Excise: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Ether Collapse Book 2)

by Ryan DeBruyn

  Zippo… What a goody-two-shoes. Who knew? I guess it was only a matter of time.

  It was weird that everyone who was upset at not being able to remove their filter changed their tune when they heard how long Rocky would be under the censor. The longest any of the A-Team would have to go without swearing was a month, and that was in Derik’s case. It was a bit of a slap in the face for him until he heard that Rocky wouldn’t be able to swear for a full year. Then he laughed uproariously like the others. Rocky’s dislike for the man had increased slightly.

  Once Sela had seen the hurt on Rocky’s face again, she’d managed to calm her laughter and explain it slightly, “Rocky, I truly started reporting you because of habits that were left over from my previous life. It was considered beyond abhorrent to swear. Probably because, as children, we never picked up the habit, and as adults, those lessons stuck with us. Friends would make fun of us for weeks as children if you swore and said something ridiculous instead.” She paused and looked around the group.

  “Once I met other people, I realized how common swearing had become.” At this point, she looked back at Rocky, and a small smile was on her lips. “It didn’t mean that I wasn’t offended and amused simultaneously anytime you swore, though.” Rocky blinked at her for a few seconds as she finished. He had expected her to keep talking, but that was the extent of her ‘apology’.

  After the distraction of the expletive filter was surmounted, the group got back to the discussion at hand. While most of the people disagreed and still wanted all five of the powerful golems present in the Territory, Sela made a point that supported the decision slightly. It turned out that the levels of Ether in the Territory were based on an averaged level of everyone present. So, if all five of the creatures were accepted and became citizens, then the level of many of the creatures would jump up in turn. It wouldn’t be a lot probably, considering that it would be five Master classes and four thousand apprentices, but she did say that it always weighted higher levels far more than low levels.

  After that point, the group wasn’t convinced, but they did agree to talk with the Knights about the decision. In addition, Rocky, who had sat rather quietly during the follow-up discussions, pointed out that they needed teams out and searching for more human survivors in the area. They couldn’t hope for a stronger escort team than the Ottawa Knights.

  The remainder of the meeting was about the Territory and how they were going to feed, organize, and manage four thousand people.

  Rocky stood up at this point and started a shared screen through the system meeting feature like Sela had shown him. He began, “I think the breakdown needs to be heavily skewed to builders and hunters at first. Considering that on average, I personally have been consuming at least two hundred percent more food in a day, I have made the assumption that means that as people level, they will need more food. I’m sure you have all noticed this as well in yourselves.”

  He paused momentarily and put up the first figures on the board. As he queried the A-Team how much meat they usually could gather in a day.

  Food needed for four thousand plus civilians. Based on estimations.

  Assumptions:

  Average healthy calorie intake per human before Ether: 2,000 calories.

  Average calorie count for a flank of meat: 220 per 4 ounces.

  A-Team’s average haul of meat per person: 500 pounds. (500 pounds x 16 ounces/pound = 8,000 ounces)

  Amount of Calories needed for entire population of settlement: 4,000 individuals x 2,000 ounces/individual = 8,000,000 ounces

  Multiply need by 200%: 8,000,000 x 2 = 16,000,000 ounces

  Amount of hunters needed: 16,000,000 / 8,000 = 2,000 hunters

  He left his notes there and looked around the group’s stunned faces. Amber stood up and looked around. Rocky Analyzed her again confirming her class for himself.

  Amber Dell

  Level 14

  Apprentice-Fencer

  Health Points 130/130

  She looked around at the group nervously, and her long, dark hair flung itself around as she did so. Smith gave her a parental nod, and she stood up as straight as she could, which accentuated her tall, lean fencer build. She queried confusedly, “You want us to convince half of the population to be hunters? We also have been steadily increasing the amount of meat we pull in. Can’t we lower that number?”

  Sela smiled at the woman and stood to walk over beside Amber. Standing beside her, Sela reassured, “Those numbers are just a basis for discussion, and a lot of the assumptions can be adjusted. Personally, I don’t know what calories are, but I can deduce they have something to do with nutrients inside the food?”

  At Rocky’s and the group’s nodding heads, she continued, “Alright, first off then, most of the meat will have been enhanced by Ether, so the amount of ‘calories’ per piece of meat will increase. However, that also means that the two hundred percent more actually increases. So those numbers will remain somewhat similar. However, Rocky, you are forgetting cooks and what they will be capable of doing. Not to mention vegetation and the fact that we are cooking stews primarily at current.”

  Rocky nodded. “I didn’t know how to calculate stews and vegetables. I think we can lower the number and have many of the hunters learn to be herbalists to further lower this number.” Then he pointed across the river. “Not to mention if we get some farmers to grow some sort of grain or start a grove on the other side of the river. My larger concern is how the Territory is going to keep up with such a huge demand on the wildlife and fauna.”

  Amber sat down next to Jack, who patted her on the shoulder as if to say, “Way to go saying that politely.” Again, Rocky Analyzed him for his class, trying to see what the A-Team was working with. Perhaps other classes would be better hunters, for instance.

