by P. S. Power
It took a second for him to realize that Godfrey didn’t recognize him, and since it was basically his house, it would be rude to make the man guess. Mainly because he just wouldn’t. After all, if he thought that Tor was the new delivery boy, well… It was still hard to figure out how to let him know. Most people looking at him didn’t think “Builder” they thought things like, “he can scrub the pots for us after dinner”. Or in this case probably wondered if he could be given some menial task like shifting dirt around for the people doing the actual work. Not a bad idea, except that he really didn’t have the time at the moment.
The man, Godfry, asked if the new delivery girl was good looking. He didn’t seem to be asking for the normal reasons, sounding doubtful about the whole thing, so Tor asked why that mattered, curious.
“Well, we have fifty men here, most young, and horny enough that the sheep should be scared, if you get my meaning. Drop an ugly girl in here and she’ll have company every night, two or three men if she wants them, or is even just willing to be a sport about it. A good looking woman means fights breaking out. It wouldn’t be so bad if we had more girls, but with only one… Not a good situation really.”
That… was something Tor had never considered before, He also didn’t know that there were fifty men living around him. How out of it was he?
“Oh, yeah, well she’s pretty, if she’s the right one I mean. Very much so. The Prince’s, um, close friend, so maybe that will help keep people off of her?”
Godfry snorted.
“Not likely. Really that’s worse than if she was dating the lowest private on the base. At least then the other men could have some feeling of hope, like they could score with her too. Prince, General, Captain, or I guess in our case, Wizard, that sort getting the only woman, it’s like a slap in the face to all the men that have nothing for company at night but their hand, you get me?”
Tor could see how it might be a problem. Still, the men could just go into town and find girls there, right? He suggested it to the gruff man who shrugged.
“How? Most of the guys here aren’t flyers and couldn’t get flying rigs for that reason even if they were. We have people building furniture, cisterns and plates, making things and what not in the three shops we have here. It’s near on two hundred miles to the Capital and men only get one or at most two leave days per week.”
And by wagon that would mean about six days travel each way, if they moved fast and didn’t actually stop for anything when they got there. Possibly less, but the roads here weren’t good.
Tor could see the problem there.
“Well, the simple solution would be to just, um, bring in some… industrious women that wanted to make money. Though we may be able to come up with something to get people into town… Let me think about it, all right?”
Godfrey laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, you and me both. Let me know if you think of anything that we can get the higher ups to go for. I just hope this new girl isn’t half as pretty as you said she is, or we’re in for a time.”
Tor nodded.
“Alright. I’ll see about setting up both. Do you think you can arrange for a house or two to be built for the ladies? I don’t know how to get them, but we will. Is that against regulations though?”
The large man laughed again. After a few seconds though he shrugged.
“This is only kind of a military base. Really a gray area. Master Tor owns it and technically it’s his place, but I can OK the military side of things myself. Now if we can just convince the mighty Wizard to let the men have a little fun, I guess we’re set. You want to work on that side? I’d have better luck getting an audience with the Prince, which I guess I could try…” the man rubbed at his face looking a bit sleepy around the edges still.
“Ah…” Tor sighed and shook his head a little as the man smiled again.
“Not trying to be all mysterious here, but, Um, I am Tor. So, yes, we can have the women here, if any want to come. So the buildings?”
The large man just rubbed his face again and nodded.
“OK. I’ll get on that today. If you can arrange any kind of transport too, that would be brilliant. Getting men to and from town on off days… Well, do that and this place will be the most desired post in the military service. Especially if we have girls too.” He chuckled again, but didn’t accuse Tor of lying or look at him in disbelief, which was kind of nice.
“I’ll do that. I might have to send the Prince around to coordinate with you, while I’m working on things, you’ve met? Big, redheaded, friendly?”
“Oh, sure. We hang out all the time… only, not really. He never leaves that hut. Hardly at least. The men sit around waiting for him to, just to say they saw him in person. Tor too, but so far no one has seen him.”
“They have, some of them, I run daily after all. They just didn’t get it was me. Probably thought I was a servant or something. Like I have servants?” Tor grinned and walked towards the door of the shop.
“Oh, um, could I get some furniture for my hut when you fellows get a chance? Right now we have piles of pillows and this.” Hefting the chair a little Tor grinned.
“Sure. I’ll put it on the sheet, sir.”
“Just Tor. Um…”
“Major Godfrey. Base Commander. Workshop foreman too, until we get someone else trained up for it. Well then Tor, if we aren’t standing on titles, Godfrey will do. Or major if the men are around. Could you send the girl over, if you see her? She needs to report in. Should have done that first really, but a lot of the new delivery people play by their own rules. You basically have to be a nobleman to have your own flying gear, and connections on top of that, so it’s not like anyone can tell them different. Say do you know what this one’s deal is that way?”
Tor thought he got the general idea.
“Second in line for the Debri Merchant Empire. But she had the flying gear, shield and stuff because I gave them to her. We’re… A little on the outs right now, but basically friends.”
