Chapter 48. Girl I was walking towards Garry's 'workshop', where he worked on projects. Repairing armors, and weapons, it was all done here and now he was completing the huge order of armor that I had asked for. He was doing them for free but this also had its benefits. He was probably the most famous 'artisan' in this encampment. Leader of the crafting circle, and then repairing weapons and armor for all those who needed it, and on top of all this, he also earned levels doing that. Healers and Craftsmen got experience in a number of ways. Quests, killing, and skill level-ups were also major sources of experience. I did not know the exact workings, but they all preferred to do their jobs instead of going out hunting. And Garry was excited about this, apparently, he had gone beyond the required effort for this. He personally went to every single one of them, took their measurements, and then made an armor that would fit them. I just expected a standard normal leather armor of the same measurements with important parts covered with the ant shells, not personalized armors. He did go above and beyond for this, not something that I was unhappy about. This should also encourage more people to join the army, in the end, it was the city that benefited. "Are the Armors done?" I asked after reaching his workshop. It was a temporary shack built near the boundary of all the tents, and high amounts of heat were radiating from inside it. Garry came out after listening to my voice. He was sweating but had a big smile on his. "Finished them this morning, come on in have a look. They are beautiful." I walked into the shack and it really was hot, like even hotter than standing near a raging bonfire on the hottest day ever. No idea how I knew what that felt like. The armors were neatly stacked in a corner, black shells covered the brownish leather at the chest, back, and shoulder areas. There were other parts lined up too, elbow guards and some other addons. "They have an intimidating aura, and are a lot more sturdy than I expected them to be," the armor produced a hard sound when you knocked on it. Even applying a little force did not affect it. "These were the best I could make now, the materials are good, it's just my skill that's a little lacking. A few 100 of these armors and I'll reach 50." Garry muttered the last part. He didn't need as much experience as I did because I also had to level up my second class. This should be the only downside of having two classes, but your body would always be twice as strong as single-class beings. It was more than fair to trade some time for it. "I'll gather everyone in an hour, and then we can distribute them." Garry nodded as he heard me. Now I had to let Arthur know that he would be the one giving them out. "Do I really have to do it? You are going to be the one training them, so it's obvious you should be the one distributing them." "Who says I am the one training them? You are the King, as there is no general, the duty of training your soldiers falls upon your shoulders. It is up to you how you train them." "But I don't know what to teach or how to teach them." "I don't want you to start teaching them now. Let them get used to their armor, and enjoy this sense of royalty that they feel after wearing them. And then start training them. So if they later refuse to train, we can just take those armor away. Robbing them of their sense of authority, this is how they will know that they can enjoy this pride only by working for us." He just stayed quiet. I knew Arthur didn't like my methods, mainly because they had some sort of manipulation added to them. Tricking people, misleading them, but all of this was an important part of politics. A necessary part. "You have a few weeks to cook up a training menu for them, that is a lot of time. Observe from your surroundings, observe people, animals that can be of help, and learn from them." "I will try," Arthur said. 'And I will help if necessary.' The sun was high above our heads and it was finally time for everyone to get their armors. Seeing so many people gather, the civilians too had come to check out the event. Thirty people stood, six in each row. Garry was seen pushing a cart as he headed towards the crowd. Luke and Lucy knew of the occasion but they were focused on training themselves. They had a newfound passion within them after getting their first skills and were training ever since. If Arthur was not required for this thing he too would be with them, training. "Your turn Arthur." I patted him on the back and he stepped forward. He waited until Garry reached and then started speaking, drawing everyone's attention. "The city has started taking shape, and we finally have a shelter that suits us. But the monsters are also stronger here, and we cannot always be there to protect the city. So, I will train an army capable of protecting our home in times of need. It is small for now but they are strong and will become stronger as they do their duty. Every one of these thirty warriors is above level 25 and has been a major help in clearing out the monster that could have been a threat. In order to honor them, they will be rewarded with these armors. The armors will be repaired for free by Garry himself, and in the future-" "Arthur! Teacher!" I heard Lucy as she shouted and ran towards us. "Unknown people, they seek help, heavily injured." She said while pointing in a direction. "Stay alert, and don't let anyone leave. Could be a trap. Arthur, Lucy, stay here. I'll go and have a quick look." Not long after running in the direction that Lucy pointed to, I started to smell blood. A little deeper in, I saw Luke as he stood a couple of meters away from two people. He had his staff and stood in a relaxed position but I knew was alert. "Luke, got anything?" "No. She keeps asking for help but," he paused and said nothing. "Please, please help him. He has been bleeding a lot and isn't opening his eyes, he was just talking to me a minute ago. Please help him." The girl begged as she cried. The man on her back had a big wound that ran down from his shoulder to waist. The girl's legs were also bleeding but it wasn't much compared to the wounds the man held. But, I knew why Luke kept quiet. I walked up to the man and touched him. His body was cold, face pale and covered with a mixture of blood and soil. His heart didn't beat. "I can't," "Why, I'll do everything I can in return! Just help him." "I too would like to him but I can't. He's dead Chloe, no one can bring a dead person back to life." I said as I clenched my fist.