While all of the officers who were off duty gathered for lunch, Priya presented her plan for the future of the camp.
It had been designated a long-term facility by Sylvan Coven, and they intended to build it into a permanent station, the beginnings of a village but much closer to the Frozen Waste than any other village in their territory.
It was good news for their career soldiers since if their position grew into a village, they could simply retire there and not have to move again or make new friends who didn’t share their life experiences.
But it also meant that they needed to do a lot of upgrades to the region to make it safe enough to station support staff here.
“This is the current plan. The actual camp will be a fallback position and barracks area, much like it is now, but with a ring wall and better defences.
Near the barrier, we will make a long defensive position with a wall, turrets and a double line of enchanted trenches.
From there, the walls will circle back, making a D-shaped fortress. The existing road access is sufficient and makes a good spot for the market area and warehouses.
For now, there will be no civilians, but in the future, letting travellers and merchants in will be a basic safety concern, so they need space. Plus, the troops need more than basic supplies if they’re going to be here longer than one rotation.”
Everyone looked over Priya’s plans with approval, they were all well thought out, and the three units would still have their own space but inside the same wall with room to grow.
“I feel like this needs a Keep. A command building with a high enough vantage point to search the Wastes for incoming threats.” Reiko suggested.
“And pulse crop storage and a proper infirmary.” Cassie agreed.
The design was modified a little to accommodate the additions, and it began to look more complete, including gardens inside the walls and a proper moat to slow down monster attacks.
“Should I get the girls on it? They came as workers, not fighters, and I don’t think their minds are ready for the front lines yet. We haven’t talked about what happened before they got here in detail, but they’re not in great shape.” Wolfe explained.
“If they can start from the center and work outward, we can alter the plans as we go. Start with the keep so we can get the sight line from the tower to do reconnaissance, and then do the rebuild of the main camp.
By then, the other camps should have their own workers, and they can team up for the walls.” Priya decided.
“I will go talk to them and get them started on the camp defences and the keep this afternoon. It will take some time, though, and if you know a better charm to strengthen the walls than what we used on the bunkhouses, that would be a good idea, so the camp doesn’t have to rely on constant mana expenditure.” Wolfe suggested.
“Not a problem. I can teach them the circle once the basic structures are complete.” Jane spoke up.
“My parents were both constriction workers. I know all the essential magic for the trade.”
“Perfect, then you can help them with the construction.” Priya agreed, then dropped her voice to a whisper.
“Make sure it’s defensible against attacks from the back as well. We are way in front of the main line, and things have been strange lately.”
Jane grumbled at the prospect of additional work and got up from the table, taking the updated diagram with her to sit with the team who would be doing the construction.
She also called over a half dozen more soldiers to join their group, apparently all from the same social circle, since they seemed confident with an assignment to rebuild the camp defences.
They might not have magical experience or training, but if they knew how to build a building without it, they could figure it out with Jane and Mio guiding them.
They got started right after lunch, working on the trenches and making a subtle but sturdy three-meter-high wall inside the trench lines. With a dozen of them inscribing the circles to reinforce the wall, the process was going smoothly, and they planned to begin on the keep as soon as the sun went down.
If anyone or anything was watching, the darkness would help hide their work, and the shell of the building could be completed in a single night.
It wouldn’t be a huge building, only ten meters across and three stories tall, but they would be able to see over both the wall and barrier from the roof, as well as fire Arrows down. It was going to be nearly centred in the expanded confines of the new camp, giving them the range to reach the entire wall from the roof.
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In this situation, the keep wasn’t meant to be a primary defence but an “every minute counts” addition to the primary defences. If enemies reached the keep, it meant that the first wall had already fallen or been bypassed, so both the number and the composition of the survivors inside the camp would be questionable while they tried to hold until reinforcements arrived.
With that in mind, the keep itself was built of multiple layers of stone. Each of them would be enchanted separately for strength and durability so that the walls wouldn’t collapse all at once and leave a breach or collapse the building. That was the most time-consuming part of their build, and all twelve workers were exhausted by the time morning arrived.
Jane led them all to the bunker, which was now the basement of the keep, accessible only through a hidden trapdoor in the floor with all of its enchantments still active, making the area look like it had never been finished.
That was normal for buildings so close to the mountains of the Frozen Wastes. The ground temperatures could fluctuate wildly due to the lingering magic in the ground, so keeping a crawl space under your main floor was the wisest choice.
“This is nice. It’s extra warm now that there’s a building above it and no wind. Twelve of us will give off enough body heat that the charm will barely have to do anything to keep us comfortable.” Jane sighed as she headed straight for the bed.
“I like it. Plus, nobody will get suspicious of the commanders disappearing inside the keep, so they can keep using it as an emergency command bunker, with its rations and blankets.” Alice agreed, crawling into the bed beside her.
“Yes, it’s the perfect disguise.” One of the other workers agreed, claiming a spot on the other side of Alice with a smug grin.
“Hey, we see what you’re doing. Make room, you bed thieves.” Mio laughed when she realized the bed space wasn’t enough for all twelve, and half of them would be sleeping on the floor.