Dave sat beside Deia.
“You stink,” she said as his arm circled her back and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Is that code for build me a shower please?” Dave asked.
“See, this is why I keep him,” Deia said to Anna, who simply smiled.
“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I am looking forward to taking some time away from this all once we defeat the remainder of the Demon Horde,” Malsour said.
“Ah, time to plan the next part of our adventure?” Dave asked.
“Or vacation from all this damned chaos?” Anna chimed in.
“Well, I have many books and the people of Devil’s Crater need some help in putting up shelters and proper defenses. There is also Unity that needs building,” Malsour said.
Dave could feel the enthusiasm radiating off his friend. His Affinity was thought of by many as evil and linked to death, and in ways, it was. However, to Malsour and many Dark mages, it was a powerful force of building. Malsour reveled in building things. Creating a city and the infrastructure across Devil’s Crater was a dream.
“So, what do you want to do, Anna?” Deia asked.
“I want to make sure that my people are settled in and safe. Once that’s done, I think I’d be more than happy to go on another adventure. I have no need to go to the Dwarven tournament.” Anna tapped her sheathed blade resting on the bench beside her.
“I think I’ve had enough of fighting for now. I think spending time at Per’ush might be fun.” Deia looked to Dave.
“I’d be interested in visiting a bit, but I’ve got things I need to take care of in Cliff-Hill—the guild hall, here and with the Aleph college,” Dave said.
“Good thing we have teleport pads, so we can meet up with one another.” Deia snuggled closer to Dave.
“How could I deny that, babe?” Dave leaned down to kiss her.
She smiled happily as Dave looked back to the others, a grin on his face.
“I think Suzy and Induca might also be interested in the mage’s college or somewhere that they can train,” Malsour said.
“Well, I’m about this close to figuring out teleport pads. I think if we get our heads together for a bit, then I can figure it all out. Also, part of going to the Aleph college is finding out how the portals work and how I can use that to make summonings easier. Be pretty awesome if we can open up a hall of summoning in the guild hall.” Dave smiled.
“A hall of summoning?” Anna asked. All of the party looked to Dave in question.
“Well, we’ve got more than one summoner in our ranks and getting the best creatures to control strengthens the guild. We’re not the biggest guild, but we are still one of, if not the, most powerful guild when it comes to raiding. With more summoned creatures, we can have more creatures around that can bolster our numbers. Imagine having three Creatures of Power like Steve at our backs when we go into a fight. One doesn’t need to be a summoner to create a soul binding contract. A summoner can control the beast and then pass the contract on to another member of the Stone Raiders.”
“Making it so that each Stone Raider gets one or more creatures that bolster our numbers when we’re in a fight.” Malsour nodded.
“We need the numbers if we’re going to keep heading into fights like the last one we just had,” Anna added.
“I wonder what’s going to happen when we reveal the footage from this fight?” Deia said.
“I don’t doubt that we’ll be able to win the contest with the other guild vying to be the best raiding guild in Emerilia. When we do, there are going to be tons of Players who want to join. I know that Bob will also help guide some of the better Players and POEs to us. I wouldn’t be surprised if the guild doubles in size, unless we have just too many things going on,” Anna said.
“What about the E-heads? I know that we have a lot of them, but do you think more will join us?” Dave asked.
“I think so. With the guild’s connections, the Exdar’s Traders and the Golden Sabres and the way that the guild promotes people going and learning more about Emerilia and their different ways, many E-heads would be interested in the protection of a guild that will allow them to do as they desire and get involved in events that shape the future of Emerilia. Even if we lose the competition with the other guild for the strongest raiding guild, our guild is the most powerful. We have altered the future of Emerilia in a very real way.”
The members of Party Zero looked around, thoughtful.
“With Dave’s upgrades and our reliance on fighting techniques over pre-programmed controls, I think that we’ll be a match for any guild!” Steve declared. “I have not seen these other guilds, but after all of the growth in the last eight months, you might be surprised by the results.”
Steve might act like a goof most of the time, but when he was being serious, it was good to pay attention. With his core, he was one of the three most powerful AIs on Emerilia, superseding the AI that managed the planet, farming it of technology, power, and the entertainment the residents brought the Jukal Empire.
They were stopped by a prompt appearing in everyone’s vision.
Quest: Survival of the Fittest
Together with the Dwarves of Aldamire, the Aleph, and the DCA, you have protected the people of Devil’s Crater and defeated the Dark Lord’s Demon Horde.
Rewards:
100,000 gold to the Guild’s treasury
Increased reputation with the creatures of Devil’s Crater
The Stone Raiders’ Guild are seen as: Allies
You are personally seen as: Trusted Friend
750,000 EXP
Rights to use the dungeons and raid events within Devil’s Crater and in the Devil Crater’s controlled land.
Dave dismissed the quest and looked to his classes that had leveled up.
