Day 36 continued

I'm standing here on my submersible bridge, carrying a wounded foreign scout (who is surprisingly heavy for such a small guy) as the Elder rat tries to back-stab me (figuratively) by triggering the mechanism of the bridge. Trying to drop me in with the fish, to have me eaten alive. Not nice at all.

Really I can't help but laugh.

Old fool, did you seriously think there was going to be a second time for that trick? You tried to lock me out once already. Now you're trying to murder me? Contingencies are already in place.

I only ever opened the door and raised the bridge. Do you know what happens if you hit the same switches when the door is open and the bridge raised? I may have left a booby-trap for the ignorant, since I figured this would happen.

“Why won't this work?! Die you monster!” [Elder rat]

He's still just staring at my smile, pressing the trigger of his own execution.

“Ahahahahaha!” [Rick] “Moron! Go die, yourself!”

A rope coil, made from woven reeds, whips closed around his feet and the mechanism pulls tight. A few of his followers try to grab his arms but he slips out of reach as it hauls him into the air. Then a series of pulleys activate and a crane arm turns, positioning him over the water. He barely has time to open his mouth to beg before he drops into the middle of the river.

He thrashes the water for several moments with his arms, surprising me. I figured it would already be over...

Then a massive eel takes his left arm off in one bite. His howling is quite shrill. I didn't get it at first, but it seems the smaller fish are shredding him under the surface of the water. He dips under as larger fish bite. Eventually going under and never returning.

Thus the old rat ends up fish food instead of me.

Do unto others...

Panting, exhausted from carrying a heavy load on thick mud and then trying to catch my breath from the laughter I haul the scout to shore, dump him there and then toggle the gears appropriately, lowering the bridge and door. Really only an idiot would leave a design flaw already identified in a new construction. It didn't even take a modification point to add, that was after all the main weapon of the gate system on the river entrance.

I fetch the golem and have it carry the scout home.

I feel much better, so many little annoyances dealt with. The bigger headaches are still hovering.

Huh. The undead giant has wandered off again. I wasn't that concerned it'd get in because I'd have seen it coming if it tried to use the swamp to enter via the river. It must have gone somewhere else. Perhaps it is trying to find a suitable route back to the Mausoleum room. There is probably some side tunnel leading there. A less direct path. Hopefully it is gone.

With the Elder now in pieces in several hundred different fish I have less issues in general with the rat population. He was the main problem. I'll still be adding safeties and non-lethal discouragements for those that meddle with my toys in future.

If I can find them, perhaps train a few loyal members in their proper use.

Not Niala though.

Definitely not.

She objects to my 'hug the stranger' request, stating her hugs are 'expressions of love'.

I manage to talk her into it, although she claims she is only hugging me by proxy. I'll feel bad and uncomfortable if Stranger has to return them to me...

For safety's sake I relieve the scout of anything sharp and dangerous, putting them aside. I don't want the scout to think he's a captive, so much as a guest. Niala should, once the initial shock wears off help smooth things over. Her innocence should be good for that.

I keep the bracer loaded and a knife handy, just in case the awakening soldier jumps to the wrong conclusions and rashly gets violent. I'll have to dispose of the body somewhere in the town, as I can't let the others know the scout was ever here, if I do.

I rushed out briefly to the swamp to cover my tracks. I used mats of swamp grass to remove the majority of my footprints. I also retrieved the rest of the scout's weapons.

Hopefully it won't come to body dumping... the fish for example make a convenient garbage disposal.

Anyhow, to be on the safe side, now that I know their armor I can build weapons that can pierce it.

Bronze and leather aren't the epitome of hardness.

I can even boost the damage potential of my weapons, if I focus on weapons that I have the talents to use.

To pass the time I make some unusual weapons.

Lately I've been using the discarded giant dagger in the vault for materials for my best devices. It is a slab of solid steel after all. The best material I might ever have, if these fellows are an indication.

The best part about having steel? My main threat is still stuck in the bronze period. I craft two very different weapons, a sword-breaker and a scissors-katar. I figure they'll be useful if it comes down to hand to hand against a bronze sword or bladed spear. If I can't break the weapon I can at least trap it and defend against a strike. An eclectic mix, the former originating from China and the later India.

The sword-breaker is basically a square shaped bar with a sharp point and a sword handle. It is incredibly sturdy, enough to at least block a heavy weapon, if not completely bend or shatter it. It won't bend under my full weight. When I jump on it. All the weight makes it a nasty stabbing weapon too.

