Corporal Claws, queen of the sands and fuzziest of all Fischer’s companions—yes, including Cinnamon, thank you very much—lazed in her favorite new spot. Though it wasn’t her wooden perch atop the pond Fischer had made, the rooftop she lounged on was curved in such a way to make it the perfect place to catch morning rays.
The sun seed to beam down from every direction, bouncing off the surrounding tiles to warm her very core. Claws stretched, delighting in the slight ache of her muscles as she extended her limbs. Beside her, Cinnamon let out a soft peep and rolled to her back, exposing her stomach to the sun’s warmth.
Their sleepy eyes t for a mont, and Cinnamon gave her an appreciative nod, radiating extre gratitude toward Claws for finding this wondrous spot. Unspoken, they both raised a forepaw and fistbumped, imdiately closing their eyes and drifting back to sleep.
***
As I walked through the transford streets of Tropica, I couldn’t help but gaze up at the surrounding people, an ever-growing smile forming on my face. It was easy to get caught up in the village's architecture, but that beauty would be nothing without the citizens moving to and fro, going about their mornings. The sun was well and truly over the rooftops now, its light having long ago shone through windows and woken the people of Tropica.
A river of humanity moved around us, so so engrossed that they didn’t even notice our passage. The eyes that did recognize us showed a range of emotions, and I was saddened to see fear on more than a few faces. It wasn’t surprising, though, considering recent events. Only a few short weeks ago, it might have made second-guess myself. Question if I was really adequate enough to lead. Now, I knew that didn’t matter, and was instead grateful for the majority of the crowd that did trust .
As if sensing my thoughts, Maria squeezed my hand and grinned up at when I glanced her way. Though we were on the receiving end of many a smile and wave, no one stopped to chat. Before long, we rounded a corner and caught sight of the granary.
“Finally!” Geraldine called, resting a hand on her hip and failing to look genuinely bothered. “We thought you had both changed your mind!”
“Sorry,” I replied. “We got embroiled in so tomfoolery. Completely out of our control.”
The look in Geraldine’s eye told exactly what she thought of that statent.
“So,” George said. “Where did you have in mind to create this roastery, Fischer?” He glanced at his wife. “We discussed it most of the night and couldn’t co up with anywhere that made sense.”
“That’s a sensible answer to reach,” Maria said, “because where he wants to put it makes absolutely no sense.”
The forr lord and lady of Tropica both raised an eyebrow at , only increasing my enjoynt of the mont. I shrugged. “That’s not entirely true. It makes perfect sense to soone like . A man of perfect intellect, unbridled wisdom, and unparalleled—”
“Humility,” Maria finished, cutting off. “Yeah, yeah. We know.”
I faked a pout, hiding the joy I got from her finishing my sentence, even if it was at the cost of my punchline.
Geraldine nodded, shooting an amused glance at George. “Well, given that our intellect, wisdom, and humility are lacking, I suppose you will just have to tell us where it’s going. Because I have no idea.”
“Gladly!” I took a deep breath, spread my arms wide, then bent at the waist to gesture at the building behind them. “We’re going to put it inside the granary!”
They frowned and looked at each other, countless thoughts exchanged wordlessly with their expressions.
George sighed and shook his head. “If anyone else had said that they were going to put an oven inside a granary, I’d have laughed. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.” He grabbed Geraldine by the hand and led her toward the door. “Co on, dear. We’d better go along with it.”
She let go of his hand and looped an arm through his. “Certainly. If we push back, he might just choose an even worse place to build it. Like one of the sheds filled with sugar-cane mulch.”
“Or our bedroom.”
“That would be a bother, wouldn’t it?”
“You know,” I said to Maria, crossing my arms. “I think I liked it better when they were deathly afraid of .”
“It’s horrible, isn’t it? They seem confident now. Jovial. Happy, even.” She gave an exaggerated shiver. “The audacity...”
Before I could reply, she grabbed by the hand, gave a beautiful smile, and led inside. I took the lead once we were within the building, taking us to the room right beside the one we’d stashed the coffee beans in. I pictured the supplies we’d need, stilled my breath, and snapped my fingers. There was a silent flash of light, and the materials appeared in the middle of the room, neatly stacked.
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Maria blew air from her lips as she looked down at the tal ingots, blocks of wood, and other assorted components. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that.”
“Oh, co on. Within a week of arriving in this world, Sergeant Snips was sporting an eyepatch and shooting aura blades like an ani protagonist. How is this hard to get used to?”
“Yeah, look, you’ve got a point, but it’s not so much that you can teleport items as it is that you can teleport anyone. You pulling material out of thin air is just a reminder that, if you wanted to, you could yoink from anywhere within the village.”
“I an, I guess I could, but I wouldn’t do that unless soone’s life was in danger. As much as I enjoy a good prank, just grabbing people without forewarning them feels like a major breach of autonomy. Besides, it’s also way too expensive for the Domain’s reserves. I don’t want to leave it depleted in case another mad king cos to town wielding corrupted chi.”
