When he got nothing but amused grins in response, he kept going. “Okay, since several of us have picked up skills, and I expect will pick up more – I got a new one called Improvisation today, by the way – I suggest a crafting hall. If it’s anything like I expect, there will be workbenches and such inside for us to use to improve our skills. And trust me, we’re going to want to improve them. Make weapons, better armor, healing salves, and such. The cost is a little high - ten thousand points - but I think it would pay off.”
Sam spoke up. “I agree, but can we set that one as an option? I want to make sure this place is secure first and foremost. I mean, in theory, we could just sit at this table and craft if we had to, at least to start with. Right?”
“Good point, sir!” Allistor was thrilled to have input. “We’ll save that as an option if we have the points. And since you brought it up, let’s look at available defenses.”
They all took a minute to look over the options. Allistor favored Reinforced Gates, which said it provided strong, lockable gates with a set amount of defense points, which could be increased at will by upgrading with system points. There was also an option called Proximity Alert that he suspected were sensors that would warn them if beasties approached.
After it seemed everyone had made their choices, he reviewed the boxes that were checked. Everyone had selected Reinforced Gates. Proximity Alert was third most popular after one called Escape Hatch that he had skipped over when he was reading. He quickly found and read the description. It provided a ‘back door’ with a secret exit in case the Stronghold was overrun. After that, fourth place went to Traps, which allowed the installation of traps inside and outside the gate.
“Okay, has everybody finished choosing?” He looked around the table and got a chorus of yeses. “Right. Then in order of popularity, the first three cost ten thousand, ten thousand, and twelve thousand. Traps is five thousand. There are some other votes, but only singles and doubles. So if we go with all of those, that’s thirty-seven thousand, plus the thirty-seven thousand we already assigned, for a total of seventy-four of the hundred thousand we have available. Not bad.” He grinned at the group.
Sandy, the park ranger, asked, “Is electricity an option?” Immediately, they all began searching.
“Yes!” Meg shouted. Then her shoulders sagged. “But damn, it’s expensive. Twenty thousand.”
“It might be worth it,” Amanda argued. “I mean, think of all the things we could salvage that run on electricity. Refrigerators, lights, battery chargers for radios and lanterns, sewing machines, power tools, and I could maybe salvage some medical equipment like an x-ray machine or ultrasound eventually.”
By the time she was done, everyone seemed in agreement. But Allistor wasn’t ready to pull that trigger yet.
“Let’s assume that’s our top choice for now. But I want to do more research. Like, how quickly we can earn more points. And what else we might not be thinking of right now.” He looked around the table before his gaze rested on Meg. “For example, has anyone looked to see if the sleeping quarters include bathrooms or showers?”
“Oh, shit. No, I didn’t. Anyone else?” Meg looked around, then her gaze went blank as she started her own research.
Lilly raised her hand. “I’ve been reading about the system points. It seems that there are a few ways for a Stronghold to earn them. The most popular seems to be through the sale of resources. Like, we could sell a few of the weapons you brought back. Or some of the meat. The points earned depend on the value of the item. But it’s a one-to-one exchange rate with klax. So you can also just purchase system points directly with Stronghold treasury funds. And before you ask, we have zero treasury funds right now.” She paused for a moment, looking at her interface.
“Okay, another way is by defending against attacks. If something, or several somethings, or someone attacks us and we kill them, then we get the usual experience points, and the Stronghold gets the same number of system points. We get a lesser number of points if we drive them away.” She looked at them and added, “Yeah, this includes if other humans attack us. Or any sentient aliens after the stabilization is over.”
She let that sink in for a moment, then moved on. “There’s also skill improvements. If one of us improves a crafting skill, for example, while we’re inside this place, it will earn some system points. More if one of us discovers a new recipe, creates a legendary weapon, invents a new gadget, that kind of thing. There is a formula I don’t yet understand.”
Meg waited for her to finish, then added. “Yes, each of the sleeping quarters comes with a main room, one bedroom with a bathroom and choice of tub or shower. There are two-bedroom quarters that cost an extra thousand and still only have one bathroom. Also, you can add kitchens and other rooms, most cost a thousand each.”
Allistor thought about it for a minute. “Alright, two things. First, regarding the sleeping quarters. Let’s just say that the stronghold will provide the basic quarters, one bed and a bath. If an individual wants to do so, they can pay for it themselves. Any objections?”
Nobody spoke up, so he moved on. “Right. Next, I think we should take some more time for research. I propose we go with the choices we’ve made, saving both the electricity and the crafting hall as options for now. I’ll execute the seventy-four thousand worth of options, and we’ll all spend the evening thinking and reading. I intend to look at the value of selling some of our items and whether it’s a good trade. And get familiar with the pricing of things on the open market. My guess is, there will be things we can salvage that will be rare or unique to the market and might fetch pretty good prices.” He watched as dollar signs began to twinkle in the others’ widening eyes.
“Then, first thing in the morning, we’ll get together and see what info everyone can add before making more hard decisions.” He raised his hand. “This time I’m gonna need input from everybody. Sound like a good plan?”
