by Ryan DeBruyn
Joe nodded his head. “Rocky, I grudgingly agree. I know that in a perfect world, everyone is going to work together, and income would be split. However, everyone here has grown up with capitalism. How many people do you think will go out and hunt for meat every day when they get practically no benefits for themselves and their family?” He paused and looked around the fire at the people present. “Also, from what little Sela has told us about guilds, a guild will be essential for our Non-Power-Class citizens and their leveling.”
Zippo clenched his jaw, then got himself another bowl of soup. Rocky grimaced. “I can see your point about the guild, but what do you mean about luxury items? We’re all in this together. I am not looking for money or gains by saving people. Are you, Joe?”
Sela shook her head slightly. “The government for ruling this Territory will not work as a full democracy. I agree we do need to have the people involved and having a say in the decisions, but at the end of the day, final decisions need to be made by a single body who is aware of the entire picture.” She gestured to Rocky and herself, making him feel a little uncomfortable.
Sela highlighted the funds Rocky had listed with a mental command. “If I am not mistaken, these are all the funds we have. Correct?” At Rocky’s nod, she continued, “Then we need to put aside at least half of it to pay wages. Then we need to set up an economy within the Grotto. Otherwise–”
“For Totto’s sake. If this is what the meeting is about, I don’t need to be here. I am not Oliver!” Zippo cut off Sela and stood up suddenly, simultaneously throwing and breaking his clay bowl.
The entire group was stunned into silence as he stormed away from the three others. Rocky pursed his lips as he also stood up, and at Sela’s look, he held up a hand. “I think I should have that chat with him.” Sela nodded somberly, eyes filled with tears, and he wondered if Sela would be the better person to comfort the young man.
Knowing he was trying to avoid the awkwardness, he pursed his lips and followed after Zippo, hoping he could do or say something that would help. He let the kid walk for quite a distance, each step taking them further from prying ears and others. He assumed that Zippo would want to have this conversation in privacy, but Rocky didn’t actually know where the conversation would go.
“Rock. Please stop following me!” Zippo called back from up ahead, and Rocky seriously considered turning around and going back but just shook his head and continued.
A moment later, Zippo’s hand lit up with a Fireball, and he rounded on Rocky. “I asked you to stop! If you don’t… I will… I will…” Rocky had kept walking towards the mage. The Fireball, while menacing, wasn’t meant for him, and even Zippo knew it deep down. The last few steps, as the boy stuttered, Rocky had taken deliberately and closed the last few feet before embracing the young man in a hug.
Zippo’s body tensed up, every muscle rigid and trembling. A moment later, the Fireball at his side shrank, and he seemed to along with it. Within moments, Rocky was holding the sobbing and trembling child he had befriended just a few weeks ago. In fact, Zippo had been sobbing similar to this the very first time they’d seen each other. That time it was because of the immediate loss of his family, and this time, it was that and the further loss of something more. Rocky waited, feeling that he would need to say something soon but also knowing that he himself wasn’t ready to speak just yet.
After a time, Zippo let go of him. Rocky took that as his cue and stepped back, holding the young man’s shoulders and trying to look into his downcast eyes. Then he started using his softest voice, “Jason, I know how you feel, buddy. I lost them too.” Rocky’s voice carried their joint loss, and Zippo looked up into his hard-sad eyes, first with anger at hearing his name but then softening as he saw the mirrored pain.
Somewhere along the way, Rocky had changed, and just like Rocky saw it in Zippo, Zippo saw that change starkly in Rocky. The kind, empathetic man was almost entirely gone, and while he was seeing a glimmer of it now, he could also see a sharp edge behind it.
“I don’t want you to take any blame for what happened,” Rocky continued, staring at Zippo with a clear war raging internally. “I was the one who trained you kids and brought you into a battle that you had no business being a part of. Hate me if it helps! Despise me! If I could change places with them I would, Jason…”
Zippo shook his head sadly, already having had his anger at Rocky for his part in their deaths falter and die on the hellish march here. Rocky had tried his best and made mistakes, but they were no larger or smaller than his own. At least that was what Zippo had concluded.
When Zippo began to speak in a stuttering sob, Rocky snapped his mouth shut, “Listen, Rock, you weren’t in that school. I panicked, and when the bomb went off, I covered myself in my shield. I could have covered a group, but in that split second, I showed my true colors. I showed myself to be a coward. I’m not like you, Joe, or Sela. You’re all so strong, and I’m nothing more than a coward.”
Rocky blinked rapidly at the change of direction, not having expected it. Never would he have expected Zippo to be so blind, so wrong. When the words finally computed, he felt something grip his heart.
He wanted to respond immediately with anything and everything he could think of, but he managed to rein in that gut reaction. Instead, Rocky sputtered, “Zippo, you’re so far from a coward, it’s ridiculous. How many monsters did you challenge on the hike here?” He paused then continued pointedly, “Do you even realize that you barely survived that explosion yourself?” Another pause. “When I found you, your shield had barely stopped your own death. Expanding it weakens it greatly, right?” Rocky looked down for a moment, then quickly back up to meet Zippo’s eyes. Then he pulled the boy into a hug again. “It wouldn't have saved more than just you!”
