When the game becomes reality (OLD WORK)

Chapter 20

//I do not know how to tame a horse. This is not realistic in any way. Have mercy on me

As dawn approached, the group noticed just how long they had been awake. The night felt too short, spent laughing and chatting, ignoring the faint hint of nervousness and homesickness that lingers in the air. It's better to try and just forget it, to not risk another fight or trigger nightmares. When the adrenaline of new people arriving faded and the first rays of sunlight peek over the wall of their home, the group was left exhausted.

Despite the day just beginning, the group split into two and filtered into the houses, ready to just sleep half the day away. It's not like they actually had anything to do. No jobs, no videos, no streams. They can do whatever they want. After a bit of reshuffling, the Dream Team settled down on the three pushed together beds, lazily fighting over the blankets and space before settling down. Techno and Tommy decided to just squeeze together on one bed, allowing Puffy to have Tommy's bed. The two immediately shut down Phil offering a bit of space on his bed, arguing that despite feeling better, he was still hurting and growing his wings. The last thing he needs was someone pushing or kicking his wings on accident.

Curled up in blankets, the group hid away from the early morning, dreaming of missing homes and friends, or not dreaming at all.

Life continued that way, the group of now eight people and two little companions settling into a steady routine. Wake up, eat breakfast with your roommates, get to work on open tasks, eat dinner around a campfire, sleep. Days melt together, any semblance of time lost in the mines or out in the woods. The stable was finished, a nice big house of oak and cobblestone surrounded by a large fenced area. They had prepared the space for more than one horse after all, knowing that it would probably be stupid to only have one for so many people.

The base got an upgrade as well, with the back and left wall being moved after a good chunk of lake had been filled in. A third house was in construction, this time set to be bigger than the two already standing. It gets annoying to constantly move the wall with every new person they find and have move in, so they will make the most of the new space and prepare a house with two stories and the first basement.

A field with wheat for the horses was added outside of the border, at the edge of the lake. Golden wheat swayed in the breeze, safe inside the fenced area and raised earth in case the water ever rises further than it should.

George and Tommy ended up doing the most farming work, Puffy helping them more often than not. They were the ones with the least physical strength at the moment, so they had to do the tasks that require the least heavy lifting. The rest was tasked with either building or gathering materials. Techno and Dream ended up doing most of the building, Sapnap had his fun in the mines and Bad switched from getting wood and sand to processing the resources in furnaces and crafting benches. Phil was still not allowed to help, only giving building input and make sure that the fields are tended to with enough water and care.

His wings had reached their full wingspan and were healed, his muscles only aching and sore from the growing. The pale skin had turned dark and a healthy layer of black down feathers had grown. The first primaries and secondaries were also poking through, slowly sliding from their sheaths once they were ready. Phil had to force himself not to scratch the itchy feathers, not wanting to disturb the growing or pull out a feather on accident. The only times he dares touch them is when he feels two feathers tangled together or one struggling to slip out fully and needed help. As scary as it was to suddenly have wings sprout from his back and ripping through his skin, watching the feathers grow was somewhat fascinating.

But the change was not just obvious on him. He had his wings, but his eyes started to change too. The pale blue became more intense, more bright and vibrate and his pupils started to change more to a cat like appearance, even slitting when he got scared once. Whenever Techno or Tommy were forced to help him walk around on bad days, he felt lighter than he should, despise the food he eats. Hollow bones was the theory they came up with.