When I grabbed the sack, it vanished, and the hands holding it curled into fists. Suddenly, a status line appeared at the top of my view screen.
Gold x 2,000 – Stone x 0 – Wood x 0
Sweet, I thought. The keep was needed to start this party, but I lacked the wood and stone resources. I looked to the nearby tree line. Hacking at the trees with my sword didn’t seem plausible. Then I noticed there were other items being held by the skeletal hands of the banner’s altar.
One grasped a thick tree branch. Another held a large stone as if ready to throw it.
With some hesitation I took the branch, and the hand curled into a fist. The branch dissolved into a thousand moths that fluttered away in the breeze.
My status line updated.
Gold x 2,000 – Stone x 0 – Wood x 500
Next, I snatched the stone out of the other hand’s grasp, but as it curled into a fist, its middle finger remained pointed upward.
Same to you buddy, I thought.
The stone cracked like an egg in my hand, and dozens of little gray lizards squirmed out to fall to the ground. They quickly buried themselves into the dirt and were gone.
Another status line update.
Gold x 2,000 – Stone x 450 – Wood x 500
Now we’re in business. Flush with gold and resources I brought up the command menu and selected the Build Keep option. An information screen floated before me.
Keep:
The key building of your base, it is required to construct other buildings. It is also required for hiring Worker Units. Worker Units can construct buildings.
Cost: 1,000 Gold + 300 Stone + 150 Wood.
Do you wish to purchase this building? Yes/No?
But what if I didn’t have any workers to build the keep in the first place? The chicken before the egg syndrome.
Only one way to find out, I thought, with a shrug and selected Yes.
A clattering of bones gave me a start.
From the banner’s base, a tall skeleton emerged from the ground and stood before me. Cupped in its hands, causing it to stoop with its weight, was a large block of stone.
I blinked in surprise at this new arrival. Very cool, if not a bit creepy.
The skeleton’s jaw worked open and closed. A voice slithered in my ear.
Where?
I repressed the urge to tell it to put the block anywhere just to get rid of the undead thing. But a strategic spot needed to be found. Everything I built should also be placed to impede an attacking force from getting to the banner.
I walked fifteen paces directly north of the banner’s altar, then pointed at the spot between my feet. To the skeleton, I said, “Here, please.”
The thing moved to the indicated spot, waddling under the weight of the block. As it approached, I took a few steps backward.
The skeleton stopped right on the spot and froze. It turned its skull to face in my direction.
The voice returned to squirm in my ear.
Back.
Not wanting to hear it speak again, I moved all the way back to the altar.
Once I was clear, the skeleton dropped the block to the ground with a dull thud. Then the bones of the undead apparition became unhinged and fell apart into a heap. The bones crumbled away into dust.
The upright stone block shimmered, then began to grow bigger and bigger. As it ballooned in size, a progress meter appeared next to it. 15%. 22%. 35%.
As it got larger, so did the number on the progress meter. The block began to change shape, forming a squat tower.
At 100% the tower stopped growing and a system message appeared.
Keep construction completed.
I marveled at this new structure. It was about three stories high and about ten paces in diameter. Stone battlements ringed its crown and arrow slits dotted its surface at different levels.
And it was mine!
A large wooden door was at its base, facing south.
Maybe I’ll go inside and look around my new keep, I thought.
But before I even moved, the door flew open and people spilled out of it. So surprised, I jumped back, sword in hand.
As the last person exited the Keep, the door slammed shut.
Twelve men stood before me in two neat rows of six. Each were identical to the others, with a mat of dark hair and a mustache. They also wore a pair of dirty overalls with a red shirt underneath – my banner color. Some held hammers, others axes or hand saws. A single name card appeared above the group. Worker Unit.
They all looked expectantly at me.
“Uh, hello,” I said for lack of anything else to say.
One of the workers stepped forward, and a small flowing red banner appeared above his head. The unit’s leader.
“Whatcha want us to build, boss?” the leader asked.
Good question. Now that I had workers it was time to put them to constructing the next building.
Making the Keep took nearly all my gold and resources, but was a necessity. So I pointed at the line of trees to the south and said, “Cut those down and get me more wood.”
The unit leader scratched his head. “Gonna need a woodyard first, boss. Can’t do much without one, afraid to say.”
Right. Woodyard. I selected it from my command menu.
Woodyard:
Required to receive and process chopped wood into building materials and for other usable products like weapons.
Cost: 200 gold + 100 wood.
Do you wish to purchase this building? Yes/No?
I selected Yes.
The worker leader perked up. “Right on, boss! Where do you want it?”
I pointed at a spot about ten paces from the southern tree line. As I did so an outline of a red square appeared on the ground. When I moved my finger, the outline skipped along with it. I settled the outline onto the spot I wanted and said, “Build it there.”
The outline froze into place, and I lowered my hand.
“Let’s do this, men!” shouted the unit leader, and the workers rushed over to the woodyard outline. They spaced themselves around the outline’s perimeter and began to hammer and saw at it. The noise of their tools echoed off the trees.
From the ground a small log warehouse began to slowly emerge from the ground. Its progress indicator increased rapidly and in moments it was at 100%.
Woodyard completed.
The workers let out a brief cheer and wiped sweat from their brows. Then the unit leader pointed at the trees. “Time to chop wood!” he shouted. The tools in their hands changed to axes, and they each attacked a tree with gusto.
I caught myself grinning at them. Despite my initial trepidation I thought this was actually kind of fun.
With a little time to get the hang of things, I could get my base built, raise an army, and get Amara’s banner.
How hard could that really be?
A shout pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked to the source.
At the top of the keep, leaning over the battlements, was a soldier clad in light armor. The indicator ‘Lookout’ was above his head. He pointed to the northwest. “Enemy spotted!” He shouted.
Shocked, I looked to where he pointed.
A large group of humanoids were running across the grass plains directly at me. They were tall, green and armed with spears. Each wore basic trousers and a simple blue colored jerkin.
Trolls.
Behind them, mounted on a sparkling white horse, was Amara. Even from this distance I could see her grin.
The trolls were approaching at an alarming speed, such was their racial advantage.