Restful Preparations

A week passed in the blink of an eye. Tom did nothing but train during the time they had spent waiting for Herbert, Bohdan, and Harold to finish the creation of the anti-magic field grenades. Bron had spent hours each day with Tom teaching him more techniques and putting him through even more intensive training. On the morning of the last day, Tom summoned Bron and when he appeared, he put a hand on Tom's shoulder.

"You must take today to rest and recover. You have been pushing so hard that you will crack if you continue. Rest is just as much a part of the training process as the actual training itself." Bron spoke to Tom in a calm yet forceful tone.

"I can't. I have to be the best that I can be and can't fail again." Tom replied, looking away from Bron in shame.

"Did you do everything you could last time?" Bron asked him, surprising Tom.

"Yes," Tom said hesitantly.

"Then you didn't fail. You may not have achieved the goal you were looking for, but you still managed to do something no one else has so far." Bron spoke soothingly to him with a smile under his trunk.

"And what's that?" Tom asked feeling a little patronized.

"You made The Master feel fear," Bron replied, standing straight to show he was proud of Tom.

Tom paused, thinking about what Bron was saying. The Master must have felt fear before. But he couldn't think of a time that he had seen The Master as anything but haughtily confident. That probably came from the fact that he could summon a horde of zombies and control people's minds with the collars.

"I hadn't thought of it like that," Tom admitted begrudgingly.

"It's okay not to hit the goals when you shoot for the heavens. But it's not okay to hold it over yourself and then push to the breaking point. Then you are of no use to anyone." Brom continued, making sure to get Tom's attention again.

"I just don't want to let people down. We could have ended it all and he slipped through my fingers." Tom said feeling the anger begin to rise in him again.

"Your people do not see you as a failure. If they did, they would not follow you. You give them hope. The inspiration to be more than they would by themselves. Never forget the feeling of wanting to be a leader they can follow. But always remember to be accountable not only to them but to yourself." Bron replied.

"You're right," Tom sighed hanging his head slightly. "You're not the first one to say something similar to me. I put so much pressure on myself that I forget to think about what we've done together so far."

"Good. Now, it's time for recovery. Hot shower, followed by a cold shower, then I want you to eat as many grains as you can. Tomorrow, you fight for your people and you will be victorious." Bron spoke with pride and force to the point it became infectious to Tom.

"Yeah! We can do this. That son of a bitch won't know what hit him!" Tom replied, feeling the power of the emotion running through him, boosting his confidence.

Tom followed Bron's orders and after his showers, he laid on his bed for a time to just let his muscles relax. He could feel how the weeks of work were changing his form and he knew he almost overdid it this week. After a period of rest, he left his room and went to the cafeteria.

Charlene was waiting for him when he arrived and waved at him with a big smile.

"Hey, Tom! So glad to see you giving the training a bit of a break. Bron came by and talked with me and many of the others. Such a helpful...What is he again?" Charlene stumbled over the name of Bron's race.

"Mastadonian. Just think Mastodon was an elephantine creature in the ice age. That's how I remember." Tom replied, smiling at her attempt to remember.

"That's right. Well, today we are carb-loading. Bron just kept calling it grains, but I think that's because they don't know what carbs are wherever he's from." Charlene prattled on.

Under most circumstances, Tom would have felt annoyed at her continued talking, but he had come to realize that many of the people were just nervous around him because they saw him as something of a role model or superhero. Tom knew he wasn't, but it gave them hope in seeing him. So he tried to live up to their expectations.

"Whatcha got for us today?" Tom asked, holding his tray out eagerly for the food.

"Pancakes, waffles, pasta, and fresh baked sourdough bread. We can't have it often, but Joe had a container with a leaven in it so we now have bread!" Charlene said excitedly.

"That's awesome. But, what is a leaven?" Tom asked.

"Oh! That's the yeast mixture that grows to give the sourdough bread its distinct flavor. It's also sometimes called a starter." Charlene explained.

"I see now. Well, I will take some of everything, please!" Tom's mouth was watering at the thought of freshly baked bread.

The food was amazing compared to what they had on the road. Well, except for the steak restaurant in Amarillo. But the vast majority of their food had been made with non-perishable goods. Charlene was a wizard at making it taste like it wasn't from a can, but it just wasn't the same.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Now, with the addition of the farm, there were more options available for meals and flavors. Soon there would be livestock for a more renewable source of meat as well. And now bread. Tom didn't think he would ever feel this way about something as simple as half a loaf of sourdough bread.

"First-world problems, eh?" Tom thought to himself as he giggled at the thought.

