For the first time in quite a few years, the citizens of Idlefrost felt at ease. No one rested, instead they worked towards turning this newly built city into their home. It was clear that this small adventuring town now had a new branding as a place of tourism in a new age of expansion and growth.
In the world of Aqua, the point of adventuring as a career isn't so much about survival against invasive species as it is about hunting rare creatures and using their magic and resources. This can accomplish many goals from selling rare ingredients to the Crafting or Adventuring Society or gathering monster cores that rare magical creatures have inside them. There are many uses for Monster Cores including purifying them to later absorb to increase magical strengths. They can also be used to power rituals, crafts, and many other things.
Many people choose to adventure for many reasons as gaining power in Aqua can lead to many different paths in life. Physically it can lead to better health, beauty, longevity, and superhuman senses and abilities. Financially, you can live in the best places, travel further and easier, and financial stability is the bare minimum of a successful adventuring team. Mentally, you can think at speeds that make the world seem to move in slow motion and your mind becomes more powerful in every aspect including memory, reflexes, perception, and more. You gain confidence when you walk around with glowing eyes and angelic beauty and strength. If you dedicate your life to gaining strength and power there are benefits and risks just like anything, but to some, it is well worth it.
Word was getting around that Idlefrost was open and ready for people to start adventuring now that the war is over. This place usually had a decent level of Monsters that was perfect for teams that were starting to work together and looking for more full-party challenges to increase their overall wealth and power. In the past, this city had been a great place for new teams and that was taken into consideration as Shrine Guardian Lorella had Gloss and Cald build more Team-Based Adventuring housing, both hotels, and more permanent places.
Lorella had sent so many requests for more Adventuring Society Associates to help with the amount of paperwork and stuff they had to deal with. With the rank of Guild Master in the Adventuring Society she was more than able to request such a thing and was immediately sent aid along with more delegates to see what was happening in the rebuilding. To say that both the Adventuring and Crafting Societies were shocked when she reported that the rebuilding had taken three or so days was expected.
The rebuilding of Idlefrost had been the talk of both the Adventuring and Crafting Societies all over. Usually, Building Mages, Stonesingers, Construction Ritualists, Elven Tree Builders, and any other type of magical and mundane builders used a very slow process. The layering of spells to create a program of a building could take months to accomplish. Construction Rituals had a ridiculous amount of parameters and one had to know every detail of a building down to the smallest item. Stone Singers and Tree Builders would be faster but still, take months. Algarad's most amazing project had taken over 100 years to complete. But they say Idlefrost was completed in 3 days, an entire city with unheard-of magical features...Fully plumbing for EVERY BUILDING, not a single out house as it was now something that every building and house or apartment had. This drew people in waves from both the Crafting and Adventuring Societies, from their cramped cities that remained as there were many displaced people.
It was no surprise that many people were walking and riding along the newly made roads that headed towards Idlefrost.
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Algarad Deepdelver, Crafting Society Representative to the FicSit Pioneers had been working with the rest of the staff he brought along with him to unlock the secrets of the Pioneers and their powers. One of the most perplexing things was the Crafting Bench as the Pioneers called them. It contained tools and devices with unheard-of purposes and they had spent nearly 10 hours just cataloging everything that a single Crafting Bench had.
The Pioneers couldn't be bothered to help as when they interacted with the benches it was through some sort of telepathic communication. All attempts to replicate it have been met with failure. That being said they were surprised when nearly every type of crafting they had on Aqua could find a tool to complete a job needed. The magic of these benches was extraordinary and Algarad was overwhelmed with the number of discoveries he had witnessed since arriving at Idlefrost.
Algarad was ignoring the outside festivities as people were showing up like mad to the new city. He had finally been able to take some time to practice his abilities, Stone Singing or Stone Shaping as it was called. The pioneers said they mostly worked with Limestone and used it to create a mixture called concrete. They could then add different things such as plastic to create a coated concrete surface and other options.
