《Dust to Dust》 Monster 00: Two Deaths; One Permanent, One Temporary Dust to Dust: Monster 00 Two Deaths; One Permanent, One Temporary - Soft white fur, powerful hind legs, and an adorable button nose. All cold, dead, slowly being stained red as the small rabbit bled out. It shouldn''t matter. It hasn''t mattered before. It''s happened countless times and will happen countless times more. A completely inconsequential event. - However,this time, the rabbit was given a second chance. The boy that slayed it, a ragged child, so emaciated and dirty that his ethnicity was impossible to place, kneeled over the small creature he bludgeoned. The rabbit could sense what was to come, the teeth that would tear it so that the boy could live just a bit longer. It was nature, it was the cycle, and it was expected. The rabbit closed its eyes and waited, waited, waited. - The rabbit, incapable of such complex emotions such as befuddlement, looked up to gauge the situation. It saw the boy setting up a series of lines and small trinkets in the sand. The rabbit wouldn''t even consider using such trash for its nest, but the child seemed to cling to them as if they were more important than his own life. The small human then crawled to the now bloodsoaked woodland inhabitant and cradled it in his arms, whispering soothing nothings into the frightened, dying creatures ear. - However, as the rabbit could tell, there were two beings here close to death. The child was not long for this world either, the smell of blood was far too strong for it to just be its own body. Instead of eating his prey and recovering, the boy was laying it in the middle of an arrangement of baubles and carved dirt, chanting as he did so. The baubles began to tremble, drawing the dirt toward the now terrified animal. - The boy gazed upon his work, praying for the miracle he needed. The precious wagers he''d lost, the more precious companions he''d lost, this was his last hope. He could eat the rabbit, but he''d soon die from a predator in the unknown woods. He had to make his last gamble on protection, and so he began to draw the soul from the rabbit into the dust it lay on. - Dirt closing in on all sides, vision distorting, pain in its chest, the rabbit was in its own version of hell. As time went by, the dirt seemed to inspire less and less fear, instead, the small ball of red fur drawing its curiosity. It felt soft, sticky, it felt familiar. Realization began to dawn on the newborn golem, that it was him, and it was him no longer. Something activated inside him, drew him together, and he was once again a small rabbit. A small rabbit made entirely of dust, such a weak existence that even the wind would consider him inconsequential. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. - Gazing towards his creator, his Master, the one that he was now forced to serve, all he saw was the frayed blonde hair topping his master''s head lying in front of him. Mobilizing his frail dust body, he slowly crawled around his Master, in order to better receive orders. - But Master did not give him orders. Master did not move. Master would not move again. He overreached in hope of something greater and fell to be lower than the dust that gazed down on him. - Cracked, hardened skin, emaciated and frail muscles, and an adorable button nose. All cold, dead, slowly being stained red as the small child bled out from the wound on his chest. It shouldn''t matter. It hasn''t mattered before. It''s happened countless times and will happen countless times more. A completely inconsequential event. - And the small dust golem walked on. --------------------- -Beel here! Been storyboarding this for awhile, and do I have a story for you. Yes there is a buildup until we get into the meat of the story, but you''ll love the ride. Read the tags if you want to know what is to come, they''re minor spoilers. That being said, I''m not a tragedy junkie, don''t worry, you won''t see much of it, and the mature tag is -just in case-. I don''t want to limit myself at the beginning. The way I have this planned out is around 1k chapters of this length (ambitious, I realize), but it could easily be a much smaller story if reception isn''t good. It could also be a much bigger story, if reception is -great-. Food for thought. I work a manual labor job and have hours and hours to think up story elements as I work. Anyways, welcome to the story, and to the world of ------! (redacted until later in the story, no spoilers) Let me know what you think, feedback and editing comments appreciated. EDIT: Proofread a bit, pronouns were weird with a rabbit and golem so i switched things around for the rabbit to be an "it" until it became a golem, when it was referred to as a "he". That is -not- a mistake, it is -not- backwards, it is completely intentional. Welcome to the story There''s your first mystery. EDIT2: Hindsight 20/20 got some people to look at this and I have big changes to make to the prologue that I''ll be adding in withing 24 hours. Unsure of the turnaround time on these checks you guys do for new fictions, so i''m letting you know here) LASTEDIT(I swear): After agonizing all day I''ve decided to keep this as-is, I''ll clarify a bit as time goes by. I just don''t want to change this. Monster 01: Voices Dust to Dust: Monster 01 Voices - A light breeze flowed through the still forest, rustling the evergreens as it passed. Hanging on to a lower branch with all its might lest it be blown away is a rabbit form dust golem. With a body barely registering on a scale, it wouldn''t take much to end the recently liberated creature''s life. - Following the light breeze, something else followed. Sound. Rythmic bass with lighter, dissonant tones from a couple different sources. Footsteps, and voices. Large. Dangerous. - The dirt hare huddled down by the tree it was using as support, waiting for the threat to pass, ears perked up in rapt attention at the transgressors now coming into sight. - "The blood trail ends here, check the clearing." The first voice, loud and boistrous, rang out into the previously tranquil woods. - "Found the body, nothing on him. I''ll grab the ear for proof, let''s get back before it gets too dark to get out of this glade safely." The second voice, quiet and reserved, seemed to calm the rustled atmosphere. - The first voice came from a different location this time without the rabbit even noticing its movement. Extremely dangerous, too dangerous to risk movement. "Looks like the kid used the goods to summon a golem. Poor idiot, maybe if he''d stolen food instead of magic supplies we''d get to go easy on him." - The companion responded in his soft, controlled tones