“We should check up there first,” he said, nodding toward the ruins.
“We’ll need to navigate to the other side of the rise, anyway, so it’s more or less on our way.”
The climb to get there was none too pleasant. Keaton resisted drinking more water until he couldn’t stand it anymore, then he chugged so much it sputtered back out of his mouth. His lungs burned, feeling as if they were filled with tiny grains of sand. His legs were like jelly, but he forced himself up the mesa.
“Everyone take a look around. Be cautious, though. We don’t know if anyone’s still up here.”
Keaton drew his sword, walking beside Adriana who’d stuck close to him throughout the mission. He approached one set of structures and carefully peered inside. It was clear, though with little of value inside. A sack hung on the wall, devoid of everything but what might have once been onions, given the smell. They’d decomposed completely, just black filth staining the bottom of the bag, so Keaton left it be.
Earthenware bowls sat atop a splintered wooden table, though, and he exchanged a glance with Adriana.
“Probably best to start small, right?”
She nodded, so Keaton switched his sword to his left hand and reached out with the right. He felt that now-familiar hum of power as it coursed along his arm, spreading all the way to his fingertips. Closing his eyes, he focused on the item and forming some kind of connection with it, seeking to draw out the essence of what made it.
An understanding of “Earthenware Bowl” is now available to all workshops.
“That feels just like crushing the source crystals,” he mused.
“More involved matter will take more effort,” Adriana, “and some things you will not be able to break down until you have grown in power.”
That made sense. If dungeon lords were just able to suck the life out of anything — even inanimate objects — whole civilizations would crumble in minutes.
“You should be able to get the material these buildings are made out of, too,” Adriana said.
Keaton would blame his lack of thought on the sun, but the truth was he just hadn’t imagined being able to “break down” an entire building. That wasn’t what he was doing though, and so he moved to the wall and rested his palm flat against it, repeating the process.
Source of Anima: Terracotta.
An understanding of “Terracotta Wall” is now available to all workshops.
An understanding of “Terracotta Roof” is now available to all workshops.
An understanding of “Terracotta Table” is now available to all workshops.
An understanding of “Terracotta Chair” is now available to all workshops.
Adriana was right. It did require more effort, and Keaton felt a little more winded. But the number of items that brought into his mind was more than worth it.
With nothing else in that building, they moved on, finding much the same across several others. The fourth building they reached — full of lots more sacks that contained just very pungent dirt now — finally held something that caught his attention.
“Huh. What’s this?” He crouched in front of a round, earthenware container of sorts, two halves of it carved to fit, with a handle sealing them together.
“I am uncertain. Given the nature of the room, I assume it is some way to cook food,” Adriana mused.
“Couldn’t hurt to try and grab it,” he said, resting his palm against it.
The material was almost hot to the touch, and Keaton realized there was a window positioned perfectly to let the sun in, so it would beat down on the container throughout the day. There was no doubt in his mind this would heat things slowly, much like the ovens he’d seen in tavern kitchens. Unlike those, this one didn’t seem to require any fuel.
An understanding of “Earthen Oven” is now available to all crafting stations.
An understanding of “Stone Latch” is now available to all crafting stations.
An understanding of “Stone Rack” is now available to all crafting stations.
Acquired Rare Source of Anima: Mineral Rich Mud.
“Looks like we’ll be able to make ovens now,” Keaton said with a grin. “Should make food production a lot easier.”
They left the home and stepped out into the sun, the difference in temperature immediately felt. The others were already waiting, with Orbon smacking his lips and Cassia looking annoyed.
“Find anything?”
“Just something that crawled into one of those houses to die,” Cassia remarked, folding her arms over her chest. “That one took care of it.”
She jerked her chin toward the hobgoblin who was busy sucking his teeth. He didn’t seem bothered by the accusation at all, and in fact seemed happier than Keaton had seen him since they set off.
In which case, why not? So long as his putrid breath wasn’t an issue, he was just… cleaning up the environment.
“We got a couple things that will come in handy back home, but it seems like this place was raided a long time ago.”
“Then we should head into the dungeon proper,” Cassia said, “follow me.”
She led them back down the mesa — an easier trek than going up it, especially once they found some old ladders — and toward an opening that was carved in the rock. It was far from an inconspicuous thing. There were sconces on the outside walls which were fashioned almost like steps, marking the entrance as man-made. Two snake-head statues sat at the top of each side respectively, peering down at him from their perch.
Keaton half expected them to materialize into actual snakekin, so he drew his sword just in case. He started to step forward when Cassia grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.
“Wait,” she hissed. “You really don’t know anything, do you?”
“I have told you Lord Keaton is new to this,” Adriana snarled, in a more agitated tone than he’d ever heard before.
“And while he wouldn’t be the shortest-lived dungeon lord, he’ll come pretty close if he goes around triggering traps.”
She gestured down to the ground and Keaton squinted, not seeing it at first. But when the grains of sand scattered a bit with the wind, he finally saw it. A pressure plate. One on each side, in fact. Definitely meant to trigger those statues. For what purpose, he didn’t know.
I’d love to get my hands on one of those, but Cassia will probably kill me if I try to climb up there…
“Thanks for looking out for me. I’ll be more careful from here on out.”
As if to demonstrate, Keaton brought out his unlit torch and raised it to the sconce. The alcohol-soaked cloth wrapped around the top of the stick caught immediately, burning with a bright and violent blaze.
“I’ll go first,” Cassia said just the same, motioning to the warriors she’d brought with her.
Keaton wasn’t about to argue. So long as she didn’t immediately kill anyone they came across, he was fine with her taking the lead. She obviously knew something about this place, and she was the best equipped out of all of them.
As he followed behind, though, a message scrawled across his mind:
You are entering The Slithering Crypt. This dungeon is currently the territory or another dungeon lord. This dungeon lord may be hostile to you. Should they defeat you within their own dungeon, they will absorb your essence and that of any lieutenants or minions.