Homesteading in a fantasy world

As I looked on the area where I was going to build the sauna, I had two problems I was facing. One was the deck. I would need stable support to sink into the ground for the edges and the middle so it would support and not touch the ground.

The other problem was going to be the foundation of the sauna itself. I don’t even know the correct reasons why you must make a foundation. But I have seen them done and I can work out why it is needed. I just don’t know anything for certain.

This will be more of the case of my father doing it the same as his father and his father and so on. The reasons were known, but now we do it because it’s always been done like that.

For the heated room, I want to fill it up with sand so I could place the stone floor and it would stay in place. For the resting room, I will leave it open underneath with only a wood floor.

I start by bringing over larger rocks to use for the construction of the foundation. I will be putting my merging joints' ability to extreme use here and trying to fuse the rocks as best I can. Perhaps even using my material modification to make them even more connected to make a truly solid foundation.

Just in case, I also decided to pack the gravel down as tight as possible for that and I used heavy blow and counterweight to pack everything down and make a solid base.

As I was loading the stones onto the sled cart, I realized that I will probably only have enough big stones for one more building. I would need to make a quarry to get more stones.

Hopefully, the hills close to here will have a solution for that and if not, there are a lot of big rocks on them. It would just be a lot more work getting them back.

I had only done a little of the foundation when owners land notified me of a group of goblins that entered my land and were headed towards me. This time I didn’t go to greet them in the forest. It will still take them a while to get here.

Doing the foundation was quite pleasant. It was sort of like a puzzle where you tried to fit the rocks together. Then came some shaping to make them fit together perfectly and to make some join type for them to connect so the ability will have more to grab onto.

I feel like this will be quite solid and will probably work quite well. When I had finished a small section to the proper height. I backed off and looking at it, you could barely tell that there were multiple pieces. Only the colours gave it away and if you got close, you could see the seam, but it feels solid.

This took a lot of energy, and I was actually running behind with my abilities and I was ahead in placing the stones. Luckily, it was time for a break as the goblins were now quite close and it was time to see what they wanted.

Ability is upgraded to merging joints level 3

Ability is upgraded to heavy blow level 2

Ability is upgraded to sharp blade level 2

Before going to meet them, I quickly grabbed a few small leather pieces from the house. I had them prepared just in case I needed a bargaining chip for the powder that helps cure leather fast.

The greetings went fast. It seemed that they were having trouble adjusting their hunting habits, and they wanted some help to understand how to solve this problem.

“Before we continue, I will try to help you with your hunting problem. I wanted to ask how you cure leather, what do you use for it?”

I got some puzzled looks in return, but then one of the goblins walked forward and started to explain while taking out the pouch and showing me a powder.

I was correct that they had a better version. This version didn’t even need bark water, only water was used.

“What would you want for this recipe and for you to teach me how to make it?”

The same goblin looked around, but no one seemed to want to speak. The leader hadn't come with them or, more accurately, the chief as he actually had changed his title.

“So, I, them, the hunting teaching is part of a previous deal. So, do we need to strike a new one? If so, do you have anything to offer.”

I couldn’t help myself as a smile formed on my face. Is it just me or are the goblins getting smarter? Perhaps the evolutions give a lot more than just extending life.

“I might have something here. Take a look at these pieces of leather and test them and tell me what you think.”

I handed them the five leather pieces, all with different levels of tar soaked into them. At first, they were confused, but soon that confusion turned into excitement.

One of the five pieces was quickly cracked in half. That was the one that had too much tar in it and become brittle. Then they started to test them. Soon they even started testing with iron knives and then testing their leather armor.

“You can make better leather armour. Make it stronger, a lot stronger. But why one break so easily?”

“That is quite a simple explanation. I use a liquid called tar to soak the leather in and then the leather sucks that into itself, making it stronger. That piece that cracked easily was because there was too much in it. I wanted to show you the different stages of it being soaked in different amounts.”

They discuss this amongst themselves, getting into a bit of an argument, and then the same goblin asked another question.

“But we do not know how to make this tar. How will this help us?”

“Well, from your weapons, I know that you can make glue that can be used for the same effect. It’s just that the tar is waterproof while the glue is not.”

Another round of discussions and then another question.

“The knowledge of leather powder is worth more than the knowledge of making leather stronger, but it’s not worth more than the knowledge of making tar and making leather stronger. Is this correct?”

“That is correct, yes, because tar could be used for other things as well. Tar can make anything more waterproof, and it also burns quite well. Do you perhaps have something more to offer so I can show you how to make tar as well?”

