“So what is it that you’re actually doing here?” Daveth asked Edwin as they left the inn and moved through the city.

“Partly reconstruction, partly reclamation. There are drainages to be dug, aqueducts to be built, roads to be refinished, and of course before we do all that, brush and trees to be cleared for us to work.”

“That seems pretty... menial. I thought you were artisans, craftsmen.” Daveth offered doubtfully.

“Well, we are.” Edwin replied, “But you can’t build a manor without laying a foundation, and you can’t lay a foundation without planning how the manor will look.”

“Don’t think I follow.” Daveth offered lamely. Surprisingly, it was Morden who piped up then.

“Sewage, Commander. Before anything gets built, even the foundation, you have to figure out how the sewage will drain.”

Daveth shrugged, still not understanding.

Aldric sidled up to him. “Doesn’t matter if you don’t get it. What matters is we guard them while they do their jobs.”

Daveth nodded at that. “Easy enough, I suppose.” He replied.

Aldric grinned nastily and combed his beard with his fingertips. “You know, it suddenly occurs to me that we’ve got a lot of burlap and shovels...”

*****

And so, the sandbagging operation sprang into action. Nobody was happy about it, of course, except for a surprising few that gathered at the end of a low wall that overlooked the operation.

Audra alternated eyeing the forest from her perch to the men working below her and back again. Her bow was in her lap, her quiver next to her. If something were to come rushing out of the jungle, she could put three arrows on target within a single breath.

Behind her was Nicola, one of the surviving mage apprentices they’d taken in from the Radiant Sons. Personally, Audra had no idea why Nicola insisted on wearing her robes and hooded cloak; patterned white in this explosive, thick heat, but if the girl was insane she didn’t seem to show it.

“What’s wrong with you?” Nicola asked Audra curiously. “You could be down there too, you know. Sandbagging with the rest of them.”

“Can’t.” Audra offered shortly, and lifted her bow for silent emphasis. “Besides, I think I like what I see.”

Nicola glanced down at the groups of men that made up the Seventh Seal, stripped to the waist and working. One or two men would hold a burlap bag and others would shovel sand into it until it was full, and then someone else would carry it off to the temporary barricade they were erecting.

A sudden trickle of literal ice-cold sweat running down her spine announced Eirawen’s presence. The woman was uncommonly stealthy for someone of her height. A six foot woman in full plate and harness should not be so utterly silent. She didn’t clank, rattle, click, or even leave a footstep.

“What do you think, Eirawen?” Audra asked lightly, despite her inherent dislike of the woman. “I’m sure there’s something down there that catches your eye.”

A long silence greeted her as a response. Just as Audra was about to give up, Eirawen finally spoke up.

“No. Not really.”

“I think there’s quite a bit worth looking at.” Nicola rebutted. Audra followed the mages’ gaze and raised an eyebrow. Why she was filling her eyes with the sight of pale, scarred Morden of all people baffled her.

“Desires are a fleeting, transitory thing. Only the Void is eternal.” Eirawen responded after another long pause.

“You’re an idiot.” Audra muttered, and Nicola barked a laugh at that.

“The Elf is right. I think there is at least something to look at down there.” Alysia offered, moving to stand beside the elf. There was no doubt in the elf’s mind as to what or more importantly, whom, Alysia was referring to. Down there, Daveth was stripped to the waist, filling and slinging sandbags with tireless powerful strength. She had to admit watching his thickly muscled figure was entrancing. Her guess was that Daveth was roughly five hundred pounds of warrior-forged flesh and bone, and to see him work so vigorously was something worth watching.

“I disagree.” Lynnabel offered, but her voice carried a light tone. “I don’t think there’s much down there to catch the eye at all.”

*****

Daveth stopped what he was doing and strode over to Aldric.

“What’s wrong with you?” Daveth asked curiously. “You could be filling sandbags along with the rest of us.”

“Got a bone in my leg.” Aldric replied comfortably, tapping the stem of his pipe against his teeth meditatively.

