Chương 39: Built To Last

The words hovered above the hearth in bright, impossible clarity as they ate breakfast. [Quest Objective: Accommodate Guests Successfully.] They had now been home for about half a week, but this had only appeared the previous morning. One maddeningly broad instruction suspended above the same hearth where Kindle currently slept curled into a pale little knot. Roy tore a piece of bread in half.

"Kaelu and Kiana." Orion drank from his cup.

"You thought that yesterday."

"And then I confirmed they were coming." Aurelia smiled over the rim of her tea. Uncle said nothing; he simply lifted the kettle and refilled Roy's cup before Roy had decided whether he wanted more. Roy stared at it.

"Thank you."

"You looked troubled."

"That is not true." Orion raised one eyebrow; Roy ignored him. The cottage had changed noticeably over the past few days. Several plots now broke the once-damaged earth beyond the cottage, each prepared with increasing precision as Shale learned what Aurelia wanted from him. One of them had been mixed with Blackloam from Clover - a controlled test rather than the broad application Roy would have preferred. The barn was gone. In its place, tucked closer to the cottage, stood the new warehouse and receiving building.

It had taken one day - a fact that Roy was still not entirely sure how he felt about. His own transmutation had always made construction faster, but Aegis's Overcharge changed the scale of the ability. With materials already gathered, he could reduce days of work into hours. Now the next project waited outside - the waystation. The foundation area had been cleared and materials had been stacked nearby. All that was left was the building. Roy glanced toward the hearth again.

[Quest Objective: Accommodate Guests Successfully.] Aurelia followed his gaze.

"You know staring at it isn't going to make it tell you more."

"It could start." Orion leaned back in his chair.

"Or we could assume it means exactly what it says." Roy looked at him.

"Which is?"

"Accommodate guests." Roy frowned.

"That is subjective." Uncle topped off his own tea. Roy looked toward him.

"You are enjoying this."

"Immensely."

"Do you have an opinion?"

"On hospitality?"

"On what the quest means." Uncle considered.

"No." Roy stared while Uncle drank.

"That was useful."

"You are welcome." Aurelia leaned forward.

"What did Talia say again?" Roy sighed and set his bread down.

"Kaelu and Kiana left Bellhaven yesterday morning. They stayed outside town last night and resumed early today. Assuming nothing delayed them, they should arrive sometime soon."

"And everything Talia learned?" Roy nodded; that part mattered more. He had already repeated most of it once, but Aurelia had spent half of yesterday outside with Nimbus and Shale, Orion had been working on the agricultural plots, and Uncle had an irritating habit of asking for details only after everyone believed the conversation finished… So Roy started again.

"Kaelu is a timberwright. Very good one. I know how to use magic to build things, but that is not the same as knowing everything about building." Uncle's mouth twitched; Roy ignored that too.

"Kaelu and Kiana came from somewhere far away. Talia said their homeland uses different farming methods and building techniques. They saved for years to make the trip here because they thought they could establish themselves somewhere with more opportunity." Aurelia's expression softened.

"But Bellhaven's soil didn't work."

"Not for what they planned."

"And Kaelu can still make a living."

"Yes. Kiana's part is the problem." Orion folded his arms.

"What exactly did they expect?" Roy paused.

"That is the part we do not know. We know they expected her farming methods to be useful. We know they are not, at least not with Bellhaven's soil. We know Kaelu is making enough as a timberwright for them to survive."

"Survive," Aurelia repeated. Roy nodded.

"Talia said they are not starving. They are not homeless. They are just… stuck." Uncle refilled Aurelia's tea; she thanked him absently. Roy continued.

"They came here expecting to build something. Instead, Kaelu works and Kiana cannot really do what they crossed half the world for." Aurelia looked toward the window.

"That would be awful." Orion's expression remained cautious.

"It also does not mean they want to live here."

"No," Roy said.

"And Talia invited them anyway." Roy watched his brother. Orion had never accused Talia of doing something wrong, but that was not the concern. The concern was that the family had only recently decided they were building a settlement, and already strangers were arriving to see whether they might belong in it. Roy understood the caution, but he just did not share all of it.

"If the Blackloam works," Aurelia said, "then Kiana might actually be able to farm the way she wanted."

"Maybe," Roy confirmed.

"And Kaelu clearly has skills we need."

"Definitely." Orion looked between them.

"So your argument is that they are useful."

"My argument," Roy said, "is that we might have something they need, and they might have something we need."

