That night was a mixture of jam packed action and yet very anticlimactic. The fighting never stopped, a constant flow of skeletons made their way into the warehouse and the workers kept clearing and cleaning them.
At one point they had to start storing some of the gear they were picking off the bodies upstairs and just tossing out anything they had too much of. Around the warehouse now lay a pile of bones surrounding them like a small hill.
Everyone rested in shifts, the only injuries sustained were slight dehydration and hunger. The Wardens kept getting stronger with a majority of the slivers being fed into them and the rest being saved to share with the other Branded back home.
The Wardens now reached their peak, the gains from the slivers no longer noticeable. Their stamina and strength were now bordering on being unhuman.
With one arm a Warden swung his club constantly throughout his whole shift, shattering the heads in a single smooth strike. They were getting restless and pushing outside the doors to take on more at a time without issue.
Claire was still badly hurt but was now conscious, drinking what little water they had with them and eating dried meat from her pouch. She absorbed slivers throughout the night to help her regain her strength and heal quickly while Elli and Skye took stock of what they had.
Lined up in front of them were barrels of arrows and lines of bows, spears and shields stacked neatly together, swords hung on the wall in stacks of 5.
"This should be enough to arm everyone in the fort, not even counting what we are getting from the skeletons, though their gear isn't up to standard."
Skye said while counting again in his head.
"We'll need them for practice and training. It will give the Smiths something to work on until they've mastered the runes."
He nodded along in agreement to her statement, not wanting to lose track of his counting. This whole thing was risky, yet it paid out massively. It would take them from living like cavemen to the bronze age overnight. With these weapons and armour they would not have to rely on the ring of protection to kill the monsters anymore, they could hunt them down even at night.
A world of possibilities opened itself to skye, a life where they didn't have to hide away like little rats. They would become something much more.
"It should be morning soon. When daylight hits we'll move out. I'm sure you've noticed that there aren't as many monsters as before. We should be done with the bulk of them. We'll move up to the mouth of the cave and set up there."
Elli said as she turned around.
"We're not going in?"
She turned her head to look back at Skye and gave him a smile.
"I'd rather whatever is making these things continue just as they are. I'm not going to mess with a good system."
She hurried down the stairs to get everyone up and ready. They had stayed up all night to make sure nothing went wrong, yet she moved with fresh energy. Chasing her goals and achieving aims must really vitalise the soul.
Everyone got ready quickly, putting on the best armour and weapons they had. No longer did they look like a rag tag team of homeless earthlings, they now looked like a fighting force. The Wardens wore iron chest plates and shoulder protectors connected with thick padding of sea green. Their helmets covered their faces completely with slits in the eyes. The trousers were added with plating over the knees and upper legs.
The warriors wore the lighter leather and chainmail armour with bucket helmets to not weigh down their bodies too much. They would still have to move fast and were only as strong as the normal human. They carried the new spears and shields with a sword in their belts. They were untrained and needed to keep as much distance as they could.
Skye could tell that this was the armour of a small village garrison, nothing a knight or high ranking soldier would ever be caught in, but to them, it was crafted by the hands of the gods. Before they only had a few shields to share between themselves and their armour was nothing more than dried skins of monsters tied together.
Skye summoned his own armour, preferring something he created that could be taken off and put on easily. The thought had been chewing on his mind lately, could he do what he did to his armour to anything else? Was it his roots that turned the mundane into improvements for the Enchanted tools?
Once things had settled down he would have to investigate, but for now, another task laid ahead.
They would push out and follow the stream of skeletons back to the mouth of the tunnel, picking off any stragglers along the way. The goal was to make as much noise as possible so they would come to them rather than having to go building to building hunting them down.
The formation was set, 3 Wardens in the front, 3 on each side, and one behind to make sure no one fell out of formation. His name was Gav, and he had shown himself to be a hard working man who didn't mess around when it came to a job.
"Open the doors. We're moving out."
Gav gave the order and the warriors kicked out the chunks of wooden beam that were holding the doors in place. A few skeletons that were trying to push in fell to the ground without the support of the door, quickly meeting their demise at the end of the Wardens new leather boots. They moved forward to face the crowd of monsters, only to be surprised to see a small gathering at best.
The street that was once endless with their white skulls swaying back and forth now empty, the tide that seemed never ending had in fact done just that. Their fight that lasted all night bore the fruit of their labour.
"There is no one left!"
"We killed every last one of those bastards didn't we?"
"They must have fled in fear of my ever growing muscles!"
The last cheer coming from the only Warden not in armour, choosing to put his faith in the hardness of his muscles. He ruined the mood for the rest, who didn't feel like celebrating anymore.
They marched on, following the direction where the skeletons were still coming from. They easily killed the last of the group in front of the warehouse and Elli shouted back;
"Close the door, only open it when Nora arrives."
The workers didn't have to be told twice, they hurried and shut the door behind the last of the warriors leaving. Elli, Skye, and Claire were flanked by the Wardens and warriors. Claire was being supported by the other two, her ankle was swollen still and her skin was black and blue in large chunks.
