It had been a few days since I named my sword Kazuma, and life at the cabin was starting to feel... stable. I never thought I'd say that about living in a mysterious forest filled with monsters, magical tattoos, and sentient skeletons, but here we were.
Borin and I stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing at our modest home base. The cabin stood proudly in the clearing, the smoke from our fire lazily drifting into the morning air. Kuro was sprawled out in the shade of a nearby tree, chewing on a stick like it was the world's tastiest bone.
"Alright lad" Borin said, arms crossed, beard glinting with morning dew. "We need to start thinkin' bigger."
"You want to build a castle now, Your Majesty?" I smirked.
He grunted. "Nay. But a forge, maybe a storage shed. A barn if we ever tame somethin' useful. Maybe even proper walls around the perimeter."
I nodded. He had a point. Our survival until now had been impressive, but it wouldn't take much to lose everything. A proper home base, one that could be defended and expanded upon, would change that.
Week 1: The Forge
The first thing Borin wanted, surprise, surprise, was a forge. He practically salivated when talking about it.
We began by clearing a space near the cabin, far enough not to catch fire but close enough to be practical. With Borin's knowledge and my magic-enhanced strength, we hauled large rocks from a nearby rocky outcrop. My wind magic, though still unpredictable, came in handy when I needed to lift and position heavier pieces. Borin taught me how to mix clay and sand into mortar, and we set the stones in place one by one. We made a chimney from scavenged bricks and reinforced it with a mud-clay mix. It wasn't pretty, but it was solid. By the end of the week, we had a working forge. Borin practically cried tears of joy when he lit it for the first time.
"I can finally make real tools" he said, eyes gleaming with excitement. "And maybe a better sword for ye one day."
I looked down at Kazuma. "You hear that, buddy? You've got competition."
A breeze rustled through the trees.
Week 2: Storage and Fencing
Once the forge was functional, the next logical step was storage. Our supplies, meat, herbs, tools, were scattered or piled in corners. We needed order.
We built a small shed adjacent to the cabin, using logs and reclaimed planks from the cart wreck. I carved shelves, boxes, and hooks using a hatchet and a lot of patience.
During this time, I started experimenting with wind magic to cut wood. At first, it resulted in splinters flying everywhere and a few singed eyebrows, but after a dozen tries, I was able to slice logs with a focused burst.
"That's downright useful, lad" Borin admitted. "Dangerous. But useful."
We also set up a basic fence. Nothing too tall, just enough to slow down charging beasts or give us a few seconds' warning. Wooden stakes, sharpened at the ends, were driven into the ground around the clearing. Kuro was not impressed. He jumped the fence whenever he pleased.
Week 3: Agriculture & Water System
Having a creek nearby was a blessing, but carrying water every day was tedious. So, we went ahead with our old idea: the wooden pipe system. Borin showed me how to hollow out logs using a heated rod and chisel. Once hollowed, we fitted them end-to-end in the ditch I had dug earlier, using leather wrappings and tar-like sap for sealing.
It worked.
Just like that and we had running water. With that solved, we expanded our farmland. A few patches of tilled soil near the cabin were planted with wild vegetables we had identified, roots, berries, even a few leafy greens. I tried channeling a small, controlled burst of wind magic to stir the soil. Surprisingly, it worked better than expected.
"We might make a farmer outta you yet" Borin said with a grin.
Kurokami promptly dug a hole in the new garden. I sighed.
Week 4: Expansion & Comfort
Now that the basics were in place, we focused on comfort. We expanded the cabin, added a second room, built proper beds with straw-filled mattresses and soft hides. Borin crafted chairs, and I made a table from an old tree stump. We fashioned lanterns using metal scrap and glass shards, with fire crystals from the dungeon embedded inside. They glowed faintly when tapped, perfect ambient lighting.
Borin even built a proper outhouse. "A dwarf's got standards" he declared.
I began painting. Nothing fancy, just markings, murals of the forest, Kuro, our adventures. It made the place feel like home.
Reflection each night, we sat by the fire. Kuro curled beside us. The stars above, the woods silent but for the occasional owl.
"We've built somethin' real here, lad" Borin said one night. "Most folks in the kingdoms wouldn't believe a human and a dwarf could do this."
"Most folks haven't met me" I replied with a smirk.
Borin chuckled, took a swig of his mushroom ale, and tossed a bone to Kurokami.
I stared at my arm. The tattoo shimmered faintly in the firelight.