Town Builder - 103 -

Chapter 103:

Working my way through the NPC auction closing was more frustrating than usual. There were a lot more players and guilds with slots than the last auction. It was becoming a headache. There were no surplus NPCs this auction since there had not been a lot of NPC deaths in the last Incursion. I did my best to moderate my expectations as I went through the first round and the auction closed to the second phase.

Not only were players desperate for free labor, but the NPC cities were struggling with their own needs. It was turning chaotic. To make matters worse, the Disciples of the Horde revealed that there were other NPC auctions in the other realms if you were fortunate enough to control territory there. Mad Dog was perplexed why they would have volunteered such information and given up their advantage, but Black Beauty knew the reason.

“They are struggling to maintain a foothold in the Water Realm. They are hoping to spur other player guilds to take the plunge, so to speak. They are placing portal tokens in the player auction,” she explained a little smugly, mostly because she had learned something before Mad Dog.

Mad Dog just grunted as he confirmed her theory, diving into his screens. Every inner member of the Silver Linings Playbook Guild was extremely busy trying to do their management duties while still leveling. The crafters had hit a wall around level fifteen, where the experience from crafting was not enough to keep pace with other players, so they were being forced to hack and slash.

There were news channels that were good, but it was difficult to keep up with all the developments among the players. The world was so big, and so much happened every day that it was nearly impossible to take it all in. Now, with 21 other full worlds to play in, it was overwhelming. At least those other worlds were not constantly expanding like the Prime world was.

The second phase of the auction closed, and I frowned, only successfully getting twelve NPCs, but at least three were experts. Every single NPC on the list had been bid on this time, even those with useless primary skills. I hoped not too many people had tokens for the next auction.

I had to wait for the list to be recycled for the next auction and see what grand masters were available. The skill ranks went as follows:

            Level 7            Novice

            Level 23          Expert

            Level 43          Master

            Level 67          Grand Master

            Level 89          Grand Master *

            Level 109        Legendary Master

            Level 139        Legendary Master *

From my experience, an NPC’s primary skill, once it was master rank or higher, was usually equal to about one-third of their actual level. NPCs didn’t get bonus skill allocation points like players did as they leveled. In my opinion, grand masters could have a skill level between 67 and 108, and their level range could be between 200 and 324.

My two grandmaster NPCs were Fareth at level 192 and Kuba at level 259. Neither had any combat skills, but Fareth could create food with buffs that surpassed potions, while Kuba was producing novice and expert skill books at an impressive rate. It was unfortunate that NPCs could only benefit from a skill book once in their lives. Once the legendary library was built, those skill books would be more than twice as effective for them.

Finally, the new NPCs started to populate, and I quickly sorted for grand master and higher, with their primary skill being crafting. There were two hundred and seven so I sorted for just legendary primary skills to check double, just two—

Name                Title                              Race                             Level                 Primary Skill                 

Jenken               Keeper of Spirit Flame     Red Dragonkin                305                   Legendary Candlemaker  

Nikka                Blackheart                      Elf                                290                   Legendary Florist                       

Both were very interesting, but as I read through them, both NPCs disappeared from the list. I guess the tokens were not as rare as I hoped in the game. With tens of millions of players and thousands of guilds, I shouldn’t be surprised. As I scanned the grand master list, I wondered if I should wait and try again for the next auction.

My avatar’s heart was racing in anxiety and excitement as my eyes drifted down the list. I pulled the trigger when I saw something I needed.

Name                Title                              Race                             Level                 Primary Skill                 

Magnus             Colossus Constructor       Demonkin                      261                   Grand Master Engineer    

The platinum was deducted from my account, and I sat back, hoping I had made the right choice. I would have to wait until the end of the auction for him to arrive. I think Magnus was a golem builder. That might be useful, but his engineering skills for the skyships we were building were even more useful. We had 28 days to ensure that when he arrived, we could complete his employment quest.

I was briefly enthralled to watch a dozen other grandmasters disappear from the list as players grabbed what they could. Those who weren't grabbed soon had bids placed on them. It seemed the only way to avoid this rush was to go to the other realms and enter those NPC auctions. But would NPCs be willing to transfer from other realms to the Prime realm? I didn’t think so.