“Oh? Alright then. So, since we’re friends too now, Tor, do I get free magic too?”
That kind of made sense, didn’t it? Especially if the man was the base commander or whatever.
“Yeah, just talk to me or Alphonse about it and we’ll send over whatever you need. Or, if you want, just come visit? I’m working most of the time, but, yeah, that will work. Also, I guess, Sara might be more comfortable with that. So…”
“Good, well, send her over please?”
Taking his chair he walked out thinking about the problem. The simple solution would be for him to knock out ten or twenty flying rigs and shields for the personnel on the base, and teach them to fly. But if they did that, the military would probably just confiscate what he made. They really wanted those rigs.
They could build that other dwelling and invite some women of “industry” to set up shop, but other than the street walkers in the Capital Tor had never even heard of any women with that particular profession. He wondered if they had a guild or something that could be contacted. Maybe he could ask around and see about that idea. If the market was there, why shouldn’t they earn a living while helping to keep the peace? It was cheaper than having guards walking around what was essentially his house after all. Probably more effective too, in the long run.
Could they… ship the men in cargo containers? If he built the flying rig into a special container, and fixed the plates into the unit itself, it would be harder for the military to take the parts for their own use. Would that work? They could put in chairs so that it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable inside, maybe some cushions? The whole thing would need a shield for safety, one way bigger than any he’d ever made, but… Yeah, it might work.
When he got to the hut he saw Rolph and Sara standing around out front as if they’d never left. He nodded to them as he walked past, wanting to set his chair up, which got them both to follow him in. Rolph looked happy and contented, but the blond girl looked nervous,
and like she wanted to cry for some reason. Did she do that every time she slept with Rolph? Or was it just when he was around? Maybe seeing him after such amorous events made her sad or something? Realizing how lonely and sad he must be?
That was slightly depressing, if the case. No one wanted to be the person so pitiful they made others feel bad just by being around, did they?
“I made a chair! Did you know that we have a furniture shop here? As in a place they make it, not sell it. I want a bed too and maybe a little table. I asked for some stuff to be made up, if they get a chance. You should get a bed too Rolph, and I don’t know, maybe we could each get a privacy screen so that the next time I walk in and you two are having sex I don’t have the image haunting me for the rest of my life?” He grinned when Sara turned red.
“Oh, you saw…” Her voice had gone meek and a little scared.
“Don’t worry, all I really saw was Rolph’s giant ass in the air and part of your leg.” Tor shuddered at the thought, exaggerating it for comedic effect. “I probably wouldn’t have complained if I’d seen you instead. Really, feel free to parade around without clothing all you want, but you know, keep Rolph covered? Anyway, Sara, are you the new delivery person? If so you should probably check in and all that stuff.”
Rolph put his arm around her shoulder casually.
“Yeah, isn’t it great? She’ll be here all the time, making deliveries during the day to a couple of bases and into the Capital. I was thinking, if you don’t mind, could she stay here with us? I mean, she knows to be quiet while you work and all that, plus, we don’t have any other space for her yet on base here.”
It made sense, in a jealous making, uncomfortable way that he didn’t really want to think about. Tor could kind of see firsthand what Godfrey was saying about it making the men envious. Maybe if they hid her away from the others the fall out wouldn’t be as bad? Tor pointed to the front left corner.
“Over there? Use some screens to kind of make her a little room? Um, Sara, I know Trice is your friend and all, but please, don’t bring her over to visit. Also, this isn’t a base, it’s a compound. “Base” implies that it’s owned by the military and it isn’t. It’s mine or, if you want to be more correct, owned by you, with me, I don’t know, squatting? Maybe renting in exchange for work done? So, compound, since it has a wall now. ”
Sara blanched and nodded, as if the idea that she might bring Trice here was unthinkable. It probably was, all things considered. The girl probably wanted to see him about as much as she wanted to have an arm lobbed off. Fair enough.
They sent Sara off to meet up with Godfrey, who should be able to tell her what was needed or who to report to at least, if he wasn’t the man himself. After she left, as they ate food that was brought in from the kitchen, Tor related what the older man had told him earlier.
“So Sara is about the worst possible thing that could happen in a situation like this. We can set some of the men to making a new building and getting some furniture in it, maybe a few structures, towards the back where there isn’t anything yet? For girls… but Rolph, I don’t know how to contract anything like that, do you? I’ll also work on the transport thing, when I can. Maybe…” His voice fell off and he started putting together what he’d really need for it. The lift and control fields wouldn’t be that hard, but the shield for the whole thing was a novel build.
He sat down after he finished eating and started working on it. It only took a day, and over the next week he had the whole thing ready. Then he explained to Godfrey what they needed to do with the plates and devices, to install them into a cargo container so that everyone could ride in it comfortably. He left it in the man’s hands and started working on the rivers for Afrak.
That was hard.
