Kaedric shook his head. “I’m afraid not. These are simple workers who are trained to work fields. The mushrooms you harvested were naturally occurring, and cannot be regrown.”
“I see.” I paused as I thought about that. “For now, have them prepare a few fields for planting. Perhaps I can find better seeds for them.”
“It will be done, my lord.” He got up. “For the next items on the agenda, I suggest we take a tour of the clan.”
I stood as well. “Let’s get everything out of the way now. Tomorrow I plan to head out with a few warriors.”
My administrator looked at me, curious.
I shrugged. “I have a long overdue quest to complete.”
***
We walked through every one of the buildings and visited most of the clan’s workers. Kaedric spoke with each one at length, explaining the areas in which they could improve.
I learned a few things. For instance, I didn’t know Vrick had kept crafting goblin-sized armor after the Ogre battle. We had 15 sets of armor we couldn’t use since we no longer had any goblin warriors in the clan.
Vrick only had rabbit leather to work his craft with, an inferior material for armor making. But his design was surprisingly innovative. He wove small strips of leather in a cross pattern, creating a durable armor of plaited leather. Much to his chagrin, I instructed him to craft armor sized for hobgoblins. Vrick didn’t like hobs. At least Kaedric was satisfied with the increased efficiency.
The smithy was a crowded den of noise and industry. But Barzel, the two new smiths, and the four gofers didn’t seem to mind the commotion. The industrious goblins were cheerfully shouting instructions and curses at each other over the noise of the hammers when Kaedric and I paid them a visit.
We found Guba near the stone quarry site, collecting some sort of orange dust from rock fissures. It was amusing to watch Kaedric try to give her advice on how to work more efficiently. The crafty old hag shut him down so quickly I thought he might fall on his ass then and there.
In Kaedric’s estimation, the rest of the clan workers we observed were doing their jobs sufficiently well and needed no further advice or admonishments. “All things considered,” he summarized as we headed back toward my house, “and despite Rhynorn occasionally bullying the workers, the clan efficiency is satisfactory and morale is high. I believe we have a strong foundation here for further expansion. We will need more food, of course, and more hands around the kitchen to handle the extra work. If only Guba would listen to reason …”
I chuckled. “You’re welcome to try convincing her to resume cooking, though I wouldn’t recommend it. Not if you wish to continue in good health.”
Kaedric shuddered. “No, I believe you are correct, my lord. That goblin woman is … unsettling.”
Does that mean you volunteer to tell her what to do instead?
Heh heh, the supersmart, puppet master VI is afraid of sweet little ol’ Guba?
I laughed out loud. Kaedric looked at me in question. “My lord?”
I waved it off. “Don’t worry too much about Guba. I will eventually have her work as a chemist, so don’t count on her for kitchen work. Gandork is doing well enough on his own for the moment.”
He bowed his head. “I understand. However, I just received notice of a matter that requires your immediate attention.”
“What is it?”
“An ape named Grilda has spotted several creatures entering the valley. We have intruders.”
Interlude: The Twins
“Damn, sis, why the hell did you drag me all the way out here?” the large man grumbled, swinging his Greataxe in wide arcs, trying to keep a host of monsters at bay.
After several days of roaming through the wilderness, Malkyr and Hoshisu had found a swampy forested region several days out of Goblin’s Gorge. It was cold, damp, and filled with amphibious monsters. The siblings stood on a narrow strip of dry land, surrounded by giant frogs, swamp snakes, and crocodiles. All of them eager to turn the twins into their next snack.
Hoshisu laughed jubilantly, ducking under a frog’s lashing tongue, and severing the pink appendage with a flick of her dagger. “Come on, grumpy, lighten up. You love killing monsters, remember? Besides, they’re all below level 10. We’re not in any real danger here.”
