A whole new world

[aestrix]

There is a forest that likes to pretend that it's ordinary. It isn't, it's quite bizarre. Every night, in fact, zombies and other horrible monsters swarm this place, looking for people to kill. Not that they've found anyone, the forest itself is quite empty of residents. But they search anyway, during the night, shambling and groaning and occasionally leaving body parts lying around. Those disappear pretty quickly, but it still happens. Then the day comes, and they depart to who knows where, swearing (if mindless monsters could think, or in fact swear to anything in particular) that they'l be back the next night. Repeat ad nauseum.

It's currently in the day portion of this cycle of directionless attempts at violence. Maybe this day will be different from all of the others.

But then, probably not, it's a very boring island without anyone here.

Comments

[greatestgift]

Of course they are. Of course.

Sable assaults some dirt with her copper pickaxe.

[aestrix]

The dirt doesn't stand a chance. The iron and copper are exactly where promised, and predictably consolidate into two little perfect cubes of ore.

[greatestgift]

She climbs up again, filling the dirt back in along the way.

"What do I do with the ore?" she asks the guide.

[aestrix]

"Now that you have some ore, you will need to turn it into a bar in order to make items with it. This requires a furnace!"

[greatestgift]

She sighs heavily.

"How do I make a furnace."

[aestrix]

"You can create a furnace out of torches, wood, and stone. Make sure you are standing near a work bench."

[greatestgift]

"Ugh."

She has some stone left from her mining adventure. She goes inside and collects up some torches from the wall and stands next to the workbench to see if it has furnaces available.

[aestrix]

It does! She can make a furnace, now.

[greatestgift]

Sable makes a furnace and puts it next to the workbench. Now what can she do with her ores?

[aestrix]

She can turn them into bars. Not a large amount of bars, but bars all the same. Something can likely be done with these bars once made.

[greatestgift]

She converts as much ore as possible into bars.

[aestrix]

She now has three copper bars and four iron bars! This doesn't seem like a lot.

[greatestgift]

It really doesn't. She goes back outside.

"You. Guide. If I leave you out here by yourself are you going to get eaten by a slime or something?"

[aestrix]

"Hello! My name is Dylan. In order for a room to be considered a home, it needs to have a door, chair, table, and a light source," says... Dylan. "Make sure the house has walls as well."

[greatestgift]

"Thank you," she says, rolling her eyes. "If it wasn't for you I definitely would've forgotten the blighted walls. Does that mean you want a house?"

[aestrix]

"There are many different ways you can attract people to move in to our town. They will of course need a home to live in."

[greatestgift]

"I object to both the 'our' and the 'town' in 'our town'," says Sable. "On the other hand, if more people show up maybe one of them will have a soul. Fine. I'll make your blighted house."

She starts clearing trees again. Aggressively.

[aestrix]

Dylan has nothing else to add. He smiles vacantly, again, and wanders around some more.

The trees don't know what hit them. Well. Okay, that's not true, they are completely aware that it's an axe. But they are powerless to stop the tree-based assault.

[greatestgift]

When she has enough wood and enough free space - and a bunch more gel, from slimes that interrupted her while she was working - she makes another, smaller cottage next to hers. It has a door, a chair, a table, and a light source. And walls and a roof.

"Is that a house?" she demands of Dylan, pointing at it.

[aestrix]

Dylan... Looks at the house.

He purposefully walks to it, opens the door, finds the chair, and sits.

[greatestgift]

Sable shuts the door on him. There. Now he won't be eaten by monsters, probably.

She builds an identical tiny house beside his, sharing one wall. If someone with a soul shows up she'll expand it to put in a bed. Although...

She opens Dylan's door. "How do I make a bed?"

[aestrix]

"In order to make a bed, bring fifteen wood and five silk to a sawmill. Other types of beds can be made at other crafting stations with different materials," he informs. He's still in his chair. He hasn't gotten up. It's entirely possible he is going to sit there for the rest of eternity.

[greatestgift]

"How do I make a sawmill, then?"

[aestrix]

"A sawmill is made at a workbench, with ten wood, two iron bars, and a chain."

[greatestgift]

"How do I make a chain?"