I awoke in the morning feeling more peaceful than I had in a long time. Everything has been progressing so well. The people are gaining hope. New members come in troves every day, with each person that joins the cause everyone's courage rises.

     The members of Retribution have become strong and united, bonding with every step of the process. Every time they need to come together to build a house, or dig a pit, they are bonded that much closer.

     The castle was being finished and perfected with each passing day, its mighty walls and towers stood tall and resolute as the sun glanced of its back creating a halo around it. We had built this patch of dirt into a formidable base, one that the Queen would have a hard time attacking. I was proud of Retribution, but most importantly I was proud of myself. I had never wanted to be in charge of such an important thing. There were countless times that I wanted to simply run away and hide. But I didn't, and now I was glad.

     I got out of bed and made my way over to the window, my room was near the top of the castle and it gave me a wide landscape view of the land, I could see the Kingdom of Dragon's Heart and our old town. Birds chirped and sang throughout Retribution and a cool breeze blew in through the cracks causing me to shiver slightly and pull my clothes tighter.

     The room itself was enormous, probably the biggest room I had ever been inside, it was meant to make room for Draioct. Along the wall there was a large opening that led to the balcony, making it easier for him to get directly into the room. Most rooms and buildings had something similar so people could interact with their dragons. The sides of the castle were full of balconies making it look like branches on a tree. Draioct had left earlier in the morning, presumably to go hunting so I hopped into his eyes to see what he was up to. He was currently circling high in the air over a group of deer in the forest. He was waiting for them to make their way into a clearing so he could shoot downward and grab one of them up.

"Good morning Adam." his eyes glancing from the deer for an instant, and back towards the castle zeroing onto my balcony.

"Good morning Dree. I am going to make some rounds through the base and take care of some logistics today. Are you still planning the trip to the other shrine?"

     He was again focusing on the deer as it finally made its way into the clearing. He shot downward, folding his wings back as the wind began whistling past at a magnificent rate, the sound becoming so loud it was almost deafening. He closed the gap between himself and the deer within seconds, smoothly lifting the deer from the ground and heading back into the air. With his full concentration no longer needed he returned his attention to me.

"Yes. We have not met a single water dragon and I am beginning to worry. I can feel a force pulling me to the location. It is similar to you locating me, only without the line. I will head there today and see what I can find. I'll be sure to stay in touch."

     I nodded my head in agreement and smiled at his reassurance, he could feel my hesitance to be separated from him. I made my way back from the window and further into the room where I dressed and got ready for the day. A sense of pride and accomplishment always filled me when I put on my armor and crest. We were doing the right thing here. I decided it would be a good idea to get down to the training area to check on the troops.

*****

     An hour later I was in the Blacksmithing area where Jack was currently giving a class to some of the newest members, we needed people making weapons and armor for the large army we now had. The new members that wanted to help would be taught to work the forges and make everything from simple pieces to the larger weapons.

"Good morning Commander"

     Jack said as I entered the forge, the group in training immediately jumping up and coming to attention as I entered the room. I saw as some of the troops eyes went wide in surprise. The base had grown so quickly I was no longer greeting members in person. Most of these people I had never seen before.

     I had not wanted the members to act like a formal military, and told them to be more casual, but there was no swaying them. They all took to calling me Commander and had organized themselves, by creating a rank structure, with me at the top. I was actually surprised at how well the forces solved these issues on their own, issues I hadn't thought of myself. I silently thanked the members who joined and brought some structure to Retribution, which was something I don't think I could have done alone.

     The title did however put me on edge. Three months ago I was a Blacksmith's apprentice, and now I am the Commander of more than ten thousand soldiers. I've never even led another person, now I am expected to lead an entire army. I motioned a second time for them to relax and found my way over to a bench in the back where I could sit and watch the training. I watched them for a while as Jack taught them the essentials they needed, and then moved on to the next stop in my rounds.

     I walked through as much of the base as I could, checking every nook and cranny for any weakness, making notes to myself. I would pass people in the streets and was always greeted with a now standard greeting of "Good morning Commander". They would smile and stare as I walked by, almost as if they were expecting me to do something amazing.

     As I walked I couldn't help but admire the workmanship of the base. In most of the locations painstaking detail was being added such as tiled floors and paved roads. I felt the warm breeze as I walked below a large arch across two buildings. I stopped to admire the ornate carvings of dragons and soldiers in the pillars of the arch. The work was intricate and beautiful.

     Out of the corner of my eye I saw a young man about my age peaking at me around the corner to my left. After a couple of minutes I couldn't take it any longer and spoke to him.

"Hello my friend. Is there something I can help you with?"

     I followed up with my friendliest smile in hopes of not frightening him.

     His eyes went wide for a moment before he hesitantly stepped out from behind the wall.

"You could see me back there huh?"

     I nodded my head and again smiled as he made his way over in front of me.

"What's your name?"

"It is Hanley Commander. I am the one who designed and built these arches across the city. I was staring because I was trying to see what you thought of them. You have been staring at this one for some time now."

     I laughed out loud for a moment as his face became quizzical, him clearly not understanding where I found humor in his worry.

"I am sorry Hanley. I am not laughing at your work. It is truly wonderful. I was laughing because you were unaware of how amazing it is. Trust me you have nothing to worry over. You have done an amazing job."

     He smiled proudly and you could see the worry roll off his back and a new confidence set in.

"Well thank you Sir. I tried very hard."

"You are most welcome. Where did you learn to carve this well?"

     He looked at me quizzically before the understanding set in.

"I am sorry Commander. I didn't carves these. I can control the Earth element, so I simply created these."

     Now it was my turn to be surprised. I couldn't help myself as I glanced back at the arch. Taking in the detail in awe.

"I have never seen someone control an element with such precision."

"Well thank you Sir, it was nothing. I just figured that a cause as noble as yours should have a nice location."

"Well I thank you Hanley. If I ever happen to find some free time, I will seek you out to see if I can learn a thing or two."

     He smiled proudly once again before we said our goodbyes and I continued my cruise through the castle.

     After moving through the base I made my way up to the top of the castle. I had setup my own training area on top. I would occasionally meet with Mr. Holbrook for lessons, but mostly trained alone. I practiced summoning flames and electricity and sparring with my weapon. I didn't move any earth elements in fear of damaging the castles roof, but everything else was constantly worked. I had begun to incorporate some weight lifting and cardio into my training. I knew that I need to be as prepared as possible for whatever the future held.

     I had finished my training for the day and was sitting at my desk atop the castle, going over the base design yet again as was my new obsession. I had the base drawn up onto a map by one of our members. I could then sit atop the castle and see the entire layout. I would play out mock battles within my head, looking for any weakness in design that the enemy could find. Suddenly I felt his presence on the outskirts of my mind, yet something was different.