Chapter 29
Plans for Winter
King John informed the people what he intended to do to help his citizens. Some people were skeptical, and others cheered him. The King's speech ended with Stephanie showing off some light magic. The people cheered again, and all nobles were surprised. King John retreated into the castle. The people left, discussing what would happen.
The spies watched King John's speech and left. News about King John's address began to spread throughout the nation. It reaches all towns and villages nearby first. Some refugees there began to cry and offered thanks to King John.
In the Umbridge Kingdom, veteran soldiers supported King John; sons and daughters asked their parents for permission to join. The refugees cried and bowed, offering more thanks. Some people had questions and asked the castle guards. They told them they didn't know.
King John took the nobles and general back to the throne room. He sat next to Stephanie and continued his plans for turning the tables on the war. First, some nobles and the old guards had questions for him. One of the old guards, Raul York, questions him about Stephanie.
"Why are we just finding out now that you have chosen a new Queen; this is not something you can do without our approval."
The others agreed; King John looked at them. He told them that it was not of their concern. The matter of his getting approval was by the High Nobles. Another of the old guards, Thomas Light, asked the High Nobles if they knew about it. They said nothing. Thomas gets mad and asks them to answer him.
"You have no power; all decisions now belong to the king. Even if we knew, we don't need to tell you; King John chose a High Noble as his new Queen. This changes the power, and it's best you listen."
The other nobles listen to Roy tell Thomas off. Thomas didn't know what to reply; he backed down. The old guards are mad. King John tells them to settle down. He then asks the old guard if they decided on what they discussed. They said nothing.
King John turns to the nobles. He began to give them the same offer he gave the old guards. The nobles who had territories close to the kingdom talked and discussed. Some lesser nobles suddenly agreed to the proposal. This prompted others to want to agree with King John.
Stephanie talked about her taking charge of the building. She would buy from nobles who sold materials. This meant that they would be getting paid and helping their business. Lesser nobles wanted to get in on the offer. The old guard agreed to the proposal.
"Now that we have agreed on how to help the refugees, we need to discuss how to maintain all this during winter. To survive, we must make a counter-offensive and slow down the enemy."
The old guard asked how he planned to do so. King John wants to fight until winter hits; While they wait for spring, he intends to have more soldiers trained and ready. The nobles ask where he plans to get soldiers. King John tells them about the recruitment plan.
The nobles are split on his plan. Some noble view poorer citizens as worthless. It causes them to argue. King John asks them to settle. King John told them they had no say in who got to fight for the kingdom. The nobles and old guard say it would be expensive building and training.
"Do not worry about all that. The high nobles will take care of that."
Some nobles realized that the powershift was real. Some afford the high nobles' deals if they are allowed to join their business. Soon other nobles offered their products. They wanted to join one of the high nobles because it would make them wealthy.
King John was happy that things were beginning to change. At the back of the nobles, he stood a man who was not pleased with what was happening. He looked in disapproval. Another man approached him. He leans on the wall and asks the man about his thoughts.
"You don't look too happy about all this; What does the great Lord Michael want to do about it?"
Lord Michael looks at the man talking to him. He tells him it is messing with his statues and shifting the power. He knows King John wants to change the noble's control over the kingdom, and it's working. Lord Michael said he would rise alone.
"Harris, let me give a fair bit of advice since you are still new to this noble business; don't trust others unless you have the power to back up your worth."
Andrew Harris used to be a captain under General Cortez; he killed Wolf and tried to capture Adolpha. He worked for Lord Michael and is now a noble. He still looked the same as he did; Slick hair with blue eyes; he was handsome and wore fancy noblemen clothes.
Harris felt threatened and then asked Lord Michael about his hand. Lord Michael looks at his fake hand holding a cane. He gets mad and tells Lord Harris he will find and kill him. Lord Harris said he would like to watch. Lord Harris excused himself and said he had other matters to attend to. Lord Michael glared at him.
"Fillan, you sure have surprised me; I look forward to meeting you again."
King John had finished talking, and there was some cheering and distrust. He tells the nobles he will have letters for them and what he expects from them. He gives them a warning before they leave. He threatens to kill anyone who betrays him or the kingdom.
King John and Queen Stephanie leave, followed by the generals, high nobles, and old guard. They return to the room where they had their meeting and hold another meeting. As they sit, the old guard again asks about King John and Queen Stephanie.
"Are you going to marry her?"
King John said it had already been decided and would not change. He then tells them he wants to get to business. King John wants to gather what they have and defend certain parts of the land. It is so that when they are ready, they have a foothold. They want to know how he plans to do that.
