Chapter 52. Absorb "Chloe, are you going to spar today or the next week. You didn't have enough time to get comfortable with new skills." "I can't just sit back after watching the others," she pulled out her curved shortswords. They were similar to my first choice of weapons just after the initiation. I did leave them behind because I was not able to exert enough force with them, but the style Chloe used was perfect for curved swords. A nimble, quick style with short exchanges. "Come," I said and she stepped forward. Seeing her close in I was shocked how fast she was, looks like she had also chosen [Sprint] as one of her first skills. Instead of stepping back, I pushed forward. She blocked with her swords and using the force that I applied, Chloe dashed behind and once again got ready for her next attack. She knew that I would beat her if she didn't back off fast enough, so she kept her distance and only closed in when she was sure that getting out was possible. But this needed a lot of stamina, she was going to run out of it soon. But that was not it. After the third or fourth exchange, she suddenly rushed in. I thought she was running out of stamina to continue, not thinking of that attack as much but the force that was applied behind it was enormous. A skill similar to cleave, but a sideways motion. My sword almost left my hand but that really was an all-in attack as Chloe just fell down after I successfully blocked. "Good," that was the first time I had praised anyone and it wasn't even a conscious act. I did get careless near the end but hiding a skill until the end was a good choice against someone stronger than you. "Arthur, she's going to cross you soon if things go on like this." I looked in his direction and said it out loud so that everyone could hear it. Chloe was able to absorb everything very fast, she had needed half the time that the other three required to acquire her mastery, and it was probably at the 'competent level' by now. "For the next two weeks we will keep sparring like this, and after that, we will move on to fighting in groups. And that will start if only all of you are much stronger than you are now. I don't want one weak individual to drag down the whole group." The four then went a little closer to the camp but not to their tents. They all used to gather at a spot every day in the forest to practice together, and have small competitions. Like speed, stamina, and regular exercise that we did in school. This also lets them get closer to each other and know how far each one could go. Knowing the limits of your team members was important in big fights. How much longer they could fight for, how fast they can move, their skills, habits, and traits. Only then would you be able to coordinate with each other, at an instinct level. It was finally time for the city to open up to its people. They wouldn't be living in the inner area forever, but it was better than living in camps. And the city was large enough to shelter everyone. There were a couple of thousand people that had gathered over time, and the inner-city was capable of occupying each and every single civilian. After the five big buildings. You could only imagine the scale of the complete project, how gigantic it would be. Garry had requested for the city to be opened at night so he could finish up some last-minute touches. The Five Buildings were different in their own ways, the auction house had a multi-floor theater with a bog stage, back area, storage room, and everything that might be needed at an auction house. The Adventure's Hall was a two-floor building, with multiple small rooms on the first floor and a big reception that was visible right as you entered. The second floor had offices like rooms and a small gathering area. The Temple had no idols or statues in it now and was empty for now. But there was a huge circular pilar right at the heart of the entire building. There were small platforms embedded in it and an open cavity to places statues. The Law Enforcement Hall, which was my department, had an area to store weapons, some different counters, and some meeting rooms on the second floor. There was also a private cabin that I had asked. But what separated it from the buildings was the underground cellar. In a long tunnel under the Hall which had many jail-like structures built everywhere, we were going to deal with criminals here. There had to be a place to detain them. The houses were not too big, single floor mansions with a courtyard. I thought that was the end but as always, Garry had done more than what I asked for. We had lights in the city. When the sun was no longer visible, and it had started to get dark, the walls lighted up instead. "How did you do this? I don't think we have started generating electricity." "The mana stones. I had some soldiers accompany me and dig out some, I then tried all sorts of things with them, but I couldn't use the energy they contained. My skills are not enough to use them but I found an alternative use for them. I noticed that they don't stop shining and the lights are not visible during the daytime but illuminate quite nicely at night. So we embedded some in the walls, this way we have light in the city. They don't reach too far, this way we don't have to worry about attracting beasts also. This was the reason why I asked to start in the evening, so by the time touring is done, we can see this spectacle." "Good job Garry, now at least the people can stop using torches to move around at the night." He had done a really great job, now people had some sense of security. "Arthur, let the guards assign twenty to thirty people to each mansion, and from tomorrow, start assigning people positions. Temporary or permanent, it does not really matter, just make sure that every group has a representative. The craftsmen have Garry, the medics, the people who go out to regularly hunt but are not affiliated with the army, each group needs to have a spokesperson of their own." "The adventure's hall will start issuing tasks in a few weeks, so I was thinking to let the soldiers also take them. We don't need so many for guard duty every day. At most fifteen. We can have them come to work alternate days, and on their days off, they can do the commissions." Arthur had a good idea as the demand for different materials was just going to rise from here on. This way we could use our forces more effectively, and they also get time to practice on their own. I gave him the go sign and he immediately went to work. There was nothing much to do so I started walking towards the Enforcement Hall, my residence from now on. I wasn't able to sleep or meditate, the voices in my head didn't stop arguing. They had started to speak up more and more and had been getting louder with each passing day. The inside of the halls had flame holders which could be lighted when they had to be used, you did not want a constant source of light while you slept now did you. The wood was engraved with runes that made it fire resistant which was supposed to stop it from burning or stop a spreading fire. Something or the other. Not being able to sleep, I decided to out and look around the forest. I hadn't gone far away from the forest when I heard the sound of air being cut.