Previously in NWC-
The mayor makes the future of Bambadale sound bleak, but also very hopeful. Reno got to learn about the mayor and how he sees his position. They had a lengthy discussion about Bambadale and the future of it. Reno decides to move the iron as soon as possible. Reno still doesn't know how to take a compliment...
"How are you feeling?"
"My arms are sore as hell. I can't wait until this is done."
"What are your plans after this?"
"Sleep! I'm ready to climb that ladder and crawl into my hay bed!"
"Have you thought about what you'll do going forward? What is your plan for taking on the bandits?" Luna does her best to hide the hint of urgency in her voice.
"I'm not sure yet. I had some ideas, but I don't know if any of them seem feasible."
"Do you believe it would be beneficial to discuss these ideas?"
"Hmm, maybe. I was thinking about what they were going to use all of this iron for."
"Perhaps for fixing farm equipment or building resources."
"That's what I was thinking too. But, doesn't it seem like that'd be a waste?" Reno begins to turn more and more of his attention to their conversation. It almost seems like moving the iron is becoming more and more subconscious.
"I'm not certain I follow."
"This about it. They seem to be doing more than okay with the iron supply they had before. So, why should this iron be used on something they already have the supply for?"
"Then what do you suppose they use this iron for?"
"I know the mayor didn't seem to be interested, but maybe Kent would? I think they should use the iron for building SOME kind of defense against the bandits."
"And what sort of defenses are you thinking?"
"Swords are out of the question from what the mayor says. Everyone is too damn old or young apparently. But, what if they could make weapons even the older people could use? I almost failed science, so I'm not sure how exactly it works. If they could make steel tubes, then they could make guns."
"It's much easier said than done. Especially when there's only one person in the entire village that could possibly have a chance of making the steel required."
Reno lets out a few noises of deep thought as he continues to mindlessly move the iron. "Hmm… If it's a lack of hands that's the problem then I could probably help while I'm not doing carpentry stuff."
Luna's voice is tinged with concern. "Reno, you're taking on too many things at once! You're already the village's carpenter. On top of that, you're planning on training so you can fight the bandits to get my power shard. You also told the mayor you'd help him expand Bambadale. There's only so much one person can do!"
"Luna."
Luna's voice switches from concern to slight annoyance. "What?!"
"Do you trust me?"
Reno's statement catches her off guard. She stutters a bit before finally manage to catch her thoughts. "What? Of course I do!"
"I might not be the smartest, or the strongest, or the fastest, or the most charismatic, or the-"
"Reno, where the hell are you going with this?"
"Sorry, sorry. What I'm trying to say is; I'm not the best, but you can still trust me. I know it all sounds like a lot but think about how doing one thing makes the other easier. If I help Mr. Kent make steel, he can make better weapons. If Mr. Kent can make better weapons, the village could better protect itself. Then, on the other side, if I train, then I'll get stronger. If I get stronger, then fighting the bandits will be easier. On top of that, the stronger I get, the less energy it'll take to do things like carpentry. The less energy it takes, the more stuff I can do. Now, if we put the two ends together they'll actually meet! If the village can better protect itself, and I get stronger to help fight them, the village will finally be safer! If the village is safer, and I'm able to make it slightly better with my carpentry, then Bambadale will potentially grow as a result!"
Luna is silent the entire that Reno's ranting. She's quiet even after he finishes talking. Finally, after making sure Reno was done speaking, Luna speaks up. "It all sounds perfect. But, it's easier said than done."
"I know, and I get that. I'm not saying it's as simple as doing it. But I am saying that I have a plan. It's better than nothing."
"I suppose. Just promise me you'll take care of your health before anything else?"
"I know, I know. We can't get your power shards back without me."
"It's not just that. I'm sure your brother Arthur would be sad if something happened to you."
Reno smiles as he finishes moving the iron from the last crate. He puts his hands on his hips and grins. "A couple of side quests shouldn't hurt the overall play time!"
"I'm not entirely certain what you mean, but I'm trusting you to take care of yourself."
After realizing he'd finished moving all the iron, Reno slowly makes his way to the ground level. "Alright, I think it's time to head to sleep after all of that heavy lifting."
Luna hovers in place as she watches Reno make his way to the door. "Are you serious?"
