Rations were distributed among the rest, the weary gnomes devouring the wrapped meat and dried mushrooms with a hunger I'd never seen before. I realized the supply of food was something I'd need to add to my list of immediate concerns. There clearly weren't enough travel rations to last us for even a fraction of the journey. Hopefully the scouts and gatherers would be able to take care of it as we went.
Right now, though, our biggest short-term issue was the condition of the wagons. I took advantage of my new Adjure ability and examined my carpenters' skills more closely, sensing Ket looking as well.
Assess
Construct
Repair
Upgrade
Embellish
My sprite stifled a yawn.
Yup, definitely not the most exciting array. But what other kinds of skills would they have? Water Walk? Resurrection? They're carpenters, not demigods.
Curiously, my workers' abilities were not subject to cooldowns. Unlike Binky's Spit and Web Shoot, Repair and the rest could be used successively any number of times without being subject to an additional mana cost.
However, unlike Binky, what my denizens did have were stamina bars. Every time they used a skill it would drain a measure of their stamina until eventually they would no longer be able to work without first resting up. Both carpenters' stamina was in the red, just a fraction remaining.
They definitely needed to share the load. I selected two of my vocationless denizens and assigned them both the carpenter profession. One of them rolled over in his sleep, mumbling and rotating his wrist as though handling an invisible screwdriver. The other started examining the framework of the tent above her, frowning critically as if suddenly noticing how shoddy it was.
“I’ll name you two… um…” I racked my brains for any knowledge relating to carpentry, but came up blank. “Er, Screwy and Woody?”
“What about Dowel and Tenon?” Ket suggested.
“That’s probably better.”
The original two carpenters, Dovetail and Groove, had already reached level 3 in the 'Repair' skill. I made a mental note to make sure they were the ones I sent in next time the carts sustained damage; according to the Augmentary, their growing expertise in the skill meant that their repairs would be quicker and more enduring. Meanwhile, in the morning I'd set the two new carpenters to improving our wagons’ design. We’ll find out what Upgrade can actually do.
"Adjure is a godsend," I said to Ket. Being granted more information by the tier-nine ability made me feel a lot more in control, and it lifted my spirits considerably. “Why isn’t it something we get at tier one? This would have made my job much easier.”
“And allowed you to plan more efficiently,” she agreed. “I don’t know why Cores aren’t granted it until tier nine. Maybe it’s because you first have to ‘prove’ your worth by becoming attuned to your denizens and intuiting their needs? You have to put in the work first rather than just having it laid out for you.”
“The universe works in mysterious ways,” whispered Bekkit in passing.
“Shut up, Bekkit,” we both said.
"Whatever the reason, this whole journey is going to be much more manageable now that I have access to all this new information,” I said to Ket. “Not to mention being able to see the gnomes' specific capabilities."
"And their limits," she pointed out. "Perhaps we should have Dovetail and Groove ride in the carts tomorrow, at least for a while. Their stamina is almost completely drained, and at the rate it's regenerating it won't be fully restored by the time we set off again."
"Good thinking. And I'll send out the scouts and the foragers, too. We'll need to hunt and resupply as we go, especially if we want to keep their stamina and morale up."
There's still such a long way to go...
"The first step is always the hardest," Ket said softly, sensing my lingering concern. "We made it out. And we'll make it the rest of the way too. I know it."
This was not as reassuring as she no doubt intended. If this was just the first step, how many more were to come? It had been a long, miserable five hours. How were we going to manage another forty days?
Then I looked properly at the gnomes still awake and on guard. They were huddled and bowed, true, but I realized this was a result of the miserable weather and not necessarily a loss of morale. They were watchful, yes, but not fearful, and those in the tents and shelters slept soundly.
Standing guard over my gem on the chariot was Ajax, the tribe's largest gnome, though he was as always more preoccupied with admiring his own bulging muscles than watching for threats. Even brawnier than Hammer, the fighter had biceps like conkers. Literally; the things had been falling off trees for the past couple of weeks, and Shuck the armorer had incorporated the spiky shells into the armor of our heavier warriors. Ajax was the heaviest of those heavy warriors. I'd once seen him split an acorn with a single spear-thrust, and knew that despite his egotistic demeanor, he'd be alert and ready to fight at the very first sign of danger.
A little further along the perimeter, the warrior named Serene sat cross-legged on the very edge of a wagon, balanced perfectly on its outer frame. Her expression was as peaceful as her name suggested; she almost looked as though she were sleeping. Unlike the other watchers, her shroomwood spear and redcap shield rested in their harness upon her back. In the battle against the kobolds, she'd lost her weapons early in
