128 Be Prepared (1/2)
It was a minute to sundown when Arah and I finally reconciled. I told her about finding Ty in my vision and how he was being treated. I left nothing out. It was better that she heard the whole truth.
\”You've got to save him,\” she said while looking down at her feet. \”You know he has such a low pain threshold…\”
\”Yeah, I know,\” I answered in a steady voice. \”I'm going to save him. Then you can go back to scolding both of us when we come home.\”
At last, she looked up to face me, tears pooling underneath her eyes. Arah wiped them down with the back of her hand and then she said, \”I'll be waiting… and Dean, tell Aura, thanks for coming to talk me down… I don't think I'm ready for the Fayne… yet.\”
\”No one ever is,\” I sighed.
My return to Hoodwink Tower later that night was met with the sound of clanking steel and cracking stone.
I gave my greetings to Jensen who'd been waiting for me at the roof and walked over to the edge of the roof's battlements so I could look down below.
Scaffoldings covered a large portion of the tower's surface on the south side while a blue tarp stretched across the western side. Recently hired workers were already hard at work on the defensive walls which I'd designated as a priority. And by the lakeshore, the foundations of a new building were slowly coming into being. On the downward slope east of the tower entrance and close to our troop encampments, four temporary stone dwellings had also been raised for the merchants we'd approved to do business here.
I grinned while remembering Aura's words, \”It seems you will build a new Shärleden here.\”
The renovations had well and truly begun thanks to Varda and Zarz's combined efforts. It was something to be thankful for. The fact that at least one thing was going well.
\”Gather the officers in the Great Hall, will you, Jensen,\” I instructed. \”It's time to finish preparations…\”
It had been two nights since my vision of Ty and we were waiting at the tower for the ride Kallista had promised to send. Other than that, it was all about choosing roles for everyone in the team and giving the rest of the unit its final orders.
My officers gathered around the great wooden table that we'd placed at the top of the dais. It had become our regular spot for most of our planning.
I'd created a system to managing our business, usually starting with reports on different aspects of the unit, from tower renovations, finances, supplies, training, unit-wellbeing, patrols, and Fayne intel. The mission always came last so everyone could focus.
As always, Varda began her report on tower renovations first.
\”Most of the reconstruction is focused on the walls for now. Our newly hired chief mason, Musk Brimborn, has whipped his fellow dwarves into shape rather nicely, Commander. He estimates it'll take another month to fix the defensive walls,\” she reported.
\”Nice,\” Luca added. \”I'm tired of feeling defenseless.\”
\”Or unwanted guests dropping by with their whole units,\” Qwipps added.
This got him a few table bangs. Not everyone was keen on the recent visits of Al and Verania.
Aura's report on our finances came next. It was depressingly short as there wasn't much to tell. Apparently, the renovations were costing us all the wealth we'd gained from the last war and then some.
\”We'll be in the red until the merchants finally move in and we start profiting from them or until another battle breaks out for us to earn some plunder,\” Aura answered.
\”Doesn't Fort Darah send us monthly funds? Is that not enough?\” Ashley asked.
It was a rare thing as the shieldmaiden was rarely curious about anything other than battle, spreading her newfound faith, or training her units. But now she was curious about unit funds and I suspected it had something to do with my promise of donations to her Mother Superior.
Aura answered Ashley's question with a shake of the head. \”We use that exclusively for unit maintenance. Everything else comes out of our spoils and other earnings.\”
Aura glanced my way for a second.
\”I'm kind of hoping the coming quest will earn us some spoils,\” Aura shrugged.
\”I agree,\” Qwipps said, turning to look at me as well. \”There better be some plunder to share after this mission, Dean.\”
On that depressing note, we moved on to other business.
We were doing alright on the supply front. Mostly because of the discounts Kallista had previously given us. As for unit training, well, Edo had some concerns over the assimilation of the kobolds, who, as former thieves, weren't really fit for formation combat.
\”Why not just train them the same way as the drow?\” Luca asked.
What Luca meant was how we mostly used Thom's unit as scouts, ambushers, or inserts who could deal damage while moving separately from the rest of the unit.
\”Think you can take them under your wing, Thom?\” I prompted.
Thom leaned on his chair and waited several seconds before answering, \”It's not impossible… but are you sure you want to dye them in my colors?\”
\”As long as they don't turn out like you too much then I'm fine with it,\” I said.
I'd gotten used to Thom's insinuations, and despite them, he'd never once shown an inclination to betray us. So I really was beginning to trust him.
Unit-wellbeing was a big deal for me as I'd read a lot of books on management. So it was important for me that everyone was getting along or had their heads screwed right. This was, after all, a very stressful business we were in.
Luckily, Azuma and Edo had nothing to report on this apart from a few drunken brawls which were an almost daily occurrence in this kind of environment.
Xanthor had nothing new to report on patrols either. It was another stroke of luck that we weren't getting any new visitors other than new merchants wishing to get set up shop here, at least not in this crucial stage of our preparations to head out.