Glass Magic

Chapter 54

       Aw yes... The faces of horror while I quite literally flew in my team with no other way to get them all here in that time. It was amazing to see him glare at me because I really had thought it through. While he took his time making the passes we set up blueprints and split into two groups as there were three things being made.

      I openly made not only the glass for the greenhouse but the metal for everything that needed it. His glare hardened while I hummed, the greenhouse having everyone's attention today and done before he finished the passes. Quite annoyed him more. 

    Stars do I love how fast you can make greenhouses because that guaranteed at least one of the three in a day alone. And the odds that I could have the other two finished by the month went up.

        "I expected you to be building," Came the bitter voice while I paused in my running to find him staring out the window I stopped by, watching the progress they were making. 

       "I would be if I didn't have a routine to keep," I said with an extra beat in my breathing, "Though, I am currently going over how to increase our speed so we can work on the interior as well, not to mention I've come up with a lovely idea on how a system to water the plants magically," I smiled watching a woman called over another to help her lift the large titanium bar.

      "I hate to admit it but you're good at giving instructions," Glancing at the grump crossing his arms I smirked.

      "I'm a lead, just because I don't bark orders doesn't mean I can't lead others, why bark when explaining is more effective?" He looked at me from the corner of his eye, wanting to correct me but not being able too because my evidence was right in front of us working well. 

     "How much are you paying them?"

     "Silver coin each for the entire job,"

     "And they agreed?" Meeting his side eye I smiled and looked back at them.

      "You know, just because people are afraid of your grumpy self doesn't mean they're afraid of me, I actually know them and they're lovely people. I help them out from time to time and they do the same in return, dad drilled it into my head as a kid that making connections can make or break business," Falling back on the memory with a hum I chuckled as I shook my head.

     "You should try it, you'd be surprised by what a little kindness can do," I said while I jumped to a jog that slipping into a sprint leaving me to go over the time it should take to finish. The moment I finished my laps around the school I shifted my path to the forest. The uneven terrain having me moving my weight as my body leaned forward.

       My feet naturally finding a hold as I've gotten used to this part of my run. Pausing as I threw my legs over a fallen tree I looked around, no new claw marks anywhere. We had beasts in this forest but the one in this territory wasn't overly aggressive if you didn't strick first and kept your distance.

        Owlbears. Name's exactly what it sounds like. They were cousins to the griffins, which actually lived deeper in the forest, though, they couldn't fly. They were more bear and bird but their faces were that of owls.

        And ours slashed every other tree so those around her know to screw off. I haven't seen any new claw marks. Something wasn't right. Looking around I followed the freshest ones I found just in case as she had a cub I jogged, carefully watching my surroundings.

      Stopping as the worst case true I looked over the lifeless body, the large claw marks deep but not long enough to be dragon. Something with the strength to cut through her and the claws to back it up? Unfortunately, that meant there was a new owlbear, one that wasn't into slashing trees, so it had to be male.

    But males were smaller and rarely looked at a female outside of mating season in fear of piss her off. I guess she could have seen him in her territory and lost it, having a cub and all, but he'd be pretty badly injured if he won so he wouldn't have left the body. Rules out another owlbear. What else had the juice to down one?

     Cub. Right, where's her cub?

     Pushing off my knees I looked around knowing a cub wouldn't stray from its mother, dead or not, I approached a tree with little claw indents and looked up. There it was. Fluffy little thing. With a sigh, I grabbed a branch and started to climb knowing I couldn't leave it out here to starve.

     It shrieked at me when I got close leaving me to stare at it not knowing how I was going to get it down. It was young. Really young. Sighing again I pulled off my over shirt and nabbed it fast. With it wrapped in the shirt I carefully climbed down while I struggled to free itself. I didn't have the time to be gentle, I didn't know how long it had been up there and I doubt it's eaten much.

      Cradling the still struggling cub I summoned the dragon not wasting such fine materials while I pulled myself onto its back not wanting to risk it with running. It wasn't another owlbear and the only other thing I can think of that can cut into one that fine wasn't something that should be able to get in the barrier.

       Just what I need right now.