"To me," I called with a shadow-tuned voice, then watched as dozens of Doppelgangers stepped from the darkness to gather around me and receive my orders and disperse with no words or nods. Giving me a moment to step outside and sit in my chair, smoking and gazing up at the starless sky while a hundred-and-one things ran through my mind.
I'd long since known that there was a lot I didn't know about the Doppelgangers. It was natural, I assumed, being the only spell in my arsenal that was created by another.
I was aware that even before my power-up, the spell retained the characteristics and abilities I first had in mind. They were sentient. Enough to act as the original naturally would and 'mimic' their magic with a shadow spell lookalike. And being creatures of shadow, they could all Shadow Step and had access to a Shadow Pocket.
After giving them orders, the Doppelgangers seemed to become more… tangible. As if uncharge command matured their flesh into a rigid state. My Cursed orders seemed to not only do much the same to a higher degree but gave them the ability to bend and absorb light like Kit could, turning them into true clones. More so, there was the added benefit of the memory transfer. Wherein the clone's memories would be transferred to the original after reassimilation into the shadow.
But, that was only the tip of the iceberg, as the memory transfer worked both ways. I could impart my vast knowledge on any Doppelganger in visual range, greatly facilitating the many tasks that had been completed, and the couple of objectives that have yet to be started.
However, that wasn't to say I had no questions.
How far could they venture from the owner? How fast could they travel across long distances? And, most thought-provokingly of all, should I leave my Doppelganger here in my absence? Those were but of the few of the questions swarming through my mind as I sat there.
Questions that I purged from my mind once my break was over, and moved inside for a visual review of what's been accomplished thus far.
The main entrance was more like a five meters wide, high-ceilinged cave that led to a cubic cavern with rounded corners and an arched ceiling, making an indoor castle town that was just as spacious as Corvus Academy's main floor. Only, abnormally smooth walls stood in place of the towering windows, encased in a web of steel to support the millions of tons of rock above. Even then, stone buttresses and thick support beams of treated wood were lain across the walls and weaved under the ceiling to act as both redundancies and housings for the many enchantments Silas had on hand.
Naturally, many of those enchantments allowed us to increase the luminosity enough to mimic daylight and had been cycled to match nightfall. At which time, a subset of enchantments would illuminate the walking paths and other points of interest for everyone's convenience. Temperature control and airflow were handled in much the same way, giving Silas total control over the weak rains and light snows able to descend through the Inner Yard.
With the main infrastructure in place, Leo and Giorno's clones were leading a party in making the space visually pleasing to the eye. Painting murals and carving sculptures in the walls themselves while others emerged from the shadows to plant vines or creeping plants into shelves and recesses placed high and low.
Even my Doppelganger was at work in the far left corner, using void magic to carve a series of cascading pools that looped back around on either side to fall into the industrial park far below, where the artisans' Doppelgangers were busy bringing my designs to life while their originals slept soundly.
Essentially, my work in the main complex was finished. Which meant I could move on to phase two.
The Military-Industrial Complex.
With Hill Base being our officially unofficial first territory, it was natural to plan for the meager company of guards to evolve into a military force suitable enough for a guild, if not for an empire. That started with doing as I did with the students at Corvus Academy and have Toril train and educate the guards to the level needed for them to do all the heavy lifting in my stead.
In addition to the normal things, I planned for them to have their own forges and workshops to craft new weapons and equipment for the boots. And so too would they have hospitals, training academies, leadership schools, and more.
With Toril working on his own, my job was to carve out the superstructure. An area that would serve to be just as large as the main complex, if not larger. So, I took a few clones to the entrance, tuned the Chrono Dial down, and augmented an overlay of the final product with my Eternal Eye.
I then stepped a bit down the stairs to carve a cross-shaped slit into the wall with some void magic, creating the first out of six embrasures. After gouging the stone for the sixth time, I remained in place to pull more void mana into my hands and mold the energy into twin tendrils that curled unnaturally from my hands, Void Whips. With time dilated, I took my time carving out a space wide enough for me to stand in, then used my Wrath Form to phase inside and continued voiding away the stone as precisely as possible while the clones of Toril, Ed, and a few others moved behind me to set the beams, supports, and doors into place wherever I deemed necessary.
