The Newt and Demon

5.56 - Private Army

It was always a pleasure watching Zizs team get to work. They had created so many weird structures, starting with the bridge and the harbor, that they were now a well-oiled machine. Instead of going with a tower design, which was required for the ocean dungeon, they did something different. First, they reinforced the edges of the river with stone walls. Theo helped them smooth the area out as they worked. Next, the created a stone base on the riverbed.

Watching how far the workers had come was amazing. Theo watched one half-ogre with a stack of marble stone blocks in one hand and his other hand free. He would place a brick down, passing his hand over it to apply magical mortar, and move on. Each block took about a second to lay, and there were twenty workers. The alchemist swept his will over the riverbed, helping to smooth it out as they worked. There were sections where the workers wanted to drive massive pillars, and it was another area the alchemist was helpful in.

Sure you dont want a job? Ziz asked, laughing as Theo helped guide another support column.

I just might, Theo said, driving the pillar deep into the ground. He slapped the side of the marble structure. This bad boy aint going nowhere.

The supports were required because the entire river was going to be covered. This was a feat of engineering that would have been impossible back on Earth. The weight of the stones would have collapsed any logical support system. But this wasnt earth. Ziz and his team could weld stone together, creating a near-perfect bond. That allowed him to create a lattice support structure. The point of the rivers stone ceiling was for the tube-like structure being constructed around the river. It gave them perfect control over the amount of water allowed to rush over the River Dungeon while still providing easy access for adventurers via a spiral staircase.

While he was at it, Ziz planned to take the covered river idea all the way to the harbor wall. It might look awkward when we expand the wall, Ziz said, admitting the plans shortcomings. But well sort that out later.

This would have been at least a week-long job without Theos help. As the work went on, he saw how useful he could be in the construction business. The dam almost collapsed at one point, but the alchemist held it back with his Earth Sorcerer Core. That gave time for the stoneworkers to get down there and put in some reinforcements, tying it to the marble lattice. When he let go, the dam held.

Dusk came and left, giving way to twilight. The group still worked, and Tresk complained they werent in bed yet. The workers had lit lanterns, magical and mundane, to keep going until they were done. Theo refused to leave, fearing another dam incident.

Just a few more things to get going, Ziz said, dabbing his muddy brow with a cloth. But I think this is pretty solid.

Theo jumped up and down on the covered river, laughing as the stones supported his weight. This is just wild.

The fisher folks are gonna yell at you, Ziz, Tresk said.

Yeah. They have the ocean now. They can deal with it.

Sarisa and Rowan came parading to the work site with platters laden with food. Ziz groaned as the attention of all his workers was drawn away from the work, delaying the completion of the job by about an hour. Theo laughed at the half-ogre, helping himself to a plate of Karatan steak. Once everyone was well-fed, the river was ready to be opened once again.

Theo reached out with his core, finding it hard to hoist the entire dam up. He strained, getting it most of the way there before the rushing water put a stop to his plan. The workers had to attach ropes to the dam while the alchemist chugged Mana Potions, eventually pulling it free from the slurry of churning river water.

That was a close one, Theo said, wiping his brow. He reached out again, filling in the temporary river with the dirt he had extracted.

That was a massive advantage of using the Earth Sorcerer Core instead of the Tunneling Potion. While the potion removed the dirt completely, the core allowed him to use the dirt afterward. It took Theo longer than he would have liked to fill in enough of the offshoot river to keep the water from soaking in. By the time he was done, it was around midnight. Tresk was pissed, but that was nothing new. She was so focused on advancing that any change to their schedule was an affront. They returned to the manor, collapsing into their beds and drifting off into the Dreamwalk.

Theo came up with an idea to increase his willpower while working within the constraints of size. Human-sized skeletons wouldnt fit within the Hallow Ground potion modified with Embolden. But skeletal hamsters? They absolutely would. The alchemist stood in a field of slavering hamster zombies, shoving as many as he could into that circle. His first attempt failed. The amount of hamsters that could fit within the circle was greater than he had expected. After resetting with a reasonable amount of hamsters, he found success.

