The lead gnome's eyes, swirling pools of emerald dust, darted from the dried meat in Caelan's hand to the amber glow on the horizon. It hissed, a sound like grinding river stones.
"Lord... Soft-Skin?" the creature croaked. Its voice was a vibration in the air rather than a vocalization. "Many Lords come. Many Lords take. They bring whips. They bring 'Tax.' You bring... salt-flesh?"
Caelan didn't move. He kept his palm open. "The other Lords want your copper. I want your skill. You've been scratching at this vein with your fingernails. I have a chest of iron tools back at the Hearth. You sign a lease, you get the tools. You get the meat. And you get a spot by the fire where the wolves can't reach you."
The gnomes exchanged glances. In this world, non-human "demi-humans" were usually treated as mobs to be farmed for XP or enslaved for labor. The idea of a Contract was an alien concept.
> [Negotiation Check: Success (92%)]
> Bonus: The 'Commoner's Hearth' aura is perceived as non-threatening to Earth-aspected creatures.
>
The lead gnome reached out, its stony fingers trembling as it took the meat. It tore a piece off, shared it with its kin, and then looked at Caelan's extended hand. Instead of a thumbprint, it pressed its forehead against Caelan's palm.
[System Notification: New Sub-Race Tenants Acquired!]
* Race: Earth-Gnomes (3)
* Trait: Stone-Singers (Mining speed +50%, Ore Purity +10%).
* Requirement: 1lb of Mineral Salt per week / Underground Sleeping Quarters.
"Follow me," Caelan said. "And watch the briars. Elara doesn't like it when I bring home guests without a formal invitation."
The Administrator's Fury
When Caelan marched back into the clearing with three hunched stone-creatures in tow, Elara dropped her charcoal stick. Kaelen immediately leveled his spear, his eyes narrowing.
"Monsters in the camp, My Lord?" Kaelen growled.
"Tenants, Kaelen," Caelan corrected. "Meet Grog, Grit, and Shale. They're our new Mining Department."
Elara marched over, her boots clicking sharply on the packed clay. She circled the gnomes like a hawk inspecting a field mouse. "Earth-Gnomes? They have a high metabolic requirement for salt and silicate. Do you have any idea what this does to our overhead, Caelan? We haven't even finished the roof of the Hall!"
"They found a Mana-Copper vein," Caelan said simply.
Elara froze. The "Administrator" side of her brain instantly began running the numbers. Mana-Copper meant magical conduits. It meant she could upgrade the Hearth to Level 2 within the week.
"Grog," she said, her voice suddenly sweet as honey. "Can you refine the ore on-site, or do you require a bellows?"
The gnome blinked, mesmerized by her silver hair. "Need... heat. High heat. Stone-fire."
"Kaelen, put the spear down and go fetch the iron shovel from the chest," Elara commanded, already sketching a new floor plan in the mud. "We're changing the Tenement Hall design. We need a cellar. A deep one. We'll use the gnomes' excavation skills to build a basement for the forge. The heat from the forge will rise and help the Hearth warm the upper floors."
The First Night of the Hall
By sunset of the seventh day, the Nameless Valley looked vastly different.
The Tenement Hall stood—a sturdy, rectangular structure of heartwood beams and clay-brick infill. The roof was slate, harvested by Kaelen, and the windows were covered with oiled animal skins.
Inside, the Hearth of the Commoner had been moved to the center of the room. It sat in a raised stone dais, its light reflecting off the freshly polished Mana-Copper pipes that Elara had insisted on laying beneath the floorboards.
[Notification: Construction Complete – 'The First Hearth-Hall']
* Prestige: +50
* Population Capacity: 20
* Current Occupancy: 8/20
* New Feature Unlocked: [The Bulletin Board]
As the eight of them sat around the central fire—the five humans and the three gnomes—the atmosphere was thick with a sensation Caelan hadn't felt since his summoning.
Safety.
Boros was sleeping in a real bed, his cough finally subsiding in the dry air. Mina was playing with a small figurine Shale had carved from a scrap of copper. Kaelen was sharpening his spear, looking at the door, but his shoulders weren't hunched.
Elara sat next to Caelan, a ledger open on her lap. Her shoulder brushed against his—a brief, accidental contact that made the "Hearth-Bond" hum.
"We're out of salt," she whispered. "And our grain rations will last four more days. We have the copper, but we can't eat copper."
"I know," Caelan said, staring into the flames. "Tomorrow, I go to the 'Lord's Market' at the Crossroads. I'll trade the copper for supplies."
"The Crossroads is dangerous," Elara warned. "Other Lords will see your 'Commoner' rank. They'll try to buy you out or kill you for your tenants. A Rank-F Lord with an A-Rank Administrator and a Mana-Copper source is a walking target."
Caelan looked at the [Bulletin Board] that had manifested on the wall. A single glowing notice appeared on it.
> [World Event: The Autumn Tithe]
> All Lords must report their population to the Regional Overseer in 30 days. Failure to comply results in 'Erasure.'
>
"Then I guess I'll have to find a way to look a lot more dangerous than I am," Caelan said.
Status Update
* Level: 2 (Ascending)
* Mana Pool: 12/100 (Growing due to Gnomish 'Earth-Link')
* Buildings: Hearth-Hall (Level 1), Basic Forge (Under Construction).
* New Goal: Survival at the Crossroads Trade Fair.