"Gather the troops that need soldiers and combine them with others; for training soldiers, the veterans should join. I will promote more soldiers to lead the recruits."
They discuss the success of the plan. King John says it will work if commoners and nobles have no problems. They all think about the bad relationship they have. They say it would be easy. King John said if they could get past that, he also had other plans.
"The Sage has agreed to join in on the fight; he plans to teach a new group of mages and turn them into something called warlocks."
King John explains what the Sage told him about the warlocks and agrees to fund him. He asked anyone else if they had any idea. Cortez speaks up and tells him about raising another group of soldiers. He said to King John that they would be devoted to the protection of the Kingdom.
After hearing the details, King John agrees to give him what he needs. After discussing the military, they talk about the buildings. Stephanie takes charge. She said she would choose other nobles who could meet the building criteria.
"I would be hiring the best builders to start working on them. We can have families moving in as soon as they finish them. As an agreement for me to marry John, I would still like to be able to do what I want; I will oversee this project; anything regarding it will come through me."
After hearing all that needed to be said, King John had his first orders for them. Arthur will regroup with his forces and secure south near the Dwarf kingdom. The old guard needs to raise their armies and march on the enemy. Cortez will begin recruiting for his army; Haddison will leave, return to her homeland, and ask for aid.
The high nobles said they would begin collecting what they needed. King John dismissed them and thanked them. Queen Stephanie told King John that she would leave and begin planning. King John said he would also start on his part.
King John went to his office and sat down. He thinks about what he said. He hopes that everything will go without trouble. He begins to work on documents and letters to the nobles. He calls for a messenger; he is to deliver a flier to the printing press and have them make more.
The following day, as people woke up for their usual routine, they noticed fliers; more and more people were reading them. News stands have them also. People looked closer at the flier while others got the new letters and read about King John's plan.
There was more news, and it reached the refugees. They read about the houses they were building for them and where to head. Some people were skeptical, while others were overjoyed. Refugees praised King John for thinking about them; there would be aid at the territories with the building locations.
The flier promised to have the first houses done before winter. Messengers began to spread other news. It was about work, so they had money to pay for living and caring for their families. Again, there were discussions about the fliers.
Back at the castle, King John was getting swamped by much paperwork. He was having trouble seeing, and his study was small. He thinks about changing rooms. This, at the moment, was going smoothly. He sighs at more paperwork coming in.
Haddison was on a boat heading to the Amazonian island. It was northeast between the islands of Nihon and waters belonging to Water Elves. Haddison would ask her mother, the Queen, to aid King John. While on the boat, she remembers having a conversation with her mother that ended badly.
"This place has nothing going on; I will see the world myself. I may not come back."
Arthur had packed and would meet his troops already sent to scout the enemy. He had gotten reports that the enemy had built strongholds in territories already taken. He needs to get to them and lead them. He marked the defenses on a map he had.
The day went on, and people talked all day about the fliers; the next day, more fliers were posted. People woke up to see them; they saw soldiers putting up this one. When the soldiers left, they rushed to look at them. It was a recruitment poster. It drew younger citizens' attention.
The poster listed the requirements for enlisting. What drew most people was the benefits and rewards. It had locations where they could enroll. This sparked controversy among the people. Some argue it was a bad idea, while others support it.
Posters were ripped down for protest while others were taken to show family members. In many homes, it was also divided. Some families fought about it, while others offered support; they knew the war was terrible either way.
Anyone within the Umbridge Kingdom could join; it didn't matter what class, ethnicity, gender, or race; all were welcome. When it reached the slums and refugees, there were the same arguments.
The rewards were pay and housing; some benefits would include a rise in status. Young men and women prepared to enlist. The requirements were that they need to be at least seventeen on age. Anyone seventeen will require parental approval. There was one more requirement; they must understand the basics of magic.
Enlistment began a week after the fliers were posted. The enlistment locations were full of those ready to protect their kingdom and loved ones. A few places had trouble, but it was resolved. On other human territories, refugees went to nearby recruitment locations.
The Umbridge Kingdom was preparing for a huge battle. At the port, a large ship enters and docks. The ramp was placed, and a group disembarked. They all wore unique armor. They were of Asian descent. The man in front of the others smiled.
King John was working on more paperwork when there was a knock at his door. He tells them to enter. The man in armor walks in; King John looks at him and smiles; he is excited. King John gets up and goes over to greet him.
"Yoshi, it's about time you got here."
