Now that the festival was finally over and Ares needed to get back to work. He commanded many of the infantry soldiers to get back to work on the wall, as they needed to complete that item before they could get too comfortable with their holdings and they would be able to do so much more.

The soldiers each took shifts, though this time it was one hundred over six hours, another hundred over the next six, and then they left it for the next twelve hours. Then the second group would do the same the next day, whilst a hundred soldiers remained within Rivea. So the four hundred soldiers each worked six hours every other day, with the last group of hundred always at Rivea to help there, but also ready to assist if a fight was to come.

Ares was glad to see that pretty much every Rivean was armed at this moment in time. He knew how badly it could go, but he made sure that each Rivean also trained at least once a day for an hour, right before lunch or dinner depending on what times they worked.

Even the children were armed, though with small clubs. He had them all come together when he had the weapons ready for them.

“These weapons are granted to you by virtue of you being Rivean. You are to not use this to attack other people, Rivean or not, though you should be able to defend yourself with them. If I find out one of you is hitting another with the weapon as part of a game or any other such matter, your right to the weapon will be removed and you will have brought shame to yourself and your family, understood?”

When the youngsters, each about five or older, nodded, he continued to teach them when and when they couldn’t use the weapon, then tested them, before finally having them swear a small oath. Then finally he handed one to the child and would brush their hair with a smile, thanking them for being a good boy or girl.

Then finally Ares went to check on the wall, seeing to both the soldiers as well as the Reptai.

The Reptai were happy to receive their food for the day as Ares dropped down a few hundred enemy bodies that they consumed with eagerness and joy.

“You are creating a wall still?” Zika asked.

Ares nodded his head. “Yes I am.”

“Reptai can assist,” she said.

“I want to keep your soldiers on guard and at hand in case we need to fight, though if you can spare an extra hundred to assist each group, then I would be grateful, if you feel it is within the agreement.”

“It is no difference. Creating wall will protect us as well. It will protect Rivea, and that is what you pay us for.”

Ares nodded his head, for Zika spoke a great truth. Her words made enough sense that he didn’t want to dishonour her by fighting her on it.

So Zika commanded a few to get ready to work on the wall once they were done eating, and they sped up their consumption of the bodies before they then went over to the soldiers.

Ares sighed and then nodded his head to Zika. “I am glad that we had come to an agreement rather than blows back then.”

“I too,” she said as she bowed her head.

Ares was proud of the work that they had gone through. He checked on the few stone masons and carpenters that remained as they continued to make the fort and design it, adding bits and pieces once the base was mostly done. They noted what the soldiers had asked for after the battle, as the soldiers had certain feelings on many items once they had seen how they worked in battle. They wanted more walls that also had holes within them that they could fire out of, as well as another watch tower on the other side, though such a thing was not in the stone mason’s jurisdiction.

“Ares-kin, may we?” a stonemason said.

Ares rubbed the side of his neck. He looked at where they wanted the watchtowers and how big they wanted it.

“Make it wider, but don’t make it as tall as the other one. Also, this fort will be the inner wall, do you see the new wall that the soldiers have created? Between that wall and here will be part of a city where people will live, and then we will create another wall, and then another wall, and so on and so forth to create a mega city. So do not worry about this fort, this will not be it’s final form. No doubt one day it shall be three times as large as we see it now, or in the distant future if we are like any other empire, it shall be reduced to nothing.”

Ares smiled towards the stonemasons and carpenters, who seemed taken aback by his words.

“What I’m saying is… as long as it isn’t taller than the watchtower, so we are able to keep line of sight with everything from it, then I don’t mind. If you really do require, either today or in the future, for a larger tower, then we will first make the other towers taller and wider, then we will fortify this castle.” Ares raised his brows and the crafters nodded, mostly understanding what he said.

“I was going to talk to you about city planning, but I shall leave that for another time. The carpenters in Rivea may be better to ask first, as I would rather you all focus on the fort for now. However, if you do have some ideas about how this city should look, or even if we are missing something in Rivea, please let me know. I would love to see how you experiment within the parameters I have given to you.”

Ares bowed his head to the crafters. “If there isn’t anything else, I shall leave then.”

Ares felt a sense of dejavu. He had gone through all this with the people before, but it was a good idea to check on the progress. Yet even so… would there be something else in the future that will challenge this? That will force him to change the nature of Rivea? There was a dreadful cold within him.