Kaelan stood outside his house, staring at the village. It had grown. Five houses stood around the clearing, including his own. Garka was fixing a fence. Lio was chopping firewood. Brunna was tending to some wild herbs, and Noka sat near the well, sharpening tools.
But something still felt... unfinished.
The system hadn't marked the village quest as done yet.
"SYSTEM," Kaelan muttered. "What's the deal?"
Quest: Build a Village
Progress: 4/5 Villagers
Note: Squirrels do not count.
Kaelan stared at the screen.
"Of course," he groaned. "Squirrels don't count."
The squirrel—still unnamed—perched nearby, munching on a nut like it owned the place.
Kaelan walked to Garka. "We need one more person. System says we're still one short."
Garka didn't look surprised. "Figures. You counting that squirrel again?"
"I tried," Kaelan admitted.
She smirked. "Want help finding someone?"
"Please."
They wandered past the edge of the village into the trees.
"Maybe check that old trail again," Garka said. "We found Noka there last time."
Kaelan nodded. "You think there's another person wandering around?"
"Only one way to find out."
They didn't walk long before they spotted a small figure ahead—green skin, messy hair, tired eyes. A goblin girl.
She flinched when she saw them but didn't run.
Kaelan stepped forward. "Hi there."
She didn't reply at first, just stared.
"You okay?" Garka asked.
The girl finally spoke. "Is this... a real village?"
Kaelan smiled. "Kind of. We're working on it."
"I'm Zira," she said softly. "Do you have space?"
Kaelan looked at Garka. "Think we can squeeze her in?"
Garka nodded. "One more won't hurt."
Back at the village, Lio gave Zira a blanket. Brunna gave her water and a biscuit. Noka said nothing but offered a small nod.
Zira looked overwhelmed. "Thank you... all of you."
Kaelan pointed to an empty house. "That one's yours."
Zira blinked. "You built all this?"
"Mostly," Kaelan said. "We all helped."
Main Quest Completed: A Village Begins
Reward: 2 Corn Seeds
The system chimed.
Kaelan reached into his inventory and pulled out the glowing seeds.
He grinned. "Now we're talking."
Garka leaned over his shoulder. "Corn?"
"Yep," Kaelan said. "Two magic ones."
The squirrel hopped onto a stump nearby, clearly unimpressed.
"Still doesn't count," Kaelan muttered.
That night, Kaelan sat with Garka by the fire. Lio told a joke that made Noka laugh for once. Brunna taught Zira how to wash herbs. The squirrel stole someone's bread and ran off with it.
Kaelan looked around. His village wasn't fancy, but it felt alive.
And complete.
At last.