General Isamu Yoshi, another one of his generals and embosser to the Nihon empire. Yoshi was of Japanese descent; he had short black hair and a small mustache. He has brown eyes and scars on his face. He wore fine samurai armor. In a polite and oriental accent, he greets King John.
They talk a little to catch up on what happened. Yoshi apologizes for not being there for him; King John tells him not to worry. Yoshi then gets to business. He has other samurai enter, and they bow to King John. Yoshi looks at him.
"Emperor Muramasa is with you, and his troops await your orders."
More ships begin to enter the port, and samurai and footmen disembark. King John tells them to stand; He will fill him in on his plan for the Nihon soldiers. King John wants to connect the West and East. The enemy has the central lands blocked.
"Yoshi, when your troops are ready, and I give you the orders, I want you to secure a safe route. You may be defending this route for days; are you up to the task?"
King John explains that some beast-men people might want to head home, West to the Beast Man Empire. He also wants to have a route that will keep trade open. King John shows him on a map where the road is. Yoshi agrees and tells him they will succeed.
King John tells Yoshi to meet Cortez in Hispaniam and prepare. Yoshi gifts King John two charms, one for him and the other for Annalise; he apologizes for not having one for Stephanie. He promises to bring another. King John thanks him.
Yoshi excuses himself and tells King John they will be ready. He leaves along with his group. Yoshi was outside. In Japanese, he tells his captains to move the disembarking troops. They are heading to Hispaniam.
"Send a message to the rest of the fleet; have them head the ports of Hispaniam."
King John works on more letters and other kingly business. Later that night, he eats with Annalise. He gives her the charm and tells her it's from Yoshi. Annalise thanks him, and they continue eating. Annalise talks about how she is studying hard and learning lots of things.
King John enjoys the moment and listens to her. Annalise asks him about the war. King John tells her she has nothing to worry about; he will take care of it. He told her she would live in peace again, just like her mother wanted. Annalise smiled at him and ate.
The following day at the Dragons Den guildhall, the staff members placed contracts on the bounty board. These contracts offer high rewards for any adventurer that accepts them. The contracts involved joining the fight against the demon army.
Adventurers discuss the contracts. Some question the rewards and others think it's a great opportunity. Some adventurers agree to take the contracts, while others say it's a hoax; they believe it to be a way to gather more soldiers. The guildhall begins to process the contracts.
King John was working again on much paperwork. He then notices a letter from the dwarf kingdom. He read it, and it stated that some issues that compromised security were taking place there. It also said that King Sloan would send some help while he sorted all this.
King John didn't know what to make of the letter. He looks at the stamp, but it isn't the mark of King Sloan. He would look at it later. He continues working when he hears the door; it opens, and Stephanie walks in with more paperwork; King John sighs.
"If I knew there was this much work, I would have rather led the armies now; we have much work. Did you hire the personnel we need?"
Stephanie hands King John some papers. It had names of people already hired to do some of the work. King John said it was still not enough. Stephanie agrees and shows him other papers; it has names of nobles wanting work; King John thinks and tells Stephanie to hire commoners. She also agrees.
The world begins to learn about the human race increasing their armies. In the forest of elves, the elder elves who hid behind light hear a spy speak about King John. They discuss the possibility of getting dragged into their conflict. Some choose to fight, while others want to wait and see.
At the Beast Man Empire, a veil covers King Sensha; he listens to a poodle beast woman tell him the details about King John's speech. A saint Bernard beast man name Kujoo advises him. He suggests they join the human side.
Other species of elves hear the news about the humans. They turn to their leaders for answers. Other towns also get the information and wonder what's going to happen. Finally, in a dark room, Demon Lord Mateo hears about King John and the human race.
"They will have no chance of stopping us."
Master Musashi was sitting and watching Fillan train; a bird flew down, and it had a message. Master Musashi looks and reads it. It told him that the humans would be ready by winter. Master Musashi had a look of sadness.
"Nothing can stop this now."
In the last week of fall October, 854 barracks were filled all over the Umbridge Kingdom with soldiers training. They were focused on basics and formations. Certain people were sent to see if they could become warlocks. Beast men joined the human ranks.
Some fighting had begun, and it was still one-sided. Soldiers who qualified for housing were sent to other territories with their families; they needed to wait until the houses were done. They had giant camps with refugees waiting to get a house.
The Umbridge Kingdom was supporting them in the meantime. Nobles with armies were sent in rotation to slow down the enemy; they hired adventures and mercenaries to help with the fighting. King John called for a meeting to see where they were.
