'Ok, so what are the things that store mana?'

"Aside from the magical metals; mana crystals and gems, depending upon the purity. Oh, on that subject, I did a little investigating on mana crystals and a metal called mithril. It would seem that the chemical composition of the base metal is exactly like aluminum. And as you know aluminum and oxygen make corundum, which is basically mana crystals and gems!"

'I was a soldier, I know what aluminum is, but not corundum or whatever it's called.'

"OH! Right, sorry. Rubies and sapphires."

'So mana gems are rubies or sapphires, and this mithril is aluminum. While that's interesting trivia, how does that help me?'

"I don't know. I just thought it was neat. I'd like to go back there and figure out what the other magical metals are some day."

'Now that you mention that, why can't you do something about this Grandia?'

"Remember when I said I was kicked out of the universe twice? The first time caused the problem and the second time was the universe rejecting me. I can visit different worlds, at different times, but I can't influence them because I get kicked out. I've learned that it could be something quite insignificant as eating the last bit of food from a vendor, so I have to be very careful when I visit. Once or twice is fine, but after that, it becomes difficult to re-enter the world. Even if I were to go down to that world and give you advice, I could be kicked out. And if that happens, the universe skips back to when I entered and restarts from there. So any changes I made would be reverted before they happened."

"I have been to the past on the planet and learned quite a bit. The spells and history I spoke about I learned from being down there."

'Then why don't you send me to the past?'

"I can only nudge you. Even that would be pushing my luck. If I were to re-route you to the past, that'd kick me out again, and you'd forget all of this, leaving me to either try to find you again, or grab the next person."

Anomaly then picks up a few pieces of paper, seemingly looking through notes, but the pages all appear empty, "Now the planet is a bit on the larger size, so gravity is slightly stronger, it also has two moons. One is on a 24-day cycle, the other on a 32-day cycle. There are 10 days in a week, and 3 weeks in a month, with a total of 360 days within one year. The new year begins on the winter solstice. There are 20 hours in a day, and the day starts at 1 o'clock on the sunrise of the equinox. I have to clarify this since I'm not sure how time worked on your world, but mine had 24 hours in a day, and the day started at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. Here it starts at 1 in the morning. I gives the saying, 'Dawn of a new day' a literal meaning.” Anomaly chuckles before continuing, “Seasons begin midway between the solstice and equinox. I only got partial information on day names and month names, and I don't want to confuse you by not giving you correct information, so you'll have to figure that out on your own.

"Oh! Grandia is in the northern hemisphere, closer to the north than equatorial regions, so they have harsher winters, and calmer summers. But then again, I'm not sure where you'll end up. The four cardinal directions are similar, with the sun rising in the east, and the north being the metaphorical top of the planet. It is, in fact, a spherical planet and the residents believe it to be so as well, so you won't have to worry about falling off of the edge."

'Is that a problem for some planets?'

"Actually, yes. As I said, the universes are all built with different rules, and in some of them I have found flat planets, with different civilizations living on opposite sides, completely oblivious of each other. There are rectangular planets, egg shaped planets, ring shaped planets... Really a Douglas Adams wet dream."

'I'll guess that's some scientist where you're from. Tell me about the life forms down there.'

"Humanoid shaped similar to what I currently look like," Anomaly says while standing up with his arms to the side as if presenting himself, turning around in place. "The predominant race on the planet are called humans, while there are other races such as elves and dwarves, they've been hunted to near extinction by Grandia, and like the rest are in hiding. There are also monsters and beings. Monsters are animals or plants that have gone through a change because of the influence of magic. Such as the red bear, which stands about 3 meters tall, has 6 limbs and a vice-like bite. The main thing that differentiates between monsters and beasts is the inclusion of a mana gland attached to the bottom of the heart. The mana gland harvests microscopic mana crystals from the environment and the diet and circulates it through the body by the blood. This blood enriches the body of the monster, making it stronger, tougher, faster, that sort of thing. A monster that's been alive for a period of time will grow a pearl in the mana gland like oysters do, and it will continue to grow as the monster grows. These pearls are called cores and are similar to mana crystals but are influenced by the monster they are from." Anomaly tilts his head as he thinks about what he's going to say next.

"I guess you can say the traits of the creature are inherited. Using the red bear I mentioned earlier, it would have physical strengthening attributes to it. A thunder hog would also have a weaker physical strengthening, plus an electrical attribute. The cores can be harvested and used either as a cheap mana crystal, or in the creation of items.

"Beings are... intelligent monsters. The world has influential connected planes of existence where beings come from. These planes can be benign or malignant, it depends upon the beings. The beings will occasionally enter the world, either by summoning, or other means. The gods of that world are included in the category of beings. They all aren't as powerful as gods, but like gods, they can interact with the prime plane of that world.

