Stillwater says "It is much better!"

Silverstream says "I agree! But I didn't see anything for hiding the ship?"

"Oh, I plan to make an item that will summon a fog bank."

Silverstream says "A fog bank? Yes, that should work!"

"What do you think of the ship, Brightfire?"

Brightfire says "It is absolutely beautiful! It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!"

"Thanks for the praise, but I mean did you see anything missing or that needs improving?"

Brightfire says "Well, I am no expert and I don't know anything about ships. But as an archer, could you add some shielded areas where we can shoot from?"

"Sure, that is easy. Oh, I should add some crows nests too."

Stillwater says "What's a crows nest?"

"It's a platform at the top of the mast for a lookout."

Brightfire says "Oh, I bet the view from up there would be awesome!"

Silverstream says "You can have it! I prefer keeping my feet on the ground!"

"Are you going to be okay when there is no land in sight?"

Silverstream says "I have no idea! I hope so!"

Stillwater says "This is going to be an eventful trip!"

"Hopefully not too eventful!"

Brightfire says "I hope it isn't too boring!"

"Alright, if you think of anything else, let me know. Otherwise, scram and let me get back to work!"

Brightfire says "Aww, can I at least come back for dinner?"

"Yes."

Brightfire says "Yay!"

When the three of them leave I turn my attention to Brightfire's armor. I am planning on adding scales at the knees, elbows, and shoulders to add extra protection. However, I realize that I don't need to add just those, I can meld the scales into the armor.

This will increase the defense of the armor without losing any flexibility. It will also allow it to hold more mana so that I can add more enchants. Because the scales are thicker, I can thin them out to cover more area on the armor.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Otherwise I would run out of scales too quickly, but with some experimenting I make it work. In the end, the armor does lose a bit of flexibility, but I fix that with an enchantment. I am also able to add an enchantment to increase the armor's defense.

When it is done I would say the defense is about as good as a suit of full plate. I don't plan to go this far with the twenty armors, just for Brightfire. After all, the commander is supposed to have better armor than the soldiers.

However, I do plan to use the remaining scales to reinforce the vital points of the other armors. Luckily, that doesn't take me very long, all the armor is upgraded and enchanted before dinnertime. After that I fetch all the remaining branches and start making rowboats out of them.

As I am working on the third rowboat, the three of them return and we all have dinner. After dinner I hand Brightfire her new armor and she leaves to change into it. When she returns I notice that the eyes of every male elf except Stillwater are following her.

"So, how is it?"

Brightfire says "It is fantastic! It is beyond amazing! Are you sure it is okay for me to have this?"

"Of course! The future commander of the elven army needs to be well equipped!"

Brightfire yells "WHAT?!?!"

At Brightfire's yell both Stillwater and Silverstream start laughing loudly. They even start teasing her by pretending to salute and calling her supreme commander. They are rather loud about it and soon all the nearby elves are joining in on the teasing.

Brightfire says "Enough!"

Silverstream says "Alright, alright. I will stop teasing you!"

Brightfire says "Ash, why would you say that? Look what you have started!"

"Well, it is true. You are going to be the commander of our elite warriors. Later the army will be built around them. So it is logical for you to become the leader of the army. Assuming you survive!"

Brightfire says "With this armor, what could kill me? But I never agreed to becoming the commander of the army!"

Stillwater says "She's right, Ash. One step at a time. Let her get used to a little responsibility before you give her more!"

Brightfire says "Dad! That is not funny!"

Stillwater says "Who said I was joking?"

"Alright, enough! Take your family argument somewhere else so I can get some rest! Oh, the armor and weapons are all done so take them and hand them out."

They do as I say and take the equipment and leave, but I can still hear them arguing. I ignore them and open my soulscape then invite the kids to come play. After that, since my mana is recharged, I go back to making and enchanting rowboats.

Once I have six completed I stop and switch to making chests with the rest of the wood. However, I decide to stop when I have twenty chests, I shouldn't need more than that. Enchanting the chests is good practice, after them I make a pouch for Brightfire and five backpacks.

Since I put the isolation enchant on the backpacks I can safely put them in my pouch. This way I have them next time I run into a situation where I need more storage. I give Brightfire her pouch when she shows up for breakfast in the morning.

Brightfire says "For me? Thank you!"

"I promised a while ago that I would make you one."

Brightfire says "So, what's the plan now?"

"Now, we start loading the ship."

Brightfire says "So we are leaving soon?"

"Tomorrow or the day after depending on how long it takes your people to get aboard."

Brightfire says "Then I will do my part and go get people moving!"

She quickly runs off with a smile on her face, she seems excited to leave. Then again, this is obviously going to be the biggest adventure of her life. She quickly gets the entire camp in an uproar, but I ignore it and start meditating.

By the time my mana has recovered there are already rowboats going back and forth to the ship. I fly over to the ship and land on top of the main mast to take a look. On the main deck below the chosen warriors are in their new gear and are training.

The sailors are also practicing in the rigging but they all stop to look at me when I land. Other than them there is a group of elves on the deck unloading the rowboats. Everything seems to be progressing smoothly, so I turn my attention to adding the crows nests.