Each floor of the Crafting Society building was made of this coated concrete, and it was a marvelous surface. He could feel the stone within it, but it felt like it was only partially in this dimension. Whenever he was around any type of stone, he could easily interact with it, mold it, melt it, and fuse it. The stones that these Pioneers used for construction were immune to any sort of damage, magic, molding, shaping, singing, or corruption. It was like he was a child again first learning to influence the stone around him only to be met with an immovable wall. He stood on the top floor of the Crafting Society building looking out at the celebrating city. He wore no shoes, just feeling his feet on the ground, this was something he would do whenever he channeled his art.
He had the opportunity to take over this new branch's headquarters...but Algarad knew with every fiber of his being that if he left the company of the Pioneers that he would regret it. In just a few days the two excitable ladies had created an actual work of art on the scale of a city. Something that only a few people in this world could understand. Macro-building or building on a massive scale was his life's glory. At first, he was worried he would feel jealous and confused. But the longer he looked at every immaculately placed foundation, every perfectly lined up window, and the incredible distribution of amenities he could only feel the excitement.
Tomorrow they would leave and he was going to take the Pioneers to a place that would challenge them, he couldn't wait to see the results.
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Gloss was standing in the Center Square of the town. It was the center point between the western gate and the eastern entrance to Idlefrost. She was in conversation with the High Priestess Alanna and Apprentice Shaman Nalah. All three of them were watching the open square where a helmet-less Caldesan was dancing with different townsfolk. The dances here were almost like swing dancing, it had a fast pace and was aided by the magic coming from the band. They had some interesting instruments, but what got their attention the most was Caldesan.
"I have seen her smile a lot...but that right there...is a true joy on her face," Nalah said with a smile looking at the Pioneer.
Glossarai and Alana laughed a bit, "Yes, I know both of you enjoy your building immensely but tell me Gloss, have you seen her smile like that?"
"I have never seen her dance like that, much less smile. It is adorable, honestly." Glossarai said as they continued to watch the other Pioneer dance with random people from the town. "Do either of you have any idea where we will go next?"
"About that." A voice said as she walked up behind them.
"Ah, Representative Shivan, very good to see you," Alana said while not looking at her.
Shivan nodded, "High Priestess, Apprentice Nalah, and Pioneer Glossarai, it is good to see you all well this afternoon."
Shivan had some sort of dessert that reminded Glossarai of a strawberry funnel cake but mixed with a melon of some sort. It had crystalline sugar that exploded as she delicately took a bite.
"This Shatter Cake is quite amazing, would you like a bite Glossarai?" Shivan asked with a smile while Gloss was drooling at the site of it.
"Uhh, where are my manners, no that is quite alright, it looks amazing though!" Gloss said, trying to regain composure.
Shivan scooped up a bite anyways and held it towards Gloss, who started to tremble as she smelled it. "Go on, it is magical food, you will find it restoring to your magic and health pools," Shivan said with a smile.
Gloss caved and took a bit. The crystals exploded right alongside the flavor, which began with texture only to have flavor explode forth. Biting through the crunch, the first layer of the cake was made of crystalline structures of gold with deep blue depths. The crystals were no larger than a pinky finger and they looked like the inside of a geode. The crystals were warm as they burst and inside your mouth, you get a taste of the fruit which was covered in some sort of sweet sauce. The contrast between hot crust and crystals and colder fruit that was blended with something that almost made parts of it seem to freeze, but it seemed like it was in stasis until you bit it.
"Oh my....that is incredible." Gloss said after enjoying it. "Uhm...I can still taste it...incredible!"
Nalah laughed with Alana, and Shivan just nodded her head in agreement.
"Well, I was coming here for another purpose besides cake, but that is still a worthy cause."
"What is on your mind, if not festivals and cake?" Alana asked.
"Indeed not, I instead am under the impression that the Pioneers here would like to travel and continue building...am I correct in this assumption Glossarai?" Shivan asked.
