Using the shadows to excavate a big enough space for the Ruin’s Protection Charm had been simple enough in the darkness of the basement. Easy even. Rassa had finished setting it into the earth beneath the Ruin and ensuring it worked properly within a half hour. He’d essentially written that it’s job was to protect the building of and those within it from ill-intent, which could include something as simple as robbery to an all-out attack. The size of the crystal was far bigger than anything Rassa had dealt with before. At least as tall as him when stood upright and three times as wide.

He’d decided to place Runes on it that essentially meant that once activated, it could work on its own and would not need time to recharge. This worked by the Crystal reading the Mist in its area of detection, something that didn’t require the use of the Mist itself. When it detected something related to its job, then it would activate. It essentially meant that the time it spent ‘reading’ was also ‘recharging’ time. In addition, the only one who could deactivate it was himself.

Once it was on, those within the Ruin could have sworn they felt a strange altering in the air. Like something was watching them. But they quickly grew used to it, thinking it was just the presence of their Big Boss putting them on edge.

Unfortunately, the Communication Charm that Rassa had prepared for the Ruin was not quite so easy to install. Luckily, he’d thought ahead of time, planning for the fact that he wouldn’t be able to implant it into the floor like he had the Protection Charm in the Basement, lest it go through to the first level.

The room Iah had cleared out was on the second floor; an empty office opposite the staircase and alongside the records room that dominated the back of the second floor. It was a medium sized room, about four metres wide and six metres long, but it would have to do for now.

Rassa pulled the Communication Crystal from his Shadow, and situated it at the far end of the room in the iron stand he’d hastily worked on with Kei.

The Old Blacksmith has been impressed by Rassa’s precise techniques, but in all honesty Rassa had been hasty, and hadn’t really been fashioning the stand with any purpose in mind other than for it to be strong enough to hold the crystal. Kei had been more concerned with the design in terms of whether or not it was pleasing to the eye. After Rassa had cut and welded it together, Kei had spent nearly all night making it look far more spectacular that it actually was.

Setting the Communication Crystal down in the room, Rassa spent the remainder of the morning constructing a table to go around it, and several chairs, as well as a few book shelves and boards on the walls that would be used to display things during future meetings. Then, on one board he pinned a map of Eldovia, and put pins into the parts of the continent that possessed a Moonshadow Base.

He’d have to get someone who was an expert Cartographer in at some point to draw him a proper map.

Then, as he was appraising the Map, Iah knocked and entered.

“I heard you…” her gaze fell on the giant crystal in the centre of the tables, it was about half the size of the Protection Charm in the Basement that she’d wondered down to look at earlier, “It looks impressive, but what exactly is the point of it?”

She knew it wasn’t a protection charm from the runes on it’s surface, but having no connection to the Mist, she was unable to discern it’s true purpose for herself.

Rassa smirked, “Have someone check on it every hour or so after I leave. If it’s flashing, activate it, you’ll be in for a nice surprise”.

Iah frowned, but decided from Rassa’s smug look that he wasn’t going to explain further. She sighed and handed the file in her hands over.

“The lists you asked for”.

Rassa took them from her politely, knowing she was still on edge after what she’d learned this morning.

“Anything I should be paying close attention to?” asked Rassa.

Iah raised an eyebrow, as if wondering if he did indeed want her opinion, then sighed as she relented, “The numbers are hasty, and only really for the base. If you’re opening up other shops, that’ll be another list. And the number of Magicians…we weren’t a hundred percent sure of it. The last number we received from Ebony was when she was…well, not entirely concentrated”.

Rassa nodded, “Let me worry about them”.

Rassa then reached into his shadow on the table beside them and polled out several rolls of paper before he rolled them out, “These are the plans I’ve got for the main base at Shigeni Mountain. I can handle the construction fairly well on my own, but I need tools and materials. If you could arrange for as many as possible to be in Lovolon in two weeks-time, I’ll pick them up myself and begin construction. I also want you to have recruitment notices prepared so that we may start in a month. I’ll have them posted in every main city in Eldovia and conduct the interviews when I finish construction”.

Iah glanced at Rassa, “That is a tight time frame”.

“You cannot do it?” asked Rassa.

“Well the travel time alone would-”

Rassa smiled, “There is no need to worry about that. Not anymore”.

Iah gave a long stare towards Rassa. She disliked his indifference. No, not indifference, she realised. He was not indifferent to her pain. He simply did not feel the same way. Was it truly right of her to condemn him for that? It was not his mistake after all. Iah sighed.

“I can do it”.

“I’d like you to be on the interview panel,” Rassa stated.

