Chapter 55 – Breaking ground

  They woke early the next morning as the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. Jack pulled himself out of his tree bed jumping down to the ground. He nearly landed on Savgar, forgetting that the dwarf stuck by his word and slept on the dirt rather than sleep in a tree.

  The others joined them shortly after. Jack noticed that Ciao was nowhere in sight at first. Normally, Jack would see the cat still busy reading books in the morning. Today though, Jack saw Ciao jumping down from one of the tree beds, followed shortly by Elizabeth.

  “I take it you have grown to like Elizabeth?” Jack asked Ciao as they walked by.

  “I always wanted a…feline,” Elizabeth admitted. “I was never able to be around them for long before.”

  “Makes sense,” Jack said. “Just would have thought Ciao didn’t like being close to people if she didn’t have to be. Or is it just me?”

  “I don’t hate anyone,” Ciao said. “I have boundaries. There is a difference.”

  “Fair enough,” Jack said. “Perhaps, once everything settles down a bit, we can take some time to learn each other’s boundaries?”

  “We can do that,” Ciao said.

  “What’re you waiting for?” Savgar called over. “Rocks to grow? Are we doing this or what?”

  “Yeah, we’re coming,” Jack said.

  “Where are we going to place the crystal?” Teresa asked.

  “Wherever we place it,” Savgar said. “It is going to be the city’s center, so we should give it some space.”

  “I can offer some assistance here,” Jasper said, hopping into the middle of the group. “Organization and management are my focus.”

  “Alright, works for me,” Victor said.

  Jasper moved around the area, looking the land over at a few different angles. “Has this land been leveled?” Jasper asked.

  “It has,” Reynard confirmed. “I thought you would need a stable foundation.”

  “Hmm,” Jasper muttered but continued to look over the area. After checking a few more places, Jasper came to a stop. He sat a hundred paces away. Jack watched as Jasper eyes began to shift through different colors. First to green, then orange, yellow, and finally purple. After a few more minutes of that, he spoke again.

  “Yes, this is the best place for it,” Jasper said.

  “You’re sure?” Daniel asked.

  “It has the right balance of the different elements. Within equal reach of the four primary resources you have here. Water, stone, dirt, and wood. The land is stable, which will increase the longevity of the crystal and allow it room to grow.”

  “What about the ambient Mana flow?” Daniel asked.

  “I checked that too,” Jasper said patiently. “I am competent at my job, thank you. The ambient Mana is generating a decent amount of all seven basic elements, but that appears to be the case everywhere in the jungle. Increasing the flow of Mana in the area, as the crystal will do, will also not destabilize the cliffside. It can even handle an underground system added if made carefully. I expect it can handle a Metropolis level settlement before you will need to worry about the influx of Mana affecting the area.”

  “What skills did you use to see that?” Daniel asked. “Are they skills that can be taught?”

  “Perhaps now is not the time,” Reuf said.

  “Right, right, of course,” Daniel muttered.

  “Then we are okay with this?” Jack asked. “I’ll set it up now if that is the case.”

  “Go for it,” Victor encouraged.

  Jack pulled the crystal out of his Storage. The crystal was soulbound to him right now. He had to soulbound it just to remove the crystal and even now, he was the only one that met the requirements to take it.

  *Akashic Amalgamated Foundation Crystal (Level 1) (Unattuned) (Mythical)(Soulbound)*

  Created by the Akashic order. Foundation Crystals are the bedrock of any burgeoning civilization. Cousins to Dungeon Cores, Foundation Crystals are another means that help to cleanse the area of Corruption, provide benefits to those associated with the selected domains and allow the formation of cities. They are also capable of connecting with and accessing System information and resources.

  -This Crystal has undergone a transformation. As a result, the number of domains this crystal can handle has been increased to seven.

  Jack placed the crystal on the ground where Jasper indicated. The toad fussed about positioning it in just the right spot.

  “We only get to set this once,” Jasper said as explanation.

  “How does this work?” Jack asked. “Is it just going to be a random crystal out in the open. That doesn’t feel safe.”

  “It will form a small structure around it,” Sylvian said. “The structure will grow as the Settlement grows, but the type it makes can vary. It usually makes a tree when elves do this.”

  “Dwarves make a vault,” Savgar said.

  “Our last one was bound in an effigy,” Reuf said.

  “Guess we will find out what humans get,” Teresa said. “What’s next?”

  “One sec,” Jasper answered. “Just need to tilt this a little… that should be good.”

  At Jasper’s words, Jack reached out activating the Crystal.

  *Akashic Amalgamated Foundation Crystal can be use in the formation of a settlement*

  Would you like to use this crystal to form a settlement?

  Y/N?

  Jack chose yes with a thought and a new set of messages appeared.

  *Name of Settlement?”

  “It’s asking for a name,” Jack said. “Did we ever discuss that? What are we calling this place?”

  “Call it Rhotsid,” Savgar said.

  “No!” Victor and Teresa said immediately.

  “It would have been funny,” Savgar muttered.

  “What about Vlysai,” Sylvian asked. “I always like that name.”

