Chapter 26 (Patreon)

“What’s the saying?” Winona asked, furrowing her eyebrows and staring at the fire. “That’s right! I know it’s like beating a dead horse, but you should talk to the villagers again.”

No one had attacked the fort during the night, and Flint wanted to enjoy his breakfast in peace, but Winona started on the subject again. He understood her concern, but it annoyed him that she wouldn’t just leave the matter alone.

“I’ve been thinking about it, Flint, and if the hill giant sensed magic flaring in the fort, others will have too. If the word gets around and they bump into a scouting party, things might get dangerous. Brownies can converse with hill giants, you know, and they sing for wine or spirits.”

“You’re not changing my mind, Winona,” Flint said, finishing his porridge.

“What about the shadows you spotted yesterday? I caught a glimpse of them too. The iron keeps me from cast magic through my hands and feet, but my eyes are still much more powerful than yours.”

“Don’t say that in Twylip’s earshot,” Flint commented, chuckling. “She’ll blindfold you with iron.”

“That girl is paranoid.”

“Well, you came here planning to trespass on her home ground. Can you blame her for not trusting you?”

Winona didn’t answer. Adam watched them talk, shovelling porridge into his mouth. He and Twylip had heard the rock throw the day before but had mistaken it for Flint taking down an unstable building. When he told them the truth of what happened, Adam’s face had paled. Twylip explained that they had heard terrifying tales of giants but never seen them in the village. Nothing dared brave the steep cliffs of Lea’s Slumber. They were almost-vertical drops and too smooth for handholds. The mountains beyond were just as bleak.

It gave the villagers their security, and they liked to believe threats like giants only existed in bedtime stories. When faced with the matter’, neither Twylip nor Adam didn’t know what to react. It urged them to help Flint complete his quests quicker. Besides the hope of usable skill stones, they too wanted to discover the [City Planning Table]’s purpose and abilities.

After breakfast, Maya and Bjorn returned to the wall. Since they still had plenty of meat, the dogs didn’t need to go hunting, and Adam no longer needed help by the inner defences either. Flint felt bad about Maya hanging around alone as well. He hoped as a pair, they’d keep each other company. Seeing two monstrous canines on the walls would hopefully deter invaders too. Bjorn was almost as big as a fae-touched wolf now, after all. Maya didn’t have the same height or width, but she was still larger than most dogs. Flint hoped that together they posed an imposing enough threat.

Adam parted ways with Flint and Winona at the dig site. Digging began as soon as the prisoner was secure. Flint went across the pass first, digging a two-foot-deep depression the size of the mote. One side of the slope was taller than the other, of course, so before going deeper, he started on the bridge. After a day of clearing rubble, he had enough stone for a decent arch bridge.

First, Flint created a pair of support beams at the halfway point. A single vertical slab would’ve been better, but Flint wanted an easily collapsible structure. After creating the columns, he used [Shape] to dig deeper around the columns. He occasionally used the ability to compress and reinforce the stone too. It would be a disaster if the structure collapsed due to instability.

Once the depression was ten feet deep, he expanded the deep hole on either side. Once again, he wished he had picked up an apprentice or had someone with enhanced strength or durability to help. Carrying the blocks out of the hole used more energy than creating them. On the bright side, Flint noticed that it was taking longer for him to tire out. He couldn’t tell whether his body had more to give or [Shape] had become more efficient, but it was a bonus either way. Now that he was no longer with the Iron Army, it was his most valuable ability as a builder.

By lunchtime, Flint’s arms wanted to fall out of their sockets. However, Twylip and Adam would need a method of crossing the gap without going to the trench’s unfinished narrow sides. So, he pushed on to form a temporary platform to help them cross.

Flint felt Winona’s eyes on him as he worked. It wasn’t just a stray feeling, but his empathic sense had gotten used to her. The information coming off her was much weaker than what he felt off the dogs and hounds, but it was still something. It didn’t matter though, most of what he detected was alien. Flint guessed as a high fae. Her mind worked differently from others. After all, magic was an ingrained element of her existence.

The lack of hostile intent reassured Flint. He knew for sure that Winona didn’t mean her harm. In fact, he could tell that even though she wasn’t happy as a prisoner, she felt better about it than fighting for the Wyld. Flint preferred not pushing the matter. At the same time, he didn’t know what to do about her. Keeping her prisoner forever wasn’t an option.

Sooner or later, he have no choice but to set her free. It was the right thing to do. However, he needed first to ensure that Winona wouldn’t sell them out straight away. Flint knew it was idealistic, but he couldn’t think of anything better. The thought of killing her or locking her in a box made Flint’s stomach turn. He wasn’t a soldier or a madman. Flint had killed several pucks in self-defence but never in cold blood. Pulling the crossbow’s trigger had gotten much harder ever since he fought one up close for the first time. Sensing their emotions and fear-filled them with dread. The last one had turned out even worse.

Flint was almost done with the bridge’s framework when Twylip and Adam appeared walking downhill. She was busy talking while the heavily bearded man listened intently. When the pair spotted Flint, they smiled, waving at him.

