When Rick and Angelica walked through the portal they were very close to the southern gate which is where they wanted to be. Rick remembered reading that Silverhall City's farms are mainly located on the open plains to the south. Rick used his [Cartography] skill while they walked toward the gate and pulled the new map out of his inventory to see that there were a couple large farms to the south.

I just hope they sell to me even though I am not a merchant and also have what I am looking for.

When they came up to the gate Rick was surprised that the guard came to attention and saluted him as if he were an officer. He then recalled the Honor Guard title he received from burying the fallen defenders of the temple and knew that this was the reason for the guard's behavior. He saluted the guard back out of reflex and began to question him about the farms to the south of Silverhall. The guard reassured him that there was a huge farm just off the main road, and they sold just about everything. Rick thanked him and the two set off out the gate and on down the dirt road.

They found a stable that sold horses and carts just outside the gate but decided to walk since their destination was under a mile away. While they traveling along they talked again about the possibility of another Valkyrie and Angelica was torn between wanting and not wanting one. She liked the idea of someone to train and spend time with but also enjoyed being the only one by Rick side at the moment it seemed. He wasn't in a hurry to add another fighter to the party so he gave her time to adjust to the idea since the new member was more for her than him. If he really needed the extra hand he would not have asked her and just spawned them in.

Rick explained to her that his attentions may be more divided between another companion but she would always be by his side and that she was special because she had been sent to him by Faith herself. He then let her think about it as they walked along silently taking in the scenery around them. Soon they started seeing grazing farm animals and plowed fields bordering the road. Just as the guard had said they soon came across a sprawling farm on a dirt crossroad that looked like it could be a village from the number of building built together there.

Rick spotted a couple men working in the field just off the road and walked out to them. He greeted them with a smile excited to learn if the farm sold the materials he was seeking. The two men scowled at him with brows that snapped together while he questioned them. They treated him like he was a beggar that just asked them for money, not wanting to be bothered they ignored him to turn their backs on him, continuing their field work. Rick's temper started soaring from such a disrespectful display that he turned on his [Aura: Intimidation] skill and threw it out at them with his temper.

He spoke to them through clenched teeth. "Listen well I am a Baron and a [Chosen], I only asked a simple question that could have been answered with a simple yes or no. If you two further insult me with this disrespectful behavior I will challenge you both to a duel right here over this slight to my honor, so best you loosen your tongues now!" Rick said gradually growing louder as he continued to speak with his aura crushing down on them.

The two men's eyes shot open like saucers as they fell to the ground pleading. "Please forgive us my liege we did not know you were a noble or [Chosen]! We were picked to work extra time in the fields today and have been in foul moods over it since." They begged and groveled at his feet while Rick continued to blast them with his aura.

Just then what appeared to be a farm supervisor approached them from a barn he just exited to ascertain what had happened. Rick explained how he had walked from town to spend allot of money on this farm and how these men disrespected him. The supervisor was now standing in the ring of his aura and turned pale when he felt it slam down around him along with the steel in Rick's voice.

He looked down furiously at the two offenders. "You two disappeared yesterday to get drunk when you should have been working and were punished for it! Now you want to take it out on a customer who is also a noble that could cut you down where you stand and not one person, or guard would so much as question him over it!" The supervisor screamed at the two pitiful peasants crawling in the dirt.

Rick started to see the big picture here now. These two idiots are pissed over being punished extra hours of work for slacking off to get drunk and thought to vent their displeasure on me.

Rick turned his aura off and began to calm down asking the supervisor if he could buy a large amount of cotton and wool from their farm. After asking he quickly glanced at Angelica to then see she had her hands on her swords while looking down on the farm hands, like she would slice them up if they so much as breathed the wrong way.

Wow, this is the first time I ever saw a look like that on her face. He thought to himself.

The supervisor was more than happy to help him, and as they toured the farm, he explained what they had to offer in obtainable goods. Rick was pleasantly surprised to hear that they also sold a variety of livestock and began to ruminate on which animals, he should purchase at present.

The supervisor spoke then to explain to that the biggest units available of both wool and cotton were in bales which weighed 500 pounds each. Rick thought that he should buy a decent amount of both seeing that they would not start farming for quite some time. Then also any purchased sheep would take a considerable amount of time to reproduce large enough numbers to make their supply of wool self-sufficient. Rick decided following this reasoning to buy two bales of cotton and two bales of wool to hold them off for some time. Rick had then asked the supervisor to accompany him to the sheep enclosure so that he could also acquire thirty sheep.

Rick instructed the shepherds tending the sheep to separate these thirty of into a small pen for him. Rick then climbed between the fence rails to enter the small pen and activated his [Taming] skill and could suddenly feel a connection to the sheep around him. Rick sensed their anxiousness at being crowded into the small enclosure and the wariness of him being near them.

Rick closed his eyes and activated his aura and slowly attempted to blend it with the connection to the sheep around him. He put feelings of wishing to care for and protect them into the aura as he envisioned the endless plains of green grass they could graze on at their new home. The sheep around him gradually quieted down and a few even approached him to rub against his legs like children seeking attention. Their actions broke his focus on mixing his [aura] and [Taming] skills enough that he opened his eyes to see the sheep all quietly standing around him expectantly looking at him. In the lower part of his peripheral vision he noticed the small flashing icon.

New Title Notice!

You will not tolerate insults, or disrespectful actions while showing others respect.

You have made it known you will not fail to defend your honor by challenging all offenders to trial by combat.

You have been awarded the title: The Duelist

Fame Increased: +1000

Honor Increased: +5000

People are now aware of the outcome, that any slight against you will result in a challenge to a duel.

Currently displaying title: The White Knight

All awarded titles stack with the currently displayed title.

Haha, How does that quote go again; "Don't ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance, or my kindness for weakness!' He thought as he opened the next notice.

New Skill Notice!

New Skill Learned!

Aura: Calm Animal Level 1 (Beginner 03%)

A sub-skill of Aura used to sooth and calm animals in its circumference.

It will make some animals more friendly and approachable.

