The birth of Stonemen was a peculiar, yet poetic.
It did not take parents to form a newborn Stoneman, rather it took the soul of a being and a portion of the planet's spirit.
That is right.
Only planets with a spirit could produce the race— a kind with a peculiar feat of nature.
Typically, the type of materials that the Stonemen were composed of depended on the karma of the one being born and the planet's yield of each ore and mineral deposits.
An average soul made it relatively deep into the ground where the appropriate amount of minerals was then processed into the body of the Stonemen.
Some special souls would find themselves formed from rarer deposits and minerals like diamond.
After having his soul taken, Cronir's soul wound up reaching a little over average in terms of the depth, but luckily enough, there was something better than even minerals like diamond.
His soul wound up forming around a limited amount of spirit stone!
Needless to say, he was set for a simple Stoneman as spirit stones were only sought by the powerhouses of the universe.
Add that to the appearance of the two organs and he was now tougher and smarter than before he even fully emerged.
'Huh? Who's thinking inside my head so much?'
He found himself awake after his body formed.
"I'm not dead," the Stoneman had the chance to feel his new body and was astonished by the new sensations he felt, "No... I died."
'The boy was more powerful than we could have ever imagined! He actually killed me despite my sturdy defenses!'
He instinctively felt his lower torso and noticed there was a strange material composing the area where he figured his soul was.
'Why does it feel like I have boundless strength? And my head too... I'm able to think clearer!'
He could hardly focus on the past when the changes to his body were so apparent.
After an in-depth examination of his new capabilities, the Stoneman raised his head, "Fuck a Cronir! I'm Oregon! I swear by my name I'll be able to stop that kid freak with this new body!"
The hole he was in barely allowed him to raise his arms.
"Hmm. I guess my first step is to find the main branch."
Stonemen lived underground, so it was hard to determine where to dig to reach a tunnel leading to a main branch of the main living space.
'I don't seem to be made of anything special, but it also feels like I'm different from ordinary stone. It must be due to this special ore that sits inside of me.'
He did not know what spirit stone was, but he could tell based on the fact that his extraordinary body was just an enhanced form of ordinary stone.
As soon as Oregon was about to begin digging, he actually felt something in him akin to a mental map form subconsciously, 'This planet must have a much stronger spirit than my last! Now I can reach the living space easily.'
He had not yet explored the functions of the two organs, but they operated regardless of his understanding.
He could not see it, but his feelings were telling him that particles of the spirit stone circulated throughout his entire body.
'I must become an important figure here and find out more about this body of mine. It should be possible depending on the state of the place.'
While Oregon knew the advantages of the new organs, he could not fathom the kind of Stonemen he would soon meet.
'Looks like this is it,' Oregon thought while reaching an opening in the ground.
He expected to see a dark and empty space, but was taken back by what he saw.
There were torches made of a glowing rock that lit up the way!
'These are beautiful! What kind of rock is that?'
He admired the luminescent mineral as he walked further into the tunnel.
Eventually, the tunnel led to an open area where Oregon could hear others speaking.
'Good. There're others here.'
Oregon hoped that they could teach him more about himself and the planet.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, he realized that he did not recognize the language they were speaking.
The speech of Stonemen was irregular to begin with, but the almost rumbling of the Stonemen's speech differed from the language Oregon spoke.
Just as he wondered how to proceed, another surge of information hit him.
The gravelly chatter then became understandable, and Oregon was now frightened by the connection the spirit of the planet had to him.
Oregon then listened closely to the conversation.
"There hasn't been a single newborn so far," one of the Stonemen spoke.
"It must be as the elders forewarned."
"You can't be serious! How could the Great Mother run out of her very spirit?"
'Great Mother,' Oregon pondered, 'I guess they mean the planet. But I received part of the spirit just fine.'
He decided to reveal himself much to the three Stonemen's surprise.
"See! The Great Mother is just fine!"
"Greetings, brother! What might you be called?"
"I am Oregon. Who are you guys?"
There were three of them total and they all were made from normal stone and dirt, so they were the most common of the Stonemen.
"I'm Oreo, this is Woreo, and he's Anstonio. We're here to guide newcomers like yourself and provide the basics for life down here."
Oregon was glad to hear that.
"Good. I barely understand the functions of these organs I possess. And this planet seems awfully powerful."
"Ah, yes! Both the Stonehead and Ironheart are both crucial to the enhancement of our kind. The Stonehead enables us to understand the things both around and inside ourselves while the Ironheart circulates and provides the basis for change in our structure."
"How fascinating!"
Oregon was excited at something that did not exist for his past self, 'A change in our structure means the ability to become more than stone without being born with it. I wonder what the special stone I have does aside from strengthening me.'
"Indeed, they are! The Great Mother has provided us with these organs and they have allowed us to develop as much as we have. Come! You've yet to see the actual home we've carved out of the Great Mother's depths."
"Lead the way!"