[Much appreciated.]
Work on the mill and well space was coming along nicely. Feral insisted that the roof and mill support be made of cedar, and went to chop down some of the needed trees while Squid and Targe began laying out cage traps in hopes of catching some animals. They took note of a giant opossum roaming around outside the stockade, but even Wax thought it wasn't worth going after anything today. However, one night Zinc made a rather startling outburst of simply “Farms.” “What?” Corai asked, confused. “We need farms. We can't survive on what Wax and the others kill and whatever we pull from bushes forever.” She said, though it seemed like it was just some absent-minded thought. “Zinc was it? Well, you my fine woman are correct.” The others were still taken aback as Zinc rarely spoke to anyone. “What's with the stares? She is right! Feral, surly you see the wisdom in this?” Corai asked. His enthusiasm was beginning to wear the tempers of several of the others thin. They had no grudges against him, but it was just irritating. “The soil here is rather poor, merchant. Even some of the shrubs and saplings find life here difficult.” Lev said darkly. He'd intended to get a farm up at first opportunity, but all of the boulders and patches of stone and saplings made finding good patch of land difficult, and they hadn't the time to dig irrigation canals. Where would they even put them? “Looks like we got a project Mona, come on.” Usi said grabbing his pick. Mona sighed, simply saying “Alright.” Before draining her cup of whip wine. “Since you're going out, see if you can't dump that shit in those barrels in the depot.” Feral said before glaring at Corai. “What? I thought it was booze!” Corai said defensivly. “It was pig blood and insect body lube we can't even make use of you fucking tool. If they can get that crap out though we can at least use the barrels.”
The next few days were quiet. A pair of echidna people, probably out to start their own tribe passed through, but otherwise nothing totally important occurred. A dormitory was finished, and the original meeting hut was on the way to being converted to an office space for the manager and book keeper, when they got around to picking them from the group. Then a call was heard. “Elves come!” Who it was was unknown. But there they were, visible through the swathe Feral had cleared for wagons. “Oh damn.... Alright, Mantis, get Wax ,Usi, and Mona. We can't let them out of here alive. If they leave, we'll end up with more people dropped on us than we can handle. Move it!”
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“Hey! There's an outpost up ahead!” Coce said excitedly. “Oh, so our high and mighty cousins wern't just blowing a load of ash out their asses?” Gica asked blandly. “This is great! Maybe we can offload some of this damned cloth those dickhead Vamari talked us into buying.” Coce blurted out and began tugging her giant beetle laden with goods towards the stockade. “Damn tree killers.” Gica mumbled. “Hey, they do what they must to keep the bears and whatnot out.” Coce said in the dwarves' defense. After all, not everyone was gifted with power over animals like the forest elves. As they pulled their beetles into the depot and offloaded the animals' loads, they were greeted not by a merchant, but militadwarves. “Expecting an ambush gents?” Coce said with a mile. In return she was responded to with a copper pick removing her hand as the dwarves set upon them. “THIS WAS A HORRIBLE IDEA!” were Gica's final words as the pick tore into his midsection and Mantis smashed him in the head with her kiteshield, coating the tip og it with blood, grey matter and small bits of bone. The miners meanwhile, as Coce struggled to escape with a shattered spine courtesy of Mona, Set to work on their pack beetles. Coce's beetle succumbed first, all of it's legs on one side being torn away by Usi and Mona with bloody archs of ichor following behind the flying limbs, and as it began to fall limp, Wax delivered a crushing punch to it's head which nearly split the chitin in half. Coce tried feebly to flee but was left ina motionless puddle of blood after Wax removed her arm and Mantis shattered her ribs with a lucky swing from her sword. Next and last, was Gica's packbeetle. As they finished the killing, they realized there were small beetle nymphs roaming around. “The hell are these things doing here?” Squid seemed overjoyed. “Ohhh! The sugar beetles managed to hatch a clutch of nymphs!” She seemed positively giddy, just as when any new animals were born. “Hey, less talky more beetle choppy.” Skull said, dragging one of the mangled giant beetles into the cellar.
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“Hail dwarves! Is this Limulid?” A rather muscular high elf woman said from atop her wagon. “I take it you're the merchants the caravan master told us would be here this year?” Feral said, approaching the wagon. “That'd be us!” She said with a smile, before looking upon the fallen forest elf corpses. “Real pretty. Come to a minor disagreement I take it?” She asked, slightly disgusted by the mess but seeming otherwise unalarmed. “Unexpected visitors.” Feral said grimly, kicking Coce's severed hand away from the depot. “We won't tell who killed them if you won't.” She said with a wink. “Let's get to it then shall we? We haveother contacts who want to see what you have to offer. Could make this little place a major trade stop in time!” “Corai! Come on, we have customers!” Feral shouted before pulling his axe from his belt and walking out of the stockade to fell more highwoods. A major trade stop? That was something Feral was afraid would happen.... It was only a matter of time before the flood of hopefuls would come.