Higher levels increase the calming effects and the skill effects circumference ring.

Rick activated this new [Calm Animal] skill and then opened a portal to tower island and marched the sheep into the portal like the pied piper. They all happily followed behind him through the portal that leads to their new home.

The supervisor and shepherds who separated the sheep wondered what Rick was up to when he first entered the pen and stood there silently with his eyes closed. Then they noticed the change in the sheep as they all just calmly stopped and stared at the large man standing amongst them.

A few minutes later they watched in slack-jawed amazement as a black door came up from the ground and Rick disappeared through it with the thirty sheep in tow behind him. Rick then reappeared when the sheep all made it through and walked over to pay the supervisor and told him he would be back for more livestock soon and stepped through the portal once again with Angelica and closed it from the other side.

When the portal had closed at the farm the supervisor said to the dumb-struck shepherds next to him. "Those [Chosen] are something else one minute he was ready to kill Jack and Garrett the next he was buying enough cotton and wool to stock half the stores in town for weeks with a smile plastered on his face. Then last but not least he leads a herd of sheep through a magical door like they were his trained pets" He said shaking his head in astonishment. The supervisor then not waiting for a reply turned around and went off to lay into the slackers again who started the whole mess, to begin with.

Back on tower island, Rick hiked over to the small wooden footbridge that spanned the canal to the mainland and used his stored lumber to build a small gate to prevent the sheep from crossing for now. He quickly did a head count of the sheep and found that none had wandered over the bridge while he went back through to the farm. While he looked over the cluster of sheep he noticed the outhouse on the island was already built south of the tower. He walked over to examine how well they built it with Angelica and informed her that this was only for them and that the worker would have their own across the canal near the barracks.

She decided to christen the new outhouse so he left her to go feed the chicks and check on the [Wood stainer]. He found that the busy worker had stained the cellar stairs, first floor, and the first-floor stairs already. To make his remaining job easier, Rick stored away all the bedroom furniture and bookcases so that the next three floors were completely empty. Angelica walked into the tower just after he finished packing everything and they went back outside across the bridge to check on Handil.

They found he had everything under control and was making good progress on the kiln house construction. Rick while looking over the build decided to quickly drill into the blocks on each side of the kiln house door and hang crystal lights to illuminate the entrance at night. Then he did the same to the barracks door and hung lights in all the completed outhouses as well.

While he waited for his mana to regen before jumping back to town he decided to take a walk north along the river with Angelica. While they strolled along he took her quiver and bow out of his inventory and handed it to her just in case of trouble. He also equipped his own armor, quiver, and bow while they trekked the river's edge.

Shortly after they came upon the raft he used to float downstream sitting abandoned on the sandy shore where he had left it. Rick recounted the story of his journey here to his partner as he took down then stored the sail, leaving the raft where it sat.

They soon found the herd of horses he saw on the way down river roaming still close to the river. They watched as the horses ran around and play with each other with not showing fear of them, but not approaching them either.

Rick wanted to play with his new aura activated it and gradually neared the herd until a few of the wild horses were in the ring of his skill. He then opened his inventory and took out a few apples and held them out so they could see them. A couple of the wild horses came over to investigate and ate them right from his hand.

Rick then glanced over his shoulder and gestured for Angelica to join him. She quietly walked over and Rick handed her a couple of the apples to feed the expectant horses.

As Angelica fed the horses with a big smile she whispered. "My lord is amazing even animals will submit to your will"

Rick quietly chuckled. "This is because of a skill I happened to just learn at the farm, and if I tried this with a really nasty animal I am sure it might not go over quite this well" He explained.

He thought momentarily about attempting to tame one these friendly horses around them, but then the responsibility of what came after entered his mind.

If I were too tame one of these guys I would need to take them back to the tower and build a stable for them. Then I would need to get a saddle, reins, food, hay, and grooming tools. One day when I have extra time I will tame one, or more than likely just buy them. I want to create a knights Calvary division one day and that will require a large number of horses to accomplish.

Rick sighed while he pet the nuzzling horse goodbye, he opened a gate next to the furniture store. He stored away Angelica's bow and quiver for her and they entered the furniture store.

"Welcome back sir how can we help you today." The same gentlemen who had helped them previously greeted them as they entered.

"I would like to buy ten more single size beds and I am also interested in purchasing furniture fabrics as well," Rick told the friendly manager.

"Excellent right this way sir I can show you all the fabrics we currently stock." He gestured for them to follow him.

The manager began to walk toward the back corner of the store with his two customers. As they followed behind Rick looked all around at the different things that they had on display then he suddenly stopped.

"Excuse me, sir, this Chess table do you have more of them in stock?" Rick stopped in front of a beautifully decorated chess table with hand carved and painted pieces that looked like miniature towers, mounted knights, kings, and queens.

The manager stopped and turned to view what Rick had pointed out. "Yes we do have this luxurious chess set in stock. Did it catch your eye by any chance?" The manager replied then asked.

"I will take four of these chess tables and the themed pieces for them as well if you have that many available" Rick told the store manager.

The manager simply nodded making a mental note. They then continued on after the short inquiry toward the fabric samples location. After seeing that chess set Rick was lost in thought about where he might find other forms of entertainment for the workers to enjoy at the end of the day.

We are out in the middle of an enormously desolate plain with nothing to do but eat, work, and sleep. It would be nice to find something for them to have fun with. The first things that come to mind are games, minstrels, storytellers, women, and maybe a tavern? Hmm, I could make a tavern with all of them combined in it.

The manager spoke up interrupting his thoughts. "These are our fabric samples if you find any you like we can make any cut sizes you need off the bolts we stock in the warehouse." He explained to them and left them to look through the samples.

Using his [identify] skill on the fabrics as he looked through them he found silk, cotton, wool, leather and linen samples. They had a nice selection of patterned and themed fabrics available to the public. Rick while examining them set aside any of the samples that he liked, a few he chose were (a soft light brown leather), (a blue silk with gold fleur-de-lis patterns), (a red silk with white flying dragon patterns), and a number of others that he had also set aside.

