***Boots***
Boots locked eyes with the man across the table. The challenger to his command the-
"You shut the hell up you incompetent twig!" Gerald spat from the other side of the table, "Who the hell got us here? On who's shoulders are you standing to even be in this hall?
"W-well I-" Captain Kibble stammered.
Boots watched on in stunned silence.
"Where was the leader of the town guard when Fenniton fell?"
Captain Kibble's face twisted in anger, "I was-"
"What action did you take to retake the town? What plans did you come up with? What opponents did you vanquish?" Gerald was on his feet now, leaning over the table menacingly.
Gerald stood there, glaring at the man, "You have done nothing for us! Yet you would cast doubt on the man who has liberated us, who has reclaimed our town! Do you even know who you are speaking to? Do you even know what he is?"
Kibble remained silent. The rest of the room was looking at Gerald with surprised confusion. What did he know about Boots that they didn't?
A crooked smile crept onto Gerald's face as he soaked in their attention, he pointed straight at Boots, "That man was sent by Fenix, Goddess of all felinian's! I saw it with my own eyes when we opened the shrine!"
"You can't be serious!" said Mrs Cotton.
"Old man's finally cracked!" Colin guffawed with a chuckle.
"I am quite sane!" Gerald said as he struck the floor firmly with his stick, "He appeared in front of me, as if popping into existence. He had been in the heavenly domain. I am sure of it! It was exactly the same as my brother all those years ago! He is chosen by the gods. It is a fact."
"Do you expect people to believe such nonsense? Even if it is true?" Logan said gruffly. Glancing at Boots out of the corner of his eye.
"No, I don't," Gerald paused, "but it is a fact that he was chosen by Fenix to guide us. I believe we ought to make him our leader in a more official capacity. To quell any usurpers before they rear their ugly heads."
He shot Kibble a sharp look before continuing.
"I think, now that we are separating from King Pino's rule, we should make Boots our Lord." He let the statement sit for a moment, "I can think of no-one better to lead us."
There were a few uncomfortable glances exchanged between the people gathered round the table. But nobody openly objected. Even Kibble had shut his mouth.
"It is decided then. My lord, you are the only one who can lead us out of this mess. Of that I am certain. There is nobody else, it has to be you." He cast a look at Kibble, "I trust we can all agree, this is the best way to prevent squabbling and greedy attempts to seize control."
There was a wave of silent nodding from the group.
"We will have to postpone the ceremony to a later date unfortunately. With that out of the way, my Lord, if you would like to continue the meeting." Gerald did a quick bow and returned to his seat.
Boots was dumbfounded, that had to be the quickest promotion anybody had ever received.
"I humbly accept your offer. I will do my best to merit your confidence in me. I will say that yes, Fenix has instructed me to guide the Felinian race away from destruction."
The looks on their faces were not convinced. But that hardly mattered to Boots.
"Believe me or don't; I do not care, I am here before you, and I am here to help." He stood up and lent forward on the table, "I am not going to abandon this cause. After seeing your plight under the tyranny of Pino, I would have stepped in regardless of what any God had instructed me to do. Because it is simply, the right thing to do."
He paused for effect, the looks on their faces were softening into that of the inspired. A look Boots knew all too well.
"I am a man of principle and fairness. I will not stand idly by in the face of such oppression!" Boots slapped the table to illustrate his point.
"This brings us back to what we want to do about our ultimatum." Boots laid the map out on the table, "If we can liberate Brocton, we can block Orion's pass almost indefinitely. Pino would have to travel into another country to come round the Gemlock mountains and up the southern pass."
There were hopeful expressions on their faces now.
"But I need more information about Brocton to make an accurate assessment. That is something I was hoping you could help me with." Boots gestured to the seated townsfolk before him with an open paw.
He felt like he was winning them over, little by little. Even the bitter Kibble looked semi inspired.
Fenix had actually given some pretty good advice.
"You're in the right place Bo-… my Lord," Roman said from the corner, "between the people here, we know the land pretty well."
There were several nodding heads at the table.
It was true, they had all lived in the valley for their entire lives, apart form maybe Gerald. They had the cumulative experience necessary to tell Boots everything he needed to know.
'Excellent.' Boots thought to himself with an almost imperceptible grin.
"Then please, tell me of the land, so we can strategize. We will deal with all the civil matters after we have come up with a plan of action. It must take priority."
They spent the next few hours telling Boots more about the area.
He learned that Brocton was a pretty multicultural place, with people from all walks of life. It had a population of around twenty thousand. Enough to be considered a city, however it remained a town because it didn't meet the official city status criteria. It didn't have a castle or military garrison.
It did have a pretty sizeable town guard, numbering around three hundred. The town was run by a local lord; Lord Cavendish, and he was loyal to Pino. Which could be an issue.
He didn't have much of a reputation, he appeared to mostly keep out of the way and let the town govern itself. Nobody really knew the motivations of the man.