"And, let me just say this; you can kill a being, just like everything else. Beings can be angels, devils, demons, celestials, gods, titans, among others. In some instances, their connection to the prime plane is very distinct. They can't directly influence the world with their abilities, but they can grant their powers to others. Some connections are more ephemeral, where rifts or tears can form to allow the beings to travel back and forth between the planes. All beings can live for a very long time, and certain things, like demons, continue to grow as they age, while things like faeries remain the same size, but their strength becomes more concentrated."

'What kind of weapons do they use down there?'

"Hmm? Weapons? Let me see... I would say they are in a primitive category? There are swords and spears and bows and stuff like that. They use magic there, so many things created through technology to improve vary because of the influence of magic."

'That means no guns.'

"Ah! That's where you're going. Right there's no guns because there's no need to create explosives, thus the enhancement of ranged weapons and long distance magic casting replaced the need to develop that sort of thing. That doesn't mean they're all mud huts and grass skirts though. Well, no that's pretty prevalent now that everything's being decimated by Grandia. Although you'll find ruins, and plenty of luxuries in Grandia, things will be much less advanced elsewhere.'

'Damn, weird body, AND nothing to fight with. You sure know how to hand out a challenge.'

"You were a soldier, right? You probably got training in bayonets and hand-to-hand combat."

'Right bayonets. I know how to stick a sharp pointy thing into stuff.'

"Exactly! That's a short spear. Find a stick, sharpen it. Stab things!"

'You know what? Just send me down.'

"Wait! I haven’t told you about dungeons yet!” Anomaly says while an excited look on his face.

‘Dungeons?’

“Dungeons, labyrinths, mazes, zones… Whatever they’re called elsewhere, they’re called Dungeons here. Dungeons exist on nexus points and are considered beings. When a dungeon comes into existence, it usually has something as a catalyst, such as a ruin or a cave. As monsters or people die there, their memories get absorbed by the dungeon. Specifically, what threatens or scares them. That’s how the dungeon makes monsters. It takes ambient mana, coalesces it into a gem, and projects a body around the gem. It’s like an illusion given flesh form. After the monster dies, the illusion is dispelled, and what remains is the mana gem.

 “As the dungeon expands, it absorbs minerals, and compresses them to form the walls, floors and other obstacles within. Occasionally it’ll leave some ores, or precious gems out that the monsters will collect up and stash away somewhere. When people die within the dungeon, they and their gear will eventually get absorbed by the dungeon. The gear is sometimes recycled and given to the monsters that are spawned, sometimes it’s left out on the floor for a monster to pick up and use or stash away.

“The dungeon feeds primarily on the mana taken from the nexus point. But it also feeds on the memories of the people that die within it. In exchange, it offers rewards in the form of either discarded loot, or in the case of older dungeons, items it has itself created from the ores and precious gems it has gained from its expansion.

“Normally any damages done to dungeons is prevented by the structure being more solid than anything else. But any damages done to dungeons is quickly fixed. The only time that is allowed is when humans to create a way to return to the surface with teleportation circles. The circles are well set up, being interconnected with each other. You stand on the circle, think which floor you want to go, and then feed magic into it, and it sends you there. If you haven’t been to a circle before, you can’t go there, even if there are others who have been there before with you. Although they were heavily explored in the past, it has been a long time since, and many dungeons should have expanded since then, so the circles may stop appearing once you go deep enough.

“Dungeons also spawn something called ‘bosses’ occasionally. These are special varieties of monsters that have been mutated, enhanced, strengthened, or given equipment, and are set up in specific types of areas. They are a trap. Once you enter the area, the entrances will not open until you or the boss is dead. Sometimes they appear before being able to go to the next level, sometimes they’re behind a hidden door, sometimes they’re in a room way out in the middle of nowhere. Bosses typically have a reward given when they are defeated, which will be worn or used by the monster. Want a flaming sword? Well, you’re gonna have to beat the boss that’s using it first.

‘I see, and I’ll come across one of these dungeons?’

“More than likely. I can’t guarantee you will, but should you do, I hope this helps you.”

'Ok, I think I’m done now, let's just get this over with.'

"Very well, now what I'm going to do is kinda merge my soul with yours. Well, more of an engulf actually, that way I can take the spell, and bump you to somewhere else. When you come to, you'll be holding a blackish blue crystal in your hand. Break that crystal. It is fragile, so dropping it on a rock should do. If all else fails, a few good whacks with a stick should do it. It shouldn't need to be destroyed completely, just a piece broken off is enough. Although if it were me, I'd ground it to dust and spread the pieces over the entire planet." Anomaly stands, and it, along with everything else around it dissolves into a faint glowing mist. The mist then encases the translucent soul, and then everything faded away.