Glaring, red eyes watched from far above as the soft-skins continued to crowd into their cavern. It was the chamber they were to practice their flight in. And while none of them were old enough yet, they knew their mother would rage at the sight of this insult.

  Only outsiders naive to the Undercavern would be so brazen; the others all knew this was their territory. Territory not to be trodden in!

  But unfortunately, they'd have to bide their time. Their brood mother was away hunting on the surface, and only juveniles remained.

  But they would watch and learn, and when their mother returned, they would share what they had learned about the nasty, fleshy trespassers, and together, they would feast.

  Once the people had finished moving into the main cavern, Carmack closed the passage behind them, strengthening the stone he covered it up with layer after layer over an hour before moving on. He would reopen it once they could defend themselves. He had a feeling the Chamber of Bridges was likely a great asset. Its countless tunnels at many differing levels suggested it was some kind of nexus for the Undercavern.

  He had gained two whole levels from all the rodakin he had slain, and would have happily continued his grind had they let him. But for now, they were vulnerable, and leaving an entrance to their new home open was too dangerous. Any contact with beasts, settlements, or monsters could draw unwanted attention to them. Unless a passage or cavern could be confirmed safe, it would be closed off.

  I’ll have to find more suitable means of gaining experience. Intelligent creatures are likely to adapt. Sighing, Carmack turned to the spire.

  Before the last of the refugees had even arrived, the scouts had explored every inch of the cavern they could reach. Though it was vast, much of it was illuminated by the glowing mushrooms, and in the distance, dozens of out-of-reach tunnels could be spotted.

  With the in-reach passages closed, Carmack recovered his mana and returned to tunneling homes and corridors into the spire.

  Earthshaping was only a first circle spell, though it still cost a lot of mana to be used in the way Carmack was using it. Every second of its use drained a little mana, and the constant drain of shaping new rooms and passages quickly emptied his small reserves. Though it did at least provide a little experience.

  Through his magic, Carmack could melt the rock away, forming ventilated rooms and corridors. Having the people of Lydrus assist was nowhere near as efficient, but with thousands of citizens standing idle, it was a waste not to mobilize their manpower, and they were put to work, digging with whatever tools were available.

  In the immediate, mushrooms dotted across the cavern and central pillar helped to take some pressure from their dwindling food stocks, but were quickly running short. If they weren't to starve, a reliable source of food and water would be urgently required.

  As much as they needed to dig out of rooms and shelter to defend themselves, Carmack knew he couldn’t just leave the food situation unsolved. If it was left too long, even finding a food source might not be enough to turn back starvation.

  Through his geomancy, he was by far the best digger, able to melt stone away and reform it into structures. But none was equipped to traverse the underground passages as well as Carmack, and now wasn’t a time to risk unnecessary casualties.

  Providing orders to Tark to oversee the settlement, protect it if necessary, and send important messages to him, Carmack took off. Using his magic to trace a narrow ledge around the huge pillar, he made his way down toward the caverns below, where he had sensed potential food sources.

  Through his mana, he sensed movement echoing through the stone and dampness soaking into it. It stood to reason that where water could be found, so could beasts, and so he traveled down to discover what was there.

  Reaching the floor where he sensed movement and water, several dozen meters below where the settlement construction was taking place, he spotted an oval-shaped, cavernous entrance. But no means to reach it.

  The distance between the central spire they were building within and the tunnel hole in the cavern wall was probably around two dozen meters. Raising a hand, a stone bridge began to form before him. Magically creating a bridge of this length was no easy feat in his current state. It required an arch built beneath it to provide strength and width for walking.

  Throughout the construction, multiple breaks for mana recovery were required, but at least he was gaining a little experience.

  Some time passed before the bridge was completed, and he crossed with a satisfied grin.

  Building this place is going to take some time. Carmack groaned internally. If he didn’t want to be stuck constantly taking rests to recover mana, he was going to need to gain more levels.

  Hmph, maybe some hunting is in order.

  Crossing the bridge, Carmack passed into the cavernous hole. Beyond it was another, far smaller cavern with a low-hanging ceiling. But it split into dozens of tunnels several meters in, and Carmack could smell the refreshing scent of water in the air.

