Isabella was having the time of her life. She was in charge of one of the fortifications and was largely being left alone. Maria was dealing with a competent enemy getting most of the help from their siblings. While Isabella’s mother and Vlad were monitoring the upper and lower levels around checkpoint one. The goblin swarms in the nearby tunnels and caves were a bit worrying as were the “on paper” losses, but they had some very good data on reproductive rates.

Isabella wasn’t left alone to deal with her problems sometimes her siblings would join in on the hunt in her caverns, but mostly they focused on the more problematic tribe Maria was dealing with.

On her side the issue of being invaded was much simpler. The hostile goblin tribes would swarm in and scour her areas clean of resources. They then fell to infighting and her own sweeps, those that survived withdrew in random cycles. The nano and micro bot swarms would flow in to remove much of the filth they left in their wake. What remained was cleaned up by the slow but eventual breakdown of the domain’s mana or her own goblins.

The real difference was in how she was able to fight them. These goblins had no problem being brought to battle. Her resource areas were walled and defended by stone ditches as well as formations of guards and skirmishers. Goblin packs and war parties would frequently and stupidly charge them throughout the ‘day’.

The goblin-on-goblin violence was much the same if more vicious than what Maria was dealing with. The presence of multiple tribes likely agitated the hostile forces to be more aggressive, they also lacked leaders.

This meant that the attacks tended to be more conclusive and had less withdrawals from combat.

The losses were staggering on both sides. It also meant that most of the numerical reinforcements went to Isabella’s side rather than to Vlad or Maria.

While not a battle maniac like Conrad or a violent tomboy like Maria, Isabella couldn’t deny a certain visceral satisfaction at destroying her enemies. She simply preferred to do so in a different way than the others.

The cavern that held Checkpoint Two had been expanded and remodeled quite a lot since she took over. On the advice of Alissa and Nova she made the cavern interesting. High ground, low ground walkways and paths on the sides, added verticality, a few wide flat and open areas. Places for her to place forts, as well as the means to easily retake ground that was lost.

The added verticality was also where many of her resourcing operations took place with mines that regenerated their veins of ore. This was happening as her mother’s network slowly drew itself across the room, before being covered by a thin sheet of natural looking rock.

The network itself somehow reinforced the surrounding stone as well, likely mana seepage. That created some truly fantastic caverns.

Several kilometers long and wide, hundreds of meters tall. Countless swarms displacing thousands of tons of rock to feed into the matter to energy converter that then dumped said energy into the network. Places in the cavern were designated for ‘creature spawning’ as well as numerous nests in the honeycombed tunnels around the room.

Creating an artificial biome, and self-sustaining ecosystem. It was vital that the energy ecology of the domain remained stable and more importantly sustainable. The core itself was ‘growing’ alongside the domain, as well as being ‘healed’ by the now manageable flows of mana entering it.

The population of the domain was vital for dealing with the corrupt mana. As were the invaders coming to be relieved of their corrupt mana while absorbing the excess clean mana from the room. The deaths of any creatures, domain or otherwise released more power used by the domain to grow.

Isabella for her part focused on the destruction of the invading parties as they were culling the natural population of the domain to harshly. Even with dangerous monsters and predators present the seemingly inexhaustible numbers were a threat.

Every cycle a few thousand goblins from varying tribes would come in and either die or take from the domain. They mostly surprisingly weren’t pushing to drive her out, but they got more hostile as if they didn’t find the resources they wanted.

Isabella exerted her influence over her goblins to cause them to counter swarm the invaders, meanwhile she was preparing defenses at her forts and key locations around the cavern. It was a chess game, and one she intended to win. Platoons of constructs marched to each of the forts. She would push soon; she just needed more constructs.

Her mother’s low opinion of the goblins as soldiers or even a mob to throw at the enemy was beginning to make sense. The moment the fighting got to the open field it became apparent that the effort to force the creatures to fight to a reasonable standard became apparent. In tunnels they could be driven forward constantly, here they broke and ran favoring hit and run. They did tend to be a massive pain in the ass though as they settled in a calm area before trying the same shit over and over.

It was more like fighting an infection, constantly having to hunt down every single one. Luckily the answer was spiders, simple hunting spiders. They combed the less trafficked areas for wondering goblins to eat.

The battles so far had involved the goblins throwing themselves at each other, occasionally Isabella would send her formations of constructs forward as well as skirmishers to run down the enemy.

