5.31 - More Golems

5.31 - More Golems

The sound of the dwarven smith Thims hammer rang out in the early morning. He formed it into a spherical cage of Drogramathi Iron, magically setting glowing hunks of iron into place with his class core. Theo watched nearby. Artisans were always happy to get rush orders because they got paid rush prices. With Tresks move last night, most of the alchemists golems had been destroyed. The sudden sway of willpower had annihilated their containment cores, ruining the monster cores within.

But it was a good time to reorder his ranks of golems, anyway.

Hows that? Thim asked, limping over to produce a still-hot iron cage.

What happened to your leg? Theo asked as he inspected the cage. Of course the containment core was perfect. Thim had made more improvements to the design. The more he understood the way Drogramathi Iron worked, the better his skill with the material became.

Old war wound. Acts up sometimes, Thim grunted. How many do you need?

Ten, please. Theo backed away from the hot metal, then withdrew his payment from his inventory. He took a bit more gold out. Better make it twenty.

Thim laughed. Always easy doing business with you, Theo. Say, I have a question

Thim wanted to expand his blacksmithing operation. He claimed there was a seed core building that was aligned with Borhig, the Dwarven God of Blacksmiths. Theo was reminded of an elf that had arrived on the Wavecrest. That person had claimed to have experience doing core smithing, but it turned out to be useless to the town. While the elf had served as an assistant to a coresmith, they had never done the job themselves. That meant the only way they could get an aligned seed core building was to find one from a dwarven coresmith.

And where are we going to find one of them? Theo asked, leaning against the smithy while Thim worked.

Well, we just have to get a messenger to the mountainhomes.

Theo just smiled. Dwarves had always been a mystery. While dwarves were happy to spend their lives with the other races, most of them talked about those mountainhomes. And where is the nearest mountainhome?

Technically, Gronro-Dir. But that tiny town is nothing compared to the others. No, well want to get in touch with the forts near the spine, or those gracing the southern mountains in the Qavelli Region.

Which means, Theo clapped his hands together. We have to clear the undead corruption.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

Ah. Yeah.

Let me know when my containment cores are done, please. Im off to be yelled at by my administrators.

Hah! Better you than me.

Theo nodded, leaving the smithy. Of course Alise wanted a meeting with Theo. She had requested that Tresk show up to the meeting too, but the little marshling refused. She had a catch me if you can mentality, which the alchemist wasnt against. He took the long way to the town hall, stopping by a few places before finally arriving. The meeting was already ongoing, and everyone stopped talking when he entered the room. With a shrug, he sat and listened to the state of the realm.

To his surprise, Theo found Alise didnt mind the late night disturbance. She was more interested in the heavenly implications of the act.

No one here knows whats going on in the palaces of the gods, Alise said with a weak shrug. And you dont seem eager to give reports on those matters.

Theo cleared his throat. I only bring things up when you guys need to know.

Perhaps you should consider that we need to know more than youre saying, Gwyn said with a flat look.

Well, thats fair

Theo had to think for a moment before explaining what was going on in the heavens. He really had little to report. Khahar had brought order to the heavens with an iron fist. It was the only way the Arbiter could get everyone in line, and it was working for now. What the alchemist didnt know was Khahars endgame. He had taken the Throne of the Arbiter, setting it up so that Fenian grabbed the Throne of the Herald right after him. Then he put things in motion to sit both Theo and Tresk on a throne each.

Why? Theo asked. I dont know. Remaking the universe at the worst and fixing all the weird rules in the system at best.

Thats less information than I expected, Alise said.

Gael drummed his fingers on the table. After a pause, he shrugged. I see why youre not sharing much about the heavens.

Terogal is very insular. The gods come to have tea and eat sweet things. Theyre pretty guarded with their information. Thats just how the rules work.

Good. Very good. Well move on to other matters, Alise said. She clicked her tongue when Theo went to stand. This one concerns you, Theo. Zizs newest project has failed spectacularly.

Theo sat down again, raising an eyebrow. What happened?

Building a bridge across the sea is harder than expected. He set one section as a test, and it collapsed when a very minor storm swept through.

Thats a setback

Yeah. Take a look in the history books. What little there is. Or gaze northward, to where Qavell once was.

Sarisa grunted, then nodded. Decent point. How would you fix it?

Theo had to think about that one. Shouting for change was one thing, but enacting it? There were so many little things at play in this world that it was hard to say how to fix it. Limit a persons lifespan to start. Maybe break up the progression of leveling to make it clear how the realms of power work.

Whats a realm of power?