Because of the structure's purpose, there was no need for Giorno's Doppelganger or any of the civilians' clones to venture into the complex to make it as lush and welcoming as the main parts. If that were to be done, I felt it only right that the soldiers be the ones to do it. And due to my earlier work with Silas, I was able to install the obligatory enchantments without his help. Allowing us to finish the superstructure in only a day and a half of subjective time with no extra help.
With the work done, I spent another half day copying textbooks, diagrams, theories, blueprints, designs, and schematics for nearly everything contained in the Starfarer's Archives before I canceled the spell and sent the Doppelgangers on their way. Then, cast the Chrono Dial in the form of a trap spell and implanted it in the ground, allowing me to remove my focus from the spell and get some much-needed sleep.
***
Upon awaking, I canceled the spell and checked the time to find that it was just past six o' five. Hardly a minute had elapsed, yet I was fully rested and ready to start the day in earnest. Assuming I got a full seven hours of sleep, some quick maths told me that for every minute I spent in the trap spell, only 4.2 seconds passed from an outside reference frame.
'Interesting.' I mentally grinned, then turned to leave, emerging on the plateau a few moments later with a handful of grapes orbiting around me.
In the pre-dawn, what appeared to be all the citizens were scattered across the town, tossing their belongings and prized possessions outdoors to have their doppelgangers haul them off to their new quarters and shops. Roheisa and the family of half-dwarves were off in the distance, preparing to toil away on the ramparts and watchtowers while the dwarf patriarch of the construction crew was flying through his work on the main gate.
Lastly, by the barracks was Silas' clone, guiding the shuddering original out of a pillar of darkness, where he seemed to jump back a bit after noticing me and face me. Sheepishly bowing as he said. "Good morning, Amun."
"Morning." I nodded with a gesture to the door. "I'm ready when you are."
Silas clone stepped forward to pull the door open and step aside while he himself smiled. "After you."
Ignoring the overbearing formalities, I stepped inside, only to be assaulted with an ear-piercing shout.
"ATTENTION!"
While the command was certainly loud and annoying, the result forced a satisfactory smile to creep across my face. Unlike my first visit, the barracks were a lot cleaner and not nearly as pungent. More so, the troops within were all standing at the position of attention in neat columns and rows, staring straight ahead as Silas and I stepped across the room to meet Toril and Rodin.
"How's it faring?" I asked.
"Forty-two is a lot easier than five hundred." Toril casually snorted. "So, pretty good."
"Five hundred?" Silas incredulously asked.
"Yeah. But first." I nodded to him, then turned to the troops to say. "At ease."
As one, they spread their feet shoulder length apart, clasped their hands behind their backs, and relaxed their posture before turning their undivided attention to me, pacing the room while I gathered my thoughts.
"For a period of four years." I began. "Toril was in charge of the training and educating of a class of five hundred or so students in the same arts being taught to you all."
"Wait." Silas chuckled in dismay. "So, you mean to tell me, you've done this before?"
"Minus the construction part." I nodded. "But yes, they are also my allies. I don't know where they are at the moment, but if you and the residents are okay with a bunch of new immigrants, I could send word to have them gather here. I assume many of them will wish to join our military, and there are at least a few dozen artisans among them who are around the same caliber as Ed, Letta, and Giorno."
"You don't need to ask." Silas quickly said. "You are the Lord of Hill Base, I am only its Mayor."
"Even then, public approval is still needed. But we'll discuss that later." I muttered to Silas, then turned to face the troops. "Good morning."
They snapped to attention to resound. "Good Morning, Lord!" as one.
"I've noticed the time and effort each of you has dedicated to protecting the residents of Hill Base. I can see it in your posture, your demeanor. It resounds in your voices, echoes in your strides. You are the pride of Hill Base; as such, you deserve a barracks that you can be proud of. That barracks shall be unveiled today." I grinned. Paused. Then turned halfway to the door. "So, without further adieu, follow me."
After stepping outside, Rodin began forming the troops up into groups while Toril approached me and Silas saying. "You know, calling it a barracks is an understatement."
"Understatements and overestimations are the best ways to surprise someone." I shrugged.
"True." Toril nodded.
Meanwhile, Silas flicked his eyes between us under furrowed brows. "Umm." He blinked. "What?"
"If you tell a merchant you'll gift him a basket and show up at his door with a wagon, he'll be overjoyed, if not shocked," Toril explained with a laugh.