Rick got Angelica involved allowing her to pick out any fabric samples she happens to like. One of her samples that he originally missed that she picked also caught his favor as well. It was a white silk fabric with an elaborate silver sword and red rose with green stem wrapped around the sword's blade.

They both walked over to the manager with stacks of samples in hand. "I like all these fabrics here, how big is the bolt that they come on," Rick asked as he passed over the samples.

"We make a lot of furniture so our rolls are bigger than normal. We only stock two hundred yard rolls but can cut the fabric to your desired needs." He explained thinking the stocked bolts would be too big for what they wanted.

"Then give me ten single beds, four of the chess tables with pieces, and two of the 200-yard bolts of each sample here." Rick listed off his desired order.

The manager added up the total and Rick quickly paid him. They all went into the warehouse after sorting out the payment, so that he could store his purchases away in his inventory. Rick asked before leaving if he knew where he might find more board games, cards, and dice in the city. The manager told him that some could be occasionally found with the traders in the central plaza, or he could try a toy store not far from the furniture store that carried a variety of games.

They thanked the manager for his help and followed the directions he gave them to the toy store. It only took them under five minutes to find the store and walk inside to the bright and cheerful displays of numerous toys. Rick perused the aisles to end up finding a few interesting items. The first thing he found was a wood box with actual real iron horseshoes with to metal iron rods.

I guess horseshoes is an old game. It seems funny though to see these heavy iron objects that should be laying around a blacksmithy packaged in a toy store.

The next game he came across was a board game called Nine Men's Morris. It is strategy board game for two players. The basic aim of Nine Men's Morris is to make "mills" vertical or horizontal lines of three in a row. Every time this is achieved, an opponent's piece is removed, the overall goal is to reduce the number of opponent's pieces to less than three or to render the opponent unable to play.

This sounds like a more elaborate version of Tic Tac Toe. It must be popular if they have a large display area for it.

Rick also found a version of Backgammon and a game called Fox and Geese that the sly fox attempts to capture the multitudinous geese. Meanwhile, the geese try to hem the fox in so that he can't move. On another aisle, he came across a box with "tabletop bowling" engraved on it. Inside were little wood pins and little wood balls. He took a couple of every adult type game he came across up to the counter. He had even found a few games with cards and chips then some even played with dice.

Rick thought as he paid the clerk. If I build that tavern I could even introduce a few games like a pool table, darts, and foosball tables. There are a few games that wouldn't be that difficult for me to make.

With all the new games in his inventory, Rick took Angelica over to the Pretty Kitty for lunch. They ordered the lunch special for the day which was roasted pheasant in white wine with potatoes and carrots.

On the way out Rick spoke with Mia the owner of the inn. "The food and service were excellent as usual, Mia."

"Thank you, Cedric, it was great to see you and your new friend once again." She replied.

"While I am thinking about it, would it be possible for me to order alcohol through you, or if it is too much trouble point me to where I might buy it?" Rick asked Mia.

"I don't mind either way Cedric you are a good customer of mine, and even saved my friend Jessica from the constant harassment from that bastard a few nights back." She told him unconcerned.

"What do you have that is dwarven in stock right now then?" Rick asked.

"Hmm, I have Dwarven Thunder Spirits and Dwarven Firebane Cognac which is more expensive, but a much better liquor." She replied

"Then is it possible for me to trouble you for a cask of Dwarven Firebane Cognac and a cask of decent mead?" He asked hoping he wasn't being an inconvenience.

Mia took him into her cellar that was very heavily stocked with casks of many different liquors, ciders, meads, and bottles of wine. She pointed out the desired casks he asked for among the large stacks of others. He stored them away and paid her a little extra for the trouble and thanked her on the way out of the Inn. He and Angelica were quite full from the scrumptious meal, and in good spirits, as they talked about various things in route to the Tailor shop.

They found Vardon working on Angelica's gold satin dress and he told them that he had completed the rest of the order and would be finished with her dress within a half hour. Rick gathered up the outfit he designed for her along with the undergarments and took her to try them on. He entered the dressing room with her and had her remove her armor and put on the bra showing her how to wrap it around herself and clip the back strap. The measurements Vardon used seemed to be perfect. The bras and underwear all fit her comfortably. He next had her wear the outfit he designed and thought it looked and fit great on her.

They went back out into the store after trying on everything, but the dress Vardon was finishing up on. Rick decided to pick out more bolts of cloth since he had been using a good portion of the cloth he had originally bought here. He picked out armloads of big cloth rolls and different styles of color threads. He then grabbed handfuls of buttons, hooks, fasteners, cloth measuring tapes, and brooches that he placed on the back counter with the cloth and thread. 

Rick then went through the men's basic clothes and took all the tunics in every color from dwarf to human size along with pants, socks, and underwear in the same sizes. He still had a few minutes to wait on Vardon so Rick also went to look through the women's common clothes and grabbed a few tops, pants, socks, and a couple plain dresses and stacked them on the growing pile.

I'm sure the workers would also like hats since they work outside all day but that will have to wait for now. Vardon really doesn't have any worker type hats and I don't want to go looking for them right now. I might just even make a recipe for one to whip out a bunch of them seeing I will need near fifty of them soon. 

When Vardon finished the dress Angelica tried it on for him to inspect then changed back into the outfit Rick designed. Rick paid for all the additional items he grabbed along with the custom made clothes now that the dress was finished. Vardon was curious why he would buy so many plain clothes and Rick took the time to explain how he now owned land and was looking out for a number of workers. With everything paid and stored the two said goodbye and thanked the Tailor and walked out into the busy street.

Rick was finished shopping for the day and thought to himself that he would probably end up back here in a day or two for something else he forgot or needed as he opened a portal behind Vardon's shop to the tower.

He walked across the bridge to find handil and have him walk over to the worker's barracks with him. Rick took out all the games he bought the ten new beds, casks of alcohol, and extra clothes and spread them across one of the tables. He then removed the four chess tables and game pieces and arrange them around the room.

