Arc 9 Chapter 160: Wheat from the chaff

Bright and early the next morning Akira stood outside of the keep with Samuel and the Grand elders as he waited for the city to fully upgrade to a 1st tier village.

Akira looked to Samuel who nodded back.

Ding!

Initiating scan!

A bright blue light started shining over the keep and in a split second silently exploded out in a large disc spreading over the whole island and continued until it reached the second island where the mine and quarry were.

The light quietly disappeared just as it had appeared.

Ding!

1st Tier village requirements have been met. The village information has been updated. New requirements for 3rd tier Town have been added. -A professional army, guards for the village, and safety above 60% -Have a tax revenue of over 100 gold a month -A population of 10,000 people -Build a warehouse, fence, and watchtowers.

“Here are the fliers you wanted,” said Carl as he handed over a small stack of papers.

[Notice! All able-bodied men requested to show up at the training field at the bottom of the hill behind the Castle keep for training in two days’ time.]

“Please put these up at the general store, tavern, docks, mine, and the sawmill,” said Akira as he handed out the papers to several of his guards.

“Although it says there to report to the training ground there is nothing there but snow,” said Àaron.

“What I am more worried about is the cost. Where are we going to get the gold to keep a permanent full-time army? We only had a large increase of wuf coins due to Burkin buying the leftovers and miscellaneous stuff,” said Hegir.

“If we can start trade with other tribes and then sell the stuff at Jerora we might be able to earn enough,” said Seoc.

“It will be possible to pay for an army if it is small,” said Carl.

“What we need right now is 200 soldiers for the army and 50 village guards,” said Akira.

“What’s the difference?” asked Seoc.

“The army will be focusing on taking care of outside threats head-on and keeping the surrounding area safe. The village guards’ main duty is to keep order in the village as well as inspecting those coming in and make sure everyone is following the laws. During an emergency we can have both of them act as the main force for protecting the village,” said Akira.

“Kinda pointless when we already have the militias from each of our clans,” said Àaron.

“The main point of having a professional army is so that you have a large force of soldiers that train everyday, who are properly armed and can immediately react to any problem that arises.

The militia will still be the main body of our fighting force if something bad happens but they are just fishers, hunters, loggers, cooks, and miners who train every once in a while. There is a huge difference,” said Samuel.

“Grand elders, since this is more of your specialty, I’ll leave the guards as well as the laws and regulations for you to decide on how to keep the city running properly. The army will be under my command,” said Akira.

“Alright don’t forget to consult with Klyn about the shaman that will be supporting the army. I hope you didn’t forget about them,” said Hegir before he and the grand elders headed back to the keep to discuss the topic over a warm drink.

Akira walked to the back of the keep and looked at the bottom of the hill where the new training ground would be in two days.

“Bring the sleds with the plows,” said Akira as he opened the village planer to check on the new buildings.

The usual sensation overcame him and when his vision cleared he was once again floating high in the air over the city.

He scrolled through the new buildings to see what was new.

Barracks: A place for soldiers that are single to live without the need to pay rent. It also has a small courtyard for keeping them to train. Security+. Guard post: A place for the village city guards to keep warm in between their patrols of the surrounding area. Security+. Basic Shipyard: Constructs ordinary civilian vessels, including ordinary fishing boats and passenger ships. Ferry: Provides civilian transport services on both sides of the lake. Village Level hospital: For medical treatment of the villagers. includes doctor and pharmacy. Security+. Village School: An education building for the children of the village. Basic Tailor Shop: A shop for sewing clothing. Tannery: For treating leather. Simple Arrow Tower: A basic defensive structure, with a weak defense. Security+. Winery: Create wine for the villagers to drink and trade with others. Beacon towers: Used to alert city guards and the army of enemy or trouble coming to the city. Security+.

“Quite a lot of important-looking buildings,” said Akira as he looked over everything.

Akira started working on placing a barracks at the base of the hill behind the keep along with several guard posts throughout the village, one at each of the entrances to the village as well as one at the central plaza near the tavern and general store.

He would have to consult with the grand elders about the other more specialized buildings and see what they had to say on the subject.

When he was finished checking over everything he pressed complete and received a newly updated blueprint ready to be used.

The guards returned soon after with the plow sleds pulled by several reindeer.

“Alright men, we have a lot of work to do in the next two days,” said Akira as he took the reigns of one of the sleds.

***

Akira, Klyn, Varbu, princess Gobalina, and her younger brother prince Gobbers all stood in front of the newly built Barracks.

The wooden walls and wooden gate that surrounded the barracks made it so that it could be used as a fort to protect the rear of the castle keep, the village, and the soldiers that would live inside. Inside the walls there was a small courtyard for doing simple training.

In front of them stood several thousands of warriors from each of their clans.

“Varbu, Princess? Are you sure about this?” asked Akira.

“It is only natural that we join you in creating our own armies. We can’t always stay here with you guys forever. In the future, we’ll need to go out and find a place where our own clans will be able to expand and grow.”