"Charlene, has anyone told you how wonderful you are? How much of an impact you have on this guild and everyone in it?" Tom asked as she finished putting the food on his tray.

"Well, I hear it from time to time. But I'm never gonna say no to a few more compliments!" Charlene giggled at the compliment.

"We are so lucky to have you," Tom said as he looked her in the eyes so she would see his sincerity.

Tom walked over to a table and sat down to eat his food. Jerky appeared on the table next to him, eating a piece of meat as he always was when they visited Charlene together. Pouring the small cup of syrup onto the hot pancakes, Tom used his fork to cut a bite out of a three-stack of pancakes.

They were a perfect golden brown on the outside, with a white fluffy center that soaked up the syrup like a sponge. Delicate enough to be cut with a fork, but resilient enough not to fully fall apart when mixed with the syrup. As he put the bite into his mouth, the flavors and textures combined into one heavenly state of being. How long had he gone without pancakes? Too long.

Finishing up his breakfast, Tom went to check on a few more members of the guild. When he was assured that they had everything they needed, Tom suddenly realized he didn't know what to do. With everyone focused on tomorrow, and his break from training, he was left with little to do but check up on people. Not wanting to be a nuisance, and realizing people would not tell him to leave except his close friends, Tom decided to go back to bed. Nothing like taking the time to rest before a big event.

Tom slept for sixteen straight hours. He couldn't believe he let himself rest for so long. He jumped out of bed and began to get himself ready. It was still dark outside, but with dawn approaching, he would not be able to sleep again.

After readying himself, he went downstairs to the security office to see what everyone was doing. He was surprised to find Brian there with TJ, both having a cup of coffee.

"What are you two doing here so early?" Tom asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"We were just getting ready for the strike and making sure everyone was ready," Brian replied, reading something on a clipboard. "Oh, by the way, I need to have you just stand there for a second if you could. Yeah, just like that. Don't move."

"What are you doing?" Tom asked.

"I need to get your life signature for my Communication Network item. I have everyone else already, so you are the last one." Brian explained.

"And this is for?" Tom asked, confused by the request.

"So, I can communicate with you as well as track your movements. It will let me help with the plans and who needs help where." Brian said impatiently. "Now don't move, don't talk."

Tom stood still as he felt some kind of energy moving up and down his body. It settled on his torso and suddenly it vanished.

"All done. Now we will be ready for the attack. Everything else is in place. The others should be up and moving within the hour to prepare." Brian said after he had apparently finished whatever scan he was conducting.

"That felt weird," Tom said as he walked over to a chair and sat down.

"What? You felt something?" Brian asked suddenly very interested. "When I did the scan?"

"Yeah, like some kind of energy moving over my body, then it stopped on my chest," Tom explained what he had experienced.

"Interesting. No one else said they felt anything at all. I wonder if they did and didn't want to tell me or if this is unique. I'll have to do some research. For now, though, let's focus on today." Brian pondered but brought himself back to the moment before he could get too far off track. "Now, shall we await everyone in the courtyard?"

Brian and Tom walked out to the courtyard and were surprised to find several people already getting ready. Jay was among them and was having most of his team do stretches to stay agile.

"You're up awful early, Jay," Tom commended.

"We have a lot to do to get ready. And I don't want to miss the chance for pre-battle stretching. You think you have to worry about pulling a hammy in a football game? Try doing it when someone is about to stab you." Jay joked as he squatted to the left extending the other leg out.

"Very true. I think I should join you as well." Tom conceded and joined the group for some extensive stretching.

As more and more people continued to join, the groups talked amongst themselves. Finally, Herbert, Bohdan, and Harold all arrived. They had all of the devices in their inventories and emptied them onto a set of Tables Brian had set up for them.

Almost one hundred and sixty people were assembled. The engineers, with the help of Bohdan, had managed to create three hundred and twelve of the anti-magic grenades. That was enough for almost two grenades each.

"I want you all to remember that these grenades are meant to be used when you see humans with the collars on them. Make sure you do not use them on the zombies. they might have an effect, and they might not, so we don't want to waste them." Tom spoke to everyone once they had received their items.

"You are all here because we have a job to do. We have to free those who can't help themselves. This is our chance to show them there is a better life now. that they don't have to live their lives ruled by some tyrant who tricked them. We will set them free!" Tom ended in a loud voice as he raised one hand over his head.

The assembled people all echoed his sentiment and shouted out a roar of agreement.

"I am proud to call you my brothers and sisters! And I will stand beside you in the battle and we will destroy this monster's reign of terror!" Tom said again, followed by a second round of raucous agreement.

With that Tom and his teams moved out to begin the attack on their most hated of enemies.