016: Rescue Mission

Another week had passed, and the men were now busy processing the logs that they had harvested into planks of various sizes and lengths. The housewives, meanwhile, were handling more delicate chores.

Since Darius had worked non-stop for a whole month, and had less sleep than the others, Maria insisted on him not doing heavy physical labor yet.

"You might not feel tired since your muscle is now being supported by the Arcane Energy. Resting is also part of your training."

Darius sulked, but what she said was right. If he fell ill at this crucial time, all of his projects would collapse in one night.

Fredrik, the half-dwarven carpenter, was busy supervising both Village Hall Construction and the Karvi Boat simultaneously.

Lucky for him, he had Anderson as his disciple who could handle the Karvi Boat's construction when Fredrik was attending the other project.

However, he didn't quite follow why Darius wanted the Village Hall to be a hundred feet long and only twenty feet in height, unlike its predecessor which was the opposite height and length.

The former Village Hall was a literal shrine to worship the local Goddess of the region, Undine.

By then Fredrik asked Darius about the meaning behind his design, and the young man answered in utmost humbleness.

"I wished the Village Hall to be a multifunctional building where all people could gather in one place and be equal. If possible, I want my people to learn how to write and do simple math. That's our ticket to a better future, Mr. Fredrik."

Fredrik nodded, brushing his dark brown beard. "You are about to change the culture of this village that has run deep for generations. Our people are tough, yes, but they are sometimes dumber and more stubborn than a rock!"

Darius chuckled upon hearing his comment. "Haha! I know that very well because I once was dumb and stubborn. But right now, we need to change for the better."

Fredrik fell in awe of Darius' selflessness. A relieved sigh escaped from his mouth.

"Hmm… I see. It would be in the summer, and for the Karvi boat, you might want to see it yourself."

"Is she finished already?!" Darius' golden eyes sparkled.

"She still needs some finishing touches, but a sea-worthy to say the least." Answered the carpenter.

Thus, Darius walked to the shore in the southern part of the village. The Karvi fishing boat that was once only in his imagination finally took its shape after a month of extensive building.

The sound of tinkering mallets against the wood soon halted almost in unison when the shipwrights noticed Darius' arrival.

"Chief!" The vice leader of the ship-building project, Anderson, waved his hand from the deck.

He immediately jumped off the boat and approached Darius.

"What do you think chief?" Anderson pointed at the ship proudly.

"She is even more beautiful than I've imagined. Good job, Anderson. Mr. Fredrik must be very proud of you now." Darius complimented.

"No, Chief. It's all possible thanks to your drawing. Without it, we wouldn't be able to think of this marvelous design! Imagine, if her size were doubled or tripled, she would be unstoppable by any storm in the ocean!"

"Surely you jest… A bigger ship means  more capable sailors to man the ship and we don't have that many sailors yet."

One of the shipwrights, who was also an experienced adventurer during his youth, chimed in. "If only we could make contact with another village beyond the Westcliff, and trade with them, there's a possibility it would bring more people to our village."

Darius pondered about his suggestion. "Alright, I think… I can do something about it."

Afterward, Darius went to Barley's house to ask him how he navigated around the Westcliff without being detected by the huge birds of prey that always terrorize anyone who dared to get close to their habitat.

"Mr. Barley? Are you home?" Darius knocked the door.

"It's white hair Chief!" Sonia's little daughter dashed out and clung onto Darius' waist. She was really fond of Darius' figure for saving her father's life back then.

"Sylvi! Don't be rude!" Her mother scooped her up.

Barley's wife, Sonia, greeted him on the porch. "You are looking for Barley? He hasn't come back yet. He ought to return from harvesting the honey very soon though. May I whip you a jar of warm mead while waiting for him?"

A bad premonition flashed in Darius' mind. He promptly rejected her offer politely.

"Nah, I am okay. I will look for him instead, if he had returned home before I could find him, please tell him I'll be waiting at my house."

"Certainly…"

Thus, Darius gestured to Bjorn and Skallgard, who was working on the Village Hall, to come with him just in case things went south.

****

Before long, Darius had arrived at the Westcliff, the hundreds of feet tall steep cliff that separated Undine Village from the civilization.

Although the cliff was seemingly flat from the distance, it has hundreds if not thousands of indentation where the bees usually made their hives inside.

As he looked up, Darius found dangling ropes from the above. An eeriness soon prickled Darius' nape hair.

"Alexa, do you know his whereabouts?

[I am terribly sorry, Master. It seemed like Mr. Barley has an innate ability to conceal himself and suppress his presence.] Answered the magical AI woman.

"Mr. Barley! Can you hear me?" Darius's voice echoed but there was no answer from the brewer.

Alas, Bjorn found a broken piece of rope that seemed like it had been cut by a saw-like edge.

"Chief!" The thick bearded man handed the rope to Darius.

Darius' face soon turned grim when he touched the rope. "It's still warm, he must be near!"

The two warriors soon parted away to different directions to search for the brewer.

Darius, meanwhile looking up at the billowing cliff before him.

"Please don't die yet, I am coming!"

Kaboommm!

Suddenly a deafening blast sounded from above, followed by a spell incantation.

"Infernio!"