There were many things that could go wrong with chopping wood, but Edmund managed to avoid them all. Though the driftwood was often in the form of gnarled branches that were twisted into strange shapes that defied the simplicity of a straight trunk, his axe bit through them without snagging or ricocheting off unexpected knots. Other large logs that had been dislodged and swept closer to shore by the sneaker wave were easier to cut apart, though each one took much longer. Luckily Edmund had several other Torchers on hand to help out, and the tangled pile of dismembered trees soon turned into messy piles of wood in much smaller sections that were roughly the same size.
Magic really did help out with monotonous tasks like these, and this time there were no ill-timed volcanic eruptions or rogue waves to impede the Wild Thunder's progress. Though other Torchers moved along the beach as well, in groups of two or three,Sah was easily able to hold his own with a touch of his earth and air manipulation to smooth his way. Between them all it didn't take long for a dozen broad, shallow pits to be dug, safely well above the tide line and further oceanic mischief.
Once again it was the King who struggled. The tasks around creating fire pits were not, perhaps, well-suited to Merfolk. They were much better at making things wet than drying them off, though Hadama's magic could be used for either. In the end he had to wait for several humans to set the lines up and hang the gathered kelp across them before he could bring his magic to bear, drawing the water from the dripping harvest and leaving it light and dry beneath the sun.
"We are almost done," he declared after taking a break to swim along the beach and check on the progress of the wood and pits. "One group can line the pits with the gathered stones. The firewood will need a few days to dry and cure out of the water. Stack it by each fire pit and it will be ready by LongNight. And the kelp needs to be separated into batches for kindling and placed by the wood piles."
Round 4: Wrapping it all up!
- Stack the chunks of driftwood above the high tide line to dry, near each firepit
- Separate the dried kelp into batches for multiple fire pits and distribute them near the firewood stashes
- Line the firepits with the stones
Magic really did help out with monotonous tasks like these, and this time there were no ill-timed volcanic eruptions or rogue waves to impede the Wild Thunder's progress. Though other Torchers moved along the beach as well, in groups of two or three,
Once again it was the King who struggled. The tasks around creating fire pits were not, perhaps, well-suited to Merfolk. They were much better at making things wet than drying them off, though Hadama's magic could be used for either. In the end he had to wait for several humans to set the lines up and hang the gathered kelp across them before he could bring his magic to bear, drawing the water from the dripping harvest and leaving it light and dry beneath the sun.
"We are almost done," he declared after taking a break to swim along the beach and check on the progress of the wood and pits. "One group can line the pits with the gathered stones. The firewood will need a few days to dry and cure out of the water. Stack it by each fire pit and it will be ready by LongNight. And the kelp needs to be separated into batches for kindling and placed by the wood piles."
Round 4: Wrapping it all up!
- Stack the chunks of driftwood above the high tide line to dry, near each firepit
- Separate the dried kelp into batches for multiple fire pits and distribute them near the firewood stashes
- Line the firepits with the stones
