When I reached the end of the tunnel, one of the goblin workers ran by me. It was our newest Builder worker, and evidently *very* pregnant. It didn’t seem to hinder her, though, as she was carrying two large bones on each of her shoulders, half running with the significant weight toward the cave’s exit.
Looks like, Zuban already started the construction, I thought contentedly. I felt a bit uncomfortable watching a pregnant female working that hard. Still, it was just a game, the pregnancy apparently didn’t affect her work productivity.
As I exited the cave, I saw a large pile of bones stacked to the side just below the stone shelf that held the cemetery, and soon - the Shrine. Zuban and the workers were busy hauling some of the big bone pieces up the side of the cliff. The mine worker, still without a pick, was helping. His advanced Haul skill put to good use carrying pieces of bone larger than he was to the shrine.
I nodded to them as I passed by, and made my way toward the main camp.
When I reached the campfire, I saw everyone but Zuban and his crew were already having dinner, the stone mason worker was absent too, following my orders to work longer hours.
Everyone welcomed me as I approached the cooking hearth, nodding or mumbling a greeting. Tika looked flustered when I greeted her it had been a long time since I talked to her. I made a mental note to spend a little personal time with her.
I sat down as Guba brought me dinner. She stared at me as I started eating.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” I asked her politely.
“Humph!” She snorted as usual, “finally made some advanced food on purpose, I did!”
I sat up, excited. “That’s great news Guba, well done! How much did you make?”
“Err…” she seemed unsure of herself, and maybe a bit ashamed. It was an unfamiliar expression to see on the normally gruff chemist’s face.
“Just two pieces,” She admitted finally, then added hesitantly, “Had to burn through four raw meats and two fish, till I got it right. Learnt myself how to make seasoned fish with herbs. Not too complicated, just a piece of fish, and the right amount of time on the fire with a wee bit of herbal ingredients our gatherer found. It be a gentle balance, so I will probably be burning the dish about half the time”
I winced, six units of raw food destroyed just to learn the recipe for an “advanced food”.
I sighed, I couldn’t blame Guba for the waste, she kept insisting she was not a proper cook. But she was all I had at the moment. I really needed to summon a Cook as soon as possible. I now had four advanced foods of the twenty needed to summon a Cook. If Guba could successfully cook one “advanced food” for every fish she ruined, a total of 32 fish would be needed to get the needed sixteen units.
“Vic,” I called to my companions, “What’s our current food stores supply?”
“I didn't get a chance to update for today’s production, but as of yesterday we had ten raw meats, ten raw fish, three gathered edibles, four gathered ingredients, and four advanced food,” He promptly replied.
That meant Cobie the fisher would need to catch twenty-two fish! I checked his Fisherman Skill and groaned audibly. His skill was currently at level 10, not bad until all the penalties from using improvised equipment are calculated in. Which meant he could only provide about 4 units of fish per day. At that rate, it’ll take five to six days to stockpile the advanced food we needed. I shook my head; the Cook worker couldn’t arrive soon enough.
Well, I guess if we survive the next day or two, waiting another few days isn't a huge deal after all.
As was my custom during the evening, I checked the clan’s status page to view the day’s progress.
What immediately drew my eye, was the efficiency modifier. Up until now, it had remained steady at -10%, but now it was -12%.
“Vic, can you please display all the efficiency modifiers on the same line?” I asked.
“Sure thing, boss,” He replied, merrily as always.
I reviewed the efficiency line:
So Zuban was right about losing some morale by making my goblins work longer hours. But the extra hours’ productivity exceeded the loss from morale penalty.
I checked the construction tab next:
Buildings and Construction
Max Constructor skill: 11
Builders count: 3 (skills 11, 11, 6)
Total Daily BP: 37 [(7.2 + 10.5 + 10.5 + 7.5) X 1.01]
Completed: Quarry (80/80 BP)
Under construction: Shrine (15/100 BP. Max 28 BP per day)
It was going to be a close call, but assuming we get the required stone, and no nasty surprises crop up, we should finish the Shrine just before midnight on the 3rd day.
I saved the best for last: Food production.
I frowned, Tika’s yield was down, she was supposed to hunt enough to cover the upkeep requirement, but today she was short one unit of food.
Still, it was a small concern, more exciting was that with today’s total food surplus, there was enough simple food to summon a new worker, without using any of the fish. All the fish was going to go to Guba to use in her advanced food recipe. Since it would be at least five more days until we have enough advanced food to summon a Cook, there was no reason not to summon a new worker that could start contributing right now.
But which type of worker should I summon? I was torn between food production to construction. More food meant more workers, but the Smithy that I intended to build next would take a lot of time, and any extra help now would speed up its completion.
“Zuban,” I called to my construction manager. He approached me immediately.
“Since only two workers can work on the Shrine simultaneously, can you have the other workers start on the Smithy?”