The goblins she had defeated were the main issue as several groups remained in her territory, including what she thought of as lesser tribes. Groups that brought their own families and such inside the domain and began to settle.

These built their own encampments and took land. It was basically the same thing she was doing with her constructs. Wiping them out became something of a priority, a costly one at that.

***

Alissa for her part during this conflict was focusing on the potential of using magic as a work around for technology. Most of it was a dead end, technology and advanced society went hand in hand. The circuits did allow her to begin making a Mark 3 version of her constructs. Ones that operated more like the warbots she was used to. Between her advanced nano swarm and the now upgraded wellspring she was making a few dozen every cycle. The wellspring was no longer needed to animate and control just to give ‘life’ to the constructs. An odd concept, the seeds started the golem constructs rather than being the brain. That function was taken over by the magical circuitry, leaving the wellspring seed to manage the repairs.

This also meant that she had more control of the constructs and could start removing them from Nova’s network by giving them a starting package to work with. Mostly it meant that she now had a reasonable production rate and better troops.

The living metal wellspring itself had grown to be nearly as big as Alissa and produced several dozen seeds in a day when it had access to both the resources and power.

The MK3 versions were limited to the guards and skirmishers for now, they were made of a bronze alloy and had their own ‘enchantments’ to make up for the low-quality materials and design.

These enchantments were little more than channels for raw magic that seeped into and strengthened the materials just like the stone near her network. They were overall tougher but not much stronger or faster. Much easier to build by using bronze casting to pre-form the metal.

That and the reduced cost on the wellspring made them much more valuable than the stone versions.

The rest was going as planned. Alissa wanted to expand and get rid of the goblin invaders both inside and around her domain. She was beginning to think that something was fundamentally wrong with her and her connection to the core. There shouldn’t be this much difficulty with control inside the domain, her senses shouldn’t be this disconnected from something that contained her own energies.

She was both the domain and one of its creatures, yet was lacking some of the key elements of both…

Not that it would stop her in the long run, but the handicap was annoying as hell, having to work around those deficiencies was just another reason to get her tech base up. Given time she wouldn’t need the ability to sense fine details with the domain as sensors and cameras took over. Control would be managed by signal relays, computers, and AI’s. Just had to get there, build up the resources and the production facilities as well as finding a population to manage them.

Worst came to worst she could eventually build a mechanical workforce, but the effort behind that extremely long-term plan was mindboggling.

For now, she would run the domain off of a primitive system, much like pre-information age societies did. The fortresses necessary to control the territory as well as trusted commanders was a bit of a problem, but she did have her kiddos for now. With enough time she was sure she could create another few generations every once in a while.

Her mine was expanding, all the death inside the domain going into the power sink for higher quality materials.

The build up of iron especially was becoming noticeable. Enough so that weapons became feasible.

As a hobby Alissa began to work as a blacksmith, it also gave her the opportunity to study magic and material interactions. Now, she was a cheating cheater who cheats at this particular skill as she used the information in her neural implant to get things right. Along with the mechanical precision she could use her body at.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The act of creating with her own hands, as well as the catharsis of just beating a piece of metal into submission was quite satisfying. That it gave her a chance to practice her magic in non-destructive ways was a bonus. Now if she could just find a good wood substitute, she would be golden.

The lack of ranged variety for her forces was annoying as hell. A unit of crossbows would change everything, if she could get the goblins to use bows instead of slings even better. Longbows, crossbows and arbalests filled her mind. She briefly considered handguns of some variety, including magical, and decided against it.

For one thing they were overkill and another she didn’t want to introduce advanced tech without some knowledge of the rest of the world. So far, she hadn’t seen any indication that societies were above iron age. The goblins outside her domain were barely bronze age, it was just too big a risk.

Technology would eventually be stolen, and reverse-engineered, even knowing something was possible could change the fate of a civilization’s development. In a world of magic and without a pressing need she would likely avoid such complications.

She would make some cannons eventually, just to secure her inner fortifications. First there were several low-tech siege weapons that she could use to change the balance of the upcoming tunnel fights. Maybe flintlock pistols for the kiddos, though their magic might just be a better ranged option. The rest well… goblins plus guns? Assuming she could teach them how to use them… No just all the no.

***

Isabella was pushing towards the next chamber, she had managed to isolate and put to siege the goblin parties in the Checkpoint. Now it was about getting to the edge of the domain. One she felt was in the next chamber. She had been mercilessly throwing her goblins at the enemy forces, as well as ambushing them with her constructs to cut a path to the opposite entrance.

