by Logan Jacobs
“Please, Bash is fine,” I said with a dismissive wave. “Where I’m from, the people are in charge of the people. We decide who is in control of the government with elections, but I don’t feel like taking the time to set that up.”
“D-Did I do something wrong during my tenure as leader?” Elrin asked in a worried tone.
“Not at all,” I quickly assured him. “Times have changed. You have to admit it has been a challenge for you to meet all the needs of the town on your own. Look around at your house, it’s a clear example of the burden leadership has had on you. I merely seek to alleviate that a little. In a short time, I will make Bastianville so prosperous that it will take all of your collective efforts to manage things, and it will be a job beyond the capabilities of a single man, or even of a god.”
“I see.” The older man stroked his neatly trimmed beard thoughtfully. “I have to agree with your logic. I’ve often turned to the people in this room for advice and assistance.”
“And we’re always happy to help in whatever way we can,” Torya interjected in a warm voice, and she reached across the table to pat the back of Elrin’s hand.
“What exactly are we supposed to do?” Theodora asked with an arched eyebrow. “I’m already busy gathering herbs for my medicines. I have to be well stocked and prepared before the next raid or attack comes.”
“I would ask you to work with Gerulf about re-cultivating the land that has gone fallow,” I told the medicine woman. “And to work with Caelia about supplies needed in the general store. I want everything in tip top shape before winter.”
“And me?” Jax asked as he rested his elbows on the table and steepled his hands together beneath his chin. The muscular blacksmith had a curious expression on his face, and I was confident he would have done anything I asked him to do, even if he would give me a hard time along the way.
“You will be helping me with the town’s defenses,” I informed the blacksmith. “You know the most about taking raw materials and turning them into lifesaving items. I need that sort of expertise when designing and building the wall and the gate.”
Before I’d arrived, the town of Addington had only been protected by some sharpened logs that jutted out of the ground and trenches, but I planned to change things.
“A wall would be a large task…” Elrin shook his head with doubt. “We would need a lot of timber.”
“If we gather every able-bodied man in the town together, then we can accomplish a lot of these tasks in record time,” I promised the mayor. “Plus, now you have me, and I can fell a tree better than anyone in Bastianville.”
“There is more to it than merely felling the trees,” Elrin started to argue, but then he let out a small sigh and held up his hands. “I do not mean to be a naysayer, Great One. It has been a long time since we’ve had hope for our humble town, and I am grateful for your presence here. We will do as you say. I trust your vision for our town.”
“Good.” I nodded to acknowledge the weight of his words, and then I paused for a moment before I turned back to the others. “Caelia, I will need to peruse the general store to prepare for my journey soon, but I will also be making a list of any items you need me to purchase before I return. That way your store will be fully stocked, and we’ll have trade routes established to the other towns.”
“That would be wonderful,” the dark-skinned young woman breathed in a low voice. She had trouble meeting my eyes, but when she did, I stared into the warm pools of chocolate until I lost track of time. She blinked rapidly and then looked down with a blush, and the moment was gone, but I would not forget it.
In fact, I wanted to make sure it was saved forever, so I took a few deep breaths and then made a save point before I turned to the gathered council members.
“We need to get the mine up and running again so the town’s livelihood is restored,” I continued after I’d taken a few breaths to cool my blood. “I’d love to learn how to mine the copper myself.”
“Not possible.” Elrin shrugged. “The mine will not be operable for some time, it will take us a while to remove the goblin mess. No offense…”
“None taken,” I chuckled. I’d rather enjoyed creating the goblin mess, especially since I’d won Elissa’s hand in marriage in return for killing all the beasts who’d taken over the town’s copper mine.
After considering Elrin’s statement again, though, I frowned.
Did I want to accept that answer?
Mining was one of those skills I knew would greatly come in handy while I was out on a journey. There was no telling where I’d find a random strain of silver or something valuable hidden in a rock. It happened all the time in video games, and keeping a pickaxe on you was practically required in the Elder Scrolls.
Still, I’d rather not endure the stench of dead goblins while I learned a new skill, and there would be plenty of time after my trip to the duke’s castle, so I let the conversation continue, but I wouldn’t forget about learning to mine once the tunnels were operable.
After we finalized our plans for the mine clean-up, walls, and a gate, the six of us discussed the repairs needed on the buildings and houses of Bastianville. I assured them their businesses and houses would be some of the first restored, and I put my house high on the priority list as well.
Then we talked over a town guard, and Elrin agreed to gather up all the able-bodied men in Bastianville. While I would have been against a forced draft in most circumstances, I knew each of the citizens wanted what was best for the town. Life was so precarious in this place that everyone would be more than willing to band together for the greater good.
Once everything was discussed and figured out, I decided to go with Jax to the forge to discuss the items needed to carry out our plans. There were the hinges for the gates, wagons and harnesses for hauling timber and ore, plus extra weapons for our new guardsmen.
We made idle chit chat as we walked across town, and Jax informed me he’d tweaked Lord Loser’s armor for me to use. His eyes glimmered with excitement, which made me quicken my pace a little, since I wanted to try on the new armor as soon as possible.
