Master Of None



"So you're telling me that we beat up a bunch of twisted and evil undead, just to have to deal with some insane undead monsters?" Remey wanted to slap Walker. She looked like she was being told she had just completed a massively troublesome job and needed to redo it all. 

"That's what it looks like. If he says the all around appraisal told him, then we should believe him. We can always use one of the all around appraisal scrolls if you don't trust it." Gil was a little snappy when it came to his response. But that was mostly because he was also annoyed that they would eb facing more undead. 

"The mud mantis is enough to cause trouble. There may be enough for them to cause more trouble than we think though." Current couldn't smell or sense anything. Mordant was the same. Even Midnight was looking at them confused since she didn't think there was a single sign of monsters down here. 

"None of us can sense anything. That's why it's going to be more troublesome. Let me guess, the mud mantises are probably undead and they are so covered in silt that their scent blended with what is already down here?" Walker was slightly sarcastic. However, he had hit the nail right on the head. 

"I assumed that would be the case. I cannot see or smell anything either. I know Mordant and Current have the sharpest sense though. But if they have been undead for a long time, they might not smell like rotting any more." Since Su had agreed and tried her best, it was just what it was. 

"Brother, you should focus on the wind elemental mana around us. You and Gil can sense where something is moving based off it." with Onyx's quick thinking, he had made the best idea out of all of them. The only other person that could do something similar was Mordant with darkness mana. But it was better for him to keep using the mana to replenish himself than to use it for sensing what might be ahead of them. 

"Then that's what we do. Gil, come take the lead with me. We have to change the formation we were going to use or else we will be in trouble." Walker knew that him being the back row magic attacker plan had fallen apart. Not that it was a big issue, he was sure that he could fight up front too. 

" Dagger battle where we come." Gil flashed his daggers a little as he prepared to walk forward. The idea that the undead mud mantis might be quicker than him was at the forefront in his mind. He wanted the best chance to react first to defend or deflect attacks. Better yet, he would be able to attack first and deal damage to the undead monster. 

"I don't have enough light." Alice made it clear that she would have to hold off. She could buff them with the minimal light elemental mana she had. However, she would be losing too much mana that was stored up by Horizon. Therefore, it was better for her to forget about bluffing and only put the focus on any healing that was needed. That Was where she exceeded too. 

What was left was the fact that they would all need to be more careful. Walker could heal as well, but if he was focused on fighting monsters then he would not be able to take the time to focus on healing. It was also harder because they didn't want to force Current who was still lacking in water mana and Mordant who needed to rest as well to fight. They were powerful dragons but they were limited right now. Especially with the weakness of the old caverns. 

There was also the fact that as they traveled ahead, the group had begun to notice that the rover was complicated. In the walls there were holes where the sandstone had been washed away many years ago.

  It had created small streams that would have carved and flowed in to over pools or underground caves. This alone was enough to show that monsters would have many homes to hide in. varying places to take refuge when the water was too high or too strong. It also places that could be used to ambush the party right now. 

"I think that is what we should be looking for though." Su pointed out something that was sticking out of the ground. It looked like it had been scratched up by moving water and debris for years. But it was a dried pillar of stone and something else. 

'Grain crystal ore

This is called grain crystal ore because it often breaks in to small grains. This crystal is an odd ore that only forms in places with heavy flowing water. It is considered a great conductor of water and earth elemental manas together. It can also be used to resist both these elemental manas. 

The best way to harvest it is to smash it and collect the grains. The crystal can melt and will be able to be fused with metals that have a similar toughness. While it is not often used for other things such as building, it can also be used to prepare unique glasses. Glasses that can handle having runes carved on them.'

The all around appraisal was not what anyone had expected. They listened as Walker spoke calmly and wondered just how unique this was to be able to house runes. Glass made around Genesis was not normally able to hold runes unless made by someone with very clear skills. The fact that this kind of crystal ore was able to be made in to glass and just hold runes regardless of the higher skill used was amazing. 

If the party was able to bring this back, people would be able to discover better places this ore developed. The dwarves in particular might be able to find the best places since this was not an ore that the party recognized. Even Current was curious since he had not seen it in river beds before. 

This would also be a good material to experiment with. If other metals could be fused with it, then there might be tougher glasses that could be made. That alone would help protect from nature. Wind atoms and harsh thunder might cause windows to break. In places near the shoreline, it could resist very dangerous storms that came every single year. 

"Let's see how we can do this-" 

Before Walker could take out the hammers he had in his spatial storage, Remey moved forward and punched the small pillar of stone. The result was a rain of crystal pieces on the dried river bed around her feet. She looked at them as if she was waiting for someone to say anything. "You could all have just done that. If you look up, that pillar isn't connected to the top of the cave ceiling." 

The other looked up and realized that Remey had looked at everything while they had all just focused on the odd crystal and new possibilities behind it. "More!" Midnight had rushed forward and discovered more pillars like this with exposed crystal ores. The grain crystal pillars had clearly formed from water dripping before this had become an underground river. They had blasted the test of time and now were posed. Almost as if they were presented to them. 

"There are some tracks here. There shouldn't be with how few things could come down here." Gil stopped everyone, especially Midnight as she attempted to discover more pillars to make crystal rain like before. 

When the group gathered and inspected the tracks, they noticed that they were clearly from insect legs. Nothing large and too deep in the silt top but enough to know that something had drunkenly moved around here before pushing off ahead. It looked like the exploring of something lost. However, they all knew this kind of traveling. The movement of undead monsters was just like this. 

"Then we should get ready to fight. Do you think we could use a light orb or some fire." Walker contemplated this out loud knowing that the best way to handle them would be to burn but he also didn't want to smoke them out. However, using the light orb might attract more. But the ability to see better was what he was after between the two options. 

"No, we should remain in the darkness. Let them not see us coming as much. Even though they are undead and might just sense us." Mordant knew that the darkness was the better option. He just wanted to ensure that they would make it forward safely since he also had the quest to find the lost race. 

….

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