He continued to grip Zippo tightly and willed his words to be what the kid needed. Using one of his hands, he cupped the back of the boy’s head and ruffled his hair. In his most earnest of timbre, he intoned, “You need to let this guilt go.” After a moment he added, “I need to let this guilt go.”
Zippo hugged Rocky back hard and asked earnestly, “And what, Rock?” Then after a pause, he croaked out, “Should we just forget them? Forgive ourselves and let their memories die with them?”
Zippo choked back another sob. “My family deserved better… They deserve better.”
Rocky squeezed the boy tightly, which cut him off; then he softly reassured, “They do deserve better, Jason.” He felt Zippo’s shoulder ease slightly at the admission. “You knew them best, so if they were here right now instead of us, what would you tell them?”
Zippo blinked and slowly pushed back from Rocky. After a long look into Rocky’s face and eyes, he looked up to the stars. With confusion lacing his words, he whispered, “I would want them to live. I would want them to become strong and work to save others… I think?”
At the question, he looked down into Rocky’s face and saw him smiling paternally at him. He nodded at Zippo, hoping he knew that he was loved. He hoped the kid realized he had a family still, maybe not the family he would have chosen but a family all the same.
The conversation continued for a short while, and Rocky responded as honestly as he could. Admitting he was afraid most days, almost all the time, seemed to assuage the young man. Confirming that he didn’t know what came next, that he didn’t have a grand plan, brought a smile to Zippo’s lips.
With each question and response, the boy seemed to straighten slightly. As Zippo ran out of questions, Rocky knew they had a long way to go to truly heal the young man, but as they walked back to join the group, Rocky swore on everything he held closest to his heart; he would continue to try. He wouldn’t ever let this young man wander this painful path alone.
Chapter Ten
Once a cried-out Zippo and Rocky returned to the group, the discussions started in earnest. They had a lot to cover, and everyone wanted to get started quickly. Zippo didn’t look like he would add much, but he did seem a little less
dark and brooding to Rocky.
Joe gave Rocky a raised eyebrow, and Sela tilted her head when they returned. For his part, Rocky nodded a few times in quick succession, conveying that they had talked. This brought a smile to Joe’s and Sela’s faces.
The initial planning was primarily between Sela and Rocky. First off, of the eight hundred and three Crystallized Ether they had, they were going to change approximately two hundred into gems, marks, and chips. This would be the city coffers, and Sela suggested paying individuals from it. This would be an investment into the Territory that would hopefully grow as the NPCs began crafting items and consumables that the hunters could spend locally on.
This, of course, meant that they would have to put in place prices and taxes for luxuries in the Grotto. So, suggestions were bandied around for what those might be.
For food, it was decided that some cooks would specialize in luxury meals, and they would be sold for a set price. Surprisingly to everyone, this was Zippo’s idea, and Rocky smiled, remembering how good of a cook the young man had become—especially in comparison to himself. Stew would be free for everyone who lived within the Grotto, at least in the beginning. As would accommodations, but after those two necessities, they chose to make a few buildings priorities that would return money to the city coffers. One would be a restaurant, another an actual bathhouse with heated water, and most importantly, some sort of bar with alcohol. Rocky had made beer before in his garage, and as long as they could buy some tools, yeast, wheat, or grains, they would be able to make that here.
He also knew the shop sold multiple types of liquors from all over the galaxy after his most recent trip. That, however, would be an investment once a bar was set up, and they found an individual to run it. Joe had been the one to point out the necessity for alcohol and perhaps even tobacco—after seeing Smith and his pipe. As an ex-soldier, he argued that not many people knew how to deal with the loss and stress this world seemed to pile on. With alcohol, people would have a nice release and easy method to gripe about problems while feeling like they had an excuse. At Rocky’s initial reluctance, Joe pointed to the distant figure of Frankie sitting with a crying woman. It was well into the night, and the fact that Frankie was still up surprised everyone except Joe. He clicked his tongue. “That man has been working around the clock. I know it isn’t easy to see past the immediate problems we face. Yet, I will tell you right now that every individual in this valley has experienced loss on a scale unheard of before the crash.”
Joe pointed to himself, Zippo, and Rocky, then expanded further on his point, “We have each other to confide in, and a lot of our loss and resentment is vented during fights.” He took a deep breath in through his nose. “We have found a purpose—to protect the people around us, to create a Territory, and to grow stronger.”
Rocky nodded his head, finally seeing what Joe meant. He glanced over to Frankie who had his notepad out and was clearly in session. “Frankie is trying to help others find a purpose, then?”
Joe looked back as well. “Yes and no. It isn’t all so black and white, but we need a few more people offering what Frankie is offering—a listening ear. Then we would need a bartender that we’ve trained to spot signs in people. In this way, we can help people integrate into the new world, into our Territory.”
Knowing that they had to go investigate Chalk River and the nuclear meltdown, Rocky put Joe in charge of finding someone to begin looking further into this project. In a week or two, they would meet again and move it forward.