Plus, I thought, I’m already straining the Domain’s power with my secret project...
“Why are you smirking like that?” Maria asked, narrowing her eyebrows at .
“I’m not.” I shot her a wink and walked towards the door. “You guys coming?”
George cocked his head. “... Where?”
“To the smithy!”
Maria gave an incredulous look. “Why did you zap all that stuff here if we’re just going to leave, anyway?”
“Well, if asked explicitly, I would state that I was doing it to better organize the task in my mind. If soone didn’t know how pure of heart I am, though, they might assu I did it as a flex. Worse, they might think I did it just because I could.” I shook my head. “Can you believe anyone would assu such a thing?”
“What would ever lead soone to that assumption?” George asked, his tone as flat as the look he was leveling my way.
“No idea, mate. So people, am I right?” I clapped my hands together. “All right, who's ready to get started? We’ve got a few stops, so the sooner we get going, the better.”
“Why don’t I handle the woodworking?” Maria suggested. “That way, we can work on them all at the sa ti.”
“You know what to do?”
Her answering smile was warr than a burning hearth. “I do.” Faster than the lightning of one Corporal Claws, she planted a kiss on my cheek and dashed out the door, calling over her shoulder, “Send my supplies to the woodworking shed!”
I turned and shook my head at George and Geraldine. “No manners, that one. Not even a plea—”
“Pleeease!” ca Maria’s sweet voice, cutting off.
***
A few hours later, back within the walls of the granary and smiling at the world, I snapped my fingers.
Our created items appeared in a flash of light, sorting themselves into a neat pile. The bulk of the mass was made up of the various tal parts George, Geraldine, and I had created in the smithy. I pursed my lips as I bent to inspect the components that Maria had created, running a finger over a collection of wooden handles. “Wow. These are marvelous. If I didn’t know better, I’d have assud they were System-made. They’re so smooth.”
“Learned from the best,” she replied, shooting a wink. “But I’m more impressed with this funnel-looking-thing you made. How did you get it so uniform?”
“That was him, actually.” I nodded toward George, and Geraldine rested a hand on his upper back.
“My husband is a natural at most things.”
“Oh, it was nothing,” George said, a blush coming to his face. “I just followed Fischer’s instructions.”
“George, mate, acting humble is my thing. Just take the complint.”
“Riiight,” Maria drawled. “Humble.”
“It’s a hard gig, but soone’s gotta do it. Anyway, that’s enough about . Let’s get this party started. I just need to pick the spot for the chimney...” I wandered around and stared up at the ceiling, rubbing my chin as I picked the perfect spot. “Right...” I took a half-step to the side. “Here.”
Maria gave a confused look. “Why there? Wouldn’t it make sense to put the chimney in the corner of the room where the roaster is going?”
“You’ll just have to trust on this one. I promise it’ll make sense when it’s finished. We need to ensure we picture the sa thing.” I pointed directly up. “So, chimney here, okay?”
We’d spent the morning joking around at every possible opportunity, but at my words, their faces grew serious. One and all, they nodded. I strode back over to the components, taking a seat on the floor in front of them. Maria, George, and Geraldine followed my lead, coming to sit on the other three sides.
With an ease not possible before my last breakthrough, I slipped into a ditative state.
I pictured what I wanted to create, planting it firmly in my mind’s eye. Wirefra schematics unfurled in exquisite detail, more intricate than ever before. It was a side-effect of the System regaining its functionality; even the newest of cultivators now had access to basic images of what they were creating. I, however, was no new cultivator. The three-dinsional blueprint in my mind continued growing, rging with the building we were within.
As one, George, Geraldine, and Maria joined . The forr two paused for the barest of monts, having not built anything with since the changes. They swiftly recovered, however, their wills rushing to follow my lead. With our intents indistinguishable from each other, the components moved into place, connecting seamlessly. In a burst of light, a pulse of euphoria washed over us, signifying that the creation was finished.
Before the wonderful feelings could completely leave my body, I was already moving from the room.
“... Fischer?” Maria asked, staring at as I walked out the door. “What are you—”
There was a loud bang as sothing hit the first bend in the chimney. Maria whirled, lifting her face to follow the sound as it made its way downward. There were multiple scratching sounds before a soft thud ca from within the newly constructed coffee roaster, followed by another. A beat of palpable silence spread throughout the room, the air growing so tense that you could cut it with a knife.
Maria was the first to realize what I’d done. “Run!” she yelled, sprinting past George and Geraldine.
“What—” George began, but was interrupted by a loud boom as the doors of the furnace compartnt were blown open. Smoke and vapor emanated from the furnace, lit from within by blue, crackling electricity. Side by side, two fur-covered beings strode out, murder dripping from their otherwise-adorable features.
“Oh...” George said, taking a step back and raising his hands. “It wasn’t us. We had no idea. Fischer—”
His attempt at peace was drowned out by the sounds of Claws and Cinnamon rocketing forward.
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