House Claim Interface You have built or found an unoccupied structure in a safe zone. You may, without expense, set this structure as your home. When you occupy your own home in the safe zone, you may keep others from entering, although they may still exit at will. Anyone can be designated as having any access to the home you choose, including access rights, observation rights, or even the ability to grant the same. You may also increase the privacy of the home, rendering any windows, gaps, or holes in the structure opaque to observation by any but those approved to enter the home. |
“Besides having no monsters, a safe zone is called a safe zone because of this,” Licht said behind Tulland. “The house claim means you’re safe from human danger if you so choose.”
“Privacy is nice, but if it only works while I'm here?” Tulland said. “Someone’s eventually going to check the interior out.”
“Try thinking about advanced options, or something like that.” Licht shook his head at the confused look his statement drew. “Just do it. The Infinite will know what you are talking about.”
Tulland obeyed, bringing up a menu of dozens of ridiculously expensive, nearly useless options that he’d never purchase with his hard-earned experience. Most seemed aimed at crafting classes or warrior classes that got buffs from better rest. It took a minute of thumbing through the options until he finally found the useful thing Licht had set him searching for.
Improved Privacy For the cost of two randomly selected levels of skill development, you may permanently increase the privacy of any of your claimed homes in any safe zone. While you are gone, the home will be impenetrable to entrance or inspection by any unapproved party. While this does not render the home invulnerable to normal weathering or collapse, a house with improved privacy may not be broken down or destroyed by a third party. |
“Oof. That’s expensive.” Tulland told Necia what he had seen. “But I think I have to take it.”
“Are you sure? It seems like a lot of cost,” Necia said.
“It is. But it’s a skill that works through any safe zone, right?”
“Right.”
“Imagine if I’m relying on this farm to fuel my climb, or something like that, and someone sabotages it. I’d be ruined.” Tulland looked through the door again, mentally claiming the home but not spending his experience on it just yet. “Plus, if I have a completely safe farm, I can do long-term growing. Massive trees. Slow-growth plants. I’m bound to find a use for the permanence.”
“And that… helps?” Licht looked lost. “Your class benefits from it?”
“Yes, although I won’t tell you how. It’s worth it.” Tulland looked through the door, pleased to see the original builder’s insanity hadn’t gone as far as to install actual flooring. He could start improving the soil today if he wanted to. “I wonder if there’s any way to distract from the fact we chose the biggest, worst house in town, though. Someone might get suspicious.”
“You could do the classic princess routine,” Licht said, and then shook his head right as Necia began to ask why that mattered. “Not enough time. I’ll tell you later.”
“And the soil isn’t great.” Tulland leaned down and touched the ground. His Farmer’s Intuition told him he wasn’t dealing with very good dirt, as dirt went. “I’d have to find something to make it better with.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess. What kind of stuff?” Licht asked.
“Long term? Monster meat and blood. Most of the plants I grow love it. But short term? Any organic material. Stuff that can be mixed with the dirt to inject it with nutrients. The plants aren’t picky.”
“Ah. I have something for that too.” Licht looked embarrassed. “You won’t like it. But you are going to do it? Take the house and improve it?”
“Yeah.” Tulland gave the Dungeon System permission to draw from his class, immediately feeling slightly weaker as some of his skill levels leaked out of him. “Should be done now. I added you two to the approved list, for what it’s worth.”
“Good. If you really, really promise to help me, I’ll show you the other stuff you need, too,” Licht said.
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“Yes. I can probably whip something up for that, actually.”
A few seconds of thought were all it took to rope The Infinite into the process. Tulland and Licht got the contract at the same time.
Non-aggression, feeding, and information-sharing contract
Tulland Lowstreet proposes an alliance with the following terms:
|
“Hm. Seems good enough,” Licht said, nodding. “I can agree to this. Glad to, honestly.”
“So can I.” Tulland did too. He’d be growing so much food soon that Licht’s share would hardly matter. Having a contractual ally was, in comparison, a much, much bigger deal. “Is your name really Licht Light?”
“Yes. No. Kind of. It’s a long story. And…” Licht’s eyes went far-away for a moment. “And it looks like the Dungeon System doesn’t consider that story to be relevant to your survival and thriving here. Sorry. I’m keeping that to myself.”
“Gotcha. So, you said you could help us conceal our purpose here for a little while, and find fertilizer. Which is quicker?”
