“Of that nature?” the seamstress asked.
Eddie had been told her name, but didn't remember it.
“Yes, we've got a couple of adventuring guilds that do have representation in the area, but no crafting guilds. I figure we don't need them. If a crafter can't make items well enough to sell then he, or she, won't be a crafter for long. Individual apprenticeships and lessons should work just fine instead of learning from the guild. If you need something a guild would normally provide, just ask me about it. If you're profitable, I'll consider it. If you show me that your request will make you more profitable, then unless it's an outrageous cost, I'll provide whatever it is you're after,” Eddie said.
He now had the entire group staring at him.
“Why?” the weapon smith asked.
Eddie held up a single finger.
“One, you pay me a share of profits and the city does have a small tax on all transactions so the more you make the more I make and the better the city is financially.”
He added a second finger to the first.
“Two, it helps the city be more self-sustaining. The less we need to import, the more we can export, the better off the city will be, which also helps me, I'll admit.”
A third finger went up.
“Three, it helps you to be more self-sustaining. I don't mind helping out when you need it, but it's far better if you can provide for yourself. It's all covered pretty much by enlightened self-interest, which has pretty much become my motto. If it's good for you and it's good for me, go for it.”
Once again the group was quiet, just staring at Eddie.
“That's all I've got for you for now,” Eddie said. “The town manager will get your names and locations so once the areas for you to work in are set up we'll get a hold of you. And look, Liv has the soup coming out now.”
As the group turned to the food being provided Eddie slipped away, done with talking for the moment.
~ ~ ~
Eddie got back together with Ingolf a little later in the day. Telling him when Delgar had said the materials would be done, Ingolf set a tentative date to leave and start the settlement in five days.
“Might be as much as a week, if it takes longer to get a few of the things on the list. We're light on preserved food in the city right now since Charles took a lot,” Ingolf said. “I wish Karl had told you more than just some of the trees had fruit and nuts, those could handle a lot of the food we need.”
“On the bright side, I'm sure there are hordes of bunnies out there,” Eddie said, “plus if you have someone to handle them I can send some chickens. I've got a young rooster we haven't culled yet so you can get your own flocks of them going out there. Maybe deer also?”
“So, I need a hunter to go with me as well?” Ingolf said.
Eddie shrugged.
“Or just someone with the hunting skill whose other jobs don't take up all of his time. Maybe we can even track an adventurer or three to go with you? Ones with the hunting skill or that want to learn it? I've got it so I might be able to teach them.”
“There have been a lot more of you adventurers in the area as of late,” Ingolf said.
“There are a bunch of new groups and if I tell them there are no adventurers based out there, maybe they'd be interested? They'll still have access to the Forest of Fools and the mountains, even if the trip is a little longer for them. I'll mention it to some of the groups with a bunch of people moving into the area, see if there's any interest. I'll supply you with gold to start a treasury and you can make quests for the hunting or something,” Eddie replied.
“Good, that would go a long way towards feeling safer there.”
“I was going to send a few guards also, that might help. Charles didn't take any, said he and his group would handle most of it there until they were larger, but I can certainly send some with you.”
Ingolf smiled.
“That would definitely take some worry away, thank you.”
“Let's go get some dinner. I've got a list of buildings I'm going to need blueprints for, or maybe just furnishings for and I can just make or buy the tools for them? I've got to check that out still, but probably not until after dinner,” Eddie said.
Ingolf's face fell.
“I probably shouldn't,” he said.
“Ingolf, yes, some people probably think you're like your father, but you know what? Others know better and if you slink off and hide now, the ones who think you are will just point to that and say it proves what they've been saying. Come with me, you'll see.”
Ingolf sighed heavily but stood.
“Alright, dinner then.”
When they got back to the inn the rest of the group was already at the table. Eddie and Ingolf sat down and ordered their food. Eddie was going over the list of new professions they'd gotten with the group, trying to figure which of them would need specialized buildings when someone bumped into Ingolf's chair.
Eddie looked up and saw that one of the few NPCs that actually visited the inn had just run into Ingolf, apparently intentionally.
“Stupid traitor,” the NPC muttered.
Eddie sprang to his feet.
“Who do you think you are?” Eddie asked. “And what gives you the right to call someone a traitor?”
Helga came over, pitcher of ale still in her hand.
“Marrik, you idiot, I've told you before, but you still won't admit the truth. You're just jealous that Ingolf is more skilled than you, so you spread rumors and vile untruths. When Arvid spread the rumors about me, Ingolf was the only one to stand up for me. So now when you spread rumors about him, I feel the need to point out the truth as he did for me.”
“So, Marrik is it?” Eddie said. “Do you truly believe that Ingolf is a traitor or are you simply trying to use his misfortune as to who his father was for your own benefit?”
Marrik, believing his little harassment was going to be ignored, found himself shrinking back, only to find that he'd run into someone, someone utterly unmoving. He spun around to find Bjorn standing there. Bjorn's voice rumbled like the growl of his namesake as he spoke.
