Chapter 4: 4: Risky Business

I gaze at the dull light shining through the canopy overhead as I create the fourth pair of cloth shoes. Twenty stags. That's the total number of monsters killed today. That makes a total of twenty red crystals, minus eight for the spears I made and another eight for the shoes.

Four spears and four pairs of shoes. With everything going to the frontliners. I sigh and shake my head as I look at the miserable state everyone is in. No injuries, just exhausted. But I couldn't be happier. The rest of the tribe only have four crystals to share among themselves.

But me? I have eight! I can't help but chuckle at that. I could easily outfit myself in an entire set of cloth clothes, make a spear, and still have two crystals left over! But I won't. Not yet, anyway.

Kyle had led us around the forest, and from what I could tell, he had been using the light to judge our direction. He's an intelligent kid. Even now, I can see the beach through the trees. I grin as I glance at him. He must have led us around in a circle. Or as close to one as he could guess.

The frontliners are cheerful, even as they battle their exhaustion. I have to admit, they have the most challenging job so far. Laura and David look glum. That may be because of the problem with their Tame skill.

It works, but it takes time. Both had tried to tame a stag each. But they soon felt that it would take ten minutes to do so. There was no way the frontliners were going to go for that. The stags had proven they could escape Kyle's trap even if they did.

That's another hiccup that Kyle finally shared with us. His Fluid Earth skill uses two points of Will to activate. It takes him ten minutes to recover one Will. So that slows us down and makes any attempt at taming fruitless for now. 

The cool breeze feels good on my skin as we return to the beach. I glance back at the forest with a frown. The heat when under the canopy was no joke. Kyle is looking around to get his bearings.

'Alright, everyone, just a little further til we reach the circle.' Kyle halfheartedly says as he starts walking west along the beach. At least, I think he's headed west since the sun is setting in that direction.

I sigh in relief when I catch sight of the stone circle. At least Kyle had chosen the right direction. Sarah high-fived the woman next to her as everyone picked up the pace. Finally! I could find out what these crystals are worth!

Wait. Why's everyone looking at me? Oh, crap!

'Rick,' Kyle says as he claps a hand on my shoulder. 'Can you try turning a crystal in? We don't have many between us, so we need to know what they're worth before we decide what to do with them.'

I sigh as I look into his eyes. Of course, it would turn out like this. They don't have enough crystals to pass around. Even if they exclude the frontliners, who got equipment from me. It doesn't look like I can get Kyle to do it first. Well, I guess I need credits to buy anything else in the forge anyway. 

I nod as I walk forward until I'm standing in one of the circles. The store information is immediately projected into my mind. Hmm? There isn't a way to turn the crystals in. Of course, I knew that from before. But the hope was that an option would appear when we had the crystals in our possession!

Damn, I wish I could find out what even one crystal is worth! Oh? 

Red Crystals: 8

Exchange 1 for 10 Credits?

Did it react to my thoughts? That's creepy. Oh, I can adjust the amount and turn them all in at once if I want. That's handy. At least I don't have to turn one in to find out its value. I need to think about what I want to buy before I do anything else.

'You need to think about turning them into credits when you connect to the store.' I say as I step out of the circle. 'They're worth ten credits each.'

The others start talking among themselves. I can hear them complaining s they bombard Kyle with questions. They're angry, and I understand why. With four crystals left, they'll have enough to buy eight apples. I ate four of my six today while we were hunting.

I know Kyle has eaten both of his, and I'm guessing the others are either running low or have none left. Great, a food shortage straight off the bat! But that's not what I'm most pissed about. The frontliners got spears from me at the same price as two apples for each one! The same goes for their shoes!

Damn! I've been totally undervalued! I groan as I stroke my beard while studying the others. How much should I be charging for this stuff? Way more than two apples worth of credits, that's for sure!

I shake my head as I analyse the situation. People need equipment to hunt safely and efficiently. Which, in turn, will boost the number of crystals they have to spend. If I hike up the price now, it'll create a bottleneck. These people will definitely choose food over weapons and clothes if food is much cheaper.

I wouldn't see a steady income of crystals if that happened. But, right now, I have a monopoly on the market. That could all change. So I need as many crystals as possible before someone else turns up that can use Soul Forge!

Ok, calm down. Let's think about this. If other people arrive here as we did, what will happen? There'll be more mouths to feed for one. Which means more people hunting and fewer monsters for everyone. The wealth of crystals will become further diluted. 

That'll put a further strain on the tribe. Damn, so, when's that likely to happen? I need to discard the idea of running into another tribe for now. Just focus on more people arriving right here.

Well, there are ten of us. Ten circles to form a tribe. We had to put ten points in a stat to unlock skills. Red crystals are worth ten credits. When I consider our starting hundred credits is a multiple of ten as well...

Yep. Day ten. That's when it's likely to happen. If it does. That gives me nine more days to milk my situation. How should I do it? I look at everyones' worried expression as an idea strikes me. Fear. That's how. I chuckle to myself as I clear my throat.

'Everyone!' I shout, drawing everyone's attention to me. 'Listen up! On the tenth day, I'm going to increase what I'm charging for the items I make!'

Yep. That's the reaction I was expecting. I sigh as a barrage of hateful comments is fired at me. However, I notice Kyle frowning. As if he is thinking about what I've just said. Good, it looks like he understands. I hold up my hands to silence everyone.

