Chapter 6: Plans and Preparations

The morning in Frostlake Village began with the familiar sounds of stirring and hushed conversations. After a warm breakfast, Neil's father, Anil, and his second uncle, Rhys, announced their decision to explore the lower slopes of the mountains that rose to the west. A shared curiosity about the terrain and the potential for finding valuable resources had prompted their venture. The other adults and older cousins dispersed to their usual tasks around the village.

Neil, still feeling the pull of his recent discovery, sought his grandmother's permission to step outside. "Ba-ma," he asked, "can I explore near the edge of the trees for a little while?" Receiving her cautious approval, he bundled up and headed out, keeping the village perimeter in sight.

He soon found a cluster of sweet berry bushes, collecting seven of the bright red fruits and mentally placing them in a new slot on the first page of his inventory. Nearby, he gathered some fallen branches, the rough bark familiar in his hands. He returned to the village as others began to trickle back from their morning tasks.

The midday meal was a lively affair, filled with talk of Anil and Rhys's exploration. They spoke of finding a dark opening in the mountainside, a cave that warranted further investigation. However, the immediate needs of the village took precedence, and they agreed to postpone a deeper exploration.

Later, finding a quiet corner, Neil focused inward, organizing his inventory. He mentally created a new page dedicated to his dark oak wood, placing the eight blocks there. He designated a second page for the two dark oak saplings and the seven sweet berries.

With his resources organized, a surge of excitement coursed through him. He focused on the dark oak wood, mentally moving four blocks to his crafting grid. The recipe for dark oak planks appeared in his mind. He confirmed the crafting, and sixteen dark oak planks now occupied a slot on his wood page.

Next, he placed two planks vertically, recalling that one plank could yield fifty sticks. He crafted a full stack of 100 sticks, which neatly filled another slot.

Now for tools. He carefully arranged planks on the crafting grid, visualizing the recipes for a wooden pickaxe, a wooden axe, and a wooden shovel. The crafting consumed three planks for the pickaxe, three for the axe, and one for the shovel, leaving him with seven dark oak planks in one slot. The recipes also required sticks. He used six sticks (two for each tool), leaving him with ninety-four sticks in the filled slot.

A thrill of anticipation ran through him as the blocky images of the tools materialized in his inventory. He mentally navigated to his hotbar and placed the wooden pickaxe, axe, and shovel in the first three quick slots. He focused on the wooden axe, a blocky version of the tools he saw the adults use, and with a mental command, he willed it into his hands. A slightly pixelated, but solid, wooden axe appeared in his grasp. He swung it experimentally, a wide grin spreading across his face.

He spent the rest of the afternoon near the village, helping his family with small tasks, the wooden axe feeling surprisingly useful. Time passed, and the evening meal brought the family together once more. The conversation soon turned back to the cave in the mountains. Neil listened intently, his desire to explore growing with each word.

"I want to go with you," he blurted out, his voice filled with excitement.

A wave of worried glances washed over him. His mother looked particularly concerned. "Neil, it could be dangerous."

His grandfather, a man of quiet wisdom, stroked his beard. "The boy has a spirit for adventure, and perhaps it's time he gains some experience beyond the village. But," he added, looking at Anil and Rhys, "he must be under your strict supervision."

After a moment of consideration, Anil nodded. "He can come. But he must listen to us and stay close."

A wave of elation washed over Neil. He was going to explore a real cave! The thought filled him with such excitement that sleep came easily that night, his dreams filled with dark openings and the promise of unknown wonders.