Symbiotic: Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The magma lake roiling like a living sea of fire. The air shimmered with heat, waves of molten stone rising and falling in slow, heavy rhythm at the edges. She knew instinctively of course the strongest energy would be at the bottom, where fire and stone converged and condensed in their purest form.

But before she could even think of diving, she had to know if her Greatworm Egg could endure the touch of magma itself.

Her senses locked onto the hatchling’s spark, the delicate thread of their bond thrumming between the spark and her chest. Every flicker of energy, every pulse of vitality, she monitored with absolute focus. The Egg had already absorbed the aura and growth essence of two Volcanic Elementals. It was stronger now, resting comfortably in the oppressive hear of the cavern air, but magma was another trial entirely.

She stepped closer, boots crunching against stone that melted and cooled in constant motion. From her studies she knew the temperature here was no less than 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, perhaps 1500. Hot enough to liquefy obsidian that then cooled again once revealed to air. Sweat prickled across her skin, uncomfortable but not dangerous, her armor and Fire Energy Conversion shielding her from harm.

The Egg, however, seemed utterly unfazed. Its crystalline shell pulsed faintly, as though basking in the heat. Sara’s lips curved into a cautious smile.

“Alright, little one,” she murmured, voice low and steady. “Slow and careful. Let’s see how you handle this.”

She lowered the Egg with utter care and concentration, holding it just inches above the magma’s surface. The molten air licked at its shell, but her senses found no distress, no weakening spark. If anything, the hatchling seemed… comfortable.

Sara’s heart thudded as she dipped the Egg until it just barely touched the magma. She pulled it back immediately, eyes scanning for cracks, burns, any sign of damage. The shell glowed red from the heat, but remained intact. Unharmed. The hatchling’s spark pulsed strong, steady, untroubled.

Her breath caught. Relief washed through her.

“Good. Very good.”

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She tried again, lowering the Egg further into the magma for a heartbeat longer before pulling it free. The shell glowed brighter, veins of fire energy threading across its surface. Still no harm to the armored surface. Still no fear from within.

Sara winced, nerves tight, but forced herself to trust the bond. Trust what she could feel. She let the Egg dip deeper, submerging for several seconds before lifting it back out.

The hatchling’s spark flared with delight. The Egg thrummed in her hands, resonating with the molten energy. Rather than the molten heat harming it, the egg was feeding off of it.

Sara laughed softly, shaking her head. “You really are a little stony furball, aren’t you? Eating fire like it’s candy.”

The test was complete. The Egg had passed with flying colors.

Sara’s worry eased into excitement. If the hatchling could thrive here, then perhaps the bottom of the magma lake, the very heart of the volcano, was the perfect cradle for its birth.

“But only if I can survive as well.”, Sara muttered to herself. “Ok. Time for the most terrifying bath of my life!”

She tightened her grip on the Egg, eyes fixed on the molten depths. The next trial awaited.

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Sara reigned in her Sporesight, drawing its reach down to 50 feet. The tighter radius meant sharper focus, every flicker of movement magnified, every pulse of energy clearer as she strained her senses to pierce the molten magma surface. She infused the Sporesight again with Fire Energy Conversion, weaving the volatile heat into her perception. The world around her shimmered, magma currents glowing brighter, Elemental traces outlined in molten red. Until suddenly, with a popping feeling in her mind, she broke through whatever protections were blocking the magma from view and was able to gaze into the magma, glad to see nothing staring back at her.

For caution’s sake, she turned her attention towards her protection. Her armor, the Masterwork Mycorrhizal Platemail, had always been more than plate and fungus. It was a living network, responsive to her will. She pressed Fire Energy Conversion into its threads, testing. Hoping for more resistance to the deadly heat that awaited her next steps.

The silver web of mycorrhizal filaments woven through the dark green fungal plates pulsed, then flared. Orange red light coursed across her Platemail, veins of fire energy igniting along the armor’s seams as Mycorrhizal sliver webs turned to red. Sara grinned, teeth flashing in the volcanic glow.

