There was no arguing with Vic once he built up a certain momentum, so I gave up on the conversation. It was still daylight, so I let Zuban go back to sleep. There was still a lot to do, but it would have to wait for the next night-time. The goblin’s time.
***
Several hours later, when the last accursed rays of light had disappeared behind the mountain’s tops, I left my house. With Vicloak once again around my shoulders, I walked along the new road leading to the mess hall, just beyond the pond.
As usual, Gandork was in the kitchen, cooking. His eyes lit up when he saw me. “Oh, Dread Totem! How good to see you. Come look, I have invented another recipe!”
He opened the big stone oven and retrieved a large tray of something that smelled delicious. My mouth watered at the aroma. Due to our recent unexpected guests, I hadn’t eaten all day. I was famished. “What do we have here?”
“I call it a Meat Pie!” he announced proudly. “You see, Chief, I sliced mushrooms and some raw meat, then took some of the herbs and vegetables, mixed them all with a –”
“I got it,”’ I interrupted. “It smells wonderful.”
His chatter didn’t falter. “Why yes! It is! It requires four different ingredients, but the dish is enough to feed six!”
So the new recipe not only smelled good, but it also had the highest ingredients-to-food ratio than all our other advanced food recipes. That was good news!
Reaching into the tray, I took a fistful of the mushy food in my hand, dripping fat and juices all over the floor. I ignored Gandork’s horrified expression at my uncivilized behavior and stuffed the sloppy mass into my mouth. Well, what did he expect? We were goblins after all.
The food was delectable. I licked my dripping fingers, enjoying the disgusted look on Gandork’s face. “It’s good! How much can you make?”
His expression turned sorrowful. “I’m afraid our mushroom supply is down; we have less than 30 left.”
I frowned. “The farmers are not providing you with more?”
One of the few things I’d spent resources on these last couple of weeks was for summoning a pair of goblin farmers. They had performed poorly so far. Either the valley’s ground was not suitable for growing crops, or goblins were simply bad farmers.
Gandork shook his head. “I went as far as going to the fields myself to give them a piece of my mind, but they are working hard. They’ve only managed to grow some wild potatoes; It’s barely enough to supply their own upkeep.”
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t have members who didn’t carry their own weight around here. Both of them had the skill ‘Farmer’ at level 6. I’d let them reach the Apprentice rank and see what happened before resorting to drastic measures.
“So how many units of food can you cook with your current supply?”
He thought it over for a moment. “I should have enough for about 160 portions.”
And that was advanced food we were talking about; it was much more difficult to produce than simple food. The mess hall bonus to cooking really paid off.
I’ll need to find a way to get Gandork more mushrooms. We were using them for almost all our recipes. “For now, please cook all the meat pies you can,” I instructed him. “Then load them up to the Breeder’s Den.”
He made a sour face but nodded all the same. “By your command.” He went back behind the counter and started rummaging the pantry, taking out sacks and boxes of food and placing them on the counter.
With the new food boost, it was time for some fresh blood around here. The Breeder’s Den is going to be well fed tonight, I thought with a chuckle.
Now that we had a proper warehouse, I didn’t have to go rummaging through the chaotic clan supply pile anymore. Everything was ordered and organized efficiently. I opened the Warehouse Interface and selected ‘Food,’ checking the remaining stock.
Warehouse [Food]
265 raw meat
305 raw fish
274 gathered edibles
268 gathered ingredients
0 mushrooms
190 travel rations
I gave a low whistle. I hadn’t viewed our food stores since summoning the two deadbeat farmers. We had built up an impressive store of food since then. I was surprised at the amount.
Then I shook my head. That won’t do. I needed to pay attention to details and keep on top of everything around here to optimize the development of the clan.
At first glance, the amount of food had looked like a lot, but, it was not nearly enough. Sure, compared to our first few days around here, it was an amazing amount. But I needed warriors and a lot of them. But warriors cost a lot of food to get and needed a lot of food for upkeep.
I’d decided not to summon any more goblin warriors. They were just too fragile and came with too many combat restrictions. It would have to be hobgoblin soldiers all the way.
A hob warrior cost 70 food, so with our current food stock, I’d be able to recruit about 14 of them. And that was the cost of the most basic hob warrior. I needed better, more expensive soldiers, and in large numbers.
I opened the Breeder’s Den Interface and cracked my knuckles. Time to get back into the game.
Breeder’s Den
Goblin (Foblin): 20 basic food.
Goblin Worker: 30 basic food.
Goblin Advanced Worker: 30 basic, 20 advanced food.
Goblin Warriors: 50 basic food.
Goblin Lieutenant: 50 basic, 20 advanced food.
Goblin Crafter: 30 basic, 20 advanced food.
Goblin Advanced Crafter: 30 advanced, 20 exquisite food.
Goblin Adept: 30 advanced, 20 exquisite food.
Hobgoblin: 30 basic food.
