It had been a month, or at least that was how long the construct estimated it had been, standing there vocalizing in the stairwell between floors of the occupied dungeon. Its energy lasted the entire time, only now reaching a point where it would be considered ‘low’ that it was preparing its decent down to its Master when it heard something coming from the upper rooms. A loud scraping sound of something being dragged along the ground. The construct mimicked an inanimate object, a normal suit of armor standing along the wall as decoration, a feat that came naturally to it as that was what it was built to do, to lower the expectations of its quarry. Soon it heard a ‘thunk thunk thunk thunk’ of the object being dragged down the stairs. Rounding the corner was a creature in dark leathers smaller than a human, dragging a gem twice its size. Grumbling to itself.
A very angry looking goblin tugging along the gem paused. “EH ALEX YOU TWIG GET YER DANMED GEM!” Clearly fed up he pushed the gem from the top and sent it tumbling down the stairs with a heavy ‘think thunk tink thunk thump’ down as the construct had to endure getting hit by the thing on its way down. Its body almost tumbling over from the weight of the thing. Unsure what to do it remained still, ready to deal with this intruder as instructed.
Satisfied with his work making all that noise and getting a lot of movement done with little effort the goblinoid started to hop down the stairs before pausing before the construct. Looking it over. “That’s new…” watching for longer than the construct would have liked but eventually the goblin turned to start heading down the stairs. As soon as he turned the construct pulled the blade it had been created with for the first time, ready to perform its job as a guardian, swinging down at the small figure only for this intruder to quickly roll to the side. A sharp grin on the intruders face.
“New toy for Alexander then?” He mocked as small green hands flurried and spun a pair of daggers into his grasp. “Let’s see how well you do!”
Laughing manically the small form leapt higher than would be expected for a form as small as it. The construct lifting its blade up in an arched swing as it went for its airborne intruder only to feel a blade push against its own. A little grunt rolling from the goblin as he pushed off and twisted to use his small frame to his advantage, landing on the constructs shoulders and digging a dagger down into the chink between helm and neck.
Normal attacks such as this would be effective against a person in armor but against the suit it was futile, there was no meat to dig blade into. Taking advantage of its unique body the arm twisted back and up to grasp the goblins foot from the opposite side, quickly yanking the creature down before flinging him forward and down the stairwell.
Landing with a crash at the bottom and a groan of discomfort the goblin got up. It’s playful grin only wider and more manic. “That’s it!!” He laughed as he pulled a new set of daggers, this pair etched with runes along the blade that caused it to glow along the edge in a faint light of magic being channeled through the metal. Lowering his already small frame, muscles tense and ready to strike. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike and get a decisive victory.
The construct shifted, standing up it pulled the blade closer to protect itself, unsure of what these new blades could be capable of. But ready to defend itself as it fixed its posture for the more defensive measure it was conducting, only to spot its creator coming down the hallway. Barking an order at his construct.
“What are you doing!? Stand Down!” hearing these words it’s posture paused and shifted, the moment it started to return to a neutral stance the goblin lunged, his body pushing up and landing on the constructs chest as his weight forced it to bend back or be toppled over, only to have the runed blades returned to its neck, only this time they sank into it and dealt damage, not against flesh, there was none, instead digging into the magical webbing and formations that held the construct together. Feeling the very magic that were holding it together being ripped and frayed apart. The singing crystal shrieking at the surge of magic backlashing through the construct before its body went limp and its energies ripped to shreds.
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Alexander looked upset. “Fez’ek! When I sent you a message asking you to bring me the largest gem you had access to I expected you to message me so I could come and retrieve it, not have you dragging the damn thing through the dungeon and then breaking my guard!” He fumed. It would take time to repair the construct.