This was a potential opening Boots considered. He could either attempt to draw this Cavendish to his side or simply get rid of him.
Boots preferred to take a diplomatic approach where possible. Martial victories always came at a cost.
Brocton also housed the main branch of the region's adventurer's guild. This was something Boots could also capitalise on. Adventurers were skilled warriors by the looks of things.
Boots thought back to the one he had met earlier. Maria? She had definitely seemed capable. If he could recruit more warriors like her, it would be a huge boost to his forces.
There was also a college of engineering at Brockton. Engineers could be used to construct complicated machinery such as siege weapons.
By all accounts Brocton seemed to be an absolute gold mine of potential advantages. All he had to do was subdue it.
There was a myriad of small villages he could potentially recruit to the cause as well, but he decided he would focus on Brockton for now.
The next thing he asked about was Orion's pass. By all accounts it was a strong and defensible location. A ten-metre curtain wall had been constructed there long ago by persons unknown.
Boots considered the possibility of mounting siege equipment there. It was something he could look into. But he didn't have unlimited time. Factoring in Fenix's assistance he could maybe hope for fifteen days.
He had decided not to tell the group this, as he didn't want to get their hopes up. If they could be ready in eleven days, great, then they'd still have an extra four for overkill.
Boots was pleased, they had a direction. Now they just had to decide how to pursue it.
"A small team would be ideal. They'd have to scout Brocton, assess the political temperature and then report back so we can finalise a plan" Boots said to the room.
A lot of nods and agreements were exchanged at the sound of this plan. It was simple enough and got things progressing nicely.
"I will lead the party; we can decide who will come with me later. But Roman, I would like you to oversee the town in my stead."
"Of course, my Lord." Roman said from his spot in the corner.
Tomorrow they would send a scouting party.
With that out of the way. It was now time for the nitty gritty. The background administration that they'd all been dying to complain about.
Boots rolled up the map and placed it to one side, "Right, who has some grievances they wish to share? We will go around the room."
Mrs Cotton wasted no time holding up her paw.
"Many of my workers wish to return to their homes. Sleeping on the street is quite taxing on them." Mrs Cotton said as she placed her spectacles down gently on the table, "do you intend for us to live this way for much longer my Lord?"
"No, you are quite right Mrs Cotton. They have slept on the ground for long enough, tell them they can return home as of tonight. However, we will still keep the walls fully manned for the next two days. After that we can afford to relax the standard for a while."
Mrs Cotton inclined her head slightly in recognition.
"My Lord, what about people living on the outskirts of town? Should we make them return to us or allow them to stay where they are?" Roman interjected.
"Well, that's entirely up to them, Roman. If they seek the security of the town, then of course they are welcome to return to us. If, however, they wish to remain where they are, then they must be prepared to carry the risks that come with it."
Boots paused for a moment in thought, "But let's keep them updated. Organise a few messengers to keep the people on the fringes informed of what is happening here."
"As you wish my Lord." Roman said evenly, adjusting rather well to Boots's new title.
"M'lord, what of our fields? Can we return to them?" said Peter with a perplexingly average expression.
Gods he was average.
"For the time being yes, tend to them as best you can, we will need to re-coup some of the towns stockpile losses as soon as possible. However, we can't afford to simply go straight back to the way things were."
Boots turned his attention to Kibble, "You, Kibble wasn't it?"
"Yes…. my Lord." Kibble said, leaving an almost deliberate pause before using Boots's new title.
Boots questioned himself momentarily.
Was this the right thing to do?
Could he really trust this man?
Boots shook of his doubts, he knew what he was doing. If you want a potential rival to respect you, you must respect them first. Kibble was just bitter because of the way Gerald had so viciously put him down earlier. Those words had definitely stung him.
"I want you to organise a militia. It must have at least thirty percent of our current adult population. They must train with shields, polearms, and bows every working day, from now until the moment the enemy arrives. They may have one rest day per week."
There were a few concerned looks from the people around the table. Clearly, they thought giving such an important role to somebody who appeared to be openly against Boots was a terrible idea.
Even Kibble looked remarkably surprised, his blond fur made it quite easy to read his face.
"It is my understanding that you were responsible for the town guard before, you have experience in that area. Experience is something we dearly need in times like this. It would be foolish of me to overlook you."
Boots sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin.
"So, I'm going to give you a chance to take back your honour. I know you must be burning inside to strike back at the enemy. Here is your chance, I will even allow you to name them. Report to Roman with your progress."
All eyes turned to Captain Kibble, who looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. There was an uncomfortably long pause.
"Thank you, my Lord," Kibble said quietly as he got to his feet, placed a hand over his heart and bowed, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to succeed where I have failed. I will not waste it."
A very polite and earnest acceptance of Boots's offer.
Much to the surprise of the room.
Boots almost caught the sight of what could have been a tear in the corner of his eye. He was a man of pride after all.
Boots smiled to himself.
Charisma can conquer all.