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]

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?"

[aestrix]

"A chain is made with one iron bar at an iron anvil," he informs. No instructions on how to make an iron anvil. Of course.

[greatestgift]

"I bet you make an iron anvil out of iron," says Sable.

[aestrix]

"You will need an anvil to make most things out of metal bars. Anvils can be crafted out of iron, or purchased from a merchant."

[greatestgift]

"Are merchants horrible mindless person-things like you?"

[aestrix]

"If you want a merchant to move in, you will need to gather plenty of money. 50 silver coins should do the trick!"

He doesn't seem to take offense to being called a horrible mindless person-thing.

[greatestgift]

"How do I get fifty silver coins?"

[aestrix]

"If you see a pot, be sure to smash it open. They contain all sorts of useful supplies."

[greatestgift]

"...Fine."

She exits Dylan's dismal little room and shuts the door behind her and extends her groundsense to see if there are any pots nearby.

[aestrix]

There's a cave, thataway! It has pots in it.

[greatestgift]

Thataway she goes, then.

[aestrix]

There is a cave! It is dark.

There's also a chest, in there. Along with the pots.

[greatestgift]

How nice.

She smashes the pots with the back of her pickaxe to see if anything useful appears amid the wreckage.

[aestrix]

Rope! Copper coins! Arrows, torches (how does that even make sense, the pot wasn't lit up before she smashed it), and a vial of red liquid! A windfall, surely.

[greatestgift]

Sable collects the rope and coins and arrows and torches, and picks up the red liquid to look at it suspiciously before she puts it in her pack, and then goes to open the chest.

[aestrix]

There's a set of throwing knives, more vials of red liquid, empty glass bottles, and four iron bars.

[greatestgift]

How convenient. She consolidates everything that consolidates, closes the chest, and heads back to Dylan to plonk the consolidated vials in front of him on his table.

"What's this?"

[aestrix]

He looks at it, dutifully. "Lesser healing potions can be made at an alchemy station, out of bottles, gel, and mushrooms."

[greatestgift]

"It's a 'healing potion'? What does it do?"