It didn’t take long for Hawk to have the piles cheerfully burning, with massive flames licking at the sky as the Dragonhawk swooped back and forth, adding fire to the ones that were beginning to smoke.
Despite the amount of fat on their bodies, they didn’t actually burn all that well, and without Hawk or a Fire Mage, they would have had to dig a massive hole to bury them all.
The teams were setting up their tents, and the other response team was pulling a massive canvas construct out of a bag that the Church Team had brought. But Karl and his team had no intentions of sleeping on cheap cots or putting in all that work to erect a tent.
[Rae, would you like to make us a temporary fort?] Karl asked.
[Just us?]
[The Magic Knights as well. One fort big enough for us all. At ground level, but you can suspend hammocks for everyone in it.]
Rae got to work, using a number of downed trees as the base for her latest work of art and spinning a new fort that Karl could tell would top all that came before it.
At first, it looked fairly normal. Straight walls and a steeply sloped roof, then she began to add fake windows to the walls, and a large spire at the front.
She was recreating the Capital Cathedral out of silk, at the scale for a twelve-person tent.
She even went as far as to grab a crate with a camp stove from the supplies to put in the fireplace hearth she had designed at the base of the Cathedral’s iconic chimney, which in reality led to the kitchens.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Someone muttered from the far side of the group as Rae was putting the finishing touches on her masterpiece.
Rae had learned to make her silk quite stiff when needed, so the structure was most likely self-supporting, but she had still used a half dozen trees shaped into posts for the foundation, quickly carving them to the dimensions she needed with her limbs.
Karl heard Lotus giggle. “It’s a masterpiece, a true work of art by Princess Rae. Now, it might seem a bit odd to have it placed out here in the middle of nowhere, but we can probably leave it for future visitors. They normally build a building over the Dungeon entrances, right?”
One of the government agents sighed. “While that is true, the construction normally doesn’t include a scale replica of the Capital Cathedral made of Royal Rank silk. First off, do you have any idea what that tent is worth in raw materials alone? Second, why? Just why?”
Lotus’ giggle turned to full out laughter from most of Karl’s group, leaving Bob to answer.
“Rae likes to make a statement. There are new people here, and you didn’t show her enough respect as a Princess, so she decided to show off a little and help you appreciate her.” He explained.
The government workers needed a moment to process that bit of information. “We don’t have an official protocol for that, do we? Are beasts bonded to an Elite considered an extension of their rank? Do we treat them the same? Is it based on their intelligence and species?” One of them asked his supervisor.
The man got a contemplative look on his face. “There is no unified policy, but I would say that when it’s a Royal Rank Spider the size of a small car, it probably wouldn’t hurt to be a bit more respectful.”
The Magic Knights laughed as Rae put the final touches on her masterpiece and came to stand out front.
The flaps of the front wall fell closed around her, creating the false image of the front of the Cathedral, then she vanished into her space, ready for a nap after all that work cleaning and setting camp.
Dana stuck her head in the door, then turned back to the group, laughing.
“She even set it up like the Cathedral, the hammocks are upstairs, while the main floor is open with the stove. Plenty of room to set up tables for breakfast or hold meetings.” She explained.
The upper floor also had a curtain at the back for a shower room, though the shower spell wasn’t a Rae specialty.
The clerics could take care of that in the morning. Or, one of the mages. But as Karl thought about it, Remi had a Thunderstorm spell, so she could make it rain on command as well. There was no reason that his group would ever have to go without good hygiene.
“What is the watch schedule for the evening?” Prince Charles, the leader of Team One, asked as everyone gathered inside the glowing dome that was protected from the smell of burning Ogre.
“The night watches will be taken by the security teams. They have the rotation already planned, and stations set.” One of the government representatives explained with a gesture to the edge of the camp, where men in black uniforms were stationed.
Karl wasn’t certain that was going to be sufficient, but unless there was an attack by something stronger than what Hawk had detected in the area, it was as good as any other night watch.
[I will make sure they don’t miss anything.] Rae added, as she prepared to head to the bell tower of her new fort. There were windows on all sides, so she could scout the whole area without moving much, and she would blend in perfectly with her own silk, so there was a good chance that nobody would ever know that she was up there, resting and watching for a chance to dice something into snack sized bits.
She was destined to be greatly disappointed, and even Rae knew it, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to keep a diligent watch until the sun started to come above the horizon, and she switched spots with Hawk so she could get her morning nap in.
It was good to be outside in her web on watch again. In the army camp, there were so many people around that she wasn’t really on watch, she was just observing the humans. Here, there was a chance, however miniscule, that something might actually stumble into the traps that she had quietly set around the fort as she built it.
For the Elites in the fort, it was a surprisingly peaceful morning, but the silence was such a stark contrast to the constant sounds of artillery, either nearby or distant, that they all found themselves unable to remain in bed.
Doug adjusted his robes as he stretched the morning stiffness from his muscles. “We will start on breakfast downstairs. I brought in tables and benches last night, so we can eat in the fort. Did you want me to grab something from the supply tent to add to it?” Karl shook his head, as did most of the others, but Lotus smirked. “I have found a good thing in their supplies. I will bring some over as long as it’s not mislabelled.” She announced.
The little cleric jumped out the window and slid down the sloping roof, then onto the ground, while Tessa laughed.
“You know, she did the same thing from her room in the dorms when we were in school? Nearly landed on High Priest Gerald one day, only centimetres from stomping his head.” She laughed.