The Course Design
The few weeks went by very quickly. We became a lot more relaxed during our journey, and even enjoyed ourselves a bit. We didn't encounter any Scramblers, or got any issues from the Black Sludge near Sedon. Once the walls of the city greeted us, our journey came to an end. "You will take care of selling all those things, right?", Dawn asked Tara. "Of course, leave everything with me. I'll give you your share once everything is sold", she replied.
Dawn bid farewell to us, then left to do her job. Tara had to visit master Ama, therefore we went together. After dealing with their usual business, Tara left to sell our items. "I heard your old man returned already. I'd like to see him as well, though we are quite busy right now. Anyway, how can I help you today?", master Ama asked.
"I'm here to make a sort of course, but not the usual type. This would serve more like an attraction, and a bit of fun. My plan is to use Formations to create slides, tunnels and obstacles that people can fly past, without moving a single muscle. To achieve that, I'll need some space", I explained.
"Heh, that's not a bad idea. Actually, a very good idea. Though space is not an issue, are you planning to make that on your own?", she asked. "... Well, yes? The Formations aren't that complicated, and the course will take me about a week or so to make. When it comes to space, I actually gave it some thoughts. The stage just outside Sedon is quite bare. Creating such an attraction next to the stage, wouldn't be a bad idea", I added.
"Haha, it's not so bare anymore, you know?", master Ama replied. "Hmm? It's not? From what I remember, there wasn't much going for it", I asked, confused. "That's because we were busy with that new Formation. Our work has been completed, therefore we could focus on the projects. The stage became the priority, and it's no longer in the state that you remember. Follow me, I'll show you. We can also decide where your project can be positioned", she explained.
We left Sedon heading straight towards the stage, but what I saw stunned me to the core. 'She didn't lie at all, they are really working on it'. "We are starting from the stone walls. The whole stage will be encompassed by them. That will serve as defensive measures, hub for business and means of moving about. After the walls are completed, we will construct an open roof. A sort of roof with a hole in the middle. Last but not least, we will take care of the interior, of course including the stage itself", she explained.
"You were right, this place is no longer that bare. Moreover, you're making it look like some sort of castle or palace. Though I have one question. Why do you need the walls to be so thick? Surely you'd finish faster if they weren't", I asked a bit confused.
"I learned my lesson in the past, this is just for safety. I prefer to design my walls thick, than later pay a much bigger price. That is not all. The walls of Sedon's Grand Stage will be fortified with Formations. You'd think that's for the protection purposes, but actually it's the complete opposite. This place will be able to defend itself, something Sedon can't do at the moment. Of course, we have plans to add Formations to Sedon's walls too… That was your father's idea to be honest", she replied.
"Heh, no wonder people treat him like a legend. Anyway, doesn't that mean my project would simply obstruct you right now?", I asked. "Not necessarily. Your idea is actually very good. We want to make Sedon's Grand Stage the most prestigious place in the North. This requires some uniqueness", she said. That made sense to me, since the more prestigious and unique a place was, the larger amounts of people would be drawn to it.
"Take the Arena in the Land of Sands as an example. Currently, the biggest and most prestigious stage in the North, right? Though everyone would agree, there's not much going for it. Our stage will be bigger, more prestigious and accommodating to the performers. That's why we decided to build such a grand building, instead of something mediocre. Performances are really popular, and therefore we can make loads of profits on that", she continued. 'Oh, so it was about profits. Well, the city has to make money somehow', I thought.
"We can designate an area for your project, next to the stage. This will not obstruct us in any way, but I have a proposal. Why don't you make it much bigger than your initial plans. Something thrilling and very unique at the same time. This could be a good selling point for our Grand Stage when it opens", she proposed. "... I mean, there shouldn't be any issues to make it bigger. The problem is time. This will take me months to say the least, and it's not something I'm prepared to do. I have to take care of my training as well", I replied.
"By no means we would ask you to do that alone. A team of Formation experts will join you, and help you achieve it. With a few more people, you can manage your time well and finish relatively quicker", she said. "Oh, you'll give me some people to work with? Then I guess that changes a few things. We will need a plan, or something. Can you help with that?", I asked. "Of course, follow me, and we can draw something up", she replied.
