System Escape, page 30
But I'm sure of it now, I've created a bureaucracy. I suppose I should talk to Conner also. I'm sure he'll have things he wants to go over with me. Maybe I can find him before lunch and have all the governmental stuff out of the way for a while.
Marc left the Town Hall and started looking for Conner. He found Natalie, who was currently on duty and she told him that Conner normally took the evening shift, since if they were going to have trouble it would normally happen then.
“What kind of trouble?” Marc asked.
“Oh, since people get paid now, we've had some drunk and disorderly types of things. Conner talked with your dad and got a couple of rooms assigned as a jail of sorts, mostly if we get the drunks we just toss them in there overnight and they're fine, and frequently ashamed, in the morning,” Natalie said.
“Good, I'd noticed the rooms assigned to Conner, but I didn't ask for specifics there. I figured if dad and Conner both thought they were needed, then they were.”
“Yeah, Rudi made a couple of jail style doors, all metal bars and the like, with basic locks and we just swapped the doors out, put some bars on the windows, and called it good. It's not like we're going to use those for anything but the drunks.”
“No bigger problems then?”
She shrugged.
“Define bigger? There's always something. Mostly we just split people up when there's an argument or a fight, or toss them in the cells if they're drunk and obnoxious. That's about it for internal problems currently.”
“Good, do you know when Conner gets up?”
“He's normally at lunch, so you can catch him there if you want,” Natalie said.
“Thanks.”
Marc headed towards the cafeteria. It was almost lunch time already, so he was hoping to intercept Conner and see if he needed some of Marc's time. If not, then Marc could relax some.
Or maybe head over to the tannery and work on my Leather Working skill some more. It's been a while since I did anything with that, he thought.
* * *
Marc was relieved to find that Conner had no additional requests. He'd gotten the two rooms to refit as cells and he'd drafted another person so they had three for his miniature police force. The third person he'd drafted was slightly lower level than Conner and Natalie, but was still a leveled combat classer. Several of Ron's people had not wanted to continue adventuring once they'd gotten to the Safe Zone and Conner had convinced one of them to take the position.
By the time dinner rolled around, Marc had finished several small leather pieces. After going back to the tannery, he'd decided on small items to get his hand back in. He knew the bigger ones that he hadn't done before would get him a better chance at leveling his skill, or at least he suspected that, but he didn't want to risk wasting some of the leather.
The tannery had been operating right through and while the hunters brought in more animals all the time, the leather stocks had dwindled from Willy's efforts. Willy's skill was right up there with Marc's now, also at an eight, but it had stopped increasing when Willy had settled in to churning out light armor pieces for those in the Safe Zone that wanted them. He sold them for about half of what people would pay in the shop, so normally as soon as he finished one, it was gone.
Instead of using large portions of leather, Marc had worked through the scrap pile and made several leather pouches, not a big draw for people who had inventories to access, and another pair of the belts with built in pouches. He'd been worried that he'd have slowed down with not practicing his Leather Working for so long, but evidently the skill didn't take that into account. As soon as he started in on making things, he was back to a smooth, quick, process.
Feeling a little better at having created a few things, he dropped them off in the section reserved for items that people could claim for free. It was right outside the cafeteria, so he continued in for dinner. His whole group, except for him, was already sitting at their regular table so he went to join them. As he got closer, he noticed that Jeff was in a sorry state, covered with mud and blood, and with tears in his armor.
“Jeff, what the hell happened to you?” Marc asked.
“See, I told you to clean up first. Ten minutes late wouldn't have been a problem,” Ella said.
Jeff, instead of grimacing at Ella's criticism like he normally would have, just grinned.
“I've been working,” Jeff said.
“Doing what? Mud wrestling?” Rob asked.
Jeff blinked.
“Mud wrestling, as work? Huh? No, I tracked down those gremlins and their lair.”
“Not a spawn point, an actual lair?” Marc asked.
“Yup, just a tiny one though, which is probably why we only saw a few at a time, except when we hadn't seen them for a while. It was in this little cave. I had to crawl into the damned thing after I killed all the gremlins, but...
He held his hand up, then focused for a moment.
“I know you have the kobolds for farming some experience, but their loot is shit. These guys have a lot better loot, sometimes at least, in case you want another farm,” Jeff said, focusing on the small green crystal in his hand.
It was streaked with red and Marc reached out, waiting a moment to make sure that Jeff wasn't going to pull it away, then took it and Analyzed it.
Lair Core (gremlin)
Item grade: uncommon
Item quality: uncommon
When placed in an unoccupied area, this Core will begin to accumulate mana. Once it has accumulated enough, gremlins will begin to appear and create a lair. The overall size of the lair, levels of the gremlins, and all other accouterments of the lair such as traps, treasure, and the like will increase with the duration of the Lair's existence. Gremlins are known to have a number of combat casters and their loot will reflect this. When generating gremlin casters, other gremlins will be slower to spawn, but when a gremlin caster is present, the other gremlins will follow them as a leader.
