[PQ] breaking ground

a silent film he'd watched a thousand times before

Marcus arched a brow at the words, his hands still braced against the weight of the stone he’d just hauled aside. A cage. “I know how to build one,” he answered at last, voice steady, and his eyes flickered over the pile of branches Deimos had left in his wake. They weren’t beams, not by any stretch, but with enough rope and force behind them they’d hold. He had enough experience even in his short, twice-jumped life, on the Halovian tundra to build at least something rudimentary.

He rubbed his palms together, grit grinding into the creases of his skin, and turned the plan over in his mind again. One side open, rope for the door. The flush, the snare. It was simple enough to work—

“Alright,” Marcus said, finally straightening, the sweat cooling against the back of his neck. He had put together what was clearly a cage, even if the craftsmanship was more focused on quickly than perfectly. And though his hands ached and his shoulders burned, the spark of Olson determination was sharp and steady in his chest. A cage, hastily built and imperfect, would hopefully be enough.

---

Marcus helps make a cage for the foxes!

marcus olson

Damien

"I never see you at the club!"
Okay? I never see you at the creek

Damien’s dark eyes lingered a moment on the cage where the foxes crouched. The little creatures thrashed once, twice, before huddling together, eyes wide and fearful but unharmed. The mother still bristled, but she hadn’t been crushed beneath a falling tree or left homeless in the snow. It was a win, however rough.

Theea’s helpful grin, Marcus’ stubborn grit, Deimos’ orderly stacks of lumber, Thorn’s sharp sketches and careful measurements—each piece had held. The site was cleared, the plan alive, the wood ready. For the first time, he could see the cabin starting to take shape.

“Good work,” he said to everyone, voice carrying across the clearing. “That’s one hurdle down. Now for the next part.”

He stepped into the open space, boots crunching in the snow, and spread Thorn’s notebook wide so all of them could see. He tapped the foundation lines. “Next step’s digging the trench for the base. Deimos—you're the only one able to cut it clean without wasting daylight. Think you could carve out the footprint of the cabin? Straight, level, deep enough to bite the frost and hold. Like this.” He'd show the Warden Thorn's sketches up close to give a sharper, more detailed idea.

Then his hand shifted to the frame lines, the long logs that'd be running up into the roof. “Once the trench is set, we move straight into raising the frame.” His gaze cut between them in turn.

“Theea—can you help Marcus set the first beams into the trench? Two of you’ll keep the beams steady while the rest of us fit the frame.”

“Thorn—you and me, we’ll handle the corner posts. Measure twice, cut once.”

He turned slightly, taking in the stacks of timber Deimos had already stripped. “And once your trench is dug, Deimos, your magic can brace the soil around the posts, pack it tight so the weight won’t shift too much.”

Damien closed the notebook with a snap, the sound sharp in the cold air, before handing it back to Thorn for now. “By the time this is done, we’ll have a frame standing.” His jaw set with quiet conviction, the kind that left no room for half-measures. “Let’s get it set up.”

---

Round 4 Breakdown

Deimos – Dig a trench foundation with earth magic. Then brace soil around the posts to lock them in place.
Marcus & Theea – Lay the first beams into the trench Deimos digs as the foundation frame.
Damien & Hawthorn – Measure, cut, and set the four main corner posts. Accuracy is key.

Deimos

It seemed things were coming together quickly and efficiently, despite fox-laden bumps in the road. His attention turned to their next task – brow arching at the directions given to him. He’d done similar things to ensure their hot springs were laden by the Palace, well within his abilities to churn through the hard-packed terrain.

Nodding, he glanced at the sketches Thorn had already made, implementing them into his mind, before passing them back over to Damien. Stepping forward towards the indicated area, he unfurled his Mastered Earth quickly and efficiently, feeling it weave and arch and contort through the pathways of deep snow and frozen portions. Concentration and focus honed, it carved and curved, the trench aimed to be exactly what was required – pathways laden in the frost.

Thereafter, he maintained the incantations to roam outwards, bracing through the soil along posts, packed so it would remain wholly unbothered by impending weight – tough and sturdy.

--

Deimos uses his Mastered Earth to dig a trench, then brace the soil around the posts.

it's not the waking, it's the rising
It's the fire it ignites

Theea

rise to the occasion

I’m still grinning from ear to ear when Marcus and I get back, even if my ears are still ringing from being screamed at the whole way across the snow. The foxes are safe, set loose with my jacket tucked into their crate to make it warmer, and I don’t care one bit that my coat is gone. Shut up, I’m perfectly warm and not shivering.

Then Damien ’s instructions hit me. Beams. Beams?

I glance down at my arms—noodles, as I so proudly announced earlier—and then at the massive timber stacked nearby. My lips purse, my jaw sets. Fine. I could do this. I glance at Marcus, and my grin sparks bright and defiant. “We’ve got this.”

I bend to grab my end of the first beam, grit my teeth, and very nearly squeak when the weight drags my arms down. I catch it barely, waiting desperately for Marcus to take the other end. Together we shuffle toward the trench, my back and arms screaming the whole way, but I manage it, step by step, until finally—blessedly—we drop it into place.

I straighten up, panting, arms burning, but flash all the boys a broad grin anyway. “Got it!”

And I do it again. And again. Helping Marcus brace each beam in turn while Deimos ’s magic packs the soil firm around them. My muscles might be noodles, but stubbornness? That’s solid steel.

---

Theea struggles but hauls the beams to the trench to lean up and brace them with Marcus.

got fears but I face them

// and all my flowers grew back as thorns //

Happy to let his journal be used to show the designs, Thorn lingers by Damien to help offer out any answers that might need a bit more in depth of an answer. Luckily, though, without many questions at all, the journal is tucked back away when Damien hands it to him, before he’s pushing up his sleeves again to get to work.

Going to snag the corner posts alongside the measuring tapes and rulers, the courtesan does in fact measure twice before marking where to cut. And once those have successfully been cut and prepped to be added to the stack, Thorn helps Damien set them into place so Deimos’ magic can pack them in nicely – offering a decent structure for them to build off of for the frame.

When the first one’s done, Thorn moves onto the next, double checking from his notes before they continue to place them.

---

Thorn helps Damien cut and place the corner beams!

THORN