Chapter 19: Ch. 18 – Gifts to the City

I woke up the next day feeling better than I had in weeks. There was something about solving a problem through engineering that I couldn't describe. The Feka thought what I did was magic. I had never thought of physics in this way before; that was the whole point of physics back on Earth. It wasn't magic, it was science.

But to these creatures, what I did was unheard of. I had stopped an army of vile dog beasts with a couple of pulleys and some rope. And about ten people were much more muscular than I could ever dream of being, I thought, chuckling to myself.

"Human, you are needed in the courtyard immediately," Romas call toward where Jasper and I slept. Jasper groaned, still tired from the evening's events. I had barely slept but felt rested. I rolled out of bed, donned my squirrel vest over my black shirt, and slipped my slingshot into my belt loop. My dagger was always on me now, never sure what would happen in this world.

Romas cleared his throat, continuing. "Jasper, you too. We want the whole settlement present, slaves included."

Jasper's head jolted up, his eyes blinking rapidly. He looked at me, confused. I shrugged my shoulders. "Better get moving," I said. We washed up in the basin, Jasper lending me his comb. My hair was gotten long, the curly mess almost into my eyes. My scraggly beard was now bushy and full. I need to make some hair-trimming devices. Do the cats use stuff like that? I added that to my growing list of items to create.

With our grooming taken care of, we headed into the city. Most of the Feka were out, chatting quietly. The trashed merchant stalls still needed to be repaired, but the wood was picked up off the streets. Humans filtered into the square wearing various colors and were flanked by their masters or owners. Baron Gilbert was standing on a broken fountain in the center of the court. He looked around expectantly. "Gather round, folks. I have a lot of special announcements this morning."

The rain and wind had stopped, and the air was muggy and hot. The sun was blazing today, heating up the moisture in the ground from the previous day's downpour. The musty smell of the swap wafted through the air, overpowering a the salty gulf.

Voices filled the air as the crowd pressed in, interested in what the Baron had to say, myself included. He adjusted his armor, waiting for quiet. Finally, he spoke.

"Yesterday, we were attacked by the Shadowalker empire for their second attack. They brought their entire army and had a force with them like we had never seen before. It was undoubtedly meant to destroy us, our consumption making them a dangerous threat to Fayport. But one man came through to defend us in our time of need. A human, no less."

The Baron paused for dramatic effect but looked at me and smiled, resuming. "His name is Noah. For those of you who have not met him, I recommend it. He was sent here from another world and chosen as a Creator." A few gasps from the merchant Feka, looks of surprise on their faces. Baron Gilbert raised a paw, calming the roused crowd before continuing again.

"It was he who created the system to raise the ramp. It was he who saved the city. He can make items that set our enemies on fire. He can make objects that shock and paralyze. I'm sure he has powers that have yet to be discovered. With Romas to guide him, we may be able to usher in a new era in our glorious empire!" A cheering roar escaped the throats of the Feka, the humans looking between themselves and smiling.

"At this time, I officially release Noah from service to the Feka. He is a free man, but I hope he chooses to serve our cause, humble as it is. As a gift for his help in defense of our city, I bestow upon him this Stalker pelt." He bent over and picked up a fur belt in his paws, similar to the Mecho's pelt I had carried through the woods after we killed it. "May he create something marvelous to defend himself from the vile creatures that roam this world."

I didn't know what to say. All eyes turned and looked at me, smiles on the faces surrounding the square. I took a step forward and bowed. "Baron Gilbert, I am honored to be a part of your settlement. I will put this pelt to use and continue assisting the Feka during my time here."

I walked over to him and took the pelt. It smelled terrible, having been recently on fire. I hoped that wouldn't affect what I could make with it. I did a quick inspection of the hide.

[Stalker Hide - Level 5 Ingredient]

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I whistled appreciatively. Man, a level 5 ingredient. I had no clue if I could even use it yet. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate everyone trusting me with the pulley idea. Sometimes, it's tough to be sure if an idea will work when you create. So...yeah. Thanks for letting me try." I cleared my throat, unsure whether that was a good speech. The Feka nodded their heads, accepting what I said. Dee beamed at me and gave me a little wave of her paw. I caught Typh's eye, too, and he gave me a slight nod.

I continued. "I want to create a few more things to help your city and its workers. There are many things from my world that I can bring here through my creations. If you will let me, of course." I trailed off and looked at the Baron for approval.

"Of course, boy! Your ideas are always welcome here. If any of you have ideas for the lad here, come to me. I will filter through them and present them to our human creator based on merit to the city. For now, let's get back to work repairing our settlement. We have much to do. I'm sure that wasn't the last we've seen of the Shadowalkers. They will be back, and we will be ready. Typh - send our fastest scout to the capital. We will need to replenish our warrior troops, archers being the main focus. I also need a meeting with the Monarch."

Typh nodded. "Right away, sir."

I rubbed my hands together, excitement crossing my face. My mana poisoning had worn off, but I was still only at [23/34]. When I made the rods, they only cost five mana, so I hoped that any 'everyday' items I made were cheap to create. I would have to use my 'think' skill to get the plans and ingredients needed.

Let's get to work, then! I had some skills to train.

***

Over the next few days, I checked a lot of issues in the settlement off my list. The first was the fish processing device. I created a crank system for it, incorporating the pulley system from the ramp. It was much easier to raise it and then have a release button to smash it down. And the rope splinters were removed.

Second, I created counterweights for the ramp. It took a full day of mining with Romas to get our needed materials. Iron was one of the primary ores he could see, and once he showed me where it was, the training unlocked the ore for me. I tried to return the favor and show him the silver ore, but it didn't work for him. I didn't know the secret behind that air magic. We could both see the red ore, Romas using it for a heat source for the Feka.

Retrieving all that ore increased my 'MINING' skill to level 3 and increased my total mana by five. Romas wanted me to make all the weights, claiming I needed the training. He lounged on a bench with a beverage while I waited for my mana to recover. When I finished the fourth and final counterweight, I finally leveled up.

Third, I made a hair removal tool. It was silly, but I gifted it to Jasper. He swiped it over a Fekan chair, looking at it in awe. Just one swipe had taken a whole clump of fur off. It was a comb shape with little interlocking teeth, similar to the gadgets on Earth sold in stores to remove pet hair off couches. He wrapped me in a bear hug, then returned to work, humming to himself and ripping balls of fur off every surface he could find.

The last thing I wanted to make was a ballista for the towers. The cats may be unable to use air or fire magic, but that didn't stop me from making giant slingshots and piercing bolts. It took almost a full bow tree per weapon, but the massive slingshots were a huge success. They were level 4, so I used almost my whole mana pool when creating one.

One week later, the city had walls again, tower defense, and a working drawbridge. You only needed to release a pin, and the counterweights did the rest. It was magnificent. I looked around, though, wondering if it would be enough. When they returned, I was sure the Shadowalkers would have something up their sleeves.

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