Chapter: 05

Ken-POV

The next morning Ken was in high spirits. They had decent food for now, clean drink and washing bins. He made a trip outside to do his business before burying the evidence, and washed up for a new day. Lapillus was small enough to literally bathe in the water basin, and I could rinse my hair. You just couldn’t stay in too long or it’d dissolve your skin and hair to purify the water.

The first thing on the agenda was remodeling after breakfast. Using his hands, he literally pulled out chunks of stone from the wall like an animal. Lapillus was sure proud when he showed her.

About five meters down the tunnel he dug in and within a matter of minutes he had a new doorway roughly cut out. He smoothed the edges and set to work tunneling further. They spent all that day and the next just digging and moving debris out of the way. He stored the extra stone in the old cavern as they went. When he had a seven foot tall passage a few feet wide, he continued for about twenty feet. Then he dug out a square chamber on his right creating a small room with the new water fountain. It was about five by five feet.

In a moment of brilliance, he created a short pedestal and made a water bowl in the shape of a toilet. If he used it, the crap would literally disappear like magic.

He made a towel rack and called the bathroom good for now. The next room over was larger, about fifteen feet long and with a big hollow rectangle against the far wall and a Regeneration bamboo circlet as a lamp on either bedside block table. The big rectangle, as you guessed was a bed frame. Using lengths of bamboo across the gap, it created a spring of sorts. Then he piled layers upon layers of leaves covered in long grass over the bamboo.

It wasn’t the best, but it was an upgrade from pallet on the floor. The hardest thing to build was the doors. He first made large hinges with his fingers, then he molded chunk after chunk of stone together until the door was complete. It wouldn’t have been possible to lift it otherwise, since it was a few inches thick.

For fun he added a regeneration rune on the inside of the door. He added another stone door at the main entrance behind the wooded one and put regenerative runes on both of those doors as well.

After that was done, he was mostly just smoothing out the walls making it feel more comfortable with more lights embedded in the main corridors. A full week passed before they realized they didn’t like eating like vegetarians.

The berries were nice, but they needed variance and more importantly… meat!

His second goal was simple. There was a stream, he had material and there was probably fish in there. He focused on weaving a large box with cone like entries, with a pokey interior. Put simply, large fish go in, fish get stuck inside alive. He carved rocks into each corner of the frame to hold it down and after a few last touches he set out for the first time in over a week.

They journeyed down the hill easily until they reached the creek, then they moved downstream until they found a fast current running out of a calm pool. The box took up over half the stream, but the water flowed passed fine and the rocks held it in place nicely.

They left it in place in high hopes as they searched for more useful plants. They journeyed almost a half mile down and around the valley bottom before the found anything of interest.

It was a nut bearing tree, acorns to be exact. They worked for a while unearthing a decent root to transplant. The nuts could be used for flour, and of course regular nuts.

Thankfully, their hopes weren’t totally useless and on the way back they encountered another plant called Doquilim pepper. A crescent shaped yellow pepper the size of his pinky. The flesh is mellow flavored and crisp, whereas the seeds were close in flavor and texture to the common table pepper. They picked the whole plant and on the way back checked the fish trap. It had been half a day already, and lucky for them they were rewarded. There were three two pound fish, but neither he nor Lapillus could identify them.

Their skin was brown with black flecks and the underbelly was a light blue. They looked too good to pass up, so they took them anyway.

They also took the fish trap just in case. When they got to the base, he made a planter box inside a small alcove for each plant inside the base, including the other herbs and the berry bush.

Each one had its one growth circle as well as a regeneration circle after they reached full size. This added to the lighting in the room thankfully, and he made a tall bar counter at the back to work at. He made a sink in the counter as well as a cutting space. He made some simple cups, plate’s bowls and utensils.

A small cupboard behind the table held everything dutifully as well as a few artistic swirls and accents. He crafted some stone stools to sit on for himself and a tall stool for Lapillus, though she usually ate on the counter anyway.

Near the entrance there was a wood box on one side and a bench on the other. A central fireplace sat at the middle of the room with an air duct straight above it. Benches sat on all sides made of stone, with back rests to them as well.

The chimney led out to a series of air ducts away from the doorway.

It took a lot of effort, and his imagination to form a series of sparks hot enough to start a fire going. The first fish they ate, he used a stone plate over the fire to grill the meat saving the bones and organs for bait the next day. He used some pepper and mint leaves ground into an acorn powder. It worked as a decent batter, and battered fish became the most popular meal.

