"All done, scout." Lucendra said, bowing to Annie.
"Enough already! We are supposed to be on leave, right? Sit in and let’s feast!" Annie laughed, taking her own food from the cook.
Dragena ordered the wolf hags to rigorously train her forces, leaving little time for Annie to rest. Waking up in the morning, training, military wargames with normies, hand-to-hand lessons with Ultis, and then precious few hours of free time. Annie had to choose between praying and working in the refugee center, in the end, after consideration, she chose to help in the Gamma center. Lacerated One approved of this option before heading deeper into the Wastes to answer warlord Janine's call. Dragena expected that orders about mobilization could be announced at any moment, the forces of Chosen Prince had already surrounded Stonehelm and should have begun their assault any day now. No one doubted that the city will fall, such was the size of the horde that arrived to capture the city. And yet no order came. According to circulating rumors, the Dynast met with the rulers of Oathtakers and Iterna, making some sort of agreement. Ever since then, elite forces of other armies have been slowly leaving the border, leaving the forces of Wyrm Lord to guard it.
Dragena herself has rarely appeared in public in the past weeks, something that was unheard of before, according to Carty and Kayleen. Normally, Dragena would spend countless hours drilling Annie and others about the art of knife fighting, ensure that all the pack had high scores on the shooting range, force soldiers to learn about how to do minimal repairs in the field, disarm mines, and so on. Now the warlord allowed wolf hags and helpers from normies to train her pack, while the warlord herself commanded from within her chambers in the barracks of Refugee Center Gamma. The warlord appeared only once in this week, giving Annie a pair of knives as a reward for completing the training course. Meanwhile, Carty was still stuck in the hospital, her broken arm now worked, somewhat, but Ieshua refused to let her go until healing was complete. With a sour face, Carty was spending time giving Annie lessons via video feed.
Wyrm Lord and Devourer left the border altogether. Orders came from the very top, according to rumors from the Dynast himself, to ease the readiness at the border. Quarantine measures were still in place and trade caravans coming from the lands of Oathtakers, be they people of Reclaimers, Iterna, or Oathtakers, all had to pass medical check-ups before coming to the lands of the Reclamation Army. But aside from that, the Reclaimers made no effort to prepare forces in case Chosen Prince decided to invade. Rumors were circulating non-stop, some even claimed that the Dynast had made some sort of a deal with Lord Steward, ruler of Oathtakers. But no one knew for sure.
What is certain is that several volunteers got the diseases from working in hospitals in the Gamma center, despite all precautions. Not wanting to risk lives, Ieshua forbade accepting help from normies. Upon reviewing the situation and confirming that wolfkins were not at risk of catching disease, warlord Dragena volunteered her entire pack to help, since they were stationed in this place by orders of command anyway. Fresh hands were always welcomed, and doctors eagerly agreed to accept this help, since most medical personnel already suffered from catastrophic lack of sleep and rest. From this day, grumbling wolfkins were stuck with cleaning toilets, floors, and other stuff in the hospital. They performed basic maintenance, helped nurses turn patients from one side to another, and administered medicine to patients. Wolf hags worked alongside their soldiers, cleaning patients and helping to bring medical capsules to hangars for repairs and resupply.
Other warlords hated to be outdone. In a short span of time, the forces of no less than three warlords showed up at refugee center Gamma, led by none other than Alpha herself. Unlike other warlords, Alpha could do little to help people due to her hands, so she took over as one of the mentors for cubs, spending time teaching them history, writing, and mathematics. With the arrival of new helpers, the inevitable happened. Domination was in the blood of wolfkins, fights started to erupt all over the place. Of course, warlords smacked up anyone who dared to break discipline, of course, but there was only so much that could be done when tradition itself demanded to know who was the strongest. Eventually, lower-ranking wolfkins were allowed to settle their differences in places other than the hospital. Warlords themselves set an example by working hard. In order not to give their soldiers any free time, warlords made their own packs to compete against each other. While refugee cubs enjoyed playing with massive fur balls that were wolfkins, agents and people in charge were confused to see how a sea of multicolored, but mostly black, fur-covered beings swarmed upon the construction sites, snarling at each other, kicking and beating each other, all while building new structures and maintaining teamwork. And then they vanished, like waves at low tide, leaving behind another built barrack for refugees, a hangar for machines, a new storage room, or some other structure, rapidly expanding the facility beyond most people's expectations. Kassandra even had to ask wolfkins to slow down, as guards were not able to expand walls in time. Naturally, this only left wolfkins to take over construction duties over walls as well as guard duties, leaving surrounded areas barren of any dangerous wildlife.