Before long, Ill have an army of bugs to contend with, Theo said, booting one zombie hamster into the distance. Can bugs become zombies? Who cares?

Theos Earth Sorcerers Core had advanced to Level 4, which might have been impressive in another core. Getting that core to a point where it would be useful was effortless compared to many others. He was once again reminded that he needed to make his free pick, but felt uninspired to do so. The alchemist wanted to wait until his newest core was higher, or when it evolved into something related to Drogramath. There were skills under the sorcerer category that werent tied to any specific school as well. While he only had access to a few, which added nothing he wanted, that meant he could get more as time went on.

Banking a skill for so long was something Theo had never done. He had always grabbed new skills impulsively, snatching up whatever he could to enhance his life and abilities. But with so many moving parts, it was hard to justify that behavior. Silent observation was required as he attempted to push himself in one direction, rather than barreling toward every new thing all at once. It might have been time to do more core swapping, using his newest slot to bring in other cores that relied on willpower.

Research is required, Theo said, growing bored of the endless parade of hamsters. He banished them with a thought, heading off to see what Tresk was up to.

Tresk was finally done fighting the giant horned snake. But the thing she had summoned wasnt much better. Theo watched as she and Alex battled with a massive skeletal dragon. The alchemist sensed her thought pattern, understanding that she wanted to be prepared for the worst case. Pogo, in the underground below, turning into a skele-dragon would have been that case. It wasnt logical to assume that she would turn undead, but he didnt blame the marshling for being prepared.

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I like the dragon, Theo said, watching as Tresk wove an agile pattern through the attacks of the dragon.

Gotta be ready for anything! she said, grunting as she took a tail-swipe to the face. Ow.

Theo joined in, offering his warded daggers to the fight. He didnt train enough for combat, although he knew it was a worthwhile investment. There were just so many layers of defense around him it was hard to care. Although this was in the Dreamwalk, and not the real world, the exercise was still nice. It didnt hurt that his warded daggers were devastating in combat. The group fought until the dream ended, which was far shorter than normal.

Theo made his way downstairs to have breakfast, trailing behind Tresk as always. She was excited about something she didnt want to share. Instead of eating the breakfast that Sarisa and Rowan had made, she shoved it into the Tarahek inventory and dashed out of the door. Alex found a place to sit by the table and enjoyed whatever bugs, grains, and other scraps she enjoyed.

The breakfast today was more of the deep-fried meat flattened with a mallet. Rowan had thought to spice things up by adding some of Whispers sausages and a side of mashed zee kernels that seemed close to grits. Each item was cooked to perfection, especially the zee grits. They were served with a fat piece of karatan butter on top. The heat from the food had partially melted, oozing over the side and soaking into the other items on his plate. The alchemist ate more than normal that morning, although he felt none of the side-effects of the Stamina Potion he drank the previous day.

After checking the administration interface to ensure there wasnt anything that required his attention, Theo sauntered over to the lab. Zarali wasnt in her enchanting lab, but that wasnt a surprise. She didnt care for the upgrade bonuses, and did most of her enchanting on-site, or in Xolsas tower. The alchemist had felt her drifting further away from him, but he couldnt be mad. She could see her brother again so it only made sense.

Theo could smell that Salire was already working on something before even entering the building. He knocked his knuckles against the metal sign outside, smiling as he remembered the time when it was made. On the second floor landing, he identified what the budding alchemist was working on. The unmistakable scent of Moss Nettle, Spiny Swamp Thistle Roots, and Manashrooms hung in the air. She was working on some second tier restoration potions, which the shop always needed.

Good morning, Theo said, counting the stills in use. Salire was usually kind enough to leave at least three stills open, but five were free today.

Hey! I saw that weird road you guys made yesterday. What the hell is that about?

An entrance to the River Dungeon. It does kinda look like a road, doesnt it? Theo asked, immediately distracted from the reason he came here.

It does.

He produced his last puffy piece of Khahari Cotton. The golems were working hard to fill the new fields in the Small Farm with the cotton plants, but it would take a bit for those to grow. Especially since they were uncultivated. The alchemist allowed mana to pool into his hand, soaking into the cotton and setting it on fire with purple flames. The second property was revealed to be Flutter, which the alchemist couldnt imagine the effects of. He would need to wait until the crop sprouted to find out.

