Swords and Shipments

[Praetorum]

Timestamp: 27th of Ymiden, Arc 721

Prae twisted out of the way as Valbjorn jabbed his sword at him, using his tail to whip himself around before the Lotharro could react. Steadying himself, Prae struck out one, two, three times with his staff, stepping forwards to press his advantage with each blow—it was ingrained in his bones by now that the winner of a fight was the one who controlled its flow. But Valbjorn was an experienced fighter in his own right, and wasn't about to give the fight to Prae that easily; the first attack he caught on his shield, the second he parried with his blade—It was only on the third that he was forced to take a step back. A small movement, but one that changed everything



The Lotharro clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was forced back, and Prae couldn't help but grin a little. There was no need for Prae to tell the man the mistake he'd made—Valbjorn was his own harshest critic. The man pushed constantly to improve himself, something Prae had admired about him since they'd first met. That drive and discipline—he'd have made a good legionnaire. 



Pressing on with quick jabs and strikes to keep on the offensive, Prae pushed Valbjorn back bit by bit, until the Lotharro managed to get in a slash during a gap in Prae's rhythm. Making a mental note to vary up his strikes to keep from becoming predictable,  Prae caught it on his shield, but that was all the respite Valbjorn needed—now it was his turn to bring down a flurry of blows onto his opponent. 



Still, Prae managed to stand his ground, blocking, parrying or evading the Lotharro's blows. He would even be able to attack if he wanted, Prae knew—but he didn't. This spar was for him to get to know Valbjorn's fighting style, not to defeat him. Sparring with the man was an excellent way for Prae to figure out how to fight alongside him, at least before they had a few battles together under their belts. 



Valbjorn, Prae was coming to see, was much like Clarissa as a fighter—talented, experienced, and straightforwards, with a good sense for the flow of a fight, but not much in the way of tricks or tactics. Everything was very by the books with them—Prae found the best way to fight alongside such people was to open up space for them to fight at their best, and make openings that they could take advantage of. It was easy, much easier than fighting alongside someone like Liv, who was tricky and quick witted. But unlike with Liv'ana there was no possibility for any truly devastating maneuvers, the sort of unexpected move that completely turned the tides of a fight. A fight was always going to be a slow slog with them, just two fighters chipping away at each other until one of them fell. 



Case in point: he could already see the Lotharro starting to flag a little. The man had been a pirate, used to short fights between small groups—but Prae had been a soldier, accustomed to battles that lasted for breaks as thousands of soldiers traded blows back and forth across a battlefield. Prae could outlast just about any one of his mercenaries in a fight, and this one was rapidly coming to an end. 



Dodging a slash that was just a hair too sloppy, Prae used the momentum of his movement to sling his shield back onto his back, and shift his grip on his quarterstaff to both hands, his tail uncoiling from around the center of the weapon. Then, when Valbjorn raised his sword to strike once more, Prae twisted, and swung his staff at the man's side



Eyes fixed on the weapon, Valbjorn stepped back to avoid the staff blow—only to find his feet tangled up in Prae's tail as it wrapped around his ankle, and pulled. Spinning his staff, Prae stepped forwards, and pointed it at Valbjorn's chest with a slight grin. 



"Big guy like you shouldn't be that damn fast with that shield and staff," Valbjorn grumbled lightly. Prae just laughed, and helped to pull the smaller mercenary back to his feet. 



Behind him, someone clapped. Blinking in surprise, Prae turned, only to find his secretary lounging in the shade of a nearby tree. "Got a moment, boss?" Benric called out. 



Prae nodded. "Good fight," he said, clasping Valbjorn on the back. "I'll see you later." As the Lotharro nodded, Prae turned back to Benric, and padded towards him, tipping his head to the side. "What do you need?" He asked.

[Praetorum]

"Aurelia and I wanted to go over the next order we're placing—we've gotten quite a few more recruits recently, and we figured we should check in with you before confirming the shipment." Benric explained. 



Prae nodded again. Normally, he left these sorts of logistical details to the two of them, but ultimately, Prae was the one who had to sign off on all of them; and besides, it was best if he knew all the details of what went on in his keep. Prae had not forgotten that some time in the future, he would have to manage, not just a company, but a country, however small it may be. Best he start learning now, when he had competent people helping him and could afford to make mistakes. 