"As would a Mayor if you tell him it'll take you until sundown to complete a test and you return within the hour," Silas muttered with wide eyes. "Unbelievable." He shook his head, then turned to me and Toril. "Did you learn this at that Academy of yours?"
"No." Toril pointed to me, shaking his head. "I swore fealty to Amun when I was five. All of my knowledge came from him."
"The students were from Corvus Academy," I said before Silas could ask. "Have you heard of it?"
"Of course, I've heard of it." Silas dejectedly laughed. "The school of the Necro King. I assume he's of relation to you?"
"My great-grandfather." I nodded. Then turned away from his blank stare as Rodin began approaching with the troops.
"Everything beyond this point is the frontier." I jerked my thumb behind me, then nodded to the open-faced barn of masonry and wood protruding from the cliff like an oversized porch. "This is where every individual, party, and carriage entering or leaving Hill Base will stop to verify their destination or origin and have their belongings searched for any contraband or goods being smuggled in or out. To facilitate large traffic, the space is wide enough for up to six carriages to be stopped at once. And extra eyes will be observing the situation from above, below, and from the sides."
I waited for the troops to follow my arm to the catwalks above and the embrasures to the side and below us before I guided them into a wooden door at the base of the stairs to enter a moderately sized antechamber shaped like a baseball diamond. "Here is the main access for those on guard duty." I entered from the corner and swept my arm from left to right while I continued. "In that corner is a seamless door that leads straight to prison. Or, to where the prison will be." I chuckled. "Next to that, is the access to the lower levels. And to the right of that is where we're going next."
I paused to lead everyone through a thick hardwood door and into the embrasure room, consisting of a row of ascending alcoves for those manning the walls and morgue-like slats for them to lie and observe from below. "For your convenience, each station has shelves for storage space, seats, and a small closet so you can simultaneously do your business and observe the situation. The cross-shaped embrasures are wide enough to plug with your fist and are tapered to a point thin enough to look or aim through without risking an arrow landing in your eye."
With that, I hugged the lift side of the corridor and led the group past an adjacent hall. Then rounded a corner and came to a stop at a three-way junction to give everyone a few minutes to soak in the environment.
The main superstructure consisted of towering, arched granite halls wide enough for three or four people to comfortably stand side-by-side. Illuminated by a string of enchantments that splayed a dusk-like light on the plants and creeping vines spreading through the caverns, painting the walls with abstract and eccentric shadows.
"The branches we passed just now lead to rooms and wings we'll discuss later. For now, well continue down here." I paused to start down the hall stretching east to the base of the mountain and stopped after only ten or so meters, where an elliptical junction sat around a spiral staircase leading above and below. "This leads to the barracks below and the gate above," I said, gesturing to the staircase. Then pointed to the doors placed to either side. "To the left are a pair of restrooms and the guard offices are here, on the right. This is where you'll report for guard shifts and brief those coming to relieve you.
"Now, continuing on." I waved the party further down the path. Where the hall continued to the base of the mountain, interrupted by several elliptical, three-way junctions that marked the many different branching paths leading to the north. Stopping halfway to the first junction, I set my eyes on a pair of large double doors and waited for the crowd to follow suit. "This is a mess hall and kitchen fit for a royal court." I grinned. "Your mess hall. So take good care of it. And across from it." I turned about to step inside doors opposing the mess hall. "Is the parade field."
After stepping inside, I halted on an elevated platform of tiled stone and looked across two kilometers of rolling hills, lush valleys, and a winding river until the polished stone of the far wall met my gaze. Equidistant on either side were the radial walls, making for a sunken wilderness bathed in artificial light, a living coffin, with two-by-four kilometer dimensions.
Like I planned to do with the Inner Yard, I enveloped the space in a temporal bubble and tuned up the Chrono Dial, accelerating the plant life to the point that trees stretched precariously close to the ceiling and the forest floor far below was enveloped in a thicket of brush and pollen.
"This is where you'll muster from now on," I explained. "Here, you'll conduct parade drills, rehearse your battle drills, and undergo your training. Everything in here is entirely natural, except a fenced-off region over there." I pointed to the southeastern corner. "There, you'll find the obstacle courses, rock climbing areas, magic ranges, and sparring arenas."
