Lucius and Tiber accompanied Patrick on a survey of the property and the nearby farms. The men rode on two large spiders, Patrick rode his own while Tiber knelt on the back of Lucius' mount, gripping the rigging on the spiders abdomen as they sped across the open terrain. As they passed through the neighboring properties one by one, Tiber took notes on the available space and resources, compiling a list of tasks that needed to be completed before the move could take place. These included clearing the barns of equipment to make space for civilians and ensuring all buildings were free of creatures that might have taken up residence. Once the soldier was satisfied with the surrounding areas, they headed back toward the main farmhouse.

"You've already started on a wall, that's good, we'll go ahead and erect the bulk of the defenses here. Whenever the scouts at the other farmhouses discover a threat that's too big for them to handle alone, they will sound the alarm and everyone will fall back to this more defensible position. When we face a big threat we will make our stand here, together"

As Tiber spoke, the three men continued toward the area designated for the wall. Once they arrived, the soldier began taking measurements and making calculations. Lucius watched him closely, impressed by the professional precision of his work.

"Do you have a background in architecture or something?" Lucius asked.

Tiber turned from his work with his usual stern expression, but a slight grin broke through as he replied, "Engineering. Why do you think they sent me for this job?"

Lucius nodded at the man's words as he continued guiding his mount around the property, allowing Tiber to complete his assessment. They finished at the main barn, where they returned the spiders to James before walking back toward the house. Tiber explained his plans to the other two men on the way, motioning with his arms towards different areas of the property as he spoke.

"We'll need to build platforms for archers and sentries inside the wall—at least one at each corner, maybe another in the middle. Trenches should be dug around the entire wall, and filled with spikes or water, a drawbridge will need to be created so we can quickly open and close the entrance."

Patrick frowned as he listened, stroking the beard that had grown visibly thicker since Lucius had last seen him. His tone was uncertain as he responded, "We don't have the manpower or expertise to build something like that, especially not in a reasonable timeframe."

Tiber nodded and quickly addressed Patrick's concerns. "Once I return to the base, I’ll request permission from the commander to bring back a full engineering platoon to complete the construction. Lastly, before I leave, I’d like to speak with your blacksmith."

The men made their way to the forge, where smoke billowed from the roof as usual. Inside, Jack was hard at work. They stood quietly to one side as golden lights spiraled around the room, flooding into the piece of steel Jack was forging. When the process was complete, Jack tossed the glowing metal into the water trough with his bare hands, earning a rare look of astonishment from Tiber. Lucius’ eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled at his friends antics, he was quite certain that Jack was showing off in front of the new guy. Jack turned towards the waiting men with a satisfied grin on his face, dusting his hands together as he approached them.

"It's Tiber, right? I figured you'd want to talk to me before you left."

Jack's grin got wider as he walked away from Tiber’s outstretched hand. The stern soldier frowned slightly, but when Jack proceeded to plunge his hands into the trough, causing a loud hiss of evaporating water the moment his skin touched the waters surface—just as the steel had moments earlier—it dawned on Tiber that the young man hadn’t been trying to snub him. Jack dried his hands on a dirty rag before walking back to accept the hand that was still waiting for him.

"Sorry about that. Wouldn’t want to send you home with all the skin burned off your palm."

Tiber felt the residual heat radiating from Jack’s hand as they shook. He couldn’t help but consider all the ways Jack’s ability might be used in combat. Jack noticed the look in Tiber’s eyes and chuckled, shattering the soldier’s unspoken hopes.

"I know what you’re thinking, but don’t bother. This ability only works inside the forge. Now, what can I help you with?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Tiber cleared his throat and refocused, locking eyes with Jack as he stated his request.

"I’ve inspected the weapons and shields you’ve crafted, and I have to admit, they are much better than anything we are capable of creating right now. These weapons are a full two grades higher in quality than what we can produce. To be honest, most of our soldiers are still making do with [Crude] weapons and basic protective gear. I’d like to place an order, if possible, to supply our entire outfit with equipment."

Jack scratched his chin in silence, glancing at the pile of materials nearby before responding.

"How many items are we talking about? I’ve already resorted to scrapping most of the unused metals on this property, I'm running low on everything."

