Chapter 9
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"Huhu, what a cute little hurricane." Complimented Berg.
"Hm." Titus nodded. "She is super cute."
"Let's see if you still think the same when it's her rebellious age." Teased Ferlin.
"Hahaha!" Laughed Berg. "Don't make that face, you still have a few good years before then!"
The three of them continued to joke on their way to Chris' quarters.
"So, tell me, how did your missions go?" Finally asked Berg.
Ferlin went first. "It was a huge success! We caught so much game that we had to end the hunt by noon. This is much more efficient than tracking each prey individually with small teams of hunters."
"Oh?" Berg curiously asked. "But it's almost sunset, why are you back so late? Did you have any trouble on the way back?"
"The hunt went so well that we actually had to restrain ourselves." Explained an excited Ferlin. "It took us all afternoon to carry back all the carcasses to the village. Another two days of hunting and we'll meet our quota! You should have seen the faces of my hunters when they remembered they had to clean and preserve all that meat! In the end, we had to request help from the cooks."
"Good, good!" Said Berg. "With this, we might be able to serve bigger portions for the next few days. This will increase morale."
An increase if morale before heading out to battle was always a good thing.
Ferlin nodded. "To think our Lord's method worked so well. So much game fled to that gorge that I had half a mind to find a way to close it up for later."
"And what about you Titus?" Asked Berg.
"It also went very well. We had one injured but he will be fine as we applied the antidote almost immediately. He just has a deep wound on the arm to nurse and some blood loss."
"We managed to secure sixty red hornets and one donkey," he said the last part with a little smirk. "Our Lord requisitioned half of those hornets, but the rest should be more than enough for our poison needs."
"He did? What for?" Wondered Berg.
"I am not sure." Answered Titus. "We could ask hi-..."
♫♬♭
"Hm? Someone is singing?"
♫♭ ♩♬
"... am scheming and conniving,
Always holding my grudges.
So you minions better not be forgetting,
I am always preparing a good subterfuge."
The three of them froze. Chris was happily singing and tinkering with a few nets and some wood. He looked like a kid having fun with a bunch of twigs.
[...]
"After all the goddess found me,
Since I am so handsome and so smart.
And I am such a busy bee,
That keeping it hidden is quite hard."
They looked at each other. [W-what kind of song is that?]
[S-should we leave before he notices us?]
Berg was the first to gather his courage. "Ahem. Lord, may we enter your quarters?"
"Oh, guys! Come on in!" Said Chris without a trace of shame. "I'm working on a little something, just in case we really end up fighting the Kunalls."
Chris was sitting on the ground tinkering with something that looked like a ball of twine connected to a long stick. It looked properly assembled, and the net's knotting was symmetrical.
Chris noticed the surprise in their eyes. "What? You thought I couldn't do anything with my hands?" He added proudly. "This King used to design powerful machines in his former world you know."
"And I can craft stuff too. See?" Chris pointed to something on his bed sheet. "I made it for you Bergy."
Berg was curious and picked up the strange object. "This is?"
"It's a StacheGuard." Said Chris.
[...] Silence.
"Sorry?" Asked Berg.
Chris suddenly stood up, a twinkle in his eyes. "Have you ever felt like it was a pain to clean the blood from your mustache after a battle? Is your mustache heavy after the rain? Well, then this StacheGuard is just what you need!" Chris took the StacheGuard from Berg's hand. "It's perfect for the gentlemen on the go and easy to use! Just place the guard in front of your mustache, juuust like so, it fits perfectly between your nose and mouth, and then just tie up those strings on your ears to keep it in place. See? No water or blood will ever be a bother!"
[...] Silence still reigned in the room.
"Impressed huh? I was bored, and it just came to me." Explained Chris. "I figured it might be a good business opportunity. So many men have mustaches around here after all."
Berg had yet to react so Chris added. "Ah! Don't worry, this is still in the prototype phase and I only made one, so you'll have exclusivity for a few weeks!"
