Day 74 of Banishment: Storm (3)
"Everyone, prepare for retreat!"
Reading the signs of an approaching storm, Marylia immediately gave the go-ahead, and the golems stopped their work to hurriedly gather their belongings.
After a moment's thought, she decided to dismantle the tripod and bring it along with the trough. The trough was fragile pottery, and if it broke, she'd have to remake it. In a storm, anything left here could be swept away or damaged by falling stones, branches, or other debris.
With that, Marylia had the golems carry the packed items, and they quickly headed back to the base.
Whenever you’re in a hurry, monsters appear.
"Oh geez, how inconvenient~…"
Blocking their path was a Horn Rabbit—a rabbit with horns.
But she had no time to deal with small fry. Marylia darted forward, sidestepping the charging rabbit, then struck it sharply on the side with the flat of her stone ax.
"You should head home too. A storm's coming."
The startled Horn Rabbit let out a squeak and fled. Since she wasn’t short on meat, Marylia decided to let it go and resumed the journey home with the golems.
By the time they returned to the base, the sky was already thick with dark clouds.
"Oh dear~... this really looks like it’s going to rain."
Marylia placed the trough and tripod in the center of the brick drying area for safekeeping. Even if objects fell or flew about, the roof should protect them somewhat, and keeping them centered could mitigate damage if the roof collapsed.
"I can’t have the golems shattering either… Let’s dismantle them and stack their parts inside."
Next up, the golems themselves. She decided to dismiss them temporarily.
Golems took up a lot of space, being roughly human-sized and shaped. But if dismantled and stacked, they’d be more manageable.
Following her command, the golems entered the brick house, disassembling themselves in sequence, each golem arranging its parts in compact layers for storage. Marylia nodded approvingly and moved on to her next task.
"The slimes… they look like they’d blow away."
Watching the slimes in the field wiggle obliviously, Marylia sighed. The slimes showed no sense of impending danger from the storm.
"I guess I’ll have to bring you inside too. Come along, come along."
She gathered them up and tossed them into the house. After a few rounds, the slimes began following her on their own.
Having secured everything vulnerable to the wind, all that remained was to wait for the storm.
Bringing firewood, food, and vine strands to pass the time by weaving during the storm, Marylia listened as raindrops began to patter down.
"Oh, it’s here."
With mild tension, she listened to the rainfall, which quickly shifted from gentle patters to a steady pitter-patter, then into a torrential downpour.
"... It’s quite loud~"
The sound echoed within the room, striking against the tiles. While a grass roof might’ve been quieter, a tile roof provided far greater peace of mind.
"The wind’s picking up, but it doesn’t seem strong enough to rip off the tiles. Well, I don’t know what’ll happen if it gets worse…"
With some worry, Marylia relaxed, feeling reassured by the house’s solid construction.
"... Thank goodness the brick house was finished in time~"
Imagining enduring the storm with only a grass roof was frightening. Continuous rain could lower her body temperature, posing a life-threatening risk. A sturdy house was indeed a blessing.
"Well then, let’s make the most of the storm, shall we? Hehe."
Marylia chuckled as she began to weave a basket from the vines.
… Taking a bundle of vines, she got an idea and wedged a slime between herself, her bed, and the wall.
"… Comfortable!"
The slime likely found it annoying, but using its soft, squishy form as a cushion proved surprisingly pleasant.
Marylia laughed softly as she occasionally let the slime escape, only to replace it with another, and she happily wove her basket.
The night gradually settled in.
The rain and wind remained strong, with no sign of the downpour easing. The scent of rain drifting through the vent in the wall was already familiar.
"... Oh dear, I wonder if things are going to be all right."
At that moment, there was a rustling noise from above the roof. Most likely, a tree branch had broken and fallen. But...
"I hope the tiles are alright… Ah!"
Marylia shivered as she felt a cold drop on the back of her neck.
Curious, she looked around and quickly found the cause.
“My goodness~… it's leaking."
Sure enough, part of the roof had unfortunately shifted. The tiles hadn’t broken; they were merely displaced, but fixing it from the inside would be difficult.
"What to do? Leaving it to leak like this… Hmm."
After a moment of thought, she decided.
"... I’ll just plug it with a slime."
Squish.
She stuffed a slime into the leaking spot.
"Alright then. Time for bed. Goodnight~"
With the slime in place, Marylia promptly went to sleep! The slime might have found it unpleasant, but Marylia wasn’t one to worry about such things.
When she awoke, Marylia found that the storm had passed, and the sound of rain had quieted.
Sunlight filtered through the papered window, hinting at a clear morning. She opened the door and surveyed the scene outside.
"... It’s quite a mess."
Outside was in disarray. The ground was littered with fallen leaves, thick branches lay around—likely the ones that hit the roof overnight—and a pile of discarded tiles had collapsed.
One of the firewood shelters had lost its roof. It had been thatched with planks that had drifted ashore. Fortunately, she found the blown-away planks nearby, so they could be reassembled soon.
"The brick-drying area is a mess, too."
The drying area was also in disarray. Without walls and with only a roof, it had held up against the wind but exposed everything underneath to the rain. Pottery had been blown over, and some pieces had even cracked.
"If the slimes had been outside, they’d have been blown away."
Grumbling, Marylia picked up the slimes from inside the house and released them back into the fields. The slimes, heedless of the previous night’s storm, wobbled contentedly over the muddy ground.
"First things first—let’s fix the roof."
Now, it was time to restore order. Marylia assessed the damage, activated the golems, and began repairs on the roof and other scattered items.
Once the roof tiles were fixed and she’d had a delayed breakfast, Marylia set out toward the sea with the golems.
Yes, to the sea.
"With that kind of storm, there must be all kinds of things washed ashore… Hehehe."
Beaming, she strode energetically toward the coast. For Marylia, living on an uninhabited island, the rougher the sea, the better. A storm brought a bounty of larger, heavier objects from far away.
"I hope there’s some good planks~..."
She muttered this while envisioning all the possible finds, moving briskly with her basket on her back.
When Marylia reached the shore…
"... Marvelous!"
She exclaimed with bright, shining eyes.
Before her lay a coast covered in washed-up treasures. Ecstatic, she began examining the beach.
And soon—
"Planks!"
Right away, she found a sturdy plank and cheered. It looked like something meant for a ship’s deck.
"And logs too!"
She also found thick timber—maybe too slim for a mast but perfect for a ship’s prow.
“Ah! Over here… it’s sailcloth!"
And then, she discovered an enormous piece of fabric! Overjoyed, Marylia marveled at her luck… until she noticed something.
"Oh, this emblem… that’s the royal crest, isn’t it?"
… The sail bore the emblem of the Fractalia Kingdom.
What do you think about this chapter?
