EPISODE 60: Playing Chess 3
— Edryan Queendom , Year 7291. Season: Central.
“Will you help me? Help me conquer the world?”
“I-I-I,” she began, blushing. Stuttering as I gazed into her eyes. My gaze did its best to convey my sense of honesty and trust in her.
“Oh? Proposing to my daughter without getting my permission first,” the voice of Marna Gamal said with a hint of excitement.
I stepped back and Madria composed herself. The mood was instantly dispelled as we were interrupted. I turned to look at Marna and gave her a respectful nod. “Good afternoon, High Priestess.”
“Don’t let my presence disturb you two! Continue,” she said excitedly.
“Mother don’t tease us… please ,” Madria seemed to add the end as an afterthought.
Marna Gamal gave off a bell-like laugh and smiled gently at the both of us. She wore the attire of a [Priestess of Madris] much like her daughter but far more ostentatious than her. Golds, silvers, and gems aligned the robe-like dress, and a tiara adorned her head. She appeared powerful, and the sweep of her Intent through the area reaffirmed my belief in that power. I didn’t know what level she was at, but Marna was considered a Magi, and Magi were a minimum of level 200. That’s not mentioning her status as one of the seven [Heroes] of Edryan.
We made small talk as we moved into the third mountain, the TechShop. Marna did not bother to ask about me soliciting her daughter, but she did bring up another topic.
“You’d like to gift my army a small priest order of a thousand members?”
I rubbed my growing chin hair, and my red-gold eyes met the divinity touched of Marna’s. The [Mother of Magi 1st Daughter] stood at a similar height to her daughter and her features remained youthful. So much so that you’d be able to mistake her for a younger woman than she was. I knew the Life Affinity served her and the Gamal's well.
Affinities are what properties your mana would take as you grew close to an element. Life Affinity was one of the most difficult affinities to develop. I hadn’t seen anyone besides those in the service of Goddess Madris hold this affinity. Having an affinity in general would massively boost your understanding of the said element. It would boost your raw damage, but it held its downsides as well.
“Yes, the [Guardians of the Holy Son] formed roughly sixteen years ago,” Marna began. “They are an… eccentric bunch who… well… wish to offer their devotion and service to you,” she finished with a slight frown.
We walked slowly into the TechShop. The loud sounds of hammering, blasts of magic spells, and screams of huzzahs filled our ears. Madria still held a pensive expression as she thought over my offer. Her eyes roamed from left to right. It is clear that she was reading what I assumed to be the details of the ( Party ) notification.
“What sort of classes does these Guardians hold?”
“Most still hold on to the [Priestess of Madris] class but follow a less… traditional route of skill choices. As you know, most of our priesthood chooses to focus on targeted healing while using our aura far less extensively. The Guardians have chosen to walk down the path of aura healing and have become quite successful at it.”
“That means their targeted healing is rather low,” I commented.
“Yes, but together they have learned a startling group amplification spell. With just three priests, they can heal a near-dead man back to life within the hour with half as little mana. The more members, the less time it takes, and the greater their levels, the less priest it takes. There are five hundred [Priestess of Madris] within this priest order, and the rest are a mix of new paladins who wish to pledge their allegiance to you with other Goddess-bestowed classes. My second oldest is the head of this order, and a few of the… outlandish Gamals are within.”
That explains it. Marna Gamal was following the footsteps of her estranged sister, and I suspected this was going to be a reoccurring event with the Six Great families. Once I accepted Marna's offer, for I am going to accept, this would open the floodgates for the rest of the families. The reason I was going to accept was simple. My [Imperius Army] lacked a dedicated healing unit, and I was already planning on solving this issue.
Healing in the Prime Plane could be done through several methods. Complete healing, healing that would restore you to a perfect or semi-perfect state, could only be done through the Life Affinity or Divine Points. You can heal with all elements to a degree… even the Death Affinity. However, you could only restore limbs and missing parts with Life and Divine. The rest would heal in numerous manners. Outside of [Priests], classes like [Alchemist], [Apothecary], and others could heal you through many methods. Potions, remedies, and more could all help in the injury process.
“I will take them,” I said as we entered the TechShop. “They will need to listen to the orders of my lead general, Alexandria Indrian,” I stated.