He thought it over and then shook his head, “The smithy is an Apprentice level building, so only the two Apprentice ranked Builders are advanced enough to work on it and they’re currently assigned to building the Shrine. The other Builders can only work on Novice ranked buildings for now. We could build something else in parallel.” He paused for a moment, “Actually, I should have suggested it straight away. The new Builders will never gain enough experience to work on more advanced buildings unless they work on basic structures first.”
“That’s all right Zuban,” I forgave him magnanimously, “you have a lot on your plate. Hang on a minute.”
I opened the Settlement Interface and reviewed the available Novice level buildings for construction. Lodging would counteract the morale penalty. The mess hall would be a great fit with our future cook, but it required 140 wood, a tremendous amount of resources that would take us a long time to produce. Buildings dedicated to increasing worker efficiencies would also be good to increase to total yield. I decided to begin work on the Construction Yard as our next project, after all, I Initially intended it to be our very first project. Now was the perfect opportunity to provide a building for Zuban and his Builders that will increase their construction efficiency, which in turn, will increase the growth rate of our settlement. Besides, it was an easy low-cost project, requiring just 20 wood and 80 BP.
“Let’s build the Construction Yard then,” I said.
Zuban’s expression immediately brightened, realizing how that would personally benefit his and his Builders skills.
“Wonderful!” He replied jubilantly, I’ll put the latest female Builder on it first thing tomorrow morning!”
“Err…” I hesitated before asking, “Wouldn’t it be a problem? She’s pregnant you know...”
He seemed puzzled by my question, a look of incomprehension on his face.
“I don’t understand, why her being pregnant is a concern? She’ll give birth at night, which won’t interfere with her construction work, so I don’t see why--”
�
��Never mind, Zuban.” It was obvious that the game didn’t force real life repercussions of pregnancy on NPCs.
“Forget I asked.”
He shrugged, “Of course, Esteemed Totem.”
“Anyway,” I continued, “I’m going to summon a new builder, so put him to work on the Construction Yard as well.”
Zuban smiled happily at the prospect of gaining another worker and nodded enthusiastically.
We had 25 pieces of raw meat, along with five units of gathered foodstuff, I had the 30 units of simple food that I would use to summon the worker. I asked Guba to cook all our raw meat into steaks again.
Once the Breeder’s Den was sufficiently loaded with the now cooked steaks and gathered food, I accessed the interface, selected a new Builder worker and clicked on the summon button.
A loud noise chimed and sparks flew around me, as I received a new system message.
Lady Luck has smiled on your clan and awarded you with an improved worker!
Your new worker has the following trait: Argush Blood.
Argush Blood: One of the ancient goblin bloodlines that have been extinct for generations. Occasionally the blood breeds true in a newly born goblin. An Argush Blooded goblin is born with four arms and is stronger than the average goblin
Effect: four arms, +1 Physical, Improved Builder skill: each skill level grants 1 BP instead of 0.5
Holy crap! I didn’t expect that at all! I didn’t even know luck could affect a summoned goblin!
The Breeder’s Den made its usual disturbing noises, grunting and squeaking, and a shortly after, a new goblin appeared.
I stared at him, my mouth falling open. He did indeed have four arms, two coming out of each shoulder. Each arm moved separately and freely. He was tall for a goblin and powerfully built. He will make one hell of a Builder; I thought in awe.
It occurred to me, that had I summoned a Warrior; I could have had a four-armed killing machine, but I shook my head. What I needed now was more labor; not enhanced killing power.
As was my habit, I analyzed him.
Goblin worker
Level 1
HP: 24
P:3, M:0, S:-1
Skills: Haul 1, Builder 1
Traits: noncombatant, Argush Blooded
I approached him. He towered a full head above me. Although his physique was intimidating, he had the same vacant look all NPC workers had.
“Welcome to the GreenPiece clan,” I greeted him. “Report to Zuban for work, I expect great things from you… Bargush.” Such a unique specimen deserved his own name. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, Builder plus Argush equaled Bargush in my book.
I quickly accessed the Energy Options Interface and spent 50 points to raise him to level 2, which left me with 220 EP.
I now had four Builders in my clan, five effectively, since Bargush’s enhanced skill made him the equal of two normal Builders. Things were going better than I had hoped.
Despite my recent circumstances, or maybe even to make up for it, the game has decided to throw me a treat. I wasn’t above receiving such treats. After all, they were quite yummy.
***
The next morning, I woke up feeling especially relaxed and well rested for some reason. I yawned, my eyes still closed. Something furry rubbed against my face and entered my mouth. I opened my eyes in alarm, and to my surprise found Tika nestled against me! Her long hair covered my face while she slept.
My sudden movements woke her, and she stared at me with two huge innocent eyes.
“Err…Ti…Tika…” I stammered. “Wha…what are you doing here?”
She looked at me shyly, and lowered her eyes, “Zuban say you lonely. Tell me warm Totem bed. So I come.”
I frowned, “He shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry; you don’t have to spend the night here against your will.”
