Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 38 (Patreon)

Chapter 38 – Future Plans

Headwoman Katelyn led Father Reinhold to the area where the more seriously wounded people were being tended to. From what I heard as they left, the priest intended to do his own version of triage on the people. There were too many people wounded too gravely for one priest to take care of them all at once, obviously. No, it would be weeks, possibly months before he could see to everyone, which meant that they needed to set priorities on who was seen first.

Even though I didn’t have any say in it, the headwoman decided that first priority was to get the wounded soldiers and adventurers up and able. Her reason being that keeping the barony’s forces here for too long would strain their supplies too quickly. After that, priority went to those who could contribute most quickly to the village’s security, meaning the hunters, and then everyone else as they were able. Some might call that decision heartless, but the headwoman clearly was thinking about the needs of Stonebreak as a whole, rather than individuals.

In addition to the dead and wounded, a final tally came on the building situation. Thankfully, most of the buildings were structurally sound, despite everything. Only the first salvo of the catapults had attacked the village directly, with the rest of the flaming shots trying to force men off the walls. That meant that only a couple dozen homes lost a roof to fire, and only four suffered damages to the point where it would be better to tear them down and rebuild.

Speaking of catapults, the siege weapons had been left behind by the goblins in their haste to flee. Some of the soldiers went out to check on them, and see if they couldn’t be repurposed somehow. Unfortunately, while they were made well enough for goblin sensibilities, they were still crude weapons, especially without the goblin shamans reinforcing them with magic. It was quickly decided that the siege weapons would be better off being broken up and used for parts in rebuilding the village.

However, the thought of siege weapons did spark an idea in me. Looking over to Captain Lunet and Roland, I said, “With the [Hero] title being given out by the Voice of the World, it stands to reason that we may be on the verge of another battle with the Shadowed Continent. We got lucky this time, but most of those who fought in the battle were all but untrained. I am thinking about instituting some militia training in the barony, so that, at least, the people will be able to have some chance of defending their homes. Of course, that also includes enhancing the defenses of the various towns and villages in the region.”

Lunet frowned, but nodded all the same. “The Kingdom limits the number of men-at-arms a noble may have, based on the size of their territory, but a militia force is understood to be different from a standing army. But most of these people are not fighters, many don’t even have martial classes. More importantly, they have jobs and responsibilities to take care of. I don’t know how much free time they might have for training.”

“I know. I wasn’t planning on having them spend months on end in training. I was thinking more along the lines of a week or two of physical training, including training with wooden or blunted weapons, so that they can at least fare better than the untrained civilians did last night. For weapons, I was thinking a spear short enough to use one-handed, paired with a simple shield, with a short sword or dagger as backup, coupled with training in the use of a crossbow or rifles for ranged attacks.”

Roland nodded. “Those are fair picks, my Lady. Spear and shield or blade and shield are the simplest, easiest forms of fighting that an adventurer can pick up, even if they aren’t blessed with a martial class. The crossbow is another good choice, as anyone who can lift the weapon can be trained to fire with some accuracy in short order, without the physical strength needed to draw a bow time and again.”

He paused, before continuing, “The spear, sword, shield, and crossbow also have the benefit of being relatively cheap and easy to make and maintain in large numbers. However, the rifles might be more problematic. They’re more expensive to make than a crossbow, and training to be accurate with them expends resources. Unless someone has a class that lends itself to ranged attacks, I don’t see them being useful for the militia, though having more of the weapons in the Barony’s forces might be helpful.”

Lunet cut in, “We’ve actually been looking at increasing the number of firearms in the barony’s service, my Lady, with thoughts of having all men-at-arms trained in their use, even if they aren’t issued one directly. However, we started the initiative with the border forts, since we believed that was where any problem would be the most likely to come from, and the added punch of the guns might let them hold out until they could be relieved in case of a siege.”

“Very well, continue that program. Also, speaking of defenses, what about siege weapons to counter other siege weapons? I know that they require some special training to use well, but would it be a worthwhile investment for the forts and different villages?”

Lunet frowned, considering. “Given the events of last night, I cannot say unequivocally no, my Lady. Captain Aldous used his own authority to obtain six ballistae to help defend Windwater Towne’s walls. If we had had the time, I might have considered ordering some built for the defense of the village. Having more of an answer for the goblin catapults than just shooting their weapons out of the air could have changed the tide of battle.

“Naturally, any plans would need to be tailored to the individual sites, but, looking specifically at Stonebreak? Four ballistae upon the wall would be enough to give some answer, and, like the oversized crossbows they are, would be easy enough to train people on to some degree of proficiency. I would also reinforce the redoubt above the village, and make it a permanent fortification, rather than just a hastily constructed defense. Adding a heavy siege weapon like a mangonel or cannon there would allow the redoubt to support the walls, as well.”