Class Quest Completed: Friend Of The Grey God Level 3
Completed the Quest: Survival of the Fittest
Rewards: Unlock Level 4 Quest
+10 to all stats (Stacks with previous Class Level)
+300,000 EXP
Class: Friend of the Grey God
Status:
Level 3
Effects:
+30 to all stats
Access to hidden quests.
Class Quest Completed: Bleeder Level 2
Completed the Quest: Survival of the Fittest
Rewards: Unlock Level 3 Quest
+10 to all stats (Stacks with previous Class Level)
(???)
+200,000 EXP
Class: Bleeder
Status:
Level 2
Effects:
+20 to all stats
(???)
Class Quest Completed: Weapons Master Level 3
Completed the Quest: Survival of the Fittest
Rewards: Unlock Level 4 Quest
+20 Vitality
+10 Endurance
+15 Strength
+15 Agility
(Stacks with previous Class Level)
+300,000 EXP
Class: Weapons Master
Status:
Level 3
Effects:
+60 Vitality
+30 Endurance
+45 Strength
+45 Agility
The effects of the new stats started sinking in as Dave gingerly took his arm back from around Deia and slowly lowered himself to the ground.
“Another stat boost?” Deia sounded distorted by the slight time difference that was making itself known.
“Yeah.” Dave was pretty sure he wouldn’t wreck anything in the next minute or so.
Deia also slowly moved to lie down on the bench.
“Seems I’m not the only one,” Dave said.
“This crap is annoying!” Deia complained.
Dave snorted. A new notification appeared.
Level 221
You have reached level 221; you have 496 stat points to use.
Dave grinned. With his classes increase, he’d been able to gain more levels
. He went to check his character sheet.
Character Sheet
Name:
David Grahslagg
Gender:
Male
Level:
122
Class:
Dwarven Master Smith, Friend of the Grey God, Bleeder, Librarian, Aleph Engineer, Weapons Master, Champion Slayer, Skill Creator, Mine Manager, Master Summoner
Race:
Human/Dwarf
Alignment:
Neutral Good
Unspent points: 496
Health:
28,000
Regen:
9.60 /s
Mana:
7,550
Regen:
23.40 /s
Stamina:
2,990
Regen:
20.35 /s
Vitality:
280
Endurance:
480
Intelligence:
755
Willpower:
468
Strength:
341
Agility:
407
“So, now you’re stuck in one place for more than five minutes, when do you think we should plan to have the wedding?” Deia asked.
“Wah?” Dave asked, surprised by the suddenness of her question. The others laughed as he forced himself to relax and not accidentally use the new stats he hadn’t adapted to yet.
Chapter 26: A Time To Build
“Send out the next load.” Kol wiped his forehead with a rag. He looked over his forge, actually looked at it. To many Dwarves, it might be lacking without the massive bellows and tools that a Dwarven smithy in the mountains might have.
Though he had more orders than he could count and commissions for Master-tiered weapons and items to work on, he constantly found himself closing his eyes when working with the metal, only to open them and not only sense the beauty of what he had made, but to see it.
Those Stone Raiders aren’t a bad lot, and Jules has certainly come a long way from being one of the troublemakers to open Boran-al’s Citadel.
Kol shook his head, lest the others working in the smithy see his smile.
He jumped on a wagon leaving down toward the teleport pad. Crates filled the wagon, each holding dozens of swords, arrowheads, or spearheads. It was up to the people of Devil’s Crater to add the wooden sections.
The ride didn’t take long before Kol was level with the teleport pad.
He knew that he was traveling nearly around Emerilia, so thoughts of what he would do if he was stuck there filled his mind. He came up with a number of ways that he’d find his way back to his smithy if the teleport pad didn’t work.
Then, the wagon was passing through the teleport pad and he was in the middle of a city. There were clear signs of damage everywhere on the buildings and roads, though the rubble had been cleared away for the most part and repairs were underway. Although it was nighttime in Cliff-Hill, it was early morning in Devil’s Crater.
There was an odd mixture of sadness and hope in the air. People walked with their heads down, but nodded at the incoming wagons appreciatively.
The wagons didn’t have far to go before they reached a large barracks. It was built like a fortress. A wall around a large open courtyard split into different training areas. Sleeping barracks lay along walls as the main keep was being built.
Square shaped formations of Demon and Beast Kin waited, eyeing the wagons as they approached.
Quartermasters showed the wagons where to off-load their gear. Soldiers of the Devil Crater’s Army moved to assist in pulling off the weapons. They opened the boxes, laying them in different areas. Off to the side, there was a small yard where arrow shafts and wooden poles were being fitted with arrow and spearheads.
Kol got off the wagon, seeing that everything was in order. He moved to one of the officers overseeing the whole process.
“Where’s yer smithy, lad?” Kol asked.
“Smithy? Uh, I think it’s down that way. Bunch of smoke coming out of it all the damned time,” the Demon said.
Kol grunted, his eyes thinning. A smithy put out a lot of smoke, but from the Demon’s tone, it sounded as if there was a lot more than what a normal smithy might let out into the air.
