Having sorted the confusion that his plan had wrought among the vermite Adam sent two groups off to the forest, one to the quarry and another to the mine. He was amazed how quickly they had believed him when he told them there was no danger in the area after the fight the night before. When he questioned this with Ma she simply shrugged and said that he was Adam. He mulled this over as Transfer made another three vermite his followers. A small group of spear wielder; staff wielder and an archer which he sent out to the Orchard to hunt fox and collect fruit.

Living with the vermite as his only companions and without a guide to this new world had skewed his perspective. He did not see them as followers but as friends and family. That they would believe and trust his word so quickly, even Ma, reminded him of the true relationship between them. He looked at his list of Folllowers, there were twenty-seven now. With another three each day there was no way that he could continue to treat them all the same. Those at the top resonated with him, Sharky, Ma, Pa, Ti, Rai and more were all special to him. However, his family of vermite was now turning into a village and he thought of the newer followers in a different way. Ma was their leader, not him, she was the one who needed to know them. His obligations were greater, different. As odd as it sounded, he was their god. He needed to look after the group as a whole and beyond that he was supposed to gain more support across the entire world to gain power for another god above him in some weird pyramid scheme he did not yet fully understand. System had been clear that failing to acheive this would only lead to being destroyed by others attempting the same, there was no place for several to share the victory.

This revelation left Adam with a problem to solve. How did he truly pass the responsibility of leading the vermite on to Ma? He had already made her a Leader but there must be something more he could do, something he was missing. Adam was drawn from his thoughts by Cae and Ti who had been left in the courtyard with no task set for the night.

"What shall we do?" Asked Cae.

"Did you forget us from your plan?" Ti added.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." Adam replied. He took a moment, focusing back from his musing to what he had actually planned to do this evening.

"I need some help exploring the mountain." He said to the pair. "Fancy coming along?"

He framed it as a question even though he knew they would act as if it were an order. After mapping out the experience the vermite could potentially gain him from the areas he knew Adam had remembered the one zone he had not yet explored. At a similar level to the Upper Mine he felt the three of them could safely overcome any threat they encountered. His new quests in place for the vermite would bring resources from the forest, mine and quarry back to the camp while he learnt what was further afield.

Adam carefully watched both his stamina and the time as he ran to the base of the mountain with the vermite. It had taken less than two hours from when they woke to leave camp but that was still two hours less for him to explore before midnight came and he would be forced to return. The sun was setting as they reached the base of the mountain path that led up to the sloped area and plateau that he had seen once before. Adam's new sense of awareness of the magic around him since the fight with Person meant he could tell more tangibly the difference as he passed into the higher level zone. The background density of mana in the area had increased slightly like an increase in pressure that he had noticed before but could now actually explain.

There was no change in pace as they crossed into the zone. Wordlessly Ti faded from Adam's vision as she used Stealth. She forged ahead up the path as Cae moved ahead as well, leaving Adam to bring up the rear of the small group. The feeling he was being watched that Adam remembered from before returned as he stepped out onto the first plateau of the area. At least now he could say that the fear this once held for him was not there, more a curiousity in what he might find next. Ti was completing a circuit of the inner edge of the area and pointed up the path leading higher indicating there was nothing to be found yet. Rather than follow Adam took a moment standing in the middle of the area to look up the sheer face the path was switching back and forth. He swore he saw at least one pair of eyes glinting back at him, ducking behind the rocks above before he could be sure.

They continued up passing a cave that held nothing of interest to reach another flat area with a larger cave that Adam was sure would be more exciting given the charred remains of a fire surrounded by a ring of stones. Half eaten bones of some unfortunate creature completing the picture. Adam gestured for Ti to lead the way as he held Cae back with his arm. They waited for a tense minute until Ti returned with a frantic look in her eyes.

"Come. Quick. Need help." She said, turning almost instantly and disappearing back into the darkness.

