The first few months were uneventful. They began construction on an inn and Aaron began sowing seeds next to it. As the second floor was being built, Bogdan opened the inn and began distilling the wild strawberries and prickle berries. The first migrants arrive and bring some fast walker puppies and a skitch kitten. An engineer even arrived towing a half finished robot. The new arrivals are put to work on a moat and a wall. A caravan arrives from Casor Pudal.
An adorable SkitchBogdan woke up to find a strange medic standing over him.
"Hello," he says "I'm here to talk to you about a trade agreement."
Bogdan got up slowly holding the sheet against his nakedness. "Could you wait for me downstairs. As you can see," he gestured at the hole in the roof "I don't have an office right now, I barely have a bedroom thanks to these migrants." The Outpost Liason left the room and Bogdan got dressed. He walked down the stairs and sat down at the Liason's table. "Lets-"
"Is there anything you'd like us to bring next time." said the Liason, shoving a clipboard towards Bogdan.
"We don't really need anything right now." Bogdan said, shoving the clipboard back towards the Liason. "Anything else?"
The Liason just sat there, staring at him. Bogdan got up to work the bar.
Aaron walked up to the counter, "Bogdan, gimme some of that wine."
"Prickle or Strawberry?"
"What do you think?"
Bogdan hauled an entire barrel of prickle berry wine over the counter to Aaron. "So-"
"We would pay you more for these specific items." said the Liason from behind Bogdan. He passed him the clipboard again.
"Okay. Well we won't be able to spare any weapons we make and I don't think anyone here even knows how to make windows. We'll try but I won't garuntee anything." Bogdan turned around. "How's the plot Aaron?"
Aaron stopped swilling out of the barrel to answer. "Oh it's fine, do you know when we're going to get some mugs for this stuff?"
"Well this guy is-"
"Our buisness is concluded, I will meet with you next year." said the Liason. Then he walked out, past the caravan and off towards Casor Pudal.
"Didn't we need more ammo Bogdan?"
As the caravan leaves another group of migrants arrive, among them is a soldier called Ahab. He arrives complaining about losing a sword of some sort on the way here. With those migrants the wall is finished and work begins undergound. The fort's three miners soon carve out the hospital, barracks and meeting hall and soon begin carving rooms for the various workshops that need building. At one point, a pyro walls himself into the jewelers workshop, after much dicussion over the mumbled yells coming from the other side of the wall it is decided that she is threatening to destroy all the gems in the fortress if she is not given a baby chicken. The wall is knocked down, the pyro recieves her chick and the jeweller's workshop is converted into a leatherworks. The Bone Doctor withdraws from society.
Ahab saw the Bone Doctor run into the craft workshop and followed him in. "Do you need any help?"
He muttered something.
"What?" said Ahab as he moved closer.
"Metal Bars. Leather Skin."
"Yes, you told that to the others. They're making some charcoal and we found some lignite amongst all that rock they carved out. We don't have any leather though. We could kill the camel but we're hoping to breed some camels in the future."
"Metal Bars. Leather Skin."
"Yes, I know. We can't spare the camels and we don't have any metal bars at the moment."
"Metal Bars! Leather Skin!"
"We don't have any of either of those things so shut up!"
The Bone Doctor went berserk and chased Ahab out into the corridor. In the corridor, he lost interest in Ahab and turned his rage on a nearby chick (not the pyro's), killing it by kicking it unconscience and then biting it's head off. He then ran towards the exit ramp. For some reason he thought it would be a good idea to stop and punch the engineer's, now finished, robot. The robot didn't take this too well, punched him, and ran off.
"What's going on?" shouted Lucy as people poured into the meeting hall.
"Someone's gone mad! We have orders to stop him comrade!" said Konczewski, "I am going to get my weapon from the barracks, don't move until I get back." As soon as Konczewski was out of sight, Lucy set off to find this madman.
An engineer and his robot ran past her and the madman was not far behind. He saw her and ran at her. He hit her and they tumble to the ground. He tried to scratch her but she stopped him, then punched him in the chest. There was a roar and something tackled the madman and threw him towards the ramp. Lucy got up and steadied herself. The madman was on the ground claw marks crossing his chest and the Fast Walker was in the process of tearing part of his leg off in it's jaws. Lucy ran to the madman and began punching him in the head. He bled out soon after.
Konczewski sped around the corner, rocket launcher in hand. "What did I miss?"
The Fast WalkerNote: The Fast Walker in the story was marked as a furnace operator. How's that for trivia!