“I can fix that for you.” Daveth offered. “Grab a shovel.”

“Daveth, I’m the captain. You can’t give me orders.” Aldric offered with a chuckle.

“Well, the standing order is every free hand. I see some free hands that could be shovelling.” Daveth replied, moving to impose his height intimidatingly over Aldric. His eyes flicked up to the small gathering of women atop the wall. “Besides, you have a chance to show off.”

Aldric glanced up at the women. “They should be down here, with us. Plenty of work to go ‘round.” He complained.

Daveth picked up Aldric by the front of his coat and lifted him a foot off the ground so that Aldric dangled more or less eye to eye with the giant.

“Plenty of work to go around.” Daveth repeated. “Besides, they’re doing their job.” Daveth offered. “Well, at least Audra is.”

“One more pair of hands isn't going to change much.” Aldric argued, unconcerned that he was dangling from the giant’s grip.

“Shovel, Captain. Show them you’re a man worth working for.” Daveth encouraged.

Aldric rolled his eyes. “You think-” He began, and then stopped. “For a bit. At least until Edwin gets out here with the wagon for the crank-gun. We need someone down here on the ground keeping watch.”

“Ears is taking care of that right now.“ Daveth disputed. “He’ll take his turn shovelling, too. You didn’t think I thought of that, already?”

“Fine, fine.” Aldric complained. “You gonna put me down and get me a shovel?”

Daveth set Aldric down and raised his voice. “Stronghammer, get this man a shovel.”

*****

“Oh my.” Lynnabel offered brightly. “I think there’s something worth keeping an eye on out there after all.”

Audra followed the wolf sister’s gaze. “Really? Him? You certainly have some... unusual tastes.”

“I hardly think so. The Lord Captain is a distinguished man, worthy of respect.” Lynnabel rebutted. “Besides, a proper Lord Captain should demonstrate not only his physical strength, but also his dignity and battle acumen.”

“Right, but Aldric?” Audra asked, idly kicking her feet as she filled her eyes with Daveth as he used one of Stronghammer’s sledges to break up rock.

“He has demonstrated to me that he is a worthy Lord to pledge my blade to.” Lynnabel replied. “He carries himself properly, commands effectively, and makes decisions that benefit us all. He is worthy of respect.”

“He allows looting the dead.” Alysia rebutted distastefully, “and he has a strange affection for firearms.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“An ignoble weapon, to be certain.” Lynnabel agreed. “I suppose you’re looking for Jasin?” She directed her question towards Audra, who was once again watching the treeline.

“His signal.” Audra replied indifferently. “Anything that comes out of the jungle will be spotted by him first.”

“Ah.” Lynnabel offered, her eyes cutting to Alysia for a moment.

Just then Edwin showed up with his men, leading a wagon whose sides had been removed. Mounted on the center of the wagon on a pivot was the crank-gun, its multiple barrels gleaming in the sun.

Edwin’s men immediately went to work, moving carved blocks of stone into what would eventually become an irrigation ditch.

“What do you think of Edwin?” Audra asked the women curiously while she watched Daveth seemingly without effort carry a massive block of stone to the worksite.

“A failed commander. Worthless.” Alysia replied immediately. “We took his war banner.”

“He is no lord.” Lynnabel agreed.

“So... you look for pedigree?” Audra asked curiously, easing an arrow from her quiver to lay across her lap.

Alysia and Lynnabel traded glances. Audra was watching the forest intently; the cloaked Jasin had flagged her attention with a signal, so all of her attention was on the treeline.

Alysia immediately turned her head and closed her eyes, refusing Lynnabel’s offer to take up the thread of conversation that had sprung up among the women atop the incomplete stone wall.

Lynnabel sighed. “Royal blood from a noble and distinguished family, combined with the proud blood of the Wolf, schooled and disciplined in the bonds of chivalry and war; that is the essence of our Order. Our blood is the blood of kings and monarchs, dictators and emperors, going back seven hundred years.” Lynnabel stated directly.