  He picked one tunnel where he sensed moisture and walked. Barely a minute later, he came across a stream several meters thick, cutting through the center of the tunnel.

  But it wasn’t just water he found. He spotted the same crystals he had in other chambers, but here, small, weedy plants grew up and around them.

  “It must be because of the mist created from the water cascading against the rocks,” he mused as he approached the crystals.

  These have potential… they remind me of Aether Crystals from Avalock.

  Carmack hovered his hand over the crystal and channeled mana into it, and it faintly brightened with light and heat.

  “I’ll be taking you,” he muttered to himself as he collected several crystals.

  Turning and stepping to the water’s edge, he lowered beside it and held a crystal inches from the fast-flowing water. It didn’t take long to spot a blurred, shadowed shape pass by.

  “Fish, perfect,” he grunted, cupped the water in his palm, sniffed, and then drank. “Clean, fresh water,” he added and rose back to his feet.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  He could sense that there was water all around. In all likelihood, the underground river that ran through here was split into many streams, and the different tunnels provided access to different sections of the same river.

  But he wasn’t just here for fish and water. He had sensed movement, and he was inclined to figure out where it came from.

  I wonder what other secrets this place holds.

  Building a small bridge for the river, he passed over and continued deeper into the tunnel.

  Several minutes later, he spotted shiny, silver scat and knew his senses had been correct. But he couldn’t send hunters down unless he knew it was safe. Stepping to the wall, he cast “Stone Tomb” and sank into the very stone, revealing only his nostrils and eyes. The second circle spell allowed him to merge with the very rock itself, but he was entirely incapable of taking any actions whilst in this state.

  He hoped his wait would not take long, but he would not risk people’s lives without confirmation of what was down here.

  Thankfully, it only took several minutes for whatever left the scat to return. As he had surmised, the beast used the stream for drinking and perhaps food. It had likely heard his entrance and fled.

  The beast that scuttled by moments later didn’t exactly stir his hunger, but perhaps looks could be deceiving.

  Perhaps I should take the chance to test my new ability.

  Stepping out from the stone, he raised a hand and fired a stream of controlled fire at larvae-looking worm creature. The beast squealed and writhed in pain as the fire crept across its body.

  Turning it clicked its manidbles at Carmack, who raised a hand and summoned stone spear, firing the sharp rock through its face—killing the beast instantly.

  1 x Bovinipede Slain

  Bonus experience rewarded for killing beasts beyond your level!

  Calculating Experience…

  I suppose that was to be expected—still, fire’s cool, Carmack thought as the kill notification passed by. Fireshaping, like Earthshaping, was a low-level spell; whilst versatile, it wasn’t particularly powerful.

  Stepping toward the grotesque, sizzling corpse, he summoned a knife wrought from stone and cut free a chunk of its flesh.

  “It’s all part of the job,” he sighed and flickered flames across the meat once more. Carmack sincerely didn’t want to do what came next, but twitched curiously.

  “It… it smells like roast pork. No… that couldn’t be. Not this foul beast.”

  *Sniff*

  Carmack raised a brow at the crispy, browned meat between his fingers, dripping with fat.

  *Sniff*

  “It smells good. Really good.”

  Unable to resist, he threw the meat into his mouth and chewed. It was like pork, but more buttery and naturally sweet. The skin crackled and crunched as he bit, and the meat exploded in moist, fatty goodness.

  Tears swelled in the corners of his eyes, and his lids fluttered shut as he leaned back, savoring the complex waves of barbeque excellence colliding with his taste buds.

  “It’s exquisite!”

  Dissecting the corpse, he gathered up chunks of the meat, ready to bring them back to the settlement. This was more than just a lifeline.

  Returning to the spire with several crystals and the meat, Carmack called for Managra and Lydrus’ magical talents.

  Gathered in a central room of their new home designated as a temporary court for Lydrus, Carmack poured the crystals onto a table of solid rock he carved straight out of the ground and placed the meat beside it.

  “What are those?” First Warlock Madrix said, his long, thin nose sniffing as he spoke.

  “Some form of mana crystals I found below,” Carmack said. “I found small traces of vegetation growing around them, leading me to believe they provide life-giving light.”