"That sounds like Dorian." Aurelia tried not to smile. Uncle failed entirely. Roy pointed at Orion.

"That was insulting."

"You literally described a trade."

"That does not make me Dorian."

"No. You are much worse at pretending not to be excited." Roy leaned back as Aurelia laughed. The mood lightened, but only slightly. After a moment, Orion asked, "What could we actually offer?" Roy had already thought about that.

"Land." Aurelia nodded.

"Shelter?" Roy glanced toward the window.

"Soon." Orion followed his gaze toward the construction site.

"The waystation."

"That is partly why I want it finished."

"So they visit and immediately see a building designed to house future settlers."

"Yes."

"That is not subtle."

"I am not trying to trick them. We could give them a place to experiment. If Kiana can make her farming method work here, that matters whether they stay or not." Aurelia nodded quickly.

"And we already have the Blackloam test plot. I procured seeds too." Roy looked at her.

"You did?"

"Yesterday."

"What kind?"

"Corn, beans, squash." Roy blinked.

"When did you—""Shimmer." Of course. Orion looked toward Aurelia.

"You are assuming Kiana will want to plant immediately."

"She crossed half the world to farm."

"That is a fair point." Silence settled. Uncle drank tea, and Roy finally looked at him.

"You are being unusually quiet."

"I was told listening is polite when guests are being discussed before they arrive." Orion leaned forward.

"What do you think?" Uncle looked mildly surprised.

"About?"

"Kaelu and Kiana."

"I have never met them."

"That has not stopped you before."

"True," Uncle set his cup down.

"I think there is danger in deciding what people want before they tell you. You have decided they may want land. Aurelia has decided Kiana may want to farm immediately. Orion has decided they may be considering permanent settlement. They may want all of those things; or none. Perhaps they simply wish to see whether Talia exaggerated your dragons." A knock sounded at the door. Everyone turned as the door opened. Aegis stepped inside.

"I have returned." Roy looked past him. No blood, no carcass, and no indication that he had hunted anything at all. Aurelia immediately asked, "Was it wild?" Aegis looked offended.

"Yes."

"Not someone's?"

"No," Aegis exhaled through his nose.

"It was a boar." Orion stood.

"Good." Aegis glanced toward Roy.

"Your guests will arrive in approximately fifteen minutes." Roy froze.

"How do you know?"

"I saw them." Orion was already moving toward the door.

"I'll take Nimbus and deal with the boar behind the warehouse." Roy stared.

"You are leaving? Kiana may want to show us agricultural methods."

"Then Aurelia can handle it." Roy frowned.

"You do not want to see?" Orion stopped beside Aegis.

"Aurelia knows as much about our farming as I do, probably more after Bellhaven… And she is significantly less likely to make Kiana nervous." Roy glanced at his brother. Orion was tall, broad, and armed. He was also expressionless around strangers until given a reason not to be.

"That is fair."

"Call me if you need anything." Aegis opened the door again and Orion left. Aegis followed, and Uncle rose from the table.

"I believe that is my cue to become scarce." Roy looked at him.

"You are staying here."

"Yes, but this is your meeting. And I have already contributed by drinking tea." Aurelia stood.

"That is not contributing."

"I made more." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"That barely counts." Uncle smiled.

"Then I shall endeavor to improve by lunch." ─── 🐲🐲 ─── Kaelu and Kiana appeared at the edge of the cleared road not long after. The timberwright carried a travel pack over one shoulder and walked with the same posture Roy remembered from Bellhaven. Kiana walked beside him. She was a little shorter than Aurelia, dressed for travel, with dark hair pulled back and an expression that shifted between curiosity and uncertainty. Roy stepped forward.

"Kaelu." Kaelu nodded.

"Roy." His eyes moved over the cottage, then the warehouse and other buildings. Roy could almost hear the criticism forming.

"This is Aurelia," Roy said. Aurelia smiled.

"It's good to meet you." Kaelu gestured toward Kiana.

"My wife." Kiana offered a small smile.

"Kiana." Roy nodded toward the property.

"Talia sent me what she learned from you." Kaelu's expression tightened slightly.

"She writes quickly."

"She also underlined that she had not promised you anything." Kiana laughed - Kaelu looked away. Roy decided he liked her immediately.

"My suggestion," Roy continued, "is that I show Kaelu around while Aurelia shows you the Blackloam." Kiana's attention sharpened at once.