Marna nodded in confirmation.
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The TechShop was massive, the mountain was hollowed as were all the others, which left an interior that was designed by those who worked within. Internally, multiple platforms extended from the walls, like the senate in Star Wars. Each of these platforms held a researcher or two. This left the center open, and light, the color of unattributed mana, shone both up and down the giant opening. Raw magical power pulsated and kept what seemed like a scaled-up giant battery floating. Pulses of magic were occasionally sent down tubes that extended into the radius of power. Pink lightning that served as the Hero Golem’s will being sent out. Surrounding this opening were hundreds of mages at different workstations creating, building, and optimizing their current works.
Unlike its usual atmosphere, the TechShop was half barren. A number of the mages were assigned to complete the first stages of a connected Edryan. They helped with the process of completing Operation RAIL. This made everything more seamless, especially after the mixed groups underneath me interacted. LSG was the one who provided the raw materials. Ensuring there were enough steel ingots and the essence necessary for inscribing runic scripts.
The TechShop mages worked on optimizing spells, trying to receive the same results with fewer syllables but more power. Others worked on batteries, doing a far greater, no, grander process of gathering mana within large centrifuges that were isolated in their own separate space. Many of them were magenta-haired Musas, with there being far fewer Kains within the department. The majority of mages here, however, were mages of different households or from more common backgrounds. They no longer held ties to those houses or their previous employers in the same manner as before. Now, they belonged to my royal family, and specifically… me . Once you were invited to NARC, all previous ties were disavowed. Here, my word was the highest law… and it would stay that way.
Although a few figures were above this law. Margret for one, Marna for two… and others of my mother’s close council. Of the greater six, they were the only two I approved of entering here. In recent years, Camilla Romus, the head principal of Imperius Academy, has made inquiries. There was just something about her that I didn’t like. A gut feeling that I couldn’t shake. She didn’t look at me with reverence, but her gaze wasn’t the same as Margret’s or Liana’s.
A synthesized feminine voice spoke loudly, halting much of the ongoing work as people turned to see who entered the TechShop.
“Good Afternoon Creator, How May Adaptive Learning Algorithm Designation: Monday, Serve?”
Madria gasped as the voice spoke. The core in the center of the mountain pulsed hot pink with each word spoken. The many researchers of NARC turned. Many instantly bowed, and some went even further by prostrating themselves on the floor.
“You may return to your duties, thank you Monday.”
I turned to Madria to make sure she was okay but noticed the telling sign of (Mana Sense). Two blue spell constructs would form covering your eyes, showing signs that the spell was active. Another gasp escaped her lips and she turned to me.
“ What is… THAT? ”
Another answered in my place.
“That, Madria, is the core of this facility. She keeps the lights running, the trams going, and more. That is the ( Adaptive Learning Algorithm ), promptly named by His Highness.”
A second voice asked a question.
“So? What exactly is it? How does it work? How is it made? It’s so powerful, if something happens to that, we’re probably all dead from the explosion.”
From the tram entrance, Amaya and Celcus appeared. The bright magenta-eyed girl was looking exceptionally curious, but she was not as active as before. It seemed a few of her questions were answered when interacting with Celcus.
“It works by taking in input, and recording such input, before formulating a response it believes is best to answer whatever problem the input may generate. Once it learns a proper response to that specific input, it will use its generated response until the input changes, or the response no longer satisfies the conditions to fulfill the input. Therefore, it is always adapting, learning, and adding to its algorithm,” Margret Musa stated as she appeared before us. She sent a small smile her sister’s way before her attention faded away.
She was fast, faster than I could comprehend. It appeared to be teleportation from the method she showed up. I was getting there, but still far from being able to see what the high-levelers were doing. I fully understood that high-levelers could go on a slaughter and none but another of the same level could stop them.
“Sister,” Amaya exclaimed, excitement in her voice as the object of her admiration appeared.
“There is more than just what Margret has stated. The spell has divine properties within it. By taking the main nodes from ( Madris’s Touch ) and superimposing ( Breaking Dawn – Last Night ) main nodes upon it, then using several subsidized spells, a tier eight spell for stability, a golem imbuing spell, and one final element… the spell ( Adaptive Learning Algorithm ) is made. It lives and breathes just as we do, but it does not possess the same qualities needed to be classified as a race.