“Giii giiii giiii,” said prince Gobbers, nodding his head pompously in agreement with Varbu.

But obviously he had said something wrong as his older sister whacked him on the head.

When Akira looked to Varbu for an explanation he shrugged and said, “Some sort of goblin slang I don’t understand.”

“You guys will always be welcome here if your endeavor to create a village fails,” said Akira.

“It looks like everyone that is coming is here, the shaman under my command have all arrived as well,” said Klyn.

Akira looked over the large mass of warriors from the three different demon races.

The goblins had brought all 500 of their warriors, while Varbu had brought all 2000 of his orc warriors, and the grand elders had made sure that their clans had sent all of their own warriors so as to not be shown up by the others.

Akira was happy with the turnout for something that was only decided on two days ago.

The grand elders were watching everything from atop the castle keep.

Akira stepped forward and raised a hand to calm the noisy crowd of warriors.

“You may be wondering why I have called for special training. I will tell you now. We will be forming a permanent army for each demon race. This training is to find those who are the best of the best,” said Akira.

Akira waited for Princess Gobalina as she translated what he had said so that the Goblins would understand.

“If you pass today’s training and accept a position in the new army, you will no longer be a regular civilian. You will live here at the barracks and train every day that you are not on some mission or holiday.

You will of course receive a monthly wage. This requires serious commitment and may not be for everyone but I ask that you all think this over. For any werewolf warriors interested I advise you to give your all as there is a limited number of open positions right now. For you Orcs and Goblins you will need to talk with your chiefs, or prince and princess,” said Akira.

Akira again waited for Princess Gobalina to translate his words. The large crowds of warriors from each of the three races began to chatter among themselves quietly but were quickly hushed by the sharp stares of the Orc chiefs standing next to Varbu.

“We are not only looking for those who have had experience in many battles but for those who we can mold into a proper soldier. Those who do not wish to become a soldier may leave but I will remind you that the last day of each month will be the scheduled day of training for the militia,” said Akira.

“Gii giii-,” said princess Gobalina before being interrupted by her brother.

“GIIII gii gi giii.” said prince Gobbers as he glared at the goblin warriors in front of him. To which he received a large thump on the head from his sister.

Akira watched as a large portion of the warriors from each of the three races left the training field.

They were no cowards and would fight if called upon. They would even give their lives for their clansmen if it meant that they would be able to live on peacefully.

The problem for them was the fact that the life of a professional soldier was something far too restrictive. It was not something that men who already had a family could do. It was perfect for single men.

Akira was happy to see that well over 1000 werewolf warriors were still standing in front of him. 800 orcs were still standing in front of the Varbu and the other orc chiefs.

The goblin warriors who had been cowed by prince Gobbers’ words only had a few who decided not to participate in the training.

“There will be several tasks that the prince and princess, Varbu, and I will give you to test everyone. If you are unable to accomplish the tasks given by anyone of us you will be disqualified.

If that happens but you still want to join the army later there will be extra training once a week. If you meet the standards you will be able to join the soldiers or be put into the reserves depending on the village’s needs. I won’t waste any more time talking, training starts now. The first task will be given by the prince and princess,” said Akira.

“Gii gi giiiii giii. giiiiiiii gi gi gii giiii. Gi giiii,” said Princess Gobalina.

“The first task is simple and split into two parts. To warm up you are to run ten laps around the cleared training ground with your full armor on, weapons drawn, and shields out if you have them. You have half an hour to complete it,” translated Varbu as he pointed to the large cleared training ground behind the gathered warriors.

“Start!” shouted Akira.

Akira and the leaders of each group watched as the warriors began to run at full speed.

The goblins were the quickest out of the three demon races but seemed to have the worst stamina, the orcs were the slowest due to their size, while the werewolves were somewhere in the middle.

The easy run was completed in under 10 minutes. The only ones winded were the goblins who had the lowest stamina of the three races.

“Gii gi gi giiiii. Gi gi gii giiii, gii gii,” said Prince Gobbers.

“The second part is to do a full battle charge, back and forth through the row of snowbanks over there. You must complete the task 30 times in less than 20 minutes,” said Varbu as he pointed to three long and wide snowbanks that had been formed with the use of the snowplows each at a different height for the different races.

There were a few groans but the warriors of each clan did as they were told and started to run through the deep snow that came up to their knees.

The goblins were lighter than the others so they were able to move through the snow easier but due to low stamina were dropping like flies.

As Akira watched the werewolf warriors he examined each one as they pass through the snowbanks.

The shaman were included in the training as they would have to fight along with the soldiers in the army as well.

“Stop!” shouted Varbu.

Over half of the warriors from each of the demon races were unable to complete the task in time. The worst failure rate was with the goblins.

“Those who failed, remember that there will be weekly training if you want to continue to condition yourself and take on different tasks later,” said Akira before dismissing them.

