Leaving the goblin village was easier than entering it. I simply shifted through the snow covering the entrance putting my feet right against the mountainside. Then, it was merely a matter of pushing off. I made sure to get a good look at the area but nothing hinted at the village’s entry. The tunnel was simply too small. The spot where I had landed was already covered with a small blanket of fresh snow. It would be gone in a few days. From down the valley, I saw no action either. I had not compromised the village.

I made sure to remember the spot but I was hoping I could get through the upper tunnel on my return. The dwarves should have a method that let me break the stone. Hopefully.

The flight back was uneventful. I simply got above the peaks and turned west. From there, it was a matter of two days until my shadow wings had brought me back to the Dwarven Hills. Borsdown was easily discernible from my height with the lake and the quarry. I arrived late afternoon and decided to visit my friends.

Vivi’s and Safrah’s house was now fully furnished and equipped with all the artefacts a household needed. A little away the beginnings of a wall could be seen. Another three houses were mostly finished in between. It looked like Borsdown’s Guardian Wall would encompass more than just Vivi’s home.

My friends greeted me with enthusiasm. I had not come by for over a month, after all. Vivi felt a little more powerful but still had not reached major enrichment. She should reach it soon enough. Maybe even before my first birthday.

Safrah was humming while making some tea for us. She told me about what happened since my last visit but it was mostly just gossip. The most interesting thing was her starting to improve her mana enrichment as well. She was using some vis crystals from Vivi’s old node the dwarves had collected.

They were properly holding back with thaumaturgy, not in the least because of a lack of resources. They were also somewhat alone by the lake. The winter had halted the building efforts and the dwarves were staying in town. Out here the plumbing was not done yet so the water artefacts like taps and showers did not work yet. Vivi could simply move some lake water for them to use so they did not have that problem.

The new road was at least maintained once a week and the worker’s brought them everything the pair needed. The house had turned out to be a very calming retreat and I could see in Safrah’s smile how much she liked the quiet.

The next morning I flew to town and paid Captain Dor a visit. He was surprised to see me but welcomed me nonetheless.

We sat in his office, a bowl of tea for me and a mug of ale for him.

“It’s quite something being able to fly, isn’t it?”, he mused.

“It’s fun. I can go many places without being stopped. The forest in the east, though…”

“What forest? Beyond the orks, or what?”

“Yes. There’s a huge forest. The Dwarven Hills are a little grove compared to it. When you reach the end of the mountains, there’s just trees as far as you can see. And on the horizon is a massive tree reaching up into the sky.”

“Hmm. That sounds like something I’d want to see one day. But what’s the problem with that forest?”

“I was trying to follow Stormbringer’s trail through it but after a little bit, I got attacked by some weird animals. They don’t seem to have much vis in them but are most likely some evolved species. That’s what I would guess, at least. When they broke the steel shell on my metal form and noticed the thaumium beneath, the whole forest went crazy. I had to get out of there as fast as I could.”

“They reacted to thaumium? Interesting… How many nodes did you see?”

“That’s the thing. There’s not a single one. I saw a bunch of crystals forming on Stormbringer’s trail but that happened everywhere. They were getting vis from there quicker than anywhere else though. All the other animals I observed were being cautious and waited for the ice vis to fully disperse.”

“So they were magical. You just didn’t see how. Maybe they got caves below with nodes in them. I can’t imagine a place without any nodes at all.”

“Me neither.”

“So, learn anything interesting about the dragon?”

“Sort of… I noticed how a ton of victus and ordo vis flowed out of the ground and pushed away the ice. It also revitalized the frozen plants beneath and later even the trees. I’ll have to see what the summer pass looks like in more detail before drawing a conclusion. My guess is there’s some huge node somewhere underground.”

“That is a good idea. But why would the vis only float up after he passes through? Wouldn’t it be always there?”

“That’s a great question I intend to look into once winter has passed. I’ll scan the trail again and look for some caves to dive deeper underground. Maybe I can find the source.”

The dwarf nodded.

