*The Chronicles of F.R.E.E. Earth's Knight - Ruth Watson* Part 2 - NARTHWICH

Chapter One - Reporting in

*Needham's POV*

I was starting to feel extremely overwhelmed and stressed.
The Mournstrike attack that happened almost a week ago took out most of the houses in the town. We had also lost a lot of residents. The happy, thriving town I had been working so hard to upkeep during my years working for the Overseers, was now almost all but destroyed. It's occupants were much slower as they struggled to rebuild while mourning our dead. It's been the worst disaster I've experienced in the whole 30 years I've been here.
Although the Mournstrike hadn't physically thrown anyone this time, its footing had broken through houses into the basements where people had taken refuge. I could hear their blood curdling screams of terror from my hiding place in the barracks.
I looked out of the window down to the high street of the town and a sad smile stretched my lips. I could see people helping each other with their duties. Assisting with lifting the timber if someone was struggling, comforting each other with their losses and even sharing food. It made me feel very proud that I was in charge of such a wonderful community. I should ask for a pay rise!
The sound of my phone ringing made me jump. If she was ringing me, it must be important. Didn't she know I have enough on my plate at the moment?!
I took a deep breath, picked up the phone and pressed the answer call button.
"Good morning, Asuna." I tried to force my voice to sound happy and carefree like it always does.
"Needham," Asuna replied curtly in greeting.
Asuna is my boss. She was in charge of the Overseers but I had never met her.
Everything was done very remotely and secretively in this company. I remember first hearing about the role. A woman in her mid 40's approached me randomly in the street and handed me a slip of paper with a date and a time, as well as an address. Apparently, they had hand picked me for the job and the slip of paper held the details of my interview. Even that had been held in secrecy. I hadn't been allowed to tell my family or friends of what I was interviewing for nor that I had an interview at all. I had been sent to a huge building in the outskirts of my home town on Realm 3, Rulid. The interview was taken over telephone conversation through a mobile phone, the mobile I still had to this day. I had then been sent a parcel a week later with a watch and a letter congratulating me on becoming part of the organisation, The Overseers. The watch was very technical. Even though I am now fifty five years of age, it gave everyone else a mirage of how I looked in my mid teens. That way, I didn't look out of place. It also allowed me to use the portal back and forth from Astrovia to HQ on Realm 8, Uistea. I don't know what the organisation is for nor who actually ran it. All I did know was what was expected of me - to run the city and oversee it's transformation and growth as well as how the residents responded.
"You haven't given your report this morning..." Asuna said with a void voice.
'Oh shit,' I thought. "I'm so sorry, Asuna," I struggled to hold my fake cheerfulness. "We had a Mournestrike come into the town last week. I've been busy rebuilding and organising the residents." My voice didn't keep its facade and trailed into a sad mumble towards the end.
"Ah," Asuna said. "Alright, I understand. How are the subjects holding up?"
I hated Asuna calling my residents 'subjects'. While this building-a-city lark may be an experiment, I didn't like that they took people from their home realms, without their permission, to carry out how they all differed from each other. There were much better, more humane, ways of testing those theories out.
"Err... struggling, but I can see them all working together and coping as one." I said, proudly.
"Hmmm. How many were lost?"
"We have counted 50 so far, but there are still more yet to be found in the destruction." I closed my eyes to stop the threatening tears from falling as I thought of the dead.
"Almost a quarter gone..." She sounded deep in thought. "Well, back to the reason I called you..."
I knew there had to be something. I rolled my eyes, but still gave her my full attention.
"... We are on the lookout for a weapon. A sword to be more precise."
"A sword?" I asked curiously, furrowing my brow.
"It's a large longsword. Very wide. Black in colour. It has a name of Dragonwrath etch-"
I blanched. "I know it!" I blurted out.
She paused, then spoke very carefully. "You know it?"
"Yes! One of our new residents found it just before the attack."
"Who?!" She suddenly became very stern.
"A girl. She travelled here from Atkinsons village about 2 months ago now."
"What's her name, you idiot?" She was suddenly very impatient.
"W-Watson." I stuttered.
"Excellent!" Seriously. I swear this woman is bipolar. "Very good work, Needham! Is she a member of the town guard yet?"
"Well, I didn't get that far as the Mournstrike-"
"Oh, yes, yes." She softened her voice. "Be sure to give her a high role of the Town Guard and keep a very close eye on her! I want daily reports-"
"Daily?!" I moaned.
"Yes, Needham! Daily! We need her in tip top condition! I am very pleased with you, Needham. Keep up the great work." And with that, she disconnected the phone call.
I stared at my phone. How in the hell was I going to fit a daily report in around all the other work that needed doing?!
I rubbed my forehead, I best go find Watson and give her the news. If she'll take it, that is. From what I've seen, Watson has been quite happy to sit back than go on the front lines since she came here. Not that I blame her, her and Goodwin looked like they had had a hell of a journey from Atkinsons village when I first met them. I didn't know the reason behind why they had left Ozryn, but I had a hunch that Atkinson had made life over there a living hell.
I have only ever spoken to Atkinson once, and that was during a conference call before we starting preparing for the new 'subjects' after the last ones had been sent home. This was his first time in a role like this, and I remember thinking when I first heard his voice - 'this guy sounds like trouble.'
His drooling voice sounded over confident, arrogant and bored. He sounded like he thought himself superior to the rest of us, who had been working here in Astrovia for decades. Even Moreno, who has been in charge of Swindmore for almost ten years, said she had taken an instant disliking to him when I spoke to her last.
To make things even worse, he was so thorough and punctual with his reports too. Like he was trying to show how useless and lazy us originals were. He didn't have to run towns as big as ours! He took over Ozryn after Baker got sacked for disregarding protocol and not instructing his residents to build up and grow stronger together. Instead, he left them to do what they wanted and just drank himself stupid while taking advantage of the girls. It made me sick!
I'm willing to bet my entire year's salary that Atkinson is doing the same!
I glanced back out of the window and took a double take. There she was! I flattened my face against the window to watch Watson come closer to the hall. What luck! She's coming to speak to me and I don't have to go looking for her.
I quickly left my room to meet her in the main hall.