“Um…are you sure this isn't overkill?”
“[Yes.]”
“Fine…” I sighed mentally.
Over the last few days, the base had been a whirlwind of activity. Even though I somewhat dreaded it, I knew I would have to travel to Maplepost soon and establish myself. To that end, I began fabricating everything I would need to transform a rural village into a thriving technological metropolis. For the thousandth time, I thanked God for Eve. With her advanced computation abilities, she was able to calculate the exact specifications that would work best, as well as anticipating future needs.
However, included in those future needs were defensive capabilities, which led her to suggesting we fabricate some military vehicles. By her logic, while robots like Predators and Dianmu Gunners worked well as general security and defense, they were severely under equipped to deal with threats like monsters. My mind flashed back to the battle in Ocaephis, and how Morgaine tore through my robots like they were wet pieces of paper.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. So whatcha got for me?”
Fuxi: Creating list…
Vanguard-14 Tank:
Armored vehicle equipped with a 120mm cannon and 2 mounted machine guns. Has lighter armor compared to other models of tanks, as speed is its main attribute. Often included in advance forces, or used to quickly flank and encircle enemy forces. Is also capable of pulling an infantry transport trailer, but doing so will slow it down considerably. Can be piloted manually, remotely, or have an AI chip installed for automation.
Arrowhead Combat Aircraft:
Fighter designed to intercept enemy aircraft, as well as providing air support to ground units. Equipped with a 20mm rotary cannon, and 2 sets of Dragonfire air-to-air missiles. Dragonfire Missiles can be exchanged for Thunderclap air-to-surface bombs or laser guided missiles. Its top speed is approximately mach 1.5, and has enough fuel to operate for 1.5 hours. Can be controlled remotely or have an AI chip installed for automation.
Hurricane Combat Helicopter:
Helicopter designed to provide versatile support to units on the ground. Equipped with a 30mm automatic cannon and 2 sets of Eclipse rocket pods. Eclipse rocket pods can be replaced with air-to-surface anti-armor missiles or air-to-air high explosive missiles. Able to transport up to 6 personnel, as long as weight does not exceed 4,000 pounds. If needed, rocket pods can be detached and replaced with hooks to hold cargo, allowing for transportation of supplies or evacuation of wounded individuals. Can be controlled remotely or have an AI chip installed for automation.
“How many of each could I make?”
“[Our current stock of resources is only enough for two total vehicles.]”
“Alright, let me think…get started on making two of the Hurricanes.”
Fuxi: Understood. Estimated completion time: 7 days, 2 hours, 4 minutes.
“[Why did you not choose to make the Vanguard or Arrowhead? The Vanguard would have been useful for protecting our headquarters, and the Arrowhead could be used as a rapid response for any threat coming our way.]”
“Well, considering that we are surrounded by forest, the tanks would have a lot of trouble maneuvering outside of the area we’ve cleared. And as for the Arrowheads, building a runway is too costly right now.”
“[Have you considered a launch tube?]”
I frowned as I considered her suggestion. Due to the replacement of human pilots with AI, militaries around the world started investing in ‘launch tubes’ instead of runways. They were essentially giant slingshots built inside of holes in the ground that would hurl aircraft into the sky. While normal pilots couldn’t handle the strain of launch tubes, AI controlled aircraft had no such limitations.
“Again, too expensive. And plus, we need some big guns up and running as soon as possible. From what we’ve seen, we might not have the luxury of time.”
“[...Understood.]”
“Look, as soon as we’ve set up a solid system, we can start thinking about this again, ok?”
After that, Eve and I spent several hours pouring over every picture, scan, and survey that my drones had taken of the area surrounding Maplepost.
“[Two entrances will need to be built, one at the north end, and the other on the south. Using the stone excavated during the construction of the underground headquarters, we can set up walls as a temporary fortification. However, implementation of more advanced fortifications should be a high priority.]”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Good point. What about utilities like sewage and electricity?”
“[Analyzing data…the lake adjacent to the village is fed by an underground spring. Water would be diverted to a treatment facility before being pumped into Maplepost. As for electricity, solar panels will serve as an adequate temporary solution. In the future, I believe it would be more advantageous to switch to nuclear fission.]”
“Right as always, Eve.”
“[No. It is impossible for any intelligence to be correct 100% of the time.]”
I rubbed my face with both hands. “It’s not supposed to be taken literally…” I sighed. Even after all these years, Eve occasionally reverted back to her mechanical origins.
“[...Understood. Thank you for the compliment.]”
I leaned back in my chair with a groan, stretching my arms above my head. “You mind ironing out the details? I’d like to read one of the books from Venari’s library.”