  “I don’t want to hear a bunch of people mispronounce elven words all the time,” Rayne said.

  “We could go basic,” Bryant said. “New Land?”

  “You can’t just call a place new land,” Elizabeth said.

  “I thought there was a place on your earth literally called newfoundland?” Savgar asked. He turned to Victor. “Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “There is,” Daniel confirmed. “Still, it’s not as bad as Greenland in my opinion.”

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “Let me guess,” Savgar said. “It’s green?”

  “No, it’s mostly ice,” Teresa said. “Not to be confused with Iceland with is very green by comparison.”

  “What is wrong with you humans?” Savgar muttered, shaking his head. “Can’t even name things right.”

  “Not the worse one in my opinion,” Elaine said. “Artic and Antarctica. Literally just translate into bears and no bears.”

  “Are bears very important on earth?” Reuf asked.

  “Eh, depends on who you ask,” Jack said. “So, all of those are out.”

  “Could I make a suggestion?” Reynard asked. Jack nearly jumped at his words. The beast lord was so stealthy that Jack constantly forgot he was there until he spoke.

  “What are you thinking?” Jack asked.

  “Why not choose a name that represents an idea for the city?” Reynard asked.

  “Interesting,” Daniel said. “Is there a theme we are going for?”

  “Not sure,” Jack said. “We never really discussed it. Maybe something about second chance? Second life? I don’t know.”

  “Could just call it Phoenix then,” Teresa said. “Isn’t that basically what those myths represented?”

  “Myths?” Reuf asked.

  “Phoenixes are real?” Elizabeth asked.

  “They are,” Reuf confirmed.

  “Better than the rest,” Elaine said.

  “Why not,” Victor said. “At least it is an actual city name as well, and it’s not something like Rhotsid,”

  “What does that mean?” Bryant asked.

  “I think we are all okay with Phoenix,” Sylvian said moving the conversation along.

  “Still think Rhotsid would be a good name for a city,” Savgar argued. “You know it will be remembered.”

  “Not for the right reasons,” Teresa said. “Phoenix it is. Quick before the dwarf comes up with another vulgar word to suggest.”

  “Burtha?” Savgar grinned. “You can’t hate that one.”

  “Too late,” Teresa sighed.

  “Phoenix it is then,” Jack said confirming it in the System.

  *Settlement created: Phoenix (Camp-pending)*

  Akashic Amalgamated Foundation Crystal – Level 1

  Designate Domains? (0/7)

  -Place blood of race for domain determinations

  “Alright, next step,” Jack called out. “Need some blood of each of the different races. Not sure how much.”

  One by one, they approached the crystal and added a few drops of their blood to its surface. Sylvian and Reuf cut the palm of their hands and placed it on the crystal. Jack followed suit using one of the spare daggers. Reynard used a claw to create a small cut. Savgar was the last to approach, but the dagger they had wasn’t sharp enough to cut his skin. Reynard offered to help, but instead Savgar placed his hand on the ground and swung his Warhammer down on it.

  “Was that necessary?” Jack asked.

  “You try getting blood from a dwarf’s stone skin,” Savgar said. “Better than letting someone else do it.”

  “We have a saying about something like that,” Bryant said.

  Once Savgar managed to crack his skin, he joined the others with adding his to the crystal as well. Jack watched as the different races appeared on the screen as everyone added their blood to it. Jack selected the option to give everyone their own domains and five of the seven domains filled on the screen.

  *How would you like to designate the domains?*

  “Okay, I’m not sure about this one,” Jack said. “It wants to know how we are going to separate the different domains.”

  “What options is it giving?” Daniel asked.

  “It’s just asking,” Jack said. “Nothing to choose from.”

  “Would you mind if I jumped in here?” Jasper asked.

  “Please,” Jack said. Jasper took the lead on navigating the System interface on the crystal, moving and opening features in ways that Jack didn’t even know you could move them. He watched as Jasper worked the whole time, granting him access to different features that were locked behind some security measure only Jack was able to access.

  After a few moments of tinkering with the System. Jasper pulled up a three-dimensional image of the area they were standing in so everyone could see.

  “There are many ways you can set this up,” Jasper said. “The simplest would be to create seven districts arranged in a circle, like this.”

  The image changed to show a birds-eye view of the area, but now there were zones, labeled one through seven arranged around the Foundation Crystal like a clock. “This would pose the least amount of conflict, but also the greatest amount of wasted space.”

  “Two of the Domains would be left empty,” Zajowle said. “I assume it is set like that in case we wish to add more to the city later.”

  Jasper nodded. “If we remove those domains, we can save on some of the wasted space, and it would look something like this.”

  The image changed once again to now only show five different domains. “But even so, while this would create the least amount of conflict, it would create an imbalance this way,” Jasper continued. “The tyrians have the least need for the space, as there are only two with no expectation of more joining. The Elves will most likely build upwards which leaves the floor abandoned, and the dwarves will likely build downwards leaving the top portion mostly forgotten as well.”

  “But you have a different idea,” Daniel said. “One that will make the most use of the available space?”

  “I do,” Jasper nodded. “Stay with me on this.”