Following Benric into what the mercenaries had jokingly started calling the war room, Prae saw that Aurelia was already there. Nodding at the other ithecal, Prae took a seat at the table. "Alright," he said. "What do we need?" 



"Food for everyone living here, supplies for the mercenaries, feed for the mounts, and materials for us" Aurelia reported, beaming excitedly at that last one.


"Let's go through them in order, then," Prae said. "Food for everyone living here—we're up to... 21 of the rank and file plus 7 staff plus the 3 leaders and Clarissa is..."


"Thirty two," Benric said. 



"Thirty two. But Theo is rarely here, and I don't eat, so that's an even thirty," Prae muttered. "We still have enough in the larders to feed that many for a while, don't we?"


"We do, but Lil's been pushing for more perishables." Benric said."Fruit and veg, that sort of thing. We might not be sailors, but my sister and I grew up hearing horror stories about scurvy." 



"What's scurvy?" Prae shook his head. "Tell me later. Alright, we'll top up the larder and buy enough fruit and vegetable for two tentrials." Benric nodded, and scribbled something down on a piece of parchment. "Next, supplies. I assume this is mostly for our six new recruits?"


Aurelia nodded cheerfully, fiddling with a pair of goggles in her claws. "So that's three tents, six bedrolls, six wash kits and six mess kits." 



Prae hummed thoughtfully. "I think we have enough people we should also get a couple spares, just in case. Now, feed for the mount is easy enough; I assume Lilaine wrote up a list for you?"


"Right you are, boss," Benric said, tapping his parchment. "Already got it down. Your bitey flying lizard goes through a lot of meat, you know?"


"Trust me," Prae sighed. "I know. So that just leaves crafting materials. We're still well stocked on iron, aren't we?" 



"Yeah," Aurelia said, "but we're running short on wood, leather and furs. Scabbards aren't easy to make you know." 



"I don't, actually, but I'll take your word for it," Prae said. "We only need six right now, so let's buy enough fur and leather for ten scabbards, shall we?" 



"I'd say twelve," Aurelia said. "For repairs."



"Twelve, then." Out of the corner of his eye, Prae saw Benric scribble that down. "Now, wood. How are we on wood for bows?"


"We've got plenty of bows, no need to fret. I'd like a bit more wood for training swords, though. That Asulf goes through them like crazy."


Prae tapped his muzzle. "Four of the six came with their own weapons, so no worries there. The other two need an axe and a spear—I can make the heads, but do you have the wood for the handle and shaft?" Aurelia nodded. "Most of them came with their own armor, but one of them needs to replace his leather, so let's add that to the list. Anything else?"


"I was thinking we could buy some tin as well." Aurelia said. 



Prae blinked in surprise. "Tin? What for?"


"Figured we could learn how to make the pots and cups of the mess kits," she explained. "Cut down on the cost of buying them."


Praetorum considered that for a moment. "Good thinking," he said. "But we'll keep buying until you're confident what you've made is up to par with what we can buy."


"Of course," Aurelia lit up, half bouncing in her seat. 



"Is that everything?" Prae asked.


"I need a new inkwell," Benric offered. "Aside from that, I think so."



"Right, then." Prae stood, and stretched. Fates, it was good to have rooms sized for him again. "Theo will be back tonight, so pass the list to him then." Padding over to the door, he nodded at each of them as he passed. "See you both at dinner."

[Jackalope]

Experience: +10 xp

Knowledge:

Skill:

Business Management x3
Logistics x3

Skillplay: Appropriate to level

Loot: None.
Injuries/Overstepping: None
Renown: None.
Wealth Points: None.
Collaboration: No
Magic Experience?: No

Comments:

Enough perishables for two tentrials? I’m not sure Prae understands what “perishable” means. But that can be a learning experience for another thread.

The two posts in this thread seem to fit together only loosely; I get the impression that you started out with a different idea from what you eventually decided to do with it? It’s not a problem, it just struck me as odd. Still both posts describe their respective events (the sparring with the Lotharro, and the discussion about logistics) interestingly and well.

Enjoy your rewards!