“Hmm, but that leads to the next question, what kind of manpower would these weapons need to be effective?”

Lunet nodded. “Fortunately, that information is well known. A ballista can be run with a crew of two, and the mangonel or heavy cannon needs a crew of five. While obviously having the Siege Engineer profession is best, the minimum needed is for the crew chief to have the [Siege Weapons] skill.”

Roland cleared his throat, and said, “It would cost more up front, but you could cut the crew requirements for the heavier siege weapons by using the talents of the Golemancer who helped the redoubt’s defense. Independent golems cost resources to craft besides just infusing mana into whatever is available, but a pair of them working to reload and ready the weapon, under the crew chief’s command…”

“A fair point, Roland. Though I doubt we’ll be able to afford golems for all the villages and towns in the barony, as well as the forts. Still, something to think about for the future.”

I took a breath, and thought back to my old life. The National Guard was a good analogy for what I was going for, right? “I am considering making a proclamation when we get back to Windwater, announcing the militia. Every able-bodied free soul in Windwater will be eligible for training, so long as they are over the age of majority.

“They’ll be expected to drill one weekend a month, and we’ll have one two-week training period each year. They won’t be soldiers, but they will at least be able to get some basic skills in. Naturally, they’ll be paid a daily wage while on training, so they won’t be doing this for free, but they’ll at least get some General Skills open up to them, and possibly find it easier to get new prospects in the Guard or as Adventurers. Outside of training, the militia will sometimes be called up to bolster the barony’s forces, to defend against attacks like this goblin raid. They’ll also help build and repair infrastructure in the wake of emergencies or natural disasters.”

I fixed my gaze on Roland and Lunet, and said, “Can you think of any problems with this plan, or ways to improve upon it?”

Roland was the first to speak. “I have heard of similar systems to this, back when I was actually plying my trade, instead of running the guild. That kind of system is actually prevalent in the so-called Forgotten Havens of the Western Continent, or it was back then. I think the closest realm that would know specifics would be the Free City of Crystalshield. They have something similar, though their situation is always a bit murky.”

Lunet nodded. “I have heard of Crystalshield’s militia. Part of it was started due to the risks of demons trying to break out from Meskaele, but as the two cities became trade partners, it basically made for an easy way to bolster the numbers of trained fighters the city had on hand. As I recall, every able-bodied citizen of the city has to do a year in the militia when they hit the age of majority, after which they can either join the City Guard, take an officer’s commission, become a Reserve, or retire.”

“That sounds more like what I’m hoping for, though we’ll have more land to cover than just one city. Joining the Guard and getting an officer’s commission are obvious, but what of the Reserve, and what does it mean to retire?”

“The Crystalshield Militia has rank, naturally, and pay according to that rank. If one moves from the Militia to the Guard, that rank carries over. Someone who becomes a Reserve retains their Militia rank, and gets a small monthly stipend. They have to report to regular training, much like what you described for your militia plans. If there is an emergency, they are reactivated, at full pay, at their current rank, before returning to the life they’d been living.

“Someone who retires from the Militia after their mandatory service, and does not take up a position with the Guard, no longer needs to attend training and cannot be reactivated like the Reserve can be. However, they lose whatever rank and standing they had, so if there is a conscription or they later decide to join the guard, they are treated as a raw recruit once again.”

I took a breath, and said, “Very well, I will delay that proclamation until the details can be worked out. It seems that I will need to have talks with the leader of Crystalshield, and see if we cannot borrow a couple of his people to help set things up.”

“While trade deals are outside my purview, my Lady,” Roland began, “it might be best if you went and visited the city yourself, instead of sending a messenger. That would likely get better results, for you, and the barony. As for how to get there, well, you can either go to Ravenharbor barony, and catch ship from the port, or travel overland, since the Free City occupies an enclave on the border between Bikar and the Theocracy of Eclana.”

Lunet frowned. “You would not be able to take much of a guard with you. Shadescar might be fine, but Bikar is famous for disliking foreign troops riding through their woods. Especially since Eclana tries to ‘convert’ them every so often. The sea route is just as bad, since space on any seagoing ship is limited. Worse, pirates have been causing trouble on the southern seas of late. And there’s talk of a sea serpent or something, as well, possibly even a dragon.”

I didn’t know much about dragons in this world, other than ‘oh no, we’re all going to die’ was the common refrain when they showed up. Needless to say, I wasn’t entirely happy going anywhere close to an actual dragon. “In that case, the overland route sounds best. Might as well visit the elves in Bikar while I’m traveling. If the Demon Emperor is moving again, establishing friendships where we can is important.”

“In that case, my Lady, might I suggest you speak with Mayor Sagehair and Guildmistress Coldbraid upon your return to the Towne? They would know best what the Barony has available for trade, as well as knowing more about the protocols you might be expected to know in foreign lands.”

“Thank you, Lunet, I will do that.”