Theo sent his mind through the nearby lodestone network, checking on his golems. With the expansion of his willpower, he felt the ability to control more than ever. There were enough Plant Golems within town to do most jobs, but there was an area of golemancy that he hadnt exploited enough. With his current willpower, the alchemist estimated that he could control anywhere from twenty to thirty second tier golems. Those were the ones without the lesser prefix. That number was up from about eight, maybe ten. So why not create a small army?

Ill be back, Theo said, pausing at the door. Maybe. I get distracted.

Yeah, you do.

All the ore being produced from the mine belonged to Theo. As did the ingots produced by the twin smelters. Nira kept her stock of Drogramathi Iron bars, Tworgnothi Bars, and Azrugium alloy bars at the smelter. The alchemist made his way there, claiming as much as he could without making anyone mad. He then headed to Throks place, happy to find piles of Tworgnothi Copper Batteries and Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifices available for purchase. He bought twenty of each, draining most of his funds.

Back at the lab, Theo assembled Fire Constructs to both construct and keep the golems working. The second tier versions of the Metal Golems didnt have the same problem as the first tier. He assembled pile after pile of the ingots, placing containment cores, artifice batteries, and siphons inside of the completed creatures. Several hours of work later, and a few wildfires that spread from the constant flow of molten metal, the alchemist looked upon his new army.

Excessive, isnt it? Rowan asked, leaning against a greenhouse. Theo had selected this field because it was the least likely to catch fire.

Theo looked back at his twenty Azrugium golems and shook his head. It wasnt excessive. He was controlling the golems with his mind, not even tapping into Terogal. They barely drew on his mind, only tugging at the edges. If he connected this group of golem soldiers to a lodestone network, he could double their number without issue. The alchemist issued a command for the golems to form loose ranks. They were easily twice his height, each a hulking figure of lumpy purple-bronze colors.

Now Im kinda scared, Rowan said, chuckling nervously.

Theo laughed. Yeah, they were pretty scary. He tapped into the lodestone nearest the greenhouse, judging that its range had increased since he cheated his willpower up. The alchemist segmented the commands for the Plant Golems and the Metal Golems. He issued a command to the Metal Golems to patrol the walls and area around the town and pursue enemies until they reached the edge of their range. They were to fight to the death, targeting enemies of the town. The golems understood that, breaking into squads and heading off.

Should I report this to Aarok? Rowan asked.

Please, do. Hes going to freak out, Theo said, jogging to catch up to one golem. He tapped it on the side, inspecting the creature before it left.

[Metal Golem]

[Alchemy Construct]

Level 28

Metal Golems are excellent at combat. They serve almost no use elsewhere, and require new [Fire Constructs] to repair themselves. Metal Golems without an installed [Fire Construct] will become more useless the longer they operate.

Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Drogramathi Iron Cage]

Monster Core: [Goblin Skirmisher] (Level 28)

Medium: [Azrugium]

Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]

Power System: [Tworgnothi Copper Battery]

Siphon System: [Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifice]

Additional Modifications: [Fire Construct]

It didnt take long for Aarok to come check in on Theo. The alchemist was following one group of the battle golems, making sure they were following orders correctly. Since their orders were so simple, and their cores high enough for them to solve problems, it shouldnt have been a problem.

Summoning an army? Without my permission? Aarok said, shoving Theo playfully.

Theo alchemist sent a mental command. Four golem heads turned, locking onto the half-ogre. Aarok held his hands up, a nervous smile spreading across his face.

Im revolting, Theo said.

Against yourself? Aarok laughed.

With a wave of his will, the alchemist sent his golems off to do their work. Whats up? Theo asked.

Just a request, Aarok said, visibly relaxing. Allow our commanders to issue orders to your private army.

Then it wouldnt be private, would it? Theo asked, adding the command to the lodestone near the greenhouses. Done. It wont override my commands, but you can assemble them. In an emergency, theyll do whatever you say. So long as the person is recognized by the town as a commander.

Thanks, Theo.