Progenitor-san’s spell to fill the tunnel involved creating a mass of soil soldiers and marching them inside.
I pictured it in my head.
The newly born soil soldiers would work their way to the front of the tunnel, sit down in their designated spots with their knees hugged to their chests, and then revert to simple dirt. One after another...
No. I couldn't do it. That was far too tragic.
"It's not like they're actually alive, you know..." Progenitor-san said, looking at the ten or so soldiers he had already manifested.
They looked plenty strong, but I’d already started empathizing with them. I stood my ground and argued the point with him.
Meanwhile, Urza was watching with rapt attention. She was fascinated by the soil soldiers—or rather, she was trying to imitate him and make her own. It wasn't working out, though.
"The method is sound, but the nature of my magic has changed," Progenitor-san said, pausing our discussion to look at her.
"Its nature?" I asked.
"If I were still the Lich King, I could do it that way. But since I’ve been brought back to life, the essence is different."
"So it’s impossible for her?"
"There's another way to make it. Since she likely wants to use that Soil Soldier Core she’s been carrying around... I’ll need your help, Village Head. If we can craft a vessel and then fuse the core into it..."
"So I just need to make the shape?"
"Exactly. But use the best materials you can find. And as for the size... I think keeping it small will increase the chances of success."
Understood.
Materials, materials...
We put the discussion about filling the tunnel on hold for the moment. I consulted with Urza as we picked out potential materials. Soil, wood, stone... I could probably weave something out of grass, but it seemed like it would be too fragile.
Hakuren walked over and offered some of her own scales. They were certainly high-quality, but Urza ignored them and insisted on soil.
Don't cry, Hakuren. I'll make it up to you later.
Soil, then. The earth around here was softer than the soil near the village, but it was still quite hard. Since Progenitor-san had specified high-quality material, I used the Universal Farming Tool to till the ground.
Once the soil reached the right consistency, I added water and shaped a mud doll. I thought it turned out rather well, but Urza wasn't impressed. She started imitating me, crafting her own little mud figure—a tiny, weak-looking thing about fifteen centimeters tall.
Urza's eyes were sparkling with pride, so I figured that was fine. I hadn't been much help, after all. Progenitor-san took over the rest, guiding her through the incantations.
She seemed to have far more talent for this than I ever would.
About ten minutes later, a little mud doll—no, a soil doll—was waddling around in front of Urza. She hugged it joyfully, but she was getting herself covered in mud.
"Wait, it’s breaking! You’re hugging it too hard!"
Time for a revision. We took the scales Hakuren had brought, crushed them into a fine powder, and mixed them into Urza’s soil doll. This significantly boosted its durability. Apparently, it wouldn't even dissolve in water now.
"It’s effectively as strong as a Dragon Soldier now..." Progenitor-san muttered. I decided to ignore that.
For context, Dragon Soldiers are warriors created by dragons from their own flesh and blood, and they're supposedly as strong as Grappler Bears. I suppose that made the doll a pretty good bodyguard for Urza.
When I told Urza the doll wouldn't break anymore thanks to Hakuren's scales, she went over and thanked Hakuren properly. Such a good girl. Hakuren kept her usual smile, but she started humming to herself, clearly delighted. If they keep this up, they’ll be fast friends... but I shouldn't rush things. We’ll take it slow.
"Let's put the tunnel project on hold for now and prioritize getting back to the village," I suggested.
Progenitor-san agreed. We had stayed in various places for quite a while, and winter was fast approaching. It was already getting quite chilly. I figured that once Rusty and the others returned with Makura, I’d have Progenitor-san teleport us all back.
"Perhaps we should collapse at least a section of the tunnel? We wouldn't want it to become a nest for monsters," Ann, the High Ogre Maid, suggested.
Taking her advice, we had Lu and Flora use their magic to blast a portion of the tunnel, causing a cave-in. It was perfectly calculated—well, a larger section collapsed than I expected, but it didn't bother anyone, so no harm done. The area with the pure white statue of the Creator God remained untouched.
Incidentally, the area around the statue had taken on a strangely divine air. It felt like a holy site.
Even though Rusty hadn't returned yet, we decided to head for the village. The temperature had plummeted, and Zabuton's children were starting to move sluggishly. We couldn't afford to linger.