Just then a snake wrapped itself around her brother’s legs, nearly tripping him. Grunting, Malkyr raised his axe and swung the blade down hard between his feet, cleaving the snake. “They could still drown us if we’re not careful, and we’re getting hardly any XP out of them. Besides, it’s wet and cold, and I could be working at the smithy right now, warm and happy.”
He raised his axe just in time to intercept two tongues lashing at him. They wrapped around the thick-handled weapon and he heaved on it, launching two dog-sized frogs out of the water. Unexpectedly finding themselves airborne, the frogs looked around frantically, only to have their maiden voyage cut short when they were impaled on Hoshisu’s daggers.
The woman was about to give a sharp retort when something caught her attention. She straightened up, pointing excitedly at the swampy water. “There! Behind the frog – I saw it! A marsh lizard! That’s what we’re after; don’t let it get away.”
“Yeah, that’s a real problem,” Malkyr grunted as he swung his axe from side to side at the unending horde. “They sure look like a flight risk.”
“Malkyr!” Hoshisu snapped.
“Oh, alright,” he muttered. Taking advantage of a temporary lull in the fight, he raised his weapon high above him. It began emitting a faint glow. “Ready?”
“Go!”
Malkyr swung down powerfully, the glowing axe slicing the air apart. The blade struck the ground, and light exploded outward, creating a shockwave that propagated from the two players in an expanding circle of damage. All the surrounding monsters were thrown back, dazed.
Hoshisu didn’t hesitate. Even before her brother’s magical attack, she was already running toward her prey.
The lizard she was going after was the size and shape of a crocodile, though with longer legs. It sped through the shallow waters, trying to flee the charging woman. Its snout was shorter than a crocodile’s, but its teeth were just as deadly.
Hoshisu leapt into a front flip, arching gracefully over the dangerous beast’s mouth, and landed on its back with her daggers leading.
Malkyr watched his sister’s antics with bemusement. Back home, she was a strict, play-by-the-rules kind of girl, a trait that hadn’t earned her many friends. But she let go of her restraints when she played in NEO, her personality becoming that of a focused and driven killer. One who was even now laughing gleefully as she clung to the thrashing lizard’s back, repeatedly stabbing it with her daggers.
Shrugging, Malkyr lifted his axe and charged at the rest of the monsters, still dazed by his special attack. He could accommodate his sister’s occasional whim. He just hoped she remembered that the beast she was joyriding on was venomous.
7 – Incoming!
Leaving Kaedric at the mess hall, I activated Mana Infusion on overcharge, and the buildings blurred past me as I sprinted toward the east side of the valley.
Damn it! I thought with growing dread. How did the travelers get here so quickly? We weren’t ready for them, not by a long shot. I was so engaged I didn’t even notice if the time slowing down.
Not certain it would work, I tried to form a war party as I ran. The clan warriors were scattered throughout the settlement, but I was able to grab the information stream of each individual I wanted and add it to the group. Ten icons appeared in the lower right pane of my vision: Vrick, Bek, Rhynorn, and seven hobgoblin warriors. Immediately, I used my earring to send telepathic orders to the ne
wly formed war party.
Everyone, we have enemies in the valley! Assemble behind the cabins. We’ll protect that line with everything we’ve got!
I arrived at the structures and took a position facing the forest. The row of cabins behind me would serve as a simple barrier to delay and slow attackers if they got through our battle line.
The run had drained five percent of my MP, but my mana regeneration was already at work, replenishing my pool.
While I waited for my soldiers, I knelt and touched the ground. Concentrating, I cast an empowered spell. The shadows from all around the clearing stirred and flowed toward me, coalescing into half a dozen distinctly canine shapes. At level 18, my Shadow Hound spell was an energy hog, draining a whopping 360 MP, almost half of my mana pool. But when I completed the spell, six level 10 Shadow mastiffs were arrayed in a semicircle before me, each one standing shoulder height to a hobgoblin warrior. A deadly addition to our defense.