A guild was the next big topic of debate. This was for a few reasons, but first amongst them, according to Sela, was the proprietary ability that guilds could impart on learned skills. If Rocky understood the proprietary ability correctly, the guild could teach all its members skills like Meditation and Ether Manipulation, but if they ever left the guild, Ether would somehow remove those skills from their minds while also not allowing them to teach those skills to others. The fact that the system had so much power over individuals made Rocky and Joe shudder, but it wasn’t like there was an option to opt-out.
The other reason a guild was a priority was for level equality. It would seem that members of a guild could contribute a set portion of Etherience gained as a tax to the guild. This Etherience was then able to be given out on guild quests. So, if an individual needed a new set of armor, for example, they could order it and pay an individual, but additionally, the skilled individual who crafted it would be given Etherience, which helped offset the cost somewhat. Sela explained this as commonplace, making it clear that this was how all guilds and societies functioned in the past.
The crafters could also populate quests for materials that would award additional Etherience to parties who collected them. This helped keep Non-Power Classes safe and awarded hunters who were willing to put in a bit of extra work for the betterment of all. The amazing parts came because guilds also increased the amount of Etherience that groups could earn by small percentages. Usually, at level one, that Etherience increase amounted to one percent, but considering that they would be taxing everyone’s Etherience gains, Rocky wanted to have something to balance that particular scale.
Rocky touched his chin and asked a question that had been on his mind, “Do you think we can ask for a large shipment of Regulated Knowledge Tablets?”
Sela glared at Rocky, probably recalling that he had spent money on the free item. “Yes, we can. However, that does create a problem. If we’re cavalier about the whole thing, everyone in the shop will know we own a burgeoning Territory. That rumor would best be avoided, or people will start asking questions.”
At the questioning looks from the men around the fire, she elaborated, “A new Territory is extremely rare on already settled planets. Usually, all Territories are already captured and cataloged. This means that most new Territories are on new planets, and during my life, literal races and wars were undertaken to secure new planets.”
She raised a finger emphasizing the next few sentences and continued, “Obviously, merchants and factions are aware of the major players in these conflicts. So, if a new faction is suddenly in possession of a new Territory, questions will be asked. Furthermore, since we can’t control all the shops that exist on Gaia, eventually, answers will be given. To put it bluntly, the longer we can delay Gaia being rediscovered, the less slim our chances are for repelling invasions.”
Joe asked the obvious, “How are we supposed to stop star fleets and armies filled with Master classes? Even given time, that seems impossible; it’s an insurmountable advantage.” Rocky felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck and down his arms. Fighting Master class monsters was bad enough, but fighting an organized military foe with tactical usage of Master class fighters would be a nightmare.
Sela nodded. “Exactly. Right now, we are fighting for every day, each extra moment we can use to increase the strength of the human race. For every second, we can use to find allies and learn the mysteries that caused Gaia to slumber.”
Then she smiled, leaned forward, and excitedly continued, “While the high levels of Ether on Gaia can be seen as a negative because it is causing extreme monster mutations and a massive casualty rate, it is also a fantastic boon. Master class monsters were never common, as most were killed long before they could reach past journeyman. Now, however, we have an overabundance of the creatures, which means we can raise ourselves in levels over an extremely short period of time. I also believe Gaia has provided us fodder in the way of non-intelligent golems. Once trained, humans will find the basic golems are rather dense and easy to kill, at least without a golem leader around.”
Rocky blinked, having not seen that silver lining before. Then he shook his head. “Sela, we can’t take on a starship from the ground!”
Sela’s excitement died. She blinked and pursed her lips, nodding her head, then shrugging. “I guess it’s something that I never had to consider before. While I lived, no star fleet ever compared to the Gaian Military’s. It was one of the reasons we
were so successful in campaigns. While most fleets had to drop combatants planetside with a quick support bombardment, we were able to set up in orbit and tactically support as needed. The only reason we were so successful was our Leviathan class ships and their space mage pacts.”
Sela looked around, seeing blank looks, so she spoke into the silence and shook her head in clear exasperation, “They existed from a time before I was even born. I don’t know much about them. I didn’t even ever set foot on to one of the living creature’s legendary hulls. All I know is that they were somehow alive and able to cast devastating offensive and defensive spells in space. I don’t even remember a laser or torpedo ever breaching their mage shields, and that isn’t even counting the raw firepower they could bring to bear.”
The stunned looks on everyone’s faces made Rocky realize that they had gone completely off the current topic. To be sure, he asked one final question, “Sela, if some of the other planets found out about Gaia today, how long would we have?”
Sela wobbled her hand in the air. “Complete guesswork on my part, but I would say at least a year, possibly less depending on how far technology has advanced since I was alive and how far the planets of origin are located from Gaia.”
After that, they got back to a much-subdued discussion about their fledgling Territory, everyone thinking similar thoughts. How were they going to get from here to there?
The list ended up being finalized as:
Shopping List
To Buy
● Automated Sawmill
● Distillery