I closed the auction window and spent some time in our guild chat sorting through messages. Most of the communication involved progressing chain quests and requests for resources and members to form teams for monster kills. It felt like I was missing out on a lot of the guild camaraderie they were enjoying while playing the game.

I had to reset my thinking because this was not a game for me. It was my actual life until I got a new body. Ginder pinged me, and I groaned, thinking he wanted me to help him win Mira. “Talis, we got a problem. Well, you got a problem. Joy was getting harassed in the plains, and I had to crack some player heads.”

“Is she okay?” I asked worriedly. “What happened?”

“Some players were making suggestive comments and trying to get her to come back to their private room, thinking she was a player. I saw Simba come barreling in, which is what drew my attention to it.” Grinder said.

“Start from the beginning and get her back here,” I growled.

“We are on our way. As best I can understand it, Simba was watching over Joy as she was grinding solo. He was far enough away so she could earn experience…” I interrupted Grinder.

“She is level zero; she can’t earn experience,” I blurted.

“Well, mate, she is level three at the moment. We are almost back, and you can yell at her for solo grinding,” Grinder said, closing the chat. A few minutes later, the three of them arrived in my drafting room in the Lord’s Manor.

I expressed my anger in a steady yell, “Why are you fighting alone?!” I took a breath, “And how are you leveling?”

Joy surprisingly yelled back, “Because you wouldn’t let me level! You are too high a level to let me get any experience when we go out!”

Simba was trying to slink away, “Stay where you are! You are next after her!”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I was finding singled-out creatures, and Simba was close by to rush in and help if I got overwhelmed. The players were saying disgusting things and suggestions.” Joy said with intensity but not yelling as loudly.

I had to step back and look at her. She was a teenager—a gift from Jaesmin/Juana when he aged her. I just didn’t think it allowed her to level up. I was an idiot—no, they were idiots for not telling me. How was I supposed to figure this out? I also didn’t see Joy as an NPC or a woman, but she looked very innocent and dressed mostly in tight leathers. I was a terrible father.

“Why did you go to Simba and not me?” I asked a little more restrained in my anger.

“I…I don’t know. He was willing to take the time and when we grind, I’d rather have you close by. I can still level up my skills.” Joy said reluctantly.

“Your skills are not capped, even though you are now leveling?” I asked, suddenly interested.

“My fire magic just went from 18 to 19,” Joy said with a smirk.

“Do you have any spells yet, or are you just…” Grinder cleared his throat loudly to remind me that I was supposed to be pushing her and not delving into her broken advancement.

“You are grounded!” I said in reflex, no matter how silly it sounded. Everyone looked at me with expressions of perplexity.

Grinder once seemed the most pragmatic. “Maybe Mad Dog can get her a power leveling team at her level. She reached level three in four days on her own. She looks a little—vulnerable to adventure alone.”

“I watched over her,” Simba said, but recoiled when I looked at him.

“Since you are level one, we should get you some spells,” I said resignedly.

“My skills level faster without using spells,” she said defiantly.

Grinder and I both looked at each other with interest. Of course, Joy didn’t have her skills capped by her level, so it probably wouldn’t work for players, but it was still an interesting piece of information. She had learned all skills focused on magic. “Can you have Mira shadow her instead of Simba?” Grinder suggested.

Simba wanted to object, but he realized it was a good idea. Mira was a level 146 Farstrider, a ranger subclass, and she could watch over Joy much better than Simba, who was doing a druidic skill set. A little playing with my interface, and I moved Mira’s title from Master of Scouts to Guardian Knight. I added a few titles to keep her loyalty at the same level. Grinder groaned, “Talis you are cock-blocking my friend. I just lost a third of my reputation with Mira.”

“You are the one who suggested it,” I shot back, bemused.

I promoted another NPC to the Master of Scouts role for the Duchy, as it was crucial in maintaining our borders free from wandering monsters and enemies. I chose Sheila, a level 69 druid centaur who was already overseeing our lumber operations in the Shiverwood Forest.