They could only cook at night to avoid drawing attention with smoke, but it was still a better diet.

It took him a better part of another day to finish all the additions when something finally ruined his peace. The new iPods all had solar charging capability, so I was understandably distracted when it happened. The large acorn bearing grove outside his base was full of activity.

Birds sung, cosils fought over the acorns and a lone man knelt picking up acorns for dinner that night with one of his earbuds in. he wore clean clothes, although weather worn a little. His face was bright, and he bopped his head to the beat as he tried puzzling out weather he wanted to go on an expedition for some gourds or vegetable plants next.

His herb garden was already considerably larger. He had a variety of healthy plants, used in many things. Thistle was used as a wash for stings, boils, and poison ivy rash. Common evening primrose could be used in a common astringent wash when boiled. He also had a large juniper berry bush used for a strong antiseptic tea.

He yearned for something like salt though, and it was tempting to go looking for a natural deposit. He was sure there was one somewhere in these mountains. It was a staple for large animal’s health, and the few deer he saw all looked fat and happy. Maybe he should find a placed stash somewhere?

That was as far as his thoughts went, before an arrow buried itself in the tree next to his head.

“Put your hands up, where I can see ‘em now!” A girl’s voice rang out behind him, and the hairs on his neck rose sensing the danger he was in.

He complied, since he didn’t have much choice. He hadn’t gotten around to making any armor yet, so the only thing protecting him was a few layers of cloth. Light steps continued behind him until a person sauntered into view, another arrow nocked on a roughly made bow.

She was hot-… I mean she was dangerous! Ya, that’s what my brain thought when the blonde elven girl stepped into my vision.

“Uh, can I help you?” Stupid as I was, it seemed like a reasonable question.

A pink stone hanging on her neck indicated a translation, so hopefully it worked both ways.

“Where’s the rest of your group. Tell them to show themselves, or I’ll shoot. Where’s your camp at?” she fidgeted when I just stared at her dumbly. When I regained my wits about me, she had already kicked me in the head. I fell on my side groaning with an immediate headache. Wait! Oh, whew the headphones were fine.

“First of all… Ow that fucking hurt! Second of all, what the hell! I don’t have a camp, and I sure as hell don’t have a team. Do I look like there’s a group of assholes taking care of me?”

She looked at me, then her little necklace and then back as if she might have misinterpreted something. “Yes, actually you do.”

For the first time in the conversation I paid attention to her condition. There was mud covering half her body, random pelts covered up ripped portions of clothing and she had sticks in her hair like a crazy bird tried nesting there once.

“Huh, what the hell did you get in a fight with? You look h- I mean you look like shit.” I wasn’t really checking her out like a freak, but who said you couldn’t enjoy a good view if it literally walked up to you and kicked you in the head?

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say, seriously? And what do you mean, ‘I look like shit’. I should ask how you smell like you just took a shower with mint conditioner, washed your clothes daily and then ate a meal every night. Don’t think I can’t see the lack of bones. Look at me, I’ve lost like twenty pounds! Do you know what that’s like?”

“Erm no, but your body looks fine at least.”

“Excuse me! Do you want to be shot?”

“How is that even a question, everyone else but me wants to be shot. Hurry, they’re anywhere else but here.”

Uh oh, her face is turning red. I better say something nice before I die. “So um… how about a deal?”

The color in her face lessened just barely. “What kind of deal, you’re not getting away Scott free.”

“What if I said I could provide a clean drink of fruit juice, water or mint water? (Yes, he added another tap at the bar in the base, just for convenience sake.) Plus a warm, safe place to sleep with a good meal?”

“What the hell makes you think I’d believe that? The only safe houses are the log cabins, and we’re nowhere near any of them right now.”

“First of all, there’s plenty of proof around you. I grew all these acorn (oak) trees, the rest of my stuff is inside my cave.”

“… I don’t see how that’s possible, but say I gave you the benefit of the doubt. What’s to say you don’t kill me in my sleep?”

“I’m not the killing type. In fact, I haven’t killed anything beyond fish up till now. I don’t understand how anyone’s going hungry out here really. The land provides plenty of things, I just don’t know how you can be so oblivious. Did nobody read a survival manual at all before we came here?”

She gawked at me like I was a ten eyed devil with antlers, before she shook her head looking at my clothes. She lowered the bow and I slowly got up changing the channel on my iPod before turning it off.

“Fine, but anything fishy goes on, I’ll cut your throat.”

