by Ryan DeBruyn
A group of women sat down at the table, glaring at Rocky. The first woman to sit pointed a finger at him. “You will put the new Territory points into increased growth speed.”
Rocky didn’t fully understand what the woman wanted. Sela whispered, “Growth Boost,” toward the speaker, and she corrected herself. That was when it all clicked. These women wanted him to place the skill points the Territory had gained into increasing pregnancy speed and the growth rate of children.
“But isn’t that terrifying? Children fully grown by the age of eight. And your pregnancies taking three months.”
The other women in the mob rolled their eyes. The same woman spoke again. “We are all pregnant already, and there are many others. I speak for all of us when I say we want our children to be stronger as soon as possible. Do not presume to know what a pregnant woman wants.”
He clicked his mouth closed. “That’s why I didn’t put the points there in the first place. I didn’t want to make that choice—”
“And in doing so, you made that choice for us! Now, I am telling you to make it right. Our children,” the woman raised her hand to include the entire Mess Hall, “need to be the number-one consideration. Or what is the point of all this?”
Originally, he had wanted to put points there anyway. “Sorry for making the assumptions I did. I completely agree, and with your approval…”
He opened his Territory Skill screen for the women to witness, and checked the level and available points.
He skipped to the last notification for his Territory. After the Crafter’s Hall was completed, he knew the Territory had leveled, but he hadn’t had time to check on its current level.
Congratulations!
● You have reached all the criteria to increase your settlement level—currently level nine, Town.
To reach level ten, create a Marketplace, reach a population of twenty-five hundred and ensure there is housing for fifty percent of your citizens.
He had leveled up five times—the prerequisite building needed as a bottleneck already existed. Algonquin Grotto was far above the population to level again, and he made a mental note to ask Karl to build a Marketplace.
Territorial Skill Tree
Skill Points available: 0
All skills will affect any and all Territories owned by the same leaders. Skill points are awarded at 5 per level, in most cases. To discover more, level up and capture additional Territories.
Skills
Stat Boost
● While individuals reside within the boundary of this Territory, all stats will be increased by x, where x is the number of skill points in this skill.
0 / 50
At fifty skill points, the skill will upgrade.
Resource Boost
● Every resource that spawns within your Territory will give x% more when collected, where x is the number of skill points in this skill.
20 / 50
At fifty skill points, the skill will upgrade.
Etherience Boost
● All individuals who gain Etherience within your Territory will be awarded x% more, where x is the number of skill points in this skill.
0 / 50
At fifty skill points, the skill will upgrade.
Growth Boost
● All women will carry to full term faster by a factor of x%. All children will grow x% faster to maturity, where x is the number of skill points in this skill.
<25> / 50
At fifty skill points, the skill will upgrade.
He placed the twenty-five points to Growth Boost and clicked accept.
The woman leading the group pointed at him. “With the number of women getting pregnant right now, I suggest you put future points there as well.”
Rocky gulped and glanced at the empty seat next to him. Sela had moved a small distance away, leaving him to defend himself while she talked to Mr. Pips and Bart. They were grilling her on hunting practices and setting up fetch quests within the Guild Hall. It sounded like they wanted to know just how much Etherience per quest completed they should offer. Sela used some elementary math skills, access to the Guild Management page, and her experience to put them on the right path.
Three heaping plates of food and a few impromptu meetings later, he and Sela left to make their way to the Shop and meet with Amelia.
***
“I may have found a solution for the beacon,” said Amelia and held up a tennis ball-sized metal sphere. “This will block the signal if you can get it close enough—”
“I don’t see the—” said Sela.
“You didn’t let me finish. I’ve discovered that Dahrix is already remoting into his creations.”
“You are telling me that he is already controlling the people of Florida?”
Amelia nodded in response to his words.
Well, honey roasted peanuts.
“I don’t think he is taking complete control yet. Just influencing decisions that the leadership makes.”
“I am going to call back the Scourge—” Sela stood up, “—we need to take a trip to this Florida and try to convince the humans there of the danger.”
Another interruption to their schedule and another meeting. With a possible hostile force.
Rocky raised a hand to stop her, but Sela had already vanished. More and more, she seemed to be taking charge and not consulting him. After last night, he knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but he still wanted to talk about it. Heading to Florida could turn out disastrously.
“Amelia, can we pull you into a meeting to help convince them of the danger these guilds pose?” Rocky couldn’t tell what the lizard was feeling, her face far too alien for him to read. “It would really help having someone attest to the crimes of the Guilds.”
She looked to Garnell. Why did she seek his permission or support? They were from vastly different worlds.
Garnell nodded with a reassuring smile, and the tiny kobold swallowed before speaking. “I can do that. My Territory has access to three shops. The Aretrean Bazaar, The Fiscal Flats, and the Global Warehouse. Garnell has a fellow Gelthisarian salesman within each.”
Ah, that must have been the reason she had looked to him.
Garnell cleared his throat. “If ye find them, they will alert me, and I can transfer all the individuals to this location. However, if the Flow Ridians don’t have access to one of those shops, you will need to bring them to your Territory.”
