3.57 - The Punishment is Death

3.57 - The Punishment is Death

Theo sat at his regular table with Alise, Tresk, and Alex at the Marsh Wolf Tavern. It was clear they would need more places for townsfolk to eat. Xam was working hard to keep everyone fed with luxury meals, but for the first time she had to turn people away. The backup system of dried and fresh food stored in [Dimensional Storage Crates] would bridge the gap for now. Until then, the alchemist enjoyed his position of power, sipping on his moss tea and eating through the leftovers from the feast.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

Alise explained the schedule for the day, something Theo wasnt looking forward to. Hed planned to grind more alchemy and herbalism levels, and sort out his golems. Instead, that same position of power forced him to check in with all the production groups of the town. He hadnt even worked with Sledge for the towns new upgrade. But the refugees, hungry to dig into the towns coffers, wouldnt wait for anything.

At the current market rate, wed be fine, Alise said, tapping a quill on a ream of parchment. She hadnt touched her food, or her tea. But our trade contracts from the north have already been canceled. People are fleeing south, and well be cut off soon.

It wasnt a great first day of the season. Word had already come to Theo that Laedria might not be what she claimed, but that didnt diminish the hard work she put in. The woman was up all night with Sledge, working on sourcing their materials for the boats. A list of required materials had already come his way, and it boiled down to timber, ropes, cloth, and pitch. If he hadnt planted the [Starbristle Flax], that would put them behind by a few days. All that concern for boats fell away to ensuring the Elves were settled into jobs.

How long can we fund the town without trade? Theo asked.

Alise shrugged, underlining some numbers on her parchment. A few weeks. Maybe.

Alright, Theo said, standing. He hadnt finished his tea, or his meal. Alex chirped, begging to go into her satchel. The alchemist scooped her up, placing her inside. Tresk dropped some worms in the bag. Lets make the rounds.

It didnt matter which stop they made first. The sawmill was closer, so that made sense. When Theo and Alise approached Sledges operation, the Elves mingled with their new neighbors in orderly rows. The Marshling taskmaster was shouting orders, pointing her finger and making grand proclamations. She wouldnt need help, but theyd check in on her anyway. It took a while for her to finish her speech.

All good? Theo asked.

50 new workers, Sledge said, laughing. Yeah, Im real good. Real good! Im great!

You didnt sleep, did you? Theo asked.

That woman, Sledge said, narrowing her eyes at the alchemist. Is a monster. She has an unlimited supply of energy. I suspect stamina potions.

Theo nodded. Despite Sledges erratic behavior and sleep deprivation, she had organized her operation well. She never issued commands for work directly, favoring a military-like structure where orders filtered down. Each group had their commander, who planned for the day, and everyone reported to the operator of the sawmill. That freed the Marshling up to do her fabricator work and reduced her stress greatly. The addition of 50 additional workers didnt affect her at all.

How is the boat project? Theo asked, snapping his fingers to get Sledges attention.

That lady is organizing everything, Sledge said. You got her list of supplies, yeah?

So, Sledge was useless until she got some sleep. Theo clapped a hand on her shoulder and moved on, happy enough with her organization to check on the next producers. Alise was worried about the Marshlings ability to work without sleeping, but it was fine. Everything was fine.

If the forester can keep up with their pace of cutting, it should be fine, Theo said, reassuring himself. He made note of the piles of [Ogre Cypress Bark] next to the sawmill. Perg hadnt come calling for a while, which would be worrying if he wasnt so busy.

Ill just put a checkmark on the wood list item, Alise said. Farm?

Sure, Theo said.

The streets of Broken Tusk were busier than normal. The familiar faces of Humans, Half-Ogres, and Marshlings were now mixed with Elves. It was reassuring to see they werent so gaunt. A day of rest and a good meal did wonders for their health. The school was also packed, the play yard filled with screaming children. Despite the noise, it was a pleasant sight.

Banus farm was packed. Theo found him scrambling around the fields, barking orders to his farmhands. Unlike Sledge, his organization was chaotic. There was no command structure, and no wiggle room for the Half-Ogre. Orders came from him, and no one else, creating a mad scramble to plant and harvest whatever he said. Where the sawmill got 50 workers, the farm got 100.

You need better structure, my friend, Theo said. Banu gave him an empty stare.

We can assign an administrator to help, Alise said.

Oh, not that again, Banu grumbled. Not with what happened last time.

Then Ill send Sledge, Theo said with a nod. Banus stare grew more vacant, a hint of panic in his eyes. Sort out a structure, or Im sending sledge. Got it?

Banu swallowed, nodding. Ill sort it.

Theo doubted the farmer would sort the problem out, but they could check in later today. The worst case scenario meant that someone like Gwyn would help manage the farms restructuring. In hindsight, the alchemist should have fixed the problem before it was a problem.

You cant fix everything without growing pains, Theo said as they moved down to Stabby Groves. The Elven adventurers that lived here were missing, likely already working with Aarok on assignments.