I gave them a few moments to admire the view before leading them back into the main hall, where I pointed to the east. "Further down the hall and the adjacent corridors is where you'll find smaller training halls, classrooms, and parade fields for the companies, platoons, and squads until you get to the dead end. Where an elliptical room acts as a hub that connects all the staff departments with the armory and the offices for the Captain and his Lieutenant. The branching halls lead to the watchtowers being constructed around the perimeter and also have access to the other facilities, and to the staircases leading above and below. Which is now, our destination."
So saying, I led Silas and the troops towards the wide staircase to descend through a story's worth of compacted earth. A width thick enough to place the second level several meters below the natural forest floor, allowing the volume of the lot to be nearly doubled. Because of that, I was able to carve not only one but three caverns below the first level. All separated by at least a story of compacted earth and had been overengineered to last.
After a few moments of silent stepping, I turned from the staircase to open a door and emerge in a space twice the size of and just as lush as the parade field; which in itself had been placed deep enough to be connected with the space we were in via a few simple tunnels in the southern wall.
This space, however, looked more like a Colosseum than a vast wilderness. Wherein the dense flora sat in an isolated depression at the center, surrounding a spa, gym, and several other recreational facilities. Which in itself was surrounded by vast tiered floors that stretched to the ceiling like the steps of a Mesoamerican pyramid.
"What is this place?" Someone in the back muttered.
"This is your barracks." I beamed. "It may seem large. But over the coming years, your numbers will rise to the hundreds, into the thousands, and beyond. This is where many of those soldiers will reside. Housing will be determined by rank." I pointed to the squat huts placed along the walls. "The junior soldiers will live in communal barracks on the lower floors. Those of a higher rank will have either fewer roommates or their own quarters on the higher floors. Each unit is two story's, with the communal spaces on the first floor and the bedrooms in the basement. And each roof serves as the yard for the unit above. Giving space for grow beds, bonds, hangout areas, or anything else."
"This is absolutely incredible," Rodin muttered.
"Incredible, but not all!" I beamed before any more comments could be made and led them all two story's deeper into the compound's depths.
"And what would this be?" Silas chuckled in despair after reaching our destination.
It took a moment for me to answer. Not out of hesitation or embarrassment, but to admire and imagine what would become of the vast, empty space before us. A mirror of the realm above. A coliseum-esque cavern that was just as voluminous and divided from the southern field by a cave-lined wall of polished granite.
"This is the industrial compound for the military." I finally explained. "To prevent strain on the town's industry, it's necessary for our military to not only have our own industrial yard but to have a proper hospital as well. All that, and more, will be placed here. And beyond that wall." I pointed south. "Is where the new recruits will be trained.
"Lastly, I envision the level below to be the prison. However." I sighed. "I lack the means to imbue the place with an anti-magic effect. So, it's nothing more than a concept for now."
"Anti-Ore is hard to procure and even harder to stabilize into Negstone," Silas explained. "If done incorrectly, it will spread through the rock like a fungus. Either way, it's ridiculously expensive."
"All will come in due time," I assured him, then turned to the troops. "For now, make sure you do your daily training and take the day off. Get settled into your new barracks and report to the parade field tomorrow to continue your classes."
Following their resounding affirmation, I gave Toril and Rodin a departing nod and drug Silas through the shadows, and stepped out of the shade of the old barracks.
"The day's still early." Silas shuddered. "What's next on the list?"
I let out a small laugh through my nose and sent out a mental command to Silas' clone while I pulled my chair from my Pocket, settled myself, and lit a blunt. "Let's talk." I sighed out a cloud of smoke.
"Okay." Silas sighed a bit dejectedly after seeing his clone dispense a chair and a few drinks before stepping away; yet, he sat by my side with no words and an expectant smile.
"To review." I sighed after a few moments. "The Inner Yard, Industrial Park, Residential Hive, and the Military Complex are all complete. And." I gestured to the stream of clones going to and from the mountain. "The citizens should have the Outer Yard evacuated. Meaning we can go on to phase three."
"I must say, 'Inner Yard, Outer Yard, Residential Hive.' Such intriguing names." He chortled into his glass. "So, tell me. What's phase three?"
"I concur," I smirked. "They're simple, yet meaningful and self-explanatory. Anyway." I pointed to the plateau's center. "I'm thinking of building a clock tower in the place of the town hall.
"A clock… tower?" He paused to swirl his drink and ponder.
