Construction Mage - Chapter 24: Laying Foundations

Google Docs Link

“After the False Revolution, few craftsmen bothered to become mage-type Delvers to take advantage of the power of magic. Instead, they chose more physical classes to improve their stamina and focused on leveling up their profession skills. After all, it’s their only way to handle materials found in the dungeon.

However, I believe there’s a good chance I can bring a new revolution to my fellow craftsmen. I just need to convince one of the noble Delvers to use their spells in tandem with us! Then, my forges will be able to reach temperatures never before seen, allowing a new era to come.”

-Excerpt from the journal of Willow of Vorn found among his belongings after his execution for contempt of nobility.

***

“What’s that? You’ve been spending yer time on making a bunch of dirt all day?” the large red-haired foreman let out a guffaw as he slammed his mug down on the table, splashing some of it out.

“Better than lazing around all day while I recover,” Clay defended.

“You looking all good now. I reckon yer going back into the dungeon, then?”

Clay took a moment to savor a spoonful of stew as he mused over the options. His status indicated he was back in health after a measly two days. It was a startling recovery time, one only afforded to Delvers. In fact, based on Delver standards, it was actually quite slow because they often made ample use of potions or healing spells. Any downtime they had was more for mental fatigue rather than physical fatigue.

“Not yet. I’ve just gathered enough materials to maybe finish a wall. I want to see how it goes first.”

“Your first house, eh? I still remember when I was put in charge of my first project. A small house for someone in the neighborhood. Back then, we didn’t have to worry about any monster waves, though. You doing it alone and all—it’s going to be even more challenging than you think.”

“I don’t need anything fancy right away. Just four walls and a ceiling, and I’ll be satisfied.”

Garrick shook his head with a grin upon hearing how naive his friend was.

“Always got to learn the hard way, I reckon. Just make sure you set the foundations right. For the mortar, I guess you can use mud around here if you don’t want to spend that much money. It should work well enough with the earthen blocks you got. Now don’t say I didn’t do nothing for ya. Good luck!”

Clay groaned before the two clunked their mugs together and downed them together.

“Anyway,” Garrick continued, “it’s good that you aren’t pushing yourself with that dungeon business, at least. Thalia has been in a good mood since you’ve been helping her, so I’m glad that’s continuing for a little while longer. If you aren’t planning to spend all day in that monster-infested mess, why don’t you consider making your arrangement with her more permanent?”

“Thalia is great to work with and all, but I don’t want to be stuck doing paperwork if I can avoid it. I’m just helping out to continue my education.”

“Why don’t you just hire someone to do that for ya? That’s what most of those snobby Delvers do, right? At least the bunch that weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouths. It’s about time you reconsider and get a few people to look after yer back. Your little dance with death should be enough of a wake-up call, right?”

“That—I don’t know yet.”

“Then why—”

Clay held his hand up and cut him off. “I know there’s safety in numbers, and I have been considering recruiting a porter to help me carry things and watch out for traps, but I can’t really commit myself to trusting some stranger. For all I know, they could easily set me up inside the dungeon, where I wouldn’t be able to call for help.”

Garrick sighed and took a moment to muster his words. He then gestured with his chin over to the other tables in the tavern, where other patrons sat. The other guests nearby were full of people from different walks of life. However, the ones who were in similar careers were clearly grouped together. Carpenters stuck with other carpenters, guardsmen with other guards. It was a common sight to see these co-workers going out for a drink together after a hard day’s work.

“That’s just how work is. Everyone has to work in groups to survive, no matter what profession they’re in. You gotta be able to trust people, or you won’t be able to get good work done. It’s just that the profession you chose inherently has higher risks than the others. If you can’t deal with that, it’s not too late to change professions. If you come back with me, the most you’ll have to deal with is others trying to steal merit or minor sabotage. Nothing life-threatening.”

Clay had been insistent on operating alone ever since he decided to go into the dungeons, but that was quickly faltering after the last incident. Every night, he would dream of himself haggardly escaping from the kobold-infested caves as his blood dripped out of him. It was also the reason he didn’t want to return to the dungeon right away, now that he had gotten better. 

