“There, that should do it,” John said, wiping the mud on his hand.

  As soon as he finished it, the system showed him just how durable it was.

  Drying Rack (Common) — Capacity: 12 food items. Effect: Food dries over time. Preserved food lasts longer. Slightly smoky flavor bonus.

  Ooh, that sounds good, John thought to himself.

  Woodcraft (+10): lvl 3 (95 / 200)

  “What do you think?” John said, slightly smacking the frame, which thankfully did not wobble.

  Luna just nodded, clearly pleased.

  “All right. Let’s test this out.”

  Taking the cluster of berries and mushrooms, of which he had 20—more than enough for his drying rack—he hung 12 of them along the rack. The campfire nearby had just enough smoke to keep the insects away and spread heat evenly across the fruit and mushrooms. Slowly but surely, they began to darken.

  Luna, tempted by the smell of fruit and vegetables, tried leaping up to snatch one of them, but she was too small.

  “Not now, Luna,” John said, chuckling. “You’re going to have to wait for those. Are you still hungry?”

  Luna growled playfully.

  “All right, all right. I guess I had much more than I thought. Here.”

  John gave Luna some of the extra berries he had and ate a handful himself, leaving him with 18 food stores, 12 of them preserved.

  Companion Bond (+5): lvl 1 (55 / 100)

  And now that he had finished his drying rack recipe, he had finished his quest.

  Objective Complete: Winter Is Coming

  Rewards:

  +25 XP

  Woven Basket (Common)

  The simple basket appeared in his hands as the quest disappeared. His homestead also grew in response to his achievement.

  [ HOMESTEAD ]

  Name: Meadowreach Homestead

  Tier: Common

  Homestead: lvl 1 (55 / 100 XP)

  — CONDITION —

  Structural Integrity: 30 / 100

  Insulation: 30 / 100

  Weather Resistance: 15 / 100

  Storage Capacity: 12 / 100

  Land Stability: 15 / 100

  — STATUS —

  Wood Stores: 11

  Food Stores: 18

  Snow Load: None

  Perimeter Activity: Unknown

  — PASSIVES —

  Crude Shelter — Your camp now offers basic protection from wind and cold.

  Windbreak Barrier — Wind impact is reduced around the tent area.

  Raised Foundation — Ground moisture no longer seeps into your sleeping area.

  Wooden Floor — Sleeping comfort improved and warmth retained at night.

  Woodpile Rack — Wood drying improves and prevents rot.

  Drying Rack — Capacity: 12 Food Items. Effect: Food dries over time. Preserved food lasts longer. Slight smoky flavor bonus.

  “That’ll make gathering a lot easier,” John said, placing it down. As soon as he did, Luna leaped into the basket, curling herself into it. “Or maybe carrying you,” John said with a smile.

  Because he had completed his quest, his character level increased to level three, which he could hardly believe.

  Level (+25): 3 (15 / 200)

  He could hardly believe his eyes.

  As for his latest Focus Point, which he gained from leveling up, he decided to spend it on his Hearth focus.

  Hearth (+1): Campfire longevity and rest recovery increased.

  The system obliged, and his fire, instead of dwindling out, continued blazing along, almost as if it had received a splash of gasoline.

  “Oh, that’s nice,” John said, extending his hands, which were feeling a bit chilly from the wintry cold air.

  John was so immersed in all of his improvements that it took him a few seconds to realize Luna had bolted away.

  “Luna?” John said, turning around as he caught Luna dashing into the forest behind him.

  She did not look afraid or nervous. Or maybe she was spooked by the increase in the fire?

  But no, that could not be.

  “Luna, wait!” John said, calling out for her.

  Thankfully, her bright, crystal-like essence was easy to follow in the dark green foliage. But she was rather fast, and he had to push himself to keep up after her.

  Does she want to play hide-and-seek or something? John thought to himself, curious as he followed her yipping and howling.

  “Luna!” he cried out, a little out of breath since he was not the fittest, even though he was becoming slightly leaner with each day. “Luna, we can gather more food in just a minute!”

  But John came to a stop. Before him was the portal arch that he had found days earlier. Luna was there, standing before the warp-like portal.

  But she was not alone.

  It was the strange, sad elf he had seen the previous night in his dreams.

  John’s heart froze as her golden eyes met his.

  “Hi,” he said awkwardly, raising one hand high in a semi-wave.

  Luna was not so awkward. She immediately ran up, her crystalline tail wagging as she tried to jump into her arms.

  The elf’s sad composure broke, and she knelt to pet the crystalline wolf pup. Luna absolutely loved it and fell on her back to be rubbed by the enchanting elf.

  John just stood there, watching, not knowing what to say.

  When he could bear the silence no longer, he tried to speak.

  “I’m John,” he said, realizing his hand was still in the air. He placed it firmly in his pockets, only to realize he still slightly smelled of BO.

  I should have showered. I should have bathed this morning. She probably is repulsed.