Her goal was to cut those in this room off, after the entrance was secure, she could strangle them to death at her leisure. The constructs she left behind could handle the important objectives without her direct supervision. Plus, Conrad had been enlisted to watch over the room, hell he might even be able to eliminate the goblin infestation on his own.

Disciplined ranks of constructs followed the swarm of goblins she pushed at the entrance. Her advance across the Checkpoint was unopposed, hundreds of goblins alone would have held the enemies back. The full two hundred constructs were simply icing on the cake.

At the entrance the tunnel broke off, one main path followed by dozens of branches down its length, some dead ends other were warrens of twisting tunnels leading back. Her constructs began depositing several breeding pairs and families of creatures into these off shoots. For now, Isabella wanted to control the main artery to her checkpoint, she could finish this place off later.

She did send goblin ‘patrols’ down the tunnels to drive out any hiding groups.

The chamber she entered after the journey made her gasp. Three to four times the size of her Checkpoint and filled to the absolute brim with goblins. A few dozen kilometers in each direction, far enough that she couldn’t see the edges, just the walls rising up in the distance. A massive, vaulted ceiling capable of fitting an industrial city in.

The edge of the domain, two kilometers (1.24 miles) before her. This one chamber was bigger than the entire domain put together. The goblin population larger than the whole of Alissa’s goblin cave combined.

Camps everywhere, fires and noise. Roaming packs of cave beasts, and a fungal forest nearby a part of it inside the domain’s boundaries. It was magical and terrifying. She had her constructs set up in a shield wall and sent the goblins out.

While they went and died driving off the small groups near the entrance Isabella compiled a report and several requisitions. She wanted first crack at any ‘cavalry’ that became available. She also needed her checkpoint managed as this was a whole new can of worms. Then the large number of additional domain monsters including a working group of colony spiders.

Swarms were deployed to begin fortifying, builders began digging a ditch and elevated platforms that would become a wall. Now she just had to see what happened.

***

Alissa upon receiving the report from Isabella decided to mobilize herself and the reserves she had been keeping back. For all the kiddos competence this was a bit much. Karl remained behind to guard the core, while Carmilla joined the group.

Marching to the checkpoint, leading a force of a few thousand goblins, plus hundreds of additional constructs Alissa began the cleanup first.

Her will was far greater than the kids’, so the goblins nearby found themselves throwing themselves into battle regardless of their desire to flee. It was usually too much trouble to be worthwhile, not impossible. Now she wanted to ensure that Isabella wasn’t in over her head.

The encampments fell quickly, swarmed by a tide of domain goblins. The defenders either dead or captive. For the next few hours Alissa forced her creatures to throw themselves into battle headless of casualties. All the while she and Carmilla devastated any defense that even looked to be troublesome.

She then forced some select splinter tribes to settle in at a few strategic locations. Leaving behind a great deal of supplies to stimulate rapid growth, this included the captives. She called upon the domain to create more fodder creatures like mole-rats and lizards as food sources.

While the goblins scoured the Checkpoint for any survivors or drove them into killing grounds for the spiders hiding in dark places. Her constructs marched in lockstep towards the entrance. Carrying numerous base stations and led by the MK3 fighters. Not long after her arrival she was joined by a blood drenched Conrad.

He would be responsible for finishing up here.

Then Alissa began the tedious six-hour process of securing the tunnels behind Isabella’s exposed position. Base stations were deployed, guards left in place, creatures summoned, and barriers magicked into position. Goblins forced to stillness by the power of her AI enhanced mind and the will that had commanded thousands of warbots.

Then she arrived at Isabella’s location.

The first thing she did was a firm but harmless karate chop to the kid’s head.

“While I normally hate the phrase, good initiative, bad judgement. It currently fits quite well. Why exactly did you think it was a good idea to push out here without recon and securing your flanks and rear?”

The kid comically holding her head answered. “How was I supposed to do that. This was a reconnaissance in force. We now hold the entrance and don’t have to force a breakthrough here. As for my flanks and rear there was barely any threat.”

Carmilla was wisely paying attention but keeping silent.

“For now… while you need to make your own judgements, and you are not wrong. That. Changes things.” Alissa replied waving in the direction of a hostile goblin horde.