My warriors were trickling through the barricade of cabins in ones and twos to form up near me and assembling into a battle formation. The ground shook rhythmically and Rhynorn’s massive, bone-spiked shoulders appeared over the cabin roofs. Instead of going around the obstacle, the brute put a hand on one of the roofs and vaulted over the building, landing with a final ground-shaking THUMP in position at the center of the now complete formation.
My forces were set to meet the invaders, the mastiffs at the frontline with Rhyno a step behind them flanked by the hob warriors. Bek and I were at the rear of the formation as support and ranged-fire units. I was impressed with my troops’ reaction time. It took us less than two minutes to assemble and be ready for battle.
I could feel the intruders drawing nearer. An intricate, unfamiliar stream of data was coming from the forest, heralding their approach.
With my mana pool recovered to a little over half maximum, I conjured drilling arrows and empowered them.
There were noises coming from the forest. The tension became almost tangible as the sounds of the invaders trampling through the woods grew louder. Others became distinguishable too; clanking, creaking, and loud … hissing noises.
Siege weapons? Snakes? I wondered.
Everyone tensed, weapons at the ready.
The noises grew closer. They were almost upon us.
Everyone get ready. Hold the line; don’t let the enemy reach the clan!
And then the first ‘invader’ rolled and clanked into sight between the trees.
What the hell? I mouthed silently.
It was a wagon … of sorts. At least, it had wheels. At the front of it, pipes ran in and out of a large cast-iron sphere that was hissing clouds of steam to either side of the contraption. The thing wasn’t being pulled by a pack animal, it was rolling on its own. Steam powered!
Crates and boxes stacked high with piles of sacks lashed on top of them overflowed the wagon bed. Perched on top of the pile, standing at a large steering wheel, was a small brown-furred creature.
A gremlin.
I shook my head, not sure I could trust what I was seeing, though it explained why I hadn’t felt time slowing down at the newcomer’s approach.
“Hello again, my friend!” The small figure yelled and waved to me with a sharp-toothed grin.
“Yeshy?” I let the whirling arrows dissipate.
His grin widened, his mouth literally reaching all the way to his pointy ears. “Trader Yeshlimashu, at your service, Dread Totem.”
His wagon continued rolling forward and I saw another behind it, and another behind that.
I ran a hand through my hair, my anxiety eased. “What is all … that!” I waved at the wagons.
The caravans came to a stop with a clank and a drawn out, hissing blast of steam. The gremlin carefully climbed down to stand in front of me, the top of his head barely reaching my chest.
“I have come to fulfill our agreement,” he declared grandly, looking up at me. “I have gathered our best traders and craftsmen to come and trade with your clan. It is a small delegation, but that is customary when approaching new markets.”
Three more gremlins stepped forward from their wagons to stand with Yeshy.
I relaxed my guard, feeling the last of the tension draining away from me. We were safe for now. There was no second invasion force; far from it. This might just be the lucky break my clan needed.
The relief was so great, I felt lightheaded. I couldn’t help it, I giggled. Yeshlimashu looked at me, bewildered, as I held up a hand. “Sorry, we were not expecting you, but your arrival is fortuitous.” Getting a hold of myself, I addressed the troops. “Alright everybody, there’s not going to be a fight; the gremlins are our friends, go back to your work.”
Everyone turned to leave. Everyone but Rhynorn.
I looked at the Ogre. “You may go now.”
He grunted as he hoisted his huge club onto his shoulder. “These are not our clan. They are intruders. We must obliterate them!”
Yeshy took a step back, terrified of the aggressive giant.
I stepped between them, forcing the Ogre to look at me. “I said they are guests.” I gritted my teeth. “Now go!”
The Ogre glared at me and tightened his grip on his club. For a moment, I thought he might attack, but then he snarled, turned, and lumbered away.
“Sorry about that,” I apologized to the gremlins. “He’s new and still learning his place.”