Audra had an arrow knocked and drawn in her cheek in an eyeblink and the idle conversation immediately cut off. Alysia, Lynnabel, and Eirawen immediately leapt off the edge of the low wall following Audra’s reaction.

Dimly, Audra was aware of this, but only in an abstract way; all of her attention was now fixed on the treeline.

Suddenly a volley of rotted fruit, feces, sticks and rocks launched themselves from the trees followed by chattering screeches.

Audra narrowed her eyes, some creature in the branches - she adjusted her aim and loosed; the thing screamed as it fell. But she was already moving, carefully judging her footing as she dropped from the wall.

She saw Daveth striding into the forest, a sword in his massive fist- where had he picked it up from?

She chased after him; he only had a sword and whatever was attacking them was at least able to throw things from the treetops. He needed support and she’d be there.

Suddenly a tree flashed white, encrusted with ice- that had to be Eirawen’s work.

She was acutely aware of figures swinging from tree to tree; she drew and fired without thinking, her quiver rapidly emptying as the things dropped from the branches.

She bent to retrieve one of her arrows and examined her kill.

Whatever it was, it was small, hunched, covered in fur with long arms and rubberly, knobby fingers.

“Captain!” Edwin hollered, waving his arms.

Suddenly Aldric was there, a smear of blood across his bare chest and his saber dripping gore.

“Men! Fall back! Commander, get your ass back here! Regroup, you asshole!” He shouted.

Audra glanced around; where was the Commander? A glance located him, he yanked down on one of the mossy vines that hung between the trees and a creature dropped on him. He immediately caught it; where was his sword? and Audra witnessed him slamming the thing headfirst into the trunk of a nearby tree.

He shook off the ghastly remains of the thing’s shattered skull and glanced around. “Is that all of them?” He hollered, his hands dripping.

“Think so.” Audra replied, eyes scanning the treetops, bloody arrow knocked and probing the branches.

“Let’s fall back.” Daveth replied, and repeated Aldric’s call for a regroup.

*****

“Locals call them monkeys.” Edwin informed the Seventh Seal as they gathered around the construction site. “They’re beasts. Territorial. Obnoxious, annoying, but not deadly. They’ll throw whatever they can at you to try and get you to leave, but they’re mostly harmless.”

Daveth and Aldric eyed each other, and then the clusters of men and women of the Seventh Seal.

“Back to work?” Daveth asked as Aldric tugged out a cloth from his belt and wiped the blood from his blade.

“Mmm. Think we should push back the line of trees a bit. We got any mages we can use to do that?” Aldric asked.

“Think so, if you want to burn them out.” Daveth replied. Aldric shook his head. “Axes, then. We’ll build stakewalls.” Aldric decided.

“You enjoy working our asses to the bone, Captain?” Daveth eyed his commanding officer. Aldric eyed the man’s hands dripping with gore.

“I do. A man should earn his coin.” Aldric replied and grinned. “Don’t worry about it; if those beasts come back we’ll give ‘em what for. If anything else happens across our path, we’ll make them pay the blood price as well. Doesn’t matter.” He paused and looked up at his subordinate. “You wanted simple, you got simple. Protect the Brotherhood, kill anything that stands against us.” he shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if they’re beasts, monsters, abominations, or beastmen.”

Daveth nodded at that. “Think I’d like a tower there.” He pointed to a cleared area, and Aldric slapped him on the arm and then wiped the blood on his hand off with the cloth he’d used on his sword. “Ugh. You want a tower, build yourself a tower.” He paused for a moment, and then added, “You probably want to clean yourself up a bit first.”

*****

Daveth was bathing when Audra slipped into his quarters.

“You know, I’m bathing here.” He called in an irritated voice.

“So? You can listen while you bathe.” Audra pointed out.

Daveth rolled his eyes but continued sluicing water across his body. “I’m listening.”

“No signs of any beastmen we’re familiar with. Plenty of animals out there.” She paused. “We lost Jasin.”

Daveth stopped what he was doing for a moment. “Ears?” He asked, and she nodded, but he couldn’t see that, so she acknowledged it aloud.