Gloss, who was still in shock at her first magical dessert food, finally snapped her attention forward. "Hmm? Travel? Yes! Cald and I would love to travel and build amazing things. Idlefrost was a great stepping stone for a small town, but Caldesan and I have been dreaming of larger structures that have entire cities contained within. They will span massive areas and become fortresses of safety and peace."
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"Fortresses of Safety...I like the sound of that." Nalah said. "Us Giant Honey Badgers live in communes in large underground burrows for safety. It makes it quite difficult for us as a species to flourish when the environment is so hostile."
Gloss looked at her with concern, "Where do you call home, Nalah?"
"Well, we usually live in different Burrows, many times to the Northwest of your...Mega Base..but many times we find ourselves moving. The Great Honey Badger Society is such an interesting name....it portrays things that we aren't. And as a species, we are more often than not...nomads. Only those who have reached the higher tiers of power can stake the claims on more permanent places. When this happens..they usually only bring a small clan worth of members to share in their place, denying all others. This has gone on long enough where there are islands of greedy yet powerful Great Honey Badgers and there is small towns worth of people who travel around to find the resources they need." Nalah spoke more than Gloss had expected but she was in shock at what she found out.
"What..what if Cald and I built a home? A city? Wait, we could even bring you to our Mega Base....well aside from the Nuclear Area." Gloss said.
"Nuclear Area?" Alana asked.
"It is a power source that is deadly if you are within a few hundred yards of it. We have it high off the ground in an area of the desert swamps the air was already toxic. However, it can only be accessed with flying or a high jump and we made it so there are no doors so when we go in we destroy and rebuild a wall every time." Glossarai explained.
"Well, I don't think we would want to live in a toxic swamp. That is the exact reason you have never seen us near your Mega Base." Nalah said while wincing.
"Hmmm, I have some ideas." Gloss said while pondering.
Shivan watched Gloss and how she immediately began muttering to herself as she stared off into space. Shivan was curious about what world-changing ideas were forming right then. She could feel the magic coming off of the Pioneer, it seemed to prove that her mind was where her power was surging. The group couldn't help but notice as her eyes were glowing much brighter than normal in the darkening night.
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Algarad had put his shoes back on and finally went to join the festival. Whatever meat was cooking smelled amazing and he knew for a fact there were a few kegs of dwarven ale rolling around. Leaving the Administration District he entered the center of town, walking down a well-lit street with lights that never wavered. The next location for the Pioneers was on his mind, as he found Shivan and brought a round of ale with a stick of meat.
"Shivan!! I got yeh some drink here." He said walking up to the small group where Glossarai seemed lost in thought.
"I'll take it, she's eating dessert." Priestess Alana said as she took the cup and drained it in one gulp.
Everyone raised an eyebrow at that.
"Wow, I am impressed young Priestess, you are quite impressive indeed! Ficsitine was it?" Algarad asked.
She smirked, "That's right."
"That makes sense, and these are her..." He nodded at Glossarai when he said that and waited for a response.
"We aren't allowed to call them anything other than Pioneers." She said carefully.
"Ahaha, They have spirit, they do." He said.
"That they do," Shivan said. "Caldesan went on about architecture for ten minutes and I didn't know any of the terms from the start. Yet she insisted on explaining everything." Shivan finished with a laugh.
Nalah also laughed, "Glossarai just offered to build the entire nomadic population of the Great Honey Badger Society a city."
Algarad spit out his ale, "Whaaat? Hahahahaha! Of course what a great idea!"
Shivan did a double take, "A great idea...says Algarad...did you just say that?"
He scoffed while the others watched curiously, "Well, I hear that they are wanting to expand, travel, and build, is that right Glossarai?" Algarad was able to draw Glossarai's attention.
"Travel and build? Absolutely, but we are going together!" Glossarai said.
"That is perfect, well I was thinking that I might have just the place that isn't too far from here. It would be very difficult to build there and very treacherous as well. But, I would imagine that if you could, you would create an amazing wonder that would exist nowhere else." Algarad said with passion.
