Benton and forming a friendly bond had enabled the building’s seed core to pull from his realm. There was too much to consider there, and Whisper already had her answer.
“That one.”
Theo selected the upgrade, then inspected the building.
[Butcher]
[Hoary Frost]
Owners: Theo Spencer
Operator: Whisper
Faction: [Southlands Alliance]
Level: 30 (15%)
Rent Due: SUSPENDED
Expansions:
[Keen Knives]
[Drying Room]
[Bonus Items]
[Purification]
[Spoilage Prevention]
[Touch of Bohor]
Theo chuckled. He had misheard the name of the building the first time. Whisper was satisfied with the upgrades, simply nodding as the alchemist left the building. He headed out onto the street, stretching and looking around. Sledge still wasn’t working the Sawmill. There was very little activity outside of the Adventurer’s Guild. Adding to the dullness of the day, there wasn’t even much going on in the administrative screens. There were a few more reports about monster attacks underground, but that was it. Standard monster dogs spawning amongst the ore, quickly put down by Aarok’s men.
The calmness of the day brought a sense of foreboding to the alchemist’s mind. He shivered when he thought of the city approaching his alliance. With all the spies feeding him information, he was confident in their defenses. Theo made his way away from the Butcher, shaking those intrusive thoughts away as he searched for the next thing to do.