Chương 47: [The Forerunners]

The barricade was visible ahead when Mike fell into step beside Leo.

"So," he said.

"How did it go? Did everyone react well in town?"

"Better than expected," Leo said.

"People stared but nobody made anything of it. Agnes came over within the first five minutes, I think she may have a thing for Torren." Mike laughed.

"Of course she did."

"Torren laughed, nothing seems to shake that guy."

"I heard he made quite an impression on Lauren as well."

"He spent twenty minutes getting her pie recipe out of her," Phil said from behind them.

"She looked over the moon to be honest."

"She's going to have him asking questions every time he comes in," Parmo grinned.

"Good," Mike said.

"That's exactly what we want. People connecting. That's how this works long term." He looked at the barricade ahead.

"Right. Walk's not long enough for everything I want to cover. Pub first, then we can talk properly." They crossed the barricade and headed down Murry Street. Diane had fallen into step alongside Sam, the two of them already at it before they'd made it twenty metres.

"Don't start," Sam said.

"I didn't say anything," Diane said.

"Your face says otherwise."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, tell that to the stupid grin you're trying to hide."

"Whatever you say loser." Mike glanced back at them. Leo caught his eye.

"Yeah that'll continue til we get to the pub, they're as bad as each other."

"You wouldn't think they were both in or around their forties..." Leo laughed. The King John's was quiet when they pushed through the door. Lauren looked up from behind the bar.

"Back again," she said.

"All of you this time."

"We come bearing news," Parmo said.

"Your games night idea has been approved by the diplomatic delegation." Lauren raised an eyebrow.

"The what?"

"Shai, Rika, Torren. They loved the pub. Rika specifically approved of the cider."

"High praise," Lauren said.

"Right, what are we having?" They found their usual corner, Mike took the seat nearest the wall. Once drinks were down and Lauren had headed back to the bar Mike leaned forward slightly.

"I've got a few things I want to go through," he said.

"But first." He raised his voice slightly.

"Lauren. That games night. Brilliant idea. You've got my full support behind it, I might pop in when it starts." Lauren looked over from the bar.

"Already planning it."

"Good," Mike said, and turned back to the table. Mike laid his hands flat on the table.

"Right. Few things to go through. First thing, food and the wall. Both start now, same area. Southern plains." He looked at them.

"Gary's already talking to a few bricklayers he knows, he's going to get some more to help with labour tomorrow. It goes up around the perimeter of the farming area, prioritising the side facing the Wilds first. The farming starts inside it at the same time. We don't wait for the wall to be finished before we plant, we plant while it goes up around us." The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Will that work?" Luka asked.

"Gary says yes. Construction on the edges, crops in the middle. Historically that's how it's been done. The village guard will cover the workers while it's going up." He paused.

"The greenhouses you lot found today go up inside the town straight away, those are easy to sort out. Terry's already on it. That gets something growing immediately while the southern plains setup gets going."

"What about Torren?" Leo asked.

"He mentioned he could help with the growing."

"Shai's group are coming back tomorrow. He'll be with them. Terry already knows to speak to him first thing." Mike moved on.

"Second thing. I'm calling a big meeting tomorrow. As many people as can make it. I'm going to tell them about the Wilds, the empire, all of it. People have a right to know what we're dealing with and I'd rather they hear it from me than have it come out in bits and pieces.

"While that's happening," he continued, "I want you five meeting Shai's group when they come in. Bring them into town, show them to where they're staying." He paused.

"We've sorted a few houses near your flat. Close enough that you're on hand if they need anything while they're finding their feet."

"We can do that," Luka said.

"Good. You're their guides while they get used to the town. After that the training starts and things get properly busy."

"Training," Mike said.

"Starts as soon as Shai's group is settled. The village people will lead on weapons, that's their expertise and we'd be fools not to use it. What I want from you five is to be in those first sessions. Not just learning but feeding back what works, what doesn't, how it applies to what you can already do with magic."

"Makes sense," Phil said.

"We're already further along than most people in town so we can help figure out how the two connect."

"Exactly," Mike said.

"You're also going to be spending time with the village people on the magic side. Pick their brains on how magic works here, how it's used, how it interacts with what you've got through the UI. Diane and Gary are working on the science and development angle and you'll feed into that when it's relevant." Diane looked up.

"That's my bit." She looked at the boys.

"Gary and I are going to be working on understanding how everything here works from a scientific standpoint. The magic, the soil, the materials. When you learn something about how magic functions in this world I want to know about it. The Codex will pick up a lot of that automatically but I want the conversation behind it. The why, the how, the things that don't translate cleanly into an entry." She paused.

"Same goes for the combat training. The Codex will record what you learn but someone watching you train and asking questions gets more than any entry ever will."

"So we're your research subjects," Parmo said.

"Field researchers," Diane said.

"There's a difference."

"Is there?"

"You get to leave when I'm done picking your brains." Sam laughed despite himself.

"There's something else," Diane said.

"Gary and I have been talking. We have a lot of knowledge in the Codex about how things work, engineering, physics, chemistry. And we have magic now." She paused, thinking it through out loud.

"I don't know yet. But I keep wondering whether there's a way to use magic to get some of our technology back up and running. Or to build things we know how to build but don't have the parts for." She shook her head slightly.

"It's just a thought at the minute. But it's one I can't leave alone." Mike sat forward.

"The last thing. And I want you to hear this properly." He looked at each of them in turn.

"You five are going to be the forerunners. Not leaders in the way I am or Diane is on the development side. But you're the bridge between the village and the town. The people the village knows and trusts. The people in town who are furthest along with magic and will be furthest along with weapons. When something needs doing that involves either of those things, it comes to you." The table was quiet for a moment.

"No pressure then," Luka said.

"Plenty of pressure," Mike said.

"But you can handle it." Leo looked at the table for a moment. Then at the others, Phil already nodding, Luka calm, Sam thinking it through, Parmo grinning despite himself.

"Yeah," Leo said.

"Alright." Lauren collected the empty glasses as the conversation wound down. Mike leaned back in his chair.

"Right," Phil said, looking at Sam.

"Before we go. Diane." Sam closed his eyes.

"Don't."

"Please tell us, in great detail, about how you dismantled Sam here."

"Not a lot to tell, I tabled him inside an hour. His nids made for good target practice."

"Oof. Man that must have sucked," Phil gloated.

"I'm not entertaining this from the guy who loses his shit if he loses lane in League. Generational meltdown every game Luka can't carry your ass is what I heard..." Sam hit back.

"Not to help Phil out here dude but Luka sucks at League, he's the reason we lose most games..." Leo said.

"Oh don't even. You fuck up just as much as I do." Luka turned towards Leo.

"So when you gunna ask Shai out on a date?"

"Fuck you man."

"I wonder what she'd think if she knew how much you like cat girls in anime..." Leo groaned and laid his head in his hands on the table.

"And Parmo," Luka said.

"How's your new shadow?"

"She called me Brandon fourteen times today," Parmo said.

"Fourteen. I counted."

"She's going to have you wrapped around her little finger inside the week," Phil said.

"She already does," Sam said. Mike looked at Diane. Diane looked at Mike.

"And these are the forerunners," Mike said.

"God help us," Diane said.