This is the fourth in a series of stories, set in the game world of Banished. Read Part I.
We've finally built the school I've been waiting for. It still seems unreal, even though I have been teaching here for a year now. Ferun has taken over the blacksmith duties, I'm far more interested in educating the children. Most of them have been born here and know nothing of space or advanced technology. Yet, they show so much curiosity and enthusiasm to learn.
It is so different from the schools we had on Mars. We might have had the technology but the thirst for knowledge had long since died out from humanity, save a few hundreds of dedicated individuals. I just hope that my instructions and knowledge are enough to prevent some of the accidents we've had in the village lately. Some of the children have grown into adults and started working before the school was built. Unfortunately, they are slower than the rest of the original, educated settlers and much less productive.
I remember Erandol, he replaced Castin as the village woodcutter. Acelyn had had her doubts about this but Castin was needed at the new gatherer outpost urgently. There had been no alternative. Within a few days, it became apparent that Erandol was not quite up to the job but everyone adjusted. After all, we could survive a bit longer without firewood until he became better. I was in the school when one of the kids ran inside to tell me the news of his death. Acelyn blamed herself even though no one else did.
In spite of such individual setbacks, the village has been prospering. Castin was sent at the head of an expedition to set up a gathering and hunting outpost, far away from the village center. As the population grew, we've had to clear nearby areas for wood and land. This had driven the deer and other animals upon which we depended for meat and leather deeper into the forest. It is a long way from us, across the small stream where we fish. But the outpost is flourishing now and though Castin is growing older, the plans he has made will serve us well for the future. I only hope we can avoid making the same mistakes that were made centuries ago on this same planet.
Acelyn has just proposed a trading dock on the big lake. We are self-sufficient now but who knows what we will need once we grow even more? Besides, traders can also bring news about space from the Towers. Maybe I'm being too optimistic but I hope the war has finally ended. After all it has been over 20 years since it first began...
Read Part V
It is so different from the schools we had on Mars. We might have had the technology but the thirst for knowledge had long since died out from humanity, save a few hundreds of dedicated individuals. I just hope that my instructions and knowledge are enough to prevent some of the accidents we've had in the village lately. Some of the children have grown into adults and started working before the school was built. Unfortunately, they are slower than the rest of the original, educated settlers and much less productive.
I remember Erandol, he replaced Castin as the village woodcutter. Acelyn had had her doubts about this but Castin was needed at the new gatherer outpost urgently. There had been no alternative. Within a few days, it became apparent that Erandol was not quite up to the job but everyone adjusted. After all, we could survive a bit longer without firewood until he became better. I was in the school when one of the kids ran inside to tell me the news of his death. Acelyn blamed herself even though no one else did.
In spite of such individual setbacks, the village has been prospering. Castin was sent at the head of an expedition to set up a gathering and hunting outpost, far away from the village center. As the population grew, we've had to clear nearby areas for wood and land. This had driven the deer and other animals upon which we depended for meat and leather deeper into the forest. It is a long way from us, across the small stream where we fish. But the outpost is flourishing now and though Castin is growing older, the plans he has made will serve us well for the future. I only hope we can avoid making the same mistakes that were made centuries ago on this same planet.
Acelyn has just proposed a trading dock on the big lake. We are self-sufficient now but who knows what we will need once we grow even more? Besides, traders can also bring news about space from the Towers. Maybe I'm being too optimistic but I hope the war has finally ended. After all it has been over 20 years since it first began...
Read Part V
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