From the Ashes[/Job|Skullkid]

Job Details:

Zion had finally cleaned away the debris and charred remains of the rooftop abode. The spot was cleared and ready for rebuilding, but he had no clue where to start when it came to rebuilding a home. Getting the materials up here would be simple through magic, but as for where to get the materials and which ones were best for home building, Zion was woefully ignorant. Thus, he found himself turning to the youthful looking man temporarily named "Stranger" for advice.

"Stranger, do you know anything about construction or making shelters?"

The young magician's tone was casual but he couldn't hide the look of helplessness in his eyes. He honestly didn't expect the plainsman to be very reliable as he seemed rather strange. But the impression Zion had was that he'd help out as long as it was within his power and not too unreasonable.

"I'd like to rebuild a wooden home atop the stone tower.

[Job WC: 160/1000]

Majora stood on the ground looking at Zion, imagining the home that he only saw burning away in a great bonfire. It was a beautiful sight, but the restored version would be even more wonderful. It had seemed as if his new friend needed some help. Fortunately, it was something he did have some skill in. "My tribe always built each new home together. I can make you one, but it's going to be hard with just the two of us."

Majora scratched his head, wondering how he would be able to build such a thing with just two people, but even such a fact would not deter him. He grabbed a twig off the ground and showed him a few drawings, one was of a log cabin, another of a teepee. Majora added another picture of a stone building, which was interesting. It was a building he had seen that people were building and he figured he would be able to replicate the method.

"I guess we can come up with a few more ideas." His drawings were very detailed, "What kind of tools do we have to put this together, besides this machine?" He turned away from Zion and thumb pointed to his exposed back and then flexed, giving off a hearty laugh.

[215]

Though Zion had his reservations about going to Skullkid, they were soon alleviated as the youthful vagrant seemed to be rather reliable after all. Eager to learn new things, Zion got close and watched carefully as examples were drawn into the dirt. "Hmm..." None of them were exact replicas of what had existed before and this made the magician feel discontent at first. But after a moments thought he decided that it wouldn't do to be so picky. Smiling, Zion pointed to one that closest fit what he was familiar with. The log cabin-like design.

"Lets go with something like this...as for the heavy lifting..."

There was a playful grin on his face as he rolled up a sleeve revealing one rather scrawny and pale arm that seemed as though a gust could make it snap. "You just leave that to me. I'll handle all the heavy lifting!" Despite his frail look Zion made the bold declaration with a boyish vigor. He would keep the flying carpet a secret for now to surprise Skullkid later. "Unfortunately, I don't really have any tools. But with magic, we should be able to manage." The last bit Zion spoke sounded somewhat less confident and he even went from a grin to a solemn look as he nodded to himself several times as if to reassure himself.

[Job WC: 383/1000]

Skull Kid was happy to have purpose again. In his old tribe, he was just a hunter gatherer, bringing food back to the tribe from excursions away from home. He casually raised his arm from the ground floor, and it extended to the necessary length to reach the roof and he got a firm grip and retracted his arm, limbing the height with minimal effort. As if nothing special had happened, he brought his hands over his eyes and scanned the area for the best looking trees. He noticed northeast of their location, the trees seemed to be the healthiest. Their bark was completely in tact, they were larger and thicker than the rest and they were the greenest. Being one with nature for so long, he recognized these things and had learned quite a bit.

"Lets take these trees. They will be grateful to help you out." With that, Skull Kid took a few steps back. Theeeen he took a running start towards the harvesting node and stretched his hands into the air as if going into a belly flop with the air.

No words would stop him from his daredevil jump. But if Zion didn't stop him, he would curl up when he was about to land, softening the impact, but taking minor damage, leaving his torso and arms full of scrape. But after sprawling out on his ass, he would get back to work with a smile on his face.

[439]

The inhuman feats Stranger nonchalantly performed left Zion rather speechless. Be it the sudden stretching of the you looking geezers arms or his carefree attitude after landing in a rather ungraceful sprawl across the ground. The location of where they would find the best trees and the talk of how grateful lumber would be went right over Zion's head as his mind was still left reeling from what had happened before his eyes. As Stranger walked off Zion was left standing there for a moment looking down at his hands. "C-Can everybody do things like that?" He stretched his arm as hard as he could and frowned when nothing abnormal happened. The magician muttered to himself as he hefted his staff and hurried on to catch up.

Navigating the open grasslands immediately around the tower was simple for Zion, after all it could be seen from far away. But pathfinding a route through the nearby forest was something Zion had no expertise in. Deferring to Stranger's confident pace, Zion trusted that this odd "boy" would bring them to the right place. As the walked to their destination, Zion couldn't help but ask, "Hey, how did you stretch your arms like that? Did it hurt?" Curiosity was a strong trait of the doll and so now that this unnatural ability was displayed he naturally had a strong desire to learn more about it.

[Job WC: 618/1000]

Unfortunately, Skullkid would not reveal the nature of his inhuman feats. With his help, Zion was able to find and select some good trees that were "ready" to be chopped down according to the woodsman of the two. Zion didn't really understand what was meant before about the trees having gratitude, but once they arrived a small hint of comprehension flickered in the magician's eyes. There was a sense of ancientness from the one that was chosen. The white haired doll took in a deep breath as he reached forward to touch the massive aged lifeform and focused on the rukh of the tree itself. The purple rukh of life within were listless and almost seemed tired in their movements.

"This one's life is nearing its end..."

Silence held in the deep forest as Zion thought about the concept of ones life having meaning or purpose. Did its gratitude stem from being used for something as opposed to rotting away? Rot and decay over time was an important part in the cycle of life from what Zion had learned. After pondering for a few breaths Zion ultimately ended up coming to the opposite conclusion. This ancient and mighty tree had little reason to express gratitude, inversely Zion owed his future shelter to this old life.

Zion took a few steps back and then solemnly bowed in respect towards the trees that were selected to be used for lumber before improvising some quick magic to cleanly cut them down. The logs were carried with the help of a flying carpet and this was also how Zion ferried the materials up to the roof. Skullkid was left to handle most of the instruction on how to cut the wood and where it went, while Zion used magic in lieu of simple tools and labor. Though Skullkid was an odd fellow with strange mannerisms, together the two made a surprisingly effective pair. The construction lasted only two days with the first spent mostly preparing and procuring everything they would need.

In the end, a simple cozy two bedroom home with a kitchen and an attic loft was built. It was not the impressive marvel of engineering like the one Mikael had built, but the round rooftop abode was to be home for now. After thanking Skullkid for his help, Zion offered him a room in the newly constructed home, but the youthful man seemed to prefer his life on the plains and declined. After saying their farewells, Zion wondered softly to himself if he would ever meet that "Stranger" ever again.


[WC: 1000+/1000]