"How lucky, boss." Titus could barely hold his laughter. "I'm so envious. If only I had a mustache too..."
"Ah! Perhaps you could wear it during our travels to the refugee camp! You know, to get the word of mouth going!" He continued.
"T-thank you, my Lord. I am honored you thought of me when crafting it." Berg thanked Chris as he put away his newly acquired StacheGuard, he was a warrior after all. He chose to take the hit and see this gift as coming from his considerate King rather than... Well, whatever it was.
Chris nodded.
"And this is?" Berg was now scared to ask.
"Ah! This is for Titus' hornets."
Titus shookd for an instant when he heard his name. But he only felt relief when he heard the rest. [Oh, thank god.]
"I figured poison arrows might not be enough to defeat the Kunalls." Explained Chris. "I have never seen one but from your description, it's clear that they are very tough."
"They might choose to dash directly at our troops even under a barrage of arrows, so I thought of a few ways to slow them down."
"Wooden traps would be spotted immediately and might not do much against the Kunalls. Iron or copper traps might do good damage but they would be spotted just as easily and we don't have the materials for those anyways."
"Therefore, I took inspiration from one of my world's weapons." Berg's, Titus' and Ferlin's ears perked up as they heard this.
"We stored energy in small boxes which would explode and release all that energy when thrown at enemies. It's really deadly and can kill many people at once." Chris was obviously using a very simplified description of grenades. "I'm far from being able to replicate that in this world, but why not replace the explosive energy with hornets? I am sure that a few dozens red hornets would be a huge hassle, even for the Kunalls. It should slow them down considerably."
"We put a few hornets in each of these round nets." Chris picked up the stick next. "See the notch here? We can use it to secure the net. They just won't fall and the stick will keep the nets away from our bodies. But if we do a throwing motion... Humph!" A click was heard in the cave. "The net is released!"
They all watched as the net fell a little farther in the cave.
"This is impressive!" Exclaimed Berg.
"Right?! But I am not finished yet. I need to build in a failure point so that the nets open when they hit the ground, or the hornets will just flop around in the net. Once I am done, I'll have our carpenters make a few dozen replicas."
"Is everything on schedule?" Asked Chris as he continued to fiddle with the net.
"Yes!" Answered Berg. "At this rate, our preparations should be completed a day early."
"Great job guys." Complimented Chris. "This way we should be safe if the Kunalls decide to head out earlier."
"Anything else to report?"
"No, that is all, my Lord. Shall we take out leave?" Asked Berg.
"Sure. Good night."
"Ah!" Shouted Titus as his fist struck his palm as if he just thought of something.
They all looked at him.
"My Lord. I just thought it might be useful if Sir Berg tested the StacheGuard prototype in different kinds of weather and made regular reports."
[...]
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"Huhu, what a cute little hurricane." Complimented Berg.
"Hm." Titus nodded. "She is super cute."
"Let's see if you still think the same when it's her rebellious age." Teased Ferlin.
"Hahaha!" Laughed Berg. "Don't make that face, you still have a few good years before then!"
The three of them continued to joke on their way to Chris' quarters.
"So, tell me, how did your missions go?" Finally asked Berg.
Ferlin went first. "It was a huge success! We caught so much game that we had to end the hunt by noon. This is much more efficient than tracking each prey individually with small teams of hunters."
"Oh?" Berg curiously asked. "But it's almost sunset, why are you back so late? Did you have any trouble on the way back?"
"The hunt went so well that we actually had to restrain ourselves." Explained an excited Ferlin. "It took us all afternoon to carry back all the carcasses to the village. Another two days of hunting and we'll meet our quota! You should have seen the faces of my hunters when they remembered they had to clean and preserve all that meat! In the end, we had to request help from the cooks."
"Good, good!" Said Berg. "With this, we might be able to serve bigger portions for the next few days. This will increase morale."
An increase if morale before heading out to battle was always a good thing.