We gave everyone a Heat Retention Stone from the hot spring and prepared to withdraw. We left the rafts, but I wanted the log canoes back, so Hakuren shifted into her dragon form and carried them from the river. I felt a bit guilty making a massive dragon do such menial chores, but Rusty had seemed to enjoy doing it when we were playing in the river.
We left the hot spring area as it was. I wondered if it would still be in one piece by the time we returned. It seemed unlikely, given the number of monsters and magic beasts in the area. Oh well, I could always fix it up next time.
After packing our things, Progenitor-san teleported us back to the village. We arrived in the courtyard of the mansion, right near the Great Tree. I thought it would take some time for the word of our return to spread, but I was mistaken. Zabuton’s children had broadcast the news instantly.
The villagers swarmed the mansion. For some reason, Draim was there, and he seemed the most relieved of all to see me. I wonder why?
In any case, with the winter preparations mostly finished, a banquet seemed imminent.
"Wait, wait! I have to go pick up Rusty and Makura first!"
I felt bad for Progenitor-san, but I made him stay with me a little longer. I left the home-front to the others and teleported to the Giant Race’s dungeon. I thought Progenitor-san and I would be enough, but Lu, Tia, Hakuren, Kuro, and Yuki all insisted on coming along.
"We're just picking them up and coming right back," I said.
Weren't they being a bit overprotective? But then again, you never know. Rusty hadn't come back yet, so something might have happened.
We arrived at the entrance to the dungeon, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
...Wait. I’d just assumed they’d be there to meet us, but the entrance was empty. It was getting cold, so they had probably retreated deeper inside.
"Guess we’re going in."
Having Lu and the others with me was a comfort. The cave was pitch black, so we used magic for light. I’d imagined a 'dungeon' would be more structured, but this was more like a series of natural fissures in the rock. There were side tunnels here and there that looked hand-dug, likely by the Giants or the Bloody Vipers.
None of us knew the layout, but Kuro and Yuki led the way without a moment's hesitation. I assumed they were following a scent.
After a while, Kuro and Yuki went on high alert. Shortly after, Lu and Tia tensed up as well. Hakuren and Progenitor-san remained perfectly calm. I, for my part, didn't sense a thing.
As we kept walking, I started to hear a noise. The sound of a struggle!
"Hakuren!"
"On it!"
To an outsider, I probably looked like a villain for sending a woman into a dangerous situation alone. I followed after her as quickly as I could.
We reached a wide cavern. There, I saw Rusty in her dragon form, Makura, and a group of Zabuton's children. Everyone was safe. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Then I saw what they were fighting.
Bugs. Massive, horrifying bugs. I couldn't tell their exact length, but they were large enough to trade blows with Rusty's dragon form. They had two huge mandibles on their heads and countless legs. Centipedes?
There were several of them. It looked like Rusty and the others were holding the line against a swarm emerging from the depths.
"Sister Hakuren! No fire!" Rusty shouted as Hakuren moved to join the fray.
"Why not?"
"The Giants are behind us!"
Ah, the 'no fire in a cave' rule. Hakuren accepted this and charged the centipedes in her human form, delivering heavy punches. The centipedes clearly hated it, but her blows didn't seem to be doing much actual damage through their shells. Makura and the spiders were trying to bind them with silk, but it only slowed them down for a few seconds.
"Everyone, close your eyes!" Progenitor-san roared, unleashing a spell.
It was sudden, and I was a split second late, but I managed it. Even with my eyes shut tight, the flash was blinding. When the light faded and I opened my eyes, the centipedes were writhing in agony.
Our chance!
But they were thrashing wildly. I couldn't get close enough to strike.
Just then, Rusty pinned one down with her massive dragon claws. Seeing her lead, Hakuren shifted into her dragon form and pinned another one down.
I stepped forward and tilled the centipedes with the Universal Farming Tool.
I learned something new today: a centipede keeps moving even after you've tilled part of it. They were incredibly tenacious. One of them, freed from Rusty's grip by the force of my tilling, lunged straight for me.
Lu and Tia were there in an instant. They hadn't let their guard down for a second, focusing entirely on my protection.
"Sorry! Thanks for the save!"
Now, begone, you centipede. Return to the earth.