Chương 520: "SCRIBE!"

The Emperor was halfway to the teleport pad when he stopped suddenly and slowly looked around at the small village and trading hub enclosed by a wooden palisade under repair. Then, he said, "Scribe." A young man in a private's uniform appeared and bowed. He opened a book and expertly balanced an inkwell on the open page, pen poised to write as the Emperor dictated his thoughts. To Commander Fogle, My sincerest apologies for my abrupt departure. Events move quickly. You, sir, will be at the heart of some of them.

This post is too important for a mere Commander. It needs the clout of a full Captain. Therefore, I'm promoting you in the field to that Rank. You have earned it by your service here for several years, your actions in this pivotal battle, and your willingness to work with the Baron of Gadobhra in a unique situation. I wish I had more like you, Captain Fogle. When time permits, we'll have lunch at the capital and do a proper promotion with your wife, family, and parents in attendance.

Thank you for your service to the Legion, the Empire, and to myself. Emperor Charles Gustavus Viconis the ninth.

"Darman, strip off those stripes on your shoulders, please. I have someone who can use them. Take them and this letter to Captain Fogle while I do a bit of correspondance." His bodyguard complied. They were temporary, anyway. His rank in the capital as the head of the Emperor's guard was unique, and anything he wore in the field was part of the charade when he had to guard 'Legionaire Gus'. He approved of the promotion. Fogle was at the tip of the Empire with a large and aggressive nation just across the border.

He needed a higher rank to deal with the Imperial bureaucrats.

"Second letter, scribe." To Baron William of Gadobhra and Baroness Layla, greetings. I wish to formally ask you to take over the fortifications of Black Rock. With the possibility of another Lizardman assault on the way and open war a possibility, there is no time for the Imperial Bureaucracy to create plans for you to follow. But based on what I've seen, you are adept at working quickly and have the people needed for this job. Please assume that we will be expanding the garrison in Black Rock.

Maybe you can squeeze a bit of elbow room into the new fortifications? I'd also suggest some large, secure warehouse space. We may need to turn Blackrock into a supply depot as well. Please be on the lookout for merchants who can supply the Legion in Blackrock with meat, flour, vegetables, beer, and other staples that keep the Legion moving. A hungry soldier does not fight well, and the life of a soldier without a beer in the evening is a poor one indeed.

I'm sure you'll keep track of your expenditures, and we can take the total off of your tax bill. Expect that at some point, I'm going to have to inflict the joy of the Imperial Court upon you, to award you for your service in saving Black Rock from the Lizardman threat. For now, know that I am happy that the right man was in the right place, at the right time. Emperor Charles Gustavus Viconis the ninth.

"Scribe. Third Letter." To Courier Benjamin Franklin, the Seventh of the House of Franklin, It has been brought to my attention that you are a trained Magictech Engineer skilled in the use of teleportation devices. I authorize you to repair and service the Teleportation Stone in Blackrock, to ensure its proper functioning. I'm sure that the paperwork previously filed was lost by either the Inquisition or the Mage's Guild.

Please keep this letter, which recognizes you as having the proper authority to inspect, service, and repair Imperial Teleport Stones as part of your duty as one of my Couriers. Please convey my best wishes to your mentor, Inquisitor Diego, and Harmonia Franklin when you see them. Both are hardworking and loyal agents serving the empire in these difficult times, with little reward. I'm sure you understand that the same fate is now yours. Emperor Charles Gustavus Viconis the ninth. PS.

At some point, I want a ride on that flying steed of yours. I only caught a glimpse of him before I was hustled back to the drudgeries of court. Please keep this between the two of us.

"Excellent. That should keep things moving. Always good to strike before the bureaucratic glue gets into the cogs and hardens." Two minutes later, very nervous teleport mages in the palace were relieved to see the Emperor and his bodyguards arrive safely at the palace. Darman breathed a sigh of relief, as did the rest of his quad. The Emperor exchanged his Legion uniform for something far more formal.

"I need coffee, a plate of sandwiches, my three scribes, four lawyers, and the Imperial Geographer. We are meeting in the War Room. Darman, I need a quick summary of the events in the south that I can give to inquisitive barons. And a more detailed one for Duchess Claudia and Duke Carl. It's a juggling act now. We need to protect the South, beat Winter in the North, and do it before the Orcs declare war and start marching south."