Ferlin nodded. "To think our Lord's method worked so well. So much game fled to that gorge that I had half a mind to find a way to close it up for later."
"And what about you Titus?" Asked Berg.
"It also went very well. We had one injured but he will be fine as we applied the antidote almost immediately. He just has a deep wound on the arm to nurse and some blood loss."
"We managed to secure sixty red hornets and one donkey," he said the last part with a little smirk. "Our Lord requisitioned half of those hornets, but the rest should be more than enough for our poison needs."
"He did? What for?" Wondered Berg.
"I am not sure." Answered Titus. "We could ask hi-..."
♫♬♭
"Hm? Someone is singing?"
♫♭ ♩♬
"... am scheming and conniving,
Always holding my grudges.
So you minions better not be forgetting,
I am always preparing a good subterfuge."
The three of them froze. Chris was happily singing and tinkering with a few nets and some wood. He looked like a kid having fun with a bunch of twigs.
[...]
"After all the goddess found me,
Since I am so handsome and so smart.
And I am such a busy bee,
That keeping it hidden is quite hard."
They looked at each other. [W-what kind of song is that?]
[S-should we leave before he notices us?]
Berg was the first to gather his courage. "Ahem. Lord, may we enter your quarters?"
"Oh, guys! Come on in!" Said Chris without a trace of shame. "I'm working on a little something, just in case we really end up fighting the Kunalls."
Chris was sitting on the ground tinkering with something that looked like a ball of twine connected to a long stick. It looked properly assembled, and the net's knotting was symmetrical.
Chris noticed the surprise in their eyes. "What? You thought I couldn't do anything with my hands?" He added proudly. "This King used to design powerful machines in his former world you know."
"And I can craft stuff too. See?" Chris pointed to something on his bed sheet. "I made it for you Bergy."
Berg was curious and picked up the strange object. "This is?"
"It's a StacheGuard." Said Chris.
[...] Silence.
"Sorry?" Asked Berg.
Chris suddenly stood up, a twinkle in his eyes. "Have you ever felt like it was a pain to clean the blood from your mustache after a battle? Is your mustache heavy after the rain? Well, then this StacheGuard is just what you need!" Chris took the StacheGuard from Berg's hand. "It's perfect for the gentlemen on the go and easy to use! Just place the guard in front of your mustache, juuust like so, it fits perfectly between your nose and mouth, and then just tie up those strings on your ears to keep it in place. See? No water or blood will ever be a bother!"
[...] Silence still reigned in the room.
"Impressed huh? I was bored, and it just came to me." Explained Chris. "I figured it might be a good business opportunity. So many men have mustaches around here after all."
Berg had yet to react so Chris added. "Ah! Don't worry, this is still in the prototype phase and I only made one, so you'll have exclusivity for a few weeks!"
"How lucky, boss." Titus could barely hold his laughter. "I'm so envious. If only I had a mustache too..."
"Ah! Perhaps you could wear it during our travels to the refugee camp! You know, to get the word of mouth going!" He continued.
"T-thank you, my Lord. I am honored you thought of me when crafting it." Berg thanked Chris as he put away his newly acquired StacheGuard, he was a warrior after all. He chose to take the hit and see this gift as coming from his considerate King rather than... Well, whatever it was.
Chris nodded.
"And this is?" Berg was now scared to ask.
"Ah! This is for Titus' hornets."
Titus shookd for an instant when he heard his name. But he only felt relief when he heard the rest. [Oh, thank god.]
"I figured poison arrows might not be enough to defeat the Kunalls." Explained Chris. "I have never seen one but from your description, it's clear that they are very tough."
"They might choose to dash directly at our troops even under a barrage of arrows, so I thought of a few ways to slow them down."
"Wooden traps would be spotted immediately and might not do much against the Kunalls. Iron or copper traps might do good damage but they would be spotted just as easily and we don't have the materials for those anyways."
"Therefore, I took inspiration from one of my world's weapons." Berg's, Titus' and Ferlin's ears perked up as they heard this.
