God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 1153: Reach for the Stars (2).

Cain reached out mentally to Pudding, asking for guidance. The {Amethyst Silkworm} responded with mental images of a particular rock formation, maybe five hundred feet above their current position. One with potentially high concentrations of rich ore veins.

Despite having been only on the ground, Pudding seemed to have an incredible understanding of the layout of the entire area of the Graveyard of Stars they had fallen into.

And it was for good reason. The {Amethyst Silkworm} was a beast with strong earth elemental affinity.

Its ability to sense through the ground was unparalleled, even when the pieces of the ground it was sensing were not necessary connected to the ground anymore.

It took a while for Cain to decode what was being transmitted, but he finally got a hang of it eventually.

"There," Cain said, pointing. "That cluster to the north."

Lyos adjusted course, navigating between two larger rocks. The gap was narrow, maybe fifty feet, and the energy currents between them created a tunnel of roiling Chaos Ether.

"Through the middle, nice and easy..." Cain said gently into the ears of the beast. Lyos cooed as he eased into a soft glide, barely swimming through the dangerous vortex.

They continued the glide for some time.

Then Cain’s eyes widened,

"Now!"

Lyos didn’t hesitate. The serpent tucked his wings and accelerated, shooting into the gap like a silver arrow. The energy tunnel closed around them, purple lightning arcing from rock to rock just inches from Lyos’s scales.

Cain channeled wind-attribute mana, creating a thin barrier around them. Not enough to fully block the Chaos Ether as that would take more energy than he could spare. But it was enough to deflect the worst of the drag. As for the Chaos Ether, he erected multiple others alongside the shield of the {Arbitrator’s Stamp}.

Eventually, they emerged on the other side with Lyos’s scales smoking slightly but otherwise unharmed.

The target rock was dead ahead— a massive formation roughly two hundred feet across, floating in a relatively stable orbit. Its surface was pockmarked with holes and cracks, and through those openings, Cain could see the telltale glow of ore deposits.

"That’s it," he said. "Find us a landing spot."

Lyos circled the formation once, twice, analyzing the terrain. Finally, the serpent identified a relatively flat area near the rock’s center and descended carefully.

They touched down with barely a bump. The surface was solid beneath them, though Cain could feel a faint vibration running through the stone.

"Steve, stay with Lyos. I’m bringing out Pudding."

Cain didn’t wait for a response. He reached into the Beastmaster’s Subspace and pulled, and reality rippled as the Amethyst Silkworm materialized.

Pudding was... well, calling it a worm was technically accurate but didn’t really capture the full horror of its appearance. After having a lot to eat recently, the creature was now easily a hundred feet long, its body a mass of pinkish-purple segments that glistened wetly in the strange light. Dozens of smaller tendrils writhed along its length as well as deep, purple gems studded into its flesh, each one glowing with arcane might and energy.

Its front end split into a circular maw lined with crystalline teeth effective for chewing up dirt and rocks to harvest the useful materials.

It was Eldritch and it was disturbing.

But... it was also kind of adorable in its own way, especially when it nuzzled against Cain affectionately.

"Hey, Pudding. Ready to work?"

The Silkworm squirmed happily and immediately dove into the rock surface, its body phasing through stone like it was water with a rumble.

Steve clicked his tongue,

"Your habit of collecting terrifying things never ceases to amaze me."

Cain shrugged, "What are you talking about? Pudding is cute."

They waited while Pudding did its thing. Cain kept his senses extended, monitoring the surrounding area for threats. The floating rocks continued their orbits, and in the distance, he could see more Chaos Ether streams creating violent currents between floating rock formations.

A sound caught his attention—a deep groaning that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Cain looked up just in time to see a chunk of rock, maybe the size of a car, detach from a nearby formation and begin its long fall toward the ground.

Pudding emerged minutes later and spat out massive chunks of ore.

"Beautiful," Cain breathed, the light of the glowing orb dampened by the shining greed in his eyes as he stored them in his inventory.

Pudding squirmed again.

"There’s more there?" Cain asked suddenly with raised brows.

Steve raised a brow,

"What are you talking about?"

Cain shook his head, the look in his eyes incredulous,

"Looks like we might have hit the jackpot this time."

He was silent for a moment. Then he grinned,

"Alright. Let’s keep going."

Steve seemed confused but decided to go along,

"All I ask in return for my companionship, is a few samples..." He muttered softly, but Cain was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to hear.

They remounted Lyos, and the Silver Serpent took off again, after Pudding returned to the {Beastmaster’s Subspace}.

The second rock was a bit harder to reach. It floated in the center of a particularly violent energy vortex, streams of Chaos Ether spiraling around it in a dizzying pattern. Lyos had to time his approach perfectly, threading between the currents during the brief moments when they aligned favorably.

Eventually, they made it, albeit just barely, and repeated the process. Pudding emerged, gathered ore, and pointed them toward the next location.

Then the next.

And the next.

Hours blurred together in a cycle of flight, landing, harvesting, and flight again. Cain lost count of how many of the floating rock formations they visited. His inventory and then all his spatial items began to become filled with materials.

It was more than enough material to forge thousands of {Stellar Razor} blades if he please, and countless more important items.

By the time they reached what Cain decided would be their last stop, the exhaustion was setting in. Even with his enhanced magical capabilities, the constant mana expenditure for shielding and navigation was taking its toll.

This final formation was the largest they’d attempted, easily half a mile across, a floating island rather than just a rock. And according to he understood, it potentially contained the richest deposits they’d seen yet.

"One more," Cain muttered. "Then we head back."

They landed on the island’s surface, and Cain released Pudding once more. The {Amethyst Silkworm} seemed even more excited than usual, immediately diving into the depths of the ground.

Cain settled down to wait, trying to ignore how much his head had begun to ache. The magical enhancement was all well and good, but his physical form was still pathetically weak. Simple things like maintaining his grip on Lyos during flight left his muscles and his brain screaming.

"Cain," Steve said suddenly, his voice odd. "Do you hear that?"

Cain focused, extending his senses.

There was something... a deep rumbling, coming from beneath them.

Was that... cracking?!

Cain’s face went pale instantly.

"What is that?" Steven muttered.

Suddenly, Pudding burst from the ground. Cain immediately senses its panicked mental state.

It could sense it far more intimately than he could.

There was danger afoot!

They needed to leave. Now!

Then Cain felt it...

A shift in the island’s orientation. The slow rotation that had been constant suddenly accelerated. It was a swift, jarring change that nearly knocked him off his feet.

The rock had begun to tumble.

And above them, another formation, one they’d passed on their way here, began to drift closer. Its orbit had decayed, drawn by the same gravitational anomalies that held all these rocks aloft.

"Oh fuck," Cain said quietly.

The two formations were going to collide. And they were standing on one of them.