Chương 478: A Curious Conversation

Milo found the experience quite puzzling, he'd had no warning at all from his Stone Sense that there was hole beneath him. One second the rock was solid, and the next he was being drawn down into some subterranean area. He was also highly annoyed: There was so much to investigate in the Master's tower, and now he had to deal with either an attack by someone with stone-based magic, or an insidious trap. He wasn't quite falling.

It was more like he was being pulled downward through the solid rock, but he couldn't grab hold of anything to slow his movement. It was as if the rock was a thick gas: He could feel it around him, but it had no substance. The feeling went on for only three seconds, drawn out ten times longer as he tried to analyze what was happening and how to find a way to get free. The only thing he could do was encase himself in his bone armor and be ready for a fight.

Then, he stopped and the rock tightened around him, immense pressure forcing him into a position as if he were sitting down in a chair. Then he was actually falling into a room, his entire body enclosed in stone. He fell onto an immense, rocky throne, similar in size to the throne above, but made of rough gneiss with none of the intricate artwork. The stone encasing him merged with the rock of the throne, forming a trap that kept him immobile. He couldn't move at all.

The stone was molded around his body, his hands and arms totally encased, and even wiggling a finger was impossible. Bands of stone held each leg, and encircled his waist. He was immobilized, with even his tail unable to twitch. But other than that, he was unharmed. His stone sense told him that the rock was very dense, at least Tier Four, and probably tougher than the gneiss rock that made up the chamber.

His claws might have been able to cut the material, but he had no leverage and couldn't wiggle a finger or toe. Runic formations needed fingers, or a tail. He could envision them with his mind, but attempting to do the spells without any gestures had a very high rate of failure, and the backlash from ill-formed runes would hurt or even be fatal. He saved that option for later. Right now, he would do the one thing left, talking.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Someone answered, but not a person. A mouth formed on the wall in front of him, and the stone spoke. He wondered if a person was using a spell, the rock was alive, or this was some type of illusion. His analysis of the lip and tongue movements indicated that the mouth really was talking, or it was a very good illusion." I am here. And you are here."

"Ah, good. My name is Milo, though some call me Tallsqueak. I'm a Sage, exploring and learning new things. I'd like to know why you brought me here, can you answer that?"" You are a threat, 'Sage Milo'. One that must be judged and dealt with."

"How am I a threat? Are you upset that we killed a lot of snails? The snails attacked the Myconians, and attacked us as we attempted to travel in nearby caverns." The mouth chuckled, then said,"I don't care about the snails. They are an ecological nightmare, evolved and mutated from the simple mollusks that lived in these caverns long ago. I will neither condemn, nor cheer on those who hunt them. But I won't be disappointed if they are gone. Just, leave some of the smallest, won't you?

Oh, well, if you are allowed to leave. But, that is doubtful."

"Then, how am I a threat? Can you explain that?"" How are you not? You are dangerous. You destroy. You do not tread silently through the under-caverns. Where you go, there is conflict. The rock is aware of you, and whispers to me."

"And you are talking through the rock?"" Yes, the rock speaks for me."

"Why not speak to me in person? That's a lot more polite. There was no need to drag me down here." The lips laughed." With your army of machines and guns? An invasion force that can topple cities? Drunken dwarves spewing death and laughing about it. Monstrous cheese fiends who sneak and slay, along with a collection of adventurers and mages so diverse and with so many unknown abilities that I can't even calculate the threats they might pose. And they are quick to act. They are trying to find you, you know.

Tunneling down through the rock with picks and spells. I've had to fend off several auguries and seeking spells.

Luckily, the rock is thick here. I will not stand before such people, leaving myself open to threats. This is safer." Milo had to admit, that from the viewpoint of someone looking at the expeditionary force, the words ' safe and friendly' might not be the first thing you thought of.

"Then let's talk to each other here. I'm restrained. Show me who you are, and let's talk and work things out." The rock formed a full face, which managed to nod back and forth." No. It is safer this way. I don't know the extent of your abilities, but they are many. There is no reason for me to take chances. I have watched you for a long time, Sage Milo. You snuck through the graveyard of my people in the mines of the shiny metal. The rock screamed as you sundered and cracked it, bringing you to my attention.