She actually blushed as she replied, “I not mind. I like sleep with you.”
I might end up as Nihilator’s eternal chew toy in a few days. This was a whole pile of trouble I didn’t want to deal with right now. I had to admit though, I did sleep like a baby; and Tika was probably the reason for that, snuggling with her was very…soothing.
“You may sleep here if you wish,” I finally said, “But for now, I have to go.”
“Yes, Esteemed Totem,” she lowered her eyes again as she spoke.
I left hastily. A romance with an NPC, and a goblin no less! No, I was definitely not ready to face those troubling questions at the moment.
I walked toward the cave entrance. I had three full work days to complete the Shrine, and dedicate my clan to worshipping Nihilator. Or so I hoped.
I called the jobless Miner worker over to me, and together we went into the cave. We walked down the long tunnel that led to the lava stream.
I bent down to check my handiwork. As I hoped, the lava in the mold cooled and hardened overnight. The result was dark gray, almost black porous brick.
It took some effort and I had to use my dagger, but eventually I managed to get the brick out of the mold. This brick was heavier than the one quarried from white limestone, and it felt stronger and heavier. I shook my head at myself, just realizing I could easily get more information by comparing the two bricks with Analyze.
Limestone Brick
Description: Simple stone material used for construction.
Type: resource.
Weight: 7 kg
Rank: simple
Durability: 200
Basalt Brick
Description: Hard stone used for construction.
Type: resource.
Weight: 8 kg
Rank: advanced
Durability: 250
So, using lava to make it gave me an upgraded basalt brick, more durable than the simple limestone one. It probably meant buildings constructed with it would be more durable and stronger.
I ordered the worker to take the two finished bricks we had back to the construction site and come back. With his 13 points in Haul skill, he could carry three, but I wanted to get the stones I had back to Zuban as quickly as possible.
I refilled the mold, and while it was cooling, I started working on a second mold. After two hours of mind-numbingly boring work, I was done. I refilled the new mold and started working on a third. Another two hours have passed, and another mold was created. As I refilled that mold, I made a small mistake, plugging the lava channel a little too strongly, and caused a burning drop of magma to fly in the air and land on my arm. The pain was intense, nearly unbearable; I opened my mouth and screamed as I felt the molten rock searing my flesh.
Lava burns you. You take 22 damage
Lava burns you. You take 18 damage
Lava burns you. You take 15 damage
Lava burns you. You take 12 damage
The uncaring system messages appeared one after the other while I screamed. Eventually, the lava cooled enough to stop hurting me. However, my mind refused to let go of the pain, sure that I had sustained a severe burn. I took nearly 80 damage in total from that speck of lava. It was enough to kill any other member of my clan.
“You ok boss?” Vic asked, worriedly. Apparently, while I was screaming he was trying to talk to me offering his support, but I was in so much pain I couldn’t hear what he was saying.”
After a few minutes, I managed to control the pain. “I’m ok now, thank you Vic,” I said painfully.
“Why don’t you concentrate on making the molds, and I’ll fill them?” He suggested. “I’m not as vulnerable to pain as you are, and I have enough hit points to survive a splash or two of lava.”
That was actually an excellent idea. “Thank you, Vic,” I replied, moved by his concern for me.
“Don't mention it,” he replied modestly, “But if you insist, I would accept a life-sized statue in my likeness, maybe on top of your house.”
I chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I noted with interest, that the first brick had cooled enough to be taken out of the mold. I used my da
gger and produced another brick.
Vic refilled the molds, while I continued making the 4th, then the 5th. Another brick has cooled enough to be extracted by the time it took me to make each new mold.
It was already night time but I decided to push through. We needed the stone urgently, and the consequences for failure were dire. So I spent the next four hours making two more molds.
I was dead tired on my feet when I was finally done. I now had seven molds, and five manufactured bricks, which was half a construction stone.
While we worked, the goblin worker walked back and forth, carrying the prepared bricks out to Zuban. After a few trips, I ordered him to bring me some food from Guba. Vic and I were the only ones who could safely create these bricks. Any mistake while handling the lava would mean death for any of the other goblins, and time was pressing. I couldn’t afford to get back to my comfortable bed and have a full night’s sleep. And confront the Tika complication, I thought with a shudder.
I ate the meal the worker brought, told Vic to wake me up in five hours, then lay down on the ground to sleep.
Vic woke me six hours later. A neat row of five new bricks was arranged before me, and all seven molds were filled to the brim with cooling lava.
“I thought I told you to wake me after five hours,” I said gruffly. Though I had to admit, the six hours I slept were barely enough, seeing how tired I was.”
Vic shook his head, “You meat suits are vulnerable and soft, you need your sleep. Besides, it was confusing to keep refilling a different mold every couple of hours, so I just waited till they all solidified, and then refilled them all at once. Now we can have exactly seven new bricks made every 4 hours. I knew you wouldn’t approve, with your unrealistic demands for efficiency.”
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