Once they had finished eating, John and Kaelin dragged their things into the log cabin so that they could each sleep in the shelter for the night, with Kaelin sleeping next to Luna on the floor with her bedroll, while John lay just beneath the little window so he could see the stars as he journaled.

  “Thank you for all your help,” John said as she lay next to Luna, humming.

  And then, rather quietly, she responded.

  “Thank you for the distraction,” she said before tucking in next to the crystalline pup, who was already deeply asleep and snoring.

  Journaling (+5): lvl 1 (35 / 100)

  Kaelin, too, must have passed out rather quickly, as another soft snore added to the chorus coming from their direction.

  But John didn’t mind.

  If anything, the crackling fire, the gust of wind smacking against the log cabin but barely making it inside the home, all of it filled him with so much peace that he didn’t mind.

  And as his eyes closed in great expectation for the next day, his mind raced with how he could distract Kaelin for a little longer.

  16

  FEELS LIKE HOME

  The system was rather honest with its Hearthbound Comfort passive bonus. John really did sleep twenty-five percent better when he woke up indoors, slightly disoriented at first because he had slept so deeply, as if he had taken a whole bottle of NyQuil.

  For a moment, he half expected to feel cold air on his face, maybe the damp grass underneath his back, or the sudden sting of wind coming in through his insulated tent into his sleeping bag. But instead of that, there was just a perfect stillness.

  The blue glow of the fungal chandelier softly illuminated the cabin interior, mixing with the pale morning light that filtered through the small window just above him. Up above, he saw the strange, triangular, diamond-like birds fluttering about, chasing each other in the early morning.

  The log walls around him creaked quietly as the wind pressed against them, but inside the cabin was dry and calm, even without an indoor fire, which he hoped to build soon. The log cabin had retained most of its warmth, though he would still need to work on building a hearth and maybe a couple of blankets.

  Sitting up slowly in his sleeping bag, he could see Luna completely sprawled out next to Kaelin. She lay on her back, crystal paws in the air, slightly twitching.

  John had no idea how that looked comfortable.

  Next to her, still asleep in her bedroll and curled up in her cloak, with her violin resting beside her, was Kaelin. Her pale brow was stitched together with worry, as if she were having a bad dream.

  It gave John immense pleasure to know that she was resting, even with her troubled mind.

  Before he got up, he checked his stats to see how he was doing.

  Warmth: 60 / 100

  Stamina: 100 / 100

  Hunger: 50 / 100

  Hydration: 50 / 100

  That’s not too bad, John thought. Though he had a slight chill, it wasn’t anything too serious.

  Since Kaelin and Luna were in deep sleep, John decided to make them a nice breakfast. He had always wanted to cook for other people. He had just never really had anybody over.

  And the thought of it warmed him greatly.

  Being as quiet as possible, he grabbed his axe and fishing rod, slowly opened the door, and slipped outside.

  The early morning air bit him the moment he stepped out, with frost dusting the grass, sprawling meadows, the food drying rack, and his log rack.

  In the back of his mind, he knew the wintry weather was approaching, but at least for today, it was quite pleasant.

  His campfire before him was mostly embers, but they were still alive. He knelt carefully and fed it some dry twigs just to keep it going for now. He would need some more wood for breakfast, but it wasn’t anything too demanding.

  Before getting his day going, he made his way down to the gurgling stream and washed his face to wake himself up more. It felt like a slap in the face, though he kind of liked the cold, brisk shock.

  After hydrating and filling up his canteen, John did what was becoming increasingly familiar—chopping some wood.

  John startled a nest of fairies as he chopped down two logs further into the forest so as not to wake Kaelin and Luna. The fairies squeaked, casting glowing fairy dust everywhere as they dashed from the tree he had chopped down.

  “Sorry,” John said, cringing that he had frightened them.

  They looked at him with wide eyes but dashed off, their glowing essence trickling down to John’s face.

  It’s for a good cause, John told himself.

  Which it was.

  John quickly cut down the two logs thanks to his increased Woodcraft skill.

  Woodcraft (+10): lvl 4 (100 / 250)

  Dragging back the logs, he started another fire, causing a warm orange glow to spread in the ring and smoke to drift lazily upward between the pine branches and the nearby forest.

  Hearthcraft (+5): lvl 1 (70 / 100)

  John took a moment just to breathe in the smoke and smell the crackling fire. It never really got old. He loved how it permeated his clothes and constantly lingered with him.

  As the fire roared to life, John filled up his cooking pot with river water and set it over the metal grate to boil. For food, they mostly just had glow mint leaf, pulse cap spore fruit, wild meadow berries, and Songcap mushrooms. While those were great, he wanted to preserve as much as he could—at least twelve on the drying rack for the approaching winter storm.

  And if he was honest, what he had would not be enough to fill him. He needed something of substance.

  Like meat.

  John quietly went out to the nearby stream and fished. As he watched the lazy stream and the schools of fish darting beneath, he immediately yearned for Kaelin’s violin music to help make them more willing to be caught by his hook. It would have made the process a lot quicker and breakfast ready sooner.