Hobgoblin Warrior: 70 basic food.
Hobgoblin Lieutenant: 70 basic, 30 advanced food.
Hobgoblin Adept: 50 advanced, 30 exquisite food.
Hobgoblin Noble: 100 basic, 50 advanced food.
I selected a ‘Miner’ worker first, then I queued in an ‘Advanced’ worker with the ‘Research’ skill. Acting on Zuban’s advice, I queued in two ‘Crafter’ goblins; a ‘Weaponsmith’ and an ‘Armorsmith.’
A trio of goblin workers walked into the mess hall, moving mechanically. They went to the counter and began carrying out the bundles of food Gandork stacked for them.
I chuckled. I could now see the faint streams of information guiding them, leading them to fulfill the Breeder’s Den demands. Almost like puppets on a string.
I froze at that fleeting thought.
I furrowed my brow.
There are dozens of strings coming out of you too, I pointed out.
Exactly what are you pulling at, Vic? I didn’t like what he was implying. I was not some puppet!
I eased up at that. He was right. He would need a significant amount of access to properly do his job for me.
“Alright, Vic,” I said audibly. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”
I turned my attention back to the Breeder’s Den Interface. Should I start using the food surplus to summon warriors? I wondered.
I accessed the Settlement Interface. The hamlet’s daily food production was at 124 units per day. Not bad. Then I checked my clan’s upkeep. Not including the soon-to-arrive recruits, we were consuming 53 units of food per day. We were producing enough food to summon one new hob warrior per day. Not nearly enough.
Once again, I needed to increase the food production to make progress. Unfortunately, we had already reached the maximum of four hunters that the valley could support. We had four gatherer
s, and the valley could accommodate up to seven, so I queued three more gatherers in the Breeder’s Den. And our two fishermen were already fishing the maximum amount from our little pond. With the available resources, it seemed that we had reached the food production limit for the valley. This was one of the reasons the Deadlands were considered a poor choice for colonization attempts. The resources here were simply not enough to support a large population.
I have to find other methods to produce food.
I left the mess hall, following several goblins who were hauling trays of meat pies to the Breeder’s Den. Three new workers were already standing in front of the structure.
More food was loaded into the building, which began emitting its troubling grunting and screeching noises. I could also smell unsavory odors coming from within, and for the hundredth time since I got the Den, I shuddered at the thought of what must be going on in there.
Soon, seven new goblins stood before me; four simple, mindless workers and three which had names. I didn’t bother analyzing them. Each one of my new clan members was giving off thick ribbons of information that I easily deciphered.
“Welcome to the GreenPiece Clan,” I said. “Together we will build a nation, and together we will become a force to be reckoned with. Serve our clan well.”
“Yes, Dread Totem.”
“Yes, Bread Totem.”
“Yes, Bread Totem.”
I groaned. I’d had it up to my ears with those unfeeling automatons’ reactions. What I was really missing was someone to direct new workers and take the weight of micromanaging each one off my shoulders.
Wait a minute … I thought suddenly. There was an option to do just that. According to Zuban, the most expensive hob in the Breeder’s Den – the ‘Hobgoblin Noble’ – was just the one for the job. Fifty advanced food for one individual was a lot from our small supply. But then, I would only need one.
Resolved, I selected the noble and waited impatiently. A few minutes later, four workers, burdened with the weight of the food, came and placed it inside the building.
The ruckus that ensued was louder and more violent than usual, and there were new sounds this time – vicious snarling in the background. I closed my mind and ears to the sounds and information streams and waited.
A moment later the noises stopped and a low fanfare could be heard.
Lady Luck has smiled on your clan!
You were awarded an improved creature. Your new Noble has the following trait: Mind Eater.
Mind Eater: A select few of the hobgoblin nobility can track their ancestry back to their demonic heritage. Some of those individuals still display the various powers of their ancestor.
Mind Eater Nobles are much more intelligent than the average hobgoblin Nobles. They also possess minor psionic and telepathic abilities.
Though they can subsist on normal food, a Mind Eater must consume the brain of a living humanoid creature once a week or risk devolving into a savage creature that kills indiscriminately to sate its hunger.
Holy hell! Is luck working for me or against me on this one? I thought dumbly.
The building’s cover flap was pushed aside and a tall, slender – almost skeletal – creature stepped out. It was unmistakably a hobgoblin, but he was so thin, his bones literally protruded under his skin, making him a truly disturbing sight.
I analyzed him.
Kaedric, Hobgoblin Noble
Level: 5
HP: 55, MP: 85
Attributes: P: 1, M: 5, S: 5
Skills: Administrator 10, Etiquette 10, Telepathy 10, Mindshock 10, Quest Giver 10
Traits: Goblinoid (+1 Physical, -1 Social), Mind Eater (+3 Mental, +3 Social, Telepathic)
Background: A remnant of old, when hobgoblin wizards tried to crossbreed their race with demons to further enhance their strength. Kaedric was recruited to help manage the GreenPiece Clan by a Dread Totem goblin.