He went over everything he bought with Handil and told him that he would bring the mugs for them over in a bit. Before leaving to the tower Rick asked Handil to make sure the workers went easy on the drinks until he could find a steady supply, these current casks needed to last for now. Handil returned to the kiln house construction and Rick installed more lights in the completed outhouses north of the worker's barracks. He noticed the [Poultry Farmer] helping lend a hand to the carpenters and told him to take the box of baby chicks over to the chicken coop along with their food and that he wanted him to start taking care of them. Rick explained that he wanted to keep them for egg laying and then breed them when they are older. One day when they have a large enough population of chickens then they could harvest some of them.

After setting the forgotten worker to his new task he then crossed the wood footbridge and walked over to the stockpile.

Rick opened the [Land Management Menu] then brought up the [Buy Resources Menu] under the [VIP resources] he ordered one hundred random ingots and one hundred random gems. On the stockpile, a stack of mixed ingots spawned with a leather pouch on top of the ingot stack. Rick stepped over to the leather pouch and glanced in to see a mass of different colored uncut gems. He closed the pouch and placed in his inventory along with the stack of random ingots. Moving back out of the [System Gate] he directed to the [Buy Units Menu] next. He ordered six [Furniture Makers], four [upholsterers], and six [Surveyors].

That makes a grand total of sixty workers now every bed is now full. He thought as he watched the new units spawn.

When they had all gained consciousness he took them over to Handil. He told the [sawyers] to work with the [Furniture Makers] now since the Carpenters had nearly finished the outhouses. Rick instructed Handil to also have the carpenters find him near the stockpile when they finished their current job.

"I am going to go build a workshop next to the stockpile right now. I want the Furniture Makers to go look at the beds in the worker's barracks and then have the sawyer start cutting the lumber you will need to make copies of them. The same for the Upholsterers look at the mattress and figure out your measurements to make copies I will put the bales of cotton and wool I have in the completed workshop to use as fill for the mattresses. I also have all the fabric, thread, and needles you will need to work on me". He handed them all cloth measuring tapes and set them off to their assignments.

Rick walked further out east with the Surveyors and gave them all Gromas and instructed them on how to use them. He told them to find a good location in their current area to start staking out a street from west to east and to make the street forty feet wide. This was going to be the west-east running main street of the new Town he was starting. Rick wanted the main streets to be wide enough for carts to pass in both directions and have room to park along the side of the street. He used his recipe to create three hundred wood shafts to use as road stakes and gave them a few large spools of rope and a couple knives as well.

He told them once the street was long enough they would then work on a north-south main street. At the junction where those two main streets crossed he wanted to build a small castle and have the road divert around its fenced border.

Rick left the surveyors alone to figure out where to start and walked back to the stockpile. He cleared roughly a twenty foot by forty foot area and with his shovel and then paved it with stone blocks and cement. Then he made another lumber recipe for two by fours and started framing the walls for the workshop on top of the stone blocks he just had laid down for the floor. While he framed the walls he framed out a few windows and also a double door entryway to bring large items in and out of the building. With the help of his new ladder, he began to build the roof rafters with the framework for the walls done.

When he had all the buildings skeletal framing finished he used planks to enclose the walls and roof with. Then he used a recipe to make door hinges and mounted them to the double doors entrance. He made two solid doors out of the thick beams and hung them on the hinges. Rick then walked inside and used another recipe to make ten workbenches exactly like his in the cellar. 

By using the beams and wood shafts he made a stand that looked like a wide ladder attached to a wood base. The poles could be pulled out from the sides of the beams through holes he drilled to hold them so the bolts of cloth and fabric could be hung up like a paper towel holder. The workers could then pull the fabric and cut it off the bolts as needed. He placed the bales of cotton and wool off in the far corner and gave the thumbs up to the Furniture Makers and Upholsterers to go ahead and start working in the new workshop.

When he was walking out of the new building the carpenters were crossing the foot bridge to come and find him. They all hiked over to the southwest side of the small island together and Rick told them he somehow wanted to build a small foot bridge across the wide expanse of the river there. After they all discussed it they came to the conclusion the river was too wide and the bridge would sag and break over time.

Rick tried to think of a way to drive supports into the river but the water was much too deep with a slight current to it, making it difficult. Rick told the carpenters to just go relax in the tower for now or grab something to eat from the cooks if they were hungry while he tried to come up with a plan for the new bridge.

I have two available options I can think of right now. I can try and use my earth affinity to raise some land in the center of the river or use the raft and anchor it while I attempt to drive supports into the river bed. I think it would take a lot of mana and time to raise the ground with my low earth level, but anchoring that raft out there and driving in supports while it bounced and swayed would not be a picnic either. 

Rick walked up the bank to the fisherman and seen that he had caught a good amount of different fish. He told him he would be out in the water for awhile and might disturb the fish around them. He told the fisherman to start cleaning the fish he caught so far and that he could find knives in the tool shed to use. When done he was to put the fish in the fridge for the cooks and head back to the barracks to relax for the night. When he was alone on the river bank he thought for a moment on how to proceed next.

He looked around and found a rock that must have weighed over a hundred pounds and tied a long rope to it and put it in his inventory. He then unequipped all his clothes and swam out to the center of the river and took out the heavy rock from his inventory and dropped it to the bottom while holding the rope. When the rock rested on the river's bottom he tied the rope around his waist and used the rope to quickly pull himself to the submerged rock. Rick placed his hand on the river floor and held the rope with his other hand and activated his earth affinity. He poured his mana into the river bed and while pulling out earth mana, creating a connection.

He wasn't totally sure on how to proceed so he went with instinct. Concentrating on the thought of grabbing the earth with his mana and pulling it up. He kept trying without success and had to come up for air after a couple minutes. Then after catching his breath, he shot back down the rope to continue After a few up and downs for air, he started to feel as if he could get a hold on the earth mana. He closed his eyes and focused only on the feeling of the hold he had while gently pulling up on it in tiny increments.

