5.24 - Dead Dog Upgrades

5.24 - Dead Dog Upgrades

Theo took a break before pressing on with his building upgrade crusade. Tresk might have given the drydock a crude name, but at least it added characters. It wasnt as though sailors were strangers to rude words and crass jokes. The amount of curses that flung from the harbor was staggering. It seemed to be a constant stream of rude limericks and words that would make the alchemist blush.

For his break, Theo headed off to check on a few old friends. And there was plenty to see in town. Compared to when he first arrived, Broken Tusk had changed entirely. It was hard to imagine that only a season and a half had passed. The alchemist moved through the bustling streets of the town, nodding to people as they passed by. He stopped in to check on Perg, first.

Hello? Theo entered the tanners workshop, finding the half-ogre woman working hard.

Look who came to grace me with his demon goodness, Perg said, removing herself from the tanning pit. She was covered in a thin layer of goo.

Hows it going, Perg?

Well enough. Making some real money with these foreigners coming to town. They love wolf leather.

Theo nodded, engaging in polite conversation. Perg had become somewhat insular in recent times. She kept to herself, working hard in her tannery and never bothering others. Unlike most others in town, even those native to the area, she was content to live a quiet life. The alchemist reflected with her on that, part of him wishing he could do the same. He had found balance recently, but it was very recent.

Once he was done chatting, Theo headed out. He aimed to catch up with Xam and Miana, but he spotted the tworgnothi woman once again. The alchemist was drawn to her. It wasnt his goal, but in the heavens he had saved more than a few dronon souls. There was no administrative report on what the woman was doing here, or how she got here, but he needed to know.

Theo approached Throks workshop timidly. He waved at Throk and the tworgnothi woman, smiling. Hey.

Ah, there he is, the woman said. Her voice wasnt as cold as he had expected. There was a brightness that radiated the ideals of Tworgnoth. It was a pleasant change, compared to both drogramathi and zagmoni concepts. She had black hair like most dronon, with copper-colored skin. Like a true child of the demon artificer, she wore a work apron, heavy boots, and a pair of thick leather gloves.

Theo! Throk shouted. About time you came poking your head in. This is how did you pronounce it?

The woman laughed. Tweliagia. Most who speak Qavelli have trouble with it. Call me whatever you like.

Lia, Throk said. Well just take the middle part of your cursed name so us southlanders can pronounce it.

Theo, the alchemist said, reaching a hand out. Lia shook it, nodding. I didnt expect to see another dronon. Not with the undead.

Right. I was working in the Khahari Desert when my lord called me here. He said there was a lizard-folk man who wanted a [Tworgnoth Artificers Core], Lia said, smiling at the marshling. He also thinks I can help with the incursion.

Shes damned skilled, Theo! Throk shouted, puffing with pride. Puts my work to shame.

Tia smiled, patting Throk on the head. He seemed to melt a little. Hes doing his best with what he has. An unaligned core wont compete with a demon core, after all.

Please. If you need anything at all, let us know. We have access to Tworgnothi Copper, Drogramathi Iron, and an alloy made of the two. Anything for a child of Tworgnoth.

Lia smiled, nodding. Do you treat all wandering dronon so nicely?

We have had no wandering dronon, Theo said. Just a priestess of Drogramath and some Zagmon assassins.

Lias face darkened slightly. I heard about what Zagmon did. He deserves what he got. Just because were considered demons doesnt mean we cant get along with the other races. Dont you think?

Couldnt agree more, Theo said. His excitement for meeting another dronon was too high, and he recognized that. The alchemist took a breath, calming himself. She might have been a servant of a friendly dronon god, but that didnt mean he could spill all his secrets. Once again, youre welcome to stay as long as you need. If you need some cash, well provide it. Youre giving Throk a splendid gift.

Yeah. Bumping elbows with demon gods, Throk said, snorting a laugh. Not something I expected to do.

I appreciate your hospitality, Lia said, bowing her head. Ill be around for a while.

The thing Theo wanted more than anything was to house more dronon. He wanted the Southlands Alliance to be a safe place for them to live. A place where they could stop running and settle down. There werent many people in the world who hunted the race down. Not with the Eye being destroyed. But the thousands of years before that had etched into the very bones of all dronon. It was now a reflex to run away. Lia seemed different, though.

If you dont mind me asking are there more tworgnothi in the desert?

A few, Lia said with a shrug.

I want to find the scattered dronon. Give them a place to stay.

Thats noble.

Theo felt awkward after that. Lia wasnt as excited about it as him. He smiled politely, then excused himself from the artificers workshop. Lia was helping Throk work on his various designs. With the support of the Demon God of Artificers, he could do great things. That required time, and practice.

