Zindra hurried back to the central building to make necessary preparations for the upcoming attack from the Night Beasts. It wasn't hard to guess what would happen next: night after night, growing waves of Night Beasts would wash over the village like the life water on the shores of a lake. She needed to prepare the walls. She needed to prepare the guards. She needed to prepare the people. She needed to prepare for so many things it felt like she was suffocating.

Zindra ran into the foyer of the central building. She could tell that by now, most of those in the building had heard about the news but were still ignorant of whether it was true or how large the scale was. There was nothing she could do to calm them down; in fact, this might make them work faster to find a solution.

"Where are the documents? Bring as many here as you can and have them sift through the missing and dead over the last several years." Zindra shouted

"Why?" someone shouted from the clusters of panic Seedlings.

"We need to understand the scale of the nest, and we can only do that by knowing when it was created, and as of now, this is the only way... For now, we are preparing for the worst! Assume it is a splitting nest!"

Silence blanketed the foyer as those around took in the information, and all of them could safely assume the rumors were true. Some panicked as they ran out of the building, but those who stayed, with their hardened expressions and clenched fists, knew that time was of the essence and quickly got to work.

Zindra didn't stay long in the foyer, quickly heading to her office, followed by several guards and other Seedlings. They had a lot to prepare, and even more to think about, and her arm was tired from carrying this lazy shrefin.

"Arc, take your..."

Zindra spoke as soon as she entered her office, but all that was there was a child, her arms around her knees, silently crying.

"Why are you still here?"

"I-I didn't get to finish... an-and you left me here. I-I tried to look, b-b-but no one listened." The girl's cries grew louder as she spoke.

Zindra moved smoothly and with a calm expression to the seat opposite the little girl. With a smile, she put her hands on her knees.

"I'm sorry for that. It was mean of me to do that to you, but I am here now, so please speak, and then I can see about getting you something to snack on before bringing you back to your parents. They must be worried since you have been here for so long."

The little girl sniffled before telling Zindra about why she was there. Zinda sat quietly and listened to the little girl tell her story, and after the girl was finished, she sent her off with one of her guards.

"Grandmaster, was it wise to waste time doing that?"

"If children are upset, then so too are the parents, but if children are calm, then so are the parents. At least it is easier to keep those parents calm."

"Maybe in normal times, but this situation is..."

"I know, but you will be surprised what a smiling child can do for an adult, let alone a parent. So keep that in mind throughout this endeavor."

"I will keep this in mind and plan accordingly."

"As you should. Changing the subject, I was thinking of our immediate actions on my way back, but we are short on time, and it seems chaos is about to take over at any point."

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"Yes, I am sure many will want to leave either secretly or forcefully. We need a way to calm them down since they will die if they walk out of the safety of the walls."

"Although important, that is not our immediate concern. First, we need to show them we can handle the situation. We seem confident since the people have little to no idea that the guards did not accomplish what happened over the night."

"I agree, but that will only last until sunrise when the guards will be dead."

"Agreed, that is why, before nightfall, we need to accomplish three things. First, we must talk to the Smith Race in this village. There should be around a hundred of them, including several master smiths and many apprentices. Second, the orphanage should be brought into town. The Divine Knights guarding it are more skilled than the guards; even the basic staff of that orphanage are more skilled than the guards. Lastly, we need to get Arc to agree to help. If we can accomplish that, then everything should be fine."

"Grandmaster, I can understand the weapons and better personnel, but why would one Feyrisian make a difference?"

"It is not Arc per se but who he represents that we need."

"Do you mean to use that child to leverage the protection of the village?"

"... ... We have little time for debate. We must accomplish all of these before nightfall. Go! I will handle Arc and the child!"

***

Zindra couldn't hold back a sigh as she walked through the empty streets. It had been more than three hours, and even with as many people as she could gather, she found no trace of Arc. However, she did manage to convince the orphanage to move closer inside the village, with some of the youngest children staying inside the central building, including Carter and those around him.

Now, she was on her way to talk to the representative of the Smith Race and accomplish several other smaller tasks in the handful of hours of light left.

"The Divine Knights have agreed to help with defense, but it will not be until tomorrow when they will start. They still need to ensure that those in the orphanage and its resources are moved accordingly." said One of the Alchemic Race advisors who had come with Zinda after he had read from a document he had just been handed.

"I expected as much." Zindra said, "Are you aware of what the Smith Race wants?"

"No, I am unaware. When our messenger arrived earlier, they had already begun working, aware of our situation, but they still asked to meet with someone to discuss something, but they never told what."

"I understand. Here, take this and do the task on the list. They should be simple enough but tedious. Use whoever you need. I am sure some villagers will be glad to help."

"Are you going to meet the Smith Race while these are being done?"

"Of course. It is not that I do not trust others, just that I do not trust the Smith Race."

"Understood..."

***

Zindra walked into the smoldering forge, sweat almost instantly appearing on her face as the heat slammed against her.

"I always hated coming to these places," Zindra complained under her breath.

When those inside the forge noticed Zindra's presence, a man about twice her height with light brown hair and dusty copper eyes walked over to her and greeted her.

"I'm Orm, the master of this forge and the resident master of the Smith Race for this village," he said in a hoarse, gravelly voice typical of the Smith Race.

"Zindra from the Alchemic Race and the current 'Caretaker' of the village," Zindra said, introducing herself.

"Cute choice of words but appropriate." He said back

"Thank you. What was the reason you called me here?" Zindra asked

"To the point, although I guess there is no luxury not to be. Right then, we need more resources to craft what is needed for defense, but the amount of metal is limited in this small village."

"Is that all? I thought it might be something more important. Well, if that is the case, just strip whatever metal you need from houses and anywhere else. If you have a problem, tell a guard, and they will help. Honestly, you could probably yell, and most villagers will help, too."

"Well, most of problem one solved, but that still leaves the problem of..."

"I will send some guards, workers, alchemists, and anyone else you might need to help. Let them know if you need anything else; they can accomplish it faster than speaking to me. Just do your part, and we will do ours."

"Hahaha, just leave it to us then! Boys, get to work. I want a thousand spears done by the end of the hour! Those who finish fast move to the next item on the list!"

"Aye, Boss!"

"Well, Grandmaster 'Caretaker', I will see you at dusk with everything that is needed!"

"That is greatly appreciated... Now to finish preparations for tonight."