The moment the hunting party stepped through the gate, the whole entrance area shifted. People stood up fast, kids started to run forward, and everyone tried to see what the hunters brought back.
Marrek reacted right away and lifted his voice, firm but controlled. "Stay back and give them room, nobody crowds the gate, let them unload first."
The crowd slowed, but they still pressed in from a distance, eyes locked on every bundle and sack. Aiden stepped in beside Marrek, scanned the loads, then pointed toward the ship entrance to guide where everything should go.
Aiden led them to the ship and stopped at the entrance, then made a clear hand sign to the leaders waiting nearby. It was a simple approval, but it carried weight. Up until now, the ship was mostly off limits.
Talren and his group filed in and began unloading. Aiden guided them into the temporary storage room, and the space filled quickly with the sound heavy loads being dragged into neat piles.
"There's still more back there, we just ran out of hands and bags so we had to leave some of it." Talren wiped his sweat from his brow and looked at the piles.
Aiden nodded and started sorting by habit. He separated meat from salvage, cloth from leather, and anything damp from anything that needed to stay dry.
Talren pulled out a rolled bundle and set it down carefully.
"We found a tent that was still usable, it got stomped and torn in spots, but any bit of extra wool and leather won't do any harm."
They laid the meat out next. Deer meat, boar meat, some small game and what looked like vegetables from this world. The smell was fresh, and the amount alone told Aiden the trip paid off. These were some few extra days worth of ration.
Talren then pointed to the side, his face getting serious.
"Back at the old camp, there are a lot of boars that died when that siege class beast attacked, the meat is ruined so we left it, but the hides are still good and it feels wrong to waste them."
Good hide could turn into armor panels, straps, and wind blocks, and those were things the settlement needed right now.
Talren looked towards Marrek.
"We should go back there tomorrow, Marrek. Help me strip the ironhide boars so we can work faster and bring more back."
Marrek stepped closer and agreed right away. "Yeah, and I want the tusks too, those can be shaped into knives and even spear tips, so leaving them there is just wasting resources."
Talren crouched and tapped the pile where a few rough parts were already set aside. "The ironhide boars have more than just the hide. The tusks and bones are useful, the tendons can be used for binding, the bristles can be turned into brushes or padding, and even the stomach can be cleaned and made into a water pouch."
Marrek grunted in agreement. "If we bring tools and enough hands, we can haul a lot back in one trip."
Aiden nodded once, already deciding how to fit it into tomorrow's work without slowing the building.
"We should be able to finish the third rest area tomorrow. So there'll be plenty of hands to help. I'll give you guys some hide and some tools so you can make leather bags to carry more back next trip." Aiden said.
As he spoke, Aiden was already sorting it in his head. There were plenty of low quality hides lying around that he did not plan to use for armor or anything important. A simple transport bag did not need perfect material, it just needed to hold weight and not tear.
He could fabricate basic needles fast, and they already had rope from dried sinew that was processed earlier. If they kept the design simple, making a few leather bags would not take much effort.
Marrek nodded, then added, "My wife knows how to sew, so I'll talk to her later and we'll get it done."
After agreeing to such plan, it was time for the most important loot.
Talren reached for the sacks that had been handled carefully and placed them down like they might break if thrown.
His voice dropped slightly, not from fear, but from respect for how much Aiden cared about them.
"We got those core things you always talk about. There should be around fifty in here, but if we had more bags we could have carried more."
Aiden felt his pulse jump, and he forced it back down before it showed on his face. Fifty cores was not a small gain. It really really was a bit haul!
He opened one sack just enough to see and confirmed.
Aiden met Talren's eyes and kept his voice steady.
"Good work, I'll handle these and store them myself, and you all go wash up and rest. I'll cook for everyone."
******
Once the loot was stored and the piles were neat, Aiden headed back into the ship to grab what he needed for dinner. He pulled out the nutritional paste packs and lined them up on his arm. There were only a few left, but he had enough to feed everyone if he stretched it with meat and vegetables.
He brought everything outside and chose the center of camp on purpose. He wanted people to see the cooking again instead of smelling it from far away, because the sight of a hot meal being made helped everyone settle down after a long day.
Aiden built a large fire in the middle and fed it thick wood so it would keep burning without constant tending. Then he dragged extra logs into a wide circle around it, giving people somewhere to sit that was not cold dirt. Off to the side, he built a smaller cooking fire, keeping the main fire for warmth and light while the pot stayed easier to control.