There was another discussion that kept going on and on. Finally, one of the goblins seemed to have had an idea and pulled out a small pouch. The others shook their heads, but the goblin explained further. Then the goblin that has spoken before turned around and asked.

“We have a pouch that has special seeds from unique plants. There are only a few seeds, but if we find more, we can bring them as well. How long depends on how useful tar will be”

Actually, a good offer and one I wanted. I asked for the seeds and checked them over. They did seem to be unique plants that I have not encountered before. And I think they might be quite useful if for nothing else than to get some skill levels and ability levels from them. I shook his hand.

“The agreement is struck. Now that this is dealt with lets first deal with the hunting problem, I want you guys to show me how you hunt.”

“Do we have any scouts here that know deer as well as themselves?”

One of them actually quite quickly stepped forward.

“Good, I want you to be like the deer. Walk and act like it, just like if you were in a forest and for the rest of you, I want to see how you would try to hunt it. Actually, let's just go into the forest and I want to see how you guys act there.”

I didn’t think I had seen goblins more confused than they were at this point. Their faces were really funny.

It took a lot more explanation and me showing what I wanted them to do, but eventually, they did get it and I immediately saw what they were doing wrong. They were still hunting the same when they had more numbers. They wanted to surround the deer and then walk towards it while trapping it inside, but they simply didn’t have the numbers to do so.

I showed them a few simple things that they could try to improve. First was trying to sneak more. That came to them quite easily. Then I showed them a few styles of hunting that I remembered and told them that they should practice the same way as I’m showing now.

It seems that they quite enjoyed this game of one being an animal that they were trying to hunt and the others being hunters trying to catch the prey.

I also told them that different animals would need different tactics and they should try the boar as well. A boar would most likely try to rush one of them while a deer will try to run away and how that would need to change their tactics. That got me a level up in basic combat strategy.

Skill increases basic combat strategy level 10 is upgraded to combat strategy level 1

Choose one of the following abilities

party boost

tactical advantage

quick retreat

Interesting choices. All useful I suspect, but the one that calls to me the most, is a tactical advantage and I suspect it has the widest range of usages.

You have gained a new ability tactical advantage level 1

I left them to practice and try to find their own ways of dealing with different prey. Then I was shown how to make the leather curing powder by one of the goblins. It needed a lot of different plants and even some oak bark.

To my surprise, I got the skill level up in alchemy as I finished my first correct batch. It seemed that all the ingredients were in abundance, and I was quite happy about that.

Next, I showed them all how to make tar, and I also told them that taking a break would also be a good idea. It seemed that they were so fascinated by this teaching game they were running themselves ragged.

I showed them the old way of doing it by finding a place with a natural downward angle, and then digging out a ditch-like area. How to make a wooden channel and how to use birch bark to help funnel everything to the middle and then down into a collection tray. How big the wood pieces should be and what the best wood looks like. Then finally how to cover it all up and light it on fire at one end and then cover that.

This was not the perfect way to do it and there will be some loss, but it will still be good enough for their usage and if they want to make a better version, they will accomplish it with trial and error.

I helped them a bit more with hunting while the tar was being made and corrected some of their mistakes while at the same time also giving them new ideas to use. For smaller animals, how to use a better snare than they currently used so they won’t have to work so hard to catch small animals.

By the end of the day, the tar was finally finished and they seem to be quite happy with the results and so was I while walking back. I examined the seeds a bit more this time with my abilities and traits.

I didn’t get exactly what they would grow into or what they would be, but I was able to get knowledge of what the seed needed to grow and what their perfect environment was.

Unfortunately, all the seeds were past their planting time or, more precise too early. They would need to be planted during the fall and they will start to grow as soon as the first snows melt, but for some reason, they need to be in the ground during the winter.

There were three different types, and all seemed interesting. I wish I could get some more knowledge of what they would grow into, but I guess only time will tell that. I hope it wouldn’t be the situation of them being fake magic beans and I just got ripped off.

Just before I start to make dinner and then go to bed, I spent all my stored-up energy finishing up today’s foundation work. The next day I continued and by the end of the day, I just needed a bit more time to finish the foundation. I also did a foundation for the dividing wall, but I did decide to make the resting room smaller, so it was now 10 and 20 square meter rooms.

Even today I had to wait a while when working on the foundation as it kept using all my energy and that made me make the foundation slower. But it also meant I could spend some time sifting the rocks out of the sand and start to fill up the heating room's floor with sand.

