Makami-jō Established

Construction beginning/end

Most of The Wolfpack still remained at the tournament or were out on daytime business, so Maxim gathered a retinue of only Tanahase Muramatsu, Elaine, Harukor, and Kitsuno for the construction of his first castle. Alice of Spades was already there when they arrived, sitting on a rock on a flat slab of land a few miles from Ago Manor. A pensive look crossed her face as she stared down at the blueprints.   "Why did it have to be a moat? That's going to be the most difficult part..."

Alice turned the blueprints this way and that. "And it looks like a Western castle designed by someone who's never seen one in person..."   At this, Muramatsu let out a small, embarrassed cough.   Alice locked eyes with their leader. "Are you sure you want me to make this, Maxim?"   "It's fine," the knight commander replied. "It's a place to call home, which we need. Muramatsu did his best, and that's good enough for me."   "Okay, if you're sure." She pored over the blueprints one last time before raising a hand and concentrating.   The ground shifted, cracked, and Maxim felt as though he was suddenly looking at the field from a long way away and as close as inches at the same time. Seconds ticked away in this bizarre, spatial purgatory before reality reasserted itself with a twang. There, where an open space had been just moments ago, was a huge stone castle in the Western style.   It looked just as Maxim had imagined it and Muramatsu's brush painted it. That is, except for the enormous glass clock face on the front gate. The hands were both pointing up and it tolled the hour as they watched. Twelve sonorous booms sounded out of the plain like a gong.   "Hm," Alice double checked the blueprints. "That wasn't in the plans."   "It's fine," Maxim said again, "It has a bit of your personality as well.   "It's lacking in a certain sense of style..." Kitsuno weighed in as expert in that particular field, "But it's grand enough in size that it'll do for now."   "Mhm," Maxim agreed, "It'll do just fine. Considering your the expert, Muramatsu, if you'd do the honor of naming the castle."   "Ah, right." Muramatsu patted the sides of his dusty black longcoat. "I had something written down." He found whatever he was looking for and peered at it a moment before speaking again. "Makami-jō."   The architect turned his paper around to show Maxim the characters. As he was under a spell which translated languages, however, the knight just saw "Makami-jō" scrawled on the parchment instead.   "You see, 真神, or Makami, is an archaic term for 'wolf,'" Muramatsu explained. "Given your attachment to the creatures, I thought it fitting."   Harukor nodded with a pleasant rumble. "It's a good name."   "Uwu," simpered Fritz.   "Agreed," Maxim felt a sense of rightness in the name which he seemed to share with his companions. "You have my thanks. I'll help with moving everyone after the tournament is done for the day."