His Highness Lawruthian calls them…”
“Machines,” I finished for Marna.
“They are machines that can compute but not think on their own.” Not yet.
Minerva took off and flew towards Monday, curiously chirping at the Hero Golem without a body.
Just as Madria did, I activated (Mana Sense). I looked at the complex spell-work that made up the ( Adaptive Learning Algorithm ). The fabled tier eleven spell or divine tier. What I did was simple, once Celcus developed the mana conversion method, I tasked Margret with helping me produce a spell that could roughly think for itself. I’ve created a computer in a magical sense .
“Now, it is time to welcome the eighth and newest member to their growing numbers.”
Hector, Hela, Huego, Jupiter, Blue, Jarvis, and Monday were the seven (ALA) spells currently ‘alive’ as Marna stated. Jupiter was responsible for gathering and recording the data on Imperius College students, and Blue oversaw the academy.
The process of gathering materials strong enough for the (ALA) runic scripts to exist upon takes a tremendous amount of time, resources, and energy to gather. Material from a Calamity level creature was necessary to inscribe the exact runic scripts. Not to mention Blackwater Iron, [Harpy Queen – ★★★★ ] feathers, [Red Drake – ★★★★ ] Essence, and Clear Sky Essence. The iron was converted to Blackwater Steel, a dense and tough material known for its defensive boost provided to created equipment. The feather of the [Harpy Queen – ★★★★ ] was turned into a rune inscribing pen, while the essences were mixed as ink. Much different from my skill ( Rune-Scribing of Elevation ). The skill summoned a pen and raw magical essence to write with. Now, I would be helping Margret with the inscriptions for this new project. ( Rune-Scribing of Elevation ) experienced a massive upgrade since my class change, and it was time to test it out.
“You are finally ready to create another,” Margret showed a massive mouth-splitting grin. A manic light appeared in her magenta-colored eyes, and she rubbed her hands together as she began to bark out orders.
The mages snapped to attention immediately, robes fluttering in a flurry of movement as all current activities ceased. The mages of NARC scurried to complete Margret’s orders. Even Celcus, the head of the department, followed orders. This time I possessed access to the system, and I would not miss out on the creation of my next and final, for now, Hero Golem. These devices took far too much capital and maintenance to steadily produce more. An upfront cost of nearly fifty large Edri and a maintenance cost of five large Edri nearly per year… each. That was almost 310 million dollars back on Earth to build and almost 31 million to upkeep. That didn’t include the cost of keeping the six thousand members of NARC fed on salaries, the nearly 10,000 members of LSG, the 2,000 members of [Imperius Army], and the upkeep it’d cost to replace any lost Vanguard Golems. The Vanguards were the specific model I built for my army. A thousand of these units were produced per month, and production started early this year.
I was making money through several avenues, but I was burning it just as fast. LSG was my most stable source of income. Producing me roughly between sixteen and now eighteen large Edri per semester. Over the years I had countless large sales of golems. Nearly every house with some weight brought a few thousand. This brought me close to ten large Edri per sale. My coffers ran deep, but then again I held no siblings to compete with and access to the full royal resources. It was nothing compared to what my mother pulled in and the queendom's taxes.
This final Hero Golem would be an opportunity to use one of the five functions under my new divine skill ( Forefather of Edryan Innovation ). A single use of the specific function held a five-year cooldown. A skill that might be what I needed to help this upcoming golem break a threshold into the next rank. My new class skills had yet to be tested and there was one in particular I was slightly excited for, but I also held some apprehensions about.
“Yes, my golem army needs its commander,” I responded to Margret.
“Don’t you have three incredibly powerful golems already,” Madria questioned.
She seemed to lose the shocked state she was in. It was unfortunate I didn’t get the opportunity to ask more about what she knew of Elrunian. What exactly is he? Yet more importantly… what did that image of Elrunian holding a child with red-gold eyes mean? Why did it appear to be a young version of our Goddess?
Those questions were put to the side as I focused on the task at hand.
Out of the depths of the mountain rose a lifeless body, metallic in nature. Blackwater Steel, a smooth black-blue metal, gave the machine a cool and dark aesthetic. Coloring the golem a blackish sapphire, and making the golem look far more menacing than it truly was. The golem was humanoid, with two arms, legs, and a single torso. She possessed unique digits like humans, with flexible hands, feet, joints, and all.
