Harold woke the next morning in bed, barely remembering how he'd gotten there. His last clear memory was Josh in the baths, laughing as he attempted a princess carry—almost dumping them both when Harold struggled against him. Then, steam, stone, a quick meal eaten standing, and nothing until now.
His body protested as soon as he shifted. Everything ached, a deep soreness that lingered. He knew it meant progress, but still stared at the stone ceiling, quietly regretting every decision leading here.
He reviewed the day’s work. He had to check with the sections to confirm what had actually been done, not just what was reported. Hale needed orders to move north and secure the pass, since founding a village there would control the route and fully open the dungeon. The adventurers hadn’t stopped complaining since Sarah’s team returned.
And speaking of Sarah.
He still hadn’t settled on how best to twist what they’d gained to their advantage. Last time, toward the end, there were rumors about people finding ways to bend the system’s rules. A way for other roles to get perks from the other roles. He always suspected humanity cracked something big near the end, he mused. By the time he was captured, our few regions were guarded by adventurers, not soldiers—there’s no way that happened by accident.
He groaned, forced himself up, and swung his legs over the bed. He pulled on his boots, kicked off the night before, listening to the keep stir awake around him.
“All right,” he muttered, standing. His body creaked in protest, and he paused, resisting the instinct to flood himself with mana and smooth the pain away. That would only rob him later, and he knew it.
Yet, even as he tried to focus, the thought lingered.
He frowned, adjusting his balance as he stood there. He already treated his body like a set of ingredients and processes, rather than simply willing mana to reinforce it. Potions worked by introducing effects through consumption. What if he could somehow give parts of himself a property he could reinforce with his mana as well? A vivid image of his hand shimmering with the texture and resilience of iron flashed through his mind.
He shook his head, half-amused as his thoughts raced ahead. He could experiment with it and pushed open the door to the hallway where his offices were.
Two guards straightened immediately.
“Morning, boys,” Harold said, moving carefully as his legs reminded him they had opinions.
He made his way through the offices and down the stairs. He passed the guard bunks and the secondary workrooms. He paused, appreciating the simple fact that the keep was actually in use. It still had that new keep smell, but it felt lived in now.
Another flight of stairs brought him toward the kitchens. He needed to grab a quick bite before moving on. His stomach growled loudly, making the decision for him.
As he neared the kitchens, he slowed, reconsidering his earlier plan. Maybe quick wasn’t the right word after all.
_________________________________
The morning air was warm by the time Harold stepped out of the keep and headed downslope toward the fort on the outskirts. On the way there, he noticed soldiers moved in and out through the gate in loose lines, voices low, posture uncertain, like people still learning where they fit.
Inside, the in-processing area was already busy. Tables had been set up beneath stretched canvas, staffed by clerks and a handful of Optios who knew what questions to ask. They were mostly asking questions to figure out starting levels for the new recruits.
Harold walked the line slowly, watching but not interrupting. Some newly summoned looked rattled, others calm, but most had that same tight focus he’d seen before. They hadn’t arrived empty-handed. Their new gear fit them better: straps cut clean, armor plates in place, stitches tighter—someone had learned and applied a lesson. The town upgrade had done more than add soldiers.
Beyond the fort’s inner yard, the training ground was already alive.
Centurion Raul stood in the center, his voice carrying as he led morning drills. The cadence was familiar, and the movements crisp. Raul corrected without coddling, adjusted spacing with a boot, and made it clear through tone that sloppy effort wasn’t tolerated. He was like Hale’s protege, and he had picked up some of the lines that Hale had said a few times: “Practice makes soldiers; neglect makes mobs.”
Harold moved off to the side where his guard was waiting.
Harold and his guard took their time with the drills he’d been taught, moving more slowly than usual to feel each motion. The soreness faded as he warmed up, giving way to a steady rhythm. He sparred with his guard in short bouts, often switching partners, testing angles and timing. By the end, he was rung out again and ready for another meal.
He left Raul to his work and walked uphill to the keep, the sounds of training fading. The section heads would be gathering with their lists and problems, expecting answers.
