jungle warefare

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The battle intensified under the cover of darkness, giving Thabis and his men the advantage. Thabis moved forward, cutting down anyone in his path. The number of tribesmen dwindled rapidly, leaving the scouts with a numerical advantage. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the battle was over. Thabis assessed the situation, realizing that they were in a precarious position. They didn't know how many more enemies might be outside, but staying hidden in the cave would give the tribesmen time to call for reinforcements.

"We need to go on the offensive. We can't let them trap us in here," Thabis said, pulling arrows from the bodies scattered around him. "Salvage every arrow you can. At my signal, we'll unleash a barrage."

The scouts prepared themselves, forming a line. After a brief moment, Thabis sneaked a glance outside the cave. He saw a group of tribesmen arguing amongst themselves. Wasting no time, he signaled the scouts to push forward. Before the tribesmen could react, a volley of arrows darkened the sky, raining death upon them. "Leave only one alive," Thabis ordered as the scouts rushed out to finish off the stragglers. Countless bodies lay impaled by arrows. 

They found one uninjured tribesman hiding behind a tree. He had ducked for cover the moment he saw the first wave of arrows. The scouts tied him up and dragged him back into the cave. Once the perimeter was secure, Thabis rushed to check on an unconscious scout who had been hit by a dart. The contents of the dart were unknown, and Thabis could only hope it wasn't poisoned.

The night passed slowly. The mood in the cave was grim; one of their own was injured, and the uncertainty hung over them like a cloud. No one dared joke around—they could only pray the scout would wake up. 

"There's no point in sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. We've got work to do. Let's get our act together before more of us fall in this stupid mission," Thabis growled, unable to contain his frustration. The men began cleaning out the cave, the stench of the corpses becoming unbearable. The fire they had lit was doused by rainwater, and relighting it proved to be a hassle. After several failed attempts, one of the men suggested using cloth and weapons left by the dead tribesmen as kindling. Finally, warmth returned to the cave, but the men went to sleep on empty stomachs, too weary to eat.

Sunlight crept into the cave, accompanied by a cool wind that roused them from their uneasy sleep. Thabis quenched his thirst and immediately set to work. His first priority was extracting information from the captured tribesman. However, the language barrier was a significant obstacle, one that couldn't be bridged in a single day. 

Thinking quickly, Thabis drew what resembled a settlement on the cave floor. "Tell me where your base is," he demanded, hoping the visual might get the message across. The tribesman, wide-eyed with fear, screamed unintelligibly, "Ftuhsghouh!" Thabis sighed in frustration—he wasn't going to get anything useful from him. Perhaps someone back at the village could make him talk.

"He's awake! The bastard's not dead!" one of the scouts shouted. Relief washed over Thabis. He had yet to lose a man. 

"Prep your bags. We move out. We need to bring the prisoner back to the village," Thabis ordered. The mission had been both a success and a failure. They had achieved their objective, but one of their men had been injured, and the extent of his condition was still unknown. Staying longer to explore further would have been ideal, but Thabis couldn't afford to risk more lives.

Before leaving, they blindfolded the prisoner. Thabis couldn't risk him memorizing the route in case he escaped. Fortunately, the journey back was easier; all they had to do was follow the trail they had made.

---

Meanwhile, Robert's morning was busy as usual with training and handling village affairs. Eugene and James had requested to meet with him about a few issues they had encountered. On his way to James' workshop, Robert greeted the villagers he passed, finding that it helped boost his popularity. 

The new workshop was large, employing many of the village's workers. Eight bronze coins for an hour's work was a decent wage. The village's economy was still developing, based on the neighboring kingdom's coin system: 100 copper coins equaled one silver, and 100 silver coins equaled one gold. While it was early days for their economy, Robert saw room for improvement, though the need for currency was minimal since most necessities were provided by the village.

Upon entering the workshop, Robert saw countless workers processing timber. Bark shavings littered the floor, and the smell of freshly cut wood filled the air. He headed for the stairs leading to James' office on the second floor. Robert could already foresee potential issues with James' business model, which favored monopolies. But for now, loyalty wasn't a concern, as Robert could gauge the trustworthiness of his men through the system.

Opening the door to James' office, Robert's attention was drawn to a large table covered with maps. Certain landscapes were marked, likely indicating valuable resources. Initially, Robert had doubts about James' ability to handle resource expansion since he was just a carpenter. However, he could see the drive and willingness to learn in him.

"Robert, you made it," Eugene said, standing to greet him.

"I took my time admiring the workshop. You've done a great job, James," Robert complimented.

James accepted the praise proudly. He had poured countless hours into designing and managing the workers. "It couldn't have been done without your ability to build structures out of thin air," he added.

The workshop had been built by combining two storage buildings with several modifications. 

"Since we're all here, let's get started," Eugene said as they all took their seats around the table. He was the first to address his concerns. "Although the village is prosperous, I see us lacking in certain areas, such as water stability and waste management."

Robert nodded, understanding how these issues could affect the village's growth. "For water stability, I suggest digging wells. I'm certain there are underground sources nearby." He paused, thinking for a moment. "As for waste management, we should construct a sewer system and collect the waste to use as fertilizer for our soil."

Eugene looked surprised by how quickly Robert came up with solutions. "A sewer system is definitely a good idea, but it will take time and expertise to build. However, using human waste for fertilization is something we can apply immediately."

Robert was glad he had chosen the right people to lead and manage his village. "Lord Robert, I've been informed about your plans to expand into the jungle. My concern is that we've already started expanding toward the Cursed Forest," James interjected.

Robert realized the risk involved. A two-front expansion would be dangerous. "James, it seems you misunderstood me. The jungle campaign is not a current priority. We don't have the troops or experience to fight in that environment."

James smiled, satisfied with the clarification. He had a particular interest in the perimeter around the Cursed Forest, where there was rumored to be a mountain range filled with valuable metals. 

"We will continue sending probing operations into the jungle, but our main focus should be solidifying what we have around us," Robert said.

The conversation continued with James explaining the variety of resources available to them and the steps they needed to take to extract them. Robert found his mind drifting back to Thabis. He was key to the jungle's future, and Robert couldn't afford to lose.