He lost track of how long he was underwater only thinking of pulling up the earth toward him. No longer able to fight off the burning in his chest Rick was forced to go up for air. He noticed as he bobbed on the surface gasping for lungs full of air, that his notice icon was flashing. He decided to take a quick break and swim to the shore to check out what notices awaited his attention. He opened the updates to find he had received two notices.

New Skill Notice!

You have Learned A New Skill!

Hold Breath: Level 1 (Beginner 27%)

This skill allows you to hold your breath for a duration of time.

Higher levels increase the length that you can hold your breath for.

Affinity Increase: Earth Affinity: Level 4 (Beginner 27%) New Spell Notice!

You have learned A New Spell!

Raise Earth: Level 1 (Beginner 04%)

This spell allows you to raise the ground. You must be in contact with the location you try to raise.

Higher levels will slightly decrease the amount of mana per cast and increase the area and height of earth you raise.

[50 mana points per cast]

Alright, I learned my first real spell and it could turn out to be a great one at higher levels. This could be really useful on the battlefield or even out hunting and adventuring. I could eventually be able to build defend-able walls and towers raised up from the ground for outposts or battle defenses. If I learn how to lower land next I can make pit traps and trenches.

After Rick rested a few minutes allowing his mana to regen he followed the rope hand over hand back down to his anchor rock and started casting [Raise Earth] while touching the river bottom. Every time he cast the spell the ground would raise roughly one foot high by three foot wide. He had 600 mana points total, which allowed him to cast the spell twelve times to reach a height of twelve feet high. He then swam to shore exhausted from the low mana effect. He laid on the sandy shore relaxing while his mana regened and repeated the process until he ran out of mana again but was only a few feet short of breaking the surface with his square pillar of growing earth.

When he finally broke the surface with the soil pillar he climbed out of the water onto it. The top was just large enough for him to stand on as he made up a bunch of twenty-eight-foot posts with a recipe and used a sledgehammer from his inventory to start driving each post into the river bottom.

He had completely boxed in the patch of risen land with only a small gap between the posts and the new column of earth. Rick used another recipe to fill his smelting pot with cement that he carefully poured between the posts and earth column until it was encased in wet cement.

This will dry even though it is in water and will work as a break wall against the current to stop the erosion of this small patch of ground over time.

Rick left the post and cement alone and swam back to shore to go find the carpenters. He found them in the tower gathered around the table talking and having a small bite to eat. Rick instructed them to build a span from tower island to the small patch of earth in the river. Then to build another span from it to the far bank without disturbing the cement forms around the patch of earth in the river's center.

The Carpenters set off to start on the bridge and Rick went upstairs to check on the wood staining progress. He found the worker finishing the third floor and preparing to start the staircase to the fourth floor. He didn't bother to interrupt him and went back downstairs.

Rick went down into the cellar and removed some of his stored gold in his inventory. He dropped all the gold into the smelting pot to allow it to melt down. Next to his work bench on the stone floor, he placed the stack of random ingots he bought earlier and placed the leather bag of uncut gems on the bench top. He sat on his stool and went through the stack of ingots using his [Identify] skill on each and everyone and used his chisel to mark them. When he finished he had a written list of each ingot and their mark. He then went through the gems and sorted them into piles of matching types.

I have a nice selection of metal ingots and gems now, maybe I can use them to make more specialized metal scan skills.

Cedrick's Random Ingot List Metals Descriptions Copper: This [common] well-known reddish brown color pure metal. It is soft and easily worked metal. Iron: Iron is a [common] silvery-gray malleable metal. It is the most used of metals in armor and weapons. Gold: A pure metal that is the softest of workable metals. It is a high-value metal even though it is [common]. Mithril: A [very rare] light shiny, silver metal that is stronger and lighter than iron. It is a great material from which to create armors from. Orichalcum: A [Legendary] rare gold color metal containing magical properties. Orichalcum provides bonuses to elemental affinities. Platinum: This [very rare] light pale grayish-white metal. It is stronger than steel and difficult to melt. Platinum is also resistant to flames and acids. Silver: This [common] valuable pure metal is known for use in jewelry, drinkware, and utensils. Steel An [exotic] grayish-silver metal with unwanted impurities removed and other impurities introduced. It is stronger and far more resilient than iron. Cedrick's Random Uncut Gem List Gemstones Descriptions Hardness Amethyst: A [exotic] purple variety of quartz and the most valued member of the quartz family. 7.0-7.5 Aquamarine: A [common] gem that ranges in color from an almost colorless pale blue to blue-green or teal. 7.5-8.0 Benitoite: A [rare] bright blue gemstone made up of barium, titanium, and silica. 6.0-6.5 Beryl: Pure beryl is colorless [exotic] stone, but it also occurs in a variety of colors including green, yellow, blue, red. 7.5-8.0 Citrine: A [common] variety of quartz ranging in colors of yellow, yellow-brown, orange, dark orange-brown. 7.0-8.0 Diamonds: A [very Rare] form of carbon gemstone. 10.0 Emerald: A [exotic] valuable Beryl that owes its color to chromium, which makes it the bright green. 7.5-8.0 Red Diamond: A [legendary] gem. Only a very few have ever been found. Red diamond is a diamond which displays red color throughout its prism and exhibits all the same mineral properties as colorless diamonds. 10.0 Ruby: A [exotic] red variety of the mineral called Corundum. The red color is caused mainly by chromium and titanium. 9.0 Sapphire: Sapphires tend to be [common] translucent or transparent and have high amounts of refraction. 9.0 Serendibite: A [very rare] boron-bearing mineral that is only rarely found as facet grade material. Colors range in pale yellow, blue-green, grayish blue, black. 6.5-7.0 Taaffeite: A [legendary] rare and desirable stone. Only a very few stones have been found. A gem that ranges in colors of Mauve, reddish violet, brownish-purple, pink, red, blue. 8.0-8.5 Topaz: A [common] stone in a wide range of colors including red, orange, peach, pink, gold, yellow, and brown. 8.0

 Rick turned off all the lights in the Cellar and sat in the darkness pouring mana into a few ingots and gemstones. He took his time to learn the different feel and consistency of the mana flowing in the materials he held. After a couple hours he did learn a few new material scans using the methods he learned when he developed the {Iron Scan] Skill. He opened his notices just to verify that he did learn the skills.