'There are two reasons for this.' I hold up a single finger as everyone pays attention. 'The first is that my goods are seriously undervalued. I'm willing to go along with this for the next nine days to give you guys a fighting chance. I suggest you get your weapons and clothes before then.' I raise another finger as I look at the small crowd. 'The second is that I believe ten more people will join us on the tenth day. Which will make things difficult when it comes to crystal gathering.'

Shock. That's what has appeared on everyone's faces. I glance at Kyle, who has a grim expression on his face. Maybe he already guessed it would happen? If that's the case, then he was probably hoping to keep it quiet to avoid a crystal rush.

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At the same time, if I didn't realise my items were undervalued, then it would become the norm to have low prices when more people appear. Sorry Kyle, but I won't let that happen.

Great. Now the others are asking if he thinks what I've said is true. He can't deny it. If he does, and I'm right, nobody will trust him again. 

'Why did you do that?' David asks me in a whisper.

'To motivate everyone.' I reply while glancing at him. 'I've lit a fire under their asses to hunt more monsters. It'll put them in a better position when new folks arrive.'

David flashes me a dubious look as he considers what I've said. 'You've created a limited time sale to entice the others into buying as much as they can from you.'

I cock an eyebrow at David. Smart. I'll have to watch myself around him. At least he didn't realise that it would also make it harder for anyone new to compete against me. My prices will become normal, and nobody will want to undercut themselves. 

That brings us back to the bottleneck of crystals. By that point, those here should have the equipment they need to farm crystals alone, hopefully with a few more stats. They'll definitely use me because they're used to me. If someone new provides items at a lower price, well, I should be able to provide a wider variety of things by then. 

I just need to keep ahead of everyone else with what I offer. If I have to, I won't be afraid to get into a price war with them over things we both sell. I'll still make crystals using the things they don't have. I chuckle at the thought as I hear an interesting piece of conversation.

'We should pool our food together, and ration what we have left. If we can get through another day or two, then we can buy more food. Right now, I think we should buy more spears and split into two teams.' Sam says as she glances at me. 'We can cover more ground and gather more crystals that way. If we buy two more spears from Rick, then Laura and David can use them.'

'They aren't really contributing just now, so I think it's a good idea.' A large burly man with dark eyes says. I think his name is Bill.

Kyle looks perplexed as the others start to agree with Sam. Well, I thought they'd buy food now and focus on equipment starting tomorrow. I grin as I wait for Kyle's decision. 

'Fine. Let's buy two more spears and split into teams.' Kyle eventually says as his shoulders slump. 'But, we'll have to buy food tomorrow. I doubt we have enough between us to last any longer than that.'

I smile sweetly at Kyle and Sam as they walk toward me. Before they can say anything, I hold out my hand. 

'That'll be four crystals.' I say as I study them. Sam grimaces as Kyle reluctantly hands over the last of their crystals. 'Pleasure doing business with you.'

The others sit around in a huddle as the air gets colder. I can't help but grin as I summon the Soul Forge and complete their request. David sighs as he takes one of the spears and looks at me. His gaze is searching for something. I smile encouragingly at him as I release the Soul Forge after Laura claims her spear.

Now, what should I spend my crystals on? Ten crystals since I had to use two as materials. That's one hundred credits! Well, one hundred and fifteen if you add what I already have. I think about my store and forge options. 

I guess that's the best I can do. I sigh as I approach the circles. Everyone is watching me as I turn in two red crystals and purchase three apples. That brings me to eight crystals and twenty credits.

I shake my head as people begin to frown in my direction as I summon my Soul Forge. First things first. There go six crystals as I make myself a spear, a cloth shirt, trousers, shoes, gloves, and a hat.

All the clothing is a dull brown colour. The gloves are disappointing, as they turn out to be strips of cloth to wrap around my hands. As for the hat, well, it's just a cloth bandana. I can hear the others grumbling as they stare at me. Their comments to each other are loaded with jealousy and anger. 

I kind of thought this would happen. Now that I've fully kitted myself out, they're probably thinking of robbing me or forcing me to hand my stuff over. I admit it was a risk. Let's hope my next purchases are worth it!

There go my last twenty credits as I purchase the method to make the Red Soul Gem and the Spider Bone Golem. Ok, now I'm bankrupt. I sigh as I turn my last two crystals into a Red Soul Gem.

The crystal is small but gives off a slight, bright red glow! The others are mumbling as they stare at it hovering over my forge. Shit! Kyle is frowning! Has he realised what I'm doing? I immediately spend the soul gem to create the spider golem.

'Wait! What are you doing?' Kyle screams as he stands up, panic plastered all over his face.

'What's he doing, Kyle?' Sam asks as she rises to her feet, spear clenched tightly in her hand.

'Don't do it!' Kyle screams as I smirk. 

Sorry, but this doesn't take long. I chuckle as I feel something forming on top of my forge. A strange link forms between me and it as it takes shape.

I was initially going to hide this when I bought it. But with the implications of what's going to happen, then I need to be able to farm myself. I can't just wait for these guys to bring me crystals!

Clack, clack!

The others gasp as a four-foot-tall spider made entirely of bone appears before me. My grin grows wider as I realise it's large enough for me to ride! No more trekking through the jungle for me! 

The red soul gem sparkles where its eyes should have been. Oh. Now that I've created it, I've discovered a problem. The gem will only power it for one day! I'll need to replenish it to keep it going!

Well, it's not that bad. I steady my breathing as I glance at the darkening sky. I should be able to get two crystals at least every day to make a new one. I nod as I glimpse the others shrinking back in fear. That's right, folks. I won't let you push me around or pressure me going forward. I'll make sure that I'm always ahead!

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