For the second night in a row the whole of the Engineering Guild assembled subterranean auditorium. The seats slowly filled with employees wearing faces fit for a funeral. They had all heard the news. The town criers had worked overtime to blow up the story. The abandoned western outpost was to be retaken from the demons. Tonight, would be the forced conscription of guild members. Tonight, would be the assignment of death.

A single beam of light fell upon Tim as he crossed to the center of the stage. He stood resolute with his arms behind his back. His countenance pierced the hearts of the guild as he spoke with a barely constrained anger.

“My friends, today I had awoken excited, ready to put our new products into development. Ready to bring new luxury, new glory to all of Erraat. To all of Liahar! I was so thrilled to be working with you to bring about a magitech revolution that would carve our legacy across all generations!

“But before my first cup of tea some horrible rumors threatened to destroy our hard work. And within that gossip there is a threat to our future, our legacy. And I tell you, my friends, that I am righteously pissed off!”

For a moment the audience was silent before awkward applause. This was not the reaction the guild had anticipated. None of the fifty or so employees really knew what to expect other than bad news. Having heard the gossip that had made itself the talk the town they were prepared for the worst-case scenario. What they did not expect were words of fiery passion.

The crowd genuinely felt his fervor. But they didn’t know the true underlying cause of this angst. Tim was nearly unhinged at the unexpected disruption to his plans. He finally set a course of action and cleared all obstacles in his way. An obstacle that would eat away at the one thing he couldn’t get more of: time. Someone threw a stone on his road. A stone Tim was going to kick it out of the way with all the strength he had.

“Thank you, thank you. I’m sure many of you spent the day in despair, not sure what would happen. Would you be forcibly sent to help route the demons? Would our guild collapse? Well breathe easy my friends, because I can assure you that won’t happen! The noise that is circulating around Erraat is just that, noise. To help ease your hearts and set the record straight Mr. Briarberry well present the true facts concerning this. Mr. Briarberry?”

“Thank you, Guild Master.” Hoban bowed to Tim before stepping into the center light of the stage. “This morning we made contact with the city administration for clarification in this matter. Under the order of Baron Mori, the Engineering Guild is to assist with the reclaiming of Fort Takakotan. Let me stress that again. We are to assist. Because we are a guild of sufficient size, and home to Mr. Nelson, the hero of the city, we have been enlisted to aid in our nation’s defense. This is a legal and just request.

“But, the Baron knows that we are not trained soldiers. He knows that we are not suited for combat. And we will not be expected to be involved in any of the actual fighting. That is why the Baron is sending a company of his own men to serve as the fighting force. Our guild, our people will be providing support and weaponry. In this, the Barron is absolutely correct. If we apply our innovations to the machinations of war our lethality outweighs that of all the races throughout history.

“The Baron has also graced us with time to prepare. We have until the first frost to begin the assault on Fort Takakotan. And there is wisdom in this decision too. For those of you who have never been outside Erraat, the fort holds a key position in the west. It is nestled between the Dusk Forest and the Salt Hills. It is the gateway to the west that allows trade caravans to come bringing preserved fish, meat, and herbs. Without this secure trade route our city will suffer from shortages this winter. People will starve. And should the demons attack again in spring, as we struggle to recover, would we have the strength to repel them?

“This is a difficult task. A heavy task. But an honorably one. And one we will overcome to great glory. For the details, and the revelation of our plan going forward I turn this back over to Mr. Nelson. Guild Master?

“Thank you. As Mr. Briarberry said this is a heavy task, but a fair one. A task we will not shrink from. Instead, this is a task we will overcome by growing! Tonight, I officially announce the creation of five new divisions! The War Division will be responsible for the conceptualization and creation of new methods of warfare. The Programming Division will focus on the production of E-Boxes and imprinting memory cubes. The Enigma Division will work in total anonymity and report directly to me. And lastly the Secrecy and Information Division. So that nothing like this comes up to bite us in the ass, ever again!

“And the best part of all? What does this really mean to you? There will be a ton of new openings and lots of room for promotion! To help with this we have made a list of available positions. At the end of the meeting pick up a flyer and mark anything you feel you are qualified for or have an interest in doing. Tomorrow will be meetings with HR for initial placement. Please keep in mind that not everyone will be allowed to transfer immediately. You’re all essential and we need to keep some personal in existing departments to keep them operational.

“There is a minimum of five weeks before the first frost. That gives us two weeks to get our new divisions up and running and three weeks to get war-ready. Plus, we must maintain our current sales and production to sustain this expansion. It is going to be hard work. There will be over time. But we will overcome this task. We will do the impossible. For our guild. For glory. For humanity. For profit!”

The crowd sprung to their feet in applause as Tim walked off stage.

“Do you think they bought it?” Asked Hoban.

“I sure as hell hope so.”

It took two days to hastily construct an offshoot to the main warehouse. The building above ground was small and would be the new office of the Secrecy and Information Division. But hidden underneath was a secure workshop. It stank of earth and was filled with scraps of metal and wood shavings. It was here that Tim met with his most secretive division.

“From now on you five are Enigma. However, if anyone asks you are with S and I. They will know your true station and work with you to keep your secret. What you do here is secret. What you talk about here is secret. Even your true ranking is secret. The excess salary will be given by me directly to you. Anything you need to accomplish your goals will be made available to you. Here is a set of five Rings of Shape. They are to never leave this room.

“Your first task will be to use these rings to set up your workspace. When you get tired, drink a potion. And when you’re done with that get to work on reviewing these blueprints.” Tim unfurled several large sheets on the table. “After you get that done your next job will be to make this. You have full autonomy to adjust and improve as you see fit. I have all the annotations off to the side so you can see what the intentions are.

“I’ll be picking this up in fourteen days. Best of luck to you.”

Ruri Kawai walked over and looked at the documents. She ran her hand across the papers to smooth them out. Her eyes went wide as they darted across the pages.

“He’s a madman. Hey guys, we’re going to need a lot more space.”

Tim fiddled with his phone as he marched off to see the other divisions. A tube of documents swung from his side. His sword and scabbard for the war. He had come so far and sure as hell wasn’t going to let anything get in his way.

On a cool morning two weeks later Randal and McKenzie entered the Engineering Guild. Dressed in their adventuring gear they drew the eyes of everyone around them. But Makko did his job and faithfully lead them to the back of the warehouse where Tim was waiting next to the Mule.