[NR] A Metal Pipe, Scarecrow, And A Bamboo Cage - Chapter 564 (Patreon)

Back with Jason, the clearing had gone through some changes. When the first building had been put up, it was more rough than refined and he wanted that to change. While they had been using it as a place to sleep, none of them liked to. The ground was only flat-ish and the walls were more log cabin than a wooden house. Which, to be fair, is pretty damn good for their situation.

However, Jason could do better. This wasn’t some historical reenactment simulation. They had mystical powers, internet guides, and nearly unlimited supplies if they didn’t mind waiting a little. In particular, there was the clay deposit, which would allow even a wood building to be made much sturdier, let alone if he turned it into bricks.

The first step? Marking out where their homes would be and then digging out the cellars. This served two purposes. Most important was the fact that a proper cellar would provide a great place to store food. Though right behind it is that it provides a buffer between the ground and the living area. Not the most important thing irl, but when there are potentially giant worm monsters and other underground threats, not living directly on the ground has some benefits.

Not that you can’t mitigate such threats. In fact, such monsters are pretty rare in inhabited areas as they require conditions that aren’t the most conducive to building a town. However, this was the Deep Wilds and you never know what might pop up. Though going too far isn’t good either.

Some might try to make a treehouse or at least put their homes up on stilts. Though as that came to mind, Jason couldn’t help but laugh as he remembered some accounts he had come across for that exact sort of thing. Honestly, the stilts idea isn’t the worst, it is just that the supports are a major vulnerability when monsters are around. In fact, it was used effectively in a number of places to house miners if the resource they’re after is worth the danger.

But the treehouse thing? Jason was sure there were more creative ways to seek death out in the Deep Wilds. Mind you, this is referring to the classic, build a structure in a tree, type of tree house. If you’re capable of making a tree into a house, you’re likely fine.

There was seemingly a never ending supply of stories warning against the things. From the most simple danger, of the tree eventually becoming a monster and deciding it didn’t want to wear your house anymore. To the more hilarious such as at least five reports of people being forced out of their homes by high-level bird monsters who decided they liked the pre-built “nests”. Jason was mostly sure many of the accounts were tall tales or retold duplicates, because at this point the dangers of a treehouse should be well known.

Though he does admit that more of the reports than he would prefer probably were still real, especially those involving his fellow gamers. The allure of a treehouse was too much for some of them, especially since they aren’t limited like in irl. When you can find trees stronger than steel and have spells that can keep the tree healthy, you’re pretty much set to build whatever you want.

Not to say that a house with a cellar was safe or anything. Jason had readily admitted this when suggesting it to the others. The difference is that it did the most to add a bit of warning to underground threats without adding a major weakness. Would it stop a giant worm? No, but when one gets into the cellar, you would know as any stealth they might have is for going through the ground, not a cellar wall.

Oh, and as he works on the foundations for the two houses, he also digs out the burnt area. Nothing seemed wrong with it and by this point, Jason was certain everything had been dealt with. He still wanted a pond though, and digging it up would allow him to remove any last doubts.

Back in town, things are actually going better than Courtney had expected. Sure, they needed to submit to a System backed truth spell to confirm what they had reported. However, after things were sorted out, the town gifted them a few useful trinkets. None of it was too exciting and to some degree, a cash reward would have been more useful. Still, a short section of brass pipe that can detect any parasites that pass through it was interesting.

On top of that, they received two other items, though both of those had a limited lifespan. One was an enchanted scarecrow, which filled the same role as a normal scarecrow, but magic. It only lasted a single growing season and so best used right after local crops would be harvested. This item was actually going to be more useful to the group than the town expected as Jason planned to plant a small farm. What the town had actually expected it to be used for, was rather to keep bird monsters away. The town normally didn’t have these lying around, it just happened that this year one of the farm plots was reduced to slag after an acid attack from a giant slug.

The other limited lifespan item was a captured willowisp in a bamboo cage. While it would provide a steady light source, the main use was to keep away wandering spirits. Inscribed on the bamboo slats were runes that invert the monster’s normal ability to mislead mortals into getting lost so that instead any spirits that try to approach get lost instead. And since this type of willowisp is formed from the most disjointed parts of what remains from those that die after getting lost? The actual monster only lasts a few months if unable to hunt.

All three are useful things to have. In particular, the last one was oddly useful despite the short lifespan. Though that comes down to how wandering spirits work. A proper building that has been lived in naturally repels weaker such spirits. This is because, on a conceptual level, houses repelled wandering spirits and such because they wouldn’t be wandering if they stayed in a house. So, even if the willowisp wouldn’t hold up long, it should be long enough for their house to become a home, as it were.