“Well then, thanks Jeff. I thought you were just going to find out where they were coming from and report it,” Marc said.
“I was going to, but there were only three gremlins outside of the cave all the tracks led back to, so I took them out then crawled in to find it. I knew there was something there from my Find Valuables skill so I thought it might have been a lair instead of just a spawn point.”
“Well, like I said, thank you. We'll need to figure out where to get this placed so we have another experience and item farm. I know the gremlins drop scrolls sometimes so I'll make sure the Mages know where this one came from. They'll be very happy with you, I think,” Marc said.
“I'm very happy with me. I got some Renown for soloing a lair. I'm not at gift level yet,” he said, glaring at Marc, “but a few more points and I will be.”
“Great, what are you at for combined Renown and Notoriety now?” Marc asked.
“Twenty-two, just three points away from gift level,” Jeff said.
“Cool, maybe if we take another dungeon, like one of the ones we found when we were in the balloon, you'll make it there,” Rob said.
The waitress arrived and Jeff just smiled as Marc put in his order for food. The group ate together, discussing what they might want to do next. Marc wanted to pass along Reggie's progress with the satellite, but he didn't want to do it in this public of a place, so he held off on that.
When they'd finished eating, Ella begged off, dragging Jeff with her.
“Because he needs to get cleaned up. Can't take him anywhere,” she said.
As Jeff was being dragged off, he muttered something to Ella which made her sigh and shrug helplessly. Marc had heard at least part of the statement though and he was with Ella on her reaction to it.
“... see that rodent beat that,” Marc had heard Jeff mutter.
* * *
The next morning, Marc waited at breakfast for the rest of his group to show up. He had a plan that would get them out of the Safe Zone for a bit and maybe get them a little more experience. He'd noted the places his father wanted to put in Safe Zones on the map and he thought that maybe he and the group should go and scout them out. They could see if they were suitable for a Safe Zone while also clearing out any spawns or mutants in the areas near them.
When he put the idea out to the group, they were lukewarm on the idea. Rob was helping with the rail lines, using the hand cart to pull the materials out to the end of the line, Felicia was nursing her new plants along with the help of the Herbalist and, surprisingly enough, Katie. The Junior Druid had a spell that hastened the growth of plants much like Maya did and Felicia had run into her when the two of them had both been back down at the new crustacean and mollusk tank.
Felicia had been trying to find out how the tank did filtering with mana or nanites, she thought that she might be able to adapt the process to her Alchemy. Katie had been there, just to see Octavius II. The two had gotten to talking and Felicia had discovered Katie's ability to hasten plant growth and drafted her.
Jeff was all for the trip, but Ella was still studying the materials recommended by the psychiatrist back in the Uni Safe Zone.
“So, should you and I do it, Marc?” Jeff asked.
“We could, if we stock up on enough potions, or we could wait a couple of days. Felicia said her plants would be far enough along that she'd be willing to leave them for a bit.”
“Ella could probably use a break from studying by then also, I'm sure I could talk her into it. Can you get Rob to come, too?”
“Maybe?” Marc said. “How about if we point out that the sooner we get these other Safe Zones built, the sooner he'll have even more routes for his train to run?”
“That oughta to do it,” Jeff said. “If I didn't know he had a girlfriend, I'd swear he was in love with his locomotive.”
“Why can't it be both?” Marc asked.
“Point, it probably is. Well, actually, I'm not sure that he loves Janey, but I know he loves his train,” Jeff said.
Marc spent the next two days primarily working on his Leather Working, making things he'd made before that he knew people wanted. Then, when he thought they were good to head out the next day, his dad caught him at dinner.
“Marc, the encampment is all ready for you to change it into a Safe Zone,” Sean said.
“Tomorrow then?” Marc said.
Sean nodded, then headed back to Michelle.
Damn it, I had everyone ready to head out tomorrow. Wait, I know, we can head out to this one first. I know the Legionaries have been in the encampment for days now, but I don't think they cleared the area unless there were things that attacked. So I can change it to a Safe Zone, then we can clear out a mile or two from it, spend the night in the new Safe Zone, then go do the others like we were planning, Marc thought.
He told the rest of the group of his desired modified plan and they were mostly okay with it.
“So, we'll be spending one night out there then?” Rob said. “Janey won't be too fond of that.”
“We can probably even come back here if you'd rather, it just means we cover different ground heading for the next one,” Marc said.
Rob nodded.
“That'd probably be better,” he said.
They headed out towards the encampment, Rob driving them on the hand cart they'd been using for supplies, along with a few less supplies than would've been on the cart without the group.
When they reached the end of where the line had gotten to, they were a little less than a mile from the encampment and Rob turned the hand cart over to one of the other workers. It didn't take them long to hike the mile to the encampment and soon Marc was standing in the center of it with his father.
“I think we've got everything we need,” Sean said, as Marc paused to check resources.
They did, but Marc was trying to figure something else out.