“I managed to increase the quality ‘cause the steel was a far bit nicer than anything I had on hand here, so I’m certain you’ll notice the improvement,” Jax said as he showed me the glistening silver of the breastplate.
The Bullard family crest was gone, and the workmanship was impeccable. The blacksmith had truly outdone himself, and I touched the center of the breastplate to view the stats.
Durability – 100%
Weight – 5lbs
Quality – Excellent
Magical Aspect – None
Armor Tier – 6
“Jax, the quality is excellent, thank you!” I shook the blacksmith’s calloused hand firmly. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time.”
I put down the breastplate and then picked up the large shield the Loser Lord had wielded during our battle. Unlike the rest of Lucian’s armor, the shield still had the Bullard family crest gracing the front of it, and I touched the center of the shield to activate the stats.
Durability – 100%
Weight – 7lbs
Quality – High
Magical Aspect – Minor Magic Deflection
Armor Tier – 6
“I repaired the shield, but I won’t be able to get the crest out of it.” Jax looked crestfallen, but I brushed aside his words with a wave of my hand.
“Just repairing it is enough, thank you.” I put the shield back and then checked the stats on the breastplate again, just to convince myself I really did have armor that nice.
I checked the rest of the armor, but the stats were around the same. I’d given Jax the Iron Fist gauntlets to repair as well, but they weren’t done yet. I didn’t intend to do more than fix the durability, though, so I didn’t need to check the stats. Then I turned over my dagger and my feather sword for the blacksmith to work on.
Suddenly, Janus strode into the forge, and the fourteen-y
ear-old apprentice gave me a big boyish grin.
“It is an honor to see you, Great One,” the young man greeted me. “I just finished shoeing your horse.”
“That’s great,” I returned his cheerful expression. “Thank you for taking such great care of him.”
“It was my pleasure.” Janus bowed deeply.
Jax made a rumbling noise, crossed the distance to the boy, and then clapped him on the shoulder. “Alright, enough gawking at our lord. Get back to work.”
Janus blushed, but he bobbed his head in acquiescence before he retrieved a basket of materials from a shelf and moved to the grindstone.
I peered over the boy’s shoulder to see what he was working on, and I saw a basket of crudely shaped arrowheads made out of metal.
“What are these for?” I asked the blacksmith as I indicated Janus’ basket.
“I’m sending you out with a hundred arrows,” Jax informed me in a proud tone. “The rest will be stockpiled for the guardsmen.”
“That’s awesome.” I nodded thoughtfully as the other needs of the guards flew through my mind. “They’ll need armor, too, nothing fancy, but enough to protect them from stray crossbow bolts. And swords and bows to shoot the arrows with.”
“I’m working on it, I’m working on it,” Jax grumbled, and he grabbed me by the shoulders to redirect me to another part of the forge. “I figured you’d want to help me make a few new wagons for the mine. I just need you to carry some things outside for me.”
He piled my arms full and led me outside where he grabbed a few other things in a seemingly random fashion. When that was done, Jax gathered up a few tools and tossed them into a small wheelbarrow, and once he had everything he needed, I followed him away from the forge and toward the edge of town.
Everywhere I went, the townspeople waved and rushed up to touch me quickly. I was like their walking good luck charm, and everyone wanted a piece of me to get them through the day. The eyes of the people were bright and hopeful, though, so I didn’t mind continuing to lift their spirits.
Once we were outside the town perimeter, the sounds of nature replaced the voices and chatter of the people. Jax and I walked in silence for a while, and I took a moment to truly enjoy the man’s company.
When we were finally out of earshot of any other townspeople, the blacksmith cast me a sideways glance and cleared his throat.
“Forgive me if this is too forward,” Jax said in a hesitant voice that was unlike him, “but I was wondering if ya got any items from the griffon last night.”
“Oh, that!” I laughed, and the big man’s face broke into a grin. “I snagged three feathers, but I can go to the griffon’s nest to retrieve feathers and talons whenever I want.”
“A grand prize,” Jax said. “I would advise you to keep them in a safe place. Many people would attempt to relieve ya of them.”
“Trust me.” I smirked. “Nobody is getting my feathers from me.”
The griffon feathers must be an invaluable prize if Jax and the creature were both worried about thieves. I trusted the blacksmith, but I made a mental note not to let anyone else learn of their existence. Then I made a save point so I could get some more information out of him.
“I was hoping you could show me how to use them.”
Jax shook his head and turned his gaze to the trail leading toward the mine. “I don’t know the mysteries of magic. You would need to find an enchanter to teach ya. To be honest, I’m surprised ya don’t already know such things.”
“Oh, I know how,” I quickly back pedaled. “It has just been a long time, and I was wanting a refresher course. Same as smithing.”
“I see.” The blacksmith didn’t seem skeptical, but I didn’t want him to have any doubts about my godhood, so I reset back to my save point.
Chime.
“I was hoping you could tell me where the closest enchanter is?” I asked in a casual tone.
“That would be the duke’s castle,” Jax informed me, and he didn’t seem to have any reason to question why I would ask.