  Jack Wareham

  Level 15

  Apprentice-Trapper

  Moderate Analyze has failed to reveal additional information

  Sela distracted him from analyzing the final four members of the A-Team because she answered his question, “This Territory is huge, and the wildlife and fauna will be grown based on the need of the populace. It will need a basis to grow from, which means we can’t hunt a population to extinction and will need a good rotational hunting strategy. It does mean that as long as we don’t decimate the existing population or fauna in an area, we can expect for growth rates to increase based on our activities.”

  Rocky breathed a sigh of relief and then queried her for more specific numbers, “So, do you have a suggestion for an exact number of hunters?”

  Sela sighed herself and grimaced. “Unfortunately, even though I think we can lower the number needed for the amount of food, I don’t think we should.” Amber tilted her head at the woman, and Sela used her interest to make her point. “Amber, how much Crystallized Ether do you currently have on you?”

  Amber reached a hand into her pocket unconsciously before pulling it back out filled with softly glowing crystals, “Umm, I didn’t really count it, but I think around ten maybe.” She quickly counted. “Sorry, thirteen.”

  Sela nodded and looked around the group before she emphasized, “Each of you probably has around the same amount. Since we will have to pay anyone who isn’t a hunter for their work, it is better to have more income coming in from outside sources. In my time, hunter groups were paid the crystals they collected. Often, hunters were even in the highest classes because of how much they could potentially earn. Only merchants and very successful crafters would surpass them.”

  Derik shot up, “Wait, we won’t get paid to hunt! That’s ridiculous. We’re doing work for the Grotto just like anyone else!”

  Rocky glared at the man, and Sela raised a hand to stop his protest and smiled devilishly. “You are more than welcome to ask for pay for hunting, but if we pay you, you will be required to pay us to hunt in the safety of the Territory grounds. I assure you, the price of that privilege is far higher than what you would get for a wage and would have to be m
ade up for with the crystals you loot. Of course, you can hunt outside its boundaries and make a ‘killing’!” She air quoted the last word in her speech, and Rocky nearly guffawed when he saw her use them. At her words, Derik’s face paled, and he sat down quickly.

  Rocky smiled and considered the point Sela had just made. He hadn’t even considered the boon the Territory was giving hunters by keeping them in a much safer environment for leveling and earning. While the work was still difficult and dangerous, Sela had used the stick of the outside environment perfectly to cow the greedy weasel. Not that Rocky would have actually forced anyone to pay to hunt on the Territory grounds, but it sounded like Sela wouldn’t hesitate to.

  Sela continued, “Another great addition we have is the Territorial Inventory. If we are going to be creating an economy,” she pointed at Zippo which made the young man tilt his head, “we will want cooks that make specialized meals. Those cooks will buy the meats from the Territory and prepare them for a profit. I can assure you that good cooks are a necessity for the growth of our budding city. They can create meals that will increase stats, Etherience gains, recovery rate, and so much more!” She paused for a moment and then finished, “While stew is a good starting point, we need to consider the future and that we will hopefully be growing our numbers.”

  Derik stood up and spat out, “What about houses and roofs for people! If we focus half of the population on food, how long will it take to build rooms for everyone?!” He wasn’t really asking questions so much as being his usual confrontational self. Rocky, who had had enough of the man, stood up, and Sela, who had been about to respond, saw his face and shut her mouth before calmly walking back to her seat with a smile.

  Rocky strode forward, pointing his finger at Derik and shouted, “A tent that sleeps twenty is a single crystal, Derik! Sela and I have also just explained we bought a massive Guild Tent that should sleep a good portion of the population!” He took in a deep lungful of air then continued, “Everyone who doesn’t become a hunter will be building, and hopefully, we can have many houses being constructed simultaneously. Could you stop being a prick for a moment and try being constructive to this meeting?”

  It was probably the wrong way to handle the situation as Derik started shouting back. Smith and a few others managed to calm the situation down quickly, but words that couldn’t be taken back had already been uttered. Derik made his exit and strode off into the distance, abandoning the meeting entirely. Rocky couldn’t even remember what he’d shouted at the man, but Sela was holding up three fingers at him. She mouthed, “Three more,” while smiling devilishly.

  Honestly, if she was anyone else, I would probably try to kill her!

  He felt his blood boil at being reported some more, but for some reason, her smile and belief he could do better made him hesitate. He shook his head angrily and wanted nothing more than to storm off as well. Instead, he sat down and told himself he would be leaving soon.

  Get everything organized and then go scout the land towards Chalk River. Just get it started.

  He repeated that to himself over and over as he took a deep, calming breath. He remained there and listened as more pieces of the future plan fell into place steadily. At first the A-Team would break up and teach individual groups of up to ten people how they had been hunting in the valley. Smith personally would teach everyone who was willing herbalism. Hopefully, they could then teach others, and the number of vegetables and helpful plants would grow vastly in the Grotto.