It would have been a lot easier, but he decided that they needed to make the amount of flow variable, which meant redesigning the filter mechanism on the side that took water from the ocean. It would let the amount of water going through the floating river either come out as a small but decent stream all the way up to an amount about twice what the falcons river had. In order to twist around the mountains, each river had to have at least ten of the central control devices, which he used as boosters for the field line the water flowed in. It took him a while.
He opened his eyes when he was done, starving and thirsty, hearing crying over in the corner of the room. At least it wasn’t something he’d done.
Pretty sure at least.
“Hey.” His voice was a croak, not a voice at all. He’d done this kind of thing before, so was ready for it and not overly concerned. Tor found a pitcher of water next to him and saw some pretty nice cloth covered screens had been put up around him. They looked like something that you’d see in the palace or at least the guest house there. Shining brown black frames with little squares about eight inches across, with white cloth, like silk, but not, attached to it smoothly. It was tasteful and really brightened the space.
He stood, or at least tried too, his legs didn’t really want to work anymore. That would have been fine, except he really needed to go to the restroom, his bladder screaming at him. Looking around he found that a small table had appeared, which took him aback for a second. Not that there was a table, after all, they could make that kind of thing here, and he’d obviously been out for a long time. What got to him was that he’d missed that the table was there before, even though the pitcher was sitting on it. There was a cup too and next to that a pile of amulets. He checked the water for poison and then, finding it clean, drank it all slowly.
He still couldn’t stand, but could move, he realized, activating the Not-flyer Tor became weightless and stood in the air without using any effort to get up. It wasn’t a long term solution, he’d have to get his muscles working again soon, but it would let him get where he needed to go for now. Like the restroom.
Because that, at the moment, was the single most important thing in the world to him.
When he got beyond the screen he almost passed out.
The hut, which had been a bare space before, had stuff in it. Nice stuff. Rich looking cloth hangings on the walls, carpets in bright colors, deep reds and golds mainly and three sections divided by screens. It looked like someone wealthy lived there or something, instead of being a dirt shack made in the wilderness. Tor floated on slowly, looking around. There was soft crying coming from the front left corner, behind the screens, but it sounded like it was just Sara and really, she cried a lot. Hopefully it was nothing, but he had to pee before he dealt with anything or he’d have an accident.
The place was busy outside when he came out, the whole thing looked bigger, like the walls had grown when he wasn’t paying attention. The restroom at least was in the same place. He wondered if he should stop and take a bath before going back? It seemed like a good idea, since he smelled more than a little. Plus, it would give the crying a chance to stop. Was that too cowardly? Probably. Did he care? That, he decided, he’d think about later.
His face was covered with hair, which wasn’t long, but actually looked like a good beginning to a beard, thick and black, like the stuff on his head, so he left it alone and scrubbed up in a tub of warm water in the open room. Two other men came in and used the tubs near him, carrying bundles of clothes and towels which they dropped on tables that had been set next to the big round things that had replaced the relatively tiny ones that had been there before. Still compressed earth though. They had the warming plates on them, so he soaked for a few minutes with his eyes closed.
“Hey…” A man holding his own bundle of stuff stood before the tub glaring at Tor a little. “Ten minutes per man. Otherwise we can’t all get a wash in each day. There are only so many heaters for these things and I don’t feel like washing cold so you can soak in luxury.”
Tor cracked a single eye open.
There were rules to bathing now? Sighing he got out of the tub and started drying off while the man changed the water so that he could use it without waiting on Tor to fix th
ings. At least he could stand on his own now, kind of.
“You drunk or something?” The man, obviously military, looking about twenty or so, mocked his wobbling. It was a good, if slightly exaggerated impression.
Tor shook his head and explained while he dressed.
“Nah, I was just working without moving for, god, what’s the date?” The man didn’t know, but called out to a fellow in one of the other tubs, who did.
“So, for twenty days. Making Sky Rivers for Afrak. If you don’t move for a long time like that your muscles get weak. Plus, I’m starving. I don’t suppose it’s anywhere near a meal time yet, is it?”
The man laughed and shook his head.
“But, if you want, when you’re ready, I’ll walk you over to the kitchen I know a guy there that might have a crumb, if you’re willing to deal, take a turn on kitchen duty or what not. Always need people on that here.”
It sounded like a plan to Tor, since he was going to take a few days off from building fields anyway while he recovered. Working in a kitchen would at least be something to do. Active enough to start rebuilding what he’d lost with all the field work. Muscle mass and stamina. The man kept watching him as he dressed, staring hard enough that it made Tor feel uneasy as he slipped on all his amulets. Then clothing which he took from the little cabinet his stuff was kept in.
“Hey, that’s Tor’s stuff, you cruising for a beating or something? Base commander said that anyone bothering his shit would end up on the front line carrying a rock to fight the Austrans and I really don’t think he was kidding.”
Tor nodded. Really he’d stopped paying attention to the man after the mention of food, he was starving, as in actually starving. He pointed down at the green canvas he put on, which was a little loose.
“Notice how well it fits though? Now, hurry up so I can get some food… please.”