Elli asked her to stay but she insisted she had to come along just in case they needed another door easily broken down with a laugh. That's how they would tell the story to everyone who asked, how she did it without breaking a sweat.
They swam upstream against the trickle of skeletons quickly, only being engaged on the sides a few times and by creatures on their own who must have been stuck or lost. They were able to walk at a fairly fast pace, mostly being slowed down by Claire.
Everyone had too much respect for her and what she did to mind it at all. If they had to crawl to let her keep up with them they would. The Wardens were hers after all, and they felt a deep connection to Claire. She was both their mascot and the hardest working fighter out of all of them.
They zig and they zagged through the town, taking in the sights of it all. The beautiful columns of the houses and the simplicity of their builds, yet how strong they still looked. This town was built by people who meant for it to last, and it did just that.
Arriving at the mouth of the tunnel it was clear to see that the mining operation halted unexpectedly. There were tools laid about and covered in dirt and dust, carts were half loaded with rocks and others were toppled off their tracks.
The creatures continued to walk out of the deep darkness of the mine and into the light.
"Wardens, set up a perimeter, make sure no one can sneak up on us and no monsters get out of that tunnel alive."
The formation broke and the Wardens moved into action, 4 of them covering the mouth of the mine and the rest watching their backs.
"Warriors, find anything you can to make a barricade at the mouth of the tunnel, I want them walking through the middle only. After that, create an encampment here. We have to make it feel homely."
She added the last bit with a chuckle to make sure everyone knew the hardest part was behind them and that they should work without fear.
"And Skye, feel around down there. I want to know more."
Elli said while pointing down the tunnel, asking him to send his roots, which took a second for Skye to understand. For a moment he thought she was asking him to start walking into the darkness. And weirdly enough, his body agreed before his mind comprehended.
He had put so much faith in her abilities that he didn't even question it at first.
That could be dangerous…
His mind began to wonder. He didn't even know this person fully.
"Hey Elli, do you mind if I ask a question?"
"Of course. What's on your mind?
He didn't know what he wanted to ask before the words came out of his mouth, he just felt like he should ask her anything, he wanted to know who she was as a person. It was already too late, but he still had to try. Everyone seemed to follow her without much persuading.
"Have you always been put into the leadership spotlight or is this a first for you?"
Her eyes locked with his, then she looked away quickly. Was this too personal? Skye thought this was a bit of a cookie cutter question, a throwaway.
She answered in a lower tone.
"This isn't my first time being a leader. Last time didn't go so well for me. I tried to fight for what I believed to be right and was out of my depth. I won't make the same mistakes again."
Her words at the end were sharp, not inviting more questions on the matter.
Skye replied out of reflex.
"That makes sense, if we didn't learn from our mistakes we wouldn't move forward at all."
"We will move forward no matter what."
Her tone stayed low, like she was making herself a promise. She turned her head to the sky, the morning sun still faraway from noon.
"Let's hurry up here, we'll have some guests soon."
They joined in to the creation of the small camp, Skye connected things together with his roots to form a solid structure while sending them down into the tunnel. Even the Chestnut Warriors were working together to move things around.
He couldn't feel much, just the stomping and dragging for the skeletons. The tunnel went far beyond his reach and wherever the monsters originated from was still a mystery to Skye.
By noon they had completed the blockage in front of the mine shaft, leaving an opening in the middle for the monsters to come out. Stationed there were two Wardens and a few warriors to grab the bodies and drag them off.
They continued working on the camp, blocking the alleys of the closest houses and circling the mine. Now if anything wanted to get through they would have to either climb over their tall barrier or enter though the one alley left open.
Or so they thought. As they were admiring their handy work, Nora spoke up from behind them.
"Not too bad."
Elli and Skye jumped at the sound of her monotone voice.
"Holy shit Nora you almost gave me a heart attack!
Skye yelled in protest, Elli also had her hand to her chest, shaken from the fright.
"Sorry, I've been here with you for a while."
"How long is a while??"
"At least a few minutes. I thought we were just looking at the alley.. I didn't want to interrupt."
Elli broke up their conversation.
"How did you get in without us seeing you?"
"I waved as I walked in. I thought it was rude that you didn't wave back."
They paused in contemplation, was she now so hard to see that even the shadow of the barrier and walls around it engulfed her?
"Sorry we didn't wave Nora, that was rude. Happy you're here. Did everything start as planned?"
"Yes. Last night was a success. No injuries, no need for the ring. We can now fight the creatures on equal footing. They've started constructing the walkway on the wall and the road is underway from both ends."
She paused and looked back at the centre of the camp, where Claire was resting on a barrel, using her sword to hold herself upright. Nora continued.
"What happened to her?"
Elli shook her head and let out a little laugh.
"The only thing that could hurt Claire, herself. Got into a fight with a building and won. Tell everyone she did it on her first try if you don't mind."
"Did she do it on her first try?"
