Homestead Survival

<02 September 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER, A+>
[Theo and Julia]
Around lunchtime, everyone returned to the camp and sat down for a meal, including Ordus and Kreldar. Sarah was excitedly telling her father about everything that had happened.

"And then I helped Julia put runes on the stone columns." Sarah said, "My finger glowed, and I felt something happen. It was strange, but then it was there!"

"That is very cool, honey," Joshua said, eating while he listened to her continuing rambling.

Ordus took that moment to talk to Theo and Julia. "I just wanted to ask if you could drop off some of the large stone blocks at the tunnel entrance that you want blocked off. Kreldar and I think that we have come up with an acceptable method of temporarily blocking the entrance."

Theo nodded. "Sure, I can do that. How many do you want?"

Kreldar spoke up, "probably 'round five or six."

"Alright," Theo said, "anything else you need me to do?"

Kreldar nodded. "The lads finished the diggin' of the basement, just shifted stone around to get it out of the way. Now I need ya' to move them all out."

"I can do that, and we should have a discussion about the next steps with the basement dug and us having some form of shelter. I would like to start on the house." Julia said.

Kreldar smiled as he finished off his meal. "I think that is a great idea. Need to get to discussin' what materials ye're goin' to use. Also, I want to try and get the lantern ye' showed me up and usable."

"That is probably a good idea," Theo said.

"Then once Kreldar and I have completed our plug of the tunnel entrance," Ordus said, "Julia, you should place some temporary wards around the front of the blocks just to be safe."

Julia nodded, and Sarah seemed to materialize next to Julia. "Can I help with that?"

A quick nod from Joshua was all the approval Julia needed before agreeing. "Sure! I would love it if you would help me. I don't know how I got anything done before you showed up!"

Sarah giggled and began to babble to Julia about how awesome she thought runes were. Renno and Velna were holding a quiet conversation. Velna finally turned to Theo. "My grandson and I would love to have a conversation with you, if you have the time."

Theo nodded, finishing his own meal. "Sure, do you mind walking and talking? That way I can move the blocks out while we chat?"

"Not at all." Velna said, "We shall await you at the plinth that holds the core."

Theo nodded as they left. He hadn't quite figured out what their deal was or why they wanted to be here, but he figured it would be good to chat with them. They all finished their meals over the next few moments, and they all worked out what they would be doing.

It worked out to Julia with Ordus, Kreldar, Joshua and Sarah. And Theo with Velna and Renno. First, Theo moved six blocks down to the opening that the others were working to plug, and then he returned to get Velna and Renno from the plinth.

[Theo]
As Theo, Velna, and Renno walked back towards the stairway down to the basement, they talked.

"So, Renno, Ma'am, what did you want to talk about?" Theo asked.

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"Well, I have a quest that pertains to you specifically, Mr. Sorrin," Velna said. "And one for your wife as well."

"She is not my wife. Not in the sense that I am certain you are using that word." Theo said. "We founded a Family and anticipate having children together, as per an agreement with the System, sometime in the next five years, but we are not married. We are almost closer to an arranged marriage where it has worked out to be fortunate that we are attracted to each other, and are developing feelings."

Renno was staring at Theo bug-eyed while Velna simply chuckled. "I can understand that. I knew several couples were married for thirty years before they started to act like they loved each other. But the two of you seem fairly close."

"That is probably due to a bond that we have thanks to a skill," Theo said, not wanting to say much more about their skills. "But that is another story for another time. So what does your quest say?"

"That is the thing, Mr. Sorrin..." Velna was cut off.

"Just call me Theo, please." Theo said in exasperation, "I have some people calling me lord, some calling me User, and now you are calling me Mister. Please just call me Theo. No matter what the System may think, I think I was raised right, and I respect my elders. So, meaning no disrespect, ma'am, but you have no reason to call me Mister, and I am willing to bet that you have a lot more experience in life than I do."

Velna chuckled. "Very well, Theo. I will call you as such, so long as you call me Velna."

Theo smiled at the older woman. "So what were you going to say, Velna?"

"I was saying that that is the thing, Theo. It wants me to document the first Sorrin Family dungeon crawl. But it also says that it has already taken place. So it wants a recounting from you to me of the story, and then it wants me to go with you through the same dungeon." Velna said.

Renno chose this moment to speak up. "And I am against this."

Theo nodded to the young man, "Understandable. But please elaborate for me why you are against this."

They had arrived at the top of the ramp and started down as Renno spoke. "I am what the system has called a Kinbound Devastator. I am an entity of destruction focused down to a point. That point is the defense of my grandmother. The idea of going into a dungeon and not being able to protect her makes my gut churn."

Theo looked at the young man as he loaded large blocks into his pouch. "Interesting, I don't get suggestions or feelings from my class, at least not that I have noticed. Though I would say that you would be perfectly safe if you came with Julia and me. Julia specializes in defense and retaliation. But I will let her tell you about her skills and class if she wants to."

"Now," Theo said, focusing on Velna, "I would love to know what your class is that you are getting quests to document things."

"I am the Fatebound Crone," Velna said. "When it was offered to me, I was informed that I was the oldest human who had accepted The System, and it removed all other options from me. It described the class as special and said that I would be an Oracle entwined with the System and the keeper of Human Lore."

Theo had filled his pouch and started walking up the ramp. "Hmm, interesting. Well, guess I better pass on the lore, huh? Let's see. Well, the dungeon thing started with an access crystal. Or actually, I think it was called a Dungeon Access Crystal..."

[Julia]
Julia, Ordus, Kreldar, Fred, Joshua, and Sarah walked to where the tunnel opened onto the path about fifty feet below the top of the Overlook. Theo appeared several minutes later, dropped off six of the large stones, and then turned back with Renno and Velna in tow.

"Alright, now what?" Joshua asked, eyeing the massive blocks of stone.

"Now, lad, we start workin'," Kreldar said, pulling a hammer from his pouch and working side by side with Ordus to level out the bottom of the tunnel. When that was complete, they all worked together to move the blocks, which slotted in almost perfectly, speaking to Kreldar's skill.

They got the bottom two in place, and then Ordus began working to create four small legs that they would set the next block on. He would then lift it using his skill. When Kreldar was finished, he clambered back down, and they lifted the next block on top of the legs, letting Ordus work his skill for quite some time until it was in line with the top. Then they pulled it over onto the other block and repeated the process. Ordus spent some time filling in the gaps with his Earthen Will skill, which Sarah found incredibly mesmerizing to watch. While he did that, Kreldar worked to cut the remaining block into pieces that they could use to fill the remaining foot or so of space. Julia then layered five or six rings of Ward runes on the surface.

When all was said and done, the tunnel entrance was a stone face at least eight feet thick in most parts. Julia nodded. "Excellent work, everyone. I think that makes it dinner time. What do you all say?"

[Theo and Julia]
They returned to the camp, arriving just as Theo, Velna, and Renno did. They all sat down for a meal as the sun started to set. Bed awaited them all, leaving Kreldar awake to plan his next project.