The air was crisp with the bite of morning, the faint glow of the rising sun turning the ashfall a pale gold. Inside the watchtower, the once-empty rooms were alive with activity. The stolen ore and tools from the quarry had been sorted into piles along the walls, and Grath was already hammering away at a crude workbench, his gruff curses filling the air as he tested the limits of their new supplies.
Calden leaned against the barricaded door, watching Ardyn with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. "So, what's the grand plan this time?"
Ardyn was crouched near the fire, inspecting a blueprint burned into his mind by the System. The advanced crafting tools they had earned as a reward had opened up new possibilities, but the task before them was daunting.
New Quest Available:
Expand the Watchtower's Defenses. Reward: Siege Resistance Modifier.
Ardyn traced a finger over the crude map of their surroundings. "We're going to make this place untouchable. Traps, reinforced walls, escape routes—the works."
"Sounds ambitious," Calden said. "You sure this isn't just a waste of time? The guilds won't leave us alone forever."
"That's exactly why we're doing this," Ardyn replied, his voice sharp. "The stronger we make this place, the less tempting it'll be for anyone to attack."
Grath snorted from his workbench. "You're assuming we've got the manpower for that. I can build you traps and fortifications all day, but without more hands, it'll take weeks."
"Then we'll work with what we've got," Ardyn said. "Starting with the entrance. If we can funnel any attackers into choke points, we can make up for our numbers."
Grath nodded slowly, though his expression was skeptical. "Fine. But don't come crying to me when you realize you've bitten off more than you can chew."
The first step was reinforcing the main door. The watchtower's entrance was currently little more than a barricade of scavenged wood and stone, serviceable but far from secure. Grath had already drawn up plans for a reinforced gate, using the ore they'd stolen from the quarry to craft iron supports.
"It's crude, but it'll hold," Grath said, showing the design to Ardyn. "We'll need to heat the ore down in the forge, though. That'll take hours."
"Do it," Ardyn said. "Calden and I will work on the traps."
Grath smirked faintly. "You sure the kid knows which end of a hammer to hold?"
Calden shot him a glare. "I'll manage."
The hours passed in a blur of noise and effort. Grath worked tirelessly at the forge, his hammer striking sparks as he shaped iron into heavy supports for the gate. Meanwhile, Ardyn and Calden focused on setting up traps along the entrance path. The Advanced Trap Blueprint – Disruption Network from the System provided detailed instructions for creating pitfalls, tripwires, and crude but effective pressure plates.
Calden knelt beside a tripwire they'd just finished rigging, his brow furrowed in concentration. "So, this is supposed to trigger... what, exactly?"
Ardyn pointed to a bundle of spiked logs suspended above the path. "When someone trips the wire, the logs drop. Crude, but effective."
"Effective, sure," Calden said, "but also terrifying."
"Good," Ardyn replied. "Fear is half the battle. If they think twice before attacking, we've already won."
By nightfall, the first phase of the fortifications was complete. The new gate stood tall and imposing, its iron supports gleaming in the firelight. The traps along the entrance path were hidden but deadly, their mechanisms rigged to trigger with precision.
Grath leaned against the gate, wiping sweat from his brow. "Not bad," he admitted. "But this is just the start. You want this place to hold, we'll need to do more."
"We will," Ardyn said, his gaze steely. "This is only the beginning."
The System wasn't idle, either. As they worked, new notifications appeared, tracking their progress and pushing them toward greater challenges.
Fortification Progress: 60%.
New Task Available:
Build Escape Tunnels. Reward: Advanced Blueprint – Concealed Exits.
Ardyn studied the new task with interest. The idea of escape routes hadn't crossed his mind yet, but it made sense. If the watchtower was ever overrun, having a way out could mean the difference between survival and death.
"Grath," Ardyn said, turning to the craftsman. "How feasible are tunnels under this place?"
Grath frowned, scratching his chin. "Depends on the soil. If it's stable enough, we could dig something out, but it'll take time. And tools."
"We've got the tools," Ardyn said. "Start planning. We'll figure out the rest as we go."
The following days were consumed by the grueling labor of digging. Ardyn, Calden, and Grath took turns carving through the dirt beneath the tower, using pickaxes and shovels to create narrow passageways that led away from the structure. The work was slow and exhausting, the air thick with the scent of damp earth.
As they dug, Ardyn's mind raced with thoughts of the future. The watchtower was growing stronger, but so were the threats they faced. The guilds, the Ash Cathedral, and even the unknown forces tied to the System—all of them loomed like shadows on the horizon.
"You're quiet," Calden said, breaking the silence as they worked.
"Thinking," Ardyn replied, his voice flat.
"About what?"
"About how to stay ahead," Ardyn said. "We're building something here, but it's fragile. If we let our guard down, even for a moment, it'll all come crashing down."
Calden didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glanced at Ardyn, his expression unreadable. "You know, most people would've given up by now."
"Most people don't survive," Ardyn said simply.
By the end of the week, the first escape tunnel was complete. It was a narrow, winding passage that led to the outskirts of the district, hidden beneath a pile of rubble. Grath inspected the tunnel with a critical eye, nodding approvingly.
"Not bad," he said. "If someone's chasing us, they'll have a hell of a time finding this."
"Good," Ardyn said. "Now we start on the second one."
Task Complete:
Build Escape Tunnels. Reward Allocated.
Reward: Advanced Blueprint – Concealed Exits._
Fortification Progress: 80%.
New Task Available:
Fortify Upper Levels. Reward: Sniper's Perch Blueprint.
The System's notifications came as no surprise, but they still filled Ardyn with a sense of purpose. The watchtower wasn't just a shelter anymore. It was becoming a stronghold—a symbol of survival in a city that devoured the weak.
"We're getting closer," Ardyn said quietly, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"To what?" Calden asked.
"To building something that lasts."