Chapter 8: WATER AND WALLS
Day two dawned grey and cold.
I woke to the sound of someone vomiting. Sofia, outside, retching up what little she'd eaten. Miles was with her, medic instincts engaged.
"Adjustment," he said when I approached. "Mental, not physical. Her power's been fighting city noise for years. Now there's silence. The body doesn't know how to process it."
"Will she be okay?"
"Give her time. Keep stress low. Let her adjust at her own pace."
Sofia wiped her mouth, embarrassed. "Sorry."
"Don't be. Miles says it's normal."
"It doesn't feel normal."
"Normal is what we make it here."
I left her with Miles and checked our water situation. We had maybe two bottles of clean water left. The purification system needed to be finished today. Not tomorrow. Today.
Ruth was already by the half-built system, examining our work from yesterday. "We need more seals. These are shot."
"Tom," I called. "Can you phase into the storage building? Look for sealed containers. Anything airtight."
He nodded and walked toward the building—then through its wall. Ten minutes later, he emerged with five containers. Ancient, but sealed. Inside: rubber gaskets, still flexible.
"Perfect. This is perfect." I held one up. "Ruth, how are you with fine assembly?"
She took the gasket. Her massive hands—capable of crushing steel—handled it delicately. "I can do precision. People assume strength means clumsy. I used to assemble circuit boards before they fired me."
"Then you're on seals. I'll handle the pump connection."
We worked through morning. The System guided me—showing stress points, weak connections, places where failure would occur. I reinforced them. Used CP carefully. Each point spent made the difference between functional and optimal.
Danny kept a small fire going, heating food—we'd found canned goods in Tom's scouting. Ancient. Probably unsafe. We ate them anyway and hoped Miles's medical training extended to food poisoning treatment.
By noon, the water system was assembled. Now came the test.
"Everyone back," I said. "If this fails, it could rupture. Pressure, chemical backflow, who knows."
They stepped back. I activated the pump—manual crank, no power needed. Water flowed from the river, through the first filter. Sediment collected, visible through the glass section Tom had found. Through the second filter. Chemical treatment. Third filter. Out the spout.
I collected a cup. The water was clear. Odorless.
[WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM: OPERATIONAL]
[QUALITY: POTABLE]
[DAILY CAPACITY: 50 GALLONS]
[INFRASTRUCTURE QUEST PROGRESS: 1/3 COMPLETE]
I drank. Everyone watched. The water tasted like minerals and metal but nothing biological. Clean.
"It works," I said.
Ruth grabbed the cup, drank. Passed it to Miles. Down the line. Everyone drank. We'd built something functional from garbage. First real victory.
"One down," Miles said. "Two to go."
"Roof next. Before the rain comes."
The roof was harder. The main building was fifty feet high. Skylights broken. Sections of metal sheeting peeled away by time and weather. We needed to patch it without falling to our deaths.
This is where Ruth's strength and Tom's phasing became essential.
Tom could walk along ceiling beams without falling—if he started to slip, he'd phase through. Safety net built into his power. Ruth could lift sheet metal that would take three normal people. I directed—the System showing me load-bearing points, where patches would hold, where they'd fail.
We worked for three days. Danny heated rivets with his hands. I held them in place while Ruth drove them home with a hammer. Tom scouted ahead, finding weak points. Miles managed the ground crew, ensuring materials were ready when needed.
Sofia watched from below, eyes closed, sensing our emotional states. "Marcus is worried about the western section," she'd call up. "Someone check it."
Her telepathy made her the coordinator. She knew what we needed before we asked.
On day four, it rained.
We huddled in the main hall and watched water hit our new roof. A few drips got through—our patches weren't perfect. But the hall stayed mostly dry. We'd done it. Shelter secured.
[INFRASTRUCTURE QUEST PROGRESS: 2/3 COMPLETE]
Danny whooped. Ruth smiled—actually smiled. Miles nodded approval. Tom looked surprised that something had worked.
"Food," I said. "Last component. We need sustainable food supply."
Our twelve dollars was gone. We'd bought more canned goods, more bread. But that wouldn't last. We needed to find food ourselves.
Miles knew hunting. He'd fashioned a trap from wire we'd found. Set it by the river. Two days later—rabbit. Sofia refused to be present for the kill, but she didn't complain when we ate it. Danny cooked it over his flames. We each got maybe two bites. It was delicious.
Tom found wild greens growing near the water. Miles confirmed they were safe. We added them to our meals. Not enough, but something.
On day six, I spent CP to establish a small garden plot. The System enhanced the soil, accelerated growth slightly. We planted seeds Miles had in his pack—survival preparedness. They'd sprout in two weeks. Produce in six.
[BASIC FOOD PRODUCTION ESTABLISHED]
[GARDEN PLOT ACTIVE]
[TRAPPING OPERATIONAL]
[FORAGING IDENTIFIED]
[INFRASTRUCTURE QUEST: COMPLETE]
[REWARDS: 200 EXP, 300 NP]
[CONSTRUCTION FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED]
[LEVEL UP!]
[YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 6]
The System flooded me with new information. Building menus. Infrastructure options. I could now construct actual structures, not just enhance salvage. It would cost CP—limited resource—but possible.
First week complete. We had water. Shelter. Food starting. Six people alive and functional. Twenty-one days left on Ruth's deadline.
That night, we ate our best meal yet. Rabbit, greens, bread we'd managed to bake in Danny's fire. Not much. But earned.
"So," Ruth said, looking at me across the fire. "Week one is done."
"Yeah."
"We're alive. We have water. Roof doesn't leak much. Food situation is sketchy but improving."
"That's accurate."
She was quiet for a moment. "I gave you a month. Week one exceeded expectations. Don't make me regret saying that."
"I won't."
Miles raised his cup of clean water. "To New Haven. May week two be half as productive."
We drank. Six people in a rusted building in the middle of nowhere. But we'd built something that worked.
The System hummed contentedly.
[NATION STATUS UPDATE]
Territory: 10.4 sq km
Population: 6
Infrastructure: Basic (Water, Shelter, Food)
Nation Tier: 1 (Settlement - Established)
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: RECRUIT YOUR NEXT CITIZENS]
[OBJECTIVE: POPULATION REACHES 10]
[REWARD: UNLOCK CITIZENSHIP SYSTEM, 500 EXP, BOND SLOT +1]
More people. Eventually. But not yet. First, we needed to be stable enough to support them.
I looked at the five people who'd followed me. Danny, checking the fire. Ruth, sharpening a piece of metal into a blade. Miles, organizing medical supplies. Tom, practicing phasing his hand. Sofia, eyes closed, face peaceful in a way it hadn't been in the city.
This is working. Against all odds, against all reason, this is actually working.
Tomorrow we'd keep building. But tonight, we'd earned rest.
Author's Note / Support the Story
Your Reviews and Power Stones help the story grow! They are the best way to support the series and help new readers find us.
Want to read ahead? Get instant access to more chapters by supporting me on Patreon. Choose your tier to skip the wait:
⚔️ Noble ($7): Read 10 chapters ahead of the public.
👑 Royal ($11): Read 17 chapters ahead of the public.
🏛️ Emperor ($17): Read 24 chapters ahead of the public.
Weekly Updates: New chapters are added every week. See the pinned "Schedule" post on Patreon for the full update calendar.
👉 Join here: patreon.com/Kingdom1Building