Even the hardest stone breaks easily under the right conditions.

~Manannan, God of the Sea & Weather

Several practitioners stood before Rosdoe, their Shields lighting up as they called on the forces within the earth. A trench formed before them, and a wall rose from the soil on the other side of it. The stone underneath moved upward and almost turned liquid as it fused together to form an ugly cobbled wall.

Crow watched nearby as he talked to Drock and thought the entire thing was unsightly, but it was impressive. It was the last part of the semi-circular wall that surrounded the western side of Rosdoe and fused to a mountain on the north and south side of the town. Standing roughly five meters tall and three meters thick, it was enough to hold out the mindless dead. But if any of them had a bit of intelligence, they’d be able to climb the thing since it had plenty of handholds.

This was the first time witnessing what cultivators could do if they collaborated. The small group that did most of the work came from a sect within the tower that called themselves the Stone Breakers. They were a stout race that lived underground, and their dark flesh was literally made of rock. It was a side effect of their cultivation. Among their people were highly skilled stone carvers because they’d occasionally need to resculpt their bodies to remove the excess rock. It was fascinating because it gave them all a unique look. Supposedly, they didn’t die like regular humans either but turned into living stone statues carved in a style that reminded him of Pictish art.

Crow felt they were a fascinating people and were one of the few sects that no one bothered. Primarily because they lived in environments with large amounts of stone, and their homes were a nightmare to raid and destroy. They were ignored since they were peaceful and stayed out of most worldly affairs. The only reason they even came out to help Rosdoe was the quests initiated by the Keystone to protect the city.

Crow aided them and spent time talking with a few.

“Softy, you going to stand around staring all day?” A gravel-like voice broke through Crow’s thoughts.

Crow laughed and turned toward the group of Stone Breakers that had just completed their task. The man that just spoke was thinner than the others because he recently went through a carving. He was about the same height as Crow but lacked body hair, and his skin looked like terracotta. The statuesque man was handsome, and since his eyes weren’t touched by his cultivation, they stood out in stark contrast to his stone-like body. The thing that really made them stand apart from each other was their markings. These weren’t part of the carving process but were related to their cultivation. It was done in the Pictish style, which was eerily similar to Celtic Knots but not quite the same.

“Rockbrain, you know why I’m better than you?” Crow walked over to the Stone Breaker and smiled.

“Because you have Otto?” Rockbrain guffawed, and the others laughed.

“Oh, well, make that two ways I’m better…”

“I’m listening.”

“I have them,” Crow pointed at his wives, helping people place planks on the top of the wall to create a safe surface to battle from. “Now, whose soft?”

Crow’s suggestive comment caused the other Stone Breakers to break out in laughter, and even Rockbrain chuckled. “Fine, I admit defeat, you freak.”

It was an ongoing joke between them because Rockbrain tried to woo Nin and was thrashed by her. While he was on the ground groaning and wondering what happened, Nin walked away and gave Crow a kiss on the lips while smirking at him. Since that day, Rockbrain hounded Crow good-naturedly, trying to learn how to find himself a girlfriend. If it wasn’t for the incoming horde of the dead, it would have been a harmonious time that was enjoyable by all.

“Hey, Rockbrain, I’m curious about your cultivation.”

“What do you want to know?”

“That cobbled look, I’m assuming that’s the minimal effort, right? Can your talents also smooth and polish the stone?”

“It can. But there is something you need to know about stone. It expands and contracts with hot and cold weather, which means it might shatter if it doesn’t have the room to do so. Cobbled stone is much more durable than most walls unless you can carve it out of a mountain or something. If we had time and mana, we’d have shaped the front more and polished the stone to help prevent people from scaling it. Watch.”

Rockbrain approached the wall near the gate, which was the last part they wanted to build. His Shield lit up as he placed his hands on the stone and started swiping at it. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the stone rippled, and pieces of it fell away, leaving behind a smooth surface. After a few minutes, a three-meter section of the wall no longer had that rough, ugly look but instead almost looked like a stone relief piece of art.

Crow rubbed his hand against it and found it slick and cool to the touch.

“Is this reinforced?”

“You really are sensitive to tiny details,” Rockbrain laughed. “Yes, I used some of the excess stone to condense the rocks and add to their mass. It is much more taxing on my Source, but this part of the wall will survive much longer than the rest.”

“Alright, we must go.” The Stone Breaker that spoke was the leader and Rockbrain’s father. Crow spoke to the man a few times and felt a kinship with him and his son. “If fate allows, we’ll meet again, Crow, Son of Maddox.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Come find us when you reach the eighteenth floor. I’ve already given you the token to locate us. We’ll accept you and your allies any time.”

Crow placed a fist on his Shield and bowed. The Stone Breakers left one by one until only Rock Brain was left. The stone man clapped Crow on the shoulder and smiled. “Do come and find us. Maybe my father will relent and allow me to ascend if he knows I’ll travel with you.”

“It’s a deal!” Crow nodded enthusiastically.

“Make sure that big oaf comes, too. I want a rematch, and this time I’ll kick his ass.”

Nearby, Otto laughed loudly and taunted the poor Stone Breaker. The two gave each other fake glares and laughed before Rockbrain turned and left.