  The elf turned to look at him, a thread of her golden hair covering part of her eyes and intertwined with berries. Her lips parted as she stood to her feet, which Luna was not super happy about, as she wanted to continue being rubbed. The elf wore a strange stone necklace that looked crystalline in its material and translucent, though white in its color. She touched it, causing it to glow right in the middle of her throat, which was like a slender ivory tower.

  “Hello, John,” the elf said, surprising John that she could speak his language. “My name is Kaelin.”

  “Kaelin,” John said out loud, before blushing at how awkward he sounded. “How can you understand me?”

  Kaelin tapped the necklace again, this time causing the magic inside to go out. She then spoke in a language he did not understand.

  When he frowned, she pressed it again.

  “It helps me to speak your language, and for you to understand me. It’s a fairly common device here.”

  “Oh,” John said, as if that was completely normal.

  Kaelin looked past John to glimpse his homestead, which was slightly within view through the dense trees, before her eyes returned to John.

  She nodded slightly in approval.

  “I see you learning quickly here.”

  John rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m trying to,” he said, not really knowing how to carry on a conversation.

  And then, just like in her dream, she asked a question he did not know how to answer.

  “Why are you here, John?”

  John’s face became beet red as he tried to know what to say. It was so hard to focus with how she looked and the curve of her pointy ears. He began feeling even more awkward that he did not know how to speak.

  Kaelin gave a slight grin that she did her best to hide.

  “My world,” he finally said, “found your world through science. They’ve given us a chance to come and explore and settle here.”

  “You’re not the first that I’ve seen,” she said, which John could not tell if there was any hostility in those words or not.

  “Is it okay that I do?” he found himself asking. “Settle, I mean.”

  Kaelin gave a small frown.

  “You already did.”

  “Oh, right,” John said, swaying on his feet. Did that mean she was upset? It was always hard to tell with women. Not that he was any expert in the matter.

  Luna continued leaping up onto her leg, asking for more attention. Kaelin happily obliged, kneeling again to rub her. As she did so, John could see the violin strapped over her back.

  “I heard you playing your violin last night,” John said, amazed at how unnatural he sounded.

  Kaelin nodded, not looking up at him.

  “It sounded sad. Are… are you okay?”

  This time, Kaelin did look up. In her eyes, which were purer than any gold he had ever seen, he could tell that she was very much not okay.

  “Do your people know about why our world is the way that it is?”

  “Uh, no, not that I can tell,” John said. “We just discovered it through portal science. And, well, our government encouraged settlers here to make a home.”

  “Hmm,” Kaelin said, grunting. “Perhaps you will not want to stay if you knew the reason for the quietness of our world.”

  “I don’t understand,” John said, frowning.

  “Tell me,” Kaelin said as she stood to her feet again, which Luna did not appreciate. “Does your world have cities? Civilized society?”

  “Uh, yeah,” John said, nodding.

  “I figured,” Kaelin said. “My world used to be the same, but it is no longer. It was destroyed by magic. All that is left now are wanderers like me. Though there are pockets of civilization here and there in the occasional village. But most of us are picking up the pieces in this now very quiet world.”

  “Oh,” John said, feeling the heaviness of her words settle into his chest. “Well, if you need a place to stay, I’ve got a lot of fruit and berries, and I can cook up a mean fish stew.”

  John said the words too quickly.

  Kaelin slightly smiled. She looked as if she was about to make an excuse as to why she would have to leave again, but Luna howled and fully leaped into her arms, whom Kaelin caught gracefully.

  “And I think she likes you,” John added, hoping that would convince her.

  Kaelin, for the first time, fully smiled as she held the crystalline pup, who licked her.

  “You don’t have to stay very long if you don’t want to,” John added, trying not to pressure her.

  Kaelin finally looked back at John.

  “I have walked a long time,” she said, her words distant. She glanced back at the slowly becoming homestead that John had created. “Perhaps I will stay for a few days.”

  Luna howled with delight.

  “I’ll take that,” John said, smiling, feeling as bright as the sun inside.

  13

  4 WALLS + 2 FRIENDS

  John could hardly believe that he was following this pretty elf as they walked back together to his little homestead. He was immediately insecure about his smell and ragged appearance, and suddenly blushed at the idea of having to wash with her nearby.

  I’ll think about that later, John thought to himself, trying to keep his mind straight.

  Luna ran happily ahead of them, and Kaelin walked quietly beside him.

  “So,” John began, “how many elves and dwarves live here in Meadowreach?”

  Kaelin glanced over at him.

  “Not many,” she said. “Though almost everyone is pleasant to be around. Everyone’s been a lot kinder after the world ended.”

  “Oh, I see,” John said, not knowing how to follow up after that. “And where do you live? You said you wander, but where do you sleep and all that?”

  Kaelin gave a faint smile.

  “I can rest just about anywhere.”

  “Even without a tent?”

  “Yes, even without a tent,” she said, batting her eyes. “Though I don’t believe that’s the same for you.”