As the flames steadied, people naturally gathered. Kids stayed close to their parents, and workers leaned on the logs while talking in low voices about the hunt and the new shelters. The camp looked different with a real fire at its center.
Aiden set the pot over the smaller fire and poured in water. He tore open the first paste pack and mixed it in slowly, stirring until it turned smooth instead of clumping into lumps. The smell was plain at first, but he added chopped meat next, then the vegetables the natives had collected earlier, wild greens and small roots cut down into small pieces so they would cook fast and spread through the pot. The scent grew richer as it heated, and more people drifted closer without even meaning to.
He looked up and scanned for someone capable and calm, then spoke toward the nearest group. "I need someone to grill the deer meat on the side fire, keep it turning and don't burn it."
A woman stepped forward with a tired but steady look, and three kids stayed close behind her like shadows.
"I'll do it, my name is Liora, and my kids can help me watch it."
Aiden nodded, already judging her hands and posture. She moved like someone used to work.
"Alright, Liora, take the deer meat and use that flat stone as a hot surface, keep the cuts thin so it cooks through and pull it off before it dries out." Aiden said.
Liora got to work at once. One child carried small pieces of wood. Another held a strip of meat with careful hands while she placed it down. The third watched the fire like it was a serious job, eyes wide and focused.
Aiden kept stirring the pot, adjusting thickness by adding water in small amounts, then checking the salt use in his head without overdoing it. The porridge became smooth and heavy, the kind of food that sat in the stomach and kept people working for hours.
When he saw Liora struggling to manage both the fire and the timing, he stepped over and helped without making it a big deal. He adjusted the meat position once, showed her how to use the edge heat instead of the center flame, and then returned to the pot.
Once the main meal was close, Aiden grabbed a clean jug and brought out a second pot for the drink. He poured water into the pot, dropped in dried apple pieces he had made from fruit that was starting to go bad earlier, then crushed a few more by hand and added them in.
As the water heated, a light, sharp smell rose with the steam and spread farther than the porridge.
He let it boil for a short time, then pulled the pot off the heat and left it to sit so the flavor could soak into the water. He counted the time in his head and kept it simple. When it was ready, he strained the liquid through cloth into the jug, then took a small container from storage and dropped in ice to cool it down fast.
The ice cracked against the jug walls, and condensation began to form almost right away.
People noticed right away. Heads turned toward the new pot, and the low talk around the fire picked up as everyone tried to guess what he was making.
When the food was ready, Aiden had others help hand it out so the line stayed smooth and the portions stayed fair. The savory paste porridge went first, thick and warm, then grilled deer meat was added on the side. Last came the apple drink, poured into small cups so it would stretch to everyone, and the cold sip made faces change fast as people realized it was chilled and real sweet flavor, not just plain water.
Aiden sat near the fire with Havel, Marrek, and Karsen, and the three of them looked different compared to the earlier days. Their shoulders were lower. Their faces were calmer. Even Karsen, who always looked like he was about to argue with the world, ate in silence for a while before speaking.
Around the fire, the camp felt different. People talked more freely. Quiet laughs slipped out. Kids ate until they were slow and sleepy, and more than a few people kept glancing at the two finished sleeping areas like they still could not believe they were real.
Nothing was perfect yet. The walls were still rough. The space was still a bit cramped for these many people. The forest was still the forest.
Still... tonight felt calmer. Even if just a little bit.
******
After the meal, the camp settled down on its own. Work would start early again, and full stomachs made it easier to lie down without thinking too much. Families headed to the new sleeping areas first, then others followed in an orderly flow, spreading out without pushing.
Aiden stayed near the fire a little longer to make sure nothing would flare up. He shifted a few logs, covered the pots. When he was satisfied, he gave Havel, Marrek, and Karsen a small nod.
"I'll go get some rest first." Aiden said.
He went back into the ship and let the outside noise fade as the door sealed.
Inside, he carried the sacks of cores to the secured storage spot he picked and set them down carefully. He opened the system interface and kept his voice low.
"J.E.M., sort the cores by grade, log the count, and keep it running in the background." Aiden said.
[CORE SORTING: INITIATED]
[CLASSIFICATION MODE: GRADE ANALYSIS]
[LOGGING: ENABLED]
[ESTIMATED COUNT: IN PROGRESS]
Aiden let out a slow breath. The day had been long, but it was the kind of long that ended with a lot of progress. He left J.E.M. working and went to his resting space, keeping his gear close but finally letting his body loosen.
He closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.