The clang of my hammer reverberated through the forge and all my focus was on what I was making. I didn't get much time in the forge, not as much as I wanted, and I had to make the most of it when I did.
That was why I was so annoyed at the interruption.
"What is it, Abigail?" I tried not to sound tired and it was getting harder every day.
"You are needed in the keep. Something happened that we need your decision on." Abigail said.
She was wearing the furs of some of the lightning tigers as armor and held a clipboard in her hand. It was a magic clipboard that she got through her profession and it did...something. I wasn't sure.
She finally got over her decision of picking a profession and went with the one I knew she would, it just took her longer to realize that. Now that our pylon was a small town, I could appoint a leader to it and a profession came with it. It didn't carry the same weight as being the actual leader but it was in charge of most things.
I sure as hell wasn't going to do it. It took up most of my sister's time and there was no way I was wasting time doing that. I was glad that she seemed to enjoy it, but I wouldn't be caught dead doing it.
Her new profession made it easier to organize things and she was tied to the faction and settlement screens of the pylon. I mostly ignored them after I got promoted to head.
There wasn't a lot in them since we were only a small town and more would open up at the next level. It did have some cool stuff though and one thing we were planning to buy soon.
Wanting to get this over with quickly, I followed her into the keep to see what this was about. The keep was what we called the stone structure in the middle of our camp. It was two stories tall and made entirely out of stone and keep was an apt name.
We made it homey-er in the time we had but we still didn't waste a lot of time decorating it. Most of it was hides that couldn't be used as armor because they were deficient in some way.
It told a story of our victories and the foes we defeated. If I was being honest, it was kind of cool. I never would have thought keeping trophies like this would have appealed to me but it was different when it was personal.
Fighting to the death with a weapon in hand in the face of adversity, it couldn't get more personal.
Lightning tiger furs were on the walls, wolf pelts were used as rugs on the floor, a spider mandible hung on the walls, and wildcat claws were used as decoration. It was a story of everything that we faced so far and what we have overcome. Other trophies were scattered around as well.
I didn't have long to look over what was there before we reached our destination. It was a meeting room on the first floor that we used for most of our discussions. Only a few populated the room and it made me even more confused. These were the people who made most of the decisions in camp.
Sam was the oldest, after Grandma, and had a good mind about things. Grandma wanted no part in anything after Granddad's death and kept mostly to herself. She still healed whoever needed it but wasn't that enthusiastic anymore. She spent most of her time with her great-grandchildren.
My father was here as well joined with Austin right next to him. Austin and I normally joked that my Dad was the voice of reason on this 'council'.
Austin's presence was obvious. He was my best friend and the second strongest in the camp. I wouldn't ever tell him that though because it would lead to a fight to prove it.
Lastly, my sister, who walked in with me.
"What is this about?" I didn't beat around the bush. I wanted to get back to my project. My armor testing was proving worth, especially with my runes.
"Hal caught three people trying to steal from us. They made it past the walls and into the camp before they were caught. We need to decide what to do with them." Abigail summarized.
"How did they get in?"
"When did this happen?"
"Where are they now?"
All of us had different questions we wanted answers to. Abigail held up her hand so she could finish speaking.
"They had some sort of stealth skill that got them past the walls and Hal noticed something was wrong when they were in the storehouses. They weren't that strong in direct confrontation and Hal was able to disable them. We are holding them tied up outside with Hal keeping watch over them."
That explained why he wasn't here. Hal was usually a part of these meetings.
More questions came flying out regarding their origins, were they a part of a group looking to attack us? Was this their way of trying to infiltrate us? Three people who had stealth classes broke in and tried to steal as much as they could. Hal, with the highest perception in camp, caught them in the act and disabled them. That was the extent of what we knew.
Abigail said Hal tried to question them but they wouldn't say anything. All they would say was they didn't have any points and they weren't strong enough to hunt for food. Any other information they refused to give out. Plus, we had no way to tell if they were telling the truth either. The only good piece of information we got out of them was that there was a crazy person in the south taking over camps and wiping them out.
Which was why these thieves were here. They were running from someone they called the Mindbreaker. I didn't put much stock in what they said, it could be a ploy to gain our sympathy.
"Technically, it falls on you, Chris, for what to do with them." Abigail finished.
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Oh lovely. I should have never taken this cursed title. Faction Heads had so many things to decide on and this was another of such decision I didn't want.
Killing them was too extreme, and releasing them would let them do it again. We had no prison to hold them and even if we did, it was a waste. We couldn't waste time or manpower watching over them and I didn't trust them enough to let them stay in our camp. Even if they could be helpful fighting the waves, there was nothing stopping them from up and leaving.
"I don't know what to do. We can't hold them and killing them is too much. There needs to be a punishment but I don't know what." I voiced my thoughts.
"We could kill them. They might have a lot of points we could use. We aren't that far away from the points needed for siege defenses." Austin said from his seat at the table.
It was a harsh punishment for stealing. And we were close to our next purchase for the camp. After getting a wall that could hold them, siege defenses showed up in the store we could buy.
They were expensive but they would help a lot during the waves.
"We are not killing them." My Dad said with a sigh. He seemed disappointed that he even had to say that. "Can we fine them? Say, a few thousand points."
"They claim to have no points." Abigail clarified.
"What about using the old punishment for thieves, cut off a hand," Sam said. It was the most practical answer. It also didn't have the permanence it once did.
They would be able to get it healed if they found a powerful healer. Regrowing limbs took a lot of power and mana, most healers wouldn't be able to do it until E grade.
