Chapter 21: Book 1, Chapter 21: Home Is Where The Hearth Is

Liz bounced up and down in the air with joy.

"Yay! I've been waiting to show you this ever since I got access to it!" She said while circling him in excitement.

Shane almost got dizzy watching her buzz around him and slowly ducked underneath her, unable to hold in a chuckle. He cleared his throat.

"So, where do we begin?" He asked.

Liz continued to bounce in the air as she followed a narrow ascending path off the side of the road that led to an open clearing. A bright light emanated from the front of her body as she ascended. Shane followed her, and upon reaching the top, he could tell the clearing was large enough to hold what he imagined a dwelling would be.

Liz waited for him patiently near a collection of rocks jutting out of the center of the clearing as she cast a soft glow upon her nearby surroundings. Shane joined her and gestured towards the clump of rocks near her that stood taller than him.

"Are these boulders involved somehow?" His curiosity burned brightly.

Liz giggled, a sound like warm and pleasant music.

"No, silly. These rocks are here for demonstration purposes. For now, take a look at this menu."

A small bright light appeared behind a small metal plate below her eyes. It then projected a window much like Shane's windows would appear.

-Dwelling Menu-

Pick a Dwelling size:

Basic Hut: 1 Gold Piece
Basic Cabin: 5 Gold Pieces
Basic Cottage: 10 Gold Pieces
Basic House: 20 Gold Pieces

"I wish house-hunting was this easy on Earth," Shane muttered.

Since he first arrived, there was always the assumption that he would eventually just buy a place to live within Krooth or somewhere else of sizable populous. Shane inspected his inventory, wondering what he could reasonably afford regarding this new self-built dwelling system.

Currency:

Bronze Coins: 502
Silver Coins: 168
Gold Coins: 20

It seems this part of the system only accepts gold coins. I suppose that's alright. Shane thought—glad he already had a small stockpile of gold coins to work with. Unsure of how much gold he wanted to spend in the dwelling system right now, Shane picked the "Basic Cabin" for five gold pieces.

After making his selection, the window disappeared, and it was again just him and Liz standing in the moonlight. He yawned again, exhaustion slowly crawling into every part of his body.

"What now, Liz?"

"All that's left is for you to visually find a nice spot for your dwelling and say the word build," said Liz cheerily. "There's a little trick I want to show you. Look at these rocks when you say build."

Shane didn't know what to expect other than he could trust her advice. The three thin rocks clumped together towered over him as he took a step closer. His gaze went from the stones to Liz and back to the rocks again.

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"Build."

There was a deep rumbling from below. Before he knew what was happening, tall walls made of long wooden logs began growing out of the ground. Four large walls surrounded him as they rushed from the earth. Once it seemed like the walls grew to max length, Shane was lifted as a polished wooden flooring materialized before him.

It wasn't just the floor either, as more wooden beams began piecing themselves together from the tops of each wall. The wood beams angled themselves and met in the middle above him. The house sounded alive as it finished constructing itself. Shane almost jumped when he noticed a simple twin-sized bed pop up next to him.

After the bed came a fireplace. Then a table with a couple of simple wooden chairs. A basic door, a couch made of furs, and a couple of basic windows. Shane marveled at the cabin he would use as a home and forward base. Part of the wonder overcoming him came from the fact that most of this cabin's layout was much like the one he found himself in initially when he first arrived in Endless Veil.

Liz buzzed around the room, marveling at everything that came with the "Basic Cabin" dwelling selection—stopping just short of the collection of sharp rocks jutting out of the floor.

"This is what I wanted you to see. Pretty neat, right? Not only is it a cool centerpiece for your home, but it has extra functions too!"

Thanks to his new fireplace—that also came equipped with a roaring fire—bright warm light cast itself across the slopes and sides of the stone structure. The words Service Station appeared on a flat edge toward the top of the rocks.

"Go and try it, Shane," said Liz, her eyes sparkling. "It's voice-activated."

"Okay, and then I'm going to immediately collapse on that bed over there."

He cleared his throat and said the words carved into the rocks. Instead of a window beaming out of Liz, this new screen seemed to emanate from the "i" in Service Station.

-Service Station-

Dwelling Stations-
Dwelling Defenses-
Dwelling Expansions-
Dwelling NPCs-
Shane quickly browsed through each of the drop-down boxes within each dwelling option provided. Even in his fatigued state, he couldn't help but feel his heart race at all of the system's potential benefits.

"Liz! This is so cool! I can hire NPCs to make gear, spell scrolls, and even food!?"

It had been days since he had eaten. Thankfully, Endless Veil wasn't a survival game by genre, so survival mechanics like thirst and hunger weren't integrated into his digital body. Still, he missed the food from the outside world, even his favorite snack that killed him.

"Yup! You can expand your dwelling to encompass other dwellings too. Turning your home into a village, town, or city full of shops, merchants, and valuable companions!"

Shane's mind swam at the thought of the possibilities. The unknown was tantalizing for the potential riches, power, and companions the dwelling system could give. So many things he wanted to do. Exploring loot, upgrading his dwelling, and visiting Krooth. Unfortunately, they would all have to wait as sleep began to take him.

Shane sluggishly walked over to the bed and collapsed into a heap on the white comforter stuffed with a soft material. He had absolutely no energy left. Once rested, Shane would thoroughly enjoy the fruits of his previous day's labor.

"Watch the place for tonight, okay, Liz? Good night."

He was asleep before Liz could reply. She sighed and floated over to the couch in front of the fireplace. There wasn't a lot she could feel in this metal form, yet once she let herself fall and rest atop the soft cushions, there was undoubtedly a feeling of comfort.

Liz severed the connection that allowed her to see like she had always done while trying to sleep. She lay there, listening to Shane's rhythmic breathing, and hoped against fate she would have her first dream.

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