Fourth Moon, First Moon Day Morning
Aida breathed in the scent of the fresh ocean air. The salt on the wind was light, and the sun had just begun peeking over the waves, casting a pale orange light over the straw roofs of the fishing huts along the water’s edge.
Aida was on another week-long sponsorship assignment, but this time with only three other classmates instead of the entirety of Class 2. She considered herself lucky for this assignment; based on the descriptions of the North Ocean Village from the assignment briefing and Levi’s worldly knowledge, the village was a relatively safe location that hadn’t seen as much strife as the other villages dotting Wyndia’s forests.
Unfortunately, natural disasters - and the professors had reassured them it was solely due to nature - still existed in this world. Levi had corroborated the professors’ statements.
“It’s getting into the summer, so typhoons and creature migrations are starting to happen.” Levi paused, his brow furrowing. “The Naval Stronghold has a base near North Ocean Village, so usually they don’t need too much protection or support.”
“Is it likely that the Naval Strongholders are supporting inland activities?” Aida ran a finger along the coastline, tracing the routes between North Ocean, Naval Stronghold Base, and Shale Port, significantly further away from the Stronghold. Levi leaned over her shoulder to look at the geography book she had open.
“At this point, your guess is as good as mine. Who are your Affiliates for this assignment?”
Aida flipped open her assignment packet. “Oh, look at that. Naval Strongholders Jaret Rings, Metal, and Ashley Muger, Fire.”
“Ah. So this might be the closest to being an ordinary assignment without unnatural stakes you’ll get.”
Aida and her compatriots for this assignment - Dev, Tera, and Abedi - had taken an early ground golem transport to North Ocean Village yesterday. The first half of the trip had been dull, just more forests that they zoomed through, until they finally exited the woods. When the golem left the cover of the trees, they had been treated to a panoramic view of rolling hills of tall, green grass slowly becoming speckled with gold, all descending towards the small patch of civilization along the water’s edge in the distance.
Within the grasslands, Aida could sense the mana of small creatures digging for nuts and seed, constantly emitting furtive pulses as they kept their senses tuned to whatever predator might swoop down upon them. The village itself, as they approached, appeared to have no major defenses: just simple wooden walls with watchtowers at even intervals, and the guards in the watchtowers carried simple wooden bows.
The Strongholders Jaret, a tall dark-haired and dark-eyed man, and Ashley, a petite ruby-eyed woman with hair the color of cinnamon, had met them at the gate, thanking the golem driver and guiding the four of them to their lodgings for the star cycle. As they walked, they kept up a running commentary of the neighborhood, pointing out their favorite restaurants, which type of rebuilding help a particular district needed, and where to witness the best views during the morning, afternoon, or night. They didn’t put the students to work right away; instead, they led them around the district their inn was in, introducing them to the local restaurant and shop owners, and gave them a tour of the rest of the village over the course of the afternoon as they helped take stock of which sectors needed what kind of help with the rebuilding efforts.
When the tour was finally over, they still had a few hours to kill before dinner time, so the Strongholders encouraged them to explore the village before meeting them at a bun restaurant right outside of their inn.
Needless to say, the classmates were excitedly anticipating this assignment to be akin to a vacation.
“Morning, Aida. Why are you up so early?” Tera yawned as she stepped onto her own balcony next to Aida. Tera’s hair was a mess, brown strands drifting in the gentle wind.
“I just wanted to see the view,” Aida responded. “It’s so peaceful here.”
Tera blinked tiredly at the sunrise. “It is,” she agreed before yawning again. “At first I thought the view at Maglica is nice, but it’s all just forest.”
Aida chuckled. “Why are you up so early if you’re still so tired?”
“I don’t sleep well if I’m not in my own bed,” Tera grumped. “I think the only reason I slept so well at Loded Peak was because I was just so exhausted there.”
Aida hummed sympathetically. “Looks like your time here won’t be as relaxing as for the rest of us.”
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“We’ll see. If the work is demanding, then I might sleep well after all,” Tera replied, leaning on the wooden banister, soaking in the gentle rays from the sun. “Oh, that feels nice.”
Aida heard another door slide open, and craned her neck to peer at the balcony below hers.
“Morning, Dev. Couldn’t sleep either?”
“No, I got woken up by you two. The walls are so thin.”
“Oh, sorry…”
“Let’s wake Abedi up so we can go get breakfast,” Tera murmured. “Otherwise I’m going to fall asleep right here.”
Aida heard shuffling from Dev’s balcony. “We’ll meet you at the entrance in half an hour.”