"That would be good." Kaelu looked toward her. Some silent exchange passed between them, then Kaelu nodded.

"Fine." Behind Roy, the cottage door opened as Uncle stepped outside. Kaelu noticed him immediately, and to Roy's surprise, seemed to relax. Uncle lifted one hand in greeting, and Kaelu returned the gesture. Uncle then continued toward the smaller cabin. Kaelu watched him go.

"Another resident?"

"Uncle." Kaelu looked at Roy.

"That is his name?"

"He goes by Uncle."

"That is strange."

"It feels less strange after several years. He helped us a lot when we were children. He travels constantly. Recently decided he may stay longer." Kaelu looked toward the half-prepared construction site.

"And the building?"

"The waystation," Roy pointed.

"We are adapting one of your schematics." That got his full attention.

"You are doing what?"

"Come on," Roy smiled.

"I'll show you." ─── 🐲🐲 ─── Kaelu criticized the cabin first.

"The roofline is wrong." Roy looked up.

"It keeps water out."

"How long has it survived?"

"Not long." Kaelu nodded.

"Exactly." Roy sighed, then they moved on. The warehouse fared better; Kaelu walked its perimeter, pressed at several joins, examined the roof support, then stood back.

"Better." Roy waited.

"But?"

"The drainage could be improved. Your support spacing is inconsistent. Whoever designed the interior favored access over load distribution."

"I designed it."

"I know." Roy frowned. Kaelu pointed toward one corner.

"If you fill that section heavily, the load shifts badly."

"I can reinforce it."" You can," Kaelu looked at him.

"Can anyone else?" Roy went quiet as Kaelu continued walking. The cottage surprised him most; he studied it for several minutes.

"This is the best structure here." Roy stared.

"The cottage? It was falling apart."

"Maintenance and design are not the same," Kaelu crouched near one of the older supports.

"This has been altered many times."

"It has." Kaelu stood.

"But the original structure was sound." Roy looked at the cottage differently.

"My grandfather built it." Kaelu nodded once.

"The craftsman should be proud." Roy blinked.

"It nearly collapsed."

"After how many years without proper maintenance?" Roy did not know.

"A long time."

"Then it did its job." They reached the waystation site. Aegis waited beside the materials in human form; Dark clothes and arms crossed.

"Aegis," Roy said.

"This is Kaelu." Aegis inclined his head; Kaelu did the same.

"I remember the name." Aegis's expression changed.

"From Bellhaven."

"Yes."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Kaelu considered him.

"No. I only heard enough to know people were frightened."

"And?"

"I also heard enough to know your family was threatened. I do not make a habit of judging what a person does to protect the people they love from stories told by the people who frightened them." Roy looked at him. There was reassurance in the statement, but not softness. Kaelu meant it. Aegis seemed to realize the same.

"Good." That was apparently enough. Roy clapped his hands once.

"Building." Kaelu looked toward the materials.

"Show me." Roy selected one of the smaller logs and placed a hand against it. Weave answered his Basic Transmutation as wood softened and shifted. Within moments, the log had become a detailed miniature structure. Kaelu stepped closer.

"This is the model that becomes the basis for everything else." Roy rotated it.

"Once I finalize this, Constructive Tapestry interprets it at full scale." Kaelu examined the miniature, then pointed.

"That wall is wrong." Roy paused.

"What?"

"Too thin."

"It does not need to be thicker."

"It does if someone repairs it without magic." Roy adjusted the model. Kaelu pointed again.

"That support is misplaced." Roy changed it.

"The roof pitch?"

"Too shallow."

"It is efficient."

"For material use, but bad in heavy snow." Roy stared; Kaelu stared back. Roy changed it. This continued for several minutes. Kaelu found problems almost as quickly as Roy corrected them. They were things Roy would have solved later with transmutation. A brace that did not need to exist if Roy could fuse two materials, or a support positioned for magical reinforcement instead of conventional repair. At first, Roy pushed back because some of the changes were less efficient.

"This requires more timber. I can accomplish the same support with less."

"You can."

"So why would I use more?" Kaelu looked at him.

"Because one day you may not be here." Roy stopped. The clearing seemed quieter, then Kaelu tapped the model.

"If that fails fifty years from now, who will repair it? If every building in your settlement requires your magic to understand, maintain, or repair, then you have not built a settlement… You have built a dependency." That hit harder than Roy expected. Every structure Roy had touched carried some version of the same problem. His abilities made him efficient, but they also let him ignore standards everyone else needed. A settlement that could not survive without Roy was not resilient. Roy looked down at the model.