"We stored energy in small boxes which would explode and release all that energy when thrown at enemies. It's really deadly and can kill many people at once." Chris was obviously using a very simplified description of grenades. "I'm far from being able to replicate that in this world, but why not replace the explosive energy with hornets? I am sure that a few dozens red hornets would be a huge hassle, even for the Kunalls. It should slow them down considerably."
"We put a few hornets in each of these round nets." Chris picked up the stick next. "See the notch here? We can use it to secure the net. They just won't fall and the stick will keep the nets away from our bodies. But if we do a throwing motion... Humph!" A click was heard in the cave. "The net is released!"
They all watched as the net fell a little farther in the cave.
"This is impressive!" Exclaimed Berg.
"Right?! But I am not finished yet. I need to build in a failure point so that the nets open when they hit the ground, or the hornets will just flop around in the net. Once I am done, I'll have our carpenters make a few dozen replicas."
"Is everything on schedule?" Asked Chris as he continued to fiddle with the net.
"Yes!" Answered Berg. "At this rate, our preparations should be completed a day early."
"Great job guys." Complimented Chris. "This way we should be safe if the Kunalls decide to head out earlier."
"Anything else to report?"
"No, that is all, my Lord. Shall we take out leave?" Asked Berg.
"Sure. Good night."
"Ah!" Shouted Titus as his fist struck his palm as if he just thought of something.
They all looked at him.
"My Lord. I just thought it might be useful if Sir Berg tested the StacheGuard prototype in different kinds of weather and made regular reports."
[...]
"Huhu, what a cute little hurricane." Complimented Berg."Hm." Titus nodded. "She is super cute.""Let's see if you still think the same when it's her rebellious age." Teased Ferlin."Hahaha!" Laughed Berg. "Don't make that face, you still have a few good years before then!"The three of them continued to joke on their way to Chris' quarters."So, tell me, how did your missions go?" Finally asked Berg.Ferlin went first. "It was a huge success! We caught so much game that we had to end the hunt by noon. This is much more efficient than tracking each prey individually with small teams of hunters.""Oh?" Berg curiously asked. "But it's almost sunset, why are you back so late? Did you have any trouble on the way back?""The hunt went so well that we actually had to restrain ourselves." Explained an excited Ferlin. "It took us all afternoon to carry back all the carcasses to the village. Another two days of hunting and we'll meet our quota! You should have seen the faces of my hunters when they remembered they had to clean and preserve all that meat! In the end, we had to request help from the cooks.""Good, good!" Said Berg. "With this, we might be able to serve bigger portions for the next few days. This will increase morale."An increase if morale before heading out to battle was always a good thing.Ferlin nodded. "To think our Lord's method worked so well. So much game fled to that gorge that I had half a mind to find a way to close it up for later.""And what about you Titus?" Asked Berg."It also went very well. We had one injured but he will be fine as we applied the antidote almost immediately. He just has a deep wound on the arm to nurse and some blood loss.""We managed to secure sixty red hornets and one donkey," he said the last part with a little smirk. "Our Lord requisitioned half of those hornets, but the rest should be more than enough for our poison needs.""He did? What for?" Wondered Berg."I am not sure." Answered Titus. "We could ask hi-...""Hm? Someone is singing?" "... am scheming and conniving,Always holding my grudges.So you minions better not be forgetting,I am always preparing a good subterfuge."The three of them froze. Chris was happily singing and tinkering with a few nets and some wood. He looked like a kid having fun with a bunch of twigs...."After all the goddess found me,Since I am so handsome and so smart.And I am such a busy bee,That keeping it hidden is quite hard."They looked at each other. W-what kind of song is that?S-should we leave before he notices us?Berg was the first to gather his courage. "Ahem. Lord, may we enter your quarters?""Oh, guys! Come on in!" Said Chris without a trace of shame. "I'm working on a little something, just in case we really end up fighting the Kunalls."Chris was sitting on the ground tinkering with something that looked