“Ahh,” I said. I’d have to find an enchanter to learn how to use my griffon feathers. I’d expected as much, but I was still disappointed to learn I couldn’t use the magical properties of my prizes before I left on my journey to the duke’s castle.
Maybe the duke’s enchanter would teach me more about that part of this world? I could probably even find a magician to teach me how to cast spells.
It wouldn’t hurt to find out, and I was determined to learn everything I could. I had all the time in the world, after all, and it would be silly to let it go to waste.
I spent the rest of the day performing manual labor to build the mining carts, but I enjoyed every moment. We cut down several trees, stripped away the bark, and then lashed them together into small carts. Jax showed me how to attach the straps and hooks that joined the wagon onto the mule’s harness, and I was proud I only had to reset my save a few times before I performed the task perfectly.
Sweat dripped from every pore of my body, and my hair clung to my scalp by the time the sun was at the midday point. Jax and I took a break for lunch, and we snacked in silence on some hard bread, jerky, and dried fruit. It was what Jax referred to as a “Working Man’s Dinner,” and he gladly shared half of his food with me.
We returned to the tree line to begin to cut more timber, and then I noticed a line of people trailing up the slope behind us. Several of the men held axes over their shoulders, and two of them carried a long two-man saw between them.
I spotted Myron, Willihard, and Niconor among them, and I was glad they weren’t all strangers. I also saw Jeron and Maud, the two men who’d taught me about cutting timber a few days earlier. I’d almost forgotten their names since I’d mostly been focused on honing my skills at the time, but then I heard someone shout at them, and it sparked my memory.
We began on the north side of the slope, and a short while later the ringing sound of axes against stumps echoed through the glen. The shouts of “timber” reverberated seconds before the loud crash of a felled tree, and we soon fell into a sort of rhythm.
When the pace started to wane, I called everyone together.
“I think we should hold a small competition,” I suggested to Jax and the five men. “Whoever gets the closest number of trees felled to me gets a free beer.”
“How do you know you’ll get the most?” Niconor asked in a teasing voice.
“I’m the God of Time,” I replied with a laugh. “I wouldn’t expect mere mortals to compete with me.”
“You’re on!” Will shouted, and he pumped his fist up into the air.
Jeron and Maud cast each other sideways glances as they sized up their competition, and I couldn’t help the grin of pride that stretched across my face.
“Alright, we will work for a few hours and then see who is in the lead.” I clapped my hands together and grabbed my axe.
Now, I just had to make sure I got more timber than anyone else. I’d perfected my tree felling technique during my last attempt at timber gathering, so I was confident in my ability. Jax, Jeron, and Maud would likely give me a run for my money, though, so I got to work.
In the end, with a few chimes and selection of trees and carefully paced axe sharpens, I managed to get twenty-five trees by myself, and the next closest was Maud at fifteen. I felt pretty good about the results of my little competition, so I decided we’d cut enough for one day. We had close to sixty felled trees at that point, but it would take a lot more than that to build a sturdy wall around the entire town. Not only that, but I had plans in my head of a thick stone wall with towers, battlements, crenellations, and boiling oil, everything I ever saw in a medieval movie. I wanted Bastianville to be the largest, richest, and best defended city in the world, and I knew it would be.
“One day at a time,” I reminded myself as I heaved one of the thinnest of my felled trees onto my shoulder, and I dragged it back to the pile we’d accumulated at the base of the slope.
T
hen we hauled all the timber to the mill, a building on the side of the river with a wheel attached being pushed by the current, and the men introduced me to the owner of the lumber mill. Byron was a muscular man with a curly salt and pepper beard. His head was covered in a stocking cap even though the air was warm, and he wore thick leather gloves to protect his hands.
I created a new save point and then approached the mill owner so I could reset and impress him with my knowledge.
“Will you teach me to use the sawmill?” I asked as I shook the older man’s hand.
“It would be my pleasure, Great One,” Byron answered with wide eyes, and he seemed beside himself that the God of Time would be interested in his trade.
Byron showed me how to load the timber into the tracks. Then he released a lever which made the attached blade spin at a dizzying speed. We chopped up half our pile of lumber, and I reset a dozen times before I’d perfected my cuts.
Meanwhile, I learned some things about the owner of the mill. He was married to Risha, who I remembered meeting during my tour of the town. They had two children together, but one had grown up and moved away.
Then I reset a final time, and I grinned as I approached Byron.
“Byron!” I greeted the now familiar face. “How are Risha and the boys?”
“Doing well, thank you.” Byron’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he scanned me up and down and tried to figure out how he knew me. Then recognition sparked in his eyes. “Oh, Great One, I wasn’t expecting you to come to the mill. What an honor.”
“Mind if I run your saw for a bit?” I asked in a casual tone.
Byron’s eyes widened, and he sputtered for a few moments before he managed to gasp out, “Of course, Great One, anything you wish!”
I grabbed one of the big iron hooks used for maneuvering the logs around, and I pulled the largest one from the stack. I rolled the tree onto the track and then pulled the lever to initiate the saw. The buzzing filled my ears, and a short while later sawdust blew everywhere and clouded my vision.