Chapter: Village meeting

Rugrat felt determination in his very bones and excitement, he had a catalogue of weapons in his mind, he still hadn’t built up the skills he needed to make them all, but from them he could draw inspiration and find solutions to the issues he had.

He stopped himself from diving right in as he looked at Taran and frowned.

“Something wrong?” Taran asked, confused by the change in Rugrat’s appearance.

“Just that Erik and I have been idiots,” Rugrat quickly left the smithy and headed for the store, Elise was out dealing with the village, Rugrat went right to the auction interface and went to the smithing manuals area.

He spent nearly two gold before he left the interface and headed back to the smithy.

Taran was working on trigger assemblies when he returned.

Taran finished off, wiping his brow as he looked at Rugrat.

“Take the night off and use these,” Rugrat said, passing Taran four different technique books on smithing.

Taran took in a sharp breath, seeing them all, he had heard of how Erik had taken out two technique books, but they were on small subjects and they were given to two different people, Rugrat was giving him four books in one go.

As much as he wanted to accept them, this kind of wealth, it wasn’t easy to come across.

“I can’t accept these,” Taran said.

“You’ve been working as hard as anyone here and you’re our only true smith, I’m only just learning the techniques and while I’ve got a bunch of ideas, you’re the core of the weapons workshop. You haven’t asked for anything and kept working, even though these crossbows probably don’t increase your experience anymore,” Rugrat could see that his words were right on the money. As someone made an item, the first time they would get a lot of experience, for making it higher quality and showing a progression in their smithing ability, they could again earn a bunch of experience. After a while, doing the same job there wasn’t much more experience to be made.

“Among the crafters in Alva village you’ve been worked the most and our entire plan relies on you. The stronger you are, the better our weapons and the more we can make,” Rugrat said.

Taran could see that Rugrat wasn’t going to let this go.

He slowly put his hand on the books, as if verifying that they were real.

“Well, they ain’t much use if you don’t use them, hopefully we can raise you up to an Apprentice, or even a Journeyman smith before the fight,” Rugrat said.

Taran’s body shook as he looked up at Rugrat.

“I’ve got a few ideas that might be able to help you,” Rugrat put down the manuals that he had received on top of the technique books, Taran looked as if he had lost his soul, stunned by the resources and information that Rugrat was giving him.

Rugrat took out a notepad, this was the notepad that he had started writing on as he got different questions, putting down facts that he had confirmed and answering questions that he had come up with.

“Read over this and the manuals, once you’ve done so, use the technique manuals, maybe they’ll be able to answer the questions you have,” Rugrat said, passing the book over.

Taran looked at the book and up to Rugrat.

Slowly he took the book from Rugrat as if it was a treasure.

He stood upright and looked right at Rugrat.

“I Taran Choi, swear my allegiance to you Rugrat and mister West, if you are ever in need of my services I will not hesitate to serve you. I so swear an oath to the ten realms.

A powerful blue light descended from the ten realms, examining Taran. Then it shot outwards, one hitting Rugrat and the other passing through walls and buildings.

Rugrat was greeted by a screen in his vision.

==========

Taran Choi has sworn his allegiance to you. If he breaks his oath then the ten realms will punish him.

==========

Rugrat’s eyes went wide, before he waved the screen away.

He put his hand on Taran’s shoulder, a smile on his face, he couldn’t express his thoughts and feelings.

“Erik and I will do our best to make sure that we do not disappoint your oath,” Rugrat promised.

Taran bowed his head, gruffly clearing his throat.

“You lead, I’ll follow,” he said.

Rugrat clapped his shoulder again.

“Good man,” Rugrat said, standing a bit taller as he would do all he could to make sure that he did his best by Taran.

“Now go and train,” Rugrat said.

Taran noded and collected up the different items, there was no need to stand on ceremony anymore as Taran quickly left.

When he left Rugrat headed over to the training ground, Captain Glosil was there.

“What was that bow you used, the power was incredible and that loading system was much easier to use than our hands,” Glosil said.

“I’ll have the new loading system to you soon, that new crossbow is a modernized version, make sure to pick out the very best shots for them,” Rugrat said, he pulled out another book and held it to Glosil.

