50 Defense Force
1192 Words
Then there were the dwarves, led by a gruff leader named Pandakk. This group surprised Janus the most. They were small and stout, but their axes, war hammers, and greatswords gleamed and glistened in the sun. In just a few weeks of crafting they had achieved a quality of arms that looked battle-ready. Their expertise in building arms for the orcs was a tough ordeal for them, and now that they build crafts for their own usage, they filled it with intricate decorations of their trials in the past. Their armor was well maintained and shined. Janus's mind was filling up with ideas on a standard for their armor based on this design.
Last but not least was the I'reen, who looked like mascots in a sea of wild and dangerous warriors. They were led by a cat whose mane was long like a lion's, flowing under her back like a majestic queen of the jungle. Her name was Kikita and she was wearing a sword and shield of dwarven craftsmanship, bearing the same sigil worn by Sir Arthan. While his troop mostly consisted of archers with short bows, spears, and javelins, Kikita looked like a miniature knight. As it turned out, Kikita had been training and sparring with the Knight and was the first one to adapt the fighting style that was not from her race.
Among all of the warriors present in this gathering. She was the one who embodied Janus' vision the most.
"Welcome everyone! I would like to say something to all of you first before I spoke with your leaders. As they may have already told you, we are planning to build an improved defense force. The mountains and the Forest of Mists have not been kind to us lately, and with our ever-expanding territory comes the need to defend its borders with a highly trained and skilled set of warriors. Those warriors will be you."
"Huzzah!" yelled Hakkar. The goblins yelled in unison, which was echoed by some of the guards and the knights. But none from the Mirobians, dwarves, and cat people followed.
"I know we have our differences. We have different backgrounds, different motivations. Different reasons for fighting."
Janus spied Pandakk staring intently at Hakkar. The goblin answered his gaze by pounding at his chest.
"We have different sizes and strengths, different weaknesses. The vision is to have a force that operates under one banner, in spite of all these differences."
Janus saw a few nods from the crowd. A few workers and children have also watched from the sidelines. Each one paying attention to his every word.
"We may fight differently, but he has one goal. We are currently building a home away from tyranny, where we and our children can live in harmony and not be oppressed. Our goal is to expand that home, and when that is done, to defend it."
"As of today, we shall be holding one defense force under the same banner. With the warrior leader of each group assigned as a general. There is no need to change your fighting styles or methods, only that we leverage our strengths and look over each other's weaknesses. Conveniently, we have one among us that exemplifies that vision."
Janus gestured towards Kikita.
If it were any other warrior, they would have recoiled under the pressure of everyone's gaze. But not Kikita, the I'reen warrior smiled and raised her sword. Her hair glowed and glistened in the sunlight. Her sword was not an I'reen weapon. It was made of dwarven craftsmanship and swung with human martial arts.
There was an uproar of applause from everyone. It was an awe-inspiring sight that motivated Janus to speak even more.
"See? If we work together, we can reach the best of our abilities. While your respective leaders are still the ones you should follow, you will now be fighting under one banner. Sir Arthan is assigned as Commander in chief. Tasked with organizing every general. Behold, the banner of Wayward Home's defense force. I present to you the Mystic Flames!"
Sir Arthan presented the flag. It was a mountain spewing fire from its core, surrounded by misty energy around it with a blue background.
"This will be the banner of our supreme defense force from here on out. You will have three divisions. Guards who will enforce rules and conduct patrols, Knights who will fight and defend, and Rangers who will explore the distant lands."
Janus' speech was ended with a huge round of applause. He gathered each leader and granted them the badges for General. Caleb, Kalbu, Hakkar, Kikita, Pandakk, and Jundra were all in attendance.
They had hours of discussions on provisions and training regiment. They had agreed on adapting mixed martial arts for their general training, with specialty schools to be held by each sector for other arts and tactics.
This would ensure that they would have versatile skills for various situations while maintaining a core of combat tactics when large groups are necessary. Rangers would be the frontlines in every reclamation endeavor, while the Knights would be dispatched on immediate threats. The Merriman under Jundra would be specialist forces, due to their expert knowledge in fighting monsters, but they would still have to train in the basic doctrine.
Designations were assigned and arguments were quelled, by the end of the day they had decided on the standard doctrine, and everyone left to disseminate the information.
At the end of his meeting, he was greeted by Yvaine, who insisted on walking with him back to the Library.
"Great job on that defense force idea brother. I didn't think you could pull it off that easily."
"I couldn't have done it if not for Kikita. Did you see how well she brandished her sword right when I called out her name? They must have thought we planned that, but no. It was the first time I saw her clad waving that sword."
"Yes! She was my favorite part of your whole speech. You really got them all pumped up. You know, I thought organizing a defense force from all the tribes would be a headache, but you pulled it off with hundreds of members supporting you. So it got me thinking..." she said, pointing at her cheek.
"Oh no, what have you prepared this time?"
"Nothing, have fun at your library." She winked before she left.
This made Janus nervous. What could she be up to this time?
When Janus arrived at his library he was greeted by Master Ringo on his regular table. The seats were all occupied, and his papers were distributed amongst scribes of different ethnicities and races. There was an I'reen, a dwarven scribe, a Mairobi scholar, and a goblin craftsman in attendance, along with one of the Roban, the merchant's daughters, whose name escaped him at the moment.
"Good evening Prince Janus. The tribal leaders have also sent scribes to help you with your tasks. I have already talked to them during your meeting with the Mystic Flames. They will be here to assist you in your papers and documents as well as relay information to their leaders on orders and decrees for faster dissemination of administrative matters. It was your sister's idea."
"Of course it is. She's the best after all. Does anyone want some tea?"
- Writer