“So, you are trying to harass Ingolf, who my Livvy says is a sweet and innocent soul?” Bjorn said. “Should you wish to continue to challenge his honor, I shall appoint myself as his champion and we can ascertain the truth of your accusations through single combat.”
Marrik turned back around again, to see Helga and Eddie standing there. Eddie, at least, with a smirk on his face.
“I believe an apology is in order Marrik, don't you?” Eddie said.
The man's eyes flashed around the inn, finding no-one that would support him.
“I'm sorry, Ingolf,” he said, the fact that he was lying completely evident from his tone.
“Good enough,” Eddie said. “Oh, and by the way? Don't come back here. We don't want to serve you at this inn.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cooper moved slowly. The actual constructs, or the first shipment of them anyway, had arrived and now he was controlling the physical construct, not the virtual one he'd been training in.
Well, the virtual ones control the same way as the real ones at least. Whoever coded the constructs into the game did a bang-up job of it. I think the only difference is me. Since I know I'm in the real thing I'm being more cautious, he thought.
That caution was needed currently, although they'd had the constructs delivered, they were in a room that wasn't large enough to really test everything. So he moved cautiously with no desire to damage either the construct or the building.
Mental note, Cooper thought, get these things somewhere they can be properly tested in the real world, not just the virtual one. So far everything works the same but I certainly can't test the weapons systems, the full movement capabilities, plus any number of the other functions that just wouldn't play well inside of a building. At least not unless they wanted that building demolished.
Cooper slowly eased himself into less cautious movement, although wh
en he bumped into a support pillar in the large underground parking lot, which apparently had never been used for parking cars, and took a chunk out of it he went back to cautious mode.
Venus? he thought.
Yes, Cooper? she answered directly to his mind.
I think I'm done on this one for now. What things I can test align nicely with the way they worked in the virtual version so call it good until we can get a better area for tests, alright?
Yes, Cooper. That will do for now. We also received several of the subterfuge models, I'll switch you into one of those now, Venus told him.
Cooper's viewpoint shimmered before clearing up again. Now he was back to a normal height, one close to his own. It took him a moment to get control of the construct, but once he did he began with testing the tactile senses, reaching out and opening the case the construct had been contained in.
He walked out into the parking area and took a deep breath. He'd expected the scent of motor oil and the like that accumulates in an underground parking area, but it didn't smell anything like that. The scent of concrete dust lingered and he looked over to the support pillar he'd damaged in the combat construct.
Yup, still dust coming off of that. The other scent? That one that smells metallic? That must be what the combat mechs smell like when they don't reek of gunpowder and hot metal. Damn it, construct, not mech, construct. You know what? Screw it, I'm calling the combat ones mechs to myself at least. Hopefully I don't mess up with that on the reports though.
There was a panel of metal near the entrance to the parking lot and a light over it, so Cooper walked over to it and looked.
Good, Venus said in his mind, this will let me test the splinter's capabilities to make the body look real. Just stand here until I tell you otherwise, alright?
Cooper held still, staring at the reflective surface. It wasn't a perfect mirror, but it would do. When he'd first stopped, he'd done just that, utterly stopped moving. The construct was completely still, eerily so to his mind, and he understood exactly why they needed the AI splinters. Even having just been moving, the utter stillness looked so unnatural that it was obvious it wasn't a person.
As he watched, the construct moved. It wasn't something he was conscious of doing, but then again he wasn't conscious of a lot of the little shifts of movement his own body made. After a few seconds he watched as there was a little twitch of the facial muscles, the chest of the body began to move as though it were breathing next. That alone made it look much more like a living person, but when the splinter added in other movements like a slight repositioning of the feet, the fingers moving a little as though it were a nervous twitch, and all sorts of little movements that no-one really notices, unless they're missing, he started to believe that these constructs could pass for human.
Which is really ironic when you realize that the only reason they can pass as human is due to the actions of an AI, he thought.
It was strange when he started moving again. He realized that he was being overly careful with this construct also, and it took him a moment to realize why.
Crap, that's not going to work. The drivers are going to need to not think about being careful with government property or anything, otherwise they'll look strange if they're being as careful with it as I am. They're going to have to Ender's Game this shit or something, make sure the virtual training is as realistic as possible and not let the operators know when they're actually running the real thing, Cooper thought. We'll have to see if the others testing these things think the same.
Noted, Venus said in his mind. And that's exactly the type of thing we're trying to catch now, as opposed to later.
~ ~ ~
Eddie spent most of the following morning tracking down the other three masons that had been with Olaf. They'd been unable to be hired on to Eddie's normal building crews due to their transgressions, so it took a while to find them. Once he had found them, he put the proposition to them.
“So, you want us to go with Ingolf to help start a new settlement?” one of the masons said.