  “Rather weak, aren't they?” Madrix said. “I can barely feel the mana seeping from them.”

  Hushed murmurs echoed around the two dozen or so others in attendance.

  “In their current state, yes, they are. Excuse me, High Priest, do you by any chance have paper?”

  “Paper?” The elderly man croaked. “Why, I'm sure somebody does. Can somebody see to the hero's request?”

  “Yes, lord priest,” a young spell scribe stepped forth and bowed. He then pulled several scrolls free from his robes and handed them to Carmack.

  “And a quill, if you wouldn't mind,” Carmack added with a raised finger.

  The spell scribe did as asked, handing him the quill and ink well from his belt.

  Rolling the scroll out across the table, he weighted its corners down by summoning pebbles from the table itself, which rolled into position as if animated.

  Then, he began to draw. “Pardon my poor calligraphy; I am no spell scribe myself. But hopefully, I can impart enough knowledge to get you started.”

  “What is this formation?” Said master spell scribe Tibus, stepping forward to crane over Carmack’s shoulder.

  “It's what little I can remember of the formations used on my home world, Avalock. We used formations to grant additional power to aether crystals to assist our underground farming. These crystals remind me a lot of our own crystals. Thanks to aether crystals, there are subterranean cities on Avalock capable of supporting millions of inhabitants.”

  “Amazing,” Tibus murmured.

  “So, master spell scribe, can you and your people figure the rest out with the help that our hero has provided?” Managra asked.

  “Yes,” Tibus nodded hesitantly. “Give us some time. Between us, I’m sure we can figure this out.”

  “Bravo,” Madrix clapped the butt of his palm. “But even if these crystals work, we'll run out of food long before a crop can be raised.”

  “Correct,” Carmack rolled up the scroll and handed it to Tibus before turning to Madrix. “Have a chef prepare this meat and cook it. Down below, I also spotted skittish game. This is a little meat I took from one I killed. The beasts are huge, and every kill will provide a lot of meat.”

  “Game? We number in the thousands, hero,” Madrix smirked. “There is no way we can rely on hunters to feed us all. This is madness.”

  “I’m aware,” Carmack nodded. “There are also many streams flush with fish and fresh, potable water. Not to mention more mushrooms. Between these sources and the rations, I believe we can survive until crops can be raised.”

  “Quite some potential you found, Hero,” Managra said. “And these crystals, we can find more.”

  “Yes, we can,” Carmack said. “There are plenty down in the tunnels, and I found no danger to worry about. However, hunters and gatherers should still work cautiously and not stray too far.”

  “Brilliant,” Managra smiled fondly. “We're on the road to recovery, it seems.”

  “Hmph,” Carmack grunted. “We have a lifeline. But like the warlock said, there's still much to be done if we're to survive down here.”

  “We will get to work straight away on these formations,” the spell scribe said with determination.

  “Wait one moment,” Madrix hissed. “What even is this meat that we’re supposed to survive on? What has he found in the dark, dank tunnels that could possibly be edible?”

  “Shall we call in the chef and find out?” Managra asked.

  “Please do,” Carmack nodded.

  Saliva filled the mouths of Lydrus’ magical talent; they watched the chef sauté the meat alongside a few herbs and mushrooms. The scent was intoxicating. Sweet and meaty, it brought on angry, impatient grumbles from the stomachs of the onlookers.

  “Please, serve our guests,” Carmack gestured as the chef finished cooking.

  Each person in attendance was given a bowl of the succulent meal. Their patience was already pushed to the limit, and they dove into their meals the moment their plates were handed to them.

  “So, how is it, First Warlock?”

  “It is… ahh… a-a-amazing. The flavors... they carry such depth. Rich, savory, and sweet. They dance upon my tastebuds in perfect harmony!”

  “Good, we’re in agreement that the meat is edible, then. I must go. I have plenty of work that needs doing. I will return to carving out new chambers, prioritizing greenhouses for our newly acquired crystals. The sooner your work is done, the sooner we can plant our crop. Goodbye now, gentlemen,” Carmack said with a wave, but culinarily hypnotised spellcasters couldn’t pull their attentions from their meals.