The scissors-katar is a type of punch-dagger: the triangular blade projects out from the knuckles. Included is a mechanism that activates when the handle is squeezed, causing a pair of blades to jump out the inside of the main blade (the scissors!). It looks bad-ass and it is very useful for trapping weapons and surprising enemies.

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Following those unique weapons I produce a pair of tiger-claws, a different kind of fist weapon. A bit like brass knuckles, only with vicious claw-like blades in a row of five. I figure if I am forced to kill someone troublesome I can at least disguise the cause of death. India again. Seriously, India used to be damn scary if the weapons are any indication.

What can I say? I'm a weapon aficionado. Quite a desirable knowledge to have given my current talents and circumstances.

Day 37~ barely.

The scout woke up around... midnight? I suppose.

He shrieked when he found Niala on him. She wisely backed off.

He has night-vision equivalent or superior to my own, so I ignore the issue of darkness.

I calmly try to converse with him with gestures.

I give him his weapons.

Then I offer him a high quality blackberry from storage and my water bottle.

He seems a bit calmer. At least until he notices the golem.

He spins, shocked by the giant weapon, trying to see if it was moving; trying to judge if it was a threat.

I tell the golem to sit.

He realizes I have control and I'm not threatening him, when the golem moves into a less mobile position. Well, maybe I am threatening him just a little with that kind of control.

He glances around and notices all the weapons I've crafted.

He points them out and naturally I indicate I made them. Then I indicate I made the golem too.

He looks pop-eyed for a few moments, through the helmet.

He takes a bite of the fruit, as he tries to wrap his head around everything. As he does he notices the taste. Smiling in rapture he quickly gulps down the fruit in moments.

He nods in appreciation.

I shrug and indicate Mother as the provider.

She seems quite on edge. Xenophobic rats. Of course. They don't have anything to do with other intelligent species (that aren't trying to eat them). Naturally she is very nervous.

Niala being Niala decides to surprise attack me while I'm chatting, with her now overused hugs.

The scout takes it well, now that he's calmed down. Laughing.

I shrug and pet her, rubbing her head and stroking her ears as she leans over my shoulder, hugging me from behind. Her pupils narrow with pleasure and she nuzzles my hand like a spoilt cat, wanting more.

So I continue to pet her as I struggle to communicate with the scout.

We don't have much beyond drawings and gestures.

I don't think he realizes quite what happened, perhaps assuming my dart was a knock-out drug or that there was a second threat he didn't realize. Thankfully. I doubt anyone would react well to knowing they were deliberately attacked with paralysis inducing spider venom.

Niala's hugs are incredible enough he might have no clue he was even near death, I can feel some of my muscle aches from the over-exertion of carrying the scout melting away as she squeezes me tight. I'm glad the dose I used seems to be correct for humanoids about my size, since I thoroughly tested the dose on fish. I took a fish more than half my size, caught by the golem and gave it a large dose, it died fairly quickly. Then I scaled back and diluted until I got it just right. I have a full strength dart marked differently from the others in the bracer's ammo reservoir. Just in case I need to use it against a big enemy or certainly kill a humanoid.

Anyway, from the fragmented dialogue it seems to be that the strangers are here to purchase the golem if they can, destroy it if they can't.

Annoying.

Well, the obvious solution is to give them the golem and extort them for raw materials. Build myself an inferior replacement. While this guy seems trustworthy I do not know any of the others, or their leader.

I'll give them a chance, because I owe this guy a little.

After a while we settle on some terms that seem useful, I get all the iron ore I can carry on a wagon train and they get my golem.

Iron ore is actually fairly common around here, it is just that these guys don't know the process to make steel or correctly produce iron weapons. They keep refining iron until it is too pure (and thus soft) according to the scout's gestures. They use molten iron to make things which is a blunder, if you want a hard iron weapon you hammer it into shape. No wonder they aren't using iron tools.

They are under the idea iron is brittle and soft.

Well I can use that misconception.

After a great deal of deliberation I deliver a set of my demands, written on an empty page from the torn book with a piece of charcoal from the Giant's hospital room explosion.

The scout nods at this. I let him out the front gate and wait for his reply. As I do I teach Mother how to open both entrances and how to use the emergency exit without risk. I suspect I'll have to attend to any meetings in person. I tell her to retreat if it becomes too dangerous.

When the reply comes it is two men who want me to go out with the golem.

Carrying a few token weapons I lead the golem out, to face my fate.

What we learned this chapter:

Things are at a tipping point.

Hugs... is there anything they can't do?

Never play around with devices you don't understand.