Rocky shook his head, unwilling to compromise his position just yet. Especially to the potential threat that the converted and possibly controlled Floridians posed. He purchased the orb for a Diamond Chip, left the meeting, and paid a reluctant five Crystals because they hadn’t bought enough.
Sela had gathered a good portion of the Council just outside of the Shop. They spoke over each other and Sela shouted over them.
“That is enough!” Silence took hold at Rocky’s booming voice. He lowered his voice and said, “Let’s move this meeting to City Hall.”
The group wasn’t the first to arrive in the meeting room, and Rocky scrutinized Derik’s seated form. How had the man heard about the meeting fast enough to arrive here? Derik stood and addressed the group. “I would like to petition the council to allow me to sit in and add my thoughts to the meeting.”
The Council exploded with excitement and ran to greet the man. Rocky didn’t get the opportunity to deny the request.
Derik looked at him and nodded. His usual hostility was absent, and a surge of hope coursed through Rocky.
The Council sat down and discussed whether they should take the meeting.
“This is not a discussion if, but a discussion of how. Establishing contact is a must if we have any hope of dissuading them from their current course. Right now, we need to choose the least aggressive method of approach,” Rocky said.
A few people protested his statement, until Sela and Derik stood up at the same time.
“I agree with our Leaders. However, I don’t believe a starship arriving at
their Territory or Area of Safety will be a good option. Do we know where they are in Florida?” asked Derik.
Oh, yeah, right; Florida is a pretty big patch of land, isn’t it.
They had kind of forgotten about that detail—they were too stunned by the severity of the news. Rocky gave Smith a knowing look—they had a Satellite—and Smith called for a runner.
“I suggest we fly a diplomatic party to the area of Florida but do not cross the state line. Azoth can carry Rockland and one other to search the state for human settlements. Sela can fly on her own, I believe?” said Derik.
The Council nodded along, and Derik continued, “Let us nominate the last member to accompany the group, and then I move for a vote.”
Derik’s expertise in a council environment humbled Rocky. He looked at Smith, who gave him a thumbs up.
Whatever the reason for Derik’s change in attitude, he was pleased to have his support. At least for now.
The Council voted unanimously on Derik accompanying Rocky on the mission. He pictured having Derik’s arms wrapped around him—he shuddered—and answering his incessant questions. Azoth could carry four now, if two of them were children. Rocky assumed three adults would be fine. Maybe Sela could act as a buffer. But he didn’t like the idea of Derik’s arms around her either.
The runner returned, delivered his message, and Smith stood up. “It seems that their compound is pretty obvious. From what my subordinate just reported, there is a large Port that remains unconverted to golems. It's visible from Satellite, as it is the only surviving infrastructure for miles. Supposedly they have massive gas tanks and an entire fleet of off-road vehicles.”
The Council went up to the Control Room, and they studied the Port and its exact location. One of the techs said, “It’s Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale. I used to own a timeshare down there to escape winter.”
The group adjusted the plan. The Port was far to the South, within the old borders of what had been the State of Florida. The starship would fly them out over the water and stay at altitude during the entire exchange. The group wasn’t sure what sort of wildlife the oceans now hosted, and they were absolutely sure they didn’t want to find out.
***
The hum of the Ether Engines signaled the return of the ship and the start of the diplomatic mission. Landing the ship took an additional fifteen minutes. Still, with the entire Council, and Rocky’s group loading up, it was necessary. The flight to the drop-off zone took only ten, further highlighting the ship's limitations. They needed drop ships.
It was surreal to think that they could travel anywhere on Gaia in such a short time. The mysteries of the world had grown, yet the distance itself seemed to shrink.
Hovering high above the undulating ocean, Rocky tried to spot any creatures in the water. The waves seemed to go on forever in one direction. Far in the distance, in the opposite direction, he could just make out a landmass through the clouds. He was sure that landmass contained the Port.
They left through a side dock in the ship, which displayed a greenlit LED titled Atmosphere—only when the LED was illuminated would the button under it open the doors. Rocky and Derik climbed onto Azoth and tied themselves into the saddle. Derik seemed as uncomfortable with the situation as Rocky, and somehow, that made him feel slightly better.
They weren’t entirely on the other side of whatever problems they had with each other, but they were both willing to grudgingly put up with the other. This rang with more humanity to Rocky, at least more than the political posturing Derik had been putting on in the meeting room. Rocky wasn’t sure he would ever trust Derik completely.
“Thank you for telling me about my family. My eldest daughter and horrid ex-wife are still alive out there—somewhere.”
Rocky navigated his tabs and gave Derik control over the Territorial Jobs. Rocky had been putting off the onerous chore and was glad to hand it over to the man. It was honestly more punishment than promotion. At least that’s what Rocky told himself as he patted Azoth, signaling his pet to fly.
“What’s this—ahhh!”
Azoth launched himself out of the dock, and the whipping wind cut off any further discussions. He could have used the radio, but Derik was too busy screaming to listen. Rocky grinned.