Harold detoured through the kitchens. The earlier meal hadn’t lasted through drills, and his stomach reminded him. A cook handed him a trencher piled with eggs, bread, and a meat he didn’t ask about.
He ate standing by the doorway, listening to the room’s hum, finishing more than intended. Then he wiped his hands, nodded his thanks, and headed for the stairs.
The council room was now on the second floor. Harold foresaw spending a lot of time here. A long table, solid chairs, shelves already stacked with slate and ledgers; windows cut to let in light but conserve heat.
Beth sat first, papers spread, charcoal smudging her sleeve, hair up and working. Josh leaned against the wall with a mug, looking relaxed as if he’d waited long or wanted to leave. Caldwell adjusted the ledgers at the table’s far end, aligning them with precision.
Margaret’s replacement stood by the window, hands behind their back, watching the yard with an expression between focus and restraint. They straightened as Harold entered.
Lira stood next to her, speaking to her softly about something Harold couldn't hear.
“Sorry,” Harold said, setting the empty trencher aside and taking his seat. “I’m moving slowly this morning.”
Josh snorted into his mug and moved to sit down while Beth sat back down and continued her work. “You’re on time enough,” she said. “We were just comparing notes.”
Caldwell nodded. “A few points need attention before the day gets away. I waited for your input, but they need answers now.”
Harold leaned back, morning stiffness finally easing, and looked around the table.
“Where are Mark and Evan?” Harold asked, ready to begin.
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Caldwell replied, Mark would arrive soon. Evan was with a team hunting Tatanka; a scouting group found signs in the flats to the west.
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Centurion Garrick entered, smiling broadly. He nodded to Harold, hugged his niece Beth, and gave Josh a playful slap on the head, prompting Josh’s consternation.
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Garrick sat with a sigh. Harold noted he looked tanner and leaner than before, a sign he’d been logging miles.
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Harold was noting the changes in Garrick while Mark walked in. He, too, was looking tan and lean. He knew that he and his brother spent most of their time administering the other adventurers, but it was also obvious they found time to get out and do normal adventuring activities.
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“Ok,” Harold said. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get started. Josh, please begin with updates on completed tasks and what’s next.”
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Josh took a moment to take a deep breath and started speaking.
“With the bathhouse finished, our next major project is the alchemy workshop. Progress is slow, mainly because working with stone is difficult. Completion will take another month, partly because I'm sending trained people to new villages and partly because it's still hard to get stone here. No fault of Lira's; it just takes time.”
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“We are slowly building one hall that will serve as additional housing, with 4 more planned after that. But honestly, some people are already asking about buying land to build their own houses. I don't think we are there yet, and Beth would need to come up with some kind of building standards so people aren't building crap buildings.”
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“Overall, construction efforts are moving along, and I expect we will be ready to fully roll out private construction contracts in 4-5 months. We need to finish critical infrastructure projects before that.”
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Harold listened while Josh spoke calmly, filing the information away for later. There was obvious progress being made within the Landing. He just needed to ensure it was ongoing and issue-free.
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“Mm, thank you, Beth?”
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Beth finally looked up from her work and spoke. “ With the approved plan for the city, we are starting to draft plans for a couple of central sites. The biggest right now is that I’m proposing to convert the Councilwoman’s stone mine into a water reservoir when we are done mining there. The city will need a large water source closer, and that would suit our purpose. And we would have a large freshwater lake nearby that we could stock with fish and use for recreation.”
“I need you to approve the plans for the planned sewer and canal systems. My survey teams are due back from the mountains any day now for the planned north village site. One point is that the mountains are significantly more dangerous than this area. I lost two of my people while they were out there. When we send them south for the other village, I won't let them go without more adventurers or soldiers to guard them.”
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Harold closed his eyes briefly at the news of the losses but knew they would be inevitable at some point. “You’ll have the extra guards. I like the plan for the mine. If Lira can make that work, then it’s approved. Come see me later, and we’ll go over the plans for the canals and sewers.”
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Beth nodded her head and went right back to work sketching something.
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Caldwell was next; he adjusted his glasses while he rolled a coin over his fingers eloquently. "Our coffers have improved since you left. Demand for potions has only increased, as well as demand for how we are making them. We trade for many of our needs solely on healing potions, and this has dramatically improved our economy. More money in everyone's hands with a small tax will generate a lot for us when we roll it out.”