“If you’re going underground, maybe visit the Gurrins in Diggerberg. They’ll show you how to navigate and what to look out for.”

“The miner clan, right?”

“Yes.”

“I was wondering… how would I go about clearing up a tunnel closed off by a terra node?”

“That’s… not really a thing. Unless you want to destroy the node. It’s gotta be a major one or it won’t have that kind of effect.”

“Or a bright one. I was thinking about the pavement stopping the quarry from growing too far.”

“Good idea, but that only works past a certain distance. If you’re looking to clear a tunnel, the easiest way would be to dig a new one.”

“So, back to the Gurrins, huh?”

“Or you find Jorgun. Maybe he can help you. What’s behind that tunnel that you need to get through?”

“A bunch of friends. There’s a second entrance but it leads right into an ork valley. Not really the best way to go about things.”

The dwarf put a hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes.

“Friends, huh?”

“Goblins.”

I met his stare.

The dwarf frowned.

“Not that I particularly care about who your friends are but… what are you planning?”

It was difficult to hold his gaze. I still did my best.

“I want to find them a better place to live. They are barely getting by. The only thing that place has is a decent node. The one I started my enrichment at. Tenebrae and aer.”

“And where are you planning to bring them?”

“That’s something I have yet to figure out. They’re good people. They don’t all speak proper Ordugh but there’s a strong sense of community.”

He sighed.

“Well. You do you. If you want to move them into the Dwarven Hills, you’ll need to convince at least three clan heads or councils.”

“That… sounds like a challenge…”

The dwarf let out a short laugh.

“Good. Then get to it!”

I shook my head.

“Not yet. First, I’m getting them through the winter. They need more food to be comfortable. I’m gonna buy some in town.”

“Do that. I’m looking forward to whatever your plan is, Fio! It’s not gonna be easy!”

We made some more small talk before I left the guardhouse and made my way into the town proper. Buying food turned out pretty simple, though I made a little trip to Vivi’s place to clear out my storage. That was mostly just my crucible and Thaumonomicon as well as some assorted materials. I kept a few bars of steel. If my shifted form got damaged but not enough to force me back, they could be used to repair my body.

I decided to check out the quarry next. Maybe the stones they used could help me out. Jorgun, the Head of Quarry, was overseeing the diggers as they cut into the stone. It looked like the winter was not going to stop the dwarves from mining. I dropped down next to him and greeted the dwarf with a hoot.

He was twirling his moustache with a finger. After a slightly uncomfortable half a minute or so, he spared me a glance.

“Morning, Fio. What brings you here?”

I took a moment to connect my mind to his. It was easy to just force a connection but I wanted to figure out how to make it less intrusive. Once I finally did it, I answered his question.

“I’m interested in the pavement stopping the stone from growing further. And in how to contain a terra node. I might have to dig through one that’s closed off a tunnel.”

“I see. Feel free to take a look. It’s artificer work. You can probably find the plans somewhere in the library.”

Or at Riggard’s, I thought.

I thanked him and made my way to the magical stones. They sat about five metres from where the diggers were working. They were fast, it had not even been two hours. I watched the pickaxes and chisels cut into the stone for a bit. There was some mana flowing here and there. I could not tell if the tools had magic in them or the dwarves were using Skills.

Back to the stones. They were set into the ground in a clean half-circle. The surrounding area was all a light grey, almost white stone. That was what grew from the node. The warding pavement was a solid dark grey instead. Every stone was about 15 by 25 centimetres on its top. I could not see how deep they reached into the ground. Brass wires were inlaid all around and my magical senses picked up stored vis at the side of the quarry. The energy was slowly flowing towards a few points along the line.

One of those points was rather close by. It was a small pillar holding one larger vis crystal. Several smaller ones could be fixed next to it to drain the energy. This was not just a quarry, it was also a sort of magical generator. I was curious what I could do with it, once I understood the construction in more detail.

Sadly, my superficial observations were unable to get any more detailed information. I would have to do some proper research. It was time to visit Master Riggard.