The building I entered was quite an interesting construction. It greatly reminded me of the long houses constructed by the people at Apple Gate Farm, to the point that I wasn’t sure if I would be able to pick out large structural differences, but then, there were only so many ways one could build such large buildings with the simple materials and unrefined techniques both groups had access to. Wooden frames to carry the weight of the structure, beams, whatever insulating material they could get their hands on to keep the building warm, and, finally, some form of waterproofing, in this case, made with a mixture of mud and clay from the river. About as simple as wooden construction could be, but there was a reason why such techniques had served humanity for thousands of years: they worked. Maybe not as well as the modern techniques developed later, which was why those techniques had been developed in the first place, but this one worked and once the large, open space was created within the wooden hall, people could divvy off their individual or familial spaces with whatever material they had at hand, be it cloth or some old wooden boards or whatever. It didn’t make for truly private spaces, but it greatly lessened the need for heating, especially as the cooking area was in the centre of the large hall, and the simple oven gave off a good amount of heat.
My entrance into the structure wasn’t noticed right away; it took a moment for the first person to see me, and once they did, the realisation spread throughout the hall like a wave of silence and stares. It seemed that my earlier actions had been somewhat ill-advised. Intimidation could be quite useful, but it would always be feelings of resentment, even if these people wouldn’t act on them. At least not those who had seen me outside; they were well aware that I couldn’t be taken down by them, at least unless there was someone a lot more powerful than the rest hidden away. Still, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to return the resentment they felt, possibly with interest, though it looked like Luna had been on the ball and was trying to assuage the feelings I had hurt.
“Hello, Mother,” Luna greeted me. I only needed a moment to notice that she and a few people around her were completely dry, something usually impossible given the time I had been outside and the sheer amount of water her clothes would have absorbed. It wasn’t a terribly complicated riddle; I knew Water Magic could remove moisture from clothes, something I had done without really thinking about it when I entered the house, and it looked like Luna had trained herself to use simple Water Magic, possibly limited to the level used for chores at the moment. If so, I fully supported the idea and would try to add that level of ability with the other basic elements simply because those were so incredibly useful. Never needing a source of Water could be a lifesaver, as could the ability to generate warmth or start fires. Or maybe she already did so, so we would have to talk about it later.
“Luna,” I nodded. “Is there anything I should know?” I asked, curious if she had made any plans for us.
“Well, Mother, it seems that while these people are incredibly grateful for our help, they are unable to offer a proper reward. Even just a bed for the night is beyond their capacity, and their food is, as they described it, lacking,” she explained with a shrug and I quickly realised that I might be experiencing their retribution for my earlier intimidation. However, it was just as likely that they had extremely limited supplies and were trying to avoid cutting them even further so they wouldn’t suffer in the future. Both were possible, as was a combination of the two, and, sadly, there was fairly little I could do without resorting to outright robbery. Sure, I was powerful enough to simply decide on a suitable reward and take it, but doing so felt wrong.
“That is regrettable,” I admitted, taking a deep breath and almost choking on it, thanks to the stuffy air in the large house, “It appears we will have to make our own camp outside then and continue our travels once the storm has exhausted itself.”
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“It certainly sounds like that, yes,” Luna nodded again, and I decided that a little bit of retribution would serve these people right. Well, maybe not actual retribution, but a bit of pettiness could be just as grating, especially in the long term.
Without talking to any of them beyond a few nods and greetings, I walked right back out into the rain, Luna and Silva following behind me. Looking around for a moment, I decided on one of the open spaces right next to the wall I had made to keep the water slowly flooding the forest out of the fields and went to work. Luna channelled her own power, augmenting and replenishing me as I worked, allowing me to quickly transform the area into a simple dwelling despite my exhaustion.
“This won’t do,” I grumbled, looking at the plain box made of stone I had pulled up. There weren’t even any windows, just a few narrow openings right beneath the roof to allow for some circulation without allowing in any rain, but otherwise, the room was bare. A part of me wanted to call it pathetic, but given that I had raised a fairly sturdy wall right beforehand, I knew it wasn’t skill or power stopping me; it was simple exhaustion. Even Luna’s assistance wasn’t able to erase the strain from that, but a few hours of sleep would be enough to refresh me.
“Could you keep watch? I want to rest as soon as possible and make this something these people will only be able to envy,” I griped, noticing an amused grin on Luna’s face as I spoke.
“Certainly, Mother,” she replied, her grin deepening, “If you like, I could also begin to consecrate the area in Lady Hecate’s name; that way, these villagers won’t be able to tear this place down unless they want to earn Lady Hecate’s ire. I have a feeling She would be quite amused by it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of having the house I was planning to build be made into a shrine, similar to the one I had set up in New Dawn. It wasn’t outright malicious; it even gave them some very tangible benefits, but it would be incredibly galling to see such a place and know it wasn’t their achievement but somebody else's.
“I doubt the consecration could be stretched to include the wall, could it?” I chuckled, already knowing the answer. Lady Hecate’s domain was broad, with some very deep elements to it, but Walls and Architecture in general were not part of it. Which probably was for the best; I doubted a deity of Architecture and Building would be impressed by the constructions we had set up as Her shrines; they were marvels of magic and quite sturdy, but it was due to the magic that they stood, not any grand architectural achievements.
Soon, while my body was asleep, I found myself wandering a familiar, misty forest made of crystals and snow and started to wonder why I was dreaming about Neyto. Strangely, I was unable to identify which direction the village was in; it was almost as if there was something disorienting me within the mist. Not quite unlike the experience we had back on Mundus, in the valley of the bound titan, but here, in what might be a dream of mine, I was unable to use magic to regain my bearings, so I simply kept wandering, humming, singing and relaxing at the same time. For that, the peaceful forest was perfect; the air was clean, crisp and cold, the snow was pristine and untouched by any pollution, and nothing seemed to disturb the peace. Well, nothing but my singing, but that hardly counted.
Far too soon for my tastes, I was woken from my slumber by Luna, but given that I had asked her to do it, I couldn’t complain. Instead, I set to work and swiftly turned the simple, boxy building I had pulled from the earth into a proper dwelling. Two stories, just because I could, with a nice, slanted roof to keep out the rain and get rid of the snow, proper, sturdy walls and a few windows to enjoy the view. Internally, downstairs was a living room, still somewhat bare, a kitchen, a bath and a large room which would become the shrine and library, while the upstairs had a few rooms to be used as sleeping quarters, a second bath, again, just because I could and some rooms set aside for experimentation. It was, or rather it would be, quite cosy and, maybe more importantly, it was completely unlike anything these people could have built on their own, a testament to my powers and a giant middle finger pointing in their direction. It was glorious; maybe we could even get Lady Hecate to seal the building, or at least the area upstairs, to anyone but those deemed worthy by Her.
