The Work Continues

Chapter 186

The day after I introduced the first group of Lepusan to the tunnel, nearly everyone but the children and a few of the elders who were left to watch them journeyed to the other side of the mountain. A few days after that they held more meetings and the dynamic started to change.

After a week some moved their tents over to the opposite side, others stayed in the foothills. Ban, Hari, and Gretch were the only ones living in a burrow in the valley. I was curious about what they were discussing but stayed out of it. Eavesdropping would just make it awkward if I wasn’t surprised when I should be and none of them were a threat or likely to become one.

Watching them it was clear that having something to do and providing for themselves really lifted their spirits. The two camps were more lived in looking now with them adding a woven branch fence around both along with making some rustic furniture. The younger does were also getting curious about the valley while the bucks were still preoccupied with the forest.

It honestly felt like it wouldn’t be long before some of them tried to trade their foraged goods or came looking for apprenticeships. I laughed a little at myself. I’d been trying to come up with plans to accomplish half as much. . It was amazing what leaving them alone could accomplish

“Hm?” Henry hummed in inquiry. He was reading a book on a little ledge I’d set up overlooking the area I was working on. He was in skeleton form but still well dressed. A blue shirt with some kind embroidered pattern in a matching threat with black trousers and tall boots. A kind of renfaire casual that I appreciated.

He’d been patiently waiting for me to explain what I was trying for or ask his opinion about something but I’d been stymied with some design issues. I was so behind schedule that everything was paint lines on the floor of a massive empty space.

Once I had the flow for the paths laid out I felt like I’d be able to make better progress. The next step was blocking the layout. That step was always fast and testing could start once it was done. Environmental fiddling and decor would come last.

“Just checking in on the Lepusan,” I called back. A noise of acknowledgement followed. He was reading the book of Lorel that I’d put together and I had to fight down a snicker. I’d really been annoyed when Elim kept sending me what I thought of as holy books or even bibles rather than murder mysteries. I’d had no idea religious texts were called mysteries locally.

“Has Elim checked in?” Henry asked.

“Yeah, he’s stopping at a market fair before heading back with Tiller,” I replied. Elim had confirmed with Tiller that there weren’t more Stromholt forces in the area before returning to my preferred assignment for him, personal shopper.

It was a bit amusing to see that the initial quality of the goods tended to be higher now. Something Elim himself attributed to Tiller. She was much picker than he was despite knowing about my ability to improve things. I didn’t mind, they’d bickered about it on the last call but it had been good natured.

“What exactly is your aim with a-all of this, by the way?” Henry asked. He’d held out for nearly an hour, and I couldn’t help but be impressed. I’d have given in after a couple of minutes at best.

“I’m redoing the bat's level to incorporate a better layout and stronger traps. It was a little weak for the hero’s party and I want people like the Suns to be discouraged sooner. I don’t mind the points obviously, but I want it to be clear this place isn’t an easy target for looting,” I explained.

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That had been an aspect of that group's behavior that had bothered me. They’d seemed to think the dungeon had no teeth just because of the safer layers in the blue stack. I didn’t plan to alter those too much, but they’d be getting a touch up too eventually.

“Ehm, I can understand the impulse but you were complaining about not having enough layers yesterday. Should that n-not be the priority?” Henry asked. A very reasonable question that hit me right in the procrastination.

“I uh… might be a bit low on inspiration for floor plans,” I admitted. I’d had plans of a kind, but they were mostly theme’s and some stubs. Little more than waiting rooms off of the various staircases that led down into what would be the expanded layers eventually.

Despite not knowing how I wanted to go about it, I was careful about making sure I expanded my dungeon every day so that I didn’t focus too much on the top side. I’d fought down an urge to allocate more mana for surface tiles too.

None of the Lepusan had ventured over to that area yet during their foraging, but there had been some questions from Jalla about possible farm jobs. I’d resorted to distracting her with a tour of the school to get away from the subject.

Under normal circumstances agricultural work was probably easy to get. At present I had the Elves running things and I didn’t think the Lepusan would enjoy the format. The hanging gardens as I thought of them were arranged high among the tree’s. They were also a lot smaller than they should have been to support the valley.

I was focusing every point of mana I had budgeted for the surface on the far side of the mountain. I needed to expand my territory and the farms immediately.

“I believe you would best be described as exhausted,” Henry offered.

“I don’t get tired,” I countered and sounded pouty to my own ears.

“Physically, no, but you’ve b-been so busy you’ve done nothing simply for pleasure,” Henry countered.

“Pretty sure I’ve done you plenty,” I countered with a snort.

There was a flash of blue and I found myself swept into Henry’s arms and tilted back nearly horizontal. There was a feeling of freefall for a moment before my natural floatiness asserted itself.

“Which I’ve enjoyed,” Henry said, kissing me on the forehead. I felt cheated for a moment but the intensity of his jewels as he looked at me told me it wasn’t that kind of conversation. For the moment anyway.

“But you haven't so much as made yourself a bench in weeks and your… that word of yours? Fussing? You're F-Fussing over this,” Henry said.

I wanted to refute the first part but only managed a mild annoyance at the second part. It was true but having my nose rubbed in it wasn’t helpful.

“And?” I prompted.

“No and, rather a so. So you should have fun. Don’t worry so much about per-perfection and your design rules for now. This is your domain, make it suit you,” Henry said. He punctuated this declaration with a proper kiss.

It was a while before my brain stopped being of a warm pudding consistency. Henry had thoroughly distracted me for a time and it had been lovely. I felt less frazzled already but after he left, duties at the atelier to attend to, I considered what he’d said and eventually took it to heart.

Rather than get straight back to work I spent some time with the hounds and playing with the puppies. Blackmore was particularly pleased by this development, she’d been after a good scritch and my fingers didn’t splinter like Chris’s did.

Fireproof or not, bone would eventually give if you ground it on stone long enough. Or sharpen. A thought I made note to keep decidedly to myself. Being called Chris ‘Shive Fingers’ Phalanges would probably delight him, but I’d rather not have him randomly stabbing people. At least not the mortal variety and he didn’t have easy fleshy targets in the dungeon.

The more time I spent relaxing, the more apparent it became that I’d been pretty twisted up in my own head. Anxiety about future attacks and the Lepusan making it hard to prioritize anything but the most basic and entrenched parts of my routine.

I laughed at myself for the second time that day then teleported to the boss room for the bat level. I punched a hole that pierced the mountain on the forest side. It was crude, but the shaft would allow the bats out.

There was a cacophony of screeching and softer echolations as a downdraft came sweeping into the room. Like a living storm the bats began flying in a frenzy as they searched their surroundings and spiraled upward toward the night sky.

I’d worry about making it look natural later.