"What do you mean? You just got done telling me to take care of myself and now you're confused when I wanna' go to sleep?"
"Without a shower?!"
"It's late. It would be rude to bother the old man."
"It is 7 in the evening; it is not late!"
"Fine! I'll go take a shower!" Reno makes his way to the town hall, irritated. Luna slipped inside his shirt before he left the building. To his surprise, the mayor was still at the desk, once again doing his crossword. "Old man?"
The mayor jumps, quickly hiding the crossword puzzle before pulling out some papers and trying to look busy. "Yes, Reno? Come in! How may I help you?"
"I don't mean to be a bother, but would I be able to use your shower again?"
The mayor waves his hand dismissively. "It's not a bother at all! You can use the shower here as often as you need!"
Reno takes his shower and leaves, bidding the mayor farewell. He finally makes it to the barn and stands in front of the ladder. "Ughh, my arms feel like they're gonna' fall off. I'm almost tempted to just sleep on the ground right here."
"Just one more push, then you're finally in bed!"
Groaning, Reno manages to pull himself up. "Finally! Now I can pass the hell out!" He wastes no time crawling in his bed and getting comfortable.
"Reno."
"What now?"
"From the sounds of it, starting tomorrow it's going to be very hectic."
"It's definitely not gonna' be laid back."
"You promise to stop and take breaks when you need them?"
"I promise."
Satisfied, Luna floats over and crawls under the covers with Reno. "Goodnight, Reno."
"(She's not even going to ask? Whatever…)" Too tired to say anything, Reno falls asleep.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm." Luna is happily humming as she floats around the room, waiting for Reno to wake up.
Finally waking up, Reno yells. "Why the hell does everything hurt so much?!"
Luna is startled by the sudden shouting, but quickly calms herself. "That's simply what happens when one exerts themselves. Your muscles are in pain due to being over used. From today on you'll be feeling more and more of it."
"What the hell?! I didn't sign up for this!"
"You did, actually. From the moment you took on all of those tasks you agreed to all the pain that would come with it. Now come, we must begin our day! It's a beautiful morning to train!"
"Screw that! I'm starting next week- no! Next month!"
Luna sighs, deciding not to let his sudden attitude get under her skin. "Reno. If you're not ready to train then you could at least talk to Kent about the steel production."
"That sounds slightly less exhausting. I think we'll start today off with that!" Reno sluggishly gets out of his bed and begins to change his clothes after forcing Luna to go to the first floor. He makes muffled sounds of pain the entire way down the ladder until he finally reaches the ground. "Let's just get today over with." The two set off, heading straight for Kent's shop. The farmers were already out in the fields and waved to Reno as he walked to the town. "Man, I must've slept in."
"You did. It's 9 am right now."
"9 AM?! Actually, wait a minute. I usually slept until noon back home, so this actually early for me." Reno finishes the walk to the blacksmith's. He weakly pushes open the door to see Kent taking inventory of the iron a clipboard in one hand and a pencil in the other. "Good morning, Mr. Kent."
Kent looks up and nods at Reno. "Mornin'." He finishes writing down the quantity of ore before turning his attention to Reno. "What can I do fer' ya'?"
"I actually wanted to talk to you about that iron."
"What about the iron?"
"The mayor's told me you're extremely skilled so I'm not gonna' waste your time with pointless questions. Do you know how to make steel?"
"Of course I do. Any smith who doesn't at least know the process to make steel is no smith in my eyes."
"Do you have the ability to make steel?"
"I'd have to clean out the shop a bit. We used to be able to make steel often, but then the bandits started raidin' us n' we couldn't do it no more. Turned it into a storage room, I did. Why do you ask?"
"I'm going to be completely honest with you, Mr. Kent. I'd like you to use some of the iron to make steel."
"What? Why? I mean, I'm more n' open to the idea, but I'd have to run it by Ben first."
"That's the thing. It'd be a harmless little secret between the two of us."
"You'd better have a good reason for this, kid."
"You and the mayor seem close, so I'm sure I don't have to tell you this. But, the mayor is fine with being raided by bandits as long as nobody gets killed."
"Okay? Where are ya' goin' with this?"
"I think we should fight back."
TO BE CONTINUED...