Her network had heard her need, as it so often did, and answered the call.

[Network Ability Acquired: Fire Shield]

Cost: 500 microbes.

Effect: Converts Fire Energy into a protective aura, reducing incoming Fire Damage by 30%. Melee attackers suffer reflected fire damage on contact

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The armor shifted, the Fire Conversion solidifying into a Fire Shield. Heat rippled outward, forming a protective aura. She felt the numbers in her mind. An added 30% fire resistance, layered atop her already formidable defenses. More than that, the shield radiated outward, a dangerous halo. Anything foolish enough to strike her in melee would risk searing backlash, fire damage reflected from the shield’s burning edge. It might not make a difference here, where anything she was likely to meet would laugh off any attempt to kill it with fire. But in the Contested Lands, such an offensive defense could only be a boon.

Sara flexed her grip on the Egg, the hatchling’s spark pulsing steady within.

“Ok, Sara.”, she muttered as she started to dip a toe towards the bubbling magma surface. “What’s a little 2000 degree temperature between friends?” Taking a deep, not nearly as calming as she would like, breath, Sara sent a little piggie to the roiling magma market.

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She took a breath, then dipped her foot into the magma.

Instantly, heat surged up her leg. Her toes burned, and for a heartbeat panic seized her chest. She was certain she had just boiled her own foot off. She yanked it back, heart hammering, bracing for the sight of ruined flesh.

But as the seconds passed, she realized the truth. The pain was sharp, yes, but nothing more than surface burn. It was less like a boiled ham and more like a full weekend sunburn, a deep sting rather than destruction. Her defenses and Fire resistances had done their work. While she was not as comfortable with the oppressive heat as her Hatchling swaddled in its crystalline shell, but she was capable of braving the magma.

Sara exhaled shakily, a grin tugging at her lips despite the sweat.

“Let’s just keep our eyes and mouth closed, shall we?” she muttered to the Egg, voice low and steady.

She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, and the magma swallowed her shin, then her thigh, then her waist. The molten lake clung to her, heavy and painful, but her shields flared, dispersing the worst of the heat.

Her foot found the edge of solid stone beneath her, and then stepped past it. She panicked as the ground vanished, flailing as her body beginning to sink into the deeper magma. The pressure pressed against her armor, thick and unyielding, threatening to drag her down.

Her deep sunburn pain skyrocketed, but she forced herself to calm. She ran the calculations in her head again, defenses in the 200s and 300s, Fire Energy Conversion active, Fire Shield burning strong. Doable. Manageable. Survivable. And worth it if successful!

She closed her eyes, settling into a bumpy Meditation, focusing her senses on the Egg even as Sporesight tracked the magma for movement. The hatchling’s spark pulsed eagerly, resonating with the molten energy around them. It was thriving, feasting, a perfect merging of Stone and Fire.

Sara let that bond anchor her. She sank deeper, the magma pressing harder against her body, uncomfortable but not unbearable. Her shields hissed and flared, her armor glowing like a forge.

Slow but inevitable, she descended toward the bottom of the magma lake. Toward the place where the ambient energy was strongest, and where her hatchling’s true birth might be waiting.

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Sara’s Sporesight pulsed, narrowed to fifty feet, and caught something beneath her. At first it was only a faint outline, a shape that seemed to ignore the crushing heat of the magma. Something waiting below. But as she sank closer, the truth struck her like a hammer blow.

A Control Crystal.

Her breath caught. The volcano itself, the magma pool cavern, the lava tunnels, the core chamber, was a Territory.

She blinked, stunned, then laughed softly into the molten haze. “Of course it is. Of course you’d be hiding down here. Who’s going to look at the bottom of a lake of Magma?”

With the Volcanic Elementals gone, the crystal was unguarded, unowned, uncontested. Sara kicked awkwardly, performing what had to be the worst magma dogpaddle in the history of Volcano swimming, inching herself closer through the dense molten currents. The Egg pulsed against her chest, spark steady, happily guzzling magma energy. She checked it twice, three times, ensuring the hatchling was thriving, and the egg was undamaged.