Cae and Adam acted on instinct and rushed after her. The first thing they noticed was the fetid warm air inside the cave quickly followed by a glow of light coming lighting a turn in the passageway that led deeper. Trusting that Ti knew what she was doing Cae didn't pause as he raced along round the corner to reveal a large room with a pit in the centre. The area held bunks and ledges crudely cut from the surrounding rock. Piles of furs and bones lit with oily torches burning at intervals making the whole space feel enclosed. Surrounding the pit was a group of squat wide humanoid creatures varying between four and five feet in height. Their arms were long enough to reach the floor making their upper body seem out of proportion with the lower half. Tufts of hair and ripped patchwork furs covered their bodies, some steaming in the heat as they jeered and jostled while watching something in front of them.

Before Adam could even use Discern to work out what they were facing Ti had lauched herself over the group to land in the pit at the same time as a high pitched squeal enimated from something within. Not wanting to leave her unprotected and alone Cae barrelled his way through the nearest of the creatures forcing one to turn and giving Adam the first look at their faces. The squashed porcine appearance, bulbous nose and small tusks rising from the bottom lip gave Adam his answer just as Discern confirmed it. Troll - level 4. Rather than dwell on the finding Adam thrust his spear into its eye as he drove his shoulder into another and followed Cae into the pit.

It seemed the trolls were in shock at the intruders to their evening entertainment meaning they had done nothing to respond as Ti appeared in the pit and stab the last of the two wolves that was fighting to the death with a smaller creature that she was now stood over defending. Adam saw that it was a vermite that Ti had rushed ahead to try and save. The unfortunate creature had a huge wound to its leg as well as a gash across its face. It had been armed with a poor imitation of Adam's spear that looked more like a sharpened stick. Despite this it had managed to finish one of the two wolves attacking it before Ti was able to return and help. It looked up piteously as Adam saw something else move behind it. Any thought about how foolish what they were doing left him as he saw a pair of vermite pups chained to the pit wall behind the vermite bleeding to death from the wounds the wolf had inflicted.

The collective shock of the trolls broke at the same time as Adam's anger boiled over. Cae and Ti were both stood protectively over the vermite but the ring like nature of the pit meant there were still trolls stood behind them. These were the first to face Adam's wrath as he threw a fire lance into two faces and his spear into a third. A stomp and lift of his foot activated his earth mana and brought a protective wall up to block off this avenue of attack now those trolls were removed. With the coordination developed through fighting together in the mines Cae moved to defend the left as Adam headed to the opposite side to retrieve his spear before turning and joining the small group so they were fighting as one.

Rather than rush as a group the larger trolls pushed their smaller brethren down into the pit towards Adam and Cae first. At four feet they were not much bigger than the vermite and his staff matched the greater reach their long arms normally would have given. In comparison Adam was able to fend them off with relative ease allowing Ti to help Cae, darting in with her dagger to wound any that tried to grab at Cae's staff. It was only when it became evident that the smaller trolls were failing to take them down that the larger trolls joined the fray. Now their numbers hampered any effective attack but meant that the bodies in front were being used as a shield for the larger ones behind.

Realising they were about to be overwhelmed Adam roared in frustration as he swept his spear out in front of him to try and clear the trolls away. The moment's respite this gave him enough space to bring back his spear and thrust it forward twice in quick succession activating Split both times. Four trolls fell to his attack giving him the space and time he needed to form a cone of fire mana out in front of him, blasting the remaining trolls away. As the fallen trolls continued to burn and smoke from his attacks Adam realised the rancid smell and oily sheen to their skin was in part due to a layer of fat some had applied. This odd behaviour presumably in an attempt to keep warm in the cooler region of the mountain was what saved them. The remaining smaller trolls shied back from the blazing fires and the larger ones avoided Adam glancing at his hand in fear.

Rather than an attempt at finishing those that remained Adam used metal mana to snap the chain holding the pups and let Ti pick them up as he and Cae helped them all out of the pit. Then, keeping their backs to the wall of the cave they shuffled round to the entrance. One more cone of fire sent down the passageway as they left stopped any immediate attempt to follow them as they rushed out of the cave into the night air. Two thoughts crossed Adam's mind at the same time. Where had the vermite come from and what were they going to do with them now?