  He fiddled with the System again and this time a new image appeared. In the image, a tree appeared in the middle of the area and the point of view shifted once again to view the area from the ground. The numbers came back again but this time they stacked on top of each other with the number one sitting in the branches. Two, three, and four were placed on the ground around the trunk and five sat underneath the tree.

  “In this setup,” Jasper said. “We could use a tree as the design. I’ve looked, it is an option, but not the only one. A pyramid, or tower setup are also another choice. But with the tree setup, we can designate the different domains to meld with each other to make the most of the area we are working with. In this setup, the elven domain will exist in the branch level. The humans, tyrians, and beasts will share the ground, and the dwarves will have the underground. Not only will it allow us to make better use of the space, but it will also help direct the natural elemental affinities to the appropriate areas.”

  “That still feels imbalanced,” Bryant said. “The ground will be contested by three groups. Would that not cause conflict?”

  “Yes, this will cause some conflict,” Jasper admitted. “Conflict is going to be unavoidable. This design is more about making the most of everything. The tyrians and beasts will have the least need for the space as well, so it will only require us to be cognizant of each other when we build. But as a result of doing it this way, structures, traits, and benefits will all be shared. That means everyone who is a part of the city will get to benefit from all the traits and buffs, even if they are not a part of that race. On the other hand, if we went back to the district system, each race could design their area as they need without worry of conflicting with the others, but then the traits and buffs will not be share either.”

  “Is it that important to not conflict with each other?” Victor asked. “I think I would prefer sharing the buffs.”

  “The formation of the structures can have stacking benefits,” Savgar said.

  “Yes,” Daniel said scratching his chin. “But in this way, we could take advantage of the formations that are only possible when combining different races buildings together.”

  “Those exist?” Savgar asked.

  “They do,” Daniel confirmed. “Though we don’t know of many. It would be guess-work.”

  “That is part of the issue,” Jasper said. “The other part is that the concentration of Mana will be shifted by the domains. Light, Primal, and Air will flow upwards. Water, Earth, Primal will settle on the ground level, and Darkness, Fire, and Earth will flow to the underground. This will mean that certain structures will perform at greater compacity if placed in the right area, but that might also cause issue when trying to design the building formations. Cultivation will also be hampered to certain areas. You won’t be able to cultivate Fire affinity from the branches.”

  “So, different areas won’t get certain types of affinities?” Daniel asked.

  “They will, but only to a lesser degree,” Jasper said. “For example, Ambient Fire, sitting in the root level, will still exist in the branches but not enough that you could have a forge up there. Meanwhile, Ambient Water, as it sits in the middle, will give off more to the branches and roots levels but not enough that you would want a bathhouse in either.”

  “This sounds complicated,” Elizabeth said.

  “A talented city planner will be needed.” Jasper said. “I can assist, but I have my limits.”

  “I think we should go for this one,” Daniel said. “Complex sure but has the greatest opportunity for growth. I take it with this plan we can even add more races to the city without upsetting the designed.”

  Jasper nodded. “You can. Very easily in fact.”

  “Okay,” Teresa said. “I trust ya. All this is going to require trial and error anyways.”

  “That works for us, but if we are using the tree then can we add a seed for the structure?” Sylvian asked.

  “What are you thinking?” Rayne asked.

  “Our mutual friend,” Sylvian said. “Came up with a way we might be able to honor our agreement. A seed that will help it to relocate outside. I meant to tell everyone before we did this, but I wanted everyone around when I did.”

  “You want to use that as the foundation of the city?” Savgar asked.

  “It makes sense given the situation,” Sylvian said. “And we all did agree to the contract. We don’t have to use the seed with the Foundation Crystal. Planting it nearby will accomplish the same, but it will grow faster this way.”

  “I thought you said you had an agreement with it,” Rayne said. “Is this an issue?”

  “It will also tie it to the city,” Savgar growled. “Then again, that might be for the best. And it might as well be where I can keep an eye on it. Fine.”

  “Alright,” Jack said. Sylvian handed him the seed from her storage and Jasper helped Jack add it to the Foundation Crystal. The seed allowed the Foundation Crystal to use it as a template for the tree design. Once they were finished, Jack approved the changes and moved onto the final setup.

  *Settlement created: Phoenix (Camp)*

  Akashic Amalgamated Foundation Crystal – Level 1

  Designate Domains? (5/7)

  *Challenge Calculating…*

  -Mythical Foundation Crystal used – Mythical challenge pending…

  -No Mythical Challengers found in current area.

  *Creating Challenge…*

  *Challenge created*

  *Quest gained: Slayer (Mandatory)*

  -Defend your newfound settlement and crystal from the beast of URBLS for twenty-four hours

  Bonus: Kill the Beast of URBLS

  Reward:

  -Settlement (Camp) created.

  -Race trait added (5)

  -Landmark structure blueprint (Settlement specific)

  -Increase in Ambient Mana

  -Individual reward for all who participates (choice)

  Failure:

  -Loss of Foundation Crystal

  -Possible death

  “I think we might be in trouble,” Jack said.