like a ball of twine connected to a long stick. It looked properly assembled, and the net's knotting was symmetrical.Chris noticed the surprise in their eyes. "What? You thought I couldn't do anything with my hands?" He added proudly. "This King used to design powerful machines in his former world you know.""And I can craft stuff too. See?" Chris pointed to something on his bed sheet. "I made it for you Bergy."Berg was curious and picked up the strange object. "This is?""It's a StacheGuard." Said Chris.... Silence."Sorry?" Asked Berg.Chris suddenly stood up, a twinkle in his eyes. "Have you ever felt like it was a pain to clean the blood from your mustache after a battle? Is your mustache heavy after the rain? Well, then this StacheGuard is just what you need!" Chris took the StacheGuard from Berg's hand. "It's perfect for the gentlemen on the go and easy to use! Just place the guard in front of your mustache, juuust like so, it fits perfectly between your nose and mouth, and then just tie up those strings on your ears to keep it in place. See? No water or blood will ever be a bother!"... Silence still reigned in the room."Impressed huh? I was bored, and it just came to me." Explained Chris. "I figured it might be a good business opportunity. So many men have mustaches around here after all."Berg had yet to react so Chris added. "Ah! Don't worry, this is still in the prototype phase and I only made one, so you'll have exclusivity for a few weeks!""How lucky, boss." Titus could barely hold his laughter. "I'm so envious. If only I had a mustache too...""Ah! Perhaps you could wear it during our travels to the refugee camp! You know, to get the word of mouth going!" He continued."T-thank you, my Lord. I am honored you thought of me when crafting it." Berg thanked Chris as he put away his newly acquired StacheGuard, he was a warrior after all. He chose to take the hit and see this gift as coming from his considerate King rather than... Well, whatever it was.Chris nodded."And this is?" Berg was now scared to ask."Ah! This is for Titus' hornets."Titus shookd for an instant when he heard his name. But he only felt relief when he heard the rest. Oh, thank god."I figured poison arrows might not be enough to defeat the Kunalls." Explained Chris. "I have never seen one but from your description, it's clear that they are very tough.""They might choose to dash directly at our troops even under a barrage of arrows, so I thought of a few ways to slow them down.""Wooden traps would be spotted immediately and might not do much against the Kunalls. Iron or copper traps might do good damage but they would be spotted just as easily and we don't have the materials for those anyways.""Therefore, I took inspiration from one of my world's weapons." Berg's, Titus' and Ferlin's ears perked up as they heard this."We stored energy in small boxes which would explode and release all that energy when thrown at enemies. It's really deadly and can kill many people at once." Chris was obviously using a very simplified description of grenades. "I'm far from being able to replicate that in this world, but why not replace the explosive energy with hornets? I am sure that a few dozens red hornets would be a huge hassle, even for the Kunalls. It should slow them down considerably.""We put a few hornets in each of these round nets." Chris picked up the stick next. "See the notch here? We can use it to secure the net. They just won't fall and the stick will keep the nets away from our bodies. But if we do a throwing motion... Humph!" A click was heard in the cave. "The net is released!"They all watched as the net fell a little farther in the cave."This is impressive!" Exclaimed Berg."Right?! But I am not finished yet. I need to build in a failure point so that the nets open when they hit the ground, or the hornets will just flop around in the net. Once I am done, I'll have our carpenters make a few dozen replicas.""Is everything on schedule?" Asked Chris as he continued to fiddle with the net."Yes!" Answered Berg. "At this rate, our preparations should be completed a day early.""Great job guys." Complimented Chris. "This way we should be safe if the Kunalls decide to head out earlier.""Anything else to report?""No, that is all, my Lord. Shall we take out leave?" Asked Berg."Sure. Good night.""Ah!" Shouted Titus as his fist struck his palm as if he just thought of something.They all looked at him."My Lord. I just thought it might be useful if Sir Berg tested the StacheGuard prototype in different kinds of weather and made regular reports."...
