The Empires Rise

"Whoa there Uxa, slow down we have questions for you as well but we will wait on those till we can get some food in you and you to calm down." I approach him slowly before telling him what happened and where he is currently.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief Uxa briefly calms down then puts his guard up again since Laxreal, Strauvana, and Zul'Zara are here with us.

Before he can say anything to anyone I stop him and ask. "What was that? I saw your health hit zero and then you were back up to 1 health point. It scared the living crap out of me!"

I look into his eyes and for a brief moment before he looks away. "I can't tell you, it's a very closely guarded secret of my race. Let's just say that I won't be able to do that for a while."

I look around the room and don't see concern in either Laxreal's flames or on Strauvana's face.

"Oh, pish that little thing about Tengu's. You forget boy that we aren't from the same world and that has been studied to a great extent that we have found ways of improving it."

A look of shock and horror crosses Uxa's face as his head snaps to Strauvana. "What do you mean you know?"

Laxreal rolls his eyes. "Boy, I have been alive for hundreds of years and something like your races 'secret' isn't actually that uncommon. Granted it might be for your planet and Drake's but on our planet it is very common."

I raise my hands in surrender and with a firm tone ask. "What is this thing we are talking about? I am sure that myself and Zul'Zara might not know."

Getting a nod in agreement from Zul'Zara, I continue. "And since it isn't a big deal to one party but a huge deal to the other what would the resolution be here?"

Uxa looks at Strauvana and breaths out. "I guess since a majority know what it is already it wouldn't hurt to tell you Drake. Tengu as a race have a special constitution which allows us to revive into a comatose state one time after receiving a blow that would kill us. But the downside is that it can't be used often and during that state we are extremely vulnerable."

"Like the boy said, he would be vulnerable but there are ways of improving it that my world has slowly been discovering which allows the time to use in between fatal hit revivals shorten and the length of time in the comatose state also shorten to the point that they would be able to rejoin a battle quickly if trained up enough." Strauvana finishes.

"I have a name you know." Uxa firmly admonishes Strauvana.

"I know you have a name, I decided that I will not call you your name until I can see that you are willing to stop being a brat that didn't get what he wants and acts like that adult that he should be in this situation. Respect is given but none has been received." Strauvana quips back.

Sighing once again at the antics of these two I step up. "Ok, so now we know why you didn't die, check to see if you have completed your personal quest Uxa and know that you will have your own house to rest in once we are done here.

Also there will be a blacksmith soon, though we don't have tools yet, I thought it was pertinent that it was the first building of the professional buildings since some people could use better armor. So before anyone leaves this hut, we have some decisions that I would like us to discuss and make together."

"You be telling us there be more rewards than the personal quests?"

"Yes, these are settlement achievements that I received, they don't provide anything of personal use but are for the settlement. One is for the first time we as a settlement conquer something, and the second reward is from killing the what is being called a 'Control Point Guardian' that I would like us to talk about."

Laxreal raises his hand. "And what are the rewards for the first time we conquer something?"

I pull up the prompt again and tell them the choices that we have. "First is 1 box of random professions tools, the second is a settlement token box, third is a random level resource box that could be up to silver rank, and fourth is a population box."

Uxa perks up at the mention of the last one and immediately states. "I vote for the population box."

Everyone looks at each other knowing what he is hoping will be some scrolls to pull people from his world into this one.

Laxreal asks. "What are settlement tokens, and also what are the different levels of resource boxes as I don't think anyone has seen or touched one."

Nodding my head I quickly pull out a token from the chest at the foot on the bed and while I am at it I go and complete the settlement quest 'Settlements First Conquest' which deposits an Extra Large Wooden Resource Box, a Medium Wooden Building Blueprint Box, and a settlement experience bag at my feet.

Seeing such large chests appear I become startled.

Uxa starts, "What is the meaning of this, I thought we were going to choose the reward together and not just pick one!"

"For once I agree with the boy, what is going on Drake." Strauvana speaks up.

