“It’s an old English Cotswold stone cottage!” Lily excitedly exclaimed out loud before taking off and flying around the house.

“What is she talking about?” Mohe asked.

“The kind of house this is I think,” I replied.

“You’re correct,” Lily said as she flew back to us. “This place is more than a fixer upper, it’s a mess!”

“What are Cotswold cottages?” Mohe asked before I could.

“Stone cottages based off houses from the Cotswold region of England. England was a…kingdom long ago,” my familiar answered. Mohe and I nodded understanding. “These type houses are known for their chimneys and steep roofs.”

“Do you know when this place was built?” I asked Mohe.

“It’s at least 100 years old. I couldn’t tell you more than that.”

“Thanks.”

“Let’s take a look inside and then we’ll check the porch overlooking the valley,” Mohe suggested.

“Lead the way!” Lilly said for us. “I love the arch,” Lily stated as we walked onto the small porch. Lily flew up and touched the stone. She smiled and said, “This house is older than a century.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“The stonework. Look at how uneven the cuts and the weathering.”

“Huh. I never knew to look for that,” Mohe admitted looking at the arch and running a hand along the stone. “How old do you think it is?”

“Don’t know,” Lily replied spinning in the air.

“Is it odd that the door is set off to the side instead of the middle of the house?” I asked.

“Beats me,” Mohe replied.

“It’s an older way of doing things,” Lily said.

“Alright.”

“Well, come on. Let’s take a look at the inside,” Mohe said.

“Do we need to worry about anything being in there?”

“Maybe,” Mohe admitted. “Hold on and I’ll send in Kitty to scout the house.”

A moment later his bobcat familiar slinked into view and after sitting a moment, she moved into the house. At least I assumed the familiar was a female with a name like Kitty. We walked around the cottage while we waited. I liked what I saw as did Lily. And I’m not sure who liked the house the most.

Kitty emerged from the inside and sat down on the porch. Before Mohe could announce what his familiar found, Lily told me, “It’s safe.”

“Kitty told you too?” I slightly asked my familiar.

“Yep.”

“It’s safe,” Mohe said and entered the cottage.

*

“This must have been the kitchen,” Lily told us. The room may have been painted white at one point but was now a very dirty gray. Broken cabinets and shelves were along all the walls except where a small fireplace was on the left wall, the doorways and a few gaps were.

“What’s the gaps for?” I asked Lily.

“Probably appliances like we found in the ruins,” the pixie answered.

“We have no idea what these square gaps are for. There are smaller oddly shaped holes in spots though,” Mohe said oblivious to our conversation.

We left the kitchen. I trusted that Lily was correct and after she mentioned the appliances we found in the office ruins, I could see that she was right. The doorway from the kitchen emerged into a large room. The room may have been a bluish shade at one point.

A large stone fireplace was center way on the left wall Windows were on either side of it. A large window dominated the front facing wall where you could see a bit of the porch roof through it at the top. A door was to the right of the window. There was a short wood wall with another door in the center on the right. The room extended beyond the wooden wall. The far-right wall was stone with a double window centered in it.

“That door leads to a privy,” Mohe informed me when he saw me looking.

“This room shouldn’t have an issue with light coming in,” I said out loud.

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” Mohe replied. Lily flew up and examined the rafters running across the ceiling.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“This house was remodeled at some point. This beam is different,” Lily answered out loud tapping the rafter closest to the kitchen.

“Is that important?” Mohe asked.

“Not really. My guess is that this used to be a smaller room and a hallway, but someone wanted a bigger room and made it so.”

“I suppose that is why the stairs leading up are on the right side of the kitchen wall as well as the ones going to the basement,” Mohe replied.

“Yep. I agree,” Lily said. I looked up the stairs.

“Where’s the rest of the wall?” I asked.

“There are holes for a railing,” Lily replied after flying up to take a look. I cautiously followed Lily up the stairs. Mohe and Kitty stayed in the big room.

“Bedroom?” I asked.

“Looks like it. This doorway leads into another bathroom,” my familiar replied. Thankfully, the floor was fairly solid, and two windows supplied enough light. I looked into the bathroom. There was an old toilet, bathtub, sink, and a small window. Like the bedroom, it was a grayish color that matched the large downstairs room.

“Can we replace those with the stuff we took from the lab?”

“Oh yes,” Lily replied giving me a smile. We returned to the chieftain.

“It’s not bad up there,” I informed him.

“Good, Mohe replied lighting a torch. Let’s look at the basement and then the front porch.”

“Alright,” I agreed. The basement was one open space as large as the entire main floor of the cottage. There were no windows, but it would work for keeping alchemical components as well as the power equipment we got from the lab. On the left wall was a small fireplace. I guessed it was offset from the one in the kitchen but used the same chimney. “This will do for storage and if I can get enough light down here, doing my work.”

“That’s good,” Mohe replied. “Let’s check the front porch.”

“Follow me!” Lily told us and flew up the stairs. We followed and exited through the front doorway. The door itself was missing as well. That said, the view was amazing as the porch overlooked the valley below. I could see more mountains in the distance that all had a blue colored haze around them.

“These mountains aren’t called the Blue Ridge Mountains for nothing,” Mohe said noticing my gaze.

“The view is terrific!” Lily replied.

“That it is,” I agreed.

“So, do you want the house?” Mohe asked.

“Can I get some help fixing it up?” I asked instead of answering.

“Despite my wife’s feelings for pixies, we do need an alchemist. So, yes, I will arrange help for you. It’ll take a couple days though.”

“Then, we want the house,” I replied shaking the chieftain’s hand.