“[Of course.]”
Closing my eyes, I focused and pulled up the files that my robot had sent from Ocaephis.
“100 Herbs and Their Growing Conditions? Nope. The Autobiography of Elest Farhan? Yeah, no. The Sensuous Reptilian Housekeeper? What’s that….OH WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?”
It took several minutes for me to purge the contents of that book from my mind. “Jesus christ…either Venari or her librarian have some strange tastes…”
After carefully examining the rest of the files, I finally landed on one that sounded interesting: Legends of the Gods.
Introduction
The Laws of the world are the foundation of existence itself. Without even one of them, reality would begin to spiral and crumble. Mages and scholars of all races have studied the laws for millennia, and although many have delved into the nature of the Laws, their origin eludes us still their origin remains the same: The Mother.
To our knowledge, eons ago, or perhaps at the birth of the world, the Laws that be coalesced into corporeal form. The common folk call them gods, but those among the more educated circles refer to them as the Embodiments. It is my humble hope that studying the history of these ancient beings may one day allow us to glimpse further into the Laws that they embody. However, I must warn the reader that due to the age of the stories and the sources used, it is possible, if not likely, that parts have been embellished or fabricated.
Thinking quickly, I looked at the table of contents. My eyes scanned the pages until they landed on a familiar name, and I scrolled to the appropriate page.
Luan, Embodiment of the Law of Chaos
The Embodiment of Chaos is not an easy one to keep track of. Unlike what many believe, Luan is not a malevolent being, but merely one that acts however he desires. He is happenstance, coincidence, and random chance personified. The only consistent aspect about him is the blood-red crow that perches on his shoulder. I have searched for many years, but there has only been one story where Luan’s involvement was undeniable: The Mad King of Arcan.
Many years ago, in what is now the kingdom of Thenia, existed a country known as Arcan. At the time, it was one of the major powers of the continent, having conquered and devoured its smaller, weaker neighbors. Its ruler, King Gratad, was renowned for his strategic mind and calm temperament. Perhaps it was for this reason that Gratad was unfortunately targeted by Luan.
The Embodiment of Chaos made it his mission to harass the king, starting with minor things such as misplacing objects and whispering odd words into the king’s ear. From there, it only escalated. Auditory and visual hallucinations would assault the king, furnishings and important documents would spontaneously combust, and even the court jester was manipulated to deliver cryptic and unsettling messages. In one notorious incident, King Gratad was hosting a banquet for his nobles, and ordered the servants to bring out the food. However, when the covers were removed, it was revealed that everything had long since rotted. Maggots infested the green and slimy meat, mold covered the bread, and even the water had developed a layer of algae.
This was the breaking point for the king. Enraged, he ordered his guards to arrest and execute nearly half of the nobles, ranting that they were traitors. The rest of the nobles escaped as quickly as possible, returning to their lands with images of the rabid king filling their minds. Fearing for their lives, the nobles soon rose up against their king, calling their soldiers and marching upon the capital. Blood ran freely through the streets that day, and chaos consumed much of the city. However, across all the eyewitness accounts taken after the incident, only one thing remained consistent: A man hovering high in the air, dressed in the most peculiar of clothes, with a crow circling around him. Those close enough to hear him reported that he was cackling madly, seemingly without a care in the world.
Months after the uprising took place, a mage of the Law of Order requested an audience with the Acting Regent. It was then revealed that traces of the Law of Chaos were littered across the castle grounds. This, along with the testimonies of the citizens of the capital, all but confirmed Luan’s involvement. The only lesson in this story is that one cannot trust those that meddle in the Law of Chaos. One day, they may commit the worst atrocities known to man merely for amusement, while the next they will feed and clothe orphans at their own expense.
When I stopped reading, I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a loud sigh.
“So why did he help me then? Was it really nothing but chance?”
After contemplating for several minutes, I realized that I was no closer to figuring it out. Returning to the introduction, I looked at the line that had been hastily scribbled out and replaced.
“If I had to guess, the Church of the Mother wasn’t too happy with the original text,” I noted.
I continued to read the entry on Luan, but as the author had warned, the sources for other stories involving the God of Chaos were unreliable at best. To prove his point, the author spoke of a time when rumors had spread of Luan’s red crow, Hugmun, being spotted in the far south of Pithus. However, when mages and scholars flocked to the area, they only found a seagull that had gorged itself on wild plums, dying its plumage pink. Even then, many wondered if the entire event had been an elaborate prank designed by Luan. Unfortunately, my reading was interrupted by an alert from one of the motion sensors.
[Alert. Intruder detected on Sub-Level 16 (Food Storage). Categorization: Unknown entity.]