"Our battalion originally consisted of three hundred men, but we’ve been reduced to half that number. Some of them have earned their own upgrade tokens, while others have claimed spoils from closing anomalies or slaying hobgoblins. But at least a hundred are still without proper weapons or armor."

Jack drew a sharp breath through his teeth when he heard the number, then shook his head with a defeated look.

"Sorry, there’s no way I can scrounge up enough material for that."

Tiber held up a hand to stop him. "Wait. Before you say no—what if we provide the raw metal, leather, and wood you need? Additionally, we’re not asking you to work for free. I’m authorized to offer double the required raw materials, so even after completing the order, you’d have enough left to keep your forge running for quite a while."

Jack’s eyebrows shot up as he tilted his head back slightly at the generous offer, glancing over at Lucius to confirm that this was genuine. When Lucius nodded his approval, Jack couldn't help breaking into a little celebratory dance before he realized what he was doing. The young craftsmen peaked out of the corner of his eye up toward the tall soldier standing sternly beside him, letting out a cough in embarrassment as he quickly returned to a more neutral demeaner. He masked his excitement with a serious expression as he continued the discussion.

"How soon can you get me the stuff? And just so we’re clear, making that many items is going to take, like... a week? Maybe more."

Jack rubbed his chin as he spoke, trying to estimate how long it would take him to craft so many items, before Tiber responded.

"We should have enough storage rings to hold the materials, so that makes transport much easier. I’ll bring them to you myself when I return with the engineering platoon in the next few days. It’ll take us at least a week to prepare this place for the relocation, so just make as much as you can during that time. When we’ve finished the defenses here, I’ll take the completed equipment back with me to help escort the civilians. Please do your best—this gear will save a lot of lives on the dangerous journey out of the city with so many defenseless civilians."

Once Jack and Tiber finalized their deal, Lucius asked Patrick to lead Tiber back to the farmhouse while he stayed behind to speak with Jack privately. Jack watched Lucius in silence for a few moments after the others left, curiosity evident on his face as he waited for his young friend to speak. His eyes widened in shock when a tiny purple bat appeared in midair.

"Hello, human item creator. I have seen that you are a friend to my father, so I will not consume you."

Whisper stared back at a bewildered jack as he spoke, before flinching when he noticed Lucius glaring down at him angrily.

"Um! No! What I meant to say was... uh, I do not consume humans at all?"

Whisper relaxed visibly when Lucius gave him a nod of approval. The tiny mythical creature was pleased with himself for quickly correcting his mistake, grinning wide and putting his sharp fangs on display as he fluttered up onto the workbench. Jack leaned closer, examining Whisper with intense curiosity. The bat’s large purple eyes stared back at him as it straightened its posture, puffing out its chest and holding its tiny chin high in pride. Meanwhile, Jack bombarded Lucius with questions.

"This creature is yours? Is it part of a new skill? Did you learn some kind of beast taming, like James?"

Lucius chuckled as he watched the tiny bat showing off so shamelessly, before responding to Jack's questions.

"Something like that..." he replied.

Lucius proceeded to explain the existence of mythical creatures to Jack, recounting how he defeated the vampire in the church and accidentally got blood on the egg-like stone it had left behind. Jack listened, stunned, as he learned not only that mythical creatures existed but also that humans could defeat them and bind their power. Once he processed the information, he looked up at Lucius with thinly veiled envy before asking the next question on his mind.

"That’s incredible. I could feel that you’d grown much stronger the moment I saw you return, and it somehow felt different from the strength you had before. It almost makes me want to leave the forge and go exploring instead of spending all my time here."

Jack looked up at the ceiling wistfully as he considered the idea of heading out into the world to grow stronger, eventually shaking his head as he rejected the notion. He loved the forge, creation was his adventure. He looked back at Lucius and leaned forward on the workbench where the bat was standing as he spoke his final question.

"So why are you telling me all this? You’re not just here to brag, are you?"

Jack teased Whisper as he spoke, tickling the fluffy bat’s stomach and ruining its attempt to strike a proud pose. Whisper flailed, swatting at Jack’s fingers in frustration. But Jack’s demeanor shifted quickly, turning serious as his eyes locked onto the brown egg-like stone that had appeared in Lucius' outstretched hand.