“Yeah. It was a beast, a snake about twenty feet long. Came out of the river like a demon and snapped him up.” She paused, and then added, “It wasn’t pretty.”

“Twenty-” he began, but cut himself off. “Wait. River? What river?” He asked.

“The one that runs down to the port. We were scouting.”

“You were in the jungle without backup?” He asked, his voice growing angry.

“We’re scouts. It’s what we do.” She replied, a defensive note to her voice.

“Shit. I should have been there.”

Audra shook his head. “Are you a scout, Commander?” She reminded him. “We’ve always known the risks.”

“Suddenly I don’t think I want to be here anymore.” She heard him mutter.

“Eirawen felled a good number of trees. We’ll have a tower up in a few days.” Audra continued her report, moving around in the outer room so that she could watch him bathe.

“This jungle is problematic.” Daveth mused. “We haven’t fought in shit like this. Too many things could go wrong, too many things out there could kill us. No more trips into the jungle. Walk the perimeter, spy on Moore and Edwin, whatever- but nobody goes into the jungle without either my or Aldric’s express order.” He decided.

“And when we do go into the jungle, who will guide you?” Audra asked angrily, stepping into the bathroom. “We all know the risks in our jobs, Commander. Jasin didn’t have family; he had us. That means we have to live up to the faith he put in us and keep going on.”

“I swear to fuck, Audra-” Davetth began, but the elven scout raised her hands, palm out.

“I’m going to do my job, Commander. I’ll find the right paths for the Seal to travel. I’ll scout the dangers. I’ll give you the best weapon to beat your foes.”

“You’re going to get out, is what you’re gonna do.” Daveth replied, stepping out of the tub.

“Aww, can’t I join you?” She asked, and he gaped at her, surprised.

“What, you think I like sneaking into your room at night for my health?” Audra pressed, forcibly reminding him of the time he’d nearly killed her when she’d done just that.

He frowned. “Mission first, and then we’ll see.”

She gave him a saucy salute and sauntered out of his bathroom, putting an extra sway in her step.

*****

Daveth met with Aldric to pass along the news of Jasin’s death.

“I’d heard.” Aldric replied. “He didn’t have much in the way of personal belongings at all. Your scout had the right of it; he didn’t have a family, he had us.” He poured a splash of wine into a pair of cups, and passed one to Daveth. “To Ears. May he rest easy.” Aldric toasted the dead scout and frowned bitterly.

“I heard your order to pull the scouts back. I’m rescinding it. We’ll send a file of infantry in with them as backup. We’re going to be here a while; we need to know whatall is out there in this shit.” He shook his head. “After Nauders, it’s too green.” He slumped on his stool. “I hate losing men. I want to take out my spite on this land. Personally I’d like to blast the place clean. Set the whole thing ablaze and let it burn.”

“Why don’t we?” Daveth asked.

Aldric barked a laugh. “Moore’s a bitch, but he’s Anglish to the core. You want to burn an entire Anglish territory to ashes? He gets one whiff of that idea and he’ll squeal to the Anglish and good fucking luck fighting an entire goddamned Empire.”

“How long you think this mission will take us?” Daveth asked, giving up on the idea.

“Months, likely.” Adlric muttered, waving his hand. “Maybe longer. Years. We have to reclaim cities, Daveth. Cities. We have to beat back this snarl of a jungle and all the shit in it.”

“What’s the point of reclaiming cities? There’s not enough people to live in them.” Daveth argued.

“True enough. Our contract is kinda loose; I’ll see what sort of flexibility we’ve got.” Aldric counted on his fingers.

“We have to protect the Brotherhood while they build. We have to fight beastmen, potentially two separate factions. That asshat Moore wants us to clear the roads to the other cities, run a sweep and clear on each.”

Daveth shook his head. “Too much, and not enough men. We’d have to levy soldiers from the locals. Renegotiate.”

Aldric nodded. “I will. We’ll clear up a few things, to be certain.”