“Um, well, I did it once?” he said, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face, one which quickly got redder when a big young man seated next to him smacked him on the shoulder and spoke through a huge grin.
“Yeah and tell him what your master told you after it!” he laughed.
“That I’d never be allowed to butcher another animal as long as he drew breath…but he’s dead now, isn’t he! I’m tryin’, I am! ‘Least I got a skill; you’re no good for nothin’ besides chasin’ Betti!”
“Hey! I didn’t know!” The lad apologized shamefacedly, but Milosh shoved him hard, trying to hold back tears, and then he pushed back, a fight clearly about to break out.
“Enough!” I shouted, coming to my feet, and both men—boys, really—settled down, glowering at each other. “Look, it’s clear what you’ve gone through in the last few days, but there’s no need for this. First, I want five volunteers to help Timoth; anyone?”
A dozen hands shot up, and I grinned in relief, having half expected nobody to want to do it.
“Okay Timoth, pick those that you feel will be the best match, please.” He quickly picked five people, two men and three women, and I noticed they all had elven features as they stood with him, moving off to the side. I murmured a quick inquiry to Cai, who quietly assured me that elves were well known for their affinity for growing things, and that Timoth likely didn’t know any of the former slaves well enough to choose them on better criteria. I looked at the remaining thirteen people and decided to do a good deed for a friend next.
“That’s great; thank you, Timoth. Cai, I think you’d better get with Isabella and get a break down of her people’s skills in preparation for talking to them directly; you okay with that?”
When I saw the surprise, swiftly followed by a surreptitiously exchanged look of guilty pleasure, I moved on.
“Next, I want six volunteers for hunting and fighting training. Any volunteers?” The rest of the group immediately raised their hands, looking eager. “Miren, you’ve got some experience in this, I know, and you know your fellow villagers, so can you pick those that you think will be best, please?” With Isabella and Krillek already assigned, that left five people looking disappointed until I spoke to them.
“Okay, people, I know you’re all feeling a little down at not being picked yet for a job, but please don’t be. These next few days and weeks will be the chance for each of you to show yourselves ready for different training, but in the meantime, you will be helping the wisps and the Golems to put this place back together. That means hard work. Clearing fallen rubble will likely be the best of it, but believe me, while it might not be glamourous, it is needed.”
“The faster we have secure quarters and a little comfort, the sooner we can start with the interesting things!”
The remaining group looked a little mollified, but clearly still felt a bit depressed about not being chosen.
I asked them all to gather around and take the Oath, a slightly different one to that sworn by Oren’s people, as we’d now had a little time to consider things. Seneschal had given me a few pointers, including the use of one of the abilities afforded by being the master of a settlement.
I took a deep breath, and reached out with my mind, summoning my character sheet easily, but instead of looking it over and dealing with the stack of notifications, as I knew I needed to, I instead…twisted…my attention to one side, reaching out with my mind to the Tower. I felt Seneschal’s guiding as a new page blossomed before me. Most of its options were greyed out, but a tab clearly visible at the top of the page was marked ‘Citizens’. Selecting it, I found it was split into two sections. The top group was marked ‘Oath Sworn,’ while the second group was marked ‘Prospective’. I chose the second group with a mental flick, and an option appeared to add all the prospective citizens of the Tower, the wider land, and the country, or just selected people to the ‘Oath Sworn’ category. I chose ‘all’ for the ‘Tower’ section and grinned when a prompt showed before me, allowing me to check over it before sending it out to them.
Prospective Citizens of the Great Tower of Dravith!
Lord Jax offers you the chance to join him and swear fealty to his line and the Great Tower.
If you be pure of heart and clean of conscience, then repeat these words, but be warned, there will be consequences for those that are not!
I swear to obey Lord Jax and those he places over me; I will serve to the best of my ability, speak no lie to him when the truth is commanded, and treat all other citizens as family.
I will work for the greater good, being a shield to those that need it, a sword to those that deserve it, and a warden to the night.
I will stand with my family, helping one another to reach the light, until the hour of my death or my Lord releases me from my Oath.
Lastly, I will not be a dick.
I nodded, reading over the words I’d written. They covered it all, really. I wanted it to sound a lot cooler, but the popular green comic