She continued. “If you had gotten engaged by an overwhelming force, your path of retreat is unsecure, and no forces were in position to support. While you did a good job getting here you were too hasty, the domain makes it nearly impossible for these creatures to tunnel to us, but we don’t have that issue. Holding the opening here is not really that big of a deal as long as we hold the tunnel. You should always prepare for the worst; you will still be surprised but the law of things never going entirely to plan is always in effect. You got lucky.”

While she was talking the domain’s goblins got under control, forming a broad semi-circle around the entrance, growing as more and more poured out.

Lecture over Isabella nodded and fell into place by her mother watching the proceedings, giving Carmilla a nod.

“Carmilla you and your sister check those mushrooms. I want samples and to ensure they are secure. Send goblins in first, sometimes fungus can be dangerous with their spores. As for me I will organize the defense here and be ready to support you, aside from the goblins take your bodyguards only. Isabella, your job is to ensure that the path of retreat remains open. Let your sister do her thing with the plants.”

As the kids ran off to fulfill their orders Alissa began to spread the goblins out, more builders and base stations were deployed. Ditches were dug, Alissa was honestly expecting an attack to come soon.

She already saw that her opponents had noted their presence. Now they were massing up the force needed to begin their attack on her position.

She watched as they slowly gathered together, working themselves into a frenzy… attacking each other killing dozens outright. A few enterprising shamans committed ritual sacrifice right there.

The kids didn’t even have to hurry, the samples were gathered including some for replanting and two giant mushroom trees being dragged behind. All before the goblin masses even began to move forward in meaningful numbers.

Rather than keep her forces in a formation she broke her goblins into larger groups and when the time came she was going to let them throw themselves at the enemy.

That was precisely what happened an agonizing hour later. The kids and Alissa herself had been shaping ditches and platforms for the coming combat, including trenches to funnel her opponents into the meat grinder that were her constructs in a head on fight. When some unknowable threshold was reached Alissa’s position was charged.

Like in bad historical holovids the goblins immediately became interspersed. Wildly flailing about with no attempt at formations or any organization. Perfectly happy to kill anyone that they could. Alissa had a slight advantage here as her own goblins were more interested in the opponents than each other. Not that it really mattered their job was to wear the enemies down, killing was a secondary concern.

The almighty cacophony was… loud… and annoying as it consisted of goblins shrieking at everything. The crash of weapons and screams of injured and dying. The rumble of magic lighting the air.

Alissa and the kids focused on countering magical attacks. Their own shamans doing better than predicted, probably because the kids ‘trained’ with the things, making them better combat casters. Although to be fair Alissa only cared about magic that affected non-goblin forces. If the enemies killed off her goblins it was whatever. Destroying her fortifications or filling in the ditches or worse yet attacking her or the kids well that got a response.

To Alissa the outcome was never in question. Not with her forces being dug in, and not with the presence of her constructs. Three powerful casters conveniently made the outcome even more certain.

The battle ebbed and flowed with her forces holding surprisingly well, that tiny bit of extra cohesion and her will preventing them from fleeing… it still took hours, and the opposition didn’t exploit any of the breaks they created. The magical support from the kids turning entire patches of the large battlefield into deadlands. Deadlands that were soon filled in as more goblin tribes ran in.

Eventually the fighting moved away from her own battered lines… the goblins had fallen into infighting as the new tribes attacked the retreating ones only to be jumped from behind by others. It was embarrassing.

“To think that this is the quality of my enemy…”

Alissa threw the remainder of her goblins after them, she still had almost three quarters of them left. The enemy hadn’t stayed in battle with most of them long enough to get much killing done, and her wounded were allowed to fall back. Ranged constructs had been doing the damage they could from their position only to be resupplied by Alissa shaping rough throwing spears from the nearby ground. It’s not like the mass required any sort of precision.

The goblins attacked the… routed?... opposition followed by skirmishers and a few of her own guard constructs. The guards moved towards the flanks of the enemy pushing them in, killing with swift and merciless strikes. Their superior tactics preventing losses from a disorganized foe.

All the while the defenses continued building, the enemies hadn’t even been able to disrupt the work. At a certain point Alissa had disengaged her mind from the battle, contenting herself with ensuring the ranged troops had javelins and letting Nova notify her of the battle’s progress.

Nova had been working with the kids to ensure they understood not only what was happening but why. Alissa wanted nothing more than to get back to the core room and study the mushrooms at this point as her eyes and senses told her that she had found what she was looking for, a wood substitute.

***

In the distance on one of the far off stalagmites a pair of eyes observed the battle with far more intelligence than a goblin possessed.