Twenty years ago, these people had lost everything—families, friends, and homes—when the Holy Kingdom overran the Kingdom of Merinard. And those who survived were forced to suffer on a daily basis with no hope for tomorrow. No matter how much they worked, there was no brighter future waiting for them. All they could do was live in fear going hungry, freezing in the cold, or dying from illness. Anyone would be sick and tired of that.
“All right, I think I’ve got the picture,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “First thing you all need are nice, warm homes. Then food, so you don’t go hungry. And after that, an environment that gives you hope for the future. Fields would make sense.”
“Building homes isn’t as simple as you make it sound,” the hooded cyclops said sharply.
Their single visible eye narrowed at me from beneath their hood. The look was so familiar—it reminded me a lot of Ira.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” I replied. “I can easily whip up some houses and even fortresses, no problem. I’m being completely serious, by the way.”
“Surely you realize how absurd that sounds,” they said dryly.
“Ah ha ha ha, was that supposed to be a joke?”
Deneros folded his massive arms and sighed in exasperation, while Raya wore a wry smile on her face. This whole group reminded me of Ira, Danan, and Melty. It was kind of endearing, actually.
“You can judge whether I’m being absurd or not with your own eyes later,” I said grinning. “For now, we just need to figure out how many homes we’ll need. You can’t build a beautiful and functional village without a plan.”
And so, we started talking logistics, like how many folks were here now, how many homes we’d need going forward, where to place the fields, where we’d build the storehouse for crops, and where I planned to build the village’s water source and farm irrigation system.
“Hold on,” the hooded cyclops interrupted. “What do you mean by ‘build a water source’?”
“There’s a trick to it, so to speak,” I replied with a grin. “Look, all you need to know is that water won’t be a problem. The only thing that we need to think about is where to put the sewer system and the irrigation channels, so they don’t interfere with each other.”
“Er…? If you’re going to use this so-called water source for farming too, you’ll need a lot of water…”
The hooded cyclops made no effort to hide their skepticism, and it was clear from the doubtful look they were giving me.
“I know. I totally get it,” I said. “You’re wondering why you should trust a guy who says he can conjure up an entire water source out of thin air and have it be big enough to supply a whole village and its farms. But the thing is…I can. In any event, I’d appreciate it if we could move forward assuming I can do exactly what I say I can.”
“Seriously…?”
Man, their reactions really brought back memories. It was the same kind of reaction I got back when I started making stuff in the Omitt Badlands. Everyone back in Merinesburg had grown used to my antics, so seeing genuine disbelief again was really nostalgic.
We continued discussing the details, and while I’d felt that way throughout the entire conversation, we eventually ended up with a solid, workable plan.
“I’m still worried about how much of this will actually go according to plan,” the cyclops admitted at last. “But if we can at least get proper housing, I’ll be more than happy. There’s a forest nearby, so we should be able to hunt and gather as well.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t exactly have many folks good at hunting,” Deneros said. “So I’m kinda worried about that!”
He had a point. Anyone with the skills to hunt or fight would be working as an adventurer instead of trying to start over as a pioneer. The folks in this group were mostly those who didn’t fit into the military or the guild. By and large, they were just ordinary folks trying to survive.
“Not to change the subject,” I said, “but is everyone eating properly? Anyone sick or injured? If so, I’d like to take care of those folks today.”
“Everyone has been eating well since arriving in Museburg,” the hooded cyclops replied. “However, there are still a number of people who fall ill easily.”
“I’ll take a look at them, then. I might be able to heal some old injuries that still give them trouble, so can you gather anyone like that for me?”
Deneros exchanged a glance with the cyclops, who gave a silent nod before standing and heading off toward the group of resting refugees, Raya following close behind.
“I appreciate your offer,” the cyclops said, turning back at me, “but we have nothing in return for you.”
“I didn’t expect anything,” I replied. “If you’re grateful, then I want you to pay it forward and help someone else. If we can keep that going, the world will slowly start to get better.”
“That sure is idealistic.”
“Maybe,” I admitted with a shrug. “But if all you ever do is keep your eyes locked on cold, hard, reality, you might fill your belly, sure. But your heart stays empty that way. I think people need to pursue their dreams and ideals too, even if they aren’t always totally realistic.”
The cyclops went quiet. I couldn’t make out their features or expressions all that well, but I could tell their large eye was locked on my face.
“If someone like you is near the top of the country,” they finally said, “maybe things really will get better.”
“I hope so.”
A moment later, Deneros returned with Raya, leading a sizable group of the sickly and hurt demi-humans over to me, forming quite the crowd.
It was time for one last round of work before calling it a day.