"Again." Kaelu's eyebrows rose.

"What?"

"Show me what else is wrong." Something almost like approval appeared in Kaelu's face. He pointed, and Roy adjusted. Again; and again; and again. Eventually, Kaelu stopped finding faults. He turned the model in his hands.

"This is respectable." Roy exhaled.

"That sounded painful."

"It was," Kaelu handed it back.

"And maintainable." Roy set the model on the ground, then activated Constructive Tapestry. Golden Weave spread outward as lines formed in the air. Walls, supports, and doorways. The entire waystation appeared around them as a luminous skeletal structure. Kaelu took one involuntary step back. Roy smiled.

"That reaction is better." Kaelu ignored him. His eyes moved across the floating blueprint.

"You see all of this?"

"Yes."

"And quantities?" Roy nodded.

"Exact." Kaelu looked toward the material piles. He walked them once, then again.

"You have too many of those brackets." Roy checked the projected list. Kaelu pointed toward another pile.

"And those short braces." Roy checked again.

"How did you know?" Kaelu looked offended.

"I counted."

"No. You glanced."

"I have built houses longer than you have been able to read." Roy stared. Kaelu looked back at the glowing structure.

"Magic is useful." Roy laughed.

"That sounded almost generous."

"It was." Aegis stepped closer. Roy rolled his shoulders.

"Ready?" Aegis placed one hand against Roy's upper back, and Weave surged. The world sharpened as Roy activated the Overcharged Transmutation. The effect was not fast, but it was powerful. Timber lifted, stone shifted, and raw materials softened and separated as though some enormous invisible craftsman had taken hold of the site. Roy gritted his teeth as Golden Weave threaded through everything. Aegis's hand remained firm as the Overcharge poured through him minute after minute.

Kaelu stood utterly still as the first wall rose, then another. Roy could feel every transformation as sweat ran down his face. Aegis said quietly, "You are straining."

"I know."

"You can stop."

"No." Kaelu looked toward him. Roy forced another breath.

"Still think I don't need someone like you?" Kaelu's expression tightened.

"You are constructing a building in minutes."

"And making mistakes you caught in seconds." Another section locked together. Roy's knees trembled.

"I can do this," he swallowed.

"But I should not be the only person who knows how any of it works." Kaelu said nothing. Roy continued.

"I want to learn. Not just enough to use the magic better, but enough that someone else can learn from me someday." Kaelu's face gave nothing away. No answer came, but Kaelu did not look away as the waystation continued to rise. ─── 🐲🐲 ───"So the corn supports the beans." Kiana nodded.

"Yes." Aurelia crouched beside the prepared field.

"And the beans help the soil."

"Yes."

"And the squash covers the ground." Kiana smiled.

"You sound skeptical."

"I am trying to understand how no one told me this before." That made Kiana laugh. Aurelia liked her; that conclusion had formed quickly. She was quieter than Kaelu in a gentle way. She explained things without trying to make Aurelia feel foolish for not knowing them, and every time Aurelia asked a question, Kiana answered as though the question itself had value.

"The plants help each other," Kiana said. Aurelia looked over the Blackloam test plot.

"That seems obvious when you say it."

"Most useful things do after someone explains them." Aurelia smiled. Kiana knelt and rubbed the dark soil between her fingers.

"This is remarkable."

"The Blackloam?"

"Yes."

"Clover makes it from waste." Kiana looked at her.

"Waste. What kind?" Aurelia considered.

"You may not want the full answer while touching it." Kiana slowly brushed her hands together.

"Perhaps later." Aurelia laughed. Kiana looked back at the soil.

"If this behaves the way it seems, it could solve the problem."

"The Bellhaven soil?"

"The soil here too." Aurelia's excitement sharpened.

"You really think so?"

"I think we should test it." Aurelia grinned.

"I was hoping you would say that… Shale!" The Burrowback Drake lifted his head. Kiana froze, though not from fear. More like someone watching a tree stand up. Shale lumbered toward them, then Aurelia patted his neck.

"This is Shale." Kiana stared.

"He is enormous."

"He thinks he is small." Shale leaned into Aurelia, who staggered. Kiana covered a smile.

"Shale, new plot," Aurelia pointed. He understood immediately. The drake moved into the untouched ground. In minutes, he accomplished what would have taken people hours. Kiana watched with open amazement.

