Ramparts

Dawn found Nathan sitting on the roof of his workshop, contemplating the damage from the previous night. The black substance had left indelible traces on the exterior walls, dark veins that seemed to absorb the morning light rather than reflect it. Echo was curled up against his thigh, purring softly in his sleep.

"We can't continue like this," he murmured, passing a tired hand over his unshaven face.

[Morning analysis]

[Workshop status: Functional but compromised]

[Structural integrity: 74%]

[Defenses: Weakened, high risk for next night cycle]

[Priority recommendation: Consolidation]

Nathan rose slowly, his body still sore from the battle against the Corruptor. Direct confrontation had been effective but unsustainable in the long term. He needed a different, more methodical approach.

The workshop he had rebuilt had good foundations, but remained too vulnerable. From his observation point, he could see the structure as a whole: a rectangular stone building on two levels, with a slightly sloped roof. The upper floor, smaller in size, formed a kind of watchtower that offered him a 360-degree view of the surrounding ruins.

The ground floor housed the forge itself – a central hearth surrounded by refractory stone flooring, supports for tools, and the workbench he had cleared from the debris. All of this functioned, but without elegance or optimization.

"If I have to live here," he thought, "I might as well do it properly."

He went downstairs and unrolled a sheet of parchment found in a drawer. Quickly, his engineering skills took over, and he sketched plans for a proper defensive system.

[New design detected]

[Analysis in progress...]

[Concentric defensive system identified]

[Estimated materials required:

Common stone: 150 units

Wood: 45 units

Oxidized iron: 30 units

Magical essence: 8 units (currently unavailable)]

"Eight units of essence..." Nathan sighed. "We'll have to do without it for now."

He revised his plans, replacing magical components with more conventional mechanical solutions. A shallow moat around the workshop, outer barricades, buttresses to reinforce the walls... It was basic civil engineering, but effective.

[Revised plans approved]

[Material cost reduced]

[Estimated construction time: 9 hours]

[New materials required:

Common stone: 120 units

Wood: 35 units

Oxidized iron: 25 units]

Echo woke up and stretched at length before leaping onto the workbench to examine the plans. He emitted a small questioning sound, tilting his triangular head.

"Yes, it's ambitious," replied Nathan as if he perfectly understood the question. "But we have all day."

The first challenge was to gather enough materials. Nathan spent the next two hours methodically traveling through the ruins within a hundred-meter radius around the workshop, collecting every usable stone, every preserved piece of wood, every fragment of metal.

Echo assisted in his own way, sometimes signaling materials hidden under debris or chirping warnings when a structure seemed unstable. The creature seemed to intuitively understand the purpose of this collection.

By noon, an impressive pile of materials was stacked in front of the workshop. Nathan allowed himself a break, sharing some berries with Echo. His mind was already analyzing the next phase.

[Materials gathered:

Common stone: 87 units

Wood: 29 units

Oxidized iron: 19 units]

[Progress: 72% of needs]

[Recommendation: Begin construction with available materials]

"That makes sense," he agreed. "Let's start with the moat and foundations."

Nathan hadn't used his Architect power since the initial construction of the workshop. He closed his eyes, focusing on the mental image of what he wanted to create. The sensation was strange, as if his mind extended beyond the limits of his body to embrace the environment.

When he reopened his eyes, the stone and soil around the workshop were gently rising, responding to his will. A furrow began to form five meters from the walls, creating a perfect circle. The extracted earth methodically piled up, forming an inner embankment that would serve as a first line of defense.

[Construction in progress: 12%...]

[Energy consumption: Moderate]

[Efficiency: Optimal]

The sensation was exhilarating. Unlike his engineering work on Earth, where each modification required heavy equipment and teams of workers, here he could literally shape matter by thought. It was as if the laws of physics had become suggestions rather than rules.

"This is incredible," he murmured, guiding the collected stones to form a low wall inside the moat.

Time passed without him noticing, his mind entirely absorbed in construction. Over the hours, the workshop transformed. The moat, though shallow, created a first barrier. The stone wall along the inner embankment added a layer of protection. The buttresses reinforced with wooden beams consolidated the existing walls of the workshop.

[Construction: 67%...]

[Alert: Fatigue detected]

[Recommendation: Break necessary]

Nathan stopped reluctantly, sitting heavily on a stone. Sweat ran down his forehead, and his vision was slightly blurred. Using his power over such a long period had exhausted him more than he had anticipated.

"A break, just a short break," he said to Echo, who was watching him with what seemed to be concern.

As he caught his breath, he contemplated his work in progress. The workshop increasingly resembled less a restored ruin and more a small fortress. The exterior walls had been reinforced and raised, now incorporating narrow loopholes that would allow observation of the outside while remaining protected.

