Keeper

by Tom Larcombe

  “That's a lot of land,” she said.

  “Yeah, but I still have enough claim acreage available to do it, with a bit left over even. It'll only cost me twenty-four acres worth if I leave an acre unclaimed for the road to the spur and the smithy.”

  “And I'm sure you'll think of other things to build on that land too, as time goes by,” she said.

  He nodded.

  “Probably. My plan is to listen to the people in my inn, see what they bitch about not having around here, and see if I can provide it.”

  She chuckled.

  “Mr. Monopoly?”

  “Hey, Karl already has his own business selling maps set up, so I won't be providing everything. I'm sure some others will do the same, either NPC or player. I'm pretty sure Delgar has plans along those lines, at least from the way he was talking about coins.”

  “True, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of those other dwarfs who came through are thinking similar thoughts also. Plus, Paul already has the lumber mill covered.”

  “See, not a monopoly, at least not entirely. You'll have the temple too, although part of that might be attributed to me,” he said, glancing at the roses he'd woven together.

  “Definitely,” she said. “Besides, I'm pretty sure that you're the reason Freyja chose me to send that dream to, so you're already kind of connected there. At least you're the only other person in the area that has had direct contact with her, well Opron too, I suppose, but that doesn't count, he's a... Well, you know.”

  “And, on that note. I'll be off. I'll try to reserve an hour or two a day to come down and keep working on those.”

  “The other side still needs just the basic accelerated plant growth until they are as tall as these, so I'll work on those for the moment, so they're ready when you get that far. Well, those and the tree, I want the tree to be giant, and the leaf canopy thick enough to form the roof. So that alone is going to take me quite a while,” Tiana said.

  Eddie glanced up for a moment, envisioning what she'd described.

  “It's going to be beautiful,” he said. “You can do it, I know you can.”

  “Especially if I have you to help me, Mr. Conjunction.”

  He'd been ready to cringe at her words, but there was no bitterness there, just a touch of teasing. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him before raising her lips for a kiss. Once she released him, he turned and headed back to the inn.

  Claim stakes to make, then land to claim, he thought.

  ~ ~ ~

  Eddie stopped by the inn just long enough to grab a few lengths of wood and carve them into claim stakes. He didn't even go inside while he was there, knowing that there'd be something to demand his attention. He wasn't ready to settle down to inn work for the rest of the day just yet, so he avoided going inside.

  Once the stakes were made, he walked along the road to the end of his land. The claim stakes he'd used for the inn plot were visible at the corners of the land, but only when he started looking for them.

  Nice touch, it doesn't spoil the view, but they're there if you need them, he thought.

  He drove the first one in back to back with the existing claim, then tried to pace off an acre in from the road. With his existing claim being three acres deep, he couldn't just use the other stake like he had the first. When he set it, he glanced at the top of the stake, reading off the distance on it.

  '210 ft.'

  Pretty close, he thought. A square acre is about two hundred and eight feet on a side, so if I move it just a bit this way.

  '208 ft.'

  That'll do nicely, he thought. Now to drive the next one alongside the road just before where I want the access road for the spur to go.

  He set his other claim stakes for the area adjoining the inn land and was surprised when he set the claim.

  Adjoining claims:

  You have two adjoining land claims, do you wish to merge these into a single claim?

  (yes/no)

  Yes, he thought. That's cool, so it's only going to count as a single claim still. Means I can make more non-adjoining claims as I get higher level, assuming I want to do that.

  He set the other stakes near the farm, but got no similar message when he finished it.

  That must be because the farm is considered purchased land and not claimed land, he thought. I'm still amazed at this game some times. I'm glad it keeps track of a lot of this stuff so I don't have to.

  Eddie headed back to the inn, pondering skill and spell combinations to try out with his new Conjunction ability.

  ~ ~ ~

  When he got back to the inn, the dwarfs he'd met earlier were still sitting around their table.

  “Hey, Eddie. Got a question for you.” Delgar said.

  “Shoot,” Eddie replied.

  “You know anyone that might want to buy some ingots of iron? We're going to need a bit more coin than anticipated down here.”

  “Yeah, gold miner mentality around here,” Eddie said. “So I decided to sell the shovels.”

  “Huh?” Delgar said, a look of confusion passing over his face before he continued.

  “Anyhow, know anyone that wants some iron? The only one of us that plans on smithing is me, but the others all got some from the newbie zones in Hammer Hold. They got coal too, but we sold that stuff off up there, got a really good price for it too.”

  “I'll buy it from you,” Eddie said, “but I need to talk to my smith friend first to find out a fair price.”

  “Good, good,” Delgar said. “Now we just need to find some people interested in the rest of that stuff.”

  “What else do you have? I wouldn't recommend selling it to the local merchant, Old Jeffries. He's got a reputation for ripping off adventurers with his prices. You know what? Wait, don't tell me. There's something I've meant to do for a bit. I'll get back to you in a few minutes with a possible solution.”

  Eddie went into the kitchen and once he'd determined that Liv didn't need any help, he continued out the back to his wood pile.