During the evening, wolfkins would gather at the large podium in the north of the refugee center, waiting eagerly for warlords to announce the result of the daily competition. Winners cheered as additional rations were served to them, while losers wailed in anger and planned to work twice as hard tomorrow. Such gatherings attracted, at first small but later massive, crowds of people. Both workers of refugee centers and refugees themselves were curious about what was the source of the noise. On the next morning after the discovery, people start making bets on which pack of wolfkins will lead, going as far as making boards that keep the current score across the refugee center Gamma.
Wyrm Lord wasted no time, pleading with both Dynast and Iterna for additional resources, as the Wastes were a poor region. Devourer and Wyrm Lord had strained relationships, yet to everyone's surprise, Devourer was the first to pledge full official material support to his rival, sending whole caravans filled with medicine, food, building materials, and equipment. The ruler of the Second Army even officially provided the Wolf Tribe with civilian and military clothes, made by some of the best tailors of the Ice Fang Order. The shamans tried to refuse this offer, stating that the Wolf Tribe could not possibly pay back the cost, but Devourer refused to listen to them, making the free supply of clothes permanent.
When some of the refugees fell under the influence of Chosen Prince and his virus took over their minds, it was Devourer who offered help from the hospitals of the Core Lands to treat the infected. Medical capsules were capable of burning away supernatural infection from victims' bodies, and those who swore an oath were somewhat resistant to the Chosen Prince's mind control, but not all refugees swore oaths, and capsules were still in short supply. Five hundred medical capsules were to arrive next week, a gift from Iterna itself, but right now possessed people had to be kept locked away and sedated. Wyrm Lord eagerly accepted the offer. Aside from that, the commander of the Third Army was giving speeches after speeches of unity and hope on TV, promising that everything will be fine and begging locals to tolerate and help refugees reach refugee centers. Annie herself felt her heart filled with pride and hope at the assured voice of her liege. Many in the tribe wanted Ravager back, she was the blessed mother, this much Annie accepted.
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However, Wyrm Lord and his responsible and hopeful nature were the ideal for the young scout. The massive golden wyrm, with the power to level entire cities, was nonetheless someone who gave others the idea that everything will be fine, sometimes meeting with refugees in the Ravaged Lands and helping them to reach safe places in person. Some locals grumbled, as the refugee centers that were built for refugees far dwarfed the medicine that was available to people in the Wastes. Wyrm Lord made an announcement that he is well aware of this fact and made an oath to keep working hard in order to bring free universal healthcare to all people in Wastes, as well as the fact that all medical facilities in Wastes will be renovated and brought up to a modern level.
With the help and silent support of Dynast, the cost of medical assistance in the Wastes was massively slashed, allowing for the population at large to get much needed help. Annie was surprised at how much Wyrm Lord was taking advantage of the situation, with his announcement, he literally forced the hand of his liege to provide for the people of this land, as renovation of facilities in Wastes was planned to happen only in thirty or more years, after the terraforming process was ready to kick in in the local area. The locals' grumbling, fear, and dissatisfaction with refugees gradually faded as new jobs were created on a regular basis and rulers demonstrated that they cared about local demands. Yet, if troubles were to continue, even the patience of locals would reach its limit.
The Dynast still had to make his official appearance. Instead, he simply flooded the wastelands with desperately needed supplies, keeping his persona hidden as always. This was a bit sad, for Annie wanted to see her liege at least once, even if only on TV. All she ever saw of him were the massive statues of the man in purple colored power armor, holding a war scepter proudly in his right hand, his left hand outstretched to others, inviting them to join him in his quest to restore humanity and the planet to former glory.
Right now, Annie and other members of the Dragena pack were in the kitchen, a spacious, one-story tall building, located close to the center of the facility. Each warlord occupied one of the newly made barracks to the north, east, west, and south of the refugee center, trying to keep pack members as far away as possible from each other, to have some calm at least at night. Aside from Alpha and her pack, who had their own kitchen, each pack of warlords used the kitchen at different times, to avoid conflicts between various packs. Dragena lost the draw and her pack got to eat at midnight.
"Of course, scout." Lucendra's fur was still wet as she sat at the table. The Wolf Tribe hated water with a passion, but after each time they had to leave the hospital, even just to drag trash away to burn it, they had to take full showers now that the water supply was abundant. Wolfkins also now have to clean themselves before starting their daily jobs, removing parasites from their hides. Virginia and several other wolf hags loudly protested against such treatment and wrote an official letter to Alpha, begging the warlord to stop the "torture", as they put it. Instead, the warlord nearly drowned them all, later putting them on double shifts and making sure that they are working on jobs that will require them to leave the hospital at least several times a day.
