Mira was the first one to see them come out of the Domain Portal.
She had a basket of cut vegetables in one arm and a spoon in the other. Blue floated past Carlos almost immediately and moved toward the fields, clearly more interested in the water there than in anyone waiting near the hut.
Then Mira noticed Tarin and Sela behind him.
Her eyes widened. "You brought them back already? What happened?" she asked curiously.
"Rowan needed them at the cultivation district," Carlos said. "Now he wants them working here until he returns."
Mira looked at Tarin first. The Dogman stood straight with his basket still strapped to his back, though his ears had lowered when she stared at him. Then she looked at Sela, who had both hands folded in front of her like she was afraid of touching anything.
Mira sighed with a chuckle and said, "Both of you come eat before you start working, alright?"
Tarin opened his mouth. "I can work first. Food can come later." He was not commanding her or anything; his tone was normal.
Mira pointed her spoon at the kitchen. "You can work after food!"
Tarin went quiet. Sela looked between them, then followed Mira before anyone could tell her again. Tarin walked after her with the same careful face he had worn near Rowan.
Carlos watched them go and smiled a little.
Kaia noticed. "What’s there to be happy about?"
"I am happy because Mira is able to control these farmers who love farm work more than anything. Also, she makes them listen faster than you." He added the last part to tease her.
Kaia squinted. "That is not true."
"Hahahaha, sure, sure. Let’s go work too."
While Kaia was still bantering with Carlos, his attention went to the clear ground beside the northern barracks. Kaia had marked it earlier. Short grass covered most of it, with a few old stones pushed near the wall.
The Training Yard Blueprint had been waiting long enough.
Carlos took it from his inventory and opened the panel. When Kaia saw that, she went silent.
--
[Uncommon Training Yard Blueprint]
[Construction requirements]
[Wood x350]
[Stone x500]
[Iron x150]
[Clear ground x1]
[Effect: Allows assigned troops to complete structured training and gain combat proficiency over time]
[Training requires food, equipment and instructor supervision]
--
He stared at the stone requirement for a few seconds.
The Garrison Gatehouse Blueprint still needed materials too. He knew that. But the Hellbound conquest had made one thing very clear to him.
This conquest had been hard, but the one thing they lacked was coordination. He could not let his people go into harder fights and risk things when he had the means to train them now.
"Build," Carlos spoke out loud, and the materials disappeared from his inventory.
For a moment, nothing happened, and he did not react because he was used to it by now. Then the ground shook below his feet.
Thick wooden posts rose from the earth in straight lines. Stone formed a square around them. Weapon racks appeared beside a covered training platform, followed by straw targets, shield stands and a flat cleared area large enough for a group to move together.
It was not some massive army camp. But Ironroot had never had a place like this before.
The two Shield Militia came over first. The new Archer looked down from the eastern watch position. Even the Bearkin stopped carrying a wall brace and watched Kaia step into the middle of the yard.
--
[Uncommon Training Yard constructed]
[Instructor designation available]
[Assign instructor]
--
Carlos did not need time to think about that one.
"Kaia."
The panel turned toward her.
--
[Kaia recognized as Training Yard Instructor]
[Instructor may assign drills, supervise troop proficiency and identify training requirements]
--
Kaia was quiet for a second and took a very deep breath. She placed one hand over her chest and spoke with pride. "I will make it useful, my lord."
"Good. Just do not make all of them collapse today."
Kaia looked toward the two Shield Militia. "That depends on whether they listen."
Both men straightened so fast that Carlos nearly laughed again.
He left Kaia with them and returned to the table near the lord’s hut. The Iron Fang Commander Chest had been sitting on the table for a while now. It was small, dark, and covered in rough metal lines.
"Open."
The chest broke apart into black smoke. A small menu with three items appeared in front of Carlos.
--
[Iron Fang Drill Manual (Uncommon) x1]
[Iron Fang Gate Fittings (Uncommon) x1]
[Iron Fang Signal Horn (Common) x1]
--
Carlos clicked on the Drill Manual first. Its details appeared right away.
--
Iron Fang Drill Manual
Uncommon Grade
A field manual containing basic shield formations, rotation drills and garrison response rules.
--
It was not something they had gotten before. A manual meant techniques that they could learn, not something that would make someone instantly stronger.
On second thought, he knew Kaia could use it.
Carlos clicked on the Gate Fittings next.
--
Iron Fang Gate Fittings
Uncommon Grade
Reinforced hinges, latches and braces compatible with a Garrison Gatehouse.
--
The Gate Fittings were useful too. They made the Garrison Gatehouse Blueprint feel less like a distant idea and more like something Ironroot actually needed.
He clicked on the Signal Horn last.
--
Iron Fang Signal Horn
Common Grade
A loud field horn that can signal a prepared troop response inside the territory.
--
"This one is simple."
Carlos stepped outside the hut, took a deep breath and blew into it.
The sound struck across Ironroot so loudly that the two Shield Militia stopped moving in the Training Yard. The Archer turned around on the watch position. Somewhere near the kitchen, a bowl clattered against a table.
Within seconds, Mira came out of the kitchen with a horrified look on her face. Then she saw the horn in his hands.
"Carlos!" Mira shouted. "What was that?"
"A horn!" Carlos shouted while laughing. It was a fun thing to use.
"Why did you blow it beside the kitchen?"
Carlos looked at the horn and then scratched his head. "My bad, Mira. I wanted to test it."
Mira appeared in the doorway with her spoon raised. Carlos quickly put the horn into his inventory before she could decide what to do with it. She was scary when it came to her cooking.
After he sent her back to the kitchen, he brought the Drill Manual to Kaia. She stood by the weapon rack, watching the Shield Militia repeat a simple shield step.
Kaia opened the book and read several pages without saying anything.
"Useful?" Carlos asked.
"Very." She tapped a page with one finger. "This teaches them when to change places without opening the line. That matters a lot for fortification."
Carlos looked toward the territory boundary. He remembered the Iron Fang Garrison and how quickly a broken line could become a dead one.
"Then use everything in it."
Kaia nodded once. "I will."
The Shield Militia slammed their shields together on her next order. The sound travelled across the yard, harder and cleaner than the horn had been.
Carlos looked at the Rare Reinforced Barrack Frame still in his inventory. The soldiers now had a place to train.
Next, he had to decide where stronger soldiers should come from.
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