Then she reached out, hand trembling, and pressed her palm to the Control Shard.

The System flared.

[System Notification: Territory Control Crystal: Volcano Core]

Assume Ownership of Territory, Volcano Ridge” Y/N

“Yes”, Sara agreed immediately.

[System Notification]

Territory Acquired: Volcano Core

Control Shard: Volcano Territory

Status: Owned (Viscount Sara Bloom) | Uncontested

Options:

o Territory Bond: Link Volcano Core to Haven Valley, improving defensive and resource networks. +20%

o Energy Channeling: Redirect ambient Fire/Stone energy to Haven Valley for crafting, forging, and defensive wards. +20%

o Summon Defenders: Volcanic Elementals may be summoned and bound as guardians.

o Expansion Node: Unlocks subterranean tunnels for Haven Valley expansion, geothermal energy, and magma forged materials.

Benefits to Haven Valley & Village:

o Resource Flow: Provides continuous Fire/Stone energy for forging weapons, armor, and enchanted items.

o Defensive Wards: Volcano Core energy can be woven into Active Valley defense, granting fire resistance and deterrence against invaders. +25%

o Infrastructure Boost: Geothermal energy enables advanced crafting, heating, and sustainable power for the valley.

o Territory Network Synergy: Please link to existing Territoryvia primary Territory Control Shard for increased defenses, stability, resilience, and expansion potential.

System Description: Volcano Control Crystal: A crystalline anchor buried deep in the magma core, the Volcano Control Crystal grants dominion over the volcanic Territory. Ownership allows channeling of ambient fire and stone energies, binding of elemental guardians, and expansion of subterranean infrastructure. When linked to Haven Valley, it strengthens the Valley defenses, resource production, and energy network, ensuring prosperity and protection against external threats.

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Sara placed both hands on the Volcano Control Shard, letting her Soul threads sink into its crystalline lattice. The shard pulsed in response, opening her senses to the Territory she now commanded.

The magma lake, the tunnels, the chambers… All of it unfolded in her mind’s eye. She could feel the flows of molten stone, the pressure of volcanic vents, and the faint sparks of life moving through the fiery labyrinths and stone tunnels.

The System whispered details:

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[Territory Lifeform Scan: Volcano Core]

Status: Owned (Viscount Sara Bloom) | Uncontested

Inhabitants Detected:

• Magmites

o Small, stone shelled magma crawlers.

o Cluster in packs along tunnel walls, feeding on molten minerals.

o Threat: Low (harassing swarms).

• Lava Piranha (new)

o Fiery fish like predators inhabiting magma pools.

o Razor edged crystal fins; attack in schools.

o Threat: Moderate (dangerous in numbers).

• Ember Serpents (new)

o Long, snake like creatures formed of molten slag.

o Coil through lava tunnels, striking with bursts of flame.

o Threat: High (ambush predators).

• Ashwing Bats (new)

o Winged scavengers nesting in volcanic vents.

o Emit clouds of choking ash when disturbed.

o Threat: Low to Moderate (hazardous in enclosed spaces).

• Molten Corelings (new)

o Juvenile elemental fragments spawned from the volcano’s ambient energy.

o Semi formed beings of fire and stone, unstable but aggressive.

o Threat: Variable (weak alone, dangerous in groups).

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Sara’s eyes widened as the information streamed through her bond. The volcano was alive with creatures. Some mere nuisances, some predators, some potential guardians if she could raise and tame them.

She exhaled, whistling, mind charting paths to travel to avoid, or to encounter, the Volcano inhabitants.

“This place isn’t empty. It’s a nest. A feeding spot and playground.”

Sara’s hand lingered on the crystal, her grin fierce despite the molten pressure pressing in around her.

“A Third Territory, and all here within the Valley and able to be linked. I’ll need to link it as soon as I return to the Village.” she whispered. “The valley’s going to burn brighter than ever.”

The Egg pulsed warmly against her chest, as if in agreement.

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