New Skill Notice!

New Skill Learned!

Orichalcum Scan: Level 1 (Beginner 08%)

Orichalcum Scan allows you to survey your surrounding for the presence of Orichalcum.

Level increases allow for longer distance scans.

New Skill Notice!

New Skill Learned!

Mithril Scan: Level 1 (Beginner 05%)

Mithril Scan allows you to survey your surrounding for the presence of Mithril.

Level increases allow for longer distance scans.

New Skill Notice!

New Skill Learned!

Emerald Scan: Level 1 (Beginner 05%)

Emerald Scan allows you to survey your surrounding for the presence of Emeralds.

Level increases allow for longer distance scans.

New Skill Notice!

New Skill Learned!

Ruby Scan: Level 1 (Beginner 05%)

Ruby Scan allows you to survey your surrounding for the presence of Rubies.

Level increases allow for longer distance scans.

When Rick finished reviewing the new skills he had created and hoped to put to use soon in the northern mountain range, he took out a couple stone pavers and set them on the workbench. Using his skill of chiseling perfect circles from making runes he applied it to the stone pavers. He chipped out a shallow round circle roughly eight inches wide with his stone chisel into each one of them. With the help of his iron ladle, he carefully poured the molten gold into each of the circular casts and left them to cool.

Rick while waiting on the gold casts to dry took out some of the lesser value common gems and began to cut them using his gem cutting tools and gem cutter skill he instinctively knew where and how to cut the gems. As he cut a couple of them his skill level increased along with his quality of his work. Working one of the larger rubies he cut it down into many smaller pieces, then shaped and cut each of them. He received a big boost to his gem cutting levels from this technique that helped to increase the value of each stone he cut.

Setting the gemstones aside he popped out the gold from the casts and took them to the anvil. He began to hammer the center of the circle to make a concave circle. He then began to hold the gold circle at an angle and hammer it into a bowl shape around the concaved center. As Rick rotated and hammered the side walls he gradually gave it a tighter more cup look that the original bowl.

When he finished hammering out the tall cups Rick grabbed a couple small chunks of wood and carved them to fit over the top and bottom of the cups. After fitting all the gold cups with wood end protectors he affixed the wood ends to the pedal lathe spindles and began to turn the cups. With a smooth chisel, he gently applied pressure to the sides of the spinning gold cup to remove all the hammer marks. All the cups became as smooth as glass when he finished and popped them out of the wood cap protectors and set them on the workbench. 

He then once again chiseled a couple handles into the pavers that would go on the cups to make gold mugs along with a few thin lines to make gold wires. As the mug handles cooled he used his engraving tools on each cup to create ornamental matching designs on them. The gold wire casts being so thin cooled quickly and he popped them out to use. Rick took out his screwdriver and heat up the tip with the forge and used it along with the gold wire to weld some of the tiny ruby cuts around the engraving on cup sides. Then when the handles cooled he used the gold wire to then weld the handles to the cup sides making gold engraved mugs set with rubies. After making six mugs with and without the rubies he received a recipe for them both. He used the recipe to make one hundred mugs without rubies and made a crate to pack them up in.

He put all the casts he made into the drawers of his workbench and used a new stone paver to chisel a couple ring, pendant, and brooch shapes that he filled with gold from the ladle. 

He opened his notices while the jewelry casts cooled to review his updates.

Skill Increase: Gem Cutting: Level 9 (Beginner 62%) New Skill Notice!

New Skill Learned!

Goldsmith: Level 2 (Beginner 14%)

Goldsmith allows you to create various items from gold.

Level increases allow for higher quality and value items.

Soon after the jewelry casts finished cooling and he popped them out and used some of the remaining gold wire to twist and shape it around the jewelry and then cut and fit tiny emeralds and ruby stones inside the decorative wire designs. He made men and women's styled rings and pendants in this style that had a very Rich Noble appearance to them. The pendants he made were in different styles some looked like a gold longsword that he wrapped a gold wire around and detailed it to look like a plant stem with a ruby surrounded by flower petals on the end. Then he also made some look like a dragon standing up with its wings spread out to the sides and rubies set for the eyes, giving it a sinister look. The other pendants were just round gold coin shaped and left blank to practice and experiment with.

With the last of the gold wire, he painstakingly made and connected small loops to create a couple long gold necklaces that he received a recipe for. The last part was to make a gold pin that hinged in and out of the brooches that he had engraved and set with the gemstones around the gold wire designs.

Finally finishing the last one he turned at the sound of footfalls on the staircase. Angelica came down to tell him Handil was looking for him. Storing away all the jewelry and the large case of gold mugs Rick trodded upstairs to the first floor to find Handil sitting down waiting on him.

Handil stood up to greet Rick as he came upstairs.

"My lord I wanted to inform you that we have completed to the kiln house and the crew is preparing to finish the tower. We should have it completed by today. The carpenters also said that the eastern footbridge should be finished shortly as well." Haindil explained the situation to Rick.

"Excellent work Handil once the tower is complete we can start tomorrow building a stone block break wall around this small island to prevent soil erosion. I have the Surveyors out on the plain right now marking out the main streets of the town so that won't be far off until we start the street and pipe stage next. Also, I have something here for you and the workers." Rick pulled out the crate of fancy gold mugs and placed it on the table. He then took out a gold mug with the rubies set in it.

"This one is your own personal mug it may not be dwarven quality but it was my first attempt. The others in the crate can be used among the workers, there should be one hundred gold mugs in there." Rick explained.

"Thank you, my lord, I hope to put it to good use for years to come." He said as he looked over the mug tracing the designs with his finger.

"Handil you just gave me an idea, when watching you trace the designs with your finger as if you were writing on the mug. May I borrow your mug for a few minutes?" Rick explained then asked.

