The Far Wilds

Part 11

A strong current carried two boats to Iceland within hours, Flame and Lucas in the first boat, Candy and Smevy in the second.

When they arrived, Flame quickly realized how barren the place was. An island of snow and rock, it was barren in every meaning of the word, populated only by rabbits and the occasional polar bear. It was also so small that, standing on a tall hill, one could see the entire biome, from the smattering of pine trees on the western side to the hole-riddled tundra everywhere else.

"Where do we start?" Smevy questioned, trotting down the hill towards the boats.

"We can't build here," said Flame, thinking out loud. She smiled. "But we can dig!"

And so it was. They started on the western side, near the trees and away from the treacherous ground that dominated the rest of the island. Then they started to go down, quickly coming across a small cave. The process took a few hours, then they spent some time furnishing it, building such things as a crafting table, furnaces, and a small wheat farm.

Once this was finished, Flame went off with Smevy to do some mining, their primary iron pickaxes having been broken during the excavation. When they came back, they were stunned to see the space revitalized, with animal pens, a wooden loft that contained beds with storage, and a ladder leading down to deep storage and furnaces. The second floor was built off of a much larger cave than the ground floor, and Candy had laid a carpet of soil, a few saplings already reaching for the distant ceiling.

"This looks amazing!" Flame exclaimed. She gestured towards a bend in the cave. "How much father does it go?"

"Not much," said Lucas, climbing down the ladder behind them, his locator map curled under one arm. He stepped off and pointed down, indicating the fact that the ladder descended much further down. "There's more caves that way though- maybe we could turn them into more rooms.

"There's a lot of potential," agreed Flame, her eyes shining with hope. Then they turned curious. She looked at Candy. "Where did you get all the materials?"

The mute shifted uncomfortably. "I...I might have..."

Everyone was looking at her now. Smevy's hand flinched towards his sword, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Flame held up a staying hand.

"I...I summoned them in."

Everyone gasped. Summoning was the practice of pulling items out of thin air. With the right training, the summoner could also summon enchantments on weapons or tools, far exceeding the normal boundaries reguler enchanting enforced. It was forbidden by most remaining leaders, partly because it was so difficult to learn, but also because it gave the summoner a distinct advantage over their enemies, a practice most fighters saw as hideously unsportsmanlike. However, others didn't care, sometimes sacrificing their lives to learn the dangerous methods. After all, why have a normal sword when you could have Sharpness 32000, so powerfully dangerous that it could shatter armor with a single touch?

Candy shrank away from the incredulous eyes, then turned defensive. "What's wrong with that?! It's not like I've been using it against you."

"But it's...summoning," said Flame, whispering the word like someone would hear and come down with a righteous fury. "It's cheating!"

Candy rolled her eyes. "Please," she said, her mental voice scathing, "Who's going to do anything about it?"

Flame opened her mouth to object, then stopped. Candy had a point. They were so far away from anybody... and if somebody asked they could always say all the materials had been brought over...

"Fine," she said, "But this stays between the four of us. Agreed?"

"Works for me, '' said Candy, turning to the ladder. "You guys want to make dinner? I'm starving!"

As the others followed her up, Smevy couldn't help but worry about where this new ability would lead them. He knew that those who could summon opened themselves up to all kinds of malevolent forces. Who knew what people like Caden would do if they knew who was on their side?

As it turned out, Smevy would not have long to wonder.