The starship climbed toward Stonehaven, the landscape transforming from coastal plains to rugged foothills, then to snow-dusted mountains. Below, the village clung to a mountainside: stone cottages with slate roofs, terraced vegetable gardens now brown and parched, and empty stone basins where mountain springs once bubbled. Villagers carried buckets from a distant stream, their backs bent under the weight, while livestock stood listlessly in pens, their tongues hanging out.
Lin Che landed the starship in a flat meadow near the village, and an older woman with gray hair tied in a bun hurried over. She wore a heavy woolen shawl, and her hands were chapped from carrying water. "You're the travelers from Coral Reach," she said, her voice trembling with fatigue. "I'm Greta—Stonehaven's elder. Our springs dried up two weeks ago. All three of them, at once. The mountain used to feed us water, cool and sweet, but now... nothing. We've been carrying water from the stream five miles away, but it's not enough. The gardens are dying, the sheep are weak, and the children are getting sick from drinking dirty water. Without the springs, we can't survive the summer."
Xiao Ya walked to the nearest dry spring basin, her boots crunching on gravel. She knelt, pressing her palms to the stone, and her hands glowed soft green. A deep vibration rumbled through the ground—from the mountain itself, from the rocks deep below, from the empty channels where water once flowed—and she closed her eyes, listening. When she opened them, her expression was grave but hopeful. "The water's still there," she said, turning to Greta. "It's trapped under a landslide. Last month's heavy rain loosened rocks high on the mountain, blocking the underground channels that feed the springs. The mountain's water can't flow down to you, so it's pooling in caves above the village. The mountain pines say they can feel it—like tears trapped behind stone."
Greta's face paled. "A landslide... we heard rocks falling, but we didn't think it would block the springs. My husband's father used to say the mountain's waterways are like veins—cut one, and the whole body suffers."
Mo Ying slung her toolbox over her shoulder, already studying the mountain slope. She squinted at the rocks above, assessing the safest path. "We'll need to clear the landslide, but carefully—we don't want to trigger another. Lin Che, you can help me climb up and move the rocks (starting with the smallest ones first). Su Qing, can you use runes to stabilize the mountain? Keep the rocks from shifting while we work?"
Su Qing flipped open her Arcane Manual, pointing to a page of earth-stabilizing runes. "Runes for rock solidity—they'll hold the mountain together while we clear the blockage. Greta, do you have rope and climbing gear? We'll need it to reach the landslide safely."
Greta nodded, calling over her son, Thorin—a burly man with a beard and arms like tree trunks. "We've got rope from the old mining days, and climbing harnesses stored in the barn! Thorin can help—he's the best climber in the village, saved my life once when I fell off a cliff."
Thorin stepped forward, grinning despite the situation. "I know every path up this mountain like the back of my hand. Follow me, and I'll get you to the landslide safely."
The work began at dawn the next day. Thorin led Lin Che and Mo Ying up a narrow trail, his boots finding footholds in the rock. When they reached the landslide, they found a jumble of boulders blocking a narrow gash in the mountain—where water had once flowed freely. Xiao Ya stayed below, her hands glowing as she talked to the mountain, calming its anxiety.
Su Qing carved the stabilizing runes into large stones and placed them around the landslide area. As she finished, the rocks stopped shifting, and the mountain seemed to sigh in relief. "Now we can work without fear," she called up to Lin Che and Mo Ying.
They began moving the rocks, starting with small ones and working up to larger boulders. Mo Ying used her strength to lever them aside, while Lin Che and Thorin rolled them carefully down the slope (avoiding the trail). It was slow work, their hands blistering and muscles aching, but they kept at it—motivated by the thought of the village below, waiting for water.
By midday, they cleared enough rocks to see water glinting in the dark channel beyond. As the last boulder rolled away, a trickle of water began to flow—slow at first, then faster, until it became a small stream. The mountain seemed to cheer, as birds suddenly appeared, chirping and drinking from the new flow.
Back in the village, the first spring basin filled with water—clear, cool, and sweet. Greta knelt and drank deeply, tears streaming down her face. The villagers cheered, dropping their buckets and rushing to fill them at the spring. Children splashed in the water, their laughter echoing through the village, while women filled pots to water their dying gardens.
That evening, the villagers of Stonehaven held a feast in the main square. They served roasted lamb (the first one strong enough to eat), bread from Thornwick's wheat, and berries picked from bushes near the spring. Greta sat with Lin Che and the others, her hands wrapped around a cup of spring water. "You didn't just clear rocks," she said. "You unblocked the mountain's tears. You gave us back our lifeblood."
Before they left the next morning, Greta handed Lin Che a small stone jar carved from mountain rock. Inside was spring water, sealed with wax. "This is water from our oldest spring," she said. "It never freezes, even in the coldest winter. Keep it, and when you're thirsty on your journey, remember Stonehaven. Remember that even when water seems lost, it's just waiting for someone to clear the path."
Lin Che took the jar, feeling its cool weight in his hand. He nodded, tucking it into his pocket.
They climbed aboard the starship, waving goodbye. Greta and Thorin stood by the spring, holding the stone jar, while the villagers waved from their doorsteps. The springs bubbled merrily, their water glinting in the morning sun, and the gardens—already watered—showed signs of new green shoots.
Inside the cabin, Xiao Ya placed the stone jar on the dashboard—joining the tide shell from Coral Reach, the wheat seed pouch from Thornwick, and all their other treasures. Su Qing flipped open Li Wei's map, her finger stopping at a village in a valley to the west. "Hollowood," she said. "Li Wei's notes say their forest is dying—trees turning brown, animals leaving. The villagers depend on the forest for wood, berries, and game. Without it, they'll have no fuel for winter, no food for their larders."
Mo Ying grinned, adjusting the starship's controls. "Dying forest? We fixed dry springs, tattered nets, wilted wheat—forests are next. Xiao Ya can talk to the trees, find out why they're dying. I'll help plant new saplings if we need to—nothing like fresh growth to bring a forest back."
Lin Che looked out the window, at the mountain peaks glowing in the morning light. The Star Marrow on his wrist glowed softly, matching the clear water in the stone jar. This was their journey: following the call of villages in need, clearing paths for water, healing forests, mending nets. Every act, no matter how small, was a thread in the tapestry of life they were helping to weave.
"Hollowood," he said. "Let's go heal that forest."
The starship turned west, toward the valley where Hollowood waited. The mountain air was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of pine and fresh water. Ahead, a new village, a new challenge—and as always, they were ready.