Yeshlimashu smiled weakly. “You now have an Ogre chief at your command? Your clan must be incredibly strong now. I am certain we can establish trade that will be profitable for both of us.
“So, what did you bring?” I asked, looking curiously at the wagons, trying to get a glimpse of what was inside them.
The gremlin shrugged. “The standard merchandise for new trading partners. We have arms and armor, general adventuring supplies. And Anikosem over there,” he pointed at a gremlin wearing blue robes, “is a trading wizard. Literally. He’s a magic specialist. He trades in potions, scrolls, basic enchanted items and such.”
I frowned. That didn’t exactly suit the needs of a budding settlement. It sounded more like equipment for striving adventurers. “What about construction materials?” I inquired. “Specifically, glass or silver. Do you have any?”
Yeshlimashu looked confused by my question. “No. Why would we have such things with us? We are traders, not exporters.”
I felt my hopes spiraling down. “What’s the difference?”
“Traders, like us, do business with individuals and use gold as currency. Exporters barter in resources and large volume shipments between established markets.”
I closed my eyes. Shit!
However, something clicked in my mind at his mention of exporters. I took out the orb Tal had given me and reviewed its description again.
Dimensional Trade Orb
Requirements: Marketplace with an Export-House attachment. Exporter.
Effect: Opens up an interdimensional trade menu with friendly factions.
Yeshy’s explanation confirmed my earlier suspicion. It sounded like the orb was what I needed to gain access to resources. The marketplace had just become a high-priority building.
Unfortunately, it also meant that whatever Yeshy’s people had brought to trade wouldn’t be much help. Their wares were meant for individuals who wanted to customize their gear, not for bulk purchases. Some of their items might benefit me personally, but my funds were limited. I only had about 2,000 gold, most of it taken from fallen enemies. It was more than enough to fully equip a low-level adventurer, but at level 20, it would not be enough to buy me even a single level-appropriate magical item.
“Where can we establish our trading post?” the gremlin inquired.
“On the south side of the pond past the warehouse.” I gestured in the general direction. There was a large open space in the area, and it was sufficiently out of the way to not interfere with the clan’s daily routine.
“Very well.” The gremlin nodded. “I see you haven’t
built the marketplace yet. When do you think it will be completed?”
“We had a few more pressing projects to finish first, but it’s next on my list.” My response came out a little bitter, but Yeshy didn’t seem to notice
“Good. Without the marketplace, we won’t be able to expand our trade agreement with you, and you won’t be able to collect taxes from us as the ruler of this settlement.”
Now that was interesting. With a bit of luck, an improved trade agreement with the gremlin will expand the variety of items they trade and make our clan wealthier.
I followed the gremlins as they drove their self-propelled wagons to the place I’d indicated. The three wagons were deftly maneuvered into a semicircle facing the pond.
“Ground ‘em!” Yeshy yelled, and the gremlins pulled levers and twisted control knobs in their wagons. The hissing sounds gradually died down, and the steam coming from the boilers dissipated. “Deploy!” the gremlin instructed. More levers were pulled, and to my astonishment, the wagons began to change.
Ratcheting loudly, the wheels folded away, lowering the wagon beds to the ground. Then the structures split into sections, twisting, bending, and repositioning in a chorus of clacks, clangs, and clockwork ticks. Planks and metal tubes extended and flipped to make shelves and cabinets. When it was over, three open kiosks with canvas awnings and wooden floors stood in place of the wagons. Each one had a full-length counter and numerous shelves to display their wares.
That was an amazing display of mechanical ingenuity. The gremlin reputation was well earned.
Yeshlimashu came to stand beside me, grinning at my amazement. “We are open for business!”
My ethereal and egocentric companion was a shopaholic. Who knew?
I went to the first shop. The sign hanging from the awning said: ‘Gremlin’s Ar & Ar’
“Welcome, welcome Dread Totem!” the gremlin shopkeeper greeted me. “Please let me know if you have any questions.”
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