The sun rose slowly. Kaelan rubbed his eyes and stretched. The ground was still hard, but at least he had a roof now. Garka had already left the house. Her side of the bed was cold.
He stood up, slipped on his boots, and walked outside. A small trail of smoke came from the center of the village.
Lio waved from the cooking pot. "Morning, chief! We've got soup."
Kaelan walked over. "Is it...mushroom again?"
Noka popped her head up. "Of course! Mushrooms are life."
He sat down, took a wooden bowl, and sipped the soup. "Still no salt, huh?"
"Salt's for fancy nobles," Brunna grinned. She was sharpening her blade. "We've got flavor from grit."
Kaelan chuckled. "One day, I'll trade a carrot for a whole sack of salt."
Zira and Garka returned from the forest. They were dragging a man behind them. He had messy brown hair, torn clothes, and smelled like he hadn't seen soap in months.
"Found this one hiding in a tree," Zira said.
Garka nodded. "Said his name is Fen. Bit weird."
Fen looked around. "You people live here? Willingly?"
Kaelan stood. "We build it. It's not much, but it's home. Want in?"
Fen shrugged. "Do you have food?"
"Mushroom soup," Noka said proudly.
Fen joined the circle. He drank the soup like it was gold. "Alright, I'm in. What do you need?"
System Notification New Villager: Fen (Job: Tinker) Village Population: 7/5 — Quest Complete!
Main Quest Complete: Found a Functioning Village Rewards: 100 EXP, 2 Stone Tools, Blueprint - Watchtower
Kaelan Leveled Up! Level 4 → 5
Kaelan blinked. The blueprint appeared in his hand like a folded paper. He grinned.
"Looks like we're building up. First watchtower!"
Brunna looked up from her blade. "Watchtower, huh? Expecting trouble?"
Kaelan shook his head. "No, but it's better to see trouble before it sees us."
Fen rubbed his chin. "I can help. I used to fix carts. I know a bit about wood."
Garka smiled. "Then you're in charge of the watchtower."
Fen blinked. "Wait, what?"
Kaelan laughed. "You'll be fine. We'll help. We're all figuring this out."
Later that day, they cleared a spot near the edge of the village. Kaelan placed the blueprint on the ground. A glowing outline formed.
"That's...pretty cool," Lio said.
Kaelan nodded. "Let's gather what we need. Logs, vines, stone."
The team split up. Brunna and Garka chopped trees. Noka and Zira gathered vines. Fen measured the area and drew lines in the dirt.
Kaelan used Earth Magic to level the ground. It was easier now—like the magic trusted him more.
By noon, they had a pile of supplies. Fen led the work. Kaelan and Garka lifted logs while Brunna hammered them in.
Zira watched the trees. "I don't like this silence. The forest is too quiet."
Kaelan wiped sweat from his brow. "We'll be ready."
That night, the frame of the watchtower stood tall. It wasn't finished, but it was a start.
They sat around the fire. Fen shared a weird story about a squirrel that stole his socks. Noka added one about a mushroom that moved on its own.
Garka rested beside Kaelan. "You're really doing it, you know. Building something."
Kaelan leaned back. "Yeah. Feels strange. Like I'm not just surviving. I'm...living."
She smiled. "You're not alone."
He glanced at the others. Lio was snoring with a bowl on his chest. Noka was drawing mushrooms in the dirt. Brunna kept her blade by her side, even while laughing.
Kaelan looked up at the stars. "Let's keep going. We'll make this place something real."
New Main Quest: Build the Watchtower (Progress: 40%) Bonus Objective: Defend from 1 Forest Threat (0/1)
Kaelan smirked. "Bring it on."