"A tower with a clock." I snorted. "It's bell will ring at dawn, noon, and evening. And maybe play a song at midnight." I laughed. "Either way, the roads, the tower, and a few farms and parks will be the only things built in the Outer Yard. For now, the focus is to man your staff and educate the masses. In a few months when everyone's settled, the focus should shift to establishing a few trade routes. This means planning for which cities to visit should begin now.
"Also." I stamped out my vice. "This place needs a new name. Hill Base will forever remain in our history, but a capital city needs a more fitting name."
"I'll be much more comfortable if you choose," Silas meekly said.
'I suppose that's fair.' I sighed, rising from my seat. "Alright. I'll decide before I leave. For now." I paused to wait for the crowd to gather around us in segregated groups. "Everyone here is either an artisan or an individual with a particular skill that I wish to put to use." I have here." I paused again to pull a piece of paper from my pocket. "A list of occupations that need to be fulfilled over time. Most of them, are already filled, but the same can't be said for the majority. For your convenience, the occupations have been divided into categories and will be posted in the new town hall. If you, or anyone else, is interested in any one job, all you need to do is take a copy and proceed with the written instructions.
"As for why I brought you all here." I paused to hand out a stack of books to the groups. "There are a few specialized positions that need to be filled. And, based on what I've learned from your Doppelgangers, I believe some of you are perfect fits for the role."
"You four are in charge of agriculture. With Dan in charge of farming, Violet in charge of ranching, and Jasper in charge of maintaining the fish population. You three will take orders from Savannah, who in turn will take orders from Mayor Silas.
"Ken." I turned to both the dwarf and the calloused group of crafters behind him. "These books will contain everything from architectural designs to construction techniques. Using them you will become the chief civil engineer. You will be in charge of building Hill Base's infrastructure going forward."
"I'll do me best, Captain!" Ken threw out a quick salute, then quickly went to flipping through his books with comically wide eyes.
"Dardrus, Edma." I turned to the two barbaric dwarves standing short and proud before the third pack. "You two are the most versed artisans in Hill Base. As such, I'm making Dardrus the Chief Engineer of Hill Base, while Edma will be the military's Chief Engineer."
While there was visible confusion in the latter's face, she quickly nodded in confirmation and went to perusing her bounty of knowledge just as the others did. Only hers and Dardrus' were based on physics and engineering rather than the crafts.
The same process went on with the hobbit-like creature, Yaramin Springwood. A large-eyed, pointy-eared man who stood half as tall as Ken. Yet, he was outstanding with numbers and charmingly friendly. Traits that promoted him to the Minister of Commerce.
Chief of Communications went to Oliver Wheaton. A man who was given a veritable of designs, principles, concepts, and theories that he needed to come to understand in record time.
While she refused to be present, the Witch of the village's doppelganger was present. Myrtle Crowe. A sage of a woman with silver hair, forest green eyes, and skin smooth enough to make her look no more than ten years older than me. To her, I granted dozens of textbooks that contained knowledge on everything from tinctures and balms to cybernetic implants. Theories that I was sure the old hag would devote years of her time to.
"Before you go, I want to tell you that it's imperative that you all take your time in understanding this knowledge. In doing so, Hill Base will truly become the dreamland we all want it to be. To that end, I ask that each of you take on at least one apprentice. The future of any nation lies in its youth. They must be educated, not only in art, magic, and logic, but they must learn values and morals as well. Thus, it goes without saying that the second-to-last group is the most important. Arlo, you will be the headmaster of the primary school for adults. Any illiterate refugees, immigrants, or runaway slaves will be educated at your academy. As will the children at your school, Lara. And, Mr. Kane." I raised my head to look at the old man hidden in the back. "You will similarly be the headmaster at the university.
"Finally, let it be known that your offices, facilities, and compounds have already been constructed, however, you will first need to learn the material given to you before they're fully opened," I added with a raised finger. "Once that has been accomplished and your apprentices have been chosen, speak with Mayor Silas to have him organize the grand opening of your establishment. So." I clasped my hands in closing. "With that, thank you for coming. And, happy learning."
While the group excitedly dispersed, Silas meekly approached from behind with the last group in tow.
"Uhm, Amun? It seems you forgot a few people."
"No." I turned to him, grinning. "These people will be your ministers, diplomats, notaries, spymaster; and, most importantly, your alderman. Go ahead and spend the rest of the day organizing yourselves."
"And what will you do?" He hesitantly asked.
"A little bit of demolition."