Day 4: Morning
The cold dawn of Day 4 felt different. The air was slightly cleaner, scrubbed by the unrelenting wind, and the atmosphere in Ashfall was quieter—the silence of resignation giving way to the silence of disciplined labor. The sight of four still, rigid bodies left near the bastion walls served as a terrifyingly effective deterrent, ensuring absolute compliance with Kael's labor quotas.
Kael began the day in the smithy, auditing the remaining metal resources. The smith, a burly, taciturn man named Hektor, stood nervously, surrounded by meager piles of scrap iron and a few completed levered spades—Kael's design for maximizing the digging efficiency of the foragers.
"Hektor, report," Kael ordered.
"My Lord Baron, the spades are functional," Hektor grunted, holding up a beautifully angled tool. "They cut the earth true. But they consumed all the sheet iron from the old wagon reinforcements. We have nothing left but this scrap—mostly old, dull armor plating and brittle axe heads."
Kael's eyes scanned the small, pitiful inventory: perhaps fifty pounds of low-grade, mixed-metal scrap. His mind calculated the immediate logistical needs against this finite resource.
Priority 1: Tool Replacement. The field tools (hoes, shovels) would break under the sustained, heavy labor in the compacted soil. New, durable tools were essential for maintaining the food supply.
Priority 2: Defense Upgrade. Rylen's men needed armor and better weapons, not just traditional swords and bows, to project the "invisible force" that had deterred the bandits.
Kael knew he could not simply conjure high-quality steel. He had to use the low-grade material in a systematic way that provided the greatest tactical advantage. This was the logistical challenge of operating in a zero-supply environment.
"Hektor, we shift focus from digging tools to defense and efficiency," Kael commanded. "That scrap plating—the brittle armor—can be repurposed. We will not use it for swords. It is too soft and too scarce for that."
Kael began sketching a detailed diagram of a simple hand-held crossbow mechanism.
"You will forge the scrap iron into plates for the bow stock and mechanism," Kael instructed. "The wood we scavenge from the old palisade will form the stock. We need small, reusable bolts. The crossbow requires less strength, is easier to train, and provides greater penetrating power than a longbow for the average soldier."
Hektor stared, astonished. Crossbows were complex, precision weaponry, usually reserved for specialized city guards, not forged in a frontier smithy using scrap.
"My lord, the precision required for the nut and trigger mechanism… it is beyond my skill with this poor iron," Hektor protested.
"I will provide the geometry," Kael countered, focusing on the engineering simplicity of the design. "You will forge the parts to these exact dimensions. The precision is the key to its power, Hektor. If you make it slightly off-angle, the bolt will shatter the mechanism. If you follow the geometry precisely, you will give Rylen's five men the ability to stop twenty."
Kael was deliberately creating an illusion of overwhelming power. The few bandits who survived the night had witnessed a system of defense that seemed technologically and magically superior. If Rylen's escort was visibly armed with advanced, rapidly deployed weaponry like crossbows, that illusion would solidify into fact, ensuring long-term deterrence.
Kael then moved to the remnants of the old, dull armor plating. "Use the remaining scrap to forge thin, protective plates for Rylen's men—small pieces to shield the forearm and chest. Do not forge a full suit. It wastes metal. We need minimal protection that ensures they remain functional and projects confidence."
"But the wood," Hektor worried. "The finest, driest oak is needed for a true stock."
"We use what we have," Kael stated. "We will use the densest of the palisade wood. It will be slightly softer, but it will suffice for five units. Your work is not about crafting works of art, Hektor. It is about mass-producing verifiable survival tools under zero-supply conditions."
The inventory was complete. Kael had calculated how to stretch fifty pounds of low-grade scrap into advanced weaponry and essential tools. The smithy was now a crucial part of the logistical chain, manufacturing the means of deterrence and survival.