She was feminine shape but was stylized like… well… a Goddess of War. Her face appeared to be covered by a helmet that left an opening for her eyes, nose, and mouth. Stellar Diamonds, gems that were a product from Starglow Valley, made her eyes radiate with the glow of starlight. The gems acted as naturally produced spatially expanded spaces, each able to hold up to three cubic meters in total. On my golem, they’d be just another of the fancy decorations available, yet they would be utilized. Every part of her body was shaped to be a weapon. She was built to be a commander .
Her face was perfectly carved, directly worked on by Masters of the Ca’Ronna House. Their levels weren’t below the 200s, and creating another body for one of my golems was a task they took to with much gusto. She held a broad nose and thick lips, crafted to look as human as possible. The helmet that covered her held two curved, protruding crystalized horns that weren’t just there as decorations. Standing, she’d be three meters tall, with an athletic Amazonian-like build.
A single spear that radiated dangerousness was held in her right hand, similar to the [Heaven’s Spear], yet it did not hold the same properties my mother's weapon did. On one hip, was a raven-colored coiled whip that seemed alive. On the very tip of the whip was a connected blade of the same coloration as her sword. The other hip held a matte black blade with similar properties to my weapons. Finally, a circular shield, that’d be considered medium size on her, was attached to her left arm.
Margret barked an order and Monday responded. Out of the depths of the TechShop rose a single softball-sized object.
“( Inspect ).”
Golem Heart
Type: Item – Battery
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Rank: Unique Mythical
Core Integrity: 100/100
Core Charge: 100/100
Standing: Product of New America Research Center
Description:
The Golem Heart is a unique battery made and prepared for Hero Golems, developed by NARC under the direction of Celcus Kain and Margret Musa. Each is a uniquely designed and developed core that shall hold the complex runic script that gives life to the Hero Golems. The core is crafted from a scale of the [Blackwater Serpent – ★★★★★ ] and possesses stunning durability properties.
“(Inspect).”
Unnamed Golem (Incomplete)
Type: Golem
Rank: Unique Mythical
Standing: Product of New America Research Center
Description:
The Unnamed Golem (Incomplete) is a mythical grade golem body that has yet to receive a golem animation spell. It possesses powerful Mythical grade weapons that are made from the materials of a Calamity leveled beast.
The body came to a rest in front of a floating platform underneath Monday. I gave a nod to Amaya and Madria as I followed both Margret and Marna unto the platform. Both ladies flew while, like a heathen, I jumped. It was best I found the time to learn a flying spell like (Wings of Wind), (Gliding Flight), or others.
“What are your mana levels Your Highness,” Margret asks. The grin from before was gone, but the excitement remained.
“Nine hundred ninety,” I responded without hesitation. From every single platform, the mages of NARC watched.
“Not enough,” Margret said and looked at Marna.
Marna’s hand landed gently, but firmly on my shoulder, and she cast a spell. The woman took no more than a second for the blessing to come out. “ She who guides of three, I seek to spread a blessing under your glory. In the Astral above I call to thee, My Goddess receive our gratitude as you provide us with ( Trinity Blessing of Fortitude ).”
HP^3: 2,115/2,115 (+300)
SP^3: 2,115/2,115 (+420)
MP^3: 2,970/2,970 (+420)
Immediately, the moment her blessing finished, my true Life Points tripled. A surge of power and energy entered my body and I felt sharper, like a dose of caffeine just crashed into my system. It felt like I just got hit by a truck .
On the platform lay the Unnamed Golem and Golem Heart. Both were bare and missing the telltale signs of runic scripts. That would now change.
A long metallic-like feather with greens and pink barbs was grasped in Margret’s hand. “Place your hand over mine and activate your skill, together we will inscribe the runic scripts.”
We stood close, but it was not in an intimate manner. I listened to Margret and activated my upgraded skill, ( Rune-Scribing of Elevation ).
Skill Name:
(Rune-Scribing of Elevation)
Description:
Inscribe runes upon any material you deem worthy. Enhance their effects to the next level.
