Chapter 11 (Patreon)

Flint woke to the caress of dawn’s first rays. Over the past couple of weeks, he had gotten used to finding Maya cuddled up to him. He appreciated the additional warmth and was disappointed to find himself alone. Now, she stood by the [Totem of Healing], feasting on a monstrous chunk of meat with the fae-touched snow dog. He made plans to bury both corpses later in the day.

The idea of Maya eating fae-touched flesh didn’t sit right with Flint. He had never bothered to find out what made a beast fae-touched. He suspected it was their magic or something they fed their animal friends. The older builders often said fae-touched creatures eventually turned into war beasts, and he wasn’t keen on finding out whether they were right. However, he didn’t interrupt their meal. Maya had already eaten fae-touched flesh once and didn’t show any adverse effects. A second helping wouldn’t make too big a difference—or so he hoped. Besides, he didn’t want to risk taking the snowdog’s meal away.

When Flint was still a boy moving between the streets and the orphanages, he had befriended a young man from the frozen wastes in the north. Bjorn Johansson was a rough-natured apprentice baker and had tossed Flint several stale rolls before turning them into breadcrumbs for his master. So, to honour Bjorn, he named the snowdog after him.

Flint whistled when the two canines finished their meal. Maya spun around excitedly and kept running towards him with her tongue out and tail-wagging. Flint pushed her away when she tried to lick his face.

“Not with that bloody mouth, Maya.” He laughed, pointing at the pool. Maya’s smile disappeared, but her tail didn’t stop moving. She came at Flint again, and he shoved her harder. “No.” Amusement radiated through the empathic link. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

She relented after a two-minute standoff. Maya drank her fill, looked back at Flint for a moment before diving into the water. He knew what was coming and tried getting up and running. Unfortunately, Maya was much stronger than her. She’d consistently outpaced him in foot races, now with her physiology enhance. Shee was faster than before. Maya tackled Flint to the floor before he could get on his feet and then gave herself a good shake, spraying the area.

Flint wanted to be annoyed, but Maya’s expression and the joy he felt through the empathic link got in the way. He laughed and smiled, trying to wrestle her to the ground. It took a minute of struggling, but he finally got her down. Maya looked up at him with her big puppy eyes before licking his nose. Flint recognised it as an acceptance of defeat and released her.

A second wave of amusement reached Flint, and he turned his attention to Bjorn. The second he met the dog’s eyes, the stream of broadcasted emotion stopped. Bjorn bared his teeth at him, but Flint understood it was a warning and not a threat of violence. He was sure it would take a while for the dog to warm up to him, but he intended to add the beautiful creature to his pack. Flint wasn’t in love with Bjorn yet, but he believed [Kennel Master] was designed for such purposes. Turning the enemy’s hounds against them would shake the most powerful of fae mages.

When Flint approached Bjorn, his fluffy tail disappeared between his legs, and a rumbling sounded in his throat. Maya jumped in between them and barked, looking between the two of them.

“I just want to check his wounds and refill the water bowl,” Flint said, holding up his hands to show his palms were empty.

Maya trotted over to where Bjorn stood and pressed her front left paw to him. The snowdog stopped growling, but his tail remained between his legs.

“Thanks, girl.” Flint approached the pair slowly and knelt next to them.

Bjorn bared his teeth once again, but Maya swatted him with her paw. He calmed and let Flint approach. Scabs covered the puncture wound, and the burn marks were mostly gone. Bjorn wriggled away when he got closer, so the inspection didn’t last long. He’d gotten closer than expected, so Flint didn’t push it. Instead, he cut a slice off an apple and fed it to Maya.

Bjorn’s ears perked up, but he refused to look at the pair directly. Curiosity and gluttony intermingled with the fear as his emotions flared. Flint smiled to himself, cut a more significant piece and placed it on the ground near Bjorn. The snowdog peeked at it out of the corner of his eyes but didn’t snap it up straight away.

Sooner or later, Bjorn would need to reveal himself. Flint thought it too cruel to keep him tied up indefinitely, so he untied him. Bjorn got up and tried to run, but the left rear leg, the closest limb to the wound, buckled, and Bjorn fell on his face. The urge to run to the dog and help it bubbled up inside of Flint, but he pushed it down. After spending close to thirty years around dogs, Flint was sure Bjorn wouldn’t run away. He was hurt and nowhere to go. Even though Bjorn feared him, the intelligent snowdog understood that he wouldn’t survive in the wild.

Flint filled the stone bowl and placed it near the [Totem of Healing] along with more apple chunks. “We’re going to make Bjorn our friend, Maya,” he said. “Don’t go eating his treats, alright?”

She sniffed around an apple chunk and looked up at Flint with her big puppy dog eyes but didn’t make a move. Maya projected her understanding and wandered off into the ruins, uphill from where they had slept.

Once alone, Flint made quick plans for the day. Before he started on the life quest’s next objective, he needed to finish the stone shelter. If the Heartstone considered it a kennel too, it would give him another exciting ability. Besides the building projected, he wanted to dispose of the corpses before they turned and attracted carrion. So, he picked it as his first job of the day before bathing.