"Hold on everyone one." And I mentally reach out to Ritotorous. "Is there any way I can show them my prompts so they can understand what happened there?"

"Yes, you just have to do it on a specific prompt and it will show it to them." Is the reply that I get back.

Quickly willing the two prompts into everyone's vision I show them that I was just completing a quest that didn't have an option for a reward, while the other is still pending on the choice of a reward.

"As you can see I haven't selected any rewards and this was just the rewards from completing the quest."

Uxa visibly backs down and goes back to sitting on the bed, while Strauvana crosses her arms while nodding at me.

"To answer Laxreals question." I hold up the token which is the Bronze Instant Building Completion Token so everyone can inspect it.

- Bronze Instant Building Completion Token: Can instantly complete any building that is under level 3. -

"This is what a settlement token can do, though there are only 3 different types that I have gotten so far, they are this one, a time reduction, and a resource reduction. From what I can see the levels range right now from wood, iron, bronze, and I am guessing that silver is the next rank I don't know for certain though."

"Well isn't Ritotorous your guide, wouldn't he have that information?" Strauvana questions.

Smacking my head again at my own stupidity I ask Ritotorous. "What are the different levels for boxes and the settlement?"

"I can't tell you all the way to the top of the list but I can cover most of it. First is wood, then iron, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Boxes come in 6 different sizes as well. Tiny, small, medium, large, extra large, and gigantic.

Settlements are a bit different though, they follow the same structure as the boxes with wood being a Roadside Hovel, going up to a Small City.

The difference lies in that you have to complete an urgent settlement quest to go from one tier to the next. We will cover that more once you reach settlement level 10"

Relaying this to everyone lets us have an understanding of what we should expect to come up in the near future. I bring us back to the topic of which reward we should pick out.

"What is everyone's thoughts on which reward we should pick this time?" After saying this I look around to see who would want to go first for their opinion.

"Well, I be thinking that we be needing either the tokens or the resources more than more people or just some random tools that maybe we be not having a use for." Zul'Zara comments.

"I would have to agree with her, though I am more of the opinion that we should go for the tokens as we already have in front of us what looks to be quite a large box of resources already." Laxreal states.

"What do you two mean that you don't want to get more people here? What if it is something that will specifically target our populations?" Uxa chimes in quickly hoping to get some people on his side of things.

"While the population has its merits, we have to consider in the long term what would be beneficial for our growth. We need houses, which at this time we are barely able to get enough for us.

Granted it has been a day that does not mean we will have the capability to build more as we don't know what to expect when we level up the settlement." Laxreal rebuts.

"Drake, could you tell us where we are at with settlement experience so we know when we can level up next." Strauvana mentions from the side.

I oblige her.

Settlement Information:

Name: Caelnova

Tier: Roadside Hovel

Level: 2

Experience: 16/25

Territory Size: 1.1Km X 1.1Km

Buildings:

Basic Hut Level 1

Small Dock Level 1

Small Garden Level 1

Basic Tomb Level 1 X 2

Small Cemetery Level 1

Tasks: Have a population of 5 or more. (5/5)

Make at least 2 excursions past the edge of your territory. (1/2)

I show them the screen. "So far we are only 9 experience away from leveling up the settlement, and 1 more excursion out of the territory. The last time I leveled up the settlement I received a population box which allowed me to summon you all here. I don't know if it will be the same for the next level but we might have a small reward for it."

"How we be going to do another excursion when this wee one be unable to move easily." Zul'Zara says with some concern.

"Well, there is one option that is quick and dirty. A couple of us go out to the edge of the territory towards the plains since that is more open land and then one of us goes over and comes back. Technically that should work and allow us to have the excursion be completed." Laxreal says.

"What happens if the person that goes over gets stuck on the other side and can't come back?" Strauvana retorts with a little bit of disgust in her tone.

"Well then we will have to have the second go over with them or they will try and get out on their own." Laxreal replies with some ire.

"All of this is well and good but off the current topic and I don't think anyone is going to be going out today any longer anyways. So let's back up and continue the thought of what we should get for the first reward." I try to reel back in the tempers that are about to flair up.