  Selecting several pieces for a frame, he then looked for thinner, slat-like boards to go in between them. A few minutes later he had a serviceable substitute for a cork board nearly complete.

  Although, no push pins, so I'll make a bunch of sharp points that you can jab a paper onto to hang it on there, he thought. I can always ask Aaron, I mean Opron, to make some push pin equivalents after the smithy is ready.

  He finished piecing it together, careful of the sharp points of wood he'd spaced out evenly across the slat surface.

  Success:

  You have created the Blueprint: Notice Board.

  Cool, Eddie thought, another blueprint. I've got to have the most eclectic collection of those. Chicken coops, notice boards, a bunkhouse, a cart... Well, maybe I can sell some if I ever need more coins.

  He chuckled to himself about that. The coins had been rolling in since he opened the inn. Even with a percentage going to Paul, he was still doing better than he had been as a meat-on-a-stick vendor, significantly better. Not to mention he was the owner of an inn and the main employer for the area.

  He re-entered the common room and chose a wall adjacent to the one with Karl's map. A few taps of a hammer and the board was nailed to the wall. He took out a piece of paper and wrote on it, in large letters, Swap and Sales Board. That was the first paper to get pressed onto one of the sharpened spikes of wood.

  “Hey Delgar, got paper?” he called.

  The dwarf nodded.

  “Write out what you want to sell or trade and stick it on one of the spikes on the board. The inn's a lot busier at night so people will see what you want to sell and if anyone wants it they can buy it. Oh, wait...”

  Eddie pulled the paper back down and added a smaller line of text to it. Now, below the title, it read:

  'swaps and sales can be completed between ten AM and two PM in the common room of the inn.'

  “There, now if you just show up tomorrow around lunch time anyone who wants to buy s
ome of your stuff should be here,” Eddie said, replacing his title note on the board. “I've been meaning to do something to run Old Jeffries out of business. This won't do it, but it's a good start.”

  Delgar stared at him.

  “You're going competitive with an NPC? Why?”

  “Because he's screwing over all the adventurers in the area. Besides,” Eddie snarled, “he buys and sells bobcat pelts.”

  Realizing that Delgar had only seen Lucky briefly, Eddie went over to the door and called her. She came running over, rubbing against his legs.

  “She's my pet,” Eddie said, “she's safe to be around as long as you don't threaten me. But, yeah, I'm going to drive him out of business for a number of reasons. The adventurers getting screwed are one, Lucky's another, beyond that? Well, I've got more reasons, but those are mine.”

  Delgar slowly approached.

  “Can I pet her?” he asked.

  “Let her sniff your hand,” Eddie said, grinning.

  Anyone that had gotten close to Lucky had had a similar reaction and he was used to it by now. Besides, Lucky was a much better judge of character than he was, with one major exception he could think of.

  She didn't bristle, snarl, or growl after sniffing Delgar's hand.

  “Go ahead, stroke her head, or her cheeks. She likes the idea of scenting a bunch of adventurers to claim them I think,” Eddie said.

  Delgar looked curiously at him.

  “Much like house cats, they can leave their scent on people by rubbing their cheeks against them,” Eddie explained. “I had to look that up online because I couldn't figure out why she liked rubbing against people with her cheeks. I guess the programmers put that in too.”

  Delgar blinked.

  “Just like a real cat. She's so soft. How'd you get her?”

  “Rescued her. She'd broken out of a trapper's trap and I got the rope that had her stuck off of her. She kind of followed me home and decided that I was hers.”

  Delgar laughed.

  “Really just like a cat then. You don't own a cat, you serve a cat.”

  “Sounds about right,” Eddie said, scratching Lucky on top of the head.

  She sniffed Delgar one more time, then turned and trotted to the door, which Eddie opened for her.

  “See?” he said. “Doorman to cats, that's me.”

  Lucky turned and chuffed at him before running off behind the inn.

  “Just be glad she hadn't been at the pond. She gets a nasty case of fish breath after she has been,” Eddie said. “Anyhow, that's one of the reasons, but there are more, lots more.”

  “I see, well I'll post a note with a list of what we want to sell, then see if anyone bites tomorrow. Sorry, this place is a bit steep on prices for us, is there anywhere else to sleep?”

  “You know what? I'll cut you a deal. I also own the bunkhouse over there,” Eddie said, gesturing across the inn yard, “and it's a little cheaper. But if you don't mind walking a mile or so, I can get you housing in one a lot like it for free. There's one guy staying there right now, one of my group members, but there are a bunch of beds. It's open, dormitory style, with only a couple of rooms roughed off, but you're welcome to use it for a few days since you're new to the area. It's on the farm where I get the produce I sell here.”

  “Really?” Delgar asked, his eyes flying open.

  “Yeah, why not. I figure I'm part of the reason you're here, so I should give you a hand if I can.”

  “You, my friend, are exactly the type of person I like to see. We'll make it up to you, we'll figure out a way.”