Wow, that was weird, Tresk said, appearing at Theos side. And she was nice. Way nicer than Zarali.

Yeah. She was, Theo said. He stood at the town center, deciding on a direction to travel. Arent you working?

Im on my mandated break, Tresk said. What are you doing today?

Upgrading buildings. Which is kinda fun.

Im all about upgrading buildings. What do we have?

Ziz and his guys maintain their own levels, so not them. Throk is responsible for his crap, so not him. What about the school?

Is that your responsibility?

According to the contract it is.

Since Sledge is gonna have her babies, its a good idea. Well need to expand the crap out of that school.

Monsters are less likely to find your mine.

[Miner Quickness]

Anyone with a [Miners Core] (or variant) will move 25% faster within the mine.

[Rock And Stone]

Anyone with a [Miners Core] (or variant) will clear away rock and stone 50% faster.

[Grom Rangs Banishment] and [Miner Quickness] were both older upgrades. [Rock And Stone] was the new one, and Theo didnt know which was better. Monsters werent really an issue anymore, so he dismissed the first one. He couldnt decide if it was better to move faster, or to clear stone away faster. He polled the nearby miners, and went with their recommendation. They claimed that [Miner Quickness] would help them a lot, especially since the mine had expanded considerably. It took them too long to get to the bottom floors, and it had annoyed them for some time.

Theo added more cores until the mine hit level 20. He was presented with the old options again, and a new one. By now, a crowd of miners had formed around him. They had an interest in making sure he picked the right options, so he didnt blame them. He read the upgrades out for everyone to hear, resulting in an indistinct murmur of conversation. The alchemist inspected the new option.

[Grom Rangs Tenacity]

After working in the mine for an hour, anyone with a [Miners Core] (or variant) will gain an increase to their Strength and Vigor. This effect increases every thirty minutes, up to eight hours.

The miners normally worked four to six hour shifts, so they agreed this would be the best option. Theo selected it, smiling to himself as the miners discussed the upgrade options. He had never seen them so involved in the process. But perhaps they had never been given the chance. The mine hit level 25 with ease, presenting him with yet another option.

[Escape]

Once per day, anyone with a [Miners Core] (or variant) working in the mine may instantly teleport to the entrance. This ability costs no mana and casts instantly.

There was an uproar for that option. Every miner assembled agreed that this option was awesome. They gave their opinions as to why that was. Gridgen had created so many tunnels that ran so deep that getting to the surface was a problem. When a persons shift was done, they wove a path through the maze-like mine to reach the surface. Several miners claimed they had been lost in the mines before, forcing them to hunker down for the night. As Theo wasnt interested in forcing his people to sleep in the cold mine, he picked that option.

One more, Theo said. The crowd cheered. He fed the last few cores to the mine and read the option for everyone to judge.

[Rail Carts]

Magical rails, complete with magical rail carts, appear within the mine. The rail carts are powered by coins or motes and can be summoned by anyone using a [Miners Core] (or variant). These carts can only be summoned at the entrance, allowing a miner to ride to their intended section of the mine with ease. The carts vanish after all occupants disembark.

The crowd went nuts. Once again, this was an option that improved the quality of the miners lives. They theorized on how amazing the upgrade would be, or how fast the carts would go. But the one thing they all agreed on was that Theo should pick that option. The alchemist was happy to obey, selecting [Rail Carts] as his last upgrade for the mine. Theo inspected the mine now that he was done upgrading it.

[Mine]

[Dead Dog Mine]

Owners: Theo Spencer

Operator: Gridgen Dev

Faction: [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 30 (2%)

Rent Due: SUSPENDED

Ore Type:

Copper

Iron

Drogramathi Iron

????

Ore Quality: Perfect

Expansions:

[Miner Fortitude]

[Automatic Deposit]

[Miner Quickness]

[Grom Rangs Tenacity]

[Escape]

[Rail Carts]

While they still hadnt found silver or gold, things were looking up for the mine. Nothing in the systems description of the building included the cave below. But Theo understood that to be some weird stuff created by Khahar back in the day. He left the mine before the crowd got too rowdy, heading back to his manor for some rest. The alchemist wasnt sure when Tresk had slipped away, but that was how she worked.

Theo settled into the garden behind his manor, finding a shaded spot to sit. The heat of the day only seemed to increase, no matter where he sat. Thanks to his comfortable coat, the weather felt perfect. That wasnt the case for everyone, though. Somewhere in the distance, he could feel both Alex and Tresk suffering from the heat.