The water changed everything.
By the second day after the purification station came online, people stopped arriving cautiously.
They came openly.
First in pairs. Then in clusters. By midday, figures lingered beyond the tree line in ones and twos, pretending to rest, pretending not to watch the walls. Some waved when they saw movement from the watchtower. Others simply waited.
They all smelled the same thing.
Stability.
Rook watched from above as the boundary count ticked upward.
[Unregistered Humans Detected Near Territory Boundary: 14]
He didn't open the gate.
Not when a woman with cracked lips asked for water.Not when a man offered weapons in exchange for entry.Not when a group swore they could "help defend the place."
He addressed them once. Calmly. Clearly.
"I don't have room," he said. "And I won't pretend that I do."
Some argued.Some pleaded.A few left immediately.
The rest stayed.
That was the problem.
The Territory interface pulsed again.
[Housing Capacity: Critical]
[Warning: Overpopulation Risk Detected]
Rook didn't wait for the warning to escalate.
He opened the Construction tab and selected the next blueprint.
[Barracks — Tier 1]
The structure appeared in the open ground near the palisade, larger than the cabin, sturdier, utilitarian. Bunk spacing. Load limits. Occupancy numbers.
It was not comfortable.
It was sufficient.
Lena stood beside him as the blueprint locked in, arms crossed, eyes tracking the people outside the boundary.
"That won't hold everyone," she said.
"It isn't meant to," Rook replied.
Construction began immediately. Rook handled the core assembly. Lena moved where she was needed—carrying materials, redirecting people away from active zones, stopping arguments before they became problems.
She didn't give orders.
People followed anyway.
When the barracks finalized, the System chimed.
[Barracks — Tier 1 Completed.]
[Housing Capacity Increased.]
[Assignable Roles Unlocked: Guard]
Rook opened the new panel.
[Guard Role Configuration]
He selected parameters without ceremony.
— Two guards per shift
— Rotations every six hours
— Armed access only
— Authority limited to internal enforcement
No one was given power they didn't need.
Rook turned to the people waiting at the boundary.
"I'm taking six," he said. "Workers first. No families yet."
The reaction was immediate.
Shouts. Accusations. Desperation spilling over into anger.
Rook didn't raise his voice.
"These are the rules," he continued evenly. "They won't change because you're loud."
Six people stepped forward.
The rest didn't.
The boundary opened briefly—just long enough.
Inside, Lena guided the new arrivals to the barracks, assigned bunks, explained duties. No welcome speech. No reassurances.
Just structure.
Rook watched from the cabin doorway as the Territory interface updated.
Population: 8
Housing Capacity: Near Limit
Morale: Stable
Another alert followed—quiet, insistent.
[Population Density Threshold Approaching.]
Rook closed the panel.
Outside the walls, more people were still waiting.
Inside, space was already running out.
Pressure was building—from every direction.
And Rook knew exactly where it would break.