Nora asked, looking confused. Skye and Elli locked eyes and then looked at Nora. Skye was the first to reply.
"Yes Nora. First try. Didn't even struggle."
"Oh okay. Yeah I'll tell anyone who asks but I'm not sure many people will ask how many tries it took."
Skye brought his hand to his face, he sometimes forgot that the finer details of conversation could be lost on her. Sometimes she looks like she completely understands a joke only to show later that she had no idea and only laughed because everyone else did.
He joked about having his ass handed to him on the first night, she has asked how his ass is feeling every night after. You have to be careful with what you say around her sometimes.
"Anyway, Nora, did you bring the other workers?"
"Yes. The ones in the warehouse should be ready to make their way back to the fort with the supplies now, just waiting for the platoon to go with them. The new platoon and Wardens should be on their way here once they've unloaded everything. I've brought food and [Misplaced Item] with me."
She summoned the Jar into her hand and it instantly started to fill up with water from its counterpart.
Skye could have kissed her for saying that. He was tired of always being hungry, thirsty, and tired here. He took the jar and brought it to his face, only for Nora to stop him.
"You still have to boil it. Which brings me to this."
She turned around and looked though the pack she brought with her, opening the tied monster skin wide. She turned around and presented a black pot to Skye.
His hands started to shake as he reached out to take it, palms sweaty. It was heavier than he ever dreamed it would be, and large enough to fit over his head. He brought it close to his face and smelled the iron.
"I… I.."
He stammered, not able to think straight.
"I thought this would make you happy."
She said with a sweet smile.
"I can't… really remember why I wanted this so bad?"
The silence hung in the air as he handed it back. Nora snatched back the pot and put it in her bag, any hint of a smile now gone. She turned back to Skye and said.
"I don't know why but I like you less than when we began the conversation, Skye. I'm going to leave now because I don't want to be here."
Nora turned on her heels and left, Skye hung his head in shame. His long lasting joke about his want for a pot was meant to lead to this point, he knew that, but he now felt bad. She went out of her way to get him that pot which took away the power of the punchline.
He was meant to find it on his own and disregard it in front of everyone. He planned out the whole thing. He lost sleep because he was giggling to himself thinking about this moment.
Elli looked at Skye with her mouth slightly agape and her eyes wide.
"That was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life."
Skye looked up with new found hope. Maybe it was all worth it.
—-
The new workers, warriors, and Wardens arrived, along with half the Smiths from the village and one of Cookie's helpers. Zsofia and Li also came along, bringing everything they owned. Elli met them as they entered the encampment and shook their hands.
"So good to see you two. How was last night?"
Zsofia replied.
"Easier with the armour and weapons, going to be easier tonight with more. If they get the catwalk built by today we can rain arrows from above without fear of injury."
Her tone was direct and friendly, but if you heard it for the first time, you may think she was mad at you. She continued as she looked around.
"So this is our new home?"
"Yes, this is where soldiers will train both in practice and with real enemies. At night take them to the edge of the forest and fight monsters there if you deem it safe. Train them to use their weapons and give them first hand experience."
Li and Zsofia both shook their heads in agreement. They knew how important practical training was. You can teach a man to shoot all day every day but you cannot train out the hesitation before they shoot someone. They assumed it would be worse with a sword.
Elli continued.
"I'll leave it up to you to build the schedule. A new platoon and a few Branded will be sent every week to train. I'll leave workers here as well to help fortify and build what we need but that will have to be done by everyone."
The military trainers agreed and got to work, they had to take the spirit of this idea and run with it but they could see the benefit. The slivers would be used to strengthen the Branded that were here and the Smiths would work to turn this town into their home base.
The workers began cutting down trees with their new axes, dragging them from the forest to the town, and building up the defences properly while the new warriors swept through it. There were a few stragglers but the numbers never got more than a few skeletons at a time.
The Smiths started to haul the weapons looted from the skeletons to the forges and tried to figure out how it all worked. It would take a lot of trial and error to learn this skill, especially without anyone there to teach them, but they had plenty to practice on.
In the late afternoon you could hear the sounds of building and troops training. The city was coming to life again. The houses that were still standing strong were cleaned out and turned into living quarters, those that were already falling down were given a helping hand and used for material. Even the skeletons were being ground down and being put into barrels to be transported back to the fort and used as fertiliser.
This was quickly turning into the base that embodied the phrase of waste not, want not.
The thought popped into Skye's head, and he turned to Elli as they overlooked the town from the top of the warehouse. The beauty of the colourful sky painting a background perfect for the moment. He started to open his mouth, but was interrupted by Elli.
"You can't name this place either Skye. Everyone else already agreed on a name anyway, welcome to the town of Tombstone."
She put on a western accent for some reason he couldn't understand.
"On account of all dem skeletons and rocks I reckin."
She laughed at her own joke, and Skye couldn't help but join in. He was sad that no one would ever know that this town was almost called Bone Marrow Manner, but maybe that was for the best. Just maybe.