Within his wooden cabin, Caelen stood beside his newest creation—the steam drill. It appeared. well, sort of like a strange cannon with so gears attached, but he was proud.
"Ti to blast through the ground," he grunted, pumping his fist.
The drill hissed and rumbled as he activated it. Steam gushed out the sides, but it hardly made the drill head budge.
"Seriously? That's it?"
He complained, then slapped his forehead.
"Google, how to create proper fuel?"
[Google Brain: Coal fuel – most efficient early resource. Burn ti longer, energy stronger.]
Caelen sighed. "Great, now I need coal."
Fortunately, he had a small amount from his previous mining excursion. He threw so into the furnace integrated into the side of the drill. It roared to life.
"Hah! That's more like it!" He smiled, seeing the drill cut into the rock soil.
But then reality ca crashing down.
[Estimated ti to reach 100 ters: 6 days.]
".Six days?" He blinked. "Do I look like I have that kind of patience?"
The drill humd on, painstakingly burrowing down. It was doing sothing, at least. Mythril was 100 ters deep. It was worth the wait, even if it took ti. He'd leave the machine to its work and attend to other matters for now.
Caelen erged, stretched, and yawned. Zira sat outside, peeling bark with a small homade knife.
"Drill working?" she asked without pausing.
"Kind of. It's. slow. Like, 'watching-paint-dry' slow," he said.
She laughed. "You spent the entire drill doing that. You really are weird, you know that?"
"I hear that a lot."
Caelen sat next to her, the late afternoon wind rustling their faces. It was silent for a mont or two.
Zira pushed him. "You're accomplishing a lot for this town. Honestly. why?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Initially, it was survival. But now. I suppose it's sort of enjoyable. Building things. Creating sothing new from nothing."
She gazed at him, her red goblin eyes relaxing slightly. "You're not like other humans."
He turned, squinting. "You an smarter, cooler, ridiculously good-looking—"
"Annoying," she interrupted.
They both laughed.
Before things beca even more awkward, a strange sound erged from the forest. High-pitched. crying?
Caelen got up. "Did you hear that?"
Zira nodded. "Wait. that sounds familiar."
They ran toward the sound, dodging under branches until they ca to a small clearing. Two little goblins were crouched beside a fallen tree. One girl, one boy—both dirty, both face-streaked with tears.
"Help!" the girl shouted.
Caelen went down on his knees. "Hey, hey. You two all right?"
Zira gasped. "Rena? Miko?!"
The children looked up. "Zira?!"
They leaped into her arms. She hugged them hard.
Caelen blinked. "You know them?"
"They're from my village," Zira said, voice trembling. "They were kids when I left."
Rena dried her eyes. "The town. it burned. Everything. Everyone fled. We don't know where they are."
Caelen stared at them. They were gaunt, frightened, filthy. They had nowhere to go.
He didn't even think twice.
"You two can stay here," he whispered.
Rena and Miko stared up at him, eyes wide.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's not much, but it's safe."
[System: Population 2]
[Search Slots 20]
[Total Search Slots: 50]
Caelen blinked as the ssage flashed across his mind.
He smirked. "That's a bonus."
Zira stood up. "We'll build a house for them."
"Yup. Gonna need a lot more wood," Caelen muttered.
The following hour was a whirl. They brought the chickens food and water—berries and a small amount of roasted mushroom. Zira washed them down while Caelen chopped wood and planned out blueprints in his mind.
Caelen sat outside at sunset, drawing out plans with charcoal on a smooth plank.
Zira joined him, setting beside him once again.
"You're smiling."
"I am?"
"Yeah."
He rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose I enjoy watching things fall into place. This settlent. it's expanding. I believe we're constructing sothing more than simple huts these days."
"A ho?"
"Perhaps," he replied.
They both gazed upward at the stars as the breeze rustled through the trees.
Zira reached out and lightly placed her shoulder against his. Caelen blinked but didn't shift.
"Thanks," she murmured softly. "For allowing to stay. For taking care of the kids. For. not being like everyone else."
".Don't get all mushy on now."
She snorted. "Too late."
In the hut, the kids were all slumbering fitfully on flimsy straw pallets. Caelen poked inside, grinned and then retreated into the evening.
The drill thumd on the horizon.
An odd little community was coming together. And actually, he didn't despise it.
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