Ashes of the Fallen

Sixty silver coins left, to fill out my village protection force.

Archer-types, swordsmen, shield-bearers, and spearmen, all of the basic proficiency types were well accounted for. Except, they were far too expensive for me to even consider bidding on, as they all averaged well over ten silvers each.

Warriors, again, were the cheapest of the lot.

Axe users were vulnerable, perceived as slow and not nearly as efficient as some of the standard types. They fought hard, but they died easy.

They died really easy.

If I had trained them better, they might have lived.

That was something I could work on.

There was room for improvement there.

Looking at the warriors that were available, those with potential ratings in the 7.0/10 or higher were running for at least eight-hundred copper. I couldn't afford more than seven of them at that price point.

Seven didn't replace twenty-three.

Changing the parameters, there were a lot of warriors in the 2.0/10 through the 4.5/10 range that only ran for around four-hundred copper as they were considered inferior. They tempted me with their cheap cost to acquire.

Yeah, I would take them.

I needed bodies.

Selecting fourteen of the extremely slow-to-develop warriors, my only chance was to train them sufficiently, and equip them with weapons and armor that surpassed their opponents. If I couldn't get the best quality troops, I could at least get the best quality equipment and training for them.

My blacksmiths were alive and their methods lived on.

There was a way.

Exiting all of the menus, there was only one thing left to do now.

Rebuild, Dragon's Breach.

Create a new, stronger, safer, version of the village that had existed prior. Maybe, even turn it into a town, but at the very least, I wanted a fort.

Walking down and into the village, I found the majority of the NPCs had gathered at the one lodge that was remaining, as they stood idly about having lunch. There was nothing to do except clean debris and most of that had been taken care of.

Now, it was time to work.

With all eyes now staring at me, I began to tell them my plans.

Yeah, I had plans.

I always had plans.

Chapter 67: Overseer

(Thursday, September 30th Game Day / Thursday, April 1st Real Day)

Watching over the crowds of NPCs as they ran about like worker ants did little to appease my persistent bad mood, as the numbness that had taken over my mind had slowly drifted away… only to be replaced with a steady buildup of anger and regret.

My emotions were complicated, as anyone's should be.

Katherine had yet to leave my side in the past three days, continuing to mourn for Selene in her own way. She reminded me of an abandoned puppy clinging to a newfound owner. I didn't mind it though.

I wasn't that much of an ass.

Even computer programming disguised as a female with the name of Katherine, had emotions in this strange game. Whether they were real emotions or not, whether she could actually feel anything, wasn't for me to decide or question… she was sad, upset, depressed, and I was the one that she turned to.

Walking around the grounds with Katherine in tow, all of the schematics had been laid down, traced out, and explained to the NPCs now at work.

The lodge had been rebuilt first and foremost, as it was the quickest of the projects being carried out. It looked much the same, as it did the first time around. The only difference now, was a dirt wall had been packed along the sides, exposing only a tiny amount of wood at the edge of the roof.

The palisade from before was largely repairable as well, though I had it torn down and rebuilt entirely from the ground up. A twelve foot wall replaced it, with a rampart eight feet tall sitting directly behind. Gates, crude ones for now, were nearly complete as a deep trench was being dug around the perimeter.

A moat, at least six feet deep and equally wide with channels cutting through the soon-to-be town to provide ease of access to fresh water at all times was going to be a key part. If time permits, a small draw bridge would be constructed, but for now, logs would serve as a temporary bridge to be rolled over in case of an attack.

Four towers inside the village were also taking shape, large enough to house a small contingent of warriors at all times. The towers would be their barracks, at least on the first floor, while the second floor would provide visibility and a position to safely attack from. Arrowslits would be a must, along with various slanted windows that would allow them a wide firing arc with near impunity.

A fifth tower would sit at the top of the mountain wall, at the breach that ended precipitously at the mouth of the river. That would be the primary tower, as well as the lighthouse when the time came.

Critical infrastructure buildings would be taken care of afterwards, the blacksmith and shipyard the two most important on my list. The livestock would graze where the forest once was, for there was no forest around my village anymore.