It was just another morning at the cave. The group that called themselves the Rough Riders was prepping to go into the cave. They were going to try the Level 12 instance for the first time. They failed the Level 10 instance the first couple of times they did it, but the last time they succeeded, and it was time to step up the challenge.
The last time they checked, the counter had about 30 minutes left before the instance would open. As they were watching the cave, it seemed to pulse, and then a new system message appeared.
[Cave System Expansion Detected]
Regional Development Threshold Reached.
Civilian Profession Instance Paths Unlocked.
New Group Requirements Available.
Sam, the group leader, screamed, “What the crap? It’s our turn. Every time this thing pulls crap like this, there is a delay of a few hours. This is going to mess up the whole schedule.” Then the system message continued.
New Instance Categories:Agricultural SupportResource ExtractionInfrastructure DevelopmentAnimal HusbandrySupply and LogisticsPreservation and Production
Instance Requirements:5 Participants RequiredMinimum 3 Non-Combat Specialized ClassesChallenge Structure Adaptive to Group Composition
New Rewards Possible:Profession ExperienceSpecialized ToolsTrade ResourcesLivestockSeedsPatternsManualsInfrastructure Materials
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The area around them exploded into chatter. Many of the fighters were disappointed. They were hoping the new upgrade would add Level 14. The builders working on the Forgeworks were excited; they knew specialized tools were one of the areas holding them back.
Across the region, people stopped to discuss what the new profession instances could mean. Mara and Elias immediately saw the value of livestock and seeds, while Finn took the announcement as proof that the cave was useful. At Wayrest, Greta, Talia, and Bren imagined rare herbs, manuals, and profession experience. Mark was most excited by the possibility of livestock for the southern plains, while Dale hurried to sign up before the list became impossible to manage.
The steering committee for the cave gathered for a hasty meeting. They wanted to discuss what the region needed most from the cave. The higher-level groups had been monopolizing the cave, and with this new change, they wanted to get some new rules going.
They previously had 4 instances that could be run once every 10 hours after the last instance was finished. The Level 12 instances were taking about 8 hours to complete, causing the lockouts to get farther apart. They had a serious need to get newer people that had no levels and skills into the lower-level instances.
They decided they would create a new rule. Two instances would be reserved for those under Level 8 with no classes. And the other two could be run by groups over that level range. But only 1 instance would be allowed at max level at a time.
They then talked about this new fifth instance and what they needed as a community. Rather than first-come, first-served signups like they had been doing previously, they wanted to cater these to groups that would best fit the growth they needed.
The group gathered around the cave was a mix of fighters, tradesmen, farmers, hunters, and even one fisherman. They all wanted to go on the first run. The steering committee went through the list of all that wanted to go and picked the first five. It was a group with a Farmer, Herbalist, Hauler, Scout, and Fighter. When the countdown finally ended and the new instance was available, they entered with the Scout and Fighter in the lead.
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When they stepped into the cave, what they found was not expected. They were outside on what looked to be a small farm. The sun was out, and they could hear some livestock making noise in a barn that was not too far away.
The sight was not that impressive; it looked run down. The fences were in disrepair, the crops seemed to be dying, and the irrigation ditches were broken and would no longer hold water. They went into the farmhouse, and the cupboards were almost bare. There were five bunks and almost nothing else in the place.
They all received a simple system message.
[Stabilize the farm before time expires.]
The Fighter looked out of place. No threats, well, not the kind he was used to. Dying plants were not something he knew how to handle. The group headed over to the barn to see what was going on there. They found two sick dairy cows and a calf that looked only a few hours old and had not yet been fed.
The Farmer picked up the calf, and they all went back to the farmhouse. They found a well there, and the Farmer got water out of it in a bucket, found some rags in the farmhouse, and cleaned up the calf the best he could. Then he dried it off. He then started giving directions to the others as they all looked lost.
The Herbalist and Hauler went to the fields and started to look into the issue with the plants. The Farmer directed the other two to the barn, where they attempted to figure out what was wrong with the cows. They managed to milk one enough to get some milk out to feed the calf. The farmer found a bottle in the barn, filled it with milk, and handed it to the Fighter to feed.
They sent the Scout out to figure out what else was around the farm. She came back about two hours later and let them know that she started running away from the farm heading east and then ended up back at the farm. She then tried going north, and the same thing happened; it was like they were in a bubble that included only the farm.
The first day passed far faster than expected. It was night before they realized it. They were making slow progress; one of the cows started to look better, the other not so much. The second day, things went downhill; one of the cows died, and half the crops had also died. They were also running into a personal problem; they were almost out of food.
They started rationing the little bit of food they had, but on the fourth day, the second cow died, and the crops were not far behind. In the end, on the morning of the fifth day, with only the baby calf still alive, they gave up and exited the instance.
[Agricultural Stabilization Scenario Failed]
Primary Objective: Stabilize the farm before collapse.
Final Evaluation:Livestock Preservation: Partial SuccessCrop Recovery: FailedWater Management: IncompleteResource Sustainability: FailedGroup Coordination: Developing
Achievements Recognized:Newborn Calf SurvivedOne Livestock Illness Properly IdentifiedEmergency Irrigation Repairs AttemptedFarm Boundary Conditions Investigated
Rewards Granted:Minor Profession Experience AwardedSmall Farming Experience AwardedSmall Animal Care Experience AwardedSimple Livestock Feed RecipeHardy Grain Seed Bundle x1
Bonus Reward:Healthy Farm Calf
Scenario Insight:Combat strength alone is insufficient for settlement survival.
Sustainable food, water, livestock care, and labor coordination are essential components of civilization development.
Time Elapsed Inside Instance: 5 Days, 3 Hours
External Time Passed: 2 Hours, 11 Minutes
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When the group emerged outside, standing with a baby calf next to them, the crowd started shouting out questions. What types of things did they fight, and how hard were the fights? What did the cave look like, and how many tunnels? Did they find ore? How much salt? And the list went on. The crowd finally realized that if they were all talking at once, the group could not answer.
The Farmer took the lead and, in detail, explained what they did and why they failed. After another 100 questions, they finally let them go. The crowd seemed most excited that it had not been a cave at all, but an open farm. They loved time dilation also. They had been gone only a couple of hours but spent five days inside.
With 10 hours on the clock, the steering committee gathered with the group that went in and got more details about why they were not able to keep the cows alive and how the crops failed. They realized that failing to fix things like the fence and irrigation had cost them more rewards.
The committee then started to gather names and classes for the next group.