The first thing to really hit me was how cold it was. The mountain complex behind me was not warm but had no wind chill at least. I began the walk down into the town or village to find some possible shelter or safety.

I started with one of the buildings that looked most sturdy. Honestly most of the buildings looked in good condition but without maintenance problems could easily develop. Looking around many of the houses were sort of cookie cutter all following the same basic pattern. Every place white washed wood paneling for sides with different color accents used to provide some variety. The only other notable differences was of vegetation, for instance allowing vines or ivy to grow up the sides.

The house I started with was accented with what now appears to be faded red paint, two stories. The front lawn appeared to be full of overgrown weeds which didn't surprise me for what I suspected was an abandoned house. The roof had what I believed were ceramic tiles. The tiles near the front of the house appeared to be a light brown or tan however from other angles it was obvious that some sort of moss or algae was starting to take over.

Even though I felt like the town was abandoned I still knocked on the front door and waited. I did this twice more and waited a solid 15 minutes just to ensure no one was home. I tried the door handle but it appeared to be locked, I did find a keyhole below and from what I could tell it was a simple lock.

I pulled out the screwdriver I had acquired, gently placed it into the lock and attempted to twist or turn the latch. It took me several minutes of feeling around before I was able to disengage the lock. Based on the complexity this seemed more for privacy than security. That was an interesting concept to think about. What might the town have been like, I imagined everyone sort of knew everyone else. I figured as I entered the house that I would try to be somewhat respectful. Unlike an office building this was someone's home.

Just like in many of the offices I noticed right away the smaller furniture sizes, clearly intended to fit a smaller frame. That had me wondering about something, why were the houses and buildings about normal size but some of the furniture was much smaller. Would a shorter stature person want something to match?

I tabled that idea for now first as I was not an anthropologist, and second I had more important needs to consider at the moment.

The house's layout was a bit different than I expected, I entered first into a space intended to hang up outdoor ware. This area was completely bare, no cloaks, jackets, shoes, boots, anything. I at least removed my slippers and discovered to my horror how cold the wood floor was. I then put my nasty slippers back on.

Past what I think is called a mudroom I was greeted by a short hallway that branched off. The first room on my right appeared to be a living room by my definition minus the TV. The next room on my left was a well appointed study, and reading area. It was in fact more like a personal library based on the number of books I was seeing.

As I continued to walk the floor creaked in that almost creepy way, I was just glad it was daytime still. Towards the rear of the house I found a large dining room on the left and a kitchen on the right. I also found the stairs going up to the second floor against the back wall of the house. A door leading outback was next to the stairs.

The dining room and kitchen both were the first indications that something had happened suddenly. The dining room appeared to be set with plates of a half eaten meal, some of it appeared to be desiccated or by this point had turned to dust. The kitchen while tidy still had used bowls, plates, and pots from the tail end of the meal prep.

“Alright… whatever happened, happened at least a few years ago. Maybe around dinner or supper time?” I said as I was thinking out loud.

I discovered a pantry within the kitchen area, near the bottom I found three different bags, two of dried beans, and the last what might have been flour. In theory the dried beans might still be edible, what I thought was flour was almost certainly not. I found several different kinds of jars and pots, a mix of both clay and glass. Several of both types had what appeared to be wax seals on the lids.

“Please still be good.” I told the jars I found, I then grabbed the smallest still sealed jar and gently broke the seal. I tried to listen for any escaping gas but didn't hear anything.

“No gas buildup, that's a good sign.” as I continued to talk to myself and pulled off the lid. It appeared to contain some sort of fruit preserve, maybe peaches.

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I could smell a sweet fruity smell coming from the jar, I then dipped my pinky into the jar and tasted a small sample. It was tangier than I expected but still sweet, the flavor was not what I was expecting but didn't taste off. I then pulled out one of the small knives I had collected and rinsed it off with some of the alcohol.

My hands were filthy and I didnt want to risk any of the utensils in the house quite yet. I then started to spear chunks of fruit and ate hungrily. It had only been maybe two days since I last ate, but my stomach cramped almost as soon as I started. After I finished off that jar I wanted to eat more but I felt that could be dangerous if I had an allergic reaction to anything.

I took some time to explore the rest of the house, the windows I found were quite interesting. They had an ingenious little lever system to open and close the external wood shutters from the inside, the windows were a single pane of glass housed in a wooden frame. I took some time opening some of the shutters as I went room by room taking inventory of what was available.

Overall the place appeared to be similar if only in slightly worse repair than the stone carved offices but the house was not buried in a mountain. Overall the place appeared to be a family’s home, I found personal touches all over most often in the form of wood or clay fired carvings and colored yarns.

Going back to the office I found a small painting of what I assumed was the family, consisting of an older gentleman, a smiling woman, and two younger boys. They appeared human in the picture except for the slightly pointed ears.

The upstairs had 2 bedrooms and a washroom with a hand pump for water. A large iron tub sat against a wall and had what looked to be a small firebox under it. Going back down to the kitchen I found a large sink with a hand lever to pump water.

"Holy shit indoor plumbing and heated baths." I said to myself in some shock.

The pipes looked to be made out of tin and not lead which was a very good sign as well. Overall I was very surprised by the plumbing, it was different from what I was used to but was not far off. Just like the water inside the under mountain complex it was almost freezing.

The main bedroom had one large bed with the mattress filled with what felt like cotton. It was a little small for me but would still fit me comfortably. It also seemed to be in good condition if a bit dusty. I found a dresser and a closet both full of men and women's outfits. Immediately I pulled out a simple looking dress and placed it in front of my body. It was way too small for me, it looked like it was sized to fit a 10 year old but with more of a feminine shape.

I did find a pair of leather boots that seemed a bit on the big side. I took a moment to check if anything had crawled inside then attempted to put them on. My foot was just a little too big but I could make do with these for the moment.

I started to clean, I removed all the blankets and bedding from the main bedroom that I could find and took them out back to shake out the dust.

While I was back there I discovered a small shed and even a small bit of firewood stacked against it. It took me several minutes using the flint and tinder method but I finally managed to get something going in the kitchen stove. It didn't take long for the smoke to start filling the kitchen.

"O what the fuck!? It has a vent to the outside, why is the smoke coming in?" I yelled in a panic.

It didn't take me long to figure out that an old bird's nest was blocking the exhaust vent. I was realizing that I still took too many things for granted and needed to be more thorough and meticulous about what I did. I had nearly blown myself up with magic lights then almost burned down a nice house.

Once the fire was resolved I spent a little time cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen.

Ding!

For repeating a Special Action a sufficient number of times you have unlocked the general skill: Homemaking!

I jumped again from the random popups in my vision. I then focused on the skill Homemaking.

Homemaking

Rank F - 0%

The ability to properly maintain a house or home, from cleaning, cooking, caring, and organizing.

Would you like to accept the new skill?

I was a bit taken aback by the new skill. I didn't expect something so… mundane to have a skill.

"Ok… what other fucking skills exist in this universe?" I asked out loud to the void.

Ding!

For repeating a Special Action a sufficient number of times you have unlocked the general skill: Cursing!

Cursing

Rank F - 0%

Your cursing is as bad as a sailors, this skill brings it one step up!

Would you like to accept the new skill?

I actually stood there in shock for a moment, I was being sarcastic. This felt almost targeted by some higher order.

I then blurterted out "How about a skill for matter generation?".

That got me nothing in reply, this only added to my theory that this place was run by a sarcastic asshole.