"You think they will, or do you know something I don't, your excellency?" Part of Darman's job was asking such questions. The Emperor's abilities were unique, and he was obsessive about reading reports from all around his domain.

"For certain? No. But they have a competent War Chieftan who married into the largest tribe, and instead of ousting the old chief, made him his most trusted advisor. He's taking his time and building an army, not a rabble. I have to assume he's intelligent. And if he's smart, now is the time to hit us. We may have days, or weeks, but I have no doubt the wardrums will be heard before the year is out." Captain Fogle was surprised when the messenger entered his office and saluted.

He'd just returned a moment before from seeing off the emperor and walking the perimeter to make sure things were going well with the repairs.

"Message from the Emperor for Captain Fogle. Captain Darman just delivered it."

"That's Commander Fogle, private." The messenger handed him a letter and produced a set of Captain's Stripes.

"Not as of a few minutes ago, Sir." Billy and Layla were just finishing up with Ben and Ozzie when the messenger entered.

"Imperial messages for the Baron and Baroness of Gadobhra, as well as Courier Franklin." He noted the weapons and scarred armor of the nobles, confirming the information going around that they'd been in the thick of the fighting. But his eyes spent a lot longer looking at Ben. Messengers and Couriers were notorious rumor mongers, loving to hear the latest scuttlebutt. A lot was being said about the latest prodigy out of House Franklin.

He'd seen the winged horse outside, and now he got a look at the man in a dashing half-cloak and God-Worn hat. It glowed to his magic sense like a beacon. The sword on his back was only slightly less so. Information delivered and gathered, he turned to leave, only to have Ozzy stop him with a hand on the shoulder. He turned to find a frightfully powerful man standing in front of him, the effect made double by somehow not having noticed him at first.

"One sausage sandwich left. Hungry? I know you guys barely have time to eat when on the job." The messenger could only nod and take the sandwich. Luckily, all his training was about moving fast, and he did so now.

"Thanks, got to go." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ben looked exasperated.

"You scared the poor lad." Ozzy shrugged.

"If he follows Gus around, he's seen worse."

"Maybe, but probably not at close range and offering him a dangerous sandwich. I hope he has a strong stomach."

"That one didn't have any peppers on it. The only reason Gus didn't take it, he'll be fine. But what's up with all the paperwork?" Ben grinned, "I get to fix teleporters and practice my magitech skill. Also, piss off the Mage's Guild. My uncle will be so jealous." Bill was just finishing his third read of his own letter and was leaning back in his chair.

"Ben and Ozzy, my trusted advisors. What would you suggest we do for fast and dirty improvements to the defenses of this lovely little town? Has to be big enough for a larger garrison and several ACME warehouses. Assume I have an Imperial mandate and free rein. Feel free to add your own recommendations, Captain Fogle, you know the place the best." The Captain nodded, then looked worried.

"If the Lizardmen attack on a broad front and go for the farms, there will be another five hundred people seeking refuge here. Ideally, enough room to pack them in, but that also increases our need for food storage. We can't rule out the possibility of a siege, and of course, there is a dragon." Billy scowled at that.

"At least it's an ice dragon, and not fire." Layla rolled her eyes, "So he kills us with Ice, not Fire? Is that any better? You do recall we have Fire Resistance from our bloodline, but I don't remember seeing cold or ice." Ben turned, a little serious.

"If you get a chance to pick it up, grab it. I think everyone who was involved in killing the Ice Devil has it now. We're going to be facing multiple threats that use Ice and Cold. Either one helps against damage of a freezing nature, but some spells are very specific in how they are formed. Ice generally has a physical component, whereas Cold does not. I picked up Resistance to Cold after my encounter with the Ice Devil. I was tempted to take Ice as well, but a 10% bonus to my fire spells won me over.

What about you, Ozzy?"

"Well, I already had Cold Resistance, so the system let me buy Ice Resistance and take the bonus to my fire spells. Boy, you should have seen old Caldrius dancing around when he got an upgrade to his Fire and Magma blasts." Billy got them back on track.

"Ok, in case of a Dragon attack, you two get to handle it. What do we do with everyone else?"