“Use this and train well,” Rugrat said.

Glosil, took the book and opened it, he found a screen in front of him as his jaw dropped, others looked over.

Glosil recovered a few moments later, he could only see Rugrat’s back as he walked into the smithy once again.

Rugrat got a call request from Erik.

“What happened, I got a notification about Taran making an oath?” Erik asked.

“I gave him a bunch of books on smithing techniques. He was pretty moved by it so he made an oath to both of us,” Rugrat explained.

“I’m an idiot, I didn’t think to give him manuals,” Erik sighed.

“I’m right there with you, with the meeting tonight we’ll need to talk to everyone and see what they’re lacking, we can buff up the leaders with technique books to make up for deficits in their abilities, then raise the strength of the people by tactically increasing the pillars of the community, increasing our overall strength. About the gold?” Rugrat said, while they were both strong and determined men in their own right, Rugrat was younger than Erik and he had looked up to the other man that had taught him and acted like Rugrat’s older brother, both of them respected the other’s opinion but Erik had unconsciously taken over the leadership position in the relationship in most ways. If they were dealing with a situation, Erik would turn to Rugrat without hesitation, one man couldn’t do everything by himself.

Rugrat was feeling guilty spending that much gold.

“Don’t worry, with what I estimate, we should be able to make another twenty gold in the next couple of days as the different sales run out, raising our strength is more important. If you can, see about learning more about formations, arrays and enchantments, if we can add enchantments to our bullets then we’ll be able to gain another increase in power, or we can upgrade people’s weapons,” Erik said.

“Increase the strength at the base to push everyone higher,” Rugrat said.

“Right.”

“Okay, I’ll go back to the store and spend some more to try and learn enchantments, don’t forget to get more healing spells and alchemy books,” Rugrat said.

“I’ll do my best, but healing and alchemy books are expensive in their own right as most of them come from the third realm and higher,” Erik said, sounding bitter.

“I’ll try to get some more healing spells, then I can use those to assist in the tempering,” Erik said.

Rugrat felt his guts tighten he’d forgotten how Erik still wanted to temper his body tomorrow.

“Right.”

“Okay, see you at the meeting,” Erik said.

He cut the connection as Rugrat went to the store again, if one was watching they’d see light illuminating the inside of the store and dissipating a few seconds later.

After it happened a few more times, Rugrat wandered out of the store, his eyes glowing as he had to use the wall to support himself.

He stumbled back to the forge, muttering to himself before he pulled out a pen and paper, he started recording down information, writing on the paper, then sketched out something on his hammer with chalk, looking to the anvil he started tracing on it too.

Rugrat’s mind teetered between exhaustion and creative explosion as inspiration struck him.

He didn’t notice when Erik entered the smithy, or when he left.

***

Elise, Glosil, Jasper and Blaze were sitting at the table when Erik met up with them.

“The other two won’t be coming,” Erik said as he sat down with a bowl of food. “Now, these are for you guys,” Erik tossed out books to them all, these were different manuals or pieces of paper that he had written out things on.

Blaze opened up the piece of paper, shock showed on his face as he saw that it was a training plan, from beginning to end about using spears.

Glosil got a written document from Erik about the strengths and weaknesses of the defenses, defensive tactics as well as information on archery.

Jasper got information on different ways to prepare and serve food to make it last longer and different systems to make it easier for his people to handle their jobs, he also gave jasper two storage rings.

He gave Elise, pen paper and a list of his priorities as well as technique books to increase people’s abilities in different areas.

Then there was a list of priorities that Erik had written down.

Between the different goods, the technique books, even after hearing or seeing Erik passing out technique books, this was alarming.

“You are all pillars of Alva village, you have been working as hard as anyone else, your levels might not have increased but it is my aim to increase your skills and abilities,” Erik looked to them all.

“Do you have those recommendation lists?” Erik asked.

They pulled out pieces of paper and he collected them.

Erik looked them over and then pulled out a pen, he wrote a few things on the paper and then tucked them away.

“Glosil, after the meeting, come with me to the auction store I’ll give the manuals to you and you can disperse them,” Erik said.

