Master Of None

Following Terron in to the earth, Walker moved with caution since many of the mages that came with needed to be focused on their magic instead of any potential dangers. Terron was a dragon and a major threat to any underground monster who were in the area.

This didn’t mean that they would all avoid him though. The Sigil continent had a surprising amount of monsters with small amounts of dragon blood within them from ancient times. Whether it was from the ancient dragon who perished and were consumed or the rogue dragons who had lost any sense of sanity when the dragons of this continent separated in ancient times.

Regardless, there were also the monsters living in isolated or large cave systems underneath the Sigil continent’s surface. They might not even have the ability to fear a dragon or even understand that the trembling earth was caused by another monster and not an act of nature.

Carefully viewing the ways that Terron changed the cave were amazing though. Walker had thought his mind was fully occupied with his promise and duty to protect the earth wyvern queen. However, it appeared he had been working extremely hard otherwise.

The fact that the heart wyvern queen had so quickly been able to have her eggs safely placed in to the nest after the others recently hatching was a shock to even him and Terron. Simply because it was a perfect sign that the earth mana, food provided, and even the care provided were so much greater that children being in need of years of care were grown and awaiting to be hatched ahead of any knowledge.

It also shined a clearer light on the picture of ancient times. Dragons were common back then. Larger monsters that fought all the time were also very common. The question of how these monsters came to be was always in the air with those gathering and assembling records from ruins.

It just seemed too impossible that there were always more ancient monsters ravaging the world and battling for mana and food. How could the ancient monster Scylla even feed itself? Even Scylla the demi-human general had to eat a larger amount of food along with her leviathan other halves to survive and live a healthy life.

Now, if the mana in the world was directly related to the speed of raising children in terms of a mother’s body providing the necessary nutrients it made a lot more sense. The herbs and food within Genesis were easily ten times, if not approaching a hundred times more valuable in quality compared to before the world was returned to proper flow.

There was a wheat and rice field that had produced crops called healing grains. This was something that was teased and made fun of until the appraisals on those crops had proven that they carried enough nutrients that it made them the perfect food for those healing from injuries.

This alone made it a staple food to be used in the cathedrals for healing. The rise was ideal to be made in to easily swallowed puddings and the wheat in to breads that could be dipped in rich stews for those who needed a heartier diet to recuperate.

As Walker thought about this, he sensed Terron alter his mana. The change was toward a denser wall that Walker thought looked like a different layer of stone. Not abnormal for the underground. Walker was able to see it without a light magic spell since he and many of the earth mages moving around helping to begin stabilizing and shaping the underground construction had night vision or other forms of mana sensing skills for the underground. Some even used sound like the batmen race.

”Walker, please check that cave. I opened it up for you.” Terron had used his massive claws to break through the tougher rock and open the cave system. This let Walker smell the slightly stale air of a cavern that didn’t appear to be attached to the outside. He also smelled the familiar damp smell of water constantly moving through the heart and polling up here and there.

He had been in more caves than he would like to admit, meaning that he had a good idea of what he would find in an isolated cave like this. But that was when he realized that he wasn’t able to stretch his mana senses enough to sense the entirety of this cave let alone further in to the cave system.

When he took a step, Walker purposefully used a light orb to make the entire area brighter. His eyebrows raised when he realized the reason he could not sense past a certain point was simply because of the many holes leading down, to the right, and up from that one larger open section of the cave.

The cave was a massive system of water carved holes. All opening or moving through one another. From some a tiny dribble of water fell and from others there was the tiniest of breezes.

Placing his hands on the tough stone, Walker found it harder for him to sense the mana of the stone itself. Using the all around appraisal, he understood why.

’ water condensed stone

This stone is some of the toughest stone on the Sigil continent. It has been tempered by water over hundreds of years. While it has exceptional density and toughness making it much harder to carve, it is considered the most stubborn stone.

Earth mana can not easily manipulated it as other stone and earth. This is because it has been made much denser by the water slowly beating on it over time. Therefore a unique blend of water and earth mana must be used to cut and manipulate it. However, the larger amount of the balanced mana is incredibly challenging to use for the average carver or mage.

This stone was once eaten by the mountain behemoth in ancient times. Nowadays its offspring, the howling stone beasts are the only monsters known to seek out and consume parts of this stone…’

There were a few other facts about losses and mushrooms that only grew on it or how caves like this used to fill with water and house unique species of aquatic monsters. Walker didn’t focus on that though.

While this information was useful to record keeping, he wanted to know more about the water that flowed through all this small tunnel like caverns. They had to ensure that it would not flood the underground portion of the new city.

Even if it did, controlling it to a certain area would be ideal for the aquatic races who would need that. Yet, Walker worried that with long rains he could face a massive amount of water.

There were hundreds of small tunnels dribbling water. All flowing and pooling that water temporality before it absorbed in to the earth. While natural, this stone didn’t get this way from a little water over time, it was consistent water beating in it and condensing it here hundreds of years.

This could be an immense opportunity. If the tamer’s guild could also use this aspect of the caverns and trace where the water flowed with Currents help, much more potential could come of it.

Potential places to breed monsters for food and for taming. Chances to connect to further away water sources through potentially safer travel for the aquatic races. Even a chance to make more unique trade routes.

All that was needed were the master cave divers the dwarves race, and the cooperation of water levels and merfolk to begin safely mapping this place. Just the addition of how stable this cave system was because the stone would make it much easier to travel without risks of collapse.

Herron himself had needed force to cut in to this cave. Proof that the stone was tougher than the average person could break.

Or only took him a few moments to gather a small group to set up a resting area outside of this cavern. The request for water mages to protect the area and be ready to divert water was also simple. With the right people dangers could be mitigated before they even happened.

It would be easy to get Current to help as well. He had relished the exploration and discovery of underground water sources lately. The new knowledge of naturally flowing water had helped him grow his strength and understand pure core values of what water was to the world around it.

Now they needed time. Then again, Terron was making so quickly that time was barely a worry. They would be moving along so quickly that the basic foundations might be set by the end of the week let alone the end of the month. It would allow Walker to assist with nearby areas of curiosity lately.

Potential dungeons, new unexplored wilderness areas, and even new monsters that had troubled the angels within the Sigil continent lately.

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