Function:
Any project inscribed under the use of this skill will imbue a 100% effect boost to all rune scripts.
From 25% to 100%, all spells inscribed would have an effect boost. The standard two-starred golem inscriptions were one movement spell, two weapon buff spells, four attack abilities/spells, and three defensive spells of at least Uncommon to Rare quality. They’d be able to have that layout with only three Rare grade skills. The material rarity mattered when it came to imbuing runic scripts. This didn’t include the common spells used to synthesize voice for the Hero Golems. A two-starred or uncommon material can hold one rare quality skill at most. While a three-starred golem should be able to hold three rare skills at more. The better your quality of materials, the better the quality of runic scripts you could inscribe.
Adam, my first self-built golem, didn’t possess the full qualities of most of the three-starred golems, or even two stars for that matter. I’m still new to my class and all the capabilities available. In a sense, I was level one once again since my Heroic class began its morph, turning into something more golem related.
Adam was mainly a test of my skills and what I could do with them. Now, I understood more, and I was certain my next personal project would come out superior to what I began with.
Together, our hands moved as we began, Margret guiding me on each script we imbued. Scripts were just spells in written format, and we spent hours tracing runic script after script. Rare spells were the lowest grade we wrote on the body of the next Hero Golem. Similar to a laser, the magical essences were carved into the body of the golem until a tattoo-like pattern emerged over the body. ( Velocity Stride ), a skill that serves as both a flight and increased movement skill, was the first to be inscribed. Two wings in flight with wind underneath them were carved on the golem's ankles, symbolizing the runic script. One wing for each leg to complete the set.
“Steady, don’t rush, Your Highness, we have all the time in the world.”
( Impaling Thrust ), ( Unblockable Blade ), ( Gravity Dive ), and ( Combat Adaptation ) as its attack skills. ( Counter ), ( Aegis Guard ), and ( Aegis Sanctuary ) for its defensive abilities. Finally, ( Blue Crimson Armament ) and ( Mana Armament ) for their weapon buffing skills. Hours passed as we carved. The evening turned to night.
“Drink this Stamina and Mana potion. Allow us a moment of respite and Marna will bless you again.”
On its right arm, its weapon arm was a spear, carved to represent a straight thrust. A blade breaking through a shield represented ( Unblockable Blade ) once the rune work was complete. This was carved upon her back. ( Gravity Dive ), a boulder falling with speed was underneath her chin. Each of these runes was carved with care as Margret guided me under the watchful eyes of those in the TechShop. We moved from body part to body part. The hands of a far more experienced mage taught me a lot. She taught me the steadiness needed for precise effects, to allow the faster activation of the script. She taught me the patience necessary, as my hand grew tired, and I tried to speed the carving up. She taught me the excitement of bringing something to life. A sort of indescribable feeling settled over me as we worked. I found joy in what we were doing, but it helped me realize my inadequacies when making Adam. The rush I put into the golem and not allowing it to realize its full potential. That was due to my excitement at my first real use of my abilities. It would not happen again, not in the same manner.
‘You were excited at that time,’ Minerva chirped. Landing on my shoulder as we finished the final rune on the body of the golem.
‘ It is no excuse; my impatience could have gotten me killed. I have a responsibility that extends far outside myself. Without me, these Edryans here would be out of a job, and an entire economy would collapse. Who knows what my mother would have done.’
Minerva didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to. We were one, and no words truly were necessary to exchange between us.
After a small break as {Hunger} set in, we returned to the final step. What was a golem without its heart?
This time, Marna stepped forward.
“(Adaptive Learning Algorithm) must have the nodes of (Madris’s Touch) carved first. There are ten nodes, but only six are needed. However, that makes the spell very unstable,” Marna began.
“Thus, at the same time, the four nodes from (Breaking Dawn – Last Night) must be carved in conjunction with (Madris’s Touch). Two connecting spells are added to stabilize the spell. Then the final step…,” Margret picked up.
“…is to activate a golem infusion spell. To breathe life into it as both spells are combined! ( Imperius Infusion ).”
The first of my five new class skills was ( Imperius Infusion ). A Unique Heroic skill was established after I accepted the class. It was offered nearly immediately afterward.