First, Flint explored the pass looking for a patch of soft ground. He found one more than halfway up the slope. It was close to the inner defensive wall. Due to the material’s softness, shaping blocks with it was a breeze, and he had a deep pit ready within half an hour. Then he wrapped the two bodies in his tarp and lugged them uphill using the rope. After Maya and Bjorn feasted on the monstrous chunks, the load was lighter than his tools, supplies, and cart. It took him a couple of hours to finish the bloody affair, and Flint bathed straight after.

The water in the natural well was ice cold, but it did an excellent job of washing viscera, two weeks of grime, and dirt off him. Among his travelling supplies, Flint had a small block of hard soap. He used it to lather himself from head to foot and dove into the water. Flint’s teeth chattered when he resurfaced, but he felt fresh for the first time in weeks.

While air-drying, Flint rinsed his clothes and the tarp using the same soap. The latter was easier to clean since the craftsman had used alchemical oils to make it waterproof. As a result, the blood and weeks of dirt didn’t get into the fabric and stick. Once done, he hung them from a nearby wall to dry and changed into fresh clothes.

Dawn had just transitioned into morning when Flint started on his building project. After some thought, he expanded the foundation, shaping four similar rectangles out of the ground. The blocks he had created were only enough for a wall four feet high. The back wall didn’t need as many bricks due to the incline, but he still ended up using more blocks than he would’ve liked. Instead of [Shaping] more out of the ground, he attacked the crumbling buildings around him. Flint compressed them into new solid blocks and added them to his new home.

Stacking the heavy blocks would’ve been enough for the Iron Army’s Building Division. The weight and close fit were usually enough. However, after facing the fae-touched bear and witnessing the Wyld’s war beasts in action, Flint didn’t want to take any risks. So, he used [Bind] to join the stones into singular pieces. Since the Building Division considered the energy a waste of energy, they didn’t allow its usage on the job, and Flint hadn’t gotten the opportunity to level it. At the first rank, it only had a three-foot-wide radius and took several applications to make the new structure look like a singular piece of stone.

It was noon by the time Flint finished. [Shaping] didn’t create dust, and even though he was sweaty, he wasn’t dirty. He was already exhausted, though. Flint dipped his head into the icy water to cool down quickly. He was starting on lunch when Maya returned, and he detected anger through the empathic link. When Flint spotted Bjorn peeking at him from behind a nearby building, Flint assumed the snowdog had done something to annoy her. Then a piercing headache pulsed through his head, and he saw the bear’s remains. It took a moment for him to get over the pain and blink away tears before he could focus on the dogs.

“I’m sorry, Maya,” he said. “We don’t know what the sylph had done to the bear. Its flesh was probably not safe and on the turn.”

She barked as if scolding him. Even though Flint found the act amusing, he didn’t want to encourage it, so he maintained his calm expression.

“No.” He kept the syllable short and his tone firm. Maya was getting bigger and stronger, but it was vital she remember who was in charge. Her bubbling emotions reminded Flint of when Maya had just reached adulthood. For a few months, she had decided she knew better than him. Maya would often turn a deaf ear to his commands or challenged them. Now, as she adapted to her new body and mind, it felt like much of the same. “I might be wrong, Maya, but until I’m sure we’re not taking the risk. No more fae-touched flesh for now.”

Maya’s tail dipped, and ears went flat. She whined, but Flint stood firm. Eventually, Maya diverted her eyes to the ground and lowered her head. Flint showed appreciation of her acceptance before sending her on her way.

The healing totem proved itself as a worthwhile investment. It hadn’t just healed most of Bjorn’s injuries, but Flint felt restored to full strength too. Despite the morning’s exertions, he was ready to continue building until sunset. Flint continued [Shaping] more building blocks while trying to figure out how the totems worked. The ability wanted to drain more strength from him. So, he hypothesised more energy would increase the totem’s potency. However, there was one question he had no way of currently answering.

Does [Totem of Healing] have a ceiling for how much energy it requires, or can it be fed endlessly?

Either way, the ability felt too good to be true. A structure that indefinitely emitted an aura was much too powerful. Flint guessed it was akin to [Reinforce]. The ability would eventually run out of power and stop. It was still an invaluable ability regardless.

Flint had heard stories of mages with auras that could heal multiple people at once, and the Iron Army paid an arm and a leg to recruit them. While auras lacked the potency of active abilities, they benefited every intended target in range. Having a structure capable of such feats would make siege and protection scenarios much more manageable.

As the hours passed and Flint's muscles got sore. He paused had a drink and a bite out of an apple. Within fifteen minutes, the discomfort would subside, and he'd have the strength to keep going.

Dusk was still an hour away when Flint decided he couldn't carry on any longer. Even though the totem provided physical restoration, it did nothing for mental fatigue. So, he whistled for Maya, asked her to fetch wood for a fire and called it a day.