  A group of about two thousand more were ‘volunteered’ for construction, at least for now. They needed to create a large list of buildings, and of primary concern was housing for women and children. Strangely, Sela got rather upset at the prospect of women needing any special treatment, and when she was instantly joined by Amber, the group relented. It would seem the only special consideration then would be children. Sadly, Rocky recalled that children of an age under eight years old had been decimated by the Ether Crash. The fact that they hadn’t had access to the system seriously hindered their survivability, and in most cases, their family’s survivability.

  From that bitter note, they moved on to crafting. The hope was that they would have some skilled individuals in the Grotto who would have experience in tailoring, curing hides, blacksmithing, construction, carving, farming, and many other areas. These people would probably pick up the skill quickly or may already have it. They could then teach others, and more of the hides currently stored in Rocky’s bag and the Territory Inventory could be used to begin outfitting hunters and soldiers.

  Sela insisted that it would be at a fee, as the hunters would be the wealthiest individuals in the valley, and since the military could also go hunt in their free time, they would be just as flush. The crafters would need to eventually begin paying for the hides and other material they used, but it was decided that at first, those costs would be absorbed by the guild they would form. Additionally, hides and other materials would, in time, need to be purchased by the guild and then purchased from the guild by the crafters.

  There were two questions Rocky had and quickly voiced, “First, is the equipment that’s made just sturdier clothing, or will it be like the gear from the shop?” He looked at Sela during this question and then asked his second, “Won’t the guild, acting as a middleman in all transactions, cause problems with people who want to sell directly to other merchants?”

  She smiled and nodded sadly. “The gear is just a blank piece of clothing that will offer better protection than most of what people are wearing, but no, it needs to be enchanted before it will be like the gear in the shop.”

  Sela didn’t have any idea how enchanting was possible and had resigned to selling the blanks, as she called the un-enchanted equipment, to the shop, but Rocky still had an idea on that point. He refused to elaborate currently as it was just a theory, but he planned on studying some of his equipment, as well as the locked equipment from the arena Dungeon, to see if he could extrapolate from it and his few visits to the shop.

  Then Sela answered the second question, “Direct sales between individuals in the Territory are tracked and recorded. At least, they will be once a Town Hall is erected. People will be expected to pay taxes on all sales, and we will need people to manage all of that.” She paused then pointed in the direction of the shop. “And if people sell to a shop, then it takes a cut for the Territory as well. Regardless, the guild needs to act as a middleman to make money. Then that money is reinvested into the populace. The Territory, on the other hand, will act like a central government that uses funds strictly for growth and management of the Grotto. The guild will also be able to one day purchase a vendor's attachment for the shop or multiple shops if we find more. This will allow people to sell through the guild for higher profit in the future.”

  The discussion sped up from that point, as they decided most other problems would be dealt with as they came up. There was a general consensus that a few Longhouses could be constructed simultaneously, and after the first ones were finished, they would consider having a group make a Town Hall or Eating Hall. The main purchase that needed to be bought in bulk was cement for the foundations, and Rocky gave that task to Joe.

  Zippo looked unhappy, and Rocky assumed it was because they didn’t have a kitchen, which was probably going to cause some problems in the long run. However, for now, it was the state of things, and they would have to buy a kitchen with the next available funds.

  After that, the group spread through the Grotto and started organizing as Rocky, Azoth, Sela, and Zippo started gearing up for scouting. With the time left on the countdown of the Ether protection, Rocky felt a mounting pressure to get started. He was unsure what would happen when the countdown reached zero.

  Ether Protection

  Time of Ether assisted protection for Territory: 4 days, 11 hours, 58 minutes, and 32 seconds.

  If they didn’t get a progression to the quest or at least a source of more information, he wasn’t even sure where to start on the
next steps. He brought it up to Sela for the first time, hoping she might alleviate his fear about the timer running out. “Sela, what do you think will happen when the Ether Protection buff runs out?”

  Sela sighed and looked Rocky in the eyes, then shrugged before she spoke. “I can’t say for sure. I think there will still be protection from the storms, but if there are any creatures like the Irradiated Ether Zombies we faced in the Arena Dungeon, I am pretty sure they will be able to cross into our Territory. I guess the good news is that there didn’t seem to be any intelligence in the creatures?” She finished with a grimace, realizing she hadn’t answered the question well or alleviated any worries for either of them.

  Rocky groaned and then just kept walking as Azoth bounded over to the two and mentally bombarded them, “We do a scouting? We foughting?” Rocky chuckled and tried to correct the creature on his tense and language use. It always got worse when he was excited.

  Zippo, who’d run off to get his Staff of Focus, was waiting at the Grotto exit for them as they walked up and fell into step with them. “So, are we hoping to get to Chalk River today?” Zippo asked from behind Rocky.

  Rocky tilted his head as he considered. “Honestly, I think another storm went by this morning, so this is probably the best time. That being said, we don’t know much about what’s in that direction. If there’s an abundance of wildlife or mutated creatures, we’re going to have to play the situation differently. Let’s just start by seeing what we’re dealing with.”

  The rest of the walk continued in silence as they slowly approached the northeastern edge of their Territory. They saw some groups of creatures they decided not to attack, as this was just a quick scouting trip. Rocky hoped they would be back in a few hours with a better idea of what they needed to do or what enemy they were facing.