"What about underground, like we set up in Hurlsford? What's the ground like here?" Layla had been very impressed with how quickly her workers had made underground safe houses for the town, and knew she could charge a premium for the work. Ozzy nodded, "That will work. We got an idea of the geology when we were digging that temporary moat. It's soft dirt and then sand for fifteen feet, then a layer of igneous rock that gets pretty hard around thirty feet down.

We hit Tier Two material at that point, called Dense Sandstone. Not as hard as granite, but easier to work with." Ben started sketching.

"We need more room. This uneven oval is the current palisade. If we go outside it and draw a larger rectangle to represent the new walls, that will leave room for expansion. The first order of business will be digging down to the harder rock and making a thirty-foot-deep moat that is thirty feet wide. That will be enough to stop one of those siege turtles from coming right up to the walls. We'll use the dirt behind the new walls to support them.

We don't know if the lizards have rock throwers, but a wall backed by an earthen berm is more defensive. Then we start cutting stone from the bottom of the moat, making it even deeper and constructing the wall. I'm thinking ten feet high at first with a wooden palisade up top. Given time, we'll extend the wall higher." Billy drew in some rectangles at one end.

"Put the ACME warehouses here on either side of the gate. Make them out of stone with heavy timber roofs, and they can be a shelter in case of the dragon."

"An excellent idea, the perpendicular side walls will support the main stone wall. But how about we make the warehouses even taller and turn them into watchtowers? More room for the ACME logo." Billy wasn't sure if Ben was serious or not, but he liked the idea.

"Good thinking, and then we put the other two warehouses on the other gate. Might as well plan for the future. Put entrances to the catacombs from each warehouse, with a long sloping tunnel. We can carve out areas under the town for more storage and an emergency Dragon refuge." Captain Fogle looked at the plans, "Baron, Baroness, I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but we may be facing the hordes of the Lizardmen soon, not in several years." Billy smiled, "Timeline, Ben?" The Courier had already calculated it.

"If we put a crew of eight stonecarvers down here, and four people to haul, we can get the new moat dug in two days, assuming a twenty-hour day. There isn't time for a deep foundation for the walls, so we'll go with the minimum for the foundation and rebuild later, starting at the bottom of the moat and going up. It won't be pretty, but with a second crew bringing in finished palisade logs, we can have the new wall up in two weeks. Then we begin the catacombs and continue until you're satisfied.

One month will do the job, and we just have to hope the Lizards aren't pushing for a full-out war." Fogle looked at them, "You can do this?" Billy showed him his recent letter from the Emperor, "This guy seems to think so, and if you had a chance to see what we built at Rowan Keep, you'd understand. Tier three and four Contract Workers can do miracles. Fighting isn't their main skill, but you saw how hard they fought. They build better than they fight, with a few notable exceptions."

Fogle had, and he remembered the Butcher lopping off heads and limbs indiscriminately. He'd also seen them haul loads of supplies that it would have taken six oxen to shift, and dig the temporary moat section in less than an hour.

"Apologies, Your Excellency, I should have more faith. I'm hampered by my ordeal in getting supplies to build what defenses we have."

"No offense taken. I've dealt with those same people; they move slowly. But this is ACME doing a job. We don't screw around. We've got a few people down here now that I can leave, and I'll get another shift down here immediately. But right now, I need to go get a few people moving and insult Vern for a few minutes to motivate him." From outside came the sound of horses loudly greeting each other, and the sound of pounding hooves as someone rode up to the building.

Harmony Franklin burst into the room a few seconds later. Her hair was wild, and she looked like she'd been in the saddle for days. Ben's heart missed several beats.

"There's trouble up North. You've got several thousand winter wargs, wolves, and Snarlfangs heading your way. We played tag with them and led most of them away from Hurlsford, but the wind changed, and the smell of roasting meat is drawing them past Rowan Keep." Billy started moving, "Time to go, people. Any workers down here stay to start on the digging, except Ozzy, Ben, the woodsy guys, and the Shepherd. Ben, fly over and tell Marcy we're going to plan D.

She's to cause as much havoc as possible and keep the lizards busy and occupied. Then I need you to get back to Sedewick and for you to get flying and get me a scouting report. Let's move people. We've got wolves to kill."