After a few minutes, Aida splashed water onto Tera’s face, making her yelp. “You should go get ready, Tera.”
Mumbling incoherently, Tera waved at Aida as she sloped back into her room. Aida stayed on the balcony for a little while longer, watching as smoke from breakfast fires began rising into the sky.
Compared to the work at Loded Peak, there really wasn’t much work for them to do at North Ocean. There were a few sites that required Aida and Dev to drain stagnant water away so Tera and Abedi could repair the foundations, as well as some reports of broken plumbing the villagers had eagerly requested their help with.
People here seem a lot more relaxed, as well. There was no hushed furtiveness hovering over the village and its inhabitants; the people affected by the small typhoon that had passed through this region were mildly upset, but had seemed mollified once they saw the four students surveying the damage with the Strongholders.
Aida stretched her arms wide, giving the fully-risen sun an embrace, before she disappeared back into her room to get ready for the day.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“So first order of business, we’ll get the schoolyard drained so we can get the kids back in school as soon as possible,” Jaret said through a mouthful of bun. “That way the adults can start helping with the reconstruction efforts. Also, Dev and Aida, do you think you can check the reservoir to make sure everything is fine? We did a cursory check, and the structure seems sound, but it would be nice if you could confirm the dam isn’t leaking.”
Aida and Dev nodded as Jaret continued reading the tasks on his list. “Tera and Abedi, in addition to repairing the school’s foundation, the village elders have also requested that you two see if there are some quality-of-life improvements you could add to the school. The village population has grown a lot in the past decade, so they’re hoping you could add in some more fountains and bathrooms for the children, at the very least.”
When Tera and Abedi nodded, Jaret smiled and folded up the list. “Excellent. Thanks for all your cooperation. Don’t work too fast, though. If the villagers see how easy it is for you do the repair work, they’re going to burn up your mana asking you to fix everything. Take your time and focus on doing quality work.”
“Let’s take the morning to work on the school,” Ashley added. “And then after lunch, Dev and Aida, we’ll take a golem up to the reservoir so you can do your inspections. It’s a very nice view.”
“Will we get a chance to see the reservoir?” Tera asked, sipping her tea to wash down her fish bun. Ashley smiled brightly.
“Of course! If Aida and Dev detect any leaks, we’ll bring you up there to fix it. And even if there aren’t any, we can bring you up so you can check the stone and pipes yourself.” Ashley nodded at Abedi.
“Other than the repair work you mentioned yesterday, is there anything else we’re expected to do?” Dev asked the two Strongholders. “I don’t mean to be crass, but it seems like there’s not too much assistance required from us here.”
“Dev, don’t ask for more work,” Tera muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Jaret grinned.
“Don’t worry, Tera. We’re not going to work you guys raw. It’s true, though: there isn’t as much work or devastation here as other places, thank the skies. You were all at Loded Peak last moon cycle, correct?” Jaret returned their nods. “Even though this village is in better condition than the Peaks, there’s still a good amount of help you can give. The typhoon season has only just started, so once we’re done with the minor repairs we will ask for your help in reinforcing some of the wind and ocean breakers. Aida and Dev, even though you won’t be able to help with the infrastructure as much as Abedi and Tera, we’re hoping you can help with the ocean patrols once you’ve cleared the way for Tera and Abedi to do their work.”
“Ocean patrols?” Aida questioned. Jaret nodded affirmatively.
“Correct. The Naval Stronghold thought your abilities would be best utilized in patrolling the local waters so the fishermen can work in peace. As you may or may not know, since you all are city kids, typhoons can stir up the ire of several monsters, and they’ll take it out on any creature they come across.” Jaret smiled reassuringly at Aida. “But don’t worry, if Ashley or I don’t go on the patrols with you, you’ll be with another Strongholder.”
“How dangerous are the monsters in these waters?” Dev asked cautiously.
“Not too dangerous, otherwise there’s no way the village could sustain its economy. Most of the time the Naval Stronghold’s work is in recharging a fisherman’s empty mana battery, or tugging them back to shore. But being on the water is a great chance for you two to practice your elemental manipulations,” Ashley added. She glanced around the restaurant to make sure no one else was listening before leaning in towards them. “Sorry if this assignment isn’t as exciting as you were expecting. If there’s any other skill or experience you’d like to pick up here, please let me and Jaret know and we’ll see what we can do for you. We were honestly surprised Maglica approved sending us students for this work, in light of all the other places that could use help.”
“Anyway, we’ll find something for all of you to do,” Jaret said loudly. “If we’re lucky, there might be another typhoon by the end of this star cycle, and then we can test your reinforcements before you leave!”