Over a hundred nobles were present; the ten high nobles were also there. The king has ten generals serving him at all times; the previous king's generals are now the old guard and are down to six. Arthur, Cortez, Yoshi, and Haddison, who was back, attended the meeting.
King John had mages cast a protective spell. He wanted no one to listen to the meeting. Some nobles questioned his action, while the old guard was angry—King John apologies for having them take time from their duties. He wanted to talk about the schedule and problems.
King John begins by saying that introducing the calendars was a good idea. He said everything was much easier to keep on track. He said the first buildings were going to be finished soon. King John talks about the work left by the people going to fight being filled. It was all within the plan.
He then changes his attention to other matters. King John begins to pace back and forth. King John wants to change how merchants and businesses operate. He wants to lower the costs of some products during winter. Some nobles agree, while others disagree, saying they will lose money. Lord Michael and Harris listen in at the back.
King John goes back and talks about the army. He said they have selected certain individuals to be part of the elite squads. Some nobles wanted to know the qualifications. King John told them the captain, commanders, and generals were deciding. A nobleman asks if commoners are eligible.
When King John told them they were, the noblemen began to protest. King John stopped pacing and sent a powerful Mana wave. The noblemen stopped and listened. Some of the generals laugh. King John looks at them.
"Now, let me get to the point of this. Some of you have been comfortable with your power and wave it around those less fortunate. I have seen those who use their power and wealth to help others; there are those mad at me for changing the laws my father and grandfather placed."
Nobles whispered negative things while others tried to hide their disapproval of him. King John continued talking. He tells them that he will turn their worlds upside down. Some nobles were confused. They wanted questions.
"I know the gap in nobility is enormous. Some of you have gone to the top without achieving anything. If we truly want unity, I need new leaders and supporters; The noble order will now be changed."
Nobles of lower status began to celebrate; the other nobles argued it was a bad idea and complained. King John said some nobles were trying to hide things. He wants to know if they are truly worthy of their title. Lord Michael laughs and smiles.
"What an opportunity this is; I expected it to take longer. Now I can raise my ranking and influence; money, power, and land will all be mine."
The old guard gets mad and demands that he removes that idea. King John said he already decided and wanted to start immediately. The old guard looks at each other. Some nobles go to them and demand answers. King John dismisses them. They leave the throne room angry.
It was only King John and his generals. King John sat on his throne and felt exhausted. His generals laugh and discuss his actions. King John straitens on his chair and asks what they thought. Arthur mentioned the expression on some nobles they couldn't investigate getting nervous.
Haddison shakes her head and asks what he plans next. King John said he would contact Ben. Everyone said they didn't want to give him the message. King John said he would take care of it. They laugh and tell King John to bring him some alcohol to make him feel better; King John sighs.
King John's new plans were in full swing. The costs of supplies and living were lowered. The citizens were happy they could afford it. More soldiers were training; adventures trained and upgraded their armor. Blacksmiths worked hard, making armor and weapons. Everything was in high production.
In that same week in the mountains, Fillan was working out. He was doing his pull-ups; his body was already changing. He trains doing sit-ups, lifting, force jumping, and muscle endurance. Once done, he goes on his run.
Master Musashi was meditating. He was getting updates on what was going on. He said that the human race was progressing at a fast pace. He wonders if Lord Mateo has a plan. He knew he needed to get Fillan ready.
Fillan was coming back and carrying the boulder. He placed it down, and Mater Musashi called him over. He tells him to warm down and get cleaned up. He asks him to meet him in the study. Fillan goes and takes a shower; he then meets Master Musashi.
Master Musashi gives him a book. Fillan opens it, and it has the basics of magic written in it. Fillan looks at his Master. Master Musashi tells him he needs to speed up his training. Fillan sits and listens. Master Musashi began by asking him a question.
"What is Magic?"
Fillan didn't know what to say. Master Musashi explains that magic is energy gathered by the body, turning it into a force or shape. Master Musashi explains that one must understand the properties to understand magic. Fillan had trouble following. Master Musashi tells him to read the first part of the book.
Fillan studies and notice his muscles twitching. He ignores it and continues. It became late, and he went and ate. After dinner, he gets ready for bed; his muscles keep twitching. He goes to sleep and begins to have strange dreams.
"Listen, soldier, we move and annihilate all targets."
Fillan wakes up, forgetting his dream. Outside, getting ready to work out, Master Musashi notices something different about Fillan. He calls Fillan; Fillan isn't paying attention. Master Musashi sends a powerful Mana wave. Fillan feels it and looks his way. Master Musashi could see Fillan's eyes glowing.