"Absolutely not!" "That sounds amazing!" "Not happening" a chorus of responses happened at once.
Shivan was the only one of the small group who didn't reply, rather she looked impressed. She had known Algarad for a long time, yet he had always been slightly selfish when it came to what he calls Macro building. This is the first time he has ever put his emotions out there to see what others could do. She was impressed.
"Maybe it isn't a bad idea, where did you have in mind?"
"Great Junction Canyon." He said with a smile while staring at Glossarai.
"Ooh, that sounds fun." Gloss said.
"Hahaha, fun she says!" Shivan said. "The place he talks about is a nearly seven-hundred-foot-tall canyon that splits in 5 different directions. There is a center column that is in the middle of the Canyon and it is smaller than Idlefrost across. Right now it is not traverse-able by cart, and only a few are even bothering to deal with the treacherous bridges....better to take a longer way around."
"Is it a crossroads somewhere?" Glossarai asked.
"Well, technically this is it. You see, you can go south along these mountains and the road runs into the Elven Forest of Diyeane, indeed crossing over the Canyon of Ages as it is called. There is a large magically-reinforced bridge made by the Dwarves in those mountains that crosses the canyon at nearly 4,500 feet. Though the Dwarves there are much fewer in number these days." Algarad spoke solemnly, "That being said it is a solid bridge, but getting to it during winter and dealing with the maintenance on the rest of the road has never been a concern. Instead heading east through the forest and then around to the Human or Great Honey Badger Capitals." The party thought about that revelation and it made sense, upkeep of city roads is difficult enough, a small cart trail through the mountains is even more difficult.
"Where is the human capital?" Glossarai asked.
"The City of Teran-Soure is northeast of here within the Tevate Empire, by about 3 months on a cart or one quick Temple Transfer Spell away." High Priestess Alana said.
"Teran-Soure, oh yeah that's right we were there on the first night huh?" Gloss asked.
"That's right," Alana said, "I live in Teran-Soure at the Temple of FicSitine there. It is a very beautiful place."
"It was beautiful indeed and I think that with this canyon area we could help fulfill our promises by creating an infrastructure connecting all the Capitals at least before we connect them with trains."
"Trains you say? They have to do with those tracks out there?" Algarad asked, finally getting answers about that massive train station at the base of the mountain.
"Yes, it is technically a monorail, which is a fine name, but we usually just call them trains. And yes, it is easy to transport things across the country once the trains are set up, due to the lack of a need to pilot them. You essentially just set up a few different stations and have the designated trains travel between them." Glossarai explained.
"Which is why drones would be the next step, since they are faster even though they have smaller payloads. This works great for more expensive things that must travel fast, and once we have a Drone HUB we can start building a network of Drone Deliveries. In fact, we have a couple of Drone Ports here in Idlefrost, at least on the two guild rooftops already!" Glossarai ranted after taking a breath.
"What don't they have yet?" Algarad asked himself curiously.
"Hmm, well the Drones run on Batteries, and while we have the production of them set up, it is still extremely limited and we need a logistical hub that can not only supply Batteries to every Drone Hub but also move mail and resources that are being delivered. This is what we will put in this canyon. It might not be centrally located, but it has that feel with the different directions the land can go." Glossarai said.
Caldesan then walked up with her helmet off breathing heavily. "I see you thinking Gloss, what are you all talking about?!"
Nalah smiled, "Cald, we were talking about the future and some interesting ideas have been floating around."
"OOOH! Like something to build?" Caldesan got excited at the prospect of building again.
"Duh Cald, I had a few ideas I wanted to mix. Now, let's go dance." She took Caldesan's tired hand and pulled her off to dance much to the amusement of the people of Idlefrost.
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The festival, while small for such a tiny town, now perhaps barely a city in size, was quite a party indeed. As the Pioneers left some beds they had taken at the Adventuring Hall, they had time to reflect on how the city looks.