Kol strolled through the courtyard, watching the DCA square formations. Soldiers filed past tables where weapons had been deposited minutes before. They eagerly took their weapons, treating them as if they were Weapons of Power, not just simple steel weapons that Kol’s smithy had churned out en masse.
He paused as he saw levitating carts funneling through from the teleport pad. He didn’t need his eyes to understand the carts. His breath caught in his chest as he looked at the carts and the automatons with them.
“Aleph?” Kol whispered to himself in awe. The ancient race that had been so smart that they had threatened the knowledge of the Pantheon? Now they walked freely among the people of Devil’s Crater.
It had been a shock to learn where his weapons were going, and Dave had said that the Ela’s were both Aleph. They certainly had the markings and clothes of Aleph that Kol had heard about, though it was only now, seeing an Aleph cart in working order and their marvelous automaton machines, that he truly believed Dave.
He remembered Dave’s odd request to have a wagon team to move an oversized cart.
Dave had brought him in on the secret of the seeder and the portals held within. It was Kol’s job to make sure that no one found them while Dave was away.
The cryptic language Dave was using made sense as he thought about it more.
They were moving a portal from the seeder to the Aleph’s care. Kol’s mind worked on its own. He knew that the Aleph were the creators of the teleport pads and that many believed it was from their learning about portals.
If they were able to unlock the full knowledge that came with the portals… Kol felt energy return to his body, the energy he had felt when his eyesight had returned, a joy that made him want to yell out and jump in excitement for the future and what might be.
Kol continued to watch the carts and the Aleph as they worked. Automatons dropped off crates filled with dozens of swords. They were simple and efficient like Kol’s, though with his senses, he was able to see more than most.
“Interesting. They’re all practically identical and they’re not old. They churned out all of them in a week? How is that possible?” He talked to himself, his eyes closed, not caring for the people who looked at the Dwarf with his eyes closed and muttering to himself.
“They must have one of those factory-like things that Dave was talking about. If they do, then they can probably beat the cost it takes us for the different items.” Kol stroked his beard. After the healing, it was no longer a patchy mess but now a decent scruff turning into a thick beard. He continued to look at the Aleph, deep in thought.
“Well, there’s nothing for it. While the Aleph control the market for mass-producing items, we will have to focus on making items made for the user. Get Dave to take contracts on higher level weapons, things that are made per person instead of by the group. Imagine what they could do if they could make magical artillery?” Kol stopped stroking his beard for a moment. “I think it’s time that Dave, the head smiths, and I got together and started to think about how we could start on adding a factory for certain items.”
He pulled up his interface, starting to send messages out as he wandered through the town. Here and there, Aleph in their simple yet comfortable clothes worked to repair old homes and streets.
Kol turned a corner, finding himself face-to-face with a half-dozen warbands.
The war leader made to yell at Kol before he closed his mouth and saluted the Master Smith.
The other leaders did the same, their warbands marching on in perfect silence as their commanders rendered honors.
Kol nodded to them as they passed. He looked a lot different with his repaired face, but the necklace that denoted him as a Master Smith was visible.
/> Dwarven engineers were talking with a number of Beast Kin and Demons and having a rather large and colorful discussion about the layout of the city.
“Look, whoever made your first damned layout made a damn good job of it. Then, you lot gone and fucked it up by letting people build everywhere. You’re going to have people with basements in the damned sewers if you keep building like you are,” an engineer yelled.
“So, you want us to tear down these people’s homes?” a Beast Kin yelled.
“Look, you either take them down now and then you’re well set up for later on. Or, you keep building like you want to live on top of one another and you start having people drop dead from all the diseases. Then, you can’t get food and water in and out of the city because your roads look like some kid chewing on sugar cane and then rolled around on a piece of paper with a piece of charcoal in their hands!”
“But, these initial plans, they don’t make the best use of the island,” a Demon chimed in.
“They might not, but they make it so that you’re not stepping on one another, have open streets and sanitation works that actually bloody work!” the Dwarf yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
“Also, these plans are made to be expanded. Look at the roads and the water works. Later on, if Unity gets too big for the island you’ve made, it can be extended outward with another river to cover it,” another Dwarf said.
“How are we going to house all our people on this small island?” the Beast Kin yelled, throwing her hands up in despair.
“You’ve got seven keeps. Sure, one of them is broken, but it’s being fixed. An eighth is being built. They’re going to house a lot of people and you can be sure that they’re going to hire a lot of people who aren’t in the DCA to help with the running of things. Then, you’ve got the small communes in the different sectors. Got your farmers, hunters, and lumberjacks. They’re not going to come back to Unity all the time to just live here. Sure, it’s nice to have a home here, but most people who live in a city are crafters and traders. Nearly everyone else lives somewhere else to get away from the mess of cities and make a living. You’ve got miles and miles of area that people can use to make a living. You might think that you’ll have a lot of people in Unity, but I wouldn’t doubt more than fifty thousand are going to live here, if that,” the first Dwarven engineer said.
This is Our Land (Emerilia Book 5) Page 23