"Right now we have 1 vote for a population box." I look over at Uxa with a small smile. "And no one else has voted for anything, I personally want the token box as they could be useful in getting better defenses up faster depending on what we get from the blueprint box at my feet."

"I be of the mind that we be getting the token box as well."

"The token box." Strauvana huffs.

"Not that it matters anymore but I also agree with the token box."

I look over at Uxa to see him glaring daggers at everyone, and can't help but agree a bit with Strauvana on that he needs to start looking at the big picture without getting so caught up in the small things.

I select the token box and a large box appears in front of me.

"Alright, that choice is done, that brings us to the final choice so we can go about our own business." And I show them the prompt for the next reward.

"Congratulations, you have killed your first Control Point Guardian. Please select one of the following rewards:

1 X Outpost upgrade token

1 X Equipment box for all party members there at the time of defeat

1 X Specific Profession Tool Box

1 X Random Profession Schematic Box"

"My personal thoughts on this is that we should get the outpost upgrade token. My reason for that is then we can have a higher sustainable output of materials which will cause us to be able to build things more readily just like with the box of tokens." I say to the group.

"I don't see any issues with that as I believe everyone has gotten at least one piece of gear from completing their personal quests if I am not mistaken." Laxreal says.

I see hesitation on Uxa's face as he tries to speak up while still being downcast that we didn't pick the population box. "I-I-I didn't complete mine so I never got my experience satchel or any boxes that could be opened."

"You be lying, I be seeing you deflect 6 blows from them undead." Zul'Zara hisses.

"N-N-No, I truly didn't complete the quest. U-U-um Drake how do you show a prompt so I can show everyone that I was not lying." He asks with some urgency as the other three look at him with a bit less trust.

"You mentally have to allow others to see it. So think at the prompt telling it to become visible to others."

With that a prompt appears in front of him.

"Personal Quest:

Defend Yourself (Failed)

Learn to control your shield a little bit better.

Task: Deflect 6 blows from monsters while you are in this conquest. (5/6)"

Looking a little shocked at him I had thought he had gotten his quest completed.

"When I was going to deflect the last attack of the zombie I failed as I got distracted with a thought of what those at home must be doing to survive.

I know it was foolish and it almost led to my death as a result but I can't make an excuse for my failures." Uxa states.

Giving him a nod of approval Zul'Zara steps forward and slowly touches her head, and then her heart with her right hand before offering her hands palms up as what appears to be an offering of an apology.

"I be sorry for the attack, just after watching everything that was going on and that I be not liking liars I spoke out when I be thinking the facts be what they were, not what they are."

Feeling like I have been signing a lot today I sigh once more and then listen to everyone's opinions.

"With the specific profession tool box we could get a set of blacksmithing equipment and start to have Uxa work with the ores that we have been finding which in turn can then be used to make better equipment for all of us." Comments Laxreal.

"I can agree with that as I will be running out of arrows at some point and being able to get more arrow points will give me a good chance at being able to replenish when I am out." Strauvana.

Shocked as this is the second time that they are agreeing with each other in such a short time I hear Zul'Zara state her opinion.

"I be thinking that the outpost upgrade could be worth more in the long run as we don't be having enough people to mine materials and we might be getting more out of it if it was upgraded."

Have 2 votes for the professional tools, 2 votes for the upgrade token, and only one vote for the equipment box we look over at Uxa, he will be the deciding factor as everyone is set on having their option picked and there won't be a chance for the equipment box to be selected.

"Um... I think that both ideas are very viable, though I think the only thing that will be immediately helpful is the outpost upgrade as I still need to level up my blacksmithing before we can even start to have better gear than what is already provided for us in the boxes."

"So Uxa, you are saying you want to move your vote to the outpost upgrade?" I ask him.

"Yes, I want to move my vote to the outpost upgrade."

Looking at Laxreal and Strauvana, and seeing their heads nod in approval that they aren't going to be getting their choice I select the outpost token.