Even for a race of monsters, this one was monstrous.
He moved gracefully, taking sure, confident steps toward us. I tightened my grip on my staff.
The creature stopped and bowed deeply to me. As he straightened, four black, curved mandibles spread apart around his mouth, stretching his lips wide in a horrific display of needle-like teeth. Then the mandibles snapped shut, and he began to speak.
“Greeting, Dread Totem,” he said in a hollow, scratchy voice. “I am here to serve.”
I coughed nervously. “So, err … I’m … eh, I mean …”
Kaedric’s head turned sharply toward my Vicloak, examining it with narrowed, calculating eyes.
I coughed again. “I’m the leader of this clan. I’ve summoned you to help me with its management.”
Yeah, I got it! I snapped.
I looked at the new hob apprehensively. “As I said, I could use some help managing the clan, though I have to admit, I’m not sure exactly what your role would be around here.”
He bowed again. “If I may demonstrate, my lord?”
I nodded.
Kaedric appraised the assembled goblins around him. He looked like a teacher standing amidst a host of schoolkids. A classroom in a school from your worst nightmares.
Without him saying a word, the three gatherers and the miner headed for the warehouse. Primla walked toward the construction yard. Only the two new smiths remained.
Puzzled, I stared at Kaedric. “What just happened?”
He smiled thinly, his protruding mandibles giving the friendly expression a disturbing viciousness. “I ordered the four simple workers to get tools from the warehouse and to start working immediately. There are three more hours until daylight, so I directed them to the closest area of their respective jobs, to maximize their contribution. I also sent Primla to Zuban, your foreman, and instructed her to select the ‘Construction’ research specialization.”
I looked at the two remaining smiths. “What about them? Why didn’t you send them to work at the smithy?”
He bowed again, “Forgive my assumption, my lord, but those two are crafters. To perform efficiently in their line of work, they need two assistants each. My recommendation is to recruit four more simple workers and assign them the gofer skills.”
I looked at him with respect. “Your depth of knowledge is impressive.”
He bowed again. “Thank you, my lord. I have also noticed the beginning of a rat infestation in the mess hall’s cellar. I’ve ordered our only combatant clan member – I believe his name is Bek – to handle the problem. I’m afraid he is being somewhat reluctant to follow my instructions, but I’m sure that next time I’ll be able to correct this behavior. On a side note, such tasks could be delegated to friendly travelers in the future in the form of quests.”
I stared numbly at him. He can detect rats in the mess hall from here? Do we even have a cellar?
“That’s quite a demonstration, Kaedric. Please don’t bother Bek; he’s earned his status around here. As for the extra workers …”
I accessed the Breeder’s Den Interface again and queued in four gofer workers. Once the structure spat out the newly minted workers, I used the Settlement Interface to review their skill.
Gofer (P) [Monster Race]
Everyone can use someone to do their dishes, fetch water, light the brazier. A good gofer does all that and more, with a smile on his face.
Assists advanced craftsmen with their job.
Level 1: Novice
Effect: Improve assisted crafter’s production by 5.5%.
There was more to the skill than what the text specified. As with many other ‘monster only’ features, the rudimentary description was lacking, but I could detect the underlying in
formation beyond it. Aside from improving their master’s productivity, gofers could also produce items on their own, though at a limited capacity. So their contribution, in actuality, would be higher than what the text implied.
In the space of an hour, I’d summoned a total of 12 new members to my clan, a staggering amount. I’d opened the Energy Options menu and spent 550 energy points, raising all the workers to level 2.
Kaedric watched me with detached interest.
“Ah, I see. Very shrewd, my lord. I’d recommend spending additional 726 energy to raise everyone to level 3. With the current clan’s morale, we would see a return on our investment in exactly two months. If you wish, I may also handle the energy management aspect of the clan.”
That could be useful.
But I shook my head. “I need the energy. I still need to resurrect some fallen troops, and in the coming days, we might find ourselves needing a lot of energy for quick upgrades. As for your other suggestion, I’ll handle the energy management on my own for now”
He bowed again. “I understand, my lord.”
I grimaced. All that bowing was making me feel uncomfortable, especially coming from a creature nearly twice my height. “You don’t need to keep bowing, Kaedric.”
He didn’t bow this time. “As my lord wishes.”
“Now, eh …” I didn’t exactly know how to broach the next subject. “About your … dietary requirements …”
Kaedric shot a look directly at Vic, and in a confident tone said, “My dear Vic, old Guba is contributing more to the clan with every passing hour than any three other workers combined.” He turned his gaze back to me. “As for your question, do not fret yourself, my lord, I am more than capable of attending to my own culinary requirements.”
Kaedric threw another look at Vic, then added, ”At worst, I might have to sample a purple goblin’s brain. Though it would probably be a small, unsatisfying meal.”
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