Chapter 275 – Re: View

Day 10 (Cont)

"So that was what I was thinking, but I wanted your thoughts on this." 

"No. This won't do. Not at all."

"Yeah... sorry, Milord, but this isn't a good idea."

"Milord, what about us? Where do we go?"

"My lord. No disrespect, but I can't set up a lab anywhere near the smithy."

John blinked at the ten craftswomen across the table from him, a bit confused, but was understanding of their concerns. They were looking over the crude map he had drawn of the glen and the building he was considering constructing between the shed and the mansion. It wasn't anything fancy, just a large, rectangular structure made with his Dig skill that could house whatever they needed for workbenches and equipment. He hadn't included spaces for the tailor, outfitter, and provisioner, as he thought those three could set up shop in the mansion. 

"Well, short of using the underground caves, I'm not sure exactly where to put you? How about you tell me what you want to do then, and we can work from there."

"For starters, My Lord, we need to be on the outskirts of this village for ease of access to materials and keeping the mess contained. Unless you actually want us processing timber inside this building, making a big mess of wood shavings in the process, right next to where you wanted to put a forge that will send sparks everywhere. I mean, if you want to start a fire, there are easier ways to do it." The Carpenter said, with the Woodworker nodding along beside her. Their skills overlapped in many regards, allowing them to process wood almost like a modern mill with just an axe, a hand saw, and a chisel.

"We need better ventilation for our forges. Building one inside in this manner can work, but it gets ungodly hot quickly if it isn't done correctly."

"I can't tan leather inside the mansion. Not unless you want to live with that smell. I have some skills to keep it down, but the process still stinks."

"Our kitchen is excellent for normal meals, but if I am making magical food, I need a different setup."

"We need to be able to both contain and ventilate the lab, depending on what we are doing. Some of the processes can be quite exothermic, so it's best not to be near anyone else in case something... explodes." 

"Okay! I got it. You all have different requirements than I thought you would. I was just trying to keep you closer together so you weren't working alone."

"Thank you for that consideration, My Lord, but by your divine light, we will endure the trials before us." The Tinkerer said, clasping her hand to her chest and bowing towards him. Most of the other women followed suit.

"It's just our new reality, Milord... though if possible, I would like an underground tunnel to get back to the mansion. This is a very dangerous area, and despite Jean training us to handle ourselves, our skills are not combat-related. I'm not so much concerned with the children as I am with the wolves and bears." The Transmuter said, then bowed as well. She and the Alchemist also had similar skill sets, though the Alchemist focused on making potions and poisons intended for direct use on an enemy or ally, while the Transmuter created oils and tempers, meant to permanently augment items during the crafting process or to provide temporary buffs on equipment. 

All these women were quite fascinating to him, as they had skill sets designed to help build a civilization rather than defend or tear it down. Once they were better situated here, he wanted to learn everything he could from them.

Big explosive balls of fire are great, but the ability to imbue wood, making it harder than granite and ensuring it lasts for thousands of years without issue? That is even more impressive and much more practical for everyday life. 

"How about we do this then. Tell me what you want, and where you want to build it, and we can work from there. I do want to expand our farm in this direction to include more of the seeds I've collected, but that will take time as we continue cutting back the forest. We will probably need to consider putting in an actual road as well, and a storage area for the harvest, though I think that should go underground to stay cooler. I don't have any way to create more fridges and freezers to keep large amounts of perishables from spoiling, so we will need to use what we have."

"I was looking at those devices, and I believe I understand the process that creates the cooling effect. Give me some time, and I think I can create something that can mimic them." The Tinkerer said. John blinked a few times at that, a stray thought entering his mind.

She thinks she can mimic a fridge in a society that is at a medieval technological level? I need to marry this woman, immediately. We could send this world into a revolution with that alone. Wait... marry her? I don't even know her actual name. Damn it, I need to get laid.

They continued to plan and debate for the next thirty minutes on what should be done to help expand their little village. John was happy that they were eager to get to work, though he thought they should be relaxing and recovering more. When he brought that up, they just laughed at him, saying he should take his own advice. 

"We have been relaxing in luxury unheard of for days now, protected by you, Milord. You have killed our captors and made this place as safe as possible for us, bending over backwards to make sure we are all taken care of. You should step back and relax for a day or two, and allow us to show you our appreciation." The weaponsmith said, the muscular woman giving him a warm smile.

"Another time. I have too much to do before I can sit back and relax." 

"If you change your mind, we would love to at least give you a massage."

"That... would be nice. Maybe tomorrow night or the day after."

"We are available at your convenience, Milord." She said, licking her lips and looking at him suggestively.

