Chapter 3.17: Mycology Cave

Chapter 3.17: Mycology Cave

Theo found Ziz and his men hauling blocks from their quarry, down to the river. He watched with amusement, waiting for the group to detect his presence. Only after the men cursed and kicked at the absurdly heavy blocks did they notice him.

An inventory! one shouted.

Theo! Ziz said, huffing to regain his breath. Mind giving us a hand?

More than you know, Theo said, producing 5 [Stonemasons Cores] from his inventory.

Zizs eyes lit up, letting his hands drift over the cores. We were gonna do it by hand.

Paid for by Fenian, Theo said with a nod. Since he destroyed the bridge.

Since he destroyed the bridge, a laborer said, letting out a heavy sigh. So, you helping?

Theo nodded, taking the existing blocks into his inventory. To the workers credit, they got it most of the way down toward Mianas ranch. He didnt know how they planned to get it the rest of the way, but it didnt matter. The group went back to the quarry and loaded up the alchemists inventory with blocks. They walked down to the river with ease, everyone joking about how long it would have taken them to do this by hand. Even with their high [Strength], the blocks were absurdly heavy.

The bridge was ruined, barely a post or two left after the guardians rampage. Theo could see the body of the guardian from here, trusting that Alise would organize everyone to dismantle it. If she didnt, Throk would take up the mantle and dig out all the artificer materials.

Ziz and his workers inserted their cores, which told Theo something. Ziz was level 10, and the others either had an empty core slot or were also at level 10. Even without levels and experience, the cores themselves would give the men at least basic skills for stonemasonry. It would be enough to make a crude bridge, but the stoneworkers had been nothing but perfectionists. They met challenges with a stubborn determination that the alchemist always appreciated. It reminded him of himself.

A laborer removed a book from a satchel at his side. Knew this would come in handy, he said, holding the pages up for Theo to see.

It was written in the standard language of Qavell, the Qavelli script, and detailed bridge-making methods. It specifically related to the use of stone to make bridges, which was perfect. While it was nice that they were prepared for such an event, Theo wanted to pick Zizs brain about his plan for a harbor. The stoneworker ordered his men to get a plan together while the pair headed down the river. Theo explained his plan.

Once we understand how to put blocks together, it should be a breeze, Ziz said, letting out a startled sound.

Someone dropped from the nearby treeline and rushed them, stopping only feet away. He was coiled in pale orange energy, but once the field of power dispersed Theo saw it was only Luras. He had a serious look on his face, leveling his gaze over the alchemist.

Tresk would kill you, he said, growling the words.

I have an escape plan now, Theo said.

Does that plan involve killing Ziz as you retreat? Luras asked.

Ziz looked fearfully at the alchemist, still clutching his chest from Luras sudden appearance.

Point taken, Theo said, gesturing down the river. Could I hire your services for a few hours?

Luras softened, a smile spreading across his face. Since he took the patron of the Ogres as his deity, hed become harder. More of a weapon. But he was still the same old hunter that Theo met at the start of the season. Naturally, he said, nocking an arrow and nodding.

The river is nothing compared to the ocean, Theo said. This was the first time hed been here in his physical form. It felt strange. Well dig from the river side out, creating the full channel. Then we need to drain the water that the river dumps.

Why not divert the river? Luras asked.

That might work, Theo said, gesturing to the other side of the river. The beach leading out into the bay was wide enough to accomplish the task. My only concern is filling it up afterward. My potion eats stone and earth. It wont deposit it elsewhere. An [Earth Mage] is too expensive, or unreliable.

Theo explained all the things he saw wrong with his plan, as well as the positive points. Both Luras and Ziz agreed it was best to bring the harbor to the town, cutting out a massive rectangle that allowed boats to come right into town. They both seemed to think the seed core of the town was smart enough to adjust the walls to allow something like that to happen. When they approached the ocean, the alchemist spotted his next problem.

Ah, theres a hitch, Theo said.

A group of Fald, a strange mix between a man and a turtle, stood on the shores of the beach. They were undoubtedly remnants of the last monster wave, milling around without a target. The [Ocean Dungeon] was too far from the town for the waves to attack directly, forcing them to hold in the ocean and the beach forever. The last wave, each dungeon was shuffled and forced to attack Broken Tusk. Theo hoped that meant all the monsters would die, but that wasnt the case.