I saw you fight the abominations, and shatter the stone to kill them. Where you walk, things break. I will take no chances with you."

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"You remind me of my brother, Bork." The face showed a bit of interest." The goblin who fell prey to a deployable stone ramp after disarming the Master's traps? Interesting. You don't look goblinish. Do you mean brother in the biological sense, or is there a bond between you. From the way many of you laughed, I didn't think either was present. A shame about his death. He had stories to tell that I wished to hear. I valued his life, even if you didn't."

"We... ah... yes. We did laugh, but you have to understand. He's died before and came back after a short time. He walks back from death quickly, only a day will pass and he may return from his journey. It may have looked callous if someone was watching, but I do care for him, and he is my brother. It's complicated. But, I can ask him to talk to you. That's a benefit of talking to people without encasing them in stone.

I'll even keep quiet about this, since he'll run to the other side of the world rather than let you capture him to."" Agreed. You will not tell him of this. But that answers other questions. The absurdness of people wanting to eat deadly mushrooms and your attitude toward their deaths. Tell me, Sage Milo, do all your strange companions walk back from death so quickly? Something that takes years or decades for even the strongest willed person is done in but a day? The stones whispered of this to me.

Rumors from the rocks around the city by the sea. I didn't believe them. Some of the surface strata are silly things, always talking nonsense. I wonder, if I kill you, will you be back in a day, Sage Milo? Perhaps I need to keep you alive and safe. Safer for me than killing you and having to deal with an angry Sage with an army at his beck and call." Milo did not like the way he said that.

"Please. I'm really not a threat to you, or your people. I think I know who you are. The clues are there. You mold stone, I've heard of people who can do that. And seen the ruins in this valley and in other caverns. Bork called your people Nimbulkin. I'm not your people's enemy. I can be a friend."" A friend? Number 13 said that when he came. He only wanted to live out his life, peacefully. He traded our aid in building his house for new foods.

He brought us ointments for the rock-rash that afflicted some of they young and suggested ways of breeding the wild snails for a better food supply. Are you a friend like Number Thirteen?" Milo screamed in frustration.

"I am not like Number Thirteen. He was a monster and I'm glad you killed him! I only saw a little of what he did, but it horrified me. He thinks all of my people are slaves and he bred us like animals and made some of us into monsters. The rest of Bloth is the same, they think all ratkin are slaves. Our people have that in common." The face nodded.

"Yes, he did do all of that. I regret leaving this valley to search for more of my people and bring them here. It was a safe place, and with better food our numbers increased. We explored and found the shiny metals in the nearby caverns, and he brought more gifts. And then Bloth came and made slaves of all my people. The Ur-Khemysts of Bloth are truly monsters. But that doesn't mean you are safe."

"I'm not going to hurt you!"" But you could. You certainly could. And you have reason to. You lust after the metals that my people could mine for you. The dwarves talk of the things they will build with them. Your people speak of seeking a huge treasure. The metals in those caves are difficult to mine. You know how my people were used before. My people abhor violence. It was hard for me to kill thirteen even after I found out what he had done.

Do you understand how much my people must have suffered for them to fight back and slay their captors?"

"We wouldn't do that! It's wrong! It would make us the slavers!"" Yes, yes it would. And that would be a terrible thing for all of us."" What will it take to make you understand I'm not a threat to you?"" You will always be a threat! And I will always be a threat to you and your people! We are dangerous, you and I. Very dangerous. There is little that can be done to change that. I don't have the luxury of taking time to see if you are a friend to my people, or a foe. My time in this cycle is nearly done.

I could ask you to leave, to seal these caverns and never return. How long would that last? The lust of the dwarves for rare metals is a legendary thing. Your Engineers want better machines, and your Scavengers want bigger guns. Bloth wanted the same things!"

"So, what will you do? What will it take to prove to you that we don't mean you any harm?"

"I... I do not know. I am sorry, Sage Milo. I abhor the thought of taking another life, or many lives. And there are so many of you, and any one of you could destroy what is left of my people. I hate the choices put upon me. Perhaps... perhaps there is a way, but.... I... NO! NO! NO!... I've been a fool, talking to you while you sent spies to find my people!" The stones encased Milo, leaving him just a simple air passage to breath through, and room became silent.