There was a good chance he got something akin to PTSD from the life-threatening event a few days ago. So far, he hadn’t had any major episodes, and mostly just broke out into a cold sweat during the night. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to enter the dungeon so soon again.

“I’ll—look into it. If there’s someone suitable, I’ll recruit them,” Clay muttered.

“I’m sure there are plenty of fools capable of venturing into the first layer with you. Give them a chance.”

“I said I’ll do it. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ya don’t make it easy, ya know?”

Scoffing at his former boss, Clay directed his attention back to his food. He had been in recovery, so his wallet had gotten loose when it came to what he ate. Only a spoiled brat didn’t know how to enjoy their hard-earned meals.

Shoving aside all troublesome thoughts, he proceeded to take a hearty bite out of a drumstick.

It’s about time I start getting enough protein. Let this desire to eat better push me into the dungeon again.

***

After his lunch with Garrick, Clay returned to his little piece of land right away. He skillfully navigated through the long lines of farmers flowing in and out of the city, and soon came across a simple canopy, consisting of only wooden poles and canvas, in the distance. It had cost him a pretty penny, totaling two thousand Lyons. It put his funds dangerously low, with less than eight hundred Lyons left.

Clay found it to be worth it, though. It was a small price to pay to keep his materials safe, and he still had the kobold longsword in his possession. Delver gear was notoriously valuable, so he did have an emergency fund to rely on.

Once he arrived, he broke away from his usual routine of creating more bricks and got started on building the foundation of his house. That meant he brought out his shovel and summoned a golem.

Let’s get this done while we still have daylight!

Passing over his tool to the sturdy summon, he commanded it to begin digging. The soft, fertile soil wasn’t suitable to pack together to create hardened earth, but it gave way easily. Unfortunately, the golem didn’t last long, and Clay’s mana pool soon ran out. When that happened, he picked up the slack himself until he was entirely drained. Then, he would meditate to recover both his stamina and mana before continuing.

After thinking it through, Clay had spent the remainder of his points on wisdom and dexterity. 

The former was to lengthen the amount of uptime of his summon. His goal was to one day reach the point where he could have the golem up for the entire day. 

As for the latter, it helped with shaping and creating larger Earth Blasts to work with. It also had to do with wanting to level off the only single-digit stat he had, and he didn’t regret it. After all, the reason he was able to overcome the armored kobold was thanks to empowering his spells, so it was a useful ability to sharpen for the future.

With more points in wisdom, his mana was restored first. He eyed his status screen carefully until everything was topped up before resuming the work.

Status:

Name: Clayton Stratton

Age: 30

Class: Earth Mage [Apprentice] - Level 4

Profession: Staffmaker, Alchemist

Resources:

Health - 100%

Stamina - 112/112 [1.6/min]

Mana - 100/100 [3.0/min] -> [4.0/min]

Stats [Mage]:

Stat Points: 7 -> 0

Strength: 15 

Endurance: 16

Agility: 15

Dexterity: 9 -> 11

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 15 -> 20

Skills:

Spell Manipulation(I): 3

Earth Blast(I): 3

Meditate(I): 2

Summon Elemental(I): 2

Alternating between recovering and working, the day quickly went by. Just as the sky was beginning to change color, Clay managed to dig and flatten a nice square area to form the foundation of his house.

With the tedious part complete, he didn’t waste time and directed his golem to start building.

The summon dutifully carried over a pile of earthen bricks that had dried out even more now, having spent a few days in the elements. It held firmly in place as it was placed around the foundation. Between each brick, Clay used the soil they dug up, mixed with the water that he drew from a far-off well, to create a makeshift mud mortar. It was the cheapest and most convenient material he had on hand.

This should work—I think…

Slowly but surely, an earthen form rose. He only stopped when the sky darkened, urging him to return to the inn.

It should just be a few more weeks until it’s done. Maybe sooner if I just focus on four walls and a roof. What should I use for the roofing, anyway?

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter