[mmm] I nuzzle into the softness around me. Sleep is a wonderful thing. I yawn and start to stretch my limbs as I awaken. I wonder how long I was out for this time. It seems every time I push my barrier past a breaking point, it knocks my butt out. I was barely able to fight the lethargy for any significant amount of time before it succeeded in pulling me under. Perhaps, it has something to do with tapping out my resources. Floating in the surrounding darkness isn’t entertaining for long and because of it; I push my awareness beyond my gem again.
My hobbit hill is occupied by the ladies from the previous evening still but Mama Burly is bent over the small cast iron cook stove preparing a meal. The pot simmers with what looks like some sort of oatmeal or porridge of some sort. Oh, I miss food. Especially saucy noodles. Actually what I really want right now is some meat. Freshly seared to a crispy exterior and a juicy center sounds delectable at the moment. Yanking my gaze from the simmering pot I go out to look for Adrian. Perhaps I can learn why I have so many visitors if I trail behind him for a little bit.
Exiting the shack finds me walking smack into Adrian as he is coming up the ramp. Oof, hey now!
[Mama] Adrian calls as he pokes his head through the doorway.
[It’s been decided. Most of the group believe that this is a good stopping point. There’s a basic structure while we get things setup. We have a supply of water, fish, grain, and lumber. With some class work; it shouldn’t be too hard to make things livable. I only hope we are far enough from the border to not warrant further pursuit]
Mama nods as she smooths down the front of her skirt. [We can always hope] she says while tipping a ladle of food into a bowl. [Well, let’s get to it. Quickly now! More babes will need safe spaces to sleep sooner than later.] She hands the bowl to one of the other ladies, one of the pregnant ones who looks like she can’t get comfortable no matter how she sits.
[Yes, Mama] Adrian turns away from the door. He heads towards the river again and I follow. Several separate clusters of people are gathered here and there talking among themselves. Adrian stops an equitable distance between a few of the groups.
[Silas!] he calls [Gather some of the apprentices and head out for some timber!] A young man with long brown hair pulled back into a tail nods while standing in one of the nearby groups that consisted mostly of young adults.
[Declan! Get chur nets and your water magics down to the river for some fish! We have people needing to eat!] All I can see from Declan is one of his arms raise up in the air in acknowledgement while standing in another group.
Adrian grunts and continues to holler out instructions to various people, assigning them roles and getting them to rope yet more individuals to join in on completing their varied tasks. Soon enough the camp is organizing itself around my hobbit hill in a more permanent looking situation.
Some have gathered the wild grains around my hill and started to lay out a field adjacent to the river. Others are magically pulling water from the river to water the field. Timber is rolling into camp and things are really getting a move on. After watching the whirlwind of activity happen around me for several hours, I realize that I have completely forgotten about Adrian and where he could have possibly disappeared to. I head back towards my hobbit hill. If these people are gonna be here awhile, I really need to think about what I’m going to do. I’m not sure I want them digging around here and possibly discovering my gem and doing who knows what with it. Fortunately they don’t see all that interested in earthen made shelters or other dirt based homes and so haven’t started digging around. Perhaps they won’t…
I quietly drain my mana practicing compressing and shifting of the dirt in my hidden cave which is behind the collapsed earthen wall at the back of the shack. When my stamina is full, I drain it by pushing into my Terravision barrier until it runs low. Not enough to knock me out against my will again however. I have also been running experiments with timing my regeneration rates and I think my mana and stamina restore themselves at an hourly rate. Terravison has only leveled up once but Terrakinesis has leveled twice. Endurance leveled once while Intelligence and Wisdom both leveled up twice each. My mana pool has accumulated an additional 20 points while my stamina pool gained 5 points.
*DING! Endurance: Level 5*
*DING! Intelligence: Level 2, Level 3*
*DING! Wisdom: Level 2, Level 3*
*PING! Terravision: Level 4 obtained!*
*PING! Terrakinesis: Level 2, Level 3 obtained!*
‘Stamina: +5, Mana +20’
I take a moment to eavesdrop here and there while I work and it seems I have a group of refugees landing on my literal doorstep. They are running from some high level dungeon noble who has set himself up as their king. A king that has implemented many disagreeable and chafing laws. At least that is the case for any individuals who are not in the king's favor in some form or another. One of the laws being that children are forcibly pushed into specific classes by his chosen educators for the “benefit” of the kingdom. Classes that are chosen for them by the king's officials. The taxes are high and prices are high. Gold is misappropriated, bribery is rampant and corruption is barely disguised. Everything done as a “benefit” for the kingdom is really just another way for the officials, nobles and the self imposed king to further enrich their own pockets. Entry to the local dungeon is also severely restricted and regulated. Because of this the people are unable to progress their classes and levels or generate an income as doing so could potentially threaten the power of the king, nobles, officials and their guards. Those who openly rebel, vanish. Those who submit to the new order are rewarded with scraps. This group has dared to strike out on their own, yet they fear pursuit.
[INCOMING!] a voice yells from the outer rim of camp. Several shouts clamor out and a group of people gear up quickly. I push myself to the edge of my barrier trying to see what the ruckus is about. Voices begin to settle down and the crowd drifts inward towards the center of camp. They are congregating around someone. They finally draw close enough to enter my sphere of awareness granted by my Terravision ability. It’s the dwarf! The noodle brained dwarf from my first day here! I cringe in memory of his strikes sending tremors through my gem and causing hp damage. Ugh…
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Adrian, Mama, and some of the other elders of the group have joined the dwarf.
[You and ya’s people need to up n get] The dwarf informs them. [There’s an egg buried here!]
Adrian looks confused [Egg? What kind of egg?]
[CHICKEN!] a voice thunders out…
A lad excitedly runs up to the adults talking [I found a chicken!]
The dwarf looks vaguely murderous at this point. I’m confused… I haven’t seen any eggs in all my digging… What is this dwarf going on about?
[A Dragon Egg you dunderheaded dolt!] the dwarf rumbles menacingly at Adrian. [I only came back around this way to give ya’s warning since ya’s haven’t moved on from this place. It’s a wonder it hasn’t hatched yet! Once it hits level 5 and hatches it’ll be too late for ya’s! Who knows what dragonettes do to gain those levels while still gem bround! Do ya’s really want to stick around and find out!?]
Adrian doesn’t look convinced. [Who are you and where did you come from anyways? How do you know how long we’ve been here?]
[I’m local and ya’s are not, I been keeping watch so I can resume my mining when it’s gone, Just leave ya dolts.]
[Where is it? Maybe we can dig it out and get rid of it.] one of the others in the group pipes up.
[Discard it down the river!] says another
[Break the shell and leave it for dead!] one says
[What if the mother comes back!?] worries one of the pregnant ladies.
[Does a mother dragon feed her egg experience kills!?]
[First, let’s verify that there is a dragon egg before we work ourselves into a panic.] Adrian calms the crowd. [What does it look like?] he asks the dwarf
[Tis shell is a purple gem and don’t say I didna warn ya’s! If ya’s start vanishing then it’s leveling and is gonna hatch!]
Purple gem resonating through my head... I take a step back… Isn’t my gem purple? Isn’t it oval shaped… like an egg? I am surrounded by darkness until I push my awareness out beyond myself. I can feel my muscles stretch in the warning and I have been craving meat… Oh, no…
[I’m a WHAT!?] I scream in shock
A small roar comes from underground. The group of people look around at each other nervously…
[Well, I guess that confirms it] Adiran mutters as the crowd works itself up into a fervor. The dwarf who outed me is leaving, quickly… again.
[Alright, alright, alright! Hear me out!] Adiran attempts to gain control of the crowd. [If we leave this place, the dragonette may come searching for us once it hatches and catches our scent! Or the mother dragon may… Our best bet is to recover the egg and smash it somewhere far downriver! This will trail the scent away from us in case the mother decides to return and check on its progress. It might even be best to smash the egg close to his lordship’s manor] Adrian smiles conspiratorially.
Oh, he’s scary. I shiver… I need to hatch before they find me!!! What did that dwarf say? Level 5? LEVEL 5 HERE I COME!
I yoink my awareness back underground. Away from those bloodthirsty peoples! Let’s get to grinding! I gained a level when I killed that spider with Earth Eruption. For some reason I am still not feeling too keen on killing other sentients despite what the dwarf claimed about dragonettes… I push my awareness back to where I collapsed the spiral tunnel and through the rubble to the other side. Steeling myself for encountering more spiders, I descend!
Entering the cavern, I have a small space in which to hunt that my sphere will allow me. I sweep my gaze over the floor of the cavern looking for my would be victims. Not finding any, I push in deeper and thick webs float through my incorporeal awareness. Chills shiver up my spine as I think about having to face more spiders. Hearing a skitter I look up and see multiple spiders on the roof of the cavern, amongst their webs, with their many eyes and dripping fangs!
[AIYEEE!!!!] I squeal!
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Adrian lifts his head as he hears another roar come from underground, followed by a small tremor through the earth
[GET A MOVE ON!] he shouts. Before that dwarf had left he had at least pointed them in the direction in which to dig. Adrian lifts his pickaxe high above his head and slams it into the dirt at the back of the shack. [DIG!] He roars!
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Spiders! I HATE spiders! In my fright I had earth erupted the whole cavern that was accessible via my sphere.
*You killed a young Kodiak Recluse Spider, you gain experience!*
*You killed a young Kodiak Recluse Spider, you gain experience!*
*You killed a young Kodiak Recluse Spider, you gain experience!*
and so on…
*Congratulations, you have reached [Level 3].*
‘Health +10’
*Congratulations, you have reached [Level 4].*
‘Health +10’
Several spiders were crushed by the sudden collapse. I gained two whole levels and was level 4! 1 more level to go! I also gained some other stats but I was in far too much of a rush to hatch and escape than ponder over those right now. I was frantically compressing some of the earth back again. Finally reaching my latest Terravision barrier I beat at it to progress further into the cavern. Come on, come on, come on!!! My stamina was rapidly draining and I was eyeballing it like an owl would eyeball a fat mouse on a moon bright night. [COME ON!] I push! I can’t afford to pass out right now, please don’t use up the last of my stamina! The barrier falls when I have only 10 stamina remaining!
*DING! Endurance: Level 6*
‘Stamina: +5’
*PING! Terravision: level 5 obtained!*
*Warning: Terravision level cap reached! Increase class level to raise the cap.*
Oh thank the noodles! Ooodles of noodles! I push my awareness into the increased range of my sphere. Desperately searching for an exp mob. There! Earth Eruption! I try to contain it better this time as I cannot afford any lost time digging in here to fin more mobs again. Stamping the creepy crawlies shivering through my nerves down, I focus on locating the atrocious spiders. All their experience points will belong to me!
*You killed a young Kodiak Recluse Spider, you gain experience!*
*Congratulations, you have reached [Level 5]. Milestone points awarded!*
*Ping! Earth Eruption: level 2 obtained!*
I sag in relief and shift my awareness back to the darkness surrounding me. It’s no longer complete darkness I see. Are those cracks I see back lit by some sort of light?
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Adrian swings his pickaxe at the wall one last time and watches the earth crumble away under the torch light which finally reveals a large oval purple gem rolling out to land at his feet. He sighs heavily… [WE’RE SAFE!] he calls. Then cracks appear and rapidly deepen…
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My shell falls away and I’m at the feet of Mr. Burly man himself. Oh… fugginnoodles!
[Hello…] I chirp hopefully at him, giving him my best puppy dog eyes! Adrian’s axe starts to drop in shock right after I telepathed my hello to him… C’mon... show him those eyes! Big eyes! Big eyes! Big anime eyes!