Skill Name:
( Imperius Infusion )
Description:
Empower your golem with the essence of Imperius, to hold more weight than those consider peers. Imperius embodies transcending the ordinary, to lead from the front and hold the door for those who follow behind.
Function:
Infuse a golem with what it means to be Imperius, awaking the life within and giving it properties of one who is Imperius. Bestow an innate Heroic level skill based on the materials the golem is crafted from.
Cost:
1000MP, 500SP, 500HP.
60 Attributes Points per Heroic Skill.
I gritted my teeth and gave the mental acknowledgment for one Heroic skill. Nearly immediately, my body dropped. Before I could hit the ground, Margret caught me, a worried expression on her face. I sacrificed two levels worth of attributes and nearly all of my Life Points to use this skill. Immediately, I was hit with {Exhaustion}. My mind slowed, and I found it hard to think straight, barely even registering the voice of Marna. {Exhaustion}… placed an… [Attribute Limiter} on me as… I fell into this weaken and sluggish state. My… mind… slowed and I… found… it hard to… do much of anything…
“WHAT DID YOU DO,” Marna nearly screamed in a shrill voice as she looked at me. She looked terrified, gazing at me. A chorus of commotion came from her actions as the TechShop panicked.
‘ She must be able to sense your HP or something close,’ Minerva commented concerned. She took off the moment I fell, weakened. “ Didn’t we just discuss the consequences of your impulsiveness? Are you Stubborn or what?’
‘I’m Hard-headed, sue me.’
“( Full Heal ),” Marna said, immediately activating one of her Heroic skills.
“( Pinnacle Blessing of the War Goddess ),” not satisfied by her first heal, Marna nearly immediately cast another.
My eyes popped open, and my clothing creaked as I grew a size larger, muscles straining against the fabric. My eyes nearly popped out of my skull as I summoned my status and checked over what Marna did to me. My stats didn’t just double, nor triple, but they multiplied by five. A few passive and active abilities appear, with (War Goddess Instincts) being the most prominent of them.
What surprised me most was the fact that Marna could instantly cast such a high-tiered divine blessing. She’d be a powerful asset on any battlefield with abilities like such. Her class is the [Exalted War Pontiff of Madris] for a reason. What would Madria become if she accepted my offer?
“It’s begun,” Margret whispered. A manic light in her eyes as she gazed at the golem's heart. Once she realized I was ok, her attention returned to the battery.
Marna Gamal turned ecstatic as the next events began to unfold. The device floated in the air and spurts of black-blue lighting flashed past it. Marna’s gaze as all the TechShop was fixated on the battery. Many kneeled as the presence of the divine grew stronger. Knee’s thudding into the hard ground without a care for what was about to occur was something that only happened a few times.
A presence made the air rich with grace and Authority descended upon the TechShop. A single clear mirror-like portal opened into the Astral, showing an eye larger than the world. Behind that eye was a face that represented Wealth… A touch that radiated life. Outside, the stars dimmed as she acted, every single movement was precise and radiated luxury. Seven times I have seen this… but not in this new format. Usually, a single finger would spawn from the void and touch the heart of the golem, a full portal had never opened before. It was clear something was different today.
The first sound I heard was a sigh before a voice of silver and gold spoke. Each syllable is rich with expression, not gaudy, but her voice held a… rich aunty tone to it. The very life of the world seemed to be invigorated.
“Once more, Lawruthian? I implore you to devise a different spell to activate these… contraptions you play with. I grow weary of these games, for I find Playing Chess… distasteful. It may yield riches, but it extracts a heavy toll from the commoners.”
Out of the Astral came a single finger, a single touch, and night turned to day… and day into night. A single sharp, gold-plated nail studded with brilliant gems that put the Stellar Diamonds to shame gently poked the battery, and the ( Adaptive Learning Algorithm ) powered to life.
“Ohh…, it seems this one will be far more special than the last. I look forward to your victories. Secure the Wealth of the nation in my name!”
“Your will shall be done, Goddess Madris – The Lavish,” I stated with a bow. Before my attention turned, my attention back to the battery. I felt a sharp, stinging pain in my temple, but the pain was nearly gone as soon as it appeared. The divine blessing kept me in a peak state… doping me far beyond what it meant to be human.
“It’s not done yet! (Forefather of Edryan Innovation)!”