“The tricks, luckily. I’m not looking forward to the other.”
—
A few minutes later, Tulland and Necia were in the bar, drinking some experience-bought wine out of rough, barely adequate cups.
“Your lady, I must protest,” Tulland said, bowing. “This home is…. It’s barely standing, your grace. It’s simply too much effort for…”
“Silence!” Necia’s face drew back into a cruel scowl. “You think I don’t know it will take your effort? Why do you think I brought you, slave?”
“I’m a servant, majesty, not a slave, and…”
“And you will do as I say or I will let you die here.” Necia lifted her mug and dashed off the last of her wine. “I am a princess of the lands of shadow and thorn. The king’s own daughter, begat by his seed with the chief of his wives. You think I would settle for anything less than the largest home in town? To be left in lesser accommodations than… commoners?”
“I apologize, princess. Of course not.” Tulland had barely managed to keep his face straight at the surprise usage of begat, but was now more or less in control of himself again. “And the plants, you said…”
“My plants. The royal garden. Yes, I will require my flowers.” Necia lifted her hand in a stop-motion, cutting off Tulland’s pretend protest. “I do not care what it takes. You will feed them and grow them with whatever resources you can find. If I’m going to live in a hovel, it will at least be as good of a hovel as your work can make it.”
Necia leaned in, looking remarkably convincing in her role of a spoiled, evil monarch.
“Are we understood, peasant?” she sneered. “Do you need further instructions?”
“Of course not, princess.” Tulland bowed. “If you will accompany me back, I will give you my thoughts on how I’ll begin, and you can adjust them as you see the need.”
Doing his best to look cowed and beaten, Tulland chased after Necia as she strode through town. Very few of the several people present looked afraid of her as they passed, but all of them seemed to have suddenly realized she was much too big of a pain to interact with to be worth it, at least in that moment. It took no time at all to be back in the safety of their own system-enhanced walls.
“Was I good?” Necia hugged Tulland. “Gods, that was so fun.”
“You were fine. Great, even. Where’d you get all that begat and quiet, peasant! stuff? It was great.”
“A book from my home world about an evil queen. They made sure to have young princesses read it, I think. To keep us from becoming like here.”
“Well, it worked. I almost laughed ten times.”
“Me too.” Licht appeared at the back door. “And word around town is that you are a terror of the very annoying and useless sort. You shouldn’t have to socialize from now on if you don’t want to. Which I’d recommend, frankly. Few people will attack you on sight here, and most disapprove of that kind of thing and will step in. But there’s still danger here.”
Tulland nodded. If nothing else, a climber was worth a great deal of experience to anyone who could take them down. In a world where just a small edge might be key to surviving, that made almost anyone a potential threat.
“What I still don’t get is the royal garden stuff. You said it was important, but I don’t see how.” Tulland patted his bag. “I have all the seeds I’ll ever need right here. It’s not like I was going to be carrying in whole trees. Probably.”
“It’s not seeds I’m worried about.” Licht sighed. “It’s your soil. And Tulland? I’m really, really sorry about what’s coming next.”
—
Further outside of town than Tulland would have thought, he found the trench. It was hard to miss it, since little flies were buzzing around from miles away.
“This is horrifying,” Tulland choked out. “Why is this even here?”
“Because it can’t be in town. The Infinite considers that an attack, for reasons I don’t understand. And because people didn’t want to find a new place to do it, every time. I don’t know. But to the extent there’s fertilized soil around here…”
Tulland felt sick, and almost held his nose against the stench. He would have shot this idea down right away if it wasn’t for his Farmer’s Intuition making sure he knew that it was a very, very good idea from an agricultural perspective. Here, it said, were the literal generations’ worth of adventurer-provided nutrients, free for the taking. It wasn’t quite Earth Giant soil, but it was depressingly close to the same quality, and not a resource he could pass up.
“Oh, I get it.” Necia was standing much further back, looking at Tulland with sympathy. “Now everyone will think you are carting this stuff around town because I’m crazy, not because you are. I’m sorry, Tulland. I don’t think I can help you with this one.”
Tulland sighed. “Okay, fine. Licht, take me to somewhere I can sell some sad little fruits. I’m thinking I’ll need to.”
“Sure, but why?”
“You would have to be crazy to think I’m doing this without a bucket. Who has one to sell?”
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