I was forced to admit, that such layout was confusing. Apparently, the passages between the spacious caverns were unusually long and winding due to the natural origin of the caves. At least it did not feel cramped, and the walls showed the signs of extensive expansions.
Fifty or so meters in, we found something similar to a core area. The wide cavern actually had something like an underground garden in it, with only the silent murmur of water echoing between the irregularly shaped walls and ceiling. Under the light of the crystals, some plants were growing in long stone boxes, with narrow streams of water flowing between them.
I recognized some, such as chamomile, valerian and mint, also vaguely remembering something about their medicinal properties. Unfortunately, most of the plant boxes were full of weeds and dead, dry remains, with only few tenacious species remaining from the suspected original variety.
In the middle, surrounded by carved water channels, there was also a wide hole, vertically connecting the floor and the ceiling. I felt extremely hot air rising through there, so thick carved stone grates surrounding it had an obvious function of keeping the people away.
Looking around, I had to admit that at least the place got water and heating. I briefly entertained an idea about setting up a turbine generator. Then I imagined all the pain involved in taking measurements, transporting and setting everything up. What did Nautilus in Jules Verne’s books use to produce electricity? Temperature difference, was it? I set the idea aside for future use.
—
Even Matthew had now a perpetually amazed face, as he kept mumbling about ‘geomantic druidry’, ‘primal fusion cults’ and other stuff. He had to pull up the collar of his sweater to cover his face, but he still sneezed each time he stirred up more dust by bumping into something.
We found a path that led down, apparently towards a lower level. We passed by some small empty rooms that resembled monastic cells, large halls suitable for full-blown banquets and various irregularly-shaped odd spaces that had no clear purpose. One of my worries – sanitation, was resolved when I found that this place had plumbing. Lots of antique copper and brass, similar to Akadem, and in perfect condition. And flush toilets. Either Akadem paid some attention and kept renovating the Whinstone Manor or it had a comfort-appreciating owner not too long ago.
At the end of one of the wider and important-looking (meaning that the floor was evened out) passages we finally found a familiar-looking geoport platform.
It had a section removed, effectively deactivating it. The missing piece was found nearby and easily put back into place. I suggested Matthew to use it and return to Akadem to finally have some rest, but he refused.
He insisted on continuing with such an exciting exploration, and I inferred from his words that he was using some kind of spell to reduce fatigue. I doubted that magical stimulation was good for health, but he was an adult person and could make his own decisions.
—
It appeared so that most of the rooms were there simply due to the original cavities in the rock. I speculated, that the caverns were created by the bubbles of gas in magma back when the place was still an active volcano, millions of years ago. Or alternatively, due to the differences in cooling speed between molten rocks or something like that. In my opinion, that would explain the chaotic placement of the rooms fairly well.
One after another, came the storage spaces, cold rooms and either workshops or training spaces. Some even had some old equipment remaining, Unfortunately, I had no idea what was most of that stuff used for.
After making a somewhat wobbly downwards spiral, the seemingly endless chain of caves reached its destination. There was an almost spherical in shape, roughly tennis court sized cavern. It seemed to be rough and unprocessed, retaining its natural form. And then, there were the sources of heat and water we had seen before.
The water came from a deep crevice in one of the walls and disappeared into the floor after crossing the cave. The visible swirls in the flow suggested the presence of a branch of some unknown underground river. I had no idea how the water reached the levels above, but I saw some pipes that likely did the job. A short, but wide stone bridge was leading towards the middle of the space where stood the source of the heat.
There, the heat was radiating from a large, red-hot piece of white quartz. It was too opaque to be called rock crystal, but its even, milky colour and well-shaped geometry made it look precious. Most bizarre, it seemed to originate from the surrounding rock, a naturally formed part of the local geology.
These chunks of crystal look weird. – I thought, as I looked at the heat crystal before us and thought about the light coming from above – The surrounding stone seems to be very small grained by itself, where did such crystals come from?
I shook my head, feeling that having too much extra mental resources could be distracting. Considering my limited understanding of geology, everything I saw could as well be completely normal. It made no sense to focus on such details right now.
In any case, I had no idea what that floor was for. I vaguely understood that it was important, but it was secure so I had no need to worry about it. I truly hoped to reach the library of the Akadem soon. Too many unknowns were seriously hindering my ability to plan ahead.
—
There turned out to be only one level above the ground. It was obviously man-made, dug out starting from the main floor, and a lot of attention was put into its creation. There, the harmonious symmetry was in stark contrast with the haphazard natural chaos of the lowest floors. At the furthest end from the stairs, there were obviously main living quarters. And again, furnished in a very conservative, old British style. Not that I found it uncomfortable, I liked it, but it was dull. Especially when covered by a thick blanket of dull, grey dust.
I gently pinched an old drape that hung from the ceiling. With light, brittle cracks, it broke off from above and sagged down. From its base, it began to dramatically disintegrate into tiny specks and finally joined the the rest of the dust on the floor.
