CHAPTER 40: A HUMAN AND DWARF-MADE BUILDING

The sound of hammers and chisels echoed through the Commons at dawn. Marron wiped her hands on her new apron and leaned against the bakery doorframe, watching Harvey and the dwarves work side by side.

Harvey barked orders in his low, saw-like rumble, apprentices scurrying to cut planks to size. The dwarves answered with quiet nods, steady as a heartbeat. Where Harvey’s boys slapped mortar roughly into place, the dwarves smoothed it with practiced hands until the seams vanished into clean, perfect lines.

"No wonder," Harvey muttered under his breath, arms crossed as he watched Borin press stone into the inn’s foundation. "They’re so in tune with the rock itself. Mortar listens to them."

Borin chuckled, his beard flecked with dust. "Stone’s no different than wood, lad. It remembers how you treat it. Force it, and it crumbles. Work with it, and it holds for generations."

Harvey gave a grunt of agreement, though Marron caught the rare gleam of admiration in his eyes.

+

By noon, the bakery square smelled less of dust and more of sizzling meat. Marron flipped thick patties in her iron pan, the juices hissing as they hit the hot surface. She layered the burgers with soft bread rolls and used some pickled vegetables from the dwarves for additional flavor. Then the burgers were placed on wooden plates.

When she carried the first tray out, the apprentices’ eyes went wide.

"Burgers?" one of them gasped.

"Never had one!" said another.

"Careful not to lose a finger," Harvey laughed, though his own hand was already reaching for one.

The dwarves gathered too, their work-stained gloves removed, their laughter rumbling like thunder as they bit into the unfamiliar food. One of the women let out a satisfied groan. "By the Stones... that crunch!"

A dwarven child cheered alongside Lucy. "Never knew the veggies could be used like this!"

"Juice!" another shouted, holding his dripping hands out in wonder. "It runs down your arms!"

Marron flushed with quiet pride, ducking her head as they devoured the platter in moments.

She set aside one burger for Borin and found him at the edge of the inn’s frame, inspecting the placement of a support beam.

"Thought you might be hungry," she said softly, offering him the plate.

He accepted it with a nod, tearing into the food with a bite that nearly swallowed half the bun. For a moment, his golden-brown eyes gleamed with pleasure. "Mm. That’s lovely, aye."

Then his gaze flicked up to her, sharp and thoughtful. "Tell me, lass. You’ve thought about walls, haven’t you?"

Marron blinked. "Walls?"

"For defense." He gestured with the half-eaten burger toward the tree line. "A village with food and shelter will draw eyes—good and bad. Raids don’t end because you wish them away."

Her stomach twisted. She gripped her apron. "We... have thought about it. But the inn is our first priority." She hesitated, voice dropping to a whisper. "Though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about raiders coming back."

Borin studied her, chewing slowly. His silence pressed heavy, like the weight of the stones he worked. Then he nodded. "Aye. Best to finish the inn. But when the beams stand tall and the hearth burns steady... think of walls, Marron. Stone remembers, but so do men. Raiders don’t forget easy prey."

Marron shivered, but his words rooted in her chest, heavy and undeniable.

Behind them, laughter echoed as Lucy hopped between apprentices, her ribbon bouncing, while Mokko showed one dwarf child how to whittle a stick into a toy sword. The Commons was alive in a way Marron had never dared dream.

She pressed her hands to her apron, steadying herself. For now, it was enough.

Soon though, walls would need to be made.

+

That evening, the inn’s half-built frame stood silhouetted against the violet sky. The dwarves had packed their tools neatly, Harvey’s apprentices were sprawled in exhaustion near the fire, and Mokko was still awake, quietly sanding a plank smooth.

Marron sat cross-legged beside Lucy’s jar, notebook balanced on her knees. She had meant to write another letter, but her hand hovered uselessly above the page. Borin’s words echoed too loudly.

Walls. Raiders don’t forget easy prey.

The thought knotted her stomach. They had only just begun to feel safe again, only just begun to make Meadowbrook into something resembling a home. What if it was all torn away?

A sharp ding! filled her ears. The System’s cool, detached voice flickered across her vision:

[Bonus Mission: Defensive Recipe Development]

Warning: Your base has been flagged as vulnerable.

Condition: Develop a new recipe that carries a defensive buff within three days.

Reward:Expanded defensive buff options for cooking.

Failure:A hostile raiding party will notice your base.

Marron’s pulse leapt, her breath catching.

"Failure...?" she whispered, clutching her apron. "They’ll notice us?"

Her mind tumbled through recipes she knew—bread, rolls, stews, pancakes, burgers. None of them screamed "defense."

Lucy blinked up at her, tendrils curling anxiously. "Marron? You’re pale."

She forced a smile, though her hands trembled. "It’s nothing. Just... the System wants me to try something new."

Mokko lifted his gaze from the plank, his brows furrowed. "Something dangerous?"

"Something important," Marron admitted softly. She closed the notebook and set it aside, pressing her palms together to still their shaking. "If I don’t, raiders might find us."

Silence fell, heavy and sudden. Even the crackle of the fire seemed distant.

Then Mokko’s fist curled tight, knuckles whitening. "Then we’ll help you. However you need it."

Lucy chimed a determined hum. "We’ll taste everything!"

Marron’s throat tightened. She looked from the towering carpenters to the stout dwarves, from Lucy’s glow to Mokko’s solid frame, and for the first time, she realized she wasn’t alone in this mission.

She exhaled slowly, resolve curling in her chest like rising dough. "All right," she whispered. "Then let’s make something strong enough to keep us safe."

Above the Commons, the stars blinked awake one by one. But Marron barely saw them—her mind was already turning over ingredients, techniques, and the question that now burned brighter than fear:

What kind of food could defend a home?

+

She found Balen near the well, drawing some water. "Hey Marron. Just needed to refill my waterskin."

"Balen," Marron said quietly. "I need your help."