Every hand at the table went up. Allistor turned his focus to his interface and executed their first choices. The reinforced gates, back door, sensor system, traps, clean water source, dozen sleeping quarters, kitchen and cold storage, and infirmary.
A bold red prompt asked him if he was sure about those choices. When he clicked on “Yes” the golden glow returned to the floor, walls and ceilings. The lines began to blur and shift, and Allistor wasn’t the only one who began to feel a little woozy. Amanda had her eyes shut tight and had a death grip on the table. Meg was once again holding onto Sam. Chloe crawled into Nancy’s lap and scrunched her eyes tightly closed as Nancy held her.
When it was all over, the place looked nothing like it had before. It was as if the system had hollowed out a small underground town. They sat in the middle of a large open circle next to a small fountain. A cavern had been hollowed out around them, with a twenty-foot-high domed ceiling. Around them stood several small stone buildings with doors and windows.
To his right, Allistor saw a ramp that sloped up to the familiar-looking metal cellar doors. Only now they were much larger and thicker, and they stood upright at a ninety-degree angle from the floor. There was some kind of natural light, but no source was evident. He looked at Amanda and said, “Well, that solves the light issue. No lanterns needed.”
The group began to fan out and explore the buildings. Those closest in around the edge of the circle turned out to be the kitchen, which came with a dining area sized for about twenty people and the cold storage walk-in; the infirmary with a waiting area, an office, three exam rooms, a triage area and some storage; and two bathrooms, one with a bathtub and one a shower. In between them was a small octagonal building with a window on each surface. The market interface.
Behind those three buildings were a dozen smaller ones. The sleeping quarters. They were arranged in a semicircle behind the kitchen and infirmary. If the cavern was a giant pie, the buildings took up roughly the northeast quarter of the whole.
Exploration revealed that all of their possessions had been placed
in appropriate places. The grill was now situated behind the kitchen, right next to a back door. The shelves and all the food they held were in the cold storage room. Along with additional built-in shelves that came with the room. The pile of blankets and weapons, as well as the tables, chairs, mattresses, and the rest were deposited in the circle. The system had apparently decided to leave it up to the humans to redistribute them.
Nancy and Chloe chose the sleeping quarters farthest from the door. Amanda and Lilly chose the next two. Sam and Meg picked the next one. Allistor chose the one closest to the door, with Sean and Robert Edward choosing the next two - their unspoken intent to be the first line of defense between the gates and the others. Sandy, sneaking a covert glance at Robert Edward, chose the quarters next to his.
They gave the mattresses to the ladies and Meg and Sam, helping them move those into their quarters. They agreed to retrieve more of them the following day. Everybody grabbed a blanket, and Meg tossed each person a roll of toilet paper with a smile. With a good bit of studying ahead of them, they each retired to their quarters. Allistor had just taken a shower and settled himself on his bedroom floor. He was using his backpack as a temporary pillow, berating himself for not grabbing a few of those while he was out. He was feeling comfy in a pair of the sheriff’s black fatigues and had just opened up his interface to begin checking out the open market information when he dozed off.
Chapter Five
Working the System
Allistor woke with both an urgent need to urinate and a sore back. Sleeping on the cold stone did not agree with him. A quick look at his interface told him it was 3 am. He’d fallen asleep early, exhausted, and slept a full eight hours. With his morning ablutions completed, he left his quarters and went back to the big table out in the circle. He sat there and pulled up the open market research, figuring he was much less likely to fall asleep again sitting up.
The first thing he checked on was food pricing. If they failed to salvage more food in the coming days, and were unlucky in hunting, he wanted to know what kinds of food were available and what they cost.
When he did a simple search for ‘consumables’ the results list was hundreds of thousands of items long. He narrowed it to ‘food’, and the list cut down to just under a hundred thousand. He decided to go the other direction and get very specific. “Food items safe for human consumption.” This time the list was just over a hundred items.
Scrolling down, he saw ‘loaf of bread’ for five klax. A single piece of canid meat like the ones he had looted was ten klax. On the other hand, a beef patty like the ones they’d eaten for dinner was thirty klax.
“So… earth beef is a semi-valuable commodity. Good to know. We need to get our hands on some cows,” he mumbled as he continued to scroll. Luxury items like a bottle of cabernet were as much as a hundred klax. Again, something they might be able to salvage in large numbers. Lots of people kept wine in their basements. And there was a winery about ten miles from town. If they could get one of the trucks working and safely raid that place, they’d be instantly wealthy.
Next, he looked up weapons. These items were listed differently than the common consumables. They were all set up with a bid structure. The seller set the minimum bid and the time available to bid. There wasn’t much in the way of earth-style gunpowder and lead firearms. There was a surprising array of alien weapons available. From plasma weapons to some kind of pressure-driven flechette weapons. There was even one that shot pellets of acid, accurate up to one hundred yards. That one cost ten thousand klax, minimum.
But he only found a dozen or so familiar guns from earth. There were ten handguns listed, all but one between five and seven hundred klax. All had been placed within the last day, and bids were ongoing. One genius that he assumed was some human had listed a Glock 9mm, one of the most common handguns on the planet, for five thousand klax. Maybe he had been the first to list a gun and was trying to set the market.