The roof had been consolidated and slightly inclined to efficiently evacuate rainwater – if it ever rained in this strange world. The observation tower had been elevated and equipped with a small parapet, offering an additional defensive position.

"That's better," he approved. "But not yet sufficient."

After his break, Nathan focused his efforts on the forge itself. It was the heart of the workshop, the element that would allow him to create tools and weapons to better defend himself.

The ancient forge was functional, but rudimentary. Nathan examined it carefully, noting the strange hearth that produced heat without any apparent fuel. A series of metal conduits emerged from the floor under the hearth, suggesting a complex energy supply system.

[Analysis of ancient forge] [Technology: Hybrid – mechanical and magical]

[Current state: Partially functional (30% capacity)]

[Potential: High]

[Complete restoration requires: Specialized knowledge not available]

"I can't restore it completely," Nathan realized, "but I can optimize it with what I know."

He set to work, reorganizing the space around the hearth, creating an improved ventilation system, and installing more practical supports for tools. With the collected pieces of oxidized iron, he shaped a series of basic tools – tongs, hammer, rudimentary anvil.

The forge took shape under his hands, blending techniques he knew with the mysterious elements of ancient technology. Though imperfect, it now emitted a more intense and better-directed heat.

[Forge improvement: 85% completed]

[Current capacity: 62%]

[New functionalities available:

Basic tool forging

Simplified tempering

Rudimentary casting]

The sun was beginning to descend toward the horizon, reminding Nathan that time was limited. He had one crucial task left: crafting a weapon.

The experience against the Corruptor had shown him that sometimes, the best defense was a good offense. But his sonic projector was destroyed, and he had no more magical essence to create a new one.

"A crossbow," he decided. "Simple, effective, and entirely mechanical."

Nathan had participated in a crossbow club during his studies. It wasn't a weapon he mastered perfectly, but he understood its mechanical principles. Using the most resistant wood he had found, he shaped the frame. The pieces of iron, once heated in the forge and hammered, became the metal components – the guide rail, trigger, and fittings.

The most difficult part was the bow itself. Without modern spring steel, he had to improvise with several layers of flexible wood reinforced with braided plant fibers he had harvested in the gardens. The result was rustic but functional.

[Weapon fabrication: 98%]

[Classification: Light crossbow]

[Estimated power: Moderate]

[Estimated accuracy: Acceptable]

[Effective range: 40 meters]

"There," he said, lifting the finished weapon. It was heavier than he would have liked, and the cocking mechanism required considerable effort, but it worked. He crafted a dozen bolts, using straight branches and carefully forged metal tips.

As the last light of day filtered through the loopholes, Nathan toured his transformed workshop. The exterior moat was complete, the wooden palisade erected, the walls reinforced. Inside, the improved forge hummed softly, diffusing a pleasant heat throughout the reorganized space. Freshly built shelves housed his tools and materials, and a more comfortable sleeping area had been arranged in a corner.

It wasn't luxurious, but it was solid, functional, and infinitely more defensible than before.

[Construction complete]

[Defensive improvements: +150% resistance]

[Forge: Operational at 62% capacity]

[Armament: Basic but functional]

[Experience points gained: +90]

"What do you think, Echo?" he asked his companion, who was curiously exploring every corner of the rearranged space.

The sylverain jumped onto the highest shelf, then onto the edge of a loophole, emitting an approving trill. From there, he had a perfect view of the outside without exposing himself.

Nathan smiled. "You understand the idea."

The first shadows of evening were beginning to stretch between the ruins. Nathan cocked his crossbow and placed it within reach, near the space he had designated as the main guard post.

[Dusk imminent]

[Shadow activity: Preliminary detection at 200 meters]

[Recommendation: Activate defenses]

He had no magical essence to power mystical protections, but he had planned alternatives. Simple mechanical traps in the moat, tripwires connected to rudimentary alarms, and several strategically placed firing positions around the workshop.

"Tonight will be different," he said with quiet determination.

As the sun disappeared completely, Nathan observed the darkness from his secure position. The Shadows emerged as before, their misty forms barely distinguishable from the surrounding darkness. But this time, he awaited them behind stronger walls, with a plan and a weapon.

The first test of his new defenses would not be long in coming. Somewhere in this hostile night, he knew the Corruptor would return, perhaps stronger, certainly more wary. But Nathan had evolved too. He was no longer the disoriented survivor of the first days.

Echo came to perch on his shoulder, his electric blue eyes fixed on the outside. Together, they waited for the night to deliver its first assaults against their improvised fortress.