The smile that erupted upon his face at the sight of the gigantic tribrid fades somewhat as he notices the man's sleep-deprived face, the lines that he's sure weren't there last time. Volterra is often prone to missing the obvious, but even he gets the impression that the great earthen behemoth is troubled. It is unsurprising; he's lost his herd recently, and must surely be concerned by the activities of Kaos. "Are you well, Father Earth?" Volterra does not think himself so friendly with the God that the brown giant will confide in him, but he asks the question without even considering it. He has noticed a certain sense of one-sidedness when it comes to the mortals' relationship with their Gods - it's always them asking the Gods for help, confiding their problems, begging for their boons. Nobody ever seems to ask the deities how they are feeling, or if they have any problems that they wish to discuss. The liquidation of the Hidden Falls implies that the Gods are not as infallible as they may appear, and that they, too, can fall victim to mortal follies.

No, Volterra certainly doesn't think himself worthy of the Earth God's trust, not even in the greatest depths of his arrogance. He does, however, know that he'd do anything in his power to aid the massive deity in his quest against Kaos, and he hopes that his question will not be misconstrued as prying.

The God's comment brings the grin back to Volterra's white-splashed face. "I would not say I enjoyed all of it - " his face clouds as he remembers his daughter's faux-death, and Valdis' maiming, all creating emotions strong enough to smooth the stone he'd been given, "- but I know it helped me grow, and the reward was most excellent." He's thinking of his newfound ability to shift into a huge three-headed dog, the living embodiment of savagery and his worst, darkest traits. He has christened the three heads based on these aspects of his personality; the left one Lust, the right one Avarice, and the central one Wrath. Yes, the reward for his last quest far outweighed the effort it took to complete it, and he is eager to advance himself further at the Earth God's bidding.

"My first magic, the one I developed when I was a boy. It is my favourite among my powers, yet I cannot help but wonder if it could be improved." He casts his eyes to the side, summoning a small pillar of rock that breaks the crust of the earth and rises to head-height. He holds it for a second, then allows it to crumble to dust. "I was wondering if that was possible? The structures are limited in height...I would rather like to see them dwarf even myself." He glances up at the Earth God, curiosity alight in those ruby eyes of his.