Master Of None

The terrain that they traveled over became less flat and more full of rocks. Walker caught himself wondering how he ended up around rocky and mountain like terrain so often. It wasn’t innately bad, but came with some frustration while traveling. Simply because there was the fact that he would find himself needing to step over or travel over rocks all the time. Adjust his course due to larger boulders. Or just the fact that it’s stopping to climb something here and there.

This didn’t prevent him from realizing that more and more of the rocks and boulders around had evidence that there were different ores within them. They all had the bits of crumbly rockers around the edges that showed corrosion from natural forces leaving behind the tougher ores. He also noticed that to their left there were tree like rocks sprouting from the ground.

”That would be the descendants of Arachne territory. To the right would be the bronze dwarf territory.” That meant that there would be the territory of the mountain gnomes and steel lamia further north from here.

Since Arachne was a monster known to be part woman, part spider, it was easily understood by the party who knew of the ancient monster how the terrain would be ideal for the races descended from that being. The trees would be ideal places to prepare webs, especially since the trees were made of rocks.

’Sprouting granite

This is a species of purely earth elemental tree. It utilizes the earth mana to shape the granite it grows on in to its branches, leaves, and bark. This allows for the inner aspects of the tree to be protected and weaker made of softer earth and densely hold earth mana.

While these trees are easily called stone, they are a valuable material to many monsters that need to feed off condensed earth mana to grow. The monsters that need these trees will cut in to them with great effort and absorb the earth manas within…’

Sprouting granite, the trees were basically using earth mana manipulation to change the stone already there in to its own body. An interesting way of growing, but a unique way to find out that the tree itself was a small plant that hid within rocky armor. In theory, Walker believed that they would be able to harvest the granite from the outside of the tree and then let it heal itself creating yet another layer of granite to be harvested later. That alone would be a valuable resource for some in terms of building materials.

It also presented an odd challenge. Would a carpenter be able to treat them as another tree and cut or harvest them? Or would someone with tone carving or stone harvesting skills be required instead? Something that Walker might need to revisit in the future after more travelers made their way to these territories.

This also presented the fact that the bronze dwarf race was on the more barren side of things. That they focused on the rocky area without any of these trees. Which meant that the ores around the area most likely had what could be called copper, iron, and the makings of bronze within them. The bronze dwarf race had to have that name for certain reasons.

”Neither race will bother us until we reach the center land where I have prepared a meeting areas. A table similar to the ones you use for your meetings.” The true earth sage had gone out of their way to prepare something familiar for the party who were not from here. Also for the fact that the party should have some sort of upper hand when dealing with four races new to them at once. It was very considerate.

Very slowly, Walker started to see signs that monsters or maybe even hunters from these four races had been around here. There were small strings of what he believed to be rock affinity silk made by the descendants of the Arachne race. While they were too degraded to be appraised or even close to useful, it made sense that it would be from them in that case. Specifically because spider silk would not last very long.

He also saw some pointed prints that should also be from spider legs. Meaning that this is the remnants of patrols by the descendants of the Arachne race. Small pieces of broken metal told the entire party that while there were tracks from one of the races, that the pieces of broken metal were most likely from the bronze dwarf race armor that had been shattered in fights. A sign that the ”peace” mentioned might be skin deep.

”I think we will have a little more issue than what we expect.” Remey started to question the structure of peace and the mountain alliance as a whole.

”I believe I will push us forward a little more. I apologize that you will not be able to see more of the territories.” The long sigh that came from the true earth sage made it seem that he was hearing more from the four races ahead of them than he wished to hear. Most likely related to exactly what Reey was about to ask too.

The sudden shift of earth around them caused the space to be influenced as well. The true earth sage didn’t hide that he knew how to move them through space using earth mana before but having him do it this way again was still surprising. It did change their view of the earth elemental plane very much so.

Unlike the areas where the party had been where elemental planes clashed, they had not expected to suddenly be within such a clean cut different terrain. All four of the territories intersected causing them to seem perfectly clashing. Straight cut lines seemed to have been intentionally made by each race to ensure that neither territory was overlapping properly. The trees from the descendants of Arachne race were cut so that no branch overlapped and their mountain territory was not crossing a line.

The ore ridden lands of the bronze dwarf race were not the same, some rocks were cut straight in half where the more mountain and crumbled boulder territory of the mountain gnomes began. Then there was the steel lamia race territory that showed larger cuts in the ground where they patrolled keeping the other territories from even starting to overlap at any point. It was more apt to say that the territories were cut and divided up by some massive chef’s knife rather than actually land itself. Nature surely didn’t play a part here.

The ones at the larger stone table in the center of this area were also looking very worked up. The very large steel lamia who was smacking her tail on the ground and cracking stones in clear frustration seemed ready to leap at the mountain gnome who was much smaller but carrying a hammer just as larger, if not larger than themselves. The bronze dwarf whose skin seemed to be reflecting some earth mana around it proved that it was more than just because of the metal they used which got them the racial name bronze dwarfs. It was because they incorporated bronze in to their bodies as they grew.

Meanwhile, the descendant of Arachne that stood still had various steel silk threads weaved around her legs and arms waiting to whip them out and strangle any of the other races here. They had clearly just ended an argument and were only stopped because the golem of the true earth sage standing in the middle of the table had been the one to halt them.

When the true earth sage themselves took to the center of the table and the party held off to the side for the moment, they all stood stiffly. They did not make a move making it appear that the true earth sage had once used more force to make them peaceful. Something that felt necessary just by witnessing their actions at the moment.

”While the four of you have had your patrol soldiers fighting again, these heroes of the world have come here to meet you. I believe that any one of them could take on your champions in battle if they so desired, yet they come peacefully with beliefs that all four of you cast aside more often than not.”

The force of earth mana that came with every word the true earth sage spoke made even Walker wonder if he had underestimated the often elderly appearance that the true earth sage took on.

”They will share their alliance and goals with you. All four of you will listen and make decisions whether you will agree with them or will remain separated from them. Neither one race nor another will gain more than the others. The failings of one is for the four. The success of one is also for the four.”

The standards were set and the true earth sage stepped away melting in to the earth leaving silence and the party with all eyes on them.

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Please say no to piracy! Don’t take part in crime! Don’t patronize thieves!

Drop those golden tickets!