Iah’s eyes widened, “Me?”

Rassa nodded, “You’ve run this business all this time, Iah. I want you to be a part of it for a long time to come. If I haven’t made that clear by now, I apologise”.

Iah huffed. He had made it clear. She just had a hard time believing it given that she wasn’t used to taking orders. She decided to clear the air by changing the subject.

“Talo and Will requested your presence at the docks before you leave. Something about expanding the fleet,” Iah paused, the corner of her lips lifted in amusement, “They’ve got one ship, it’s hardly a fleet”.

Rassa smiled, “Thank you, Iah. I will go to them now. Do you still want me to return with Mathius and Ebony before we leave tonight?”

Iah frowned, but nodded.

Rassa decided against having that argument again, “We’ll be back just before the sun sets then”.

***

Rassa peered through the shadows of his hood up at the newly repaired Warehouses and the sign declaring it the Moonshadow Docks. Plenty of workers, both new and old, moved back and forth, most of them going from the pile of materials in front of the main warehouse towards the boat building warehouse at the far end.

He smiled, impressed by the work of his new Dock Master. Will had outshined Greyson within a week of his appointment. Not that it was hard to do so.

Rassa spotted Will at the end of the main dock where the Moon Voyager was, busily talking with Talo. He made his way over, curious looks from the workers as he went.

“Talo, all I’m asking is that you divide your crew so that when the new ship is ready it can be used by tried and trusted employees,” Will pleaded, sounding exhausted.

Talo crossed his arms, standing tall and proud, “A ship’s crew is her blood, I ain’t draining Moon Voyager!”

“Then you’ll have to spare some time to interview and test out new crew for the other ship,” Will decreed.

“I’m busy, Will. You do it,” Talo huffed.

Will threw his hands up in annoyance, “Oh, and of course I have nothing to do! I’m just building this entire dock yard from the ground up!”

Will turned to walk away, pausing mid step and his eyes going wide as he spotted Rassa.

“Mr Moonshadow…what an unexpected surprise,” said Will.

Rassa chuckled, “Relax, Will. I’ve got no bad things to say to you. From what I can see you’ve taken on the role I gave you marvellously”.

Sel and Layton appeared quickly, the Eunuch silently, the kid with an excited grin on this face that most would have backed away from given his many piercings and icy eyes.

“Master,” Sel nodded respectfully.

Rassa acknowledged him, his gaze gliding over the kid to rest on Talo, “Will is right, we’re going to need a new crew for the other ship and I have no one else who is quite so experienced in these matters as you”.

Talo sighed, “If I’m spending my days going to other Islands to retrieve supplies, I’ve hardly got the time to train or interview an entirely new crew”.

“Would you have the time if I sent you to Port Lovolon instead?” asked Rassa.

Talo paused, “Lovolon?”

“We’ll be establishing a proper and exclusive Moonshadow Warehouse on the Eldovian Mainland. I need you to head over to Lovolon and acquire a warehouse, you’ll need to ferry some supplies there for construction as well. Communicate with Iah for the details. I’ll meet you in Lovolon in two weeks,” Rassa explained.

“Two weeks?” asked Talo, “That’ll only be enough time for two trips…and that’s if the winds are favourable”.

“I can wait if I need to,” Rassa replied, “Besides, if you’re going to be selecting and training a new crew, I’d be more inclined to let you take your time”.

Talo frowned in thought, “I suppose the extra days at sea does give me time to get to know any newcomers better. But the ship will be overcrowded”.

“It was overcrowded for three weeks on the journey from the south,” Rassa said, “You’ll make do”.

Talo rolled his eyes, “Yes boss, I’m assuming I’ll be seeing Iah for the details?”

“Go tomorrow morning, she’s…well, just give her the rest of the day off,” said Rassa, “I’ll be going to Eldovia again. I’m taking Mathius and Ebony with me this time”.

Rassa’s gaze went over Layton, who appeared somewhat deflated after being ignored, and Sel, who continued to await orders once more. Rassa hesitated only a moment before he nodded, “You two can come with me as well if Talo doesn’t need you?”

Talo shook his head, “Take ‘em”.

Rassa nodded, “Then be at the Charm Shop at sundown”.

Sel nodded, and Layton grinned with a savage excitement.

“Sel, let Elsbeth know she’ll need to be on the second trip to Lovolon with Talo. Get her to pick seven others whom she trusts. At least 3 of them need to be capable of making decisions on their own and need to be fast learners. Understood?” Rassa instructed.

Sel nodded, “It will be done, Master”.