  “No need. Once you have your list up, gather your friends and head east on the road until you see the farm. Tell Brandr, and Osmond that I sent you. Dominic is the other adventurer staying in the bunkhouse. Tell him the same and you ought to be fine. Feel free to grab a little bit of food from the garden there, but please don't take too much. Like I said, those plants are my stock to sell here.”

  “Done Eddie, and thank you.”

  “Don't mention it. Just remember to be down here tomorrow in case someone wants your stuff. I'll have an offer for your iron ingots then also.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Eddie was in the kitchen. Liv had opted to stay for a while so they could exchange more cooking tips with one another. She'd gained a point in cooking the day before and was hoping for another. Eddie was still hoping for his first gain from their exchange.

  “Hey, I just got a point in cooking myself,” he said, after she'd been explaining how she made her various breads.

  Thinking about the way she'd talked about them, and the way she bemoaned her recent loss of the yeast culture she used to make her her raised breads, he started drooling.

  “You know what? I bet someone knows where to get a bread yeast, maybe. I'm sure the adventurers could be good for finding some, right?”

  She nodded, dubiously.

  Eddie stuck his head out of the kitchen door and called out.

  “Hey everyone. Got an opportunity for you. If anyone can find me a suitable yeast for raised breads, I'll give them a gold, okay?”

  The chatter had died down while he was speaking, but when he finished talking they all went dead silent and every head in the room turned to stare at Eddie.

  What did I do this time? he wondered as a notification light started flashing in his panel. He pulled up the notification, hoping it would explain what was happening.

  Success:

  You have created the Quest: Rise and Dine!

  One Gold has been removed from your inventory and placed in escrow as a reward for this quest.

  His eyes went wide as he looked around the room. Even the servers were staring at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You just made a quest?” Charles said, wearing his armor even at dinner. “How did you do it?”

  Eddie shrugged.

  “I don't know. I just said what I said and then got a notification that I'd made a quest. I had someone else, a player, well sort of, give me one back a ways. Is that not something we should be able to do?”

  “I don't know how to do it,” Charles replied. “Does anyone else?”

  There was a lot of head shaking in the room in reply to his question.

  “Wait,” Karl said. “None of you owned any land before, did you?”

  A chorus of “no” rang out in the room.

  “Let me try something,” Karl said.

  “I'll pay a silver for each additional trail or encampment people can help me map out from the Forest of Fools,” Karl called out.

  Eddie's notification light started flashing again. He pulled it up quickly.

  System Generated Quest:

  Find Them All!

  Karl the Cartographer desires to map the Forest of Fools. Help him out. There's a reward for each new trail or encampment you help him place on his maps.

  Reward: 1 silver piece per location.

  “Holy crap, it worked!” Karl called out. “So it must be if you own land, you can do it.”

  “Or a business,” Eddie added. “You're selling maps now, so you've got a business also.”

  One of the other individuals who had recently claimed land called out.

  “I'll offer a gold for a better sword than the one I'm currently using.”

  No notification lights came up and the man sighed.

  “Nope, not just land owners. It must be business owners,” he said.

  “Or their appointed managers,” Eddie added. “The one I got before was from the person managing the business, not owning it. But if you want a better sword, post on my notification board, right on the wall there.”

  He pointed towards the board he'd made earlier in the day.

  “Well now, this game just keeps getting more and more interesting around you Eddie,” Charles said with a grin.

  A moment later the stable boy, hired from a family in the hamlet, came running up with a cloth-wrapped package in his hands.

  “My Mum, she said you could ha
ve this. You'll need to feed it, but it's got the yeast you wanted,” the boy said.

  Eddie picked it up, looked at the partially risen dough inside of the cloth, and nodded.

  “That will do nicely. Thank you.”

  A gold shimmered and appeared in the boy's hand.

  Quest Notification:

  Your gold in escrow has been turned over to the person who completed your quest.

  “No. Thank you Eddie, sir,” the boy exclaimed, beaming at the coin in his hands.

  ~ ~ ~

  Chapter Six

  Freyja strode into Odin's throne room. Unlike the normal reaction to her appearances in the throne room the appreciative glances she was given were fewer and the looks she did receive were hidden. Odin's face, what was visible of it, was twisted with anger.

  “We may not interfere in such a manner!” he thundered. “Account for your actions!”

  Freyja wasn't awed in the slightest by his anger. She simply sighed and shrugged.

  “What actions must I account for Odin All-Father?”

  “This mortal, the one you comforted once before. You have interfered with his learning. Explain yourself.”

  “I need not account for my actions. If you had looked closer you would have seen what he was doing. He, and his mate, are building a magnificent temple for me. I have simply given him a boon that will make such work easier, as is within my rights. In addition, he may well use it to solve another problem, one which you are unaware of.”

  “And what problem is that?” Odin asked.

  The anger on his face had faded somewhat at her explanation, although her insinuation that he was ignorant was causing it to grow once more.

  “There are unauthorized users not of this world who have called into being inhabitants of this world. Then—”

  Odin's roar interrupted her.

  “I know this, they have been given permission to do so.”