"He could prepare how much land in a day?" Aurelia considered.

"A lot."

"With enough seed and irrigation…" Kiana looked across the clearing.

"You could feed more people than Bellhaven." Aurelia laughed.

"That seems ambitious." Shale carved another row. Aurelia watched him proudly.

"We are still figuring out what all of them can do." Nimbus floated nearby. Aurelia waved.

"Nimbus!" The Cloudbelly Drake drifted over. Kiana's eyes widened again. Aurelia smiled.

"You will get used to this."

"I am not sure I want to."

"That sounds bad."

"No," Kiana shook her head.

"I mean I do not want it to stop being wonderful." Aurelia liked her even more after each statement. Nimbus misted the newly prepared soil while Kiana watched.

"You have irrigation that flies."

"Yes."

"That is unfair." Aurelia laughed. They then retrieved the seeds from the warehouse and begun planting. Corn first, then beans, then squash spaced around them. Kiana explained all the details of how deep and far apart, and why. Aurelia followed carefully. By midday, her knees ached. By early afternoon, dirt coated both of them nearly to the elbows. Still, they stood at the edge of the newly finished plot. Kiana smiled - not politely or cautiously - but fully. Aurelia felt something lift in her chest.

"You really think it can work." Kiana looked at the soil.

"Yes." Orion's voice carried across the clearing.

"Lunch!" Aurelia turned.

"What?" Kiana laughed.

"You lost track of time."

"I never lose track of meals."

"Apparently you do." Smoke rose near the central fire. Orion had already cooked part of the boar with bread sitting nearby. Uncle maintained the fire with the deep seriousness of someone whose only job had been to ensure it did not go out. Kiana hesitated.

"We should probably leave you to eat." Aurelia stared at her.

"No. You spent half the day planting food with me."

"That does not mean—""You are eating." Kiana opened her mouth. Aurelia pointed toward the fire.

"That is not negotiable." Kiana smiled.

"You are very forceful for a healer."

"So I have been told." They joined the others. Roy looked exhausted, Aegis looked fine, and Kaelu looked thoughtful. The waystation behind them now had walls, a roof, and rooms. Not finished, but unmistakably real. Aurelia stared.

"You built that?" Roy sat heavily near the fire.

"Mostly." Kaelu glanced at him.

"Incorrectly, several times." Roy pointed at him.

"And then correctly." Orion handed Aurelia a portion of roasted meat.

"Eat before you fall over." Kiana sat beside Kaelu. He looked at the dirt on her sleeves, then at her face. Something in his own expression softened. They ate, and for a while, conversation stayed simple. It was only after the small talk that Roy asked the obvious question.

"Well?" Kaelu chewed slowly. Kiana looked at Kaelu as he swallowed.

"It is impressive." Roy narrowed his eyes.

"That sounded like a merchant." Kiana smiled.

"The soil works." Kaelu glanced at her.

"We do not know that yet."

"We know it looks promising," Kiana leaned toward Aurelia.

"He enjoys precision when it is inconvenient."

"I have some of those, too." Roy looked offended; Orion continued eating. Kaelu sighed as Kiana smiled at him. His expression changed again, though only slightly. Aurelia could see he knew he was going to lose this argument eventually. Roy leaned back.

"The waystation can be fully finished tonight." Kaelu looked at him.

"That fast."

"With Aegis." Aegis nodded. Roy continued.

"You could stay there." Kaelu's face became guarded.

"We have decided nothing."

"I know."

"You are offering lodging." Roy paused.

"I am only inviting you to stay a few days." Kiana looked at Kaelu; Kaelu looked back. They said nothing. Aurelia watched the exchange; years together had apparently made words optional. Kaelu glanced toward the new field, then toward the half-finished waystation.

"We would need to discuss anything beyond that privately."

"Of course."

"And seeing one successful planting does not prove this place suits us." Roy nodded.

"I am aware." Kaelu studied him for another moment, then looked at Kiana. She smiled, and that seemed to settle it. Kaelu exhaled.

"A few days." Aurelia's face brightened, Roy tried to hide his relief, Orion remained carefully neutral, and Uncle simply smiled into his cup. Kaelu added, "To get a better feel for the place." Roy nodded.

"That is all I am asking." Above the cottage hearth, unseen from where they sat, the quest remained waiting. For now, so did everything else…But Kaelu and Kiana would stay.