“Great! We’re having fish for dinner though, so that doesn’t count. Follow me.” I passed her and started walking uphill through the new grove of trees.

“Where are we going? I already scouted that hill earlier today.”

“Patience padawan, patience.” I took about thirty steps up the hill before stopping at my hidden doorstep.

“What the dickens is a Padawan.”

She didn’t finish her sentence as I swung open a grass covered door from the ground/wall. I took a few steps down into the deep green light before continuing past the second door. I called back over my shoulder as she stood rooted to one place.

“Lock the door when you come in would you? Thanks.”

Selene- POV

What the hell is going on here? I finally found a poor sod I could probably manage to kill on my own, when he offers me a ridiculous deal. Free food, drink, and a warm shelter? Who does this guy think he is?

Somehow I couldn’t pass it up though, so in the end I follow him for a minute when he grabs a random tuft of grass on the steep hill and opens a freaking door!

Not only that, there’s some sort of lighting going on inside. As the shock wears off I follow him inside, pulling the dead bolt over, locking the door firmly.

There’s a second door, made of stone! Holy crap, how’d this guy find this?

I continued forward and closing the heavy door behind me as well. When I turn to look at everything else in the room my brain almost fries then and there. Plants line the room’s walls, in deep alcoves full of green light.

There’s decent artwork over the edge of the ceiling and floors trim, going around the whole room. A hallway leads off to the left five meters in, and I notice another heavy door and two more mystery rooms as I pass the open doorway. In the middle of the room a fresh fire sizzles to life as the boy sweats briefly to produce a small flame.

The tinder catches and he throws on a few logs. Surprisingly, a little dragon variant slept peacefully on one of the benches surrounding the fireplace. Then he invites me over to a bar table at the back.

“Take your pick, we have stranglberries juice, mint water and regular water. What would you like while I wait for the pan to heat up? Oh, there’s fruit in the basket on the shelf if you want some. We make more each morning, since Lapillus mostly snacks on it while I work.”

“Y-you’re kidding me haha. How’d you know this was here? Where’d the fruit come from?”

She took a scoop from the dark blue bowl of fruit juice only to watch it refill in a mini whirlpool.

“Well… I made it. Well not all of it, this was a cave to begin with, but I carved it out and made it bearable.”

She looked around her in disbelief. Everything down to the utensils was carefully crafted. It would take days, possibly weeks for a group of mages to build this.

“Here, I’ll show you the bathroom. You can clean up before dinners ready.”

“A b-bathroom? You made a bathroom!”

He scratched his head nervously before walking away. “Yes, I didn’t like walking outside to dig a hole. Would you prefer that instead?”

“No! Gods no, it’s terrible. You can’t imagine what it’s like as a woman.” She practically screamed her reply beside his ear, before walking faster. Her face was turning a tone of red Ken thought impossible.

“Here we are, just um…ya don’t take too long I guess. The fish cooks fast.”

I walked into the bathroom closing a thin bamboo door behind me as I took stock. There was a basket of minty leaves by the sink, a basin of water to wash with, a pile of soft leaves to wipe with in a basket and a toilet. The seat even lifted up and down!

First of all, I used the throne to its full extent in the most comfort I’ve had in almost two weeks. Then I stripped down to rinse myself at the sink. There’s a drain in the floor, so I figure that’s why.

When I’m finished using my hands to comb my hair a little, I rub a little mint leaf over my body and dust off my clothes. I dress again, before walking back to the main room. I passed a large bedroom on my way, with a massive bed covered in straw and leaves.

When I reached the counter the man set out a fresh plate of steaming battered fish, some sort of salad, and a few fruits. My cup is already refilled.

It’s the best tasting food I have ever had. Heck, the juice was already rare on a normal day. They’re even classified as a magical herb, due to they’re difficulty to grow, mana content, and the time it takes for each fruit to mature. I was just finishing my meal when I realized there’s a new mat laid out by the fire for me to sleep on. I was so engrossed in my thoughts I didn’t realize he wasn’t even standing at the bar anymore. Deciding to head to bed, I made my way across the room holding my over-full belly.

When I lay down, I see the man trying to pry away a flask from the little dragon. I giggled a little and they both pause to look at me. Then they mutually agree to continue fighting until the man gives in and carries the dragon with him to his bedroom.

The door closes and I’m alone… again*sigh. Man… I’m the luckiest woman alive. *snore

Before she could even contemplate any of her recent decisions, the food finally kicked in and she fainted unknowingly.