Theo laughed, shaking his head. He explained his observations on the way the system worked. Every 10 levels, there was a jump in power. But that wasnt even the worst part about the system. If I could only change one thing, it would be the way Wisdom and Intelligence work. I found a solution for my Wisdom, but Well, as my Intelligence gets closer to 30, I feel myself slipping away. Im finding it harder to care about things.

You drank a potion, right? Just drink another.

You can only drink one soul potion.

Bummer.

The train arrived with merciful timing. Theo and Sarisa boarded, and then they were off to Rivers, then Gronro. Throk still hadnt sorted out the problem of a windshield for the train. And the alchemist didnt care for being whipped by a constant drive of hot wind. The temperature got slightly better when the train made its stop in Rivers. A few people got on, headed north. Dropping slightly more, the temperature was far more pleasant up in Gronro. The high altitude wasnt enjoyable, but disembarking the train was the highlight of the alchemists day.

What are we doing here? Sarisa asked, standing with Theo outside the stone walls of Gronro-Dir.

Golems and wards, Theo said, sucking in some fresh mountain air. Talking with Grotgrog Stormfist as well, if he has anything to say about it.

Sure enough, Grot came trotting through the south-facing gate before Theo could even enter the town. The dwarf with his bushy beard bounced on the spot, smiling as he shook the alchemists hand.

Your demon magic is working wonders! he shouted, slapping Theo on the lower-back. The alchemists tail swished defensively, swatting at the dwarfs hand. Lively one.

Theo proceeded forward, and Grot fell in line beside him. The ward really scoured this place clean, didnt it?

Yep. And your golem cleared the entire mountain pass up. Before it exploded.

Sorry about that.

Gronro-Dir was the most dwarven town Theo had ever visited. Well, he had only visited four towns during his time in this world. While none of the town was built under the mountain, most of the buildings were constructed into the side of the crags on either side. Those buildings standing free were made from the same gray stone that entombed the place.

I read a report that Qavell is approaching, Grot said, scoffing. What kind of horrid human magic are they weaving up there?

Nothing good. Youre stocked with my new shots, right?

We are. Loaded up in those fancy weapons you sent us. Ready to fire at anything that flies.

Those were the orders. Anything found in the skies above the alliances territory was to be shot down with Theos new constructs. The administration had already cleared the action with the other nations they were in contact with. Both Bantein and Partopour had been warned, and a message was sent to the Khahari without response. Anyone violating the airspace only had themselves to blame.

Theo was most eager to tour the northern wall of the town. He ascended the battlements with Grot and Sarisa, looking out over a changed scene. The foul miasma that had once hung in the air had been cleared entirely. The alchemist saw a distinct line in the distance where his golem had been clearing, and the puddle of metal it left behind.

For the first time, Archduke Spencer, I offer you a tour over the bridge! Grot shouted, slapping Theos back again. Come on!

Theo and Sarisa joined him, crossing the bridge. On either side were chasms that seemed to go on forever. The stone bridge they crossed was sturdy, but still held the purified bones of some undead. After crossing the bridge, they stood on the open rocky fields of Murder Passage. Mountains rose on either side. This was a monumental moment for the alchemist. His golem had cleared more area than he could have hoped. He could only wonder what four of them would accomplish.

Withdrawing materials from his inventory, Theo turned to Grot. Ill send you a message if the golems get out of the lodestones range. The pole with the crystal on the end? Youll have to move that closer to them if they get too far.

I can do that, Grot nodded.

The first step to constructing metal golems was to pile bars of metal on the ground. Theo placed four equal piles of metal on the ground, then got to work on the containment cores. Once those were inserted, he placed a Fire Construct in each, then stepped back. Each pile burst into flames, the intense fire turning those bars into molten metal. Each formed into the general shape of a humanoid. The alchemists shoulders slacked as the intense weight of the creatures drew on his willpower. After a moment, they connected to the lodestone and eased the burden.

Once the golems swapped over to their battery, each stood at attention. Theo repositioned the lodestone, then prepared himself to ward all four golems. While casting the Deflect necromantic Magic ward didnt cost much mana, it was taxing when applied to things with their own will. Casting it on the town took a lot out of him, but not so much the golems. Silver barrier sprung up around each golem as Theo warded them, chugged Mana Potions, and repeated the process. After checking that each of their siphons and batteries were working, he sent them off to clean the mountain pass.

Three more than last time, Grot said, laughing. Theyll have the continent cleaned in a day!

Theo wasnt so sure about that. But the golems would do an even better job cleaning the area than the last ones. These were built with power siphons, which would pull necromantic energy from the air and convert it to mana. While that might corrupt the golems, the ward they brought with them would certainly do a lot to take care of any residual corruption. The alchemist turned away from the mountain pass, smiling at the dwarven duke.

Were getting there, Grot. Slowly.