* Chapter 4 - Machine Deity •
Anatomy of the local fauna - Mudthresher
The mudthreshers are creatures resembling centipedes, with thick chitinous armor and sharp appendages. They mate for life, and lay their eggs higher up than where they like to live. As they grow older, they start to move downwards in the caverns they were born in, with the largest and oldest Threshers weighing around 1500 kg.
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“What is you! Where is this!” Said the kobold. “You have invaded our holy sanctum, and yet you dare ask such questions,” replied Verja in an intimidating voice through the Lancer. The kobold slowly tried to create distance, as two soulless, green eyes stared at him through its visor. I think I got it right. I improvised a bit, but I think he understood it well enough. “Your friends have injured my comrade, and therefore your kin must pay for it.” The kobold shuddered, seemingly understanding his situation. “I has no food! Chief has weapons, but no food!” So there is a famine going on. Well, I can understand their situation, as it must be quite hard to hunt the mudthreshers. But how have they survived until now?
“We have no need for such meager weaponry. Rather, we need information about this land. Tell me everything you know about these caverns, and I shall spare your kind.” The kobold thought about it a little, before saying how he knows very little, and that Verja should speak to the chief of the tribe if they want info. Right. If I just show the entire tribe my overpowering army, I think they will surrender. “Alright. I shall escort you to your people, but you owe us big time,” Verja responded. “Let me fetch our leader.”
The Ambassador was a human-shaped, 2 meters tall machine designed for interacting and negotiating with people. Unlike most other machines, this one sounded exactly like a human. One of them was powered up, and was quickly retrofitted with an unconventional, flashy helmet of shining aluminum, which looked like a sacred artifact of some sort. It, and a small battalion of Lancers, along with an Arbiter, began escorting the kobold.
“What is thy name, stranger?” enquired the Ambassador from the kobold. “Name? Only chief has name, and that is Erglus. Me not worthy for name,” responded the lizard, still shaking in fear. “I see. Thy shall refer to me as Solocron, and I am but a humble priest of our great god Verja,” responded the Ambassador. Well, it’s probably better than trying to explain what artificial intelligences and computers are to some neolithic lizard-people.
While the group was walking towards the cave of the tribe, the kobold saw the outpost, guarded by machines. Suddenly, he turned around to face “Solocron” and dropped to the ground, kneeling. “Me will take you to chief, but please no hurt us!” “Relax, my child. As long as thy kind swears loyalty to us, no harm shall come to you.” The kobold looked at the Ambassador in awe. “Will- Will you truly no hurt us?” “I swear it in Verja’s name.”
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The group stomped forward with the now enthusiastic kobold in front, who showed the way to the rest of the tribe, which Verja already knew. Suddenly, a Specter on the roof spotted a mudthresher nearby. “Stay here, small one. There is a dangerous beast ahead.” After dissecting and analyzing the captured mudthresher, Verja knew the location of its internal organs. When it saw the group, it screeched, before a dart flew in its face, severing its nervous system and killing it in a single hit.
“What is that? What magic can do that?” enquired the kobold. “It’s a secret. But do you want to take the insect with you? We have no need for it.” “Yes! But does you has no food problem? How?” “I shall tell you another time.” Three Lancers picked up the corpse, and carried it with them.
As the group approached the tribe’s hideout, the guarding kobolds alerted the ones inside the cavern. The machines stayed about 30m behind, while the survivor ran towards them to explain the situation. As the chief emerged from the cave, the Specter, which had stayed invisible on the roof, retreated amidst the chaos to recharge its battery. Now they don’t know that I’ve been spying on them.
The chief of the tribe walked towards the machines. “Me son has made trouble! He attack your friend! Please forgive!” he said, after dropping to his knees. “Thy has been forgiven, as long as this mistake will not happen again. If thy kin swears loyalty to us, then in the name of our lord and savior Verja, we shall make sure no harm comes thy way,” responded Verja through the Ambassador. Suddenly, the scar-faced survivor emerged from the cave, shocked at the sight of a small battalion of Lancers staring towards him. “My son! Apologize!” Shouted the chief, with regret and reverence in his face. Scarface cautiously walked towards the ambassador, before kowtowing next to the chief. “Please no hurt them! Attack was my decision! Take my head, but spare rest of tribe!” he screamed, afraid of the consequences.
“Rise, my child. As I already said, no harm shall come to you, as long as you swear allegiance,” responded Solocron. Are they really that dense? How many times do I have to repeat myself? “I, Erglus, the chief of tribe, swear loyalty! We will never attack! If you need something, ask!” he shouted, the words echoing through the dark tunnels. “Good. As proof of your allegiance, here’s a gift.” The Lancers dumped the corpse of the mudthresher in front of the chief.
After the Ambassador entered the tribe’s tunnel, Verja started to ask questions from the chief. It was revealed that magic was, in fact, a relatively common phenomenon in this world. Erglus only knew what seemed like the basics of magic. He explained that the source of it was mana, which was an invisible force that couldn’t be created or destroyed. A magician could gather mana into their “soul” by meditating, and release it through their body using a spell.
Spells could be used once the corresponding magic circle had been learned. The two spells known to the tribe were ｢Seal Wounds｣, which could stem bleeding and seal simple wounds. Although if the receiver was too weak, the spell could further tear their wounds open, worsening the situation. The other was called ｢Animate Golem｣, which was used to create a temporary, tough ally of rock. The spell created a core, which then took control of the surrounding stones, and built a protective shell around itself.
Magic circles were intricate patterns, which Erglus called “gifts from the fairies”. They apparently required both intense studying and meditation in order to be memorized completely. Once you knew the pattern, you could project it into the immediate surroundings by thinking. Then all you had to do was to pour a sufficient amount of mana into the circle to spawn the spell. So according to him, the laws of this world are strangely similar to some fictional novels from the 21st century. I do not know if it is a coincidence or not, nor do I know which option would be better.