  John’s face reddened as they stepped out of the forest and into the sprawling meadow before his little homestead.

  Kaelin paused to take it all in, looking at his drying rack, woodpile rack, windbreak, log foundation, plank floor, and insulated tent. Luna ran around the homestead in circles as Kaelin surveyed his little cabin base, examining the stones and the cornerstones of the foundation, running her hands across the floorboards.

  “You’ve done a lot in so little time,” she said, sounding impressed. “Were you a builder in your previous world?”

  “Uh, not so much,” John said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’ve mostly got this through trial and error. Lots of errors.”

  Kaelin smiled, her eyes drifting to the campfire, which crackled warmly beside the foundation.

  “The next step is to build walls,” he said, walking closer to her, but not too close. “I’ve never made walls before, and it honestly sounds a bit intimidating.”

  “It’s not too bad,” Kaelin said with a shrug.

  John laughed. “It might be simple enough for an elf, but for me, it’s all brand new. I feel like I’m underwater most of the time.”

  “It doesn’t look that way,” Kaelin said, looking back to all of his hard work. Her eyes briefly lingered on Luna, who dove back into the stream, clearly enthused at having Kaelin’s presence.

  “Have you built walls before then?”

  Kaelin nodded. “It’s one of the easiest things to do.”

  Though John had a feeling she did not strictly mean the walls of a building.

  “I need to get some more wood for building the walls. If you want to join me?” he asked, his voice a bit too high.

  “I can do that,” Kaelin said with a gentle nod.

  “Good,” John said, trying to keep his voice steady.

  John could barely keep his mind together as he grabbed his axe. The three of them walked back out to the forest again to begin the process of chopping down trees. He kept his mind straight as best he could by focusing on the amount of wood he would need for building the walls, which would be 24 logs and 8 bark.

  Kaelin seemed to know this already, however, as she began gathering bark while he started chopping wood.

  They were mostly silent as John chopped and she gathered, while Luna chased sparkling fairies that danced nearby.

  He was slightly grateful for the quietness, as he was even more conscious of his axe-swinging methods and even more hyper-aware each time he made a mistake, which she pretended not to notice as she went to and fro carrying the bark.

  And to his surprise, after he would chop down a log, she would easily carry it back.

  “You really know your way around woodcraft,” John said, thankful for her help.

  Kaelin gave a faint smile.

  “When civilization collapses, everyone has to learn their way around everything.”

  John paused, not sure how to respond.

  “And I have a bit of magical assistance,” she added, looking at the glowing whisps coming from her hands. Was that making it lighter? It certainly looked that way.

  Toward his twelfth log, John was beginning to grow a bit exhausted as the time flew by. Perhaps realizing this, Kaelin pulled out her violin and began playing a steady rhythmic melody, the sound vibrating both through the logs and through John. Strangely, as he chopped, his rhythm became stronger, and the wood fibers loosened as he swung, causing the logs to split cleaner and more quickly.

  “That’s a really useful violin,” he said, his shirt completely drenched in sweat.

  “Do you not know that magic and music are the same?” she asked, not in a patronizing way, but in a curious way.

  “I guess not,” John said, smiling. “I have a lot to learn about your world.”

  “And as do I for yours,” she said, flashing her brilliant white teeth.

  With Kaelin’s help, he chopped 24 logs much faster than he had ever thought possible, especially with the music helping the entire time. He increased his Woodcraft skill rapidly as a result, along with the amount of calluses on his hands, which he did not think could multiply so much.

  Woodcraft (+120): lvl 4 (15 / 250)

  Woodcraft lvl 4 Unlocked

  Boards sit flush. Walls creak less in the wind. Repairs restore more strength as your growing skill allows wood to fit together more cleanly.

  John’s personal level also increased thanks to his Woodcraft leveling up.

  Level: 3 (40 / 200)

  Once they dragged all the wood back to the log cabin foundation, the real work was to begin.

  “It’ll be best to start with notching the logs,” Kaelin said, running her hand softly over the pine as Luna jumped onto the log stack as if it were some pile of sticks.

  “Doesn’t sound too bad,” John said, trying to keep his sweaty plaid shirt from sticking too much to him. Thankfully, the cold wind was settling in as the day dragged on.

  He was nervous as he swept the dirt and loose bark off the foundation floor, but he felt more confident as she helped him roll the first log beside the foundation. She then marked the corners using charcoal before guiding him into chopping a half-moon notch into the log with his axe.

  Kaelin knelt beside him, adjusting his grip.

  “Angle the blade this way. That way it lets the wood split.”

  John was very aware of how her hands touched his for a moment before he tried it again.

  This time, the notch fit.

  She lifted the log with him, surprisingly keeping it upright, and together they slid it onto the foundation. The log settled into place with a deep wooden thunk.

  To test it out, Luna immediately jumped on top of the log, balancing proudly. John panicked for a moment, fearing that it was not load-bearing yet, but it did not collapse.

  “I think she approves of your architecture,” Kaelin said, grinning at the wolf.