Okay... what is going on here? I know I'm a little more human-looking now, but I'm still heavily scarred and a male. Is this... are they just trying to protect themselves by tying themselves to me? Well, after I sucked their... classes out of them, accepting a massage is a minor thing. And if something else happens... god damn it, I'll accept that as well.

They ended up deciding to draw a new map, and they would bring it to him for his approval once they agreed on what they could feasibly do with the resources they had on hand. They would also draw him a map of the surrounding kingdoms, though they were unsure exactly where they were, other than that they were south of the Sternbild Kingdom and in the Kuuderun Great Forest. 

With a bow, they made their way out of the dining room, leaving John to twiddle his thumbs for a moment. About half of those women seemed...okay, or at least okay enough to focus more on the task at hand. The Woodworker and Armoursmith had been watching him like a hawk, barely doing more than giving a nod in agreement at most. He thought the Armoursmith was the woman who appeared to be guarding the balcony earlier. She hadn't said a word the entire time and just stared at him with an odd expression on her face, one that he didn't know how to describe. It wasn't hostile, but he didn't think it was friendly either. 

He sighed and made his way outside. With the girls having been roped into Aqua's cleaning punishment, his hunting plans had been put off. Now that his meeting with the tradeswomen was over earlier than he had planned, he had some time to kill.

"Bugger it, I'm going to grab Grak and his buddies and go explore a bit." He said to himself. He thought those goblins had more evil tendencies than the other ones, but he hoped that if he spent a bit of time with them, he could check those thoughts and help instill new values before they solidified. 

It was better than the alternative, which was purging the three of them and being done with it. As long as it was constructive, he thought discourse was good for their group. Living in an echo chamber of yes-men, while sounding good, was far from ideal. 

That Evening

"You haven't seen Mi or Ee? I thought they were with Sui cleaning." 

"No, Milord. Sui was alone when I picked her up in a drunken stupor last night." Jean said, a concerned look growing on her face. 

"I saw the two girls leave the mansion yesterday evening, Milord, armed with rocks and a club. I don't know which direction they were headed." Another woman added. 

"Thank you. I'll be back." John said, standing up from the dinner table before he finished his meal. When Aqua and the girls hadn't joined them for dinner, he asked where they were. That is when he discovered they hadn't been seen since yesterday. He wanted to question Aqua, but thought that would be a waste of time. If she were drunk enough to have passed out, she probably wouldn't remember a damn thing.

I'll go check with the goblins; if they are not there, I guess I'll see if these tracking and search skills are worth anything if I don't first place a trace on my target. 

"One moment, My Lord. Angel, are you up to helping our Lord in his time of need?" Jean said, touching the hand of the woman beside her. She was one of the remaining mute women, a skinny, strawberry-blonde with several old scars on her face and body that looked like bite and claw marks. 

The woman looked at him intensely for what felt like a minute, her amber eyes filled with fear, but then she looked at Jean and nodded. She stood up, walked around the table, and after hesitating for a moment, roughly grabbed his hand and dragged him out to the nearby patio before Jean could explain what was going on.

"Think. Of. Girls." She said, her voice cracking roughly from disuse. "Use. Need."

Use need? Okay.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the two goblin girls, on needing to find them.

Blue and white wisps of magic enveloped them, Angel’s hair rising slowly, as if floating through the air, the power flowing from her body into his. He felt the magic of his sword pulse, the need to find the girls amplifying the magic coursing through him. Not with anger, but with something else. He didn't have time to figure that out as the magic wisps multiplied tenfold, then a hundred, the lights moving so rapidly now that the points had become a blur of brilliant blue and white light. 

An image formed in front of them, of the two girls. Ee was carrying Mi, their bodies battered and bloody. They were being chased by something, something big. 

The image suddenly disappeared, the light extinguishing, leaving them standing back on the patio. Angel's grip loosened, and she nearly collapsed to the floor before John caught her. 

"You. Are. Truely. Not. From. World. God." Angel said, touching his cheek tenderly for a moment before passing out.  

He cradled her in his arm and carried her back inside, parsing all this new information that had been fed to him. Ee and Mi were somewhere to the North, running through a dense forest, injured and in pain. He thought they were trying to make their way back here, but were being harried by something, toyed by something. Something well beyond what a mere couple of goblins would ever be able to face. 

"My Lord? Did her Spiritualist's skills help?" Jean asked, taking Angel out of his arm. 

"Yes. Thank her for me when she wakes up. I'm heading out."

"It's almost dark. Is it that urgent?"

"Yes. They are hurt and in danger. Guard the mansion until I return."

"We can help you. We might not have our weapons and gear, but ten of us are fighters."

"You are still recovering from your ordeal, and this is something big. Don't worry, I'm not going alone." John said, then paused before leaving the room and looking back at her. "Besides, Goblins can see in the dark."