"Well, I can't wait to start using steel beams! They are going to make some amazing places, sort of a Post-Modern Industrial style will be my solid look. I can't wait to start."
"Cald, I think making a huge city over a canyon is going to require more than just one style of Architecture, instead we should have three-dimensional wards of the city to build differently from how most are made. I still want to make a retro-futuristic style Drone Port with large classic UFO saucer shapes. It will be amazing!" Gloss said with passion.
"That could be cool, but I have some great ideas for the logistics floors. It will almost look like a modern refinery from Earth with pipes doing who-knows-what going in random directions and it will be a series of vertical chambers with different pathways for each level." Caldesan said.
"That could have some potential with these Floor-Holes for conveyors, pipes, and hyper tubes." Gloss said.
"Ahh, Pioneers, good morning to you both," Lorella interjected as they walked through the lobby of the Adventure Society Guild Hall.
"Lorella!" Cald said before Gloss slapped her shoulder.
"Ow! Why did you do that Gloss?! You are crazy strong...that really hurts!"
"I am sorry I hurt you, but please use her title...it is disrespectful!"
"It is quite alright, I have gotten used to Cald's eccentricities by this point." Earth-Shrine Guardian Lorella said.
"What makes you an Earth Shrine Guardian then?" Cald asked curiously.
"Well I am the literal Guardian to the Shrine of the Element of Earth, it lies within the old Guild Hall and is deep underground," Lorella explained.
"Oh! That was why we couldn't build under it! Well, don't worry, we made sure that everything was walled off around the property underground. So if people do make it down there, they won't be able to get into the building." Caldesan said.
Lorella smiled and nodded, "Yes, Gloss had explained as much yesterday, I am extremely grateful for both of you and the wonders you have accomplished here in Idlefrost."
The two Pioneers looked at each other and smiled, "Of course, you know this is what we live for so it is only right that we help rebuild." Caldesan said.
Gloss nodded and said, "This place is going to be crazy soon, so we should make a larger place that will distract people from coming here, I think we are going to build a city over the Great Junction Canyon."
"Over...the Junction?" Lorella asked.
"Yeah! Great Idea huh!?" Cald said.
"Wait, how does that work, it's almost a thousand feet above the rivers at the bottom! I know you can fly, but how can building a city there be safe?"
"Hmmm, 'cause we can fly?" Caldesan responded.
"Okay, but having a city a thousand feet in the air has so many problems that I can't even begin to think of," Lorella said.
"Well don't worry, originally it was just going to be a massive Drone and train port, but now we can make it both in the form of a massive city that uses its logistics as a resource for the city itself." Gloss explained.
"Logistics? You mean like mail deliveries and such?"
"Not just that, but this will be a full resource HUB with battery production for Drones, and other production lines that we might need. The ability to send things out from there while simultaneously providing food, shelter, and income to anyone who lives there is an incredible idea." Gloss listed benefits and reasons.
"That's right! We were thinking we would offer the roaming communities of the Giant Honey Badger Society a place to call their own, and at the same time we can also send out notices to cities about sending refugees from overcrowded streets. It would be a city made up of people from all over!" Caldesan said.
"Well, please don't get hurt, both of you are incredible boons to all of the people of Agua...Idlefrost and all those who would call this place home are surely forever in your debts." Lorella said.
"Well, you know...you can pay that debt right now," Caldesan said with an evil smirk on her gorgeous face.
Lorella raised an eyebrow and Gloss smiled, "Oh really? Cause Bale had an idea to pay you for his forge and there is a huge pile of presents that townsfolk have been making you."
Caldesan gasped, "OH MY WORD HE'S MAKING US SWORDS!!!"
"I think what Caldesan was originally expressing was that she wanted a hug, but we are both grateful for any support from you and Idlefrost. It has been an honor to rebuild." Glossarai said.
Lorella opened her arms and brought her giant tails around squeezing the silly Pioneers in a wonderful hug.