In the dead of morning, the thing that shattered my dreams wasn't the chirping of birds or the howling of the wind; it was an earth-shaking rumble, the sound of hammering, and the echo of breaking stone. Eliz and I jumped out of our single bed at the exact same time. Gripping our weapons in a panic, we burst out of the door of our old, makeshift shelter, fully expecting a raid by forest bandits.
However, the moment we stepped outside, the weapons slipped from our hands. We couldn't believe our eyes.
Right in the heart of the settlement, directly adjacent to our old shelter, a massive structure was rising—one that certainly hadn't been there last night. Built with the thick pine timber Barun had sawn and the heavy stone blocks Koram had laid with flawless symmetry, this place looked more like a small fortress than a house. It had massive double wooden doors, wide windows, and a thick, smoking chimney. As Barun set the final roof beam in place with his sledgehammer, Koram leaned on his staff, inspecting the structure with the pride of a victorious commander.
Seeing us standing there frozen, Koram turned his head. He wore his usual serious, emotionless soldier's expression.
"Are you awake?" he said in his deep voice, gesturing toward the massive, luxurious building. "Your new house is finished."
Eliz, still trying to shake off her sleepiness, blinked rapidly. "House? What do you mean?"
Koram raised a single eyebrow. His tone was perfectly flat and logical. "Are you two not married? After all, you have been sharing the same room and the same bed since the very beginning. I designed your house under a single roof, with a spacious family bedroom meant for shared use."
Time stopped. The sound of Barun's sledgehammer on the roof ceased. A sly, suppressed smirk spread across the giant man's face, hidden somewhere within his massive beard. His broad shoulders began to shake as he laughed silently.
Eliz's face first went as pale as chalk, then within seconds, turned the color of a blazing tomato. She let out a shriek that was equal parts embarrassment and pure rage. "Nooo! What marriage? What bed?! We were just trying to survive and there was no space, you stupid old man!" she yelled, clenching her fists.
Koram merely shrugged. "Military logic. Those who share a trench are partners."
Ignoring Eliz's glowing red state, I tilted my head back to take in the sheer scale of this giant stone and timber tower. "Okay, but," I said, swallowing hard, "why is my... I mean, our house so huge? It looks like a military outpost."
When Barun jumped down from the roof and walked over to us, he had wiped the smirk off his face, though his eyes were still gleaming with amusement. He rested his sledgehammer on the ground. "This is a strategic decision, lad," he said, his voice rumbling. "You two are the founders of this settlement. You plowed the first soil, you built the first fence. This place isn't just a hideout anymore. We have stone roads, we have shops. And this massive building? Come tomorrow, it will be a tavern for the caravans, a trade center where we host our guests."
He tapped me lightly on the chest with the handle of his sledgehammer. "You are the manager and the host. The heart of our trade will beat in this tavern, right in your hands. So, to put it plainly," he added with a wide grin, "you are now the Mayor of this place."
"MAYOR?" my voice echoed. The word bounced off the walls of the magnificent stone building and returned to me. I had gone from a fugitive merely trying to survive, to the "Tavern Owner" and "Mayor" of a floor-heated, stone-paved trade town in the blink of an eye.
While we were trying to digest this new reality, Lira stepped out of her own warm, bright botany house. She was wearing her thick nomad clothes, but she had a beaming smile on her face. In her hands, she held a wide clay bowl. A slightly sour, incredibly fresh scent wafted from it.
"Since you're awake and celebrating your new castle," Lira said cheerfully, walking over and offering us the bowl. "My heated floors and some wild yeast herbs I found in the woods did the trick. I milked the sheep that gave birth last night... And here it is, our settlement's very first fresh cheese!"
Putting her embarrassment aside, Eliz quickly tore off a piece of the cheese. Her eyes immediately sparkled with delight. Barun dove into the bowl with his giant hands. I just stood there, looking at the massive tavern rising behind me, the stone road beneath my feet, the smell of fresh cheese in the air, and this weird, incredibly talented family of mine.
Winter might be howling outside; but here, in the Mayor's settlement, life was being rewritten with cheese and steel.
ESSENCE HAVEN
CITY STATUS: Central Tavern/Fortress Constructed
MANAGEMENT: MC (Mayor) and Eliz
POPULATION: 5 People