Youll need to protect the mouth of your harbor, Luras said, narrowing his eyes. Theres more in the water.

Another roadblock, Theo said, rubbing his chin. The [Ocean Dungeon] was directly in their path out to the bay.

Do you think so? Ziz asked, tapping his foot on the wet bank of the river. Theo could see the gears turning in the Half-Ogres head. I see it as free defense.

Luras raised a brow at that comment.

Think about it, Ziz said. If others dont know about the monsters, theyll get swarmed.

Id feel better if we had towers over here, Luras said. Seems like a risk to any boat we send to sea.

Would you mind setting a contract for the Fald? Theo asked, turning to Luras. The Half-Ogre nodded. Well worry about their viability as a weapon later. For now, keep the beach clear and make sure we have a few adventurers covering Ziz and his workers when theyre away from the walls.

We appreciate that, Ziz said.

Who is funding those contracts? Luras asked.

[Mycology Cave]

[Shortcut to Mushrooms]

Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer)

Faction: [Broken Tusk]

Level: 1 (0%)

It was plain, which new buildings always were. Each multiple of five would offer him a new potential upgrade. Some upgrades seemed to align with gods. Theo fed cores to the building and inspected the upgrade options, only concerning himself with the clear winner.

[Spontaneous Spores]

Theres a chance that your mushrooms will spontaneously spawn more mushrooms within the growing beds.

The level 10 upgrade was a similar situation. Theo didnt know how he was going to plant the truffles in the mushroom cave, but this new upgrade gave him the option.

[Deep Beds]

Specialize your Mycology Cave for all species of truffles. Your growing beds are now deep enough to grow truffles, and all truffle variations will grow at an increased rate than in the wild.

Some buildings had upgrades that made it more of a specialized place. Theos alchemy lab was dedicated to Drogramath, which would have been a useless option for other alchemists. He wasnt sure if that was an upgrade only he could get. The two options hed selected for the [Mycology Cave] would help tremendously, and he still had at least 2 more upgrades to purchase. [Spontaneous Spores] made up for his lack of knowledge on propagating mushrooms, and [Deep Beds] allowed him to grow his target mushroom.

Theo fed the building more cores, watching in amusement as it grew. The ground shook, but the building didnt increase in size. Only the area underground grew. He selected the next, most logical option.

[Drogramath Empowerment]

Latent energy, aligned with Drogramath, will be drawn from the air to enhance your mushrooms. Energy density affects growth rate, cultivation yield, and nutrient usage.

The level 15 option he selected was one hed selected for his greenhouse. The way it affected the greenhouse was simple. It affected everything. Growth rate, cultivation rate, nutrient density, that skill did it all. And with Drogramaths energy so thick in the air, hed be a fool not to take it. Theo realized that the cave was throwing him copies of skills he got for the greenhouse. When he hit level 20, he selected another valuable copy.

[Rapid Growth]

Consume latent energy to increase the speed that plants grow within the mushroom cave.

He was out of the cores that Fenian gave him, but if the cave followed the same pattern as the greenhouse, the next upgrade was necessary. Theo fed his personal stock of [Monster Cores] into the building. As expected, he found the skill he absolutely needed if he wanted to make crazy potions for Fenian.

[Untamed Cultivation]

Increasing the ceiling for how high a mushroom can be cultivated to 200%.

That was a sure-fire way to make sure the end result of his truffle cultivation would produce powerful potions. Theo inspected the building one last time.

[Mycology Cave]

[Shortcut to Mushrooms]

Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer)

Faction: [Broken Tusk]

Level: 25 (21%)

Expansions:

[Spontaneous Spores]

[Deep Beds]

[Drogramath Empowerment]

[Rapid Growth]

[Untamed Cultivation]

Theo only had a vague idea on how to propagate mushrooms. He understood they had spores, but thats where his knowledge stopped. Fenian left him with a book, which the alchemist didnt need to crack open to understand what was inside. The cover had a picture of mushrooms, claiming to be Care for Lowland Mushrooms. He found a nearby stump and sat down, cracking open the book and absorbing the information inside. After only 30 minutes of research, he found everything he needed. A section on truffle propagation. He snapped it shut and stood from the stump.

Right, Theo said. Time to make some mushrooms.