My Dad grimaced but didn't say anything. It was harsh but fair in my opinion.
"All in favor," I announced. I didn't need their vote but was something I did. I didn't wish to be the sole decider and having councilors was a good thing. They could think of things I couldn't.
It was decided. Good, now I could go back to my project. I stood to leave before a cough stopped me.
"Where do you think you're going?" My Dad said.
"Back to my forge, I was in the middle of something," I said confused.
"Who do you think is going to take care of the thieves?" He asked.
"I don't care. You can do it if you want, or Austin. It doesn't matter to me." I said.
"That wasn't what he was getting at and you know it. Use some of those brain cells in there and think it through." Sam rebuked.
Oh, they mean me. I was the leader, yes, but I didn't want to do this.
Before I could voice my refusal they piled on.
"It's your responsibility, son, you need to take care of this." Dad was in his teaching tone. Ugh, I wasn't a child anymore.
"Fine, take me to them," I muttered in defeat. I knew he was right, I just didn't want to do it.
I had only recently been able to get the bandits out of my head, now I would add more gory scenes to the picture. The bandits were necessary. I had to do it. At least, that was what I told myself.
It didn't take long to walk to where they were kept and all three of them looked haggard. Hal roughed them up good in the fight and blood still stained their clothes. Disabled was a looser term now that pretty much anything could be healed.
All three were restrained with rope with Hal standing near them. My Dad was the one who led me and Sam came with to heal them afterward. No one else cared to watch what was going to happen.
"What are you gonna do?" Hal asked.
"We decided on the old punishment for thieves, cutting off a hand," I told him.
He scrunched his nose at that but didn't say anything.
The thieves were a different story. As soon as they heard the punishment they started struggling against their bindings and shaking their heads. Their gags muffled what they were trying to say.
With a cast of [Hail], I had enough ice to work with. [Ice Manipulation] worked to weave it around the three and secure them in the position I needed them. When they saw the display their faces plummeted. They knew there was no getting away even though their bindings were removed.
The ice kept them from squirming too much and I didn't want to miss my swing. I wanted this to be over as soon as possible.
A look from my Dad told me what I needed to do. It was annoying, but I did it.
"For the crime of attempted robbery, the punishment is the removal of a hand. Pick which one." I tried to add authority to my tone, but it didn't work.
I was just as unnerved about what was about to happen as they were.
With their hands free, they attempted to escape. Their attempts didn't work. My ice was far stronger than anything they could do.
They kept at it though. I couldn't fault them for trying.
"Choose," I said more forcefully.
Hesitantly, the first man stuck out his left hand. My ice formed into an axe and with a swift swing, it was done. Sam cast a spell and the wound closed.
The second and third went the same way.
My emotions warred with logic and the project at the forge was long forgotten. I needed to clear my head after that. I didn't even walk them out of the camp to release them, I left that to others.
It took a long while to calm down. The brutality wasn't something I was comfortable with. Monsters were different, the morality was clear. They wanted to kill and eat us and I wanted to stop them. They didn't even act like animals which only made it easier on my conscience.
People were different. It took me a long time to get over what happened with the bandits and I wasn't sure I was fully over it. Everything just got piled on top and pushed down to focus on something else.
I didn't even cry when two more holes were dug on the hill. 5 became 7 and I didn't even cry. The image was still clear in my head, of a body mutilated by spiders laying on the ground unmoving. Of the body I passed before and didn't stop to help.
There were too many things happening and I was overwhelmed. 8 more. 8 more waves. Deep breaths and my countdown mantra helped center my mind. I had to worry about something else, I couldn't spend my time worrying about people who didn't matter.
I was so in my own head, I didn't hear my Dad sit down next to me.
"This was what I warned you about." He said, "You hold power over others. You could have done anything with them."
"I don't know if I'm cut out for this Dad. I never wanted to lead. I never wanted to be in charge." I said.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown. I would be more worried if you weren't taking it hard." He said with a small laugh. "It's too late to take it back. You are the most powerful and Austin doesn't want it. You might have an easier time stopping the world from spinning than forcing responsibility on him."
Austin was more of a free spirit than I was and he hated all forms of responsibility. That was the reason he didn't go to college. It was the reason he liked exploring so much and was adamant about his choice of profession.
It was something I had as well but not to the degree of Austin. I knew when to give in. He did not.
"Was what we did right?" I asked the real question on my mind. It seemed so barbaric now that I was thinking about it.
"Does it matter? What's done is done. You can't change the past, only learn from it. It was why I went along with it in the first place. Better it be a hand than a life. Some things can't be brought back." He said.
At the time I was surprised. I thought my Dad wouldn't have gone along with the punishment and I was surprised that he did, but now I knew why. He used it as a teaching moment. A part of me was mad that he did that but another understood.
Better I regret taking someone's hand than regret executing someone.
"When you have time and everything settles down, you need to think about these things. What are the punishments going to be for crimes? How are you going to handle certain things? It will make it easier when it actually happens." He said.
I hated how he was still acting like this. He was using every opportunity to pass on lessons when there was a chance and acting like there wouldn't be time for him to do it later.
I didn't say anything. We had argued enough about that topic.
The conversation kept on and I steered it toward the wave to come. It was easier to talk about.
Tomorrow was what I was good at. I wouldn't have to worry about responsibilities or if I did the right thing. I would get to do what I liked and face a challenge I would defeat.
I would have to deal with my feelings at some point, but that time wasn't today.