Dominic left the couple, with most of the hunting dogs following.
The one who had been in their yard remained, along with one of the younger males. But after a few minutes, the second animal caught up to the group.
A low bark warned Dominic that there was game nearby, and Dominic crouched to follow Cutter through the woods without drawing too much attention.
A large group of Axbridge Antelope were in the clearing, oblivious to the danger around them.
Perfect for restocking the pantry.
[Arcane Blast] severed the spine of one of the larger males, and the others scattered, leaving Dominic to collect his prize.
It was good that he had gotten [Monstrous Strength] in spell gem form, to put in his Grimoire. Because the Antelope weighed close to two hundred fifty kilos, even after he had gutted it for the dogs to split the unwanted organs and offal among themselves.
"Alright, let’s go home." He informed Cutter, and turned toward the Manor.
He could check on his old home and the other houses later.
The dogs all followed him back, then lay down in the yard under the awning of the horse shelter, out of the direct sun.
"Lord Dominic, I see that you made new friends." Beth laughed as she saw Dominic covered in blood, carrying an antelope and followed by hunting dogs.
Alexis came out to see what the commotion was, and smiled at the sight of Dominic looking like a village huntsman.
"Legacy hunting dog who survived the battle. And her offspring, of course. They’re friendly enough, so we might as well keep them here in the Manor. They’ll help give warning of attacks.
They found the antelope for me today.
There is only one couple living in the woods, a Trollish Sorcerer, half human. Plus his human wife. She’s pregnant, but they don’t have any other kids yet. She says she’s a midwife, so I told her we’d help her if she needed anything.
The village will need cleaning, but there are enough houses left for us to get started.
The farms are also mostly intact. The houses were raided, but none of them were burned.
The land needs a lot of work to get going again, but I think that between myself and Pops, we can likely make enough farm equipment for the job by the end of the year." Dominic relayed.
"You were busy. The house is ready in all the essential areas. The first batch of food has been pulled from the garden so that the rotation can be restarted.
Jasmine took the tractor out to cut and bale the hay field for the goats, who seem happy in the barn. The door is open, but they’re mostly inside.
Tena wants a new wall around the garden to keep other wildlife away. Not that walls work on goats, but they should keep some of the rodent and pest population out of the garden.
We’ve been purging the house of mice, but the local cat is not cooperative. She doesn’t want to come inside." Alexis informed him.
Dominic laughed. Blink Cats didn’t eat mice.
"I will try to find some feral kittens in the village to be tamed as mousers." He offered.
"That will be good. But other than that, all we need now is a population to fill the property. How badly looted are the buildings?" Alexis asked.
"They’re not. At all.
There is a curse of some sort over the area that has scared everyone away. The soldiers in the village still have their weapons and equipment laying next to them.
The plates from the villagers’ last meal are still on the table, and the kettles on the stoves.
Once I have given everyone a proper burial, I think that the curse should break. Then, we might have to worry about looters, but by then, we should have everything of value stored away.
John will be busy, as two thirds of the village was burned. But the farms are good, and a third of the village is fully intact.
Overall, it’s better than anyone could have hoped." Dominic explained.
"Alright, come in for lunch, and you can have half the men to go start clearing the village after. Do you have a plan?" Alexis replied.
Dominic nodded. "I do. Think that a pair of mass graves and a memorial will be just what we need. If someone has magic for moving earth, it shouldn’t be too hard. Or, I can use the [Fieldstone Wall] spell to build a memorial crypt."
Beth nodded when he said that. "The crypt is the best option. Separate the bones into two chambers and leave it as a memorial to the battle so that nobody ever forgets what happened here. Graves flatten over time, and their stories are forgotten. But a well-built crypt will last centuries."
"Alright, then that is what I will do. With six of us, and a wagon or two, we should be able to collect all the bones and sort out the equipment that is still usable after a decade.
No, on second thought, we will put it all in the crypt. It’s a bit more dignified to settle the soldiers in uniform." Dominic agreed.
That also meant that they could use a few storage rings to pick everything up and then transfer it to the crypt. No need for sorting damaged gear, just cleanup.
Beth returned to the house, and then returned with a large copper push cart.
"Put the animal on there. There is a wet room for butchering that has a dumbwaiter that goes to the freezer. I will make a roast for dinner." She explained.
Dominic placed the animal on the cart, and then turned to walk around the side of the house.
"Where are you going?" Alexis asked.
"There is an outside shower for days . I will wash and change before I come back inside." Dominic explained.
"Someone follow him. I don’t recall seeing that anywhere on the list of house amenities." Alexis replied with a sigh.
Too many things were hidden around the house, only to be revealed by chance or by someone who knew what they were looking for.