“You are still grounded for six days. I want you to go study with Kuba and pick out some spells for when you are ready to learn them.” Joy groaned at my words and muttered expletives under her breath like any good teenager. I let her go to her room and turned my attention to Simba.

“You keep doing things behind my back, Simba. I don’t think our partnership is working out,” I said. His eyes went wide, and he would be the second companion I would be losing.

Simba looked worried. “Talis, when has my actions ever not benefited you? You know there are some things I am not at liberty to disclose. I am probably the only companion in the game who has bent the rules so hard that they are nothing but a tangled mess.”

That was actually true to some extent. He was difficult to work with, but I couldn’t think of anything he had done that hurt me. He was annoying and worked at his own pace on quests—probably on purpose to annoy me. Maybe that is what I should do, just send him on wide-ranging quests as a temporary exile. “What do you think, Grinder?” I turned to my friend and guildmate.

“I haven’t had a companion yet in-game, but the others all praise their usefulness. In contrast, you have only ever complained about yours. But I will say this, he was ferocious when he went to protect Joy from those other players. They will never forget being torn apart with claw and tooth. He did care about protecting her,” Grinder finished in apparent support of keeping Simba.

I had just lost Jaesmin, and you could only ever get one starter companion in the game, for whom you had to pay 10,000 in-game gold every month to keep. You could lapse and get them back later, but still, your companion's personality was fixed.

“Okay, Simba. Get me to rank three in the Adventurer’s Guild, and we will reevaluate your utility.” I accessed my interface and set him up to loop tier two quests in Goatyah’s Hall. Simba’s feline head nodded, and he left the room.

“You handled it well,” Grinder slapped my back. “Now, how are you going to help me get back my reputation with Mira…”

The next day, the next incursion leaked again. Thankfully, this time it was a defense that would allow me to get an experience haul. The invaders were from the Flora Realm. It was our first time encountering them, and the forums were abuzz with speculation.

Living trees, mushrooms, and flowers were the most noticeable encounters. Such monsters existed in dungeons and throughout the world. We shifted most of our defenses back to Phoenix’s Rest, but with my ability to weaken the invaders by 5%, there was less concern about this attack. Mad Dog was preparing numerous fire-based defenses.

The only good news for this Incursion was that the player population of Phoenix’s Rest was plateauing for now. When the rifts opened outside of town the next day, none of us were quite prepared for what came through outside of Malcum, where I was in charge of the defenses.

The first creatures through were humanoids with bark-like skin and dragonfly wings. These were the infantry and appeared to have small blackwood crossbows with daggers on their belt. If the infantry was going to be a ranged foe, it was going to make the defense much more difficult to contain them.

Mad Dog confirmed he was encountering the same creatures as I was, but there seemed to be some variety among the common troops in terms of bark color and size—almost as if the men were different varieties of trees.

A monstrous, shambling mound of vegetation followed next. “Tanguin, what am I looking at?” I asked my general.

Tanguin stepped up next to me. “The infantry are level thirty-three forest dwellers. The mounds are level fifty shambling conservators.” I nodded, and their levels did not seem too dangerous. It would depend on what the support and general determined, which would in turn determine how dangerous this foe was going to be.

Tall, walking stalks of colored mushrooms emerged next in large numbers. I didn’t even need to ask Tanguin to report. “Level sixty-two fun-gi spreaders. Most likely some type of spore attack that either buffs their side or hinders ours.”

We just had to wait for the cinematic arrival of our enemy's general before we could engage the enemy. A beautiful woman with green skin and no clothes emerged last. There would have to be some blurring for the underage viewers on this one. Her green skin seemed to sparkle as she surveyed our walls. “Level one hundred and twenty dryad monarch.”

Some anxious players began to rush the field, and the dryad monarch raised her arms to the sky. Suddenly, everything went dark. A loud buzzing sound echoed in the air as I assumed the forest dwellers were now flying toward us in the dark. This was not going to be as easy as we had hoped.

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