“I will not let you down, sir,” Glosil stood, hitting his chest and lowering his head in salute. Happy to do something to repay the gratitude he felt towards Erik.

Erik nodded, saluting back with his hand against his heart.

“Now I want a report from you all, Elise, then Jasper before Glosil and Blaze,” Erik looked to Elise.

She cleared her throat and made to stand.

“We won’t have time for that, also, for these meetings we can do them while eating, we don’t have much time to spare, you all eaten?” Erik looked to them.

Seeing their reactions he looked over to the serving ladies.

“Could I get four meals for these bone heads?” He asked.

“Yes, mister West!” The server said excitedly.

“Thank you,” he said with a smile and looked to the sheepish foursome, he grabbed his bread and his spoon, waving for Elise to start as he began eating.

“The logging camp has been started, the shelters are undergoing renovations and should be complete by midday next morrow. The shower building’s foundations have been laid, the underground clay storage tanks have been created and filled. Building can start tomorrow morning when people wake up, hope to be done by midday. Mister Wanshu has taken the technique book and is working on developing watchtowers according to your specifics, he says that he will need more wood workers, but he said that they could be built in three days.”

“Do you have the plans?”

“I don’t have plans he’ll make them as he goes,” Elise said.

Erik frowned but waved her on.

“There was an excess of people working on the project, so I had them start working on the defenses. I don’t want to have to switch the people out that are working on the shower so progress is quick, the same for the watchtowers. I have made sure that the crews have all done the crossbow course and have reached level seven, with their increase in power they’re much faster,” Elise said, finished.

“Alright, at these meetings it is our aim to look and to try and improve on what we have, nothing is meant personally unless you’ve messed up in your role,” Erik said, making sure that his words weren’t taken in the wrong way.

“Shi Washu is to make plans for the watchtower, there shall be only one plan. The parts will be made before reaching the site, then assembled on location, there will be one group, making the parts, another that will assemble them together. They will use the measurement systems that I have given them,” This means less time trying to make multiple plans and blueprints, also moving from one tower to another our people won’t have to get acquainted with each one of them. Second, we don’t need to sleep as much with the increase in stamina regeneration, as there are patrols on the walls and roaming groups of guards, we can start incorporating shift work into the day. There can be a crew working from midnight to midday and another from midday till midnight, we will have fires so that everyone can see, also it will mean that we have half of the city awake at any given time, ready to react to any threat and make sure that there is not a break in progress. Our people are stronger, they have greater stamina regenerations. Good plan with not switching out the crews so we don’t have to familiarize them with the project each time.”

Elise winced but nodded her head.

“I want those showers finished for tomorrow morning if possible,” Erik said, his statement also a question.

Elise took a moment before nodding.

“It’s possible.”

“Good, make sure that we don’t take on too much, we can’t have our people burning out, unless it’s for training purposes,” Erik paused as the server came over with food, putting it in front of everyone.

“On the food and supplies side we have plenty of wood, with the logging camp up and running they’re able to clean up the incoming lumber, making it easier to store. We have enough food for four months. We have rations for everyone in the city for four days, breakfast lunch and dinner. If possible I want to get a book of recipes so that the cooking staff might find new ways to prepare and store food for the rations and increase the effects of the beast meat’s recovery abilities. With the storage rings I want to make pots of stew and other meals, in the storage rings they will remain warm and not spoil. We do not have enough cauldrons for that though.”

“I can get you some small storage rings just meant for soup, cooking it up and hold it in one storage ring, then when needed, can just have someone running around with the storage ring, pouring out soup, stew and hot tea when needed,” Erik said.

It was a much more expensive method, but it solved multiple problems in one shot.

“Also, use the larger storage ring, go and gather water from the nearby lake, and pour it into the storage tanks that are being built for the showers and the well,” Erik said.

“Yes, sir,” Jasper nodded, this was his first time meeting Erik and he looked to be a bit overwhelmed by it.

Erik was cleaning up his bowl with the bread as Glosil started.