Were going to rename these districts, Alise said, scowling.

Theo still didnt care what the districts were named. Until they actually did something, it was just flavor text. When the pair approached the quarry, they were met with an empty worksite.

Hell get over it, Theo said. Since hes gone, how are your new apprentices working out?

There were a few Elves that had the knack for blacksmithing. Some even had cores, according to Thim. But cores didnt make the blacksmith, it was more about personality and drive.

Well enough. Not that we have many orders, Thim said, setting down his hammer. Everyone just wants the Bantaris artificer work. Air condensers for everyone.

Air conditioners, Theo corrected. That works. Any opinions on the refugees?

Absolutely none, Thim said, drinking from a wineskin. Theyre working. Theyre getting paid. Who cares?

There was a commotion on the far side of town. Theo poked his head out of the blacksmith and watched as people stopped in the street, casting concerned looks north. But the bells didnt ring, and Aarok didnt send a town-wide message, so he ignored it. He downed a [Potion of Lesser Foresight], just in case.

Alright. Thanks for the help, Thim.

Theo knocked on the door of Throks artificer building, but got no response. After knocking the third time, the Marshling shouted back in anger. It was best not to disturb an angry Marshling when they were working, especially not one as angry as Throk.

We should check with the admin staff, Alise said, pointing toward the town hall. Make sure everything is lined up for the day.

The town hall was filled with citizens and the junior administration team. Gwyn was directing the chaos, but it seemed to be routine things. Some Elves werent assigned jobs, and they were upset about that. It was only a group of 3, but they insisted on being placed on teams they didnt deserve. Especially not the one claiming to be an enchanter. One inspection revealed him to be a level 3 laborer. Further investigation showed his only core to be a [Laborers Core]. There wasnt time in the day to worry about setting everyone up with their dream jobs.

[Aarok]: Theo, report to the guild. Not an emergency.

Is it ever an emergency? Theo asked.

Were good for now, if you want to go, Alise said.

I mean, the message said I gotta go. So Enjoy this rabble, Theo said, gesturing to the angry Elf.

Theo made his way to the Adventurers Guild. A small crowd had formed outside, all talking amongst themselves. There was time enough in the day to gawk at whatever the guild was doing, but not enough time to work? The alchemist took a deep breath. People could take breaks if they wanted, they only owed him 3 days of labor a week. That was the standing agreement, anyway.

Inside the guild hall was no less chaotic than the outside. Adventurers talked amongst themselves, a tone of anger spiking their every word. Theo found his way to Aaroks office, eyes lingering on the crowd surrounding something on the ground. When he entered the cramped office, he found it not as stuffy as before. Only when he spotted Throks air conditioner in the corner did it make sense to him.

Bit of trouble, Aarok said, sitting behind his table and scribbling something in a leather-bound book. He gestured for Theo to take a seat and sighed. Well, we figured out what happens when someone breaks your contract.

Theo searched his memory. The crowd in the guild's atrium were all surrounding something. A cloth strewn over something, but what was it?

Ah, Theo said, inspecting his memory closer. How many?

Three Elves, Aarok said. Registered with the Adventurers Guild and assigned to patrol the marsh. We just hauled them in, still taking witness accounts.

Thats Luras job, right? Theo asked, letting the memory of the red-stained sheets fade from his mind. What exactly happened?

Early report says they tried to take out another adventurer, Aarok said, leaning back in his chair. Well, they picked the spot well. Out of range from our towers, and out of sight from the other adventurers. An Elf on the wall saw the air split open, then some beast jumped out and Well, Im sure you saw it. They were torn to shreds.

Theo leaned back, falling into his thoughts. His early impression of the contracts skill was that the punishment would fit the crime. The entire situation seemed grim, but it was a clean way to deal with new citizens. If they would sign a contract, then break it immediately, they deserved what they got.

Its a great example for the new citizens, Theo said, shrugging. They read the contract, right?

They did, Aarok said, leaning in. Not sure youre the same Theo. Figured youd have a negative reaction.

Theo took a long moment to respond. Theres one simple law in this town. Dont harm Broken Tusk, or her people. Thats it. If someone cant follow that, we cant help them.

So, the punishment is death? Aarok asked, raising a brow.

I assume they did more than just plot the murder? There had to be an attack, right? Theo asked.

There was, Aarok said. The person they targeted was attacked, but thats all the information I have. Shes still alive.

Then, yes. The punishment is death, Theo said.

Aarok was pleasantly surprised by that. He fell into conversation about other things, mostly about their new citizens. 3 bad actors out of the 300 wasnt cause for concern. Everyone else was acting in good faith, and all the adventurers hed recruited, aside from the 3, were more than pulling their weight. They worked with a professionalism never seen in Broken Tusk before, bringing with them a breath of fresh air. It was not unlike the cool breeze that filtered through the air conditioner in the room.