The rifles went for considerably more. The minimum bid for a basic M-16 was a thousand klax, and the one listed currently had a high bid of fifteen hundred. With thirty rounds of ammo included. Allistor made a mental note to follow that one.
The highest bid on any of the rifles was for an antique Winchester. There was an eloquent description of the weapon and its history in the American West. It emphasized the age of the weapon and its rarity on earth. The high bid on that one was four thousand klax, and it had only been available about six hours. It seemed rarity added value in the Collective just as it did on earth.
Allistor began to do some math. He was extremely reluctant to sell any of their weapons as they might need them for defense. Or hunting. But if they managed to salvage a good supply of them… he might try to generate some system points. Especially if it meant they could have both electricity and a crafting hall. And he thought it might be a good idea to purchase a few alien weapons that might do more damage to creatures like the titan.
He slapped his forehead as an idea struck him. He did a search for Earth vehicles. There wasn’t a single one listed. When he searched for ground vehicles, the least expensive result was a solar-powered two-wheeled motorcycle thing that listed for ten thousand klax. The lowest priced enclosed passenger vehicle was currently bidding at sixteen thousand. He pictured an auction of the classic Mustang he’d seen at the lot. With a write-up like the Winchester seller had created, he might pay for some serious upgrades to the Stronghold.
Closing the market information, he made finding the proper vehicle keys at the car lot a priority alongside mattresses and pillows, wine bottles, and cows. The new gates were large enough that he could drive the vehicles right down into the cavern and park them. The trailer too. He began to feel the tingles of greed take hold. After all, what was more fun than epic loot? If he could be the first to sell an Earth car and make a killing before others noticed and followed along, it would give them a good solid start.
The idea excited him so much he had to restrain himself from going out in the dark to find the keys and retrieve the Mustang. He had to remind himself that on the first day of stabilization, the creatures that roamed the streets at night were much scarier than during the day. He remembered lying in bed listening to the screams of those who’d been foolish enough to venture out, or even just leave their windows open.
His interface told him it was now nearly 5 am. It would be getting light soon enough. He’d recruit somebody to go with him. For the third time since they’d come down here, he wished for paper and pencil. Planning would be so much easier if he could make a list or three. Maybe one of the group could be convinced to loot City Hall for some office supplies.
As he let his thoughts drift, the burbling sound of the fountain caught his attention. He hadn’t really paid much attention to it when it first appeared. He got up and walked over to it. The thing was maybe twenty feet in diameter, with a thick stone outer wall that made a good bench to sit on. The stone appeared to be some form of marble that glowed faintly. The centerpiece was a creature Allistor had never seen before. It was bipedal with feathered wings extending out from its back. The face was vaguely amphibian, a hint of gills at its neck. The water poured out of its mouth, splashing down into a bowl formed by cupped hands before falling into the pool below.
He sat there enjoying the pleasant sound of the water and thinking about nothing in particular. Until he noticed a ripple in the pool. He stared, following the small wave as it grew and dispersed. Then another ripple formed. Allistor thought he’d felt a vibration. Alarms began to go off in his head. A moment later, a third ripple. Larger this time. And he’d definitely felt a tremor in the stone beneath him.
Jumping to his feet, he began to shout, “Up! Get up! I think the titan’s back! Everybody up! Get some weapons!”
He was running toward the line of sleeping quarters when the proximity alarms started going off. The sound was a deep gong, pitched low enough to vibrate the stone beneath his feet. The sound was loud enough to hurt his ears, which he covered wi
th his hands as he dashed toward his quarters. He’d left both his pack and his spear in his room.
Inside his little abode, the sound was only slightly less deafening. He spun around, looking for his gear and snatching it up. Then he opened his interface and shouted, “How do you turn off that damn alarm?”
Instantly a defense management screen popped up. There was an alarm button flashing bright red every second or so. He focused on that, and several options came up. The first was to cancel the alarm. The second was to silence it, but leave it active. He chose that option when he noticed a sort of rough map of the area above with a range meter running on both the x and y-axis, to a classic radar readout. It showed a red dot moving toward the south through the town. It wasn’t moving directly toward them but would pass by too close for comfort.
As the annoying gong faded to silence, he heard the others calling out to each other. He jogged outside and motioned for everyone to gather at the table. Each of them, except Chloe, held some kind of weapon.
By this time they’d all felt the vibration of the titan’s footsteps and had no doubt what they meant. Allistor tried to share his sensor monitoring screen with the group, and he found he could do so just by focusing on an individual and thinking ‘share screen’. When he’d included them all, they grew silent as they watched the dot move in their general direction.
Dust trickled down from the ceiling above as the six-story-tall monstrosity drew closer. Allistor took comfort in the fact that it seemed to be moving in a straight line, rather than a meandering pattern that might mean it was following their scent or tracking them somehow.
It was passing within about fifty yards of their gates when it stopped moving. A burst of gunfire echoed through the pre-dawn silence, penetrating their gate and reaching their ears. Sam began to run toward the gates. “That’s gotta be our guys. God help them if that thing has been following them all this time!”
Shadow Sun Survival: Shadow Sun Book One Page 9