The metallic ring of the pickaxe hitting stone had echoed through the night like a rhythmic lullaby. My body was so deeply entrenched in exhaustion that despite the tremors caused by Barun's massive strikes, my consciousness had remained buried under a heavy fog. But as dawn approached, and the biting frost began to sting my lungs, I opened my eyes to a sight that left me speechless.
The clearing in front of our shelter had been transformed into a small quarry overnight.
Barun was kneeling in a corner, leaning heavily on his pickaxe as he breathed in ragged, labored gulps. He was covered from head to toe in stone dust and sweat; even in this freezing cold, steam was rising from his body in thick clouds. Alone, he had broken dozens of square-cut stones from the stubborn rock face next to our shelter, carrying each one individually to our doorstep. His eyes were bloodshot from fatigue, but while we slept, he had finished a task that would have broken the spirit of a dozen men.
At that moment, Eliz appeared at the entrance of the shelter, staring at the scene with the same shock I felt. Barun noticed us and forced a weary smile onto his dust-covered face. "My work... is done for now," he said, his voice a raspy whisper. "You're awake... I think I'll go... count the shadows for a bit."
"Get inside, Barun," I said, rushing over to catch him by the arm. I was nearly crushed under his massive weight. "If you've finished, go curl up by the heated pool and sleep. This is too much, even for a giant."
As Barun staggered toward the warmth of the shelter, I stood before the pile of stones and began to think. The stones were there. But how were we going to hold them together? We had no cement, no mortar. If we simply stacked them, the first strong wind would bring the whole thing crashing down on him. My mind raced for hours as I touched the rough surfaces of the rock, trying to solve the puzzle.
Then, my eyes caught Essence (Green Slime) glowing softly in the corner. Last night, its sticky, dense secretion had closed Barun's wound like a surgical stitch. If it could bond flesh to bone, why couldn't it bond stone to stone?
"Eliz, bring Essence!" I shouted.
Eliz didn't understand what I was trying to do, but she brought the slime over. I took the green jelly in my palm and began to smear its thick secretion over the stones Barun had cut, using it like a paste. When I pressed two stones together, Essence's secretion seeped into the pores of the rock and, within seconds, formed a bond as hard as concrete.
"This is incredible," Eliz said, seeing the stones lock together unyieldingly. "This slime... it's stronger than mortar."
We wasted no time and got to work. Eliz used the axe to cut several thick, sturdy pine branches from the edge of the woods. I laid the stones one by one, applying a layer of slime secretion to every row. By the time the sun was overhead, a small structure had risen next to our shelter, with stone walls and a roof thatched with thick branches and dense leaves. We laid down a thick bed of soft leaves inside.
We stood before the new stone hut and wiped the sweat from our brows. Barun finally had a home; solid, windproof, and secure.
Eliz looked at the stone structure and gave a faint smile, whispering, "You know, I wish this were my home. Stone walls... they make you feel safe."
I let out a short laugh, stretching my aching muscles as I looked at her. "Hahaha, no Eliz. Barun fought the mountain all night for this. He put his life into it; he earned this. It's his right."
Eliz nodded in agreement. While Barun was passed out inside by the warm water, we had turned his labor into a sanctuary. It was our turn next, but for now, we retreated back into our drafty, makeshift old shelter. Still, my mind was at ease. We had the hardness of stone and the strange magic of the slime. We weren't just hiding in this forest anymore; we were building.
ESSENCE HAVEN
KINGDOM POPULATION: 3