Chapter Two-Hundred Forty-Four

Chapter Two-Hundred Forty-Four

After all that with the adventurers, Im feeling more motivated than ever to make the fight with the Maw a quick and decisive one, if at all possible. The adventurers probably would prefer a bit more of a fight, but Id rather have them disappointed and all coming home. The frustrating part is that theres probably not a lot more I can do to try to influence that particular outcome.

Ive done a lot of planning, and my denizens, scions, and dwellers have been doing a lot of executing on those plans. Theres a few last minute things to do, and who knows, maybe the final bit of scouting will reveal some fatal flaw to exploit in the Maw, but I doubt it. The Maw is big and old, so if it had some fundamental flaw in its defenses, something would have gotten through by now, Id imagine. Maybe itd be something only I would notice and be able to exploit, but I feel like magic makes having any weakness like that difficult to sustain over a long period.

You ok, Boss? squeaks my Voice while in the middle of a shortcut.

Hmm? Oh, sorry. Im justNew novel chapters are published on

Just running around in circles in that big mind of yours. Try to relax or something, Boss. Everyone and everything is about as prepared as we can make them now. Dont go stressing out over something you cant really do anything about.

I take a deep mental breath and nod. Yeah youre right. Its just easier to say than to do, you know?

Teemo barks a laugh at that. Yeah, I know. Go watch the delvers or something. Im gonna check and see if Rezlar is available for a meeting later. Go unwind, Boss. Waiting is hard, but its all we can really do right now.

I let my attention wander over my territory, watching everything going on. People are mining, gathering, fighting, looting, chatting, crafting the life just makes me happy to see. I dont focus on anyone in specific, and instead just kinda soak in the atmosphere. My attention eventually drifts towards the ratkin enclave, where I notice Aranya with a mixed group of dwellers around her.

Usually, thatd mean shes giving or about to give a sermon, but the mood feels a little different for that. Its like just before a movie starts, rather than right before the pastor comes in. Aranya smiles as my attention falls on the group, and speaks up over the murmurs of the crowd.

It feels like Lord Thedeim is interested in todays legend, too.

The murmurings shift to have a mix of surprise and reverence, but Im feeling a bit more confused. Shes been telling legends? About what? The red kobold smiles as she feels my confusion.

Kobold legends, passed down from before the Maw captured us. Today, Im going to tell our creation legend.

Making a single piece of earth move quickly seemed to be impossible, as any large rock would shatter instead of flow like the water or air. The First was concerned, but the broken bits of earth didnt seem to mind. Uncertainly, it tried again, gathering the broken bits to suffuse with will and mana, and to the Sanctuarys surprise, it worked!

The small earth elemental was happy to move, though it didnt move like the other two elements. They would dance and glide, while the earth would rumble along. The Sanctuary tried to ask it why, and the earth elemental was confused. It was moving, as was its element. Wasnt that what the First Sanctuary wanted?

Of course, but the earth wasnt moving at all! Then the small earth elemental told the Sanctuary to just pay more attention. The earth all around was moving, inspired by the air and water, but moving in its own way. It moves slowly, deliberately. It doesnt need to move at the speed of the others. It will take its time with the movement.

This was strange to the First Sanctuary, but after watching for a time, it came to appreciate the earths movements, as well as those of the air and water. And yet it felt like there could be more to move. But what else was there? The mana? Its already moving that. It thought as it watched the elements moving, and eventually noticed something interesting.

The airs movement brought cold air and froze some shallow water. Can ice move? It feels very different from regular water, so perhaps? The First tried to make the ice move, and immediately felt like something was wrong. It was very different from the others, not really stubborn, but missing something. What could it be?

It thought and observed some more, until an earth elemental brought something interesting it had found deep below: liquid rock! Very hot liquid rock! The earth elemental called it fire, but didnt know what it was. Once it left the liquid rock, the rock became regular earth again. Seeing the fire inspired the First Sanctuary, and it realized what the ice was missing. It needed something to move with! The other elements might be happy to move with each other, but these two would need an opposite to move properly!

It still needed some of the other elements to move well, however. The ice needed water, and the fire needed the stone, but stone is so difficult to work with! The First Sanctuary tried to get the water to take both of the new elements, but while it didnt mind the ice, it refused the fire. Air, however, was eager to be included, and so took the fire and burst into a brilliant orange color. The Sanctuary was happy at that, but could see it needed to work quickly. The fire and ice were suffused with will and mana, each opposing the other, yet also somehow bolstering the other. The First Sanctuary released the two, and they spun off in a beautiful dance across the earth, the air, and the water!

The First Sanctuary reveled in the new movement, seeing so many things moving, and coaxing more of the mana to move with it. The endless stillness was being beaten back. After a time, a water elemental came to the Sanctuary with something new. It was a lot like water, but green, and could move on its own, despite not being an elemental! The water elemental left it with the Sanctuary, and the First Sanctuary watched. It saw the green move towards the light, and away form the shadow, and saw another pair to release into the world. At this point, it was used to creating the elemenetals, and so the first light and shadow elementals were created.

It continued to watch the green with its strange movements, and eventually saw some of it stop moving. Something about its movement, and lack of movement, felt fundamentally different than the difference between moving and still mana, and after watching closely, the First Sanctuary saw another pair to unleash: life and death. While the other elementals created some motion with their release, the life and death elementals created the biggest difference of all!

New green appeared across the land, some standing tall to get more of the light it needed. Things appeared to eat the green, and things appeared to eat what ate the green.

Aranya finally pauses the legend and smiles at the gathered dwellers. And that is how everything came to be. Mostly. The creation of kobolds and thinking life is a different legend. Her smile grows mischievous as she glances towards my core, despite the buildings, caves, and stone between her and it. Maybe Ill tell that one tomorrow?

Aw, but I wanna hear it now!