My plan was to make something akin to the endurance contest's course, from the Arena in the Land of Sands. Of course people wouldn't compete there. The course would be littered with obstacles, but with the use of wind Formations, we would get people across that course without moving a single muscle.
I explained all my ideas to master Ama, while she drew them onto the paper. After a long debate and a few corrections, we had the plan ready. "Hmmm, this came out a bit bigger than expected. Even with the help from others, this will take at least a month", I said. "You'll manage somehow. I'll check with the Grey Lizards, but they should be available to you from tomorrow. A month wouldn't be that bad, but my guess is that this will take a bit longer for you", master Ama replied.
"I'm mostly worried about the durability of the whole course. The obstacles, slides and whatnot will be made from earth. Though Formations will pack them together, it's still just earth. Wind and continuous use will slowly degrade everything, which means the course will collapse after a period of time. We'd have to protect the whole course, and that alone would take a lot of time. The amount of layering and linking would be staggering. As it stands, it's about a month, with protection and whatnot, it's gonna be like three months", I expressed my worries.
"Hmmm... What if you could achieve something like that, but without the use of Formations?… Or at least in a sense", she asked. "What do you have in mind?", I inquired curiously. "Well, once you add water to the earth, you'll make mud, right? When you cook or rather heat it up, the mud will become rock solid. Now, it'll be brittle after such processing, therefore you have to watch out. The durability will be staggering though, you just have to use it well. That's how pottery is made basically", she proposed.
"I understand that, but how can this process help us with the course?", I asked. "Well, if you make a pot using such a method, it will easily break when you drop it to the ground. What if you made a solid ball? When dropped, it wouldn't break so easily because it's much thicker on every side. In other words, there're less weak points. The walls and everything on the plan, you just have to make them thicker. That way, brittleness won't be an issue anymore. Moreover, the course will stay for many years to come. Neither water nor wind will be able to easily erode it", she explained.
"Heh, to think we could use such a process for making a course. That is certainly worth a try, and it would save us many days on placing those protective Formations", I agreed to use that method. "Great, then we have a plan. Just take it easy for the rest of the day. I'll bring a group of Grey Lizards to the site tomorrow. We'll see each other then, alright?". I agreed, thanked her and bid her farewell. 'With that matter sorted, I should visit uncle Crow and aunt Lira', I thought.
"Hey, Anna. How was your journey?", uncle asked while inviting me inside. "A bit panicky due to low supplies, but that was on purpose. Anyway, I'm coming back from master Ama's place. She drew a plan for me, but the project just got a lot bigger. I'll need help from some Grey Lizards to complete it. Besides, the Grand Stage looks like a castle. I was really surprised when she showed me their progress. The stage looked so bare last time I saw it", I replied.
"Yea, they were busy with that Formation before. Now we can focus on a few other things", uncle said. "Sister Anna! You came!", Drak ran into the room. "Will you make those slides and everything for me?", he asked. "Of course, that's why I'm here, right? Though the project got bigger, and so it will take much longer for me to finish. You'll have to wait for a good while to have a go", I replied. "I'll wait! This is great, I'm sure sister An will create something better than sister Suly can!... I'll have a better course than Leran", he exclaimed enthusiastically. '... It's actually for all kids and perhaps even adults, but whatever. I mean, I'm here because Drak asked me', I thought.
"Do you want to stay with us, or did you make any other plans?", uncle asked. "Well, as always mom didn't give me any money. Dawn is working, so I don't want to impose on her parents either. I'm not sure about Tara though. If I could stay with you guys for a while, that would be the best solution", I replied. "Sure, don't worry about it, we have a few rooms to spare. Make yourself at home", uncle agreed and showed me one of the guest rooms. "If you need anything, just tell me or Lira. If you want some money, I can give…", I stopped him there, "I'm fine uncle, don't worry about it. I'll just relax for the rest of the day, and check the plan out". "Sure, I'll see you around then", he replied then left.