Fez’ek just gave a toothy grin as he picked the helm off of the construct’s body. “I got you your gem, it was close by so easier to drag it here than send message and listen to you bawk and complain. Plus I can get a peek at what you have going on in here!” The mischievous goblin said. “And I am KING Fez’ek now! Ruler of all clans!” Tilting his head up, his nose poking into the air in boisterous pride of his accomplishment. “We already burned twelve human cities to ground and built on top of them.” He cackled all-too happily. Pleased with all the hauls and growing harem of human slaves he had taken.
Alexander rubbed his temples, the damned goblin was always a handful. “Very well, I’ll show you what I’m up to.” He waved a hand and created a floating platform that rose up under the gem, levitating it before he added his constructs fallen parts to it. The platform following behind it’s caster.
Fez’ek sheathed his blades and climbed up atop the gem, a floating throne for his royal green self. “So why the gem and why so large?”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “I thought you disliked magic, too many rules…” After a moment he sighed. “The large gem will hold all the chaotic energies I’ll be using for a spell, allowing them to mingle in a container that won’t break as I make the formations needed to have them ‘play nice’ like how you got all your clans to follow you, if you just put them together they would murder each other, but with you, you brought all that chaos into one directed purpose, your purpose, that is what this gem will help me do.”
Fez’ek nodded his head, he could understand that, it was a pain, most clan’s hated each other, but with him he just went in and beat the strongest into submission, seduced the females away or murdered until the only ones left were the ones that would listen to him and do as he commanded. He could respect forcing magic to do things it didn’t want to do.
Entering the inner sanctum it hadn’t changed much, spells bubbled in bottles of fermenting concoction potions. Shelves of books and tomes of magic, magic theory, and formulations. The alter at the center holding a pair of metal sorlleret’s sat, more akin to metallic boots with cleats affixed to the bottoms.
“I just finished making a improved part for my construct you so rudely set me back on. I’ll have to repair him but now I have to think of a way to keep it safe from attacks that will rip his magic formations apart, but I suppose it will be a boon in the end.” He nodded. “But here let me show you this.” He took the goblin into a side room, this one larger than the study room they had been in, this one containing a large magic circle with twisting lines that curved and spun about to a central point.
“This will be the ritual room, once I’m ready to ascend.”
Fez’ek was forced off his throne as the gem was lifted off the levitating platform and guided to the center of the circle where the circle started to glow and hold it in place.
“How long till that?” Fez’ek asked, curious as he had finished all his tasks needed and gained quite a bit more really, and now just had free time to do as he pleased. So finding things to entertain himself, such as pestering the mage, could be a good way to pass the time.
“If things go as they have been then fourteen months, it is going faster than expected, and this gem’s size will help me get a little faster as well. When my potion finishes fermenting it will be two simple rituals, but I may even have time to get a third in for a backup for us all. Save us from death as it were.”
Fez’ek nodded, he did dislike dieing, not that he had, and he was a bringer of death, not one to die. But if he were to die he was sure he would hate it. “That’s good.” He was going to ask a few more questions but Alexander started to go into a tirade on his new idea involving jars and blood and something dumb that didn’t interest him, so long as magic did its job in end then he didn’t care one bit. He had fun breaking the magic man but now? It was getting into lecture territory and he wasn’t for that. He would come back in a bit and break the magic man again, for now his harem was calling for him. Turning and leaving without even a goodbye or a notion to try and stop Alexander from rambling on.
“And so when the mortal form is broken the soul will be pulled to the awaiting form identical to its original instead of being pulled to the afterlife thus enabling us to be immortal so long as the spell is prepared after each loss of form, but having too many could be a problem as then the soul would be torn in too many directions and potentially rip it apart in attempt to fill all those voids at once!” Turning away from the scribblings he had started to do on parchment with large twisted looking jugs next to him he used to demonstrate how the magic would work. Only to find that he was alone. It had been an hour since Fez’ek had left.
Giving a sigh Alexander just shook his head. “Of course, I get into talking of the finer, and more enjoyable aspects of theoretical magic and he leaves.” Making his way to the central alter of his research room he started to organize the pieces of his construct together. “Well…what will I do with you?” He said as he looked down at his construct and started to think of a way to improve it.