“We do,” Marc said. “I'm just trying to figure out what System token to use here. I've got one uncommon that would give us the base Safe Zone with power and water, but I've only got one of those. I've got three rares though, and I'm liable to get one for creating this place if it goes the same way the last few have.”
“Didn't you say that some things needed the higher level tokens to purchase?” Sean said. “Also, that if you use one higher than you needed you don't get change?”
Marc nodded.
“Yes, so I'm leaning towards using a rare here, which will give us one more advancement slot. Do you have a preference as to what we do with it? I was planning on a farm for the base slot.”
“Do two farms? Or maybe something extra on defense? Like a guardhouse at the gate or something?” Sean said.
“Guardhouse it is,” Marc said.
As far as he knew, food was not being a problem for his Safe Zones. That might change when people had less to hunt during the winter, but they had some livestock too and it was growing far faster than it had any right to if the reports he'd been given were correct.
Create Safe Zone, Marc thought.
Waiting for authorization... blinked in his mind for several moments before disappearing and being replaced by a more familiar screen.
“There you go,” Sean said. “You ought to be good to go.”
You have sufficient resources to create a basic Safe Zone in this area.
Resources required:
Wood: 1000/1000
Stone: 1000/1000
Metal: 1000/1000
Designate power source for Safe Zone:
Dungeon Core – End Zone Dungeon (goblin/hobgoblin/creature mutation options)
Monster Core – Rare-Masterful (0/6) (+5 power slots)
uncommon system token
rare system token
rare system token
rare system token
lesser system token (X10)
Marc selected one of the rare system tokens and hit accept, watching as the Safe Zone grew around him. The System asked him for a name and he cursed himself for not discussing with anyone again. He made a choice and input it. Then his notification light started flashing wildly and he pulled it up.
Engage Capture Protocol between Any Port, Miller's Pond, and Outreach? (y/n)
He quickly chose 'yes'.
Capture Network extended. The following Safe Zones form a network of Captured Land: Any Port, Marc's Gift, The Mine, Miller's Pond, and Outreach.
System Message:
You have claimed a fifth Safe Zone. This is an action of note and you will receive bonuses for this act.
You have been awarded: Rare System Token
You have gained Renown: +5, for claiming a fifth Safe Zone.
System Message:
For engaging Capture Protocol again and extending a Capture Network, your Land Baron bonuses are upgraded. All bonuses from Landlord remain in place.
Land Baron (upgraded X2): When a Steward is in charge of your Captured land, all construction will take 18% fewer materials and proceed 18% faster. In addition all fields created in your Captured land will have an 18% growth speed bonus and an 18% harvest bonus.
Continue Capturing more land for a new land related title.
You have gained Renown: +5, for upgrading a title.
One last, lonely message caught his attention.
You do not have enough stone to complete: Guardhouse. Needed: 72 more stone.
“Well, crap. We need more stone to finish the guardhouse,” Marc said. “I thought materials were a given with the Safe Zone upgrade items.”
He looked at the pedestal again.
“Oh, they are, the guardhouse wasn't available in that list. Oops,” Marc said. “I'll put in another farm with that slot and once we have the stone out here we can finish the guardhouse also.”
“I'll send a couple of Legionaries back to pick it up from the material stores at Any Port. They'll be back in an hour or two,” Sean said.
“Well, my group were planning on going out and clearing any spawns or mutated animals within a mile or two of the new Safe Zone. We'll do that, and I'll finish the guardhouse after we get back,” Marc said.
Sean nodded and started calling out some orders. Marc led his group out of the gate in search of hostiles.
“That was lame, Marc. Outreach, really?” Jeff said.
“I didn't hear anyone else giving me suggestions and once I'm creating it I can't exactly stop and ask, you know?” Marc replied. “So, give me a few name suggestions for the other Safe Zones my dad wants us to make. That way I'll have them handy when it's time to put in a name.”
“Jeff's turf,” Jeff said, instantly. “I'll adopt that one as my base Safe Zone.”
“Umm, no,” Rob said.
Ella actually snickered while Felicia tried desperately to keep a straight face.
“Does anyone have a real suggestion?” Marc asked.
Silence was the only answer as he led the way out into the area surrounding the Safe Zone.
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Three
They didn't find anything in the hours of the day remaining to them. Some natural animals, but no mutated ones and no spawns anywhere near the Outreach Safe Zone. It made Marc wonder if maybe the folks from the bunker had gone out and killed anything dangerous in the area, but he couldn't ask them about that right now.
They spent that night back in Any Port as Rob had wanted and by the time they were leaving the next morning, slightly later than he'd like as Jeff and Ella didn't get up as early as the rest of them, Marc could hear the workers on the rails and see them as the group was leaving the Safe Zone.
He'd also finished the guardhouse the evening before. The Legionaries Sean had sent back to get stone had arrived about an hour before dark with the materials needed so he'd finished the guardhouse and they'd headed back to Any Port.
Now all they needed to do was head towards the location for the next Safe Zone they'd build and clear the area. They could do it all in one day, even with Jeff getting up late, assuming they didn't find any major battles along the way.