It was going to be a real pain to make the place presentable again.
Well, at least I had Matthew here. Within the last twenty-four hours he had experienced a battle, witnessed an extradimensional incursion and helped to free a bunch of captives. A promising youth, worth a try to keep him around.
Without having taken time off for rest, he now dug into old, dust-covered shelves in search for books. Finding some, he ignored the fact that his eyes were already red and wet from the irritation, and used his sleeves to gently wipe the covers to find the titles. All that was constantly accompanied by excited mumbling and loud sneezes.
At least I had no issues with dust. Instead, I focused on checking out the layout and planning the future changes.
—
In one of the rooms, there was a kitchen. And as a bonus, it also had a lid that opened to reveal a narrow, dark shaft leading down, with strong downwards draft inside. After making sure that it was no dumbwaiter or some important structure, I made an educated guess to call it a trash chute. With this discovery, I was able to casually begin to pick up larger pieces of dilapidated and broken trash and get rid of it.
Time passed quickly, but even with Matthew joining me, the progress was slow. Some carpets were of great quality and apparently, value. These were rolled up for future cleaning. But still, it remained that tens of curtains, rugs and cushions had to be discarded.
Around midnight, when I returned into a room we were clearing out, I found there Mattea. So, change happens around midnight and midday, then? – I noted the fact that might be important.
The books were left on the table, and now she staring at a piece of glass-and-copper apparatus on one of the tables. It looked like a very short, but wide telescope without a front lens.
After a short talk, she finally agreed to be sent back to Akadem. Before I used the Manor key to activate the geoport, she also gave me an envelope that her Matthew-part had forgotten about. According to her, it was from Arthur and was prepared through the special channels of the Akadem.
For an observer, the process of geoportation looked somewhat dull. I brought out the dagger-shaped key, and it slightly shook when Mattea used her astrolabe to lit up the platform. Then, her shape turned hazy and disappeared, without any additional effects.
Now alone, I checked the envelope. Inside, I found a stack of papers. I had totally forgotten about such things, but there was UK registration, Royal Bank of Scotland account details and the rest of minor, but important paperwork that would allow me to live in the city. There was even a paper slip with details specifying how to find the broker that supplied the locals with documents, currency and precious metals and gems exchange.
Everything was on the name of Victor Ward. But then again, I had never told them my surname. But really, Ward, heh. The meaning of such choice did not escape me.
—
When the morning came, I was finishing clearing out the upper, “living quarters” level of the Manor. I had manipulated my armor to cover me, saving my clothes from getting dirty. And I had used my weapon to roughly shovel away most of the dust that had covered the floor. Using snow shovel was a familiar experience, but doing that indoors and against the dust added a fair share of novelty.
I was in a chamber that seemed to be something between a study and a small-scale reception room when the low-pitched sound of ringing bell distracted me from studying a dusty rack of similarly dusty bottles. The lack of labels got me confused there – for all I knew, it had equal chances of being a collection of premium alcohol, a set of chemical liquids or even a lifetime stock of ink.
I soon reached the source of the ringing. That was a simple, but effective signal of incoming geoportation request. Feeling curious, I used the Manor key again to let the guest in.
Guests, as it turned out. In front was Arthur Wiseman, profusely apologizing for being unable to accompany me earlier. Behind him I saw Mattea and several people I did not know. Or rather, not people, as I saw no energy inside of them.
Arthur, who had managed to go on apologizing for several full sentences without repeating himself, finally mentioned those human-shaped things he had brought over.
“Sir, I’m most ashamed for the fact that I didn’t take into consideration the condition of this place.” – he said: “After hearing the details from… Miss Marsh, I immediately prepared a set of homunculi suitable for the maintenance task. Their inability for autonomous third strata decision-making aside, they are perfect for careful cleaning without moving or disturbing delicate objects.”
He looked at me, looking somewhat awkward. No wonder too, because I still had my body covered by something that looked like a catsuit. I let it morph back, revealing my proper clothes.
I nodded, expressing my acceptance. I suspected that homunculi or whatever were capable of spying and other tasks, but I did not care about that for now. Not to mention that cleaning everything on my own would look suspiciously beneath my status, I still had not solved the issue with electricity. And eyeball warts to anyone who tries to suggest cleaning this whole cave by hand.
After arranging the homunculi to work, Arthur offered to send me a set of new furnitures and drapery to replace the old ones. As I actually liked the style, I only told to replace the personal stuff in bedrooms and damaged textiles. Mattea looked a bit sleepy when following us around, but got her energy back and visibly cheered up when I threw her a blank notebook and suggested her to make an inventory of things. Obviously, most motivation came from the fact that I promised to let her take some of the things I do not need.
Arthur went back to the Akadem, Mattea zealously attacked the piles of dusty antiques and I decided to take a look at the city.
Circle of Shards 