With the inspection complete, we sat there resting because I needed to recover my mana before storing and moving our new 300 ft pine tree. Again I marvel at the size of the tree. If I hollowed it out, it would be like an apartment building with very small rooms. We would have plenty of wood and then some more to spare.

  I can only imagine what the town's woodsman was capable of: using a normal lumber axe to cut down any tree here would require extensive skill. When I had designed the original chainsaw according to the norms of Earth, Master had laughed at me, asking if I wanted to cut baby trees. It seems he was right. The only reasonable use for a normal-size chainsaw was saplings or branches. Now his insistence that I make the blade as long as possible made sense.

  It was even worth spending an extra couple hours designing a folding mechanism for transport. Even then it was bulky and awkward to carry, but it was a joke to think any earth-sized equipment could have stood a chance. It’s a shame the chainsaw was ruined cutting the tree, but at least it had completed its task and provided me with enough wood to pay back Master for the metal to make it and enough lumber to build a personal house for everyone in the family.

  After a couple hours' rest I used another stake to store the tree again, and we set off home. It wasn’t a long walk, but the silence stayed with us as to how dangerous our little expedition had sunk in. I can’t help but wonder how the town walls are able to keep out everything, and I can’t help but think of how the things that had attacked us had been the leftover creatures that hadn’t been wiped out by the town patrols.

  We make it back home, and Mom is there waiting for us. She had taken the day off because she wanted to know the moment we got home. Seeing us safe and sound had earned us a mom group hug. I think she knew from our quiet demeanor that our trip had been a near thing, so while she didn’t press for details now, I knew in the coming days the three of us would be getting all kinds of scoldings. We gathered in the space behind our house, and I pulled out the tree from my space, which only barely fit into the clearing.

  “So do we have any idea what to do next?” I look over to Mom and Dad for guidance, but all I get from them is a blank stare. I turn to my sister, but I’m met with the same blank expression and the feeling of ‘I’m the physical one, you're the crafter. I thought you were taking the lead?’ I turn back to Dad and Mom but see Dad looking to the side whistling like this had nothing to do with him and Mom smiling happily, enjoying the day she could spend with us.

  My head flops forward and meets my palm as I realize I have two muscles and one spectator to help me. Without realizing it, my list of professions seemed to have increased yet again, and now I’m the foreman. I shake my head out of my facepalm and resolve myself to try my best.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Well, let's start by stripping the branches and bark? Make a pile over there; I’m sure we can use it later for something.” Sis takes the leftover chainsaw, and Dad goes over and rips branches as thick as I am tall off the tree. In the meantime I’m plotting out my next move. It quickly becomes apparent that I have some time, as even with Dad casually tearing the branches off and Callia using my chainsaw to slice off chunks of bark and wood, several hours pass and only part of the tree has been stripped.

  Eventually Mom calls us over for a family dinner, and I see for the first time Dad has worked up a serious sweat. Even my energetic sister has collapsed after wolfing down her stew. It seems we might be lacking manpower, so I’ll have to find a solution with Master Yoren to process the log. Maybe a circular saw? The family washes up and heads straight to bed after that. A long day of hard work has them out like a light.

  The next morning Grandpa wakes us up by tossing us out the window. Loudly he shouts at us.

  “Brats! Why the heck did you bring a whole tree? All we needed were a couple branches, yet I come home to find the entire clearing buried in wood! Not just that, but you forgot to check the tree for danger before hauling it back! Despite that, you still came back. Thank you for coming back. I don't know. . . .” As Grandpa talks, he seems less and less aggressive, eventually rubbing my hair while patting Sis’s.

  “Seems you brats still need me to teach you how not to die like an idiot. Don't worry though; it won't be as hard as our pre-forest prep. Can't risk having you burn out after all.”

  After the previous trip, the normally hard training of Grandpa felt much more comfortable and passed with ease. Sis went back to the tree to continue her work in stripping it while I left for Master’s workshop to try engineering a solution and to check if he has any books on architecture. I can’t help but get the feeling that whenever anyone I know wants something, they are going to turn to me to magically make it happen.

  I get to Master’s Library and immediately begin plotting my new project. I was going to try making a grill of blades that will slice clean planks of wood, and I will link it onto Dad’s wood affinity to make it separate without resistance. At least Wood affinity is far more common and has foundational information for means to utilize in my ‘Plank Strainer.’ I'll need to workshop the name, but first it was time to workshop the runic tool.

  Childhood Adventures pt. 2

  Callen slowed to a stop as he felt malicious anticipation from Callia. In what seemed like a fluke of luck, he spotted a bush up ahead with a foot barely visible from the back of the bush. From there Callen worked out the elaborate rope trap rigged from her position that would have, had he kept walking, snared him and dangled him in a net hanging from a tree, Star Wars Ewok style.

  With that in mind, Callen carefully kept his confidence hidden and walked right into Callia’s trap. The moment it activated, Callen easily stepped out of the threatened area. Now Callen let his smug satisfaction pour out as he looked over to his sister oozing satisfaction at easily avoiding her carefully laid trap. However, Callen didn’t feel any indignation or frustration from Callia, instead triumph.

  Callen’s eyes opened wide in shock, but he didn’t have time to dodge the second, even better hidden net trap that he had moved onto when dodging the first. The next moment everything was upside down, and thick ropes held him up as he dangled from the tree.

  “HA! Perfect timing, Nixie!” Callia called out to her friend, who seemed both thrilled to have caught Callen and nervous about her participation.

  “Should we let him out?” Nixie asked with an expression of pity as Callen flailed helplessly in the net.

  “I’ll let him out later; for now let’s finish our run!” With that, Nixie and Callia left Callen behind to flail about in the net until the sun was nearly set.