  But thankfully, it didn’t take too long, as he quickly caught a Glassfin Minnow and two Emberfish.

  Fishing (+15): lvl 2 (5 / 150)

  Fishing Level 2 Upgrade — Steady Your Hands. Your timing improves on every pull, and small fish land more reliably. Increased chance of capturing larger and more magical fish.

  All John could think about was the smart fish he had caught when he had first arrived. Maybe he would get more of those and constantly become smarter.

  He hoped so.

  His character status also increased from the improvement in his fishing skills.

  Level: 3 (135 / 200)

  With his belly rumbling, he returned to the crackling fire, dispatched the fish, and tossed them into his boiling pot along with a pinch of glow mint leaf, some pulse cap spore fruit, and Songcap mushrooms, leaving him with fifteen food stores—plenty to last through any storm.

  Cooking (+10): lvl 2 (20 / 150)

  The glowing pot simmered before him, releasing a nice minty aroma that mixed with the wood smoke and the cold morning air.

  With a chuckle, John realized he was probably going to glow again, but he didn’t mind.

  As breakfast stewed in the pot, Luna was the first to wake up inside the cabin. He heard her first from her claws clicking softly on the wooden floor before she nudged the door open quietly to allow Kaelin to sleep.

  John quickly moved to close the door so that she wouldn’t wake as Luna slipped out. As he did, Luna did not appear as frightened of John’s presence as their trust had improved dramatically.

  Luna approached the fire before doing a dramatic stretch on all fours, extending herself as if she were a cat just waking up from a long nap—which in many ways she was kind of like one, even though she was a wolf pup.

  John couldn’t help but laugh and scratched her behind the ears.

  Luna shook her crystal fur, causing a clinking sound before curling up beside the campfire and watching the stew cook with wide, hungry eyes.

  “It’ll be ready in just a few minutes, okay?”

  As John stirred with his cooking stick, the door opened behind him. He turned to see Kaelin emerging, her blonde hair still somehow perfect. Even though it was a bit messy, it looked intentional. It didn’t detract from her beauty in any way.

  He smiled and blushed as he found himself staring again.

  Thankfully, she was rubbing her eyes and didn’t quite notice how long his gaze lingered as she stepped out into the morning light. She pulled her green cloak closer to herself as she stepped into the cold and sat next to Luna and very close to John.

  “I don’t have any coffee,” John said as he continued stirring. “But I’ve got some fish stew. I know it’s the only thing I can make, but it’s what we have for now.”

  Kaelin gave a weary smile, tucking one of her golden-blonde strands behind her elfin ear and revealing her soft neck.

  “It seems like you slept well,” she said, putting her hands close to the fire.

  “I did,” John said, nodding. “It’s strange. I slept even better than I did in my old world. And there I had air conditioning or a heater, depending on the weather, a plush mattress, and all the comforts I could ever need. But strangely here, my rest felt deep. And I haven’t even thought about coffee. I don’t know if that makes any sense.”

  A smile tugged at her lips.

  “It does,” she said, returning her eyes to the fire. Then, in a softer voice, she said, “I slept better, too. The cabin felt very calm.”

  “Even with Luna’s kicking?” John said, to which the crystal pup howled lightly.

  Kaelin’s white teeth flashed.

  “Yes,” she said, chuckling while scratching behind Luna’s head. “Even with that.”

  Once the stew was finished, the three of them shared their meal, mostly just enjoying the warmth and the fire as the cold front continued to grow.

  Companion Bond (+5): lvl 1 (75 / 100)

  Each of them must have been starving, for even though he had made a giant pot of the glowing stew—which caused all their skin to become light blue again—they drained it to the dregs.

  And though it was warm and cozy, Kaelin’s words reminded him of the brief amount of time he would have with her before she inevitably left again.

  “So,” she said, still holding her bowl in her hands even though it was empty, “what can I help you build before⁠—”

  She let the words linger, surprisingly not wanting to finish the sentence.

  “Let me think,” John said, swallowing the anxiousness he felt about her leaving. He stood to his feet, as did Kaelin and Luna, and he opened the door, examining it. John took a second to analyze it, much as he would with any spreadsheets back at the office. He had all the essentials so far—roof, walls, a window, a chandelier, a door.

  But as he looked, there was really nowhere to sit except the floor. Neither was there somewhere to place things.

  Or eat.

  It felt more temporary than anything. And that was a problem.

  The first thing that came to mind was having a dining table. While it was nice sitting by a fire, it would be even nicer inside a home with a hearth, a table, and some chairs.

  That would probably be the simplest thing.

  And as he dwelled on it, he received a quest to do just that.

  New Objective: Home Sweet Home

  Tasks:

  Build Cabin Table

  Wooden Chairs ×2

  Simple Bed Frame

  Moss Mattress

  Indoor Hearth

  “Ready to build a dining room table and a couple of chairs?” John asked.

  “Two chairs?” Kaelin said, raising a perfect brow.