“Good,” said Rassa, then Sel disappeared, Layton turning to go and grab his things from below decks. Rassa sighed. He barely knew these men, but they were willing to follow him so explicitly because he was a friend of Aegin.

“Something wrong, Mr Moonshadow?” asked Will.

“I am no longer human, Will,” said Rassa, “I haven’t been in a long time. But sometimes I remember vaguely what it was like to be ordered around with no tangible benefits. I am not doing that to you, am I?”

Will snorted in amusement, “We lived for many years in a place where there were no tangible benefits. Perhaps we are just used to it. At least with you as our Master, we are able to go where we wish and are free to earn our own coin and live our own lives. I don’t think any of us could desire anything more”.

Rassa frowned, “It feels strange, you calling me Master. I know you fought for your freedom yet you choose to call me as such”.

“Better to serve the Master we have chosen, than the one we have not,” Will replied.

Rassa glanced at Will, seeing the steady and calm resolve on his face, “Then you’ll let me know, won’t you? If I am no longer a Master you choose”.

“You’ll be the first, Mr Moonshadow,” said Will.

Rassa flashed a fang from beneath his dark hood, “Then I promise not to drain you where you stand for telling me”.

Rassa disappeared at Will’s pale face and Talo chuckled behind him.

“He’s a good master, sure,” Talo said, “But his sense of humour is an acquired taste”.

“I imagine blood is as well,” Will said as he relaxed, “Want me to put out a call for new crew?”

Talo nodded, “Twenty will do. More and I won’t know what to do with them all”.

Will turned and walked back down towards the Warehouse.

***

Ebony knew that Iah would not welcome her. She’d known it since she’d awoken from her hunger and looked down at Mathius’ corpse-like body. Still, the cold detachedness with which Iah greeted her hurt.

“Ebony”.

Ebony just nodded as Iah had already turned to look at Mathius, her eyes widening from the change in him. To anyone who had not met him before perhaps the change would not be so obvious. But the way he moved and carried himself, the way he appeared just slightly younger than before, that was all very different.

“Mathius…are you…okay?”

Mathius looked at Iah, then gave an ever-so-slightly nervous glance at Ebony. Ever since Ebony had managed to shake him from his hunger that morning, he’d avoided the subject of Iah. Ebony didn’t exactly know what he felt, only that Iah was somebody he didn’t wish to hurt. His rebirth had made him powerful, but it had also filled him with a hunger that could never be satiated. One that he could very well lose himself to if he wasn’t careful.

A calming breeze brushed the curtains, and Ebony turned to acknowledge Rassa as he stepped into the Office via the balcony, his hood shielding his face from view. Ebony felt the slightest sense of relief settle on her shoulders at his presence.

“I’m okay,” Mathius said to Iah, “Don’t worry about me. I was stupid for walking in there without permission anyway. At least half of the blame should rest on my shoulders”.

Iah gave a glance over at Ebony, then Rassa, then back to Mathius, “Forgive me if I don’t agree, but there is nothing I can do but accept it as reality now”.

Iah stepped forward, but Mathius took a step back. Iah looked surprised.

“Sorry, I’m just…not ready. Next time we meet, I promise I’ll greet you properly,” said Mathius.

“Ah, right,” said Iah.

The atmosphere drifted into the awkward before there was a knock on the door and Iah turned to it, “Come in”.

Sel and Layton stepped in, both carrying small bags with their belongings.

“Everyone’s here, then,” said Rassa, “Good, we should be able to meet up with Kit and Olly without much delay. Mathius, Ebony, you can hunt when we reach the Mainland. There should be ample land for you to stretch your legs”.

Rassa took a few steps forward to Iah, then, much to everyone’s surprise, wrapped her in a hug. Iah froze momentarily, but when Rassa didn’t seem to react, Iah relaxed and returned the hug. She understood that despite his apparent lack of sympathy for her current emotions and mindset, he still wished to offer her some form of the human emotion.

“Thank you for holding down the fort, Iah Moonshadow. Now and always,” said Rassa.

Iah huffed out a laugh, shocked to feel her emotions clog in the throat. She closed her eyes, hugging him tighter for a moment before she stepped away, “Safe travels”.

Rassa gave her a warm smile, “We’ll talk soon, remember to keep an eye on that charm”.

Iah sighed, “As you instruct, Mr Moonshadow”.

Rassa looked somewhat amused at her address before he turned and nodded towards the door, “Let’s go”.

Iah watched them from the third-floor window as they marched up the street towards the centre of the Island, the Lamp Lighters passing them by as the sun dipped below the horizon. Coming and going like the wind. Iah couldn’t help but wonder if Rassa would ever feel content enough to settle down in one place.