“By Lea’s upper hair lip, Flint!” Twylip swore, making the men laugh. “This is brilliant progress!”

“It’s not that much,” Flint replied, taking a moment to stretch his back. “I didn’t do much besides digging a deep hole.”

“It’s the Heartstone,” Winona said. “I reckon it increased your inner essence stores for completing the first objective.”

“How’s that possible?” Twylip asked. “Wouldn’t his skills need to gain rank to become more energy efficient?”

Winona didn’t answer, leading Flint to wonder whether it had anything with his fae heritage. He hadn’t opened up to his new friends about being a Woodson yet. After several fae almost trespassing on their lands, he didn’t know how they’d react to him being a Woodson. Most of the Iron Army’s soldiers had retracted their praise after discovering the truth. Flint worried it would be the same for him. He wondered whether his body passively absorbed the disk’s essence too. Once Flint got some alone time with Winona, he planned on asking her about it.

Flint placed stone along one side of the bridge’s skeleton and used [Bind] to attach them to the framework. It wasn’t much but enough for Twylip and Adam to cross the gap without climbing down into the trench. It wasn’t deep along the sides, but he still wanted it in an acceptable state. A familiar tug pulled on Flint as soon as he placed the last block. It was the Heartstone. He furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what it could be.

“Strange,” he said. “Did you already finish the garden, Twylip?”

She smiled, nodding. “We cleared away all the rubble, ground up the bones of everything you’ve killed, spread it and tilled the earth. Adam and I spent the last hour planting potatoes, carrots, and onions. Miss Lya promised me cuttings of her rosemary and berry bushes too. With my [Herbology] fuelling the growth, we should see returns by this time in the next lunar cycle.”

“That’s amazing!” Flint exclaimed. “I reckon the Heartstone considered my completing the bridge another requirement met! We’ve already completed one of the objectives!”

“Does that mean you might get another skill stone?” Twylip asked.

Flint nodded eagerly. He used [Shape] to detach Winona’s chains from its binding spot, handed them to Adam and rushed downhill. Twylip chased after him. Due to her heavier frame, she ran out of breath less than halfway to their destination but didn’t slow. Flint respected her drive and willpower. Most of the heavier soldiers and builders in the Iron Army were notorious for their lazy attitudes and refusal to push themselves. He considered it a shame Twylip never got the chance to enlist. She’d have made a brilliant career for herself with the right opportunities. It was good for Flint that she hadn’t, though. She didn’t have combat or building prowess but had already proven her worth twice over.

Once at the Heartstone, Flint pressed his hands to the structure and communed with it straight away. He once again found himself in the restored Sleeping Fort. The pedestal in front of him no longer had a book lying on it. Instead, it housed three skill stones. Flint held his breath as words appeared on the stone, labelling them.

[Agriculture]

[Alchemy]

[Enchanting]

Flint held his breath, rereading the labels. Agriculture would likely be essential in the distant future if they ever found someone interested in growing crops. However, they didn’t have enough open grounds in the fort to fill such a purpose. Besides, the garden and hunting were enough to feed five sets of mouths.

Meanwhile, [Alchemy] and [Enchanting] were both second-tier skill stones. The first would benefit Twylip. Combined with [Apothecary] and [Herbology], it would turn her into a source of valuable concoctions. Having access to alchemist-made bombs would make fighting larger forces much easier.

[Enchanting] was another exciting option. He wasn’t sure how it worked but guessed it was the source of enchanted weapons, armours, and tools. Flint had seen breastplates that shocked anyone that touched them, floating shields that rotated around their wielder and war hammers that left a chilling aura in their wake. He had no idea how it would function in his [Mind Node], but Flint wondered whether it would let him enchant bolts and increase their destructive capabilities.

After a moment’s thought, he decided against it. The class quest was bound to offer him something just as good. There was no guarantee of the life quest offering him [Alchemy] again. It was much too well-suited for Twylip. Flint had seen archer’s tie alchemist’s vials to their archers, firing them together for devastating effects. She could do the same for him when war knocked at their door. So, he made his decision.

“What did you get?” Twylip asked, wide-eyed, when Flint smiled at her.

“Do you swear to commit yourself to this fort’s interests?”

“My fellow villagers might not like me for my lineage, but there are still people up there who have shown me kindness.” Twylip stood tall, looking directly into Flint’s eyes. “As long as the fort’s interests include protecting the village that lies behind it, I’ll serve as its apothecary and alchemist.” She pressed a hand to the Heartstone. “I swear it to you on my life.”

Flint touched the stone monolith too. The runes flared, and the structure hummed. “If you ever break your promise, the [Alchemist] skill stone shall return to me. If I am no longer among the living, it shall pass onto any heirs or descendants I leave behind. Otherwise, [Alchemy] is for you to keep through life.” He’d seen life oaths several times before but never been part of one. A tingle ran down Flint’s spine before the structure’s glow ebbed.

Twylip slotted the stone into her [Mind Node] before the pair returned to camp for lunch. It was going to be a good day. Flint could feel it in his bones.