Sela, in her raven form, leveled out beside them. Rocky enjoyed a relatively steady flight from Azoth, as the Chimera coasted more than flew toward Florida. Large groups of flying white birds appeared along the coastline. They looked tiny from this distance but he was willing to bet they had mutated due to the two waves of Ether. If he had to guess, they were probably seagulls. He gulped and looked back at his ship; a flock of that many mutated seagulls could easily overwhelm them.
Not one to be shown up, it seemed like the ocean wanted to compete with the sky. As the water grew shallower, there were definite signs of wildlife within its depths. Fish the size of killer whales meandered through the water. A large shadow, which dwarfed the fish, shot out from the dark blue. It was some sort of enormous crocodile dinosaur hybrid, and it attempted to snag one of the killer whale-sized creatures. It missed its first attack, and a life or death chase ensued.
Just when he thought the crocodile creature would capture its prey, it jerked to a stop. Derik tensed behind him in the saddle. The enormous crocodile convulsed, undulating and frothing the water. The sea became murky and try as he might, Rocky couldn’t distinguish what had just happened. Azoth coasted on, and the Port came into view, demarcated by standing cranes and white gas tanks.
I wonder just how much Gas—Gaia’s Essence—they are holding?
Double-barreled turrets faced the ocean, and a few seconds later, the turrets were all riveted on Azoth’s approaching form. Sela must have ordered Azoth to stop and hover in place as the gentle coasting ride ended, and Azoth began to pump his mighty wings. Derik and Rocky were bumped up and down in the saddle for the next five minutes as Sela’s raven form dove toward the coast. When she landed, she transformed into a human, and men with assorted weaponry surrounded her.
They didn’t immediately open fire, and Rocky marked a point in the Floridians’ favor. Azoth dove toward the group a few minutes later. As soon as they landed, Derik and Rocky untied themselves and slid from the saddle. Efficient men with assorted weapons quickly surrounded both of them as well.
One man stepped forward, and Rocky used Analyze.
Dmitri Gausse
Apprentice-Mobster
Level 18
Health Points 175 / 175
“We will bring with us, send pet away. Show us, mean port no harm,” said Dmitri.
Rocky turned to Azoth and gave his friend some scratches. He didn’t bother communicating the request, as Azoth had heard it. Azoth gave him a head bump, took a running start, and used a few wing beats to jump into the air.
Dmitri sighed. “That is awesome pet. You tell me how you get this, yes?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Dmitri turned out to be a friendly and talkative individual. He and a large group had been henchmen for the mob and were stationed at the Port the night the first wave had struck. When the twenty-four hours elapsed, or one rotation of Gaia, some ships, vehicles, and equipment had changed into golems. The ‘Dockmaster,’ which Dmitri said as if it was a title, owned the majority of the Port.
As they passed groups of people, Dmitri gave warm greetings in multiple languages and then explained who they were to Rocky. “They are US Marines. Station on boat and major reason Port stay safe. Another reason is—” he pointed at himself and the guards around him, “—Russian mafia. Between us, many weapons. Though people still dying. Dockmaster, take charge and get better, but now we safe. No one dies in long time. No one starve.” He looked toward a building surrounded by guards, and sighed. Rocky waited for the man to turn that direction but he never did.
“Are we going to see the Dockmaster now?” Rocky asked as he channeled as much diplomacy as he could muster.
Dmitri nodded. “Yes, he is waiting, m
eet you. Want meet people we not have to rescue and bring here.” He pointed at his ear and showed off a skin-colored radio transmitter. Derik and Sela smiled, and Rocky tried not to chuckle at Dmitri’s openness. The other ‘mobsters’ around them didn’t react. Perhaps it wasn’t supposed to be a secret.
They approached a large blue warehouse that was covered with chipped paint and rust spots on sheet metal. It had seen better days, but it was large enough to house the entire population of Rocky’s Territory.
“How many people do you have here?” Rocky asked.
“Two-ten thousand,” Dmitri responded, a tinge of pride in his voice.
Rocky took it to mean twenty thousand. He frowned and looked around again. The warehouse wouldn’t fit that many, and he wondered where the rest were staying.
He had believed his Territory was doing well, but hearing that another group was nearly double the size of Algonquin Grotto made him feel inadequate. Based on Dmitri’s stories, he could easily guess the reason behind the larger size of the Port. They had an abundance of weapons, probably shop access, and people willing to go out early after the first wave. He recalled how well Ottawa had been doing, despite Corsair’s ulterior motives. Getting early access to a shop was definitely a boon.
I just hope this Dockmaster isn’t anywhere near as diabolical as Corsair.
The warehouse contained row upon row of crates converted into households. The upper levels of the containers had rope ladders or stairs made from debris. Each container provided yet another level of privacy for the people staying within. Even with all the crates, many people camped out on the concrete floor. People stared as they walked by, and whispers broke out in their wake. The group's clean appearances, armor, and lack of visible weapons inspired constant hushed chatter as Floridian survivors followed the escort.