  “Well, yeah,” John said, stuttering. “I figured—I mean—I don’t know when you’re leaving, but, you know, for our next meal, maybe if it takes too long we can have a place to eat.”

  Kaelin tried not to smile, though she failed. It filled John with joy.

  “It could also be for Luna, too,” she said, playing it off. Though John hoped it would not just be for Luna.

  Before they started, John pulled up the cabin table and the wooden chair recipes.

  Cabin Table Recipe:

  4 Logs

  6 Branches

  2 Bark

  2 Cordage

  Wooden Chair Recipe ×2:

  4 Logs

  8 Branches

  2 Bark

  2 Cordage

  “Do you want to divide and conquer?” John asked as he showed Kaelin the recipes.

  “As long as you’re okay with Luna following me,” she said, smiling.

  John mirrored her expression. “I’ll see you in just a bit.”

  John was extremely grateful for Kaelin’s assistance as she tackled getting all the branches, bark, and cordage. He would not have been able to do all of this so quickly if it had not been for her help.

  Even the log cabin would not exist without her aid.

  John took a good part of the morning to gather the eight logs needed, getting into a nice rhythm as he chopped down the required wood. This time, he didn’t scare any more fairies, but he did come across more deer and a couple of foxes, each with the unique branch-like veins that covered most of their fur. They watched him curiously, but they did not flee as they had when he first arrived.

  As he chopped, he heard Kaelin’s singing. To his surprise, her song was not sad but rather happy. He actually missed one of his swings, slicing the air and driving into the dirt from being distracted.

  “Keep it together, John,” he said, wiping the sweat off his brow, which instantly chilled from the cold wind.

  Woodcraft (+40): lvl 4 (140 / 250)

  Unsurprisingly, by the time he dragged back the logs, Kaelin was already finished gathering the branches, bark, and cordage needed.

  John found her and Luna sitting by the fire with all the supplies ready. She was having a conversation with the crystalline pup, unaware of John’s arrival.

  “You really want me to stay, don’t you?” she said, rubbing behind Luna’s ears.

  Luna whimpered, probably meaning yes.

  Their conversation ended as soon as Luna sniffed John’s arrival—hopefully because he smelled good and not because he was starting to smell sweaty again.

  Kaelin jumped to her feet, blushing slightly.

  “Have you ever built a table before?” she asked, though she probably already knew the answer and just wanted to clear the air with some small talk.

  “No, but I figured you probably have a good idea.”

  “I’m slightly skilled in it,” she said with a batting of her eyes.

  Though John had the recipe, which detailed how to do it exactly, he took her advice. Hers was much better than the simple instructions. They would use one of the logs for the table, splitting it to make a nice tabletop, while using the other three logs for legs and support, splitting as needed.

  The process was a bit awkward at first, trying to use his axe to split the first log into two beams. It would have been much easier if he had a table saw and then a jigsaw to help with the cutting process. As Kaelin and Luna watched, he missed a few times, feeling nervous and causing the log to shake.

  Luna didn’t seem to mind, chewing on extra bark strips that Kaelin had gathered.

  After some careful axe strokes and encouragement from Kaelin, he was able to split the logs in half into table planks.

  Kaelin, drawing a knife, helped smooth out the edges and the top.

  “It should allow our fish bowls not to spill,” she said, comparing the two halves side by side.

  “That’s what I’m aiming for,” he said, wiping the wood chips off his chest.

  They then split the remaining three logs into shorter sections, creating four legs and one central brace. After chopping them, because the logs were so thick, Kaelin shaved the bottom flats so they all stood evenly. Though, because this was his first time and he was still learning, one of the log legs ended up slightly shorter than the others.

  “It’ll give it a rustic charm,” Kaelin said, trying to encourage him.

  John rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

  Because John had somewhat advanced joinery skills and thanks to Kaelin’s cordage, they were able to create axe notches into the underside of the tabletop, insert the legs into those notches, and wrap cordage tightly around the joints.

  Both of them knelt together but a breath apart as they worked.

  John tried very much not to notice how sweet her breath was or how cherry red her lips were. It was everything he could do to just breathe normally.

  As they attached the legs in silence, Luna crawled underneath the table while they built it. They added the six branches diagonally between the legs to stabilize the structure and prevent wobbling, with Kaelin helping tighten it with cordage.

  Once it was done, it creaked slightly, but it held.

  Kaelin did the last part, adding the two bark sheets across the tabletop after she softened them with water to create a nice smooth surface and protect the wood from moisture.

  To John’s surprise, the table looked surprisingly nice. He even placed a bowl on top, and it didn’t roll.

  All he could imagine was having meals here with Kaelin, hopefully for a good length of time.

  Luna even jumped up onto the table, wagging her crystal tail.

  “Well, I guess it’s sturdy,” John said, grinning.

  They repeated their teamwork for the chairs, doing a similar process by cutting the first log into a seat block and a back support, and flattening them with the axe and Kaelin’s extra carving skills, which were rather impressive.

  “I used to carve instruments all the time,” Kaelin said as she whittled away one of the seat blocks.