“It’s now my turn to give you the next task! But since you are a bit winded I will give you a two-minute break,” shouted Varbu.

Two minutes wasn’t that much, but it was enough to drink something and catch their breath.

“The task I have for you is simple! You need to do full force swings from above all the way down!” Varbu showed what he wanted them to do using his new Battleaxe, raising it high over his head and swung it down with full force stopping just before it hit the ground. The wind from the attack scattered the loose powder snow.

“Just like that. You are to do it with full force and stop just before hitting the ground. If you hit the ground that swing will not count! If you do not use your full strength, that swing will not count! You are to do 1000 swings in under 20 minutes.”

“Spread out! If anyone of us calls you out you will not complain and redo that swing until we are satisfied with it,” shouted Akira as he pointed to himself, the other orc chiefs, and the two goblins prince and princess.

Akira started to walk between the warriors watching as they frantically swung their weapons trying to keep up a fast pace.

“Gi gi gii giiii-” he heard prince Gobbers excited talking somewhere. Which was quickly followed by a thump and grunt as he was hit on the head by his sister.

As time went on and it passed the fifteen-minute mark several people started to mess up and were forced to repeatedly redo their swings.

“Stop!” shouted Varbu.

“All those who finished please follow me!” shouted Akira as he started walking towards the woods.

There were 250 goblins warriors, 300 werewolf warriors, and over 400 orcs who managed to pass the second test.

Behind Akira where three small wooden soldier figures stuck on top of sticks so everyone could see them. Each one had a different color.

“My task is for you to use your skills to find one of these wooden soldiers in the woods.

Green is for the goblins, red for the Orcs, and gray is for the werewolf warriors. There are only 200 of each.

If you find one of the figures you are to leave the woods immediately and return to me.

Do not mess with other races figures if you find them. Do not make it easier for a friend to find one. Do not get into a fight with another person over who will take the wooden soldier.

Those who fail to follow the rules will be eliminated. We do not need people who have no honor and will cheat or fight over a simple test.

To make sure that you follow the rules shaman Ras will be watching you from above,” said Akira as he pointed to the elderly shaman who stepped forward upon the mention of his name. A falcon was perched on the old man’s shoulder.

“Start!”

Nearly 1000 warriors made up of the three demon races rushed into the woods to search for the wooden soldier figures.

They were no soldier figures placed in easy-open places. This task was meant for the warriors to use their brain and searching skills to find the hidden objects. The ones for the werewolves would be even harder to find as Akira knew how well their senses could be used compared to the orcs and goblins.

“You really think these tasks are the way to sort them?” asked Varbu when the last warrior disappeared from their view.

“This is the best way to separate the wheat from the chaff, if they are rough around some edges we can always sharpen them later,” said Akira.

The first people to come out of the woods after a half hour had passed were all werewolves followed by a trickle of Orcs and goblins.

The third task ended after another three hours had passed when a goblin with the last soldier figure exited the woods.

Akira sent runners into the woods to find the orcs and goblins who were still searching and informing them the task was over. While he also let out a loud howl to call back the remaining werewolf warriors still inside of the woods.

Another twenty minutes passed when the last person had exited the woods.

“With the completion of the third task, the selection is over for now. Everyone, follow your leaders and they will give you further instructions. Werewolves follow me,” said Akira, not yet dismissing anyone as he started walking to the barracks.

The goblins and orcs could care less if they won or not. The werewolf warriors who had failed all had sad expressions on their faces as they had been close to their goal but were not fast enough in searching for the wooden soldier.

Each demon race split up as they went to their own places to talk.

Akira stopped before the gates of the Barracks.

“If your name is called step forward!” Shouted Akira.

He slowly recited 50 names he had written on a piece of scrap paper.

Akira looked at each of 50 warriors that had stepped forward before speaking, “There are currently 50 positions open for city guards the pay will be less but the job requirements are also less restrictive. You will have to patrol the village and make sure that everyone is civil, as well as patrolling the walls of the village, keeping a watch for any monster or enemy attacks. Would you like to take the job?” asked Akira.

A warrior raised his hand to ask a question.

“Yes?” asked Akira.

“Will this stop us from entering into the army later?”

“No, if you prove you have what it takes in one of the weekly training exercises you will still be able to join. As part of your job as a village guard, you will still be training alongside the soldiers on a mandatory once a week training day. The only main difference is you will be under the command of the grand elders.”

“Then I accept!”

“I as well!”

Each one of the werewolves that had been called forward accepted.

“Tomorrow all 250 of you will report here in front of the barrack gates. Those that are entering the army, you will make the arrangements today to move your belongings into one of the many rooms in the barracks. There will be four people to a room.”

“Those of you who failed today, I have high expectations that you will not disappoint me by giving up after only failing once. I want to see each of you at next week’s training!” said Akira as he looked to the small group that had failed to join the army or the guards.

They were rather dispirited but upon hearing Akira’s words they regained some of their vigor back.

“YES SIR!” they shouted full of determination.