An orc warrior—wounded but standing—added gruffly: "We rebuild together. No questions. Just tell us where you need us."
Satou felt something tighten in his chest. These people had just survived hell. Had lost friends, family, comrades. Had fought for five days against impossible odds. And their first response wasn't to rest, wasn't to ask what they'd get in return—it was to ask when they could start helping.
This was why the settlement was worth defending and everyone acted as one family.
"For the next month, everyone works for our collective survival," Satou said, his voice carrying both gratitude and resolve. "We pool resources, share equally, rebuild together. No individual payment until we're secure. After critical infrastructure is restored, we return to normal economic operation."
Kelvin's voice cut through with a practical question: "What about security? The humans retreated, but they're still out there. Do we expect another attack?"
