I watch Slab smile as he heads to the area I told him to drop off the doe and nod in satisfaction at him adjusting well. After he's out of sight I walk back into my room and sit down at the new desk that Fey gifted me to continue listening to Dawn as she explains my duties as the settlement leader.
"Ok Master! Back to business we go! So as I was saying your job is mainly cut into three main parts and your lacking in all three! First you need to get some money floating around and seeing as this is a monster settlement that could be tricky but we'll brainstorm once everything is established. Second is your infrastructure which thankfully we have in the works. I can give you an update on the tasks completed soon but the people you appointed seem to be doing a fine job with what we have to work with. Finally the biggest thing is your combat forces and military. After going through the inhabitants of the settlement I've noticed that although all of them have combat abilities there are only a handful of them that are actually conditioned to fight. And honestly Master you can't lead your people if you are weaker than them so I have notified Jeff that starting after this meeting you will report to him for training at least once a day until he deems you fit for combat. This also applies to your vassals due to them both giving and receiving strength from you." Dawn states line by line as if she's thought this out over a long period of time before finally ending her spiel.
As I begin taking everything she said in I hear her voice in my head followed by several notifications about settlement progress.
[Huntsman Task Domesticate livestock 50% complete](Requires male counterpart to complete)
[Building Task Improve defensive wall completed! Wall Level 3!]
[Farming Task Grow 5 types of renewable crops Completed]
[Military Task find new recruits 40% complete](2/5 found)
I'm surprised to find that the wall around our base is leveled up and so quickly but as I rush outside to look I can't help to be astonished. Surrounding our clearing is now a 15ft tall wall made of smooth logs set close to each other with sharpened tips. Deep purple vines crisscross between each of the logs holding each of them tightly to its neighbor while small silver circles can be seen at various area's of the wall. As I glance to the entrance I see a huge wooden gate standing open as Fey his chisel and hammer to carve out various designs on the handles that have been attached to the inner doors. As I'm about to walk over and ask how Fey accomplished this so quickly I feel a pressure on the back of my neck before my feet are swept out from under me and I'm dragged towards another part of the camp. After a few minutes of struggling I feel my body lift off the ground as I'm sent flying into a small roped off area with various poorly made targets and wooden weapons surrounding me. When I look up I see the curious faces of both Bubbles and Wake before I hear a voice that sends ice down my spine.
"Ok worms first let me introduce myself formally. I am Guard Captain Jeff and my class is warscout. I am trained in hand to hand combat, proficient in most melee and ranged weapons, and am able to shut down most magic as long as I understand its use. Our leader here has put me in charge of security of this settlement as well as creating a force to deal with any issues that require a more violent approach. The reason our caring Leader is here is because he too will be going through training with you guys so that he can both realize the effort that you went through to protect this place as well as so he can also defend himself and this place if the need arises. Now any questions? Good! In that case I want 100 laps around the outside of this wall followed by each of you bringing in at least five pieces of large lumber or stone and leaving it in Fey's little corner. Now move!" Jeff shouts as both Wake and Bubbles make their way towards the entrance of the camp. I turn to ask Jeff a question before seeing an icy look of excitement on his face before I shudder once before racing towards the entrance as well.
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After 10 laps I can feel my legs shake uncontrollably and I'm panting like my lungs my pop. Bubbles isn't much better except he still has the energy to at least maintain a steady walk while Wake is still going strong and has passed both of us several times. After a few more minutes I can't even stand anymore and feel my legs go out from under me before hitting the ground hard and laying on my back. After a few minutes I open my eyes to see Jeff staring down at me in disappointment before he tells everyone to line up again.
"Now although Wake has impressed me a bit none of you understood the point of this exercise. Yes it's meant to help improve both your stamina and your agility but its also meant to teach you to pace yourselves. Look at Noortain and Bubbles for example. Both of them are exhausted and Noortain can barely stand. If we were to be attacked right now neither of them could put up much of a fight because they didn't reserve any of their energy. As for Wake yes you have tons to spare but by not keeping pace with your squad you endanger both them and yourself. If they were ambushed in this condition you would be held accountable for not being there to either defend or evac them and if you were ambushed they would have little to no chance of rescuing your scaly ass. Think about this while you gather those resources and drop them off to Fey then report back to the training grounds after breakfast tomorrow. Rest well for tomorrow we begin combat basics." Jeff says as each of nod in understanding and begin walking towards the forest.
After several more hours I finally drag the last log I found back to base, my fur drenched in sweat and covered in sap and dirt. The whole time Bubbles and Wake both keep pace with me and fill the silence with casual chatter as they make sure I make it back safely while not helping me move the log. Once I drag it to a corner filled with other random resources I push the log next to a collection of several large rocks, some small piles of vines and long grasses, and various other types of wood in both branch and log form. Once its rested against the pile I sigh in relief before heading back to my house to get cleaned up and finally pass out for the night.
The next morning I wake up to the sounds of Dawn's voice constantly yelling hey to me. After she rouses me awake she informs me that it's time for my daily training and I need to report to the training area. After grumbling for a few minutes I finally crawl out of my furs and make my way to the training area, Grimacing as I see both Wake and Bubbles already waiting there but with no sign of Jeff. After waiting for a few minutes the hob finally makes his way to us and throws a bag in front of each of us as well as a small skin of water.
"Okay guys so today we're gonna get some hands on experience. Your job is simple today, in those packs is enough food and water for a day. You need to go out and bring back at least one beast for us to add to our food reserves. It has to be able to feed at least two people each so don't even think of just killing off a few birds and calling it quits. Bonus points if you bring back more than one. Dismissed and good luck." Jeff says at our confused group before turning around and leaving.
"Well fuck..." mutters Wake to all of our agreement.