Handil handed him the mug and Rick sat at the table and turned the mug upside down. With his engraving tools, he began to make a small rune on the bottom of the mug and a small switch rune on top of the mug handle. He carved the runes; kaldr megin (translate to: cold ability). He touched the switch activating the rune then filled the mug with water and let it sit on the table for a minute.

"I have just engraved a rune in the bottom of the mug that should provide this mug with a magical ability to keep the contents always cold." He told Handil what he engraved into his mug while waiting to see if it worked.

He then dipped his finger into the water and it felt like it had just been scooped from a cold mountain stream. He smiled and explained how the switch on top worked like the lights around he had made.

"This works just like the light fixtures I made just touch this tiny circle on the handle and it will turn the rune on and off to cool your drinks." Rick told Handil.

Handil even more excited put his mug on top of the crate of others and hiked over to the barracks to drop them all off and return to his crew.

Rick then took Angelica downstairs into the cellar away from the cooks and diggers who were relaxing at the table awaiting a new task.

Rick took out all the jewelry he had made and put on a couple of the men's rich looking rings and a necklace with one of the dragon pendants that hung just below his medallion.

He then without saying anything placed a women's ring on each of Angelica's hands and hung the sword and rose pendant from a gold necklace around her neck.

"I just made this jewelry to raise my skills and remembered the fabric with the sword and rose you like and made a couple pendants to look like it. You can keep these and don't worry if anything happens to them, we will have nicer things later when my skills improve." Rick said as Angelica examined her new gifts.

"Thank you, Cedric, these are very beautiful. They look so expensive I am almost afraid to wear them." She replied.

Rick waved his hand at that. "You don't have to worry these are more for appearances for now, and you do not have to wear them all the time if they get in your way. When we go into town I think it is fun to get dressed up and have nice things to wear and a little jewelry like this adds to it." Rick assured her.

Rick then left Angelica to cross the eastern footbridge on his way to the new kiln house. He went inside and pulled up the stone pavers that covered the crawls space under the floor. He then made the same runes that his forge had wind and fire. Then he placed the wind runes so that they would blow through the crawl space and push out the heat created by the fire runes. The floor had small slits spaced out across the crawl space to allow the wind push the enormous amount heat created by so many fire runes up into the room. When he had the main runes all set in place he linked them all to a switch rune just outside the door at the spot a doorbell might be found. Rick then pushed the switch and the wind and fire runes all kicked on and began to instantly blast heat into the room.

I sure wouldn't want to get stuck in this room it would cook you like the world's biggest oven.

Rick switched the room off and began to make some box shelves from stone blocks around the room to stack clay items. When the shelves were complete he took clay out of his inventory and a knife. He used a wood shaft to roll the clay flat then cut it into an even rectangle shape. He then rolled it into a long tube and seamed it together and rubbed it down with water to make the surface smooth. Next, he flanged one end of the clay tube so that you could connect them together when he had more. He continued to repeat this making straight flanged pipes until he received a recipe for them then he made (L) shaped pipes and (T) shaped pipes. With recipes for them all, he made a three hundred straight pipes and one hundred of each (L) and (T) pipes. He placed them all on the shelves around the room and walked outside and touched the switch again starting up the kiln house.

He stopped to look at the small settlement they had built up so far and decided to make a map of the area to look back on as the area grows over time. He removed the map from his inventory ad looked it over.

 

 This place is starting to grow now and I can even see the western footbridge, the carpenters must have finished it up.

Just as he had figured when he put the map away he saw the carpenters walking back from the river, As he watched them walking across the island toward him he was trying to think if he had anything they could possibly do now when he heard someone yelling behind him in the distance. He turned around to scan out on the plain and saw still some distance out the surveyors were sprinting back with a group of mounted people that seemed to be chasing them. 

Rick yelled out to the carpenters. "Hurry go get Angelica tell her were under attack!" 

He began equipping his armor, sword, quiver and held his bow in hand. When he looked back up Angelica had already made it to the eastern footbridge she had her armor and swords already on. Rick took out her bow and quiver and handed it to her to put on and left to run out toward the advancing attackers. When he was in bow ranged he stopped and drew down on the lead mounted attacker and sent an arrow whistling over the heads of the surveyor who ran toward him. The arrow just caught the rider in the right shoulder causing him to fall from his mount. He didn't let up and let another arrow lose just as Angelica stopped next to him. His second arrow was more accurate burying itself into the attacker's chest killing him for sure.

Angelica then began letting arrows zip off at the quickly approaching attackers in a steady stream. Her second class Hero Ranger is the top tier of the Ranger class and it showed in her performance. By the time Rick had shot his third arrow hitting another rider, Angelica had dropped five of them off their mounts and brought an end to the charge before they could reach them. 

The riders stopped turned and sped off to the south-east leaving the dead and their mounts behind in fear of joining them. When the winded surveyors reached them they were two men short. Through large gasps of air, they told Rick of how the mounted attackers watched them from a distance for a few minutes and when the surveyors decided to send someone back to report it, the attackers suddenly started charging them. The surveyors had time to run because of the distance between them, but the attackers ended up hitting two of the surveyors with what looked like thrown javelins. Rick told the men to grab first aid kits from the shed and gather everyone up and hold up in the tower until they get back.

"If you see any signs of trouble while we are out on the plain use the metal bars next to the tower door to seal it shut until we return." He told the exhausted men. "I am going out to investigate and be sure they are really gone."

Rick and Angelica walked out toward the fallen riders and as they got closer he noticed that the mounts they rode that still stood by their fallen rider were not horses. Still unsure what they were up to around fifty yards from them he discovered that the mounts were six huge Tigers.

"Angelica, stay right here with your bow ready, I am going to see if I can calm these Tigers down if they try to attack me drop them." He explained his plan.

"Be careful." She said while notching an arrow to her bowstring.

Rick activated his [Calm Animal] Aura and slowly walked toward the closest tiger. It snarled and flashed its white dagger teeth at him unsure what to do without anyone to command it. When his aura finally enveloped it, the Tiger settled down some but still was not completely happy with the stranger being so close. 