“Yes, think of it as a new beginning, a chance to start over. You'll be able to put your masonry skill to good use. That's why I'm asking you, I could try to get some of the other masons to go, but the ones who wanted to leave went to start the first settlement. So long as you're willing to work, you could do well for yourselves in this new area,” Eddie said.
“Can we bring others with us?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact if they have skills themselves then I'd even encourage it. There will be trade between the settlements but the more any settlement can provide for itself, the better off they'll be.”
The three masons took a few moments to discuss it and one agreed tentatively, the other two were more eager for the opportunity. The tentative one had a family and wanted to talk to his wife about it first.
“Well, come tell Griff when you decide one way or another then,” Eddie said. “As for you other two, come with me now. We'll let Griff know and see about adding some masonry tools to the wagons that will be carrying the supplies for the new settlement.”
Two masons will be plenty for now, Eddie thought. At least I hope they will, if the third goes also, all the better.
Eddie asked Griff to let him know what third mason's decision was once he found out. Then he headed out to the castle. He wanted to see what it looked like with the fourth tower. It might not be completed, but he could certainly get a good idea of what the place would look like with it even only partially finished. Plus, he was hoping to steal Jern for a day so the two of them could do some work on the castle themselves.
I know Jern was looking forward to getting a masonry point or two from it and he was pretty sure he would get them if he worked more on the castle, Eddie thought.
The fourth tower was about two-thirds finished when he went to check on it. He stopped in with the foreman for a minute.
“I'm likely to bring a person or two with me up here so all of us can do some more work on the castle,” Eddie said. “I just wanted to warn you. We'll start a new section though so they can just keep working on the tower and we won't mess up the schedule, just accelerate it a bit.”
The foreman's face went through a few contortions so Eddie knew that he didn't like the idea, but that he also wasn't going to go against the word of the local mayor and the person whose castle was being built.
“Good, I'm glad that's settled,” Eddie said. “Hopefully we'll be by for that tomorrow.”
He turned and left, all without the foreman saying a word.
~ ~ ~
Eddie was eating dinner when Karl slipped into a chair at the table.
“Hey Eddie, Ingolf's taking the next settlement? When's he heading out?” Karl asked.
“A few more days,” Eddie replied, “Why?”
“Allie and I want to go with him. We'll keep going west from there and explore those trails we found in the woods there.”
“Adonioth said that the Forest Elf town was out that way, that wouldn't have anything to do with it, would it?” Eddie asked.
“Only tangentially. I want to see what's out there, see if there are more adventuring options in the woods there, plus map it and make the maps available at my shop,” Karl said.
“Sure, maybe we should go as a group? See if Adonioth is ready to go back also?” Eddie asked.
“If you can find him. I mean, I see him from time to time, but it always looks like he's ready to dart away. Unless he's with the kids, then he looks more like a ferocious mamma bear guarding her cubs than anything else.”
“I'll see if I can find him tomorrow and ask,” Eddie said.
The next day Eddie went looking for Adonioth again. He figured the easiest way to do it was to just wait where the children normally gathered to play. As he sat there, he was caught up with an idea.
I wonder if we could make something like a play set? Just a playground for the kids. Make them a little wooden fort, maybe swings, a jungle gym type of thing for climbing?
That would be a nice little project for my down time, Eddie thought.
Since he was close to the town hall, he dropped over there and asked Griff if he could get a cart of rough planks and a half cart of stone dropped off behind the marketplace where the kids normally gathered.
“Sure, Eddie. What are you up to this time?” he asked.
“I thought I'd make some stuff for the kids to play with, you know? Let them enjoy themselves more?”
“Sure, but with that stuff?”
“Well, I'll use a few other things as well, but I'll need that stuff for some of it.”
Eddie went back out to keep an eye out for Adonioth, but as he waited he started some sketches, planning out the fort, the swing, and the jungle gym. By the time he saw Adonioth coming down to find the children that were playing near Eddie, he had rough sketches done for all of them.
“Adonioth, a moment of your time?” Eddie called out, when the elf was close enough.
“Yes, Eddie?”
“We're going to be sending out an expedition to start the settlement to the west. I was wondering if you wanted to travel with us when we did. My group would like to find your town, then map the forest between our new settlement and your town.”
The Forest Elf frowned for a moment before speaking slowly. His grasp of the language had been improving.
“Yes, that would be good. I've been spending time as can with the children, but I should return to duties,” he said.
“Well, we're tentatively planning for our departure in another three days. I'll let you know if that changes.”
A brief smile flitted across Adonioth's face.
“Thank you,” he said. “If not asked I might been tempted not return, but must carry news of group member's fate to families.”
Eddie had almost forgotten that Adonioth was the sole surviving member of a group of elves that had gone to scout on the goblins.
“My condolences, but they would want to know, wouldn't they?”
“Now, they might think we all dead, so could stay and they not know. Better to know.”
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