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“My recommendation is to maintain this for another 3-5 months to allow it accumulate. As well as improving the bank to allow people to take small loans to start their own businesses. Right now, no one is truly using the bank because people don't have enough coins to store anything. We are still trading for all of our gold and silver with potions. Rimi has met our need for glass vials, and for that, I have given him a small bonus as a thank you. None of this could have been possible without him. I tried to do the same with your potion students, but the woman, Elia refused, saying she would take payment in lessons with you.”
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“Pay structure is finalized and needs your approval. Right now, it is small, but I expect it will increase for everyone as we become more self-sufficient. We have already made up a quarter of the cost of building the bathhouse, and I believe it to be the reason productivity has increased.”
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“We have gotten numerous tailors from the portal, but without a steady supply of linen or anything to make any kind of cloth, they have been left with nothing to do. Most of their time was spent repairing clothing.”
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“We have built a couple of floor looms that are in a small attachment on one of the halls, and we are making a small amount of cloth. People need clothes, and I know the first planting was focused on food. I have started to buy some of the material needed, and I have the seeds needed for flax and hemp.”
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“We are still surviving on hunting and foraging, but we need to go a long way further now for foraging. I am worried about overhunting this area, but it can't be helped. To combat this, I have bought many more farm animals, including chickens and hogs, but that leads to another problem: what to feed them. We won't be truly stable until the crops begin to come in.”
“Lastly, while you were gone we had our first case of murder within the Landing because of another case of infidelity.” Caldwell looked at Harold grimly. "Our judge handled it with the help of some of the soldiers. It was an easy case since there were a half dozen witnesses, but it highlights our need for some kind of police force.”
“To solve that, I have been in contact with Dalen’s assistant. Very knowledgeable assistant. There is a retired detective within Dalens' hold. I have requested to make the trip here in order to train detectives and the Civil Legion you wanted made.”
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Harold listened without interrupting, hands folded loosely in front of him, eyes tracking Caldwell more than the coin rolling across his fingers. When Caldwell finished, the room stayed quiet for a moment longer than was strictly necessary.
“That’s a lot of good work,” Harold said finally, his voice steady. “And a few problems I’m glad we’re seeing early. I like the bonuses you tried to do. I want you to generally track people's contributions to the Landing and give them a bonus on that. I know there are a lot of other people working hard for us.”
“Now that we are stabilizing, some people are getting more time to work on their own projects and get into trouble. Things like this were always going to happen, Josh. I want a jail added to your schedule. Let's get it built by the end of the month.
He looked back up. “One murder doesn’t mean we’ve failed, but it does mean we’re done pretending scale won’t bring uglier problems with it. Bring the retired detective in; we can identify people to work with him.”
He exhaled slowly. “None of this surprises me, but I’m glad you’re ahead of it. You did well while I was gone.”
?Harold skipped Anil, Margaret replacement, because he wanted to sit down with him one on one. His job covered a lot of aspects
Harold looked over to Mark. “What’s on the adventurer's docket?”
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Mark looked over as he was whispering something to Lira.
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“Sir, we are meeting all the milestones we discussed in our last meeting, but many of our members are increasingly unhappy about not having access to the dungeons. I know the reason for not having a quest for it, but many of them don't care. If Sarah's half-trained team can do it, they believe they can do it now, and I'm inclined to agree. I know you are loath to risk them, but I'd like to propose we send a single team at a time on a quest to clear it as a reward for service. Most of our teams can handle the threats in the area, and most of them are not getting perks unless they are going into the mountains, which many are also begging to go explore. They are no longer content to guard, now that the number of soldiers is as high as it is.”
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Harold looked frustrated for a moment before calming himself. He always knew adventurers were going to be hard to handle, and he was right. “Ok, send single teams off to the dungeon on a quest. The risk there is really just losing a quest when we need it, but that can be mitigated somewhat by the villages we have now generating their own quests.”