Annie herself was doing her best to evade Virginia. She could not meet her, not now. Allowing her rival to see that Annie had lost her rank, she ended up being the one who was weak once more… Annie felt that she would rather die rather than live through such shame. Maybe one day, if she ever becomes a wolf hag once again, a proper wolf hag this time, she can meet the blasted idiot in proper combat and knock her down… But not right now.
The young Branded sat near Annie, reaching out to put food before herself. Unlike Annie, who mostly tore off meat from a large leg of cusack, gulping entire paw-sized pieces whole as if it was her last meal, Lucendra had a large plate with vegetables and meat before herself, the recruits from the ranks of Crippled still eat food according to the strict diet of Dragena. Lucendra's once-thin arms were now swollen with muscles, abs appeared on her once-thin belly, and her legs could now crash stone with relative ease. With each day, the young warrior resembled a proper wolfkin more and more. Soon enough, she will outgrow most normies.
Lucendra reached for her personal pocket terminal and looked at something while eating food with a fork.
"Watching cartoons?" Annie asked, cracking bone between her fangs and loudly swallowing food. Kayleen was drilling into her head that it was proper to learn more of the pack’s members under one’s control.
"Actually, just browsing through the news of the stock market, scout." Lucendra answered, without breaking eye contact with the display.
"Eh?"
"With events that are happening in the lands of Oathtakers and the sudden development of the Wastes, tons of various stocks are changing in price. I am planning to sell some of Rho’s Healthcare Universal stocks and buy some of Barjoni’s Pharma…" Lucendra smiled as she enthusiastically began explaining the situation to Annie, putting the terminal aside.
"Hold on to your stocks for a couple more days, instead of selling them for now," A calm voice said, and a large figure, shrouded in a cloak of pure dark color, sat at the table near the wolfkins, putting a plate with apples, several jars with juice, and a large bag of sugar before himself. Outsider, the leader of the First Army, one of the Reclamation Army's Trio, casually began pouring sugar into the jar with juice. While other commanders left and his own troops were gone, the commander of First Army was still around, "Rhos are not the ones to be outdone."
"How so?" Lucendra asked bluntly, and Annie hiccupped from fear. Outsider! A figure of absolute terror, someone with whom even Ravager dared not to mess with, was sitting here! This idiot will get them all killed by speaking so casually to such a great man!
"You know about the medical capsules that are heading our way?" The hand covered with chitin finished pouring sugar into the jar and lifted it in the air, toward the hood of the Outsider. With a disgusting sucking sound, the champion drank the entire jar. The warrior nodded, and Outsider continued, "Check the news about their origin. They are built by Rhos, seems like someone managed to get onto the government contracts to supply us. You know what this mean."
"Stocks of Healthcare Universal will go up, until Barjonis manages to counter it! Thank you so much for your advice, sir!" The warrior stood up and bowed in thanks to Outsider, who carelessly waved his hand in response, before taking the apple and throwing it into the darkness under his hood. In the pure darkness of the hood came the sound of something crushing the apple.
"Just don’t hold onto them for too long. Two days, three days, maybe no more. Barjonis are already trying to find some way to get their claws onto the deal to supply us and Oathtakers. His Excellency already plans to involve our own companies more, and who knows how else the world will change in the coming days. With this stupid war, the market is in a bit of turmoil. Keep an eye on the construction companies of Oathtakers, once they win, there is bound to be a boom in their homeland." The hood turned toward Annie, and something within the darkness beneath the hood gazed at the worried looking wolfkin, "You suddenly stopped eating, scout. Does my presence bother you?"
"Not at all, sir!" Annie squeaked weakly, gulping the remaining leg of cusack twice as fast as she had before. Outsider! Someone who slapped Ravager across half of city during a drunken brawl. Outsider! The man who prevented the fall of the meteor upon the planet. The first new breed that joined the Dynast on his quest. Strongest of the strongest, the prime of the Reclaimers, he was sitting right here, next to her.
Annie turned her head toward the entrance as doors slammed. Kayleen came inside, covered by dust and pieces of stone. She had been working with the south construction team since the morning. Wolfkins in the room decided to be as quiet as possible, wolf hags were slowly steaming with rage as they were being tasked with helping in the refugee center instead of training and fighting. Wolf hags were unusually restrained during working hours, remaining silent when soldiers made mistakes. Kayleen walked her soldiers through every mistake, explaining slowly how to operate construction tools and showing how to use them safely. But during rest hours, wolf hags were turning into walking menaces. They snapped at their subordinates for every mistake and at every opportunity, provoking domination fights to let out steam. Kayleen had recovered from recent injuries, with only a few scars to remind her of the wounds she received during the battle with the mercenaries.