Chapter 8 - Home

I opened my eyes to see the NPCs who helped me through the first day of the game. I see them chatting happily while eating some bread and drinking water. I was about to talk to them when the familiar blue screen appeared in front of me.

[ Congratulations for being in the top 10 of the opening event!]

[ Here is your reward]

[ Safe Haven Marker]

Once I finished reading the message I felt something unfamiliar in my left hand. It was a bronze-colored ring with a small red arrow pointing forward.

[ Safe Haven Marker

Follow the arrow on the ring to find the closest Safe Haven. A Safe Haven is a place where there is an abundance of food or metal or a location that is naturally protected ]

I put the ring on my left index finger and the arrow starts to spin. It starts to slow down and eventually settles in a direction.

"Everyone, we need to start moving. We won't be able to live in this cave forever. Let's find a better location to call home."

I address everyone and tell them about what I thought we needed to do.

"Yeah, good idea Ian. After what happened last night we should find a place where we can gather more resources to defend ourselves."

Howard spoke back to me and everyone also agreed. I nodded back to Howard and went to pick up the spear. I held onto the spear and a goblin knife while Howard held onto the ax and another knife. Lucina and Luke both held onto a knife of their own and we picked up our bags ready to set off on our journey.

I led the way and constantly looked at the ring on my hand following the arrow. We traversed through the small cracks in between the mountains and climbed up ledges to get to higher ground. It was difficult for old man Hus to get through some of the climbing but with the help of Howard and me, we were able to lift him up bit by bit. Along the way, Lucina collected some wild berries and placed them in the bag Howard was carrying, adding to our food supply.

After traveling for a while, I could hear the sound of a waterfall echoing in the distance. The arrow was also pointing in that direction which means the Safe Haven was close to the waterfall.

"Just a little bit more, I can hear a waterfall we can rest once we get there."

I give everyone some words of encouragement but I know that they are tired from constantly climbing and moving through rough terrain. Old man Hus was panting and needed Howard to hold him up as they walked, while Luke was sweating and breathing heavily. Lucina was in the same condition and since Howard could not hold onto the bag anymore she offered to hold onto it while she collected more wild berries.

The last stretch of the journey was the slowest as everyone was tired and sore but once we got around a bend what we saw was stunning. The sheer volume of the waterfall drowns out all other sounds and coupled with the magnificent view, it took my breath away. Water gushing out of a hole from the side of the mountain, like a real-life merlion from Singapore, crashing into a deep azure blue lake parting ways into a river gouging out the insides of a mountain. A deep red canyon surrounds the lake and river with small bushes and trees littering the sides. Near the start of the river was a collapsed rock pillar serving the purpose to bridge one side of the river to the other. I don't even know how long I just stood there looking at the scene.

"It's beautiful…"

I hear Lucina's quiet statement and finally snapped out of the trance I turn back towards everyone.

"On the other side, there was a path leading to the top of the canyon. I think that's where we should stay. We would have water from this river and there is probably fish inside it too so we just need to search up there for a good location to set up something to live in."

We cross the rock bridge carefully, making sure to take our time so no one falls into the water and with one last push we walked up the path. The ring cracks and shatters when I reach the top, signaling that the top was the Safe Haven.

I saw a large flat land the size of 3 football fields with tall straight red sandstone walls surrounding the sides. There were towering trees along the back wall and soft emerald grass along the ground. I could hear the chirping of birds pierce through the raging waterfall. The rustling of leaves, the dancing grass and the soft warm glow of the sun made me feel safe.

"Let's go collect some larger branches and pile them in a triangle shape to create a simple shelter. We can create a better house tomorrow but for now, we should rest up and relax a bit."

Once I told everyone to gather wood for a house we split off into the forest to collect material. Looking into the forest is like looking into the abyss. It was dark and mysterious with only the entrance illuminated in light. There can be predators in the forest but at the same time, there can be rare resources inside the forest as well. I gaze into the forest hoping for something rewarding to reveal itself to me but nothing happens and only the forest gazes back at me. I go back to collecting wood and I cut down some vines using the spear to bring back long thin vines to use as rope. Old man Hus and Howard started to construct the shelter while I helped balance and hold onto the branches. Lucina continued to gather more wood, while Luke dug out a hole and covered the edges with dirt and rocks before putting small sticks and dry grass to start a fire.

It took the rest of the day until we finished making a tent-like shelter that fit everyone inside. During that time Luke found some larger rocks and with the help of Lucina carried them towards the fire to place down, substituting for chairs. We all sat down and ate some bread with smashed berries on the top. The berries were sweet and sour and we had an abundance of them allowing us to fill our stomachs for the first time. With the warmth of the fire and a full stomach, we started to discuss our plans for the area.

"I do not have a lot of experience in planning or in construction however, I do have a few ideas I want to implement. First is a fence or a barrier at the edge of the cliff so no one will fall down and then another fence near the border of the forest. The one near the forest has to be more sturdy, it can be made of mud and dirt for now and then just piled up so we have a defense in case something comes out of the forest. At the same time, we should improve our living standard by making cups, bowls, hand tools and then a sturdier house."

I told them my generic plan and after a bit of discussion, we settled on creating the walls first. Luke and Lucina will collect thick branches and vines while Howard will hammer them into the ground and tie them together creating a fence close to the cliff. At the same time, old man Hus will be sharpening rocks and putting them together to create some primitive tools. I would be cutting down vines and small trees for Luke and Lucina to carry towards Howard.

It's not pretty but it's a start for us.

This place will be our home and the start of civilization in Settlement.