“To have them more motivated to continue working for us, I will provide you with a list of potions I can make for quest rewards. I know the rewards are slight now, but it's time to increase them. I’ll get you the list by the end of the day. I want you to begin ranking the adventurers, though, some of these rewards I don't want going to people who won't stick with us long term if it can be helped. I know these people are dying to explore, though.”
?“Lira, update on the mine?”
?Lira looked him in the eyes briefly…”Output is increasing across the board with the additional manpower we have received, including some of the more experienced miners who have helped increase the workflow. We need more Tatanka teams, though. I think we can make the lake work with another year of stone mining, though it will slow the extraction of Iron. Logging is still on track. I know if we could make more cut lumber, it would be used, but the sawmill is already going from sunup to sundown as is.”
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Harold began shaking his head. “Don’t slow the iron mining; if anything, increase it. The lake can wait longer. Thank you for getting us that iron; it’s helped in every aspect of getting this place off the ground.”
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Lira simply nodded and sat there tiredly.
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“Ok, Garrick, what do you have?”
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“Hmm, the latest estimates we have right now are that we are around Cohort strength overall in legionaries. Only about a quarter of that is what I would call trained, as we are sending too many off on tasks immediately. We need a period of calm to fix that. I don't think sending recruits here for training is feasible in the long run. I’d ask you to think about allowing them to get what Captain Hale is calling the legion standards, where they are spawned, then come here for the advanced training like the scout and knight program.”
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“We have about a cohort, but that strength is spread around in 4 different locations, and you want to open up another 4, which will need another full cohort to actually defend. Will the watch towers be done in another two weeks? He looked at Josh for a quick confirmation, and Josh nodded.
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“Overall, we are doing well, but if we are seriously attacked, then it’ll be damn difficult to defend anything with the numbers we have.”
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“I’ve spent the last couple of weeks designing this scout program, and I’ll be ready for this first class in a week. I designed it to help people unlock stealth- and perception-based perks with your input, sir, as well as teach decision-making and survival skills. Margaret and Captain Hale had significant input on this program. I think they are using it to screen members for themselves, but I’m not getting involved with that shit. Mark asked if he could include some of his people in the class, and I have no issue with it; some of the skills are probably needed more on his side of the house. People aren’t used to fighting for their lives yet.”
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Harold nodded along, absorbing it without breaking eye contact.
“We’re not pausing expansion, we need the population sooner rather than later,” he said, “I like the change to training though, as long as the Centurions understand what we are doing. I’m worried there will be differences. Let’s get a class started for all centurions to go through to understand the standard. Legion standards at spawn make sense to teach basic competence where they arrive, then we pull the ones with aptitude here for advanced work.”
His eyes went back to Garrick. “The scout program can go live as you planned when Sarah and her team arrive. Anyone Mark wants in gets in. If it keeps people alive long enough to learn, it’s worth the effort. I want to meet with you directly after this so we can talk about how I want you to handle Sarah.”
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“Now, for my updates, I picked up a new member who will be starting a new branch that I want you to advocate for. Bethel will establish a place to store humanity's collective knowledge, including knowledge from here, like how to get perks, and open it to the general public. It’ll help with recruiting efforts, and we’ll make it through this by empowering those we can. That arm will also be training people to fight, including crafters, but only volunteers.”
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“We also recruited a Falconer, Caldwell. I’m gonna send him to your section so we can provide any material he needs. We are going to need an alternative to the forum for messages, and birds were widely used last time. Garrick, you will probably need to add something to your program to teach them how to handle them. The forum is good, but it won't last forever. I’ve also got an idea for a side project with him I’d like to run down.”
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Garrick nodded once, already shifting into problem-solving mode. “If the standards are written and enforced the same way, the centurions will adapt. A short course will prevent drift before it starts.”
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Caldwell’s brow furrowed as Harold spoke about Bethel, then smoothed as the idea settled. “A public repository of knowledge will change how people think about advancement,” he said carefully. “If it’s open and structured, it becomes an investment rather than a liability. I’ll need to plan for staffing and materials, but from an economic standpoint, it will pay for itself in productivity alone.”
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“Ok, thank you for your time, let's get to it. Garrick, I’ll see you upstairs.”
