Chapter 5: The Carpenter's Level and the Dead Bird
The afternoon sun began to mellow, turning the harsh white light into a warm, honey-colored haze.
Kael was shirtless now. He had hung his white button-down shirt on a tree branch because the work was getting serious.
The four foundation posts were set in the ground, standing like silent sentinels. Now, he needed to connect them with horizontal beams to create the frame for his floor.
"If the floor isn't level," Kael lectured the empty clearing, "then the walls won't be straight. And if the walls aren't straight, the roof falls on my head while I sleep. Geometry is unforgiving."
He walked over to his lumber pile. He selected four long, straight logs for the outer rim.
He didn't have heavy machinery, but he had his brain and his System. He needed to cut
"notches"—square grooves—into the ends of the logs so they would lock together with the posts, like giant puzzle pieces.
"I need precision tools," Kael decided. "The axe is too clumsy."
He closed his eyes, wiping sawdust from his chest.
'System, create: 1-Inch Wood Chisel. Logic: Hardened steel edge, shock-absorbing handle.'
[Cost: 3 Mana.]
'System, create: Wooden Mallet.'
[Cost: 2 Mana.]
'System, create: Spirit Level (24-inch). Logic: Yellow liquid, unbreakable vial.'
[Cost: 4 Mana.]
He held the yellow level up to the light. The bubble floated perfectly between the black lines. "Modern technology," he sighed happily. "Simple, but perfect."
He climbed up onto his makeshift stepladder (a stump) and set to work on the first post.
Tap. Tap. Scrape.
He placed the chisel against the ironwood. He tapped the back of the chisel with the mallet. A perfect curl of dark wood peeled away.
It was satisfying work. It required focus. He had to measure twice, cut once. He shaved away the wood, checking the depth with his thumb. The smell of fresh sawdust—sharp and earthy—filled his nose.
Time seemed to melt away. Tap. Tap. Scrape.
By the time the shadows stretched long across the grass, Kael had notched all four posts and the ends of the four long beams.
"Moment of truth," Kael grunted.
He used his pulley system again to hoist the first beam. He guided it over the notch in the post.
Thunk.
It slotted in with a heavy, solid sound. A perfect fit. No wobble.
He placed the Spirit Level on top of the beam. He held his breath as he watched the little bubble.
It settled dead center.
"Yes!" Kael pumped his fist in the air. "Perfectly level! Take that, nature!"
He finished assembling the outer square frame as twilight set in. It was a sturdy, heavy platform raised about two feet off the ground (to keep out moisture and bugs). It wasn't a house yet, but it was the skeleton of a home.
He sat on the edge of his new floor frame, his legs dangling over the side, feeling a profound sense of accomplishment.
Rustle.
Kael looked up. "You're back?"
The black cat—the Shadow Panther—stepped silently into the clearing.
But this time, it wasn't empty-handed. Or rather, empty-mouthed.
Dragged behind it, clamped firmly in its jaws, was a bird.
But calling it a "bird" was an understatement. It was the size of a large turkey, with feathers that looked like metallic blue steel and a beak that hooked sharply like a scimitar.
[System Analysis: Steel-Plumed Thunder Hawk (Level 10).]
(Note: A swift predator capable of diving at sound speed. Its feathers can cut through leather armor.)
The Panther dragged the heavy carcass to the foot of Kael's floor frame and dropped it with a wet thud.
It took two steps back, sat down, and looked at Kael with expectant yellow eyes. 'I bring tribute. Exchange for Spirit Meat?'
Kael stared at the dead bird.
"A gift?" Kael blinked. "You brought me... a dead bird?"
He chuckled softly. "My neighbor's cat used to do this. He'd bring dead mice to the doorstep. I guess feline instincts are the same in every universe."
He hopped down from the frame and approached the bird.
"Wow, this is a big one. Looks like some kind of giant hawk-turkey mix.
He reached out to touch the feathers.
The Shadow Panther flinched. 'Don't touch it! The feathers are razor sharp! You'll slice your hand off!'
Kael grabbed a handful of the metallic blue feathers and pulled.
Riiiip.
With a sound like tearing Velcro, Kael plucked the steel feathers out. His skin, toughened by the System and the Spirit Meat, didn't even register the sharp edges.
"These feathers are stiff," Kael noted, tossing them into a pile. "Might be good for fletching arrows later. Or maybe a quill pen."
The Shadow Panther watched, its eyes widening. The human was plucking Steel Plumes with his bare hands. The Panther had seen those feathers decapitate a goblin once.
"Well, kitty," Kael smiled at the cat. "Since you brought dinner, I'll cook it up. We can split it 50/50. Deal?"
The Panther didn't understand the words, but it understood the tone. The terrifying Monster-Lord was pleased.
Kael carried the heavy bird over to his fire pit.
"I need to dress this properly. System, create a Bucket of Hot Water to loosen the rest of these feathers."
As the fire crackled to life, illuminating the sturdy wooden frame of his future house and the strange pair—a human and a monster—sharing a meal, Kael felt that warm feeling in his chest again.
"I have a floor," he said, tossing a chunk of hawk meat to the cat. "And I have a dinner guest. Not a bad second day."
He looked at the cat chewing happily on the raw meat.
"I can't keep calling you 'Kitty' or 'Cat'. You need a name."
He looked at its sleek, black fur that seemed to absorb the light of the fire.
"Shadow? No, too edgy. Midnight? Too cliché."
He looked at the black stone he had dug up earlier, then back at the cat.
"Noir," Kael decided. "It means black in French. Sounds fancy, right? You look like a fancy cat."
The Shadow Panther—now named Noir—paused mid-chew. It looked up and let out a low, rumbling purr that vibrated in Kael's chest.
"Noir it is."
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