Chapter 42: Town Hall and Paper
Morning light spilled over the village, warming the roofs and trees. Caelen stood in front of his house, arms crossed, eyes focused on the clearing near the farms. That's where the new project would begin.
He had been thinking about it for a while now. A town hall. A proper place for meetings, plans, and even just sitting together during rainy days. It would make their village feel more real. More official. And with the golems and his magic, it was finally possible.
He turned and called the stone golems. They marched over slowly, solid and quiet.
"Time to get to work," Caelen said, pointing to the trees. "[Command: Chop trees.]"
The golems walked off toward the forest without hesitation. Zira and the kids followed to help carry the logs. They couldn't cut trees like the golems, but they could gather branches, stack wood, and direct where the golems dropped it.
Caelen turned to Garin. "We're on brick duty."
"Good," Garin said, rolling up his sleeves. "I like smashing rocks."
Caelen grinned, then crouched down and pressed his palms against the ground.
[Earth Magic: Create Stone Bricks]
Chunks of stone rose up and neatly shaped into bricks. One after another, they formed quickly, stacking beside him in even piles. Garin grabbed them and began lining them up, shaping the base of the future building.
By noon, the golems returned, arms full of logs. Zira and the kids followed, sweaty but smiling. Everyone took a short break under the shade, drinking water and sharing a small lunch of roasted vegetables and dried meat. Spirits were high.