As I finished the foundation the next day, I was quite pleased with myself as it turned out quite pleasing to the eye and really solid for its actual purpose. As I was watching over my skill and ability gains, my owners land notified me of something new.

ability is upgraded to merging joints level 4

ability is upgraded to piercing cut level 16

ability is upgraded to sharp blade level 3

skill is upgraded to construction level 2

skill is upgraded to basic masonry level 5

Humans, more specifically three of them, were walking down the road towards my farm. They seemed to have weapons and some armour, but it was hard to tell with owners land.

So, what’s the plan? I wonder if I should armour up. What should I do? I came up with quite the simple plan and decided to use the chicken coop as the centre of my plan because that was the first thing the humans will approach because of the layout of my farm.

I hope that they would come in peace, and I hoped the decision I made wouldn’t come back to haunt me. I could have worn my full armour, but I think catching them off guard might be a better solution if they wanted to attack me.

I planned to make myself look like as regular naive farmer that was just getting out of the chicken coop as they were approaching. Luckily, I didn’t have to see them to know how far they were, and I was able to play my part quite well.

When they were the appropriate way off, I turned around with my empty box and started to walk out of the chicken coop while closing the door behind me. I turn turned around and pretended to jump and drop the box as I noticed them. They seem to find that funny, as they all laughed a bit.

“Hello there, farmer! Can we speak with the head of this farm? We have some inquiries we must speak about?”

“I, I, I’m afraid that I am the only one left. My family has all perished. Do you bring news from the village? What is happening with the Kingdom I saw the notification?”

They didn’t seem to like my answer, and they didn’t answer my question. Instead, they started to look around and I noticed the grins that formed on their faces. I have seen those before. They were ugly men.

“I see you’re carrying a sword. Why is that? You wouldn't even know how to point it properly! Might you take it out and let me look at it? I have always liked swords, and yours looks like an old design.”

He was quite a clever one and this act might have worked if I was just a farmer. I wonder how many they have already killed. The other two were already fanning out.

One looked like a regular fighter with a one-handed sword and a shield the same as the one speaking, but the last one had a massive two-handed sword that was still sheathed and held over his shoulder. They all wore just leather armour and some thicker clothes underneath.

“What is it that you want here? What have you come to inquire about and what is happening in the village?” I asked a bit more forcefully.

“Listen here Boy, this farm is now ours and we will do wha-”

I didn’t let him finish as I used homesteaders mile to get in front of the man with the two-handed sword and as I pulled out my sword I used piercing cut and heavy blow at the same time. Pouring as much energy as I could into them during the short time and concentrating all on this one slash.

He didn’t have time to react because he was simply too surprised and before he could do anything; he was diagonally cut in half and dead on the spot.

I tried to use the same technique on the next one, but I was blocked by a shield that also glowed with some sort of an ability. I was still able to get quite deep into the shield that was made from wood and covered in leather.

I had to use my movement ability again to dodge the second one's attack this time. I decided to use a different tactic. He assumed I will try to do the same as before and again the shield glowed and block me, but this time, I strike it with my shoulder instead.

The shield only moved a bit, but I was now able to strike this time without any abilities at the leg, cutting it open and then I had to back off again.

“You son of a bitch, you will die for this,” The leader screamed.

“Why are you surprised? I only act like you.”

That actually made him stop, as he didn't expect the hatred I poured into those words and the absolute confidence that I projected.

I used the opening, and he was too late to do anything about it as my sword pierced his chest going through it. I quickly pulled out my sword as I had to dodge his counterattack, and the other man was now walking a lot better.

I noticed that on the ground was an empty vial that he had drank, perhaps some sort of a healing potion or something like that. His leg wasn’t completely fine, but it was a lot better.

We were now in close combat, and I was losing. His swordsmanship was a lot better than mine, but I had more strength than him. I kept working on a shield and kept as best I could away from his sword. He was sweating now quite hard, and his shield blocking ability was barely doing anything. I’m guessing he’s running on fumes.

When his shield was finally broken, I purposely led him closer to where I had stashed the bow and, as he threw his shield aside, I quickly dashed and got the bow.

When he saw what I now held in my hand, his face paled, and I quickly put an arrow into his chest, but he didn’t go down and tried to rush me, but another arrow into his head silenced him for good. It was a shame because I wanted some knowledge from them, but they were now all dead.

I breathed hard but not because I was exhausted. I was actually quite fit from all my training and was only sweating a bit, I was breathing hard because I had to take a human life.

If I hadn’t surprised and killed the one with the two-handed sword, I might have not been able to kill them. I am guessing that they had a combat class at least at a level of 20 or more.