He then began to use his [Tamming skill] on it, but it kept failing, but it did increase as he used it. He then took out a slab of raw deer meat and cut small slices off it and tossed them to the tiger to keep him occupied as he continued to tame it. After about ten minutes of failures, it finally worked.

New Taming Notice!

You have tamed a Forest Tiger.

Like its name the Forest Tiger is partial to living in the forests around the world.

They are extremely aggressive in the wild but have been raised as mounts by many.

They are not as fast as a horse, but they can fight ferociously alongside their masters.

I have a feeling this would not go so easily in the wild after reading this notice. The only reason I can even get anywhere close to this guy is because he was raised by humans since a cub.

Now that Rick had tamed the tiger he could really feel a link of understanding between them. He walked up to his new tiger and hand fed him as he stroked his head. After a moment of bonding, he walked the big cat over by Angelica and had him lay down while he went to tame the other Tigers. After taming four he started getting warning that he had too many mounts for his level. He ignored the warning and kept training his [Taming] skill on them. When it reached [level one Intermediate] he was able to tame the last two tigers. They had killed seven riders and two of the tiger mounts. The first one he hit in the shoulder was still alive, but in no shape to fight with his sword arm out of commission. 

Rick and Angelica advanced on the wounded man spread out on the grass holding his arm. Rick took out his shield and spear with Angelica by his side bow and arrow ready to snap to life. 

"Who are you? Why did you attack us?" Rick asked the man.

The man remained silent and looked away from them. Rick reached out with his spear and tapped the side of the arrow buried in his shoulder and repeated himself. The man's face turned white as he held back the pain still not responding.

Rick let out a long audible sigh. "I see you want to make this hard on yourself then." He said

He placed his shield on the wounded man's chest and kneeled on it while grabbing a hold of the arrow shaft he slowly pulled up on it a few inches then drove it back in forcefully. The man let out a scream and began cursing in an old Human dialect that he understand from his human language skill. He repeated the question so that he could understand it, making him aware that if he did not get the answers he wanted he would continue this until he talked. 

"If you do not respond to me I will start breaking your bones and healing them over and over. If you think you can just lay there and bleed out and die then think again. This magic ring has plenty of heals left to keep you from dying for a long time" Rick said showing him [Faith's Blessing]inches from the man's face with a wicked smile that said he would do just that.

With some applied pain and coercing the man began to speak. He told them that they were a hunting party from a village far to the east. They normally do not come out this far, but the leader of their party forced them to travel out in search of better hunting grounds. They happened across the surveyors by chance, and after some arguing between them, they decided to attack them for any valuables or possession on them. He told Rick that many of the men didn't want to attack but their leader pressured them into it.

That map I have from the temple showed a settlement out to the south-east near the coast. I bet these bastards or at least their ancestors are responsible for the empty temple that I arrived at in the northern mountains.

"Who was this leader that decided to attack us?" Rick asked.

"His name is Skuld." He said with the pain showing on his face.

"Did he live to escape with the others?" Rick continued to question him.

"I was the first to fall so I am not positive, but I think I saw him leave with the others." The wounded man said.

"Well, my friend it is about time for you to join you fallen comrades." Rick said as he stood up and removed his shield. He tightly gripped his spear and thrust it through the attacker's heart killing him almost instantly. 

Rick turned to face Angelica. "I am sorry Angelica but it looks like we are going to bring on a few more fighters around here. I know I told you it was your decision, but we can't let these people come here and attack us whenever they please." Rick explained.

"I agree this is unforgivable attacking unarmed men like bloodthirsty bandits. Gather more warriors my lord, and we will see how they like us coming to visit them with weapons in hand." She replied with a fierce look.

Rick looked at her with his wicked smile. "I couldn't agree more we need to show these people if they attack us we will hit back three times harder."

Rick then began to strip the fallen attackers of weapons, armor, and any possessions on them and buried them all together. He then found the two dead surveyors and used some rope to tie them to the back of the Tigers to bring them back with them.

Rick asked the other workers what the names of the two fallen warriors were and made two tombstones and chiseled their names into them. He then used his [photoreading] skill and [Artist] skill to draw the faces of his fallen workers and their body shape and the clothes they wore. He told the packed tower of workers that he was going to bury them and that anyone was welcome to join. Then he took them across the western bridge and buried them on a small hill near the river and planted the headstones he made at the head of their graves. The gathered workers began to say short prayers for the dead.

Rick then said. "Goddess Faith who is looking down on us bless these fallen souls who lived such a short life. Let them rest in peace here amongst this beautiful land you created."

Then a shaft of light fell from the sky on the graves and Rick could feel his medallion's reaction to the event. The shaft of light gradually widened to cover the small hill as small white flowers sprouted and grew around the graves. Then as suddenly as it came the light was gone leaving behind a picturesque garden on top of the hill. Rick thanked Faith and turned to his men.

He gave all the workers new orders, he told the upholsterers to make mattresses for the Tigers to sleep on. He had the carpenters build a gate blocking off the west bridge to keep the sheep penned. Then he wanted them to build a six stall wood stable between the tower and eastern footbridge for the new Tigers.

Rick then instructed the diggers start to dig a one foot wide trench down a few feet around tower islands complete shoreline. The stone mason and cutters were to follow behind them and start laying stone blocks in the surrounding trench they are digging when the tower roof was done. He told them that he would build a small wall all around the island for their security.

"We can also build some kind of defensive structure out where the surveyors were attacked so they can have a place to fall back until we can rescue them." Rick said.

He set everyone off to work and walked to the kiln house and turned it off and left the clay pipes to sit on the shelves for now.

Now, I am going to make up a small group of elite warriors and go out and pay the neighbors a little visit. When those surviving attackers make it back they might try to come back with a larger force. We can catch them on the way back or right at their settlement. Either way they have a fight coming unless they want to turn over that Skuld party leader and fall in line.

"It time to assemble the troops!" He said aloud to himself as he marched over to the [System Gate].