“We have trained everyone except for forty people, in the use of crossbows. Nine groups have gone hunting beyond the walls, the majority have now reached level seven. The combination of in-field experience and training has been good, with improved loading techniques and the new bow type Rugrat has come up with, our rate of fire will greatly increase, we’ve got two thousand arrows, still I believe we will need many more arrows to survive the coming conflict, ammunition is used at an incredible rate. I have made a list of thirty people that are the best shots in the groups so far and show promise worthy of the newer crossbows,” Glosil said.

“Good, I want the guardsmen to work in groups of two to take more people out of the city and go on hunting trips so it’s not just Rugrat and myself, this will increase the speed that people level up and slim down the numbers were facing. The guards will be incharge of taking out groups to gain experience, I want to get everyone to level seven, I want to have refresher courses on crossbows, but otherwise we will look to developing our core military groups, the sharpshooters and the spearwielder's. Rugrat and I will take out the crossbow sharpshooter groups that already have some levels and work to make them stronger, we’ll be attacking the wolf groups,” Erik said. “When the time for battle comes I want them to be intermixed with the regular forces to pass on their knowledge and boost their strength.”

Glosil nodded, showing his understanding.

Blaze was next.

“All of the spear wielding candidates have already been sent to sleep, they are in the temporary housing along the north west wall. I will be studying the plan that you gave me tonight. I might need help in the coming days to manage the spear wielders,” Blaze said.

“Understood, for now the guards that are part of the training unit, make them the officers and backbone of the different units. Rugrat and I will be there to assist periodically, switching off with you. Our aim is to break them first, to tear down everything, to make them forget about their body, about their needs and build them up to be a unit, a single mechanism that lives breathes and dies together. Right now they’re nothing but fodder, but we’ll turn them into heavy infantry.”

“Sir,” Blaze, saluted.

“Five of your best from the heavy infantry and crossbow units will be used to form the quick reaction force that I will personally lead. Rugrat will be in an overwatch position, Elise, your people will be his reloaders,” Erik said.

“Reloaders?” Elise asked.

Erik smiled, his entire aura changing to make the others shiver.

“Trust me, anything that comes into range of Rugrat won’t last long.” Erik’s smiled faded as he looked down the long tables that were set up in the main square.

People were sitting down and eating, relaxing from their day’s labors.

“Do you want to give out the announcement of the shifts, or do you want me to say it after I do a presentation on first aid?” Erik asked Elise.

It took her a moment to recover from Erik’s sudden change.

“After the first aid,” she said, clearing her throat.

“Okay,” Erik stood up. “Rugrat will talk tomorrow, but I think that Taran and he will be indisposed for the next few days, however their production speed and quality might see a great increase.”

The others nodded, glancing at their storage devices where they held the manuals he had passed out.

“Anything else, questions?” Erik asked.

“What about the children?” Elise asked.

“Right now they’re working in the workshops or they’re being tended in a nursery run by your staff, right?” Erik asked.

Elise nodded.

“I don’t want to put them in more danger, when the fighting starts, they’ll be held in the village headquarters,” Erik said. “Anything else?”

They looked to one another but they didn’t say anything.

“Alright, time to get my teacher hat on,” Erik stood up and passed over his bowls to the servers.

Then he went up on stage, the villagers all looked at him, seeing that he wanted to say something.

“Hiya everyone,” Erik waved to them all, conversations died down as Erik grabbed a box and sat on it, looking out at everyone.

“You can all keep eating, I’m just here for your dinner entertainment and to teach you a few things about health. He cleared his throat, everyone was eating but they moved to get a better view of him.

“As you all know, healers are people that use magic and spells to heal people, there are also alchemists that can make medicines to help people. I am here to tell you that there are people that can heal others and they don’t need to be alchemists or healers. What I want to talk about is basic health and first aid, basic health is a ways to keep yourself and your family members from getting sick, first aid is used to help people if they’re wounded. In this coming fight, people will be wounded, so listen up, this lesson might save the person’s life on your right and left,” Erik was used to soldiers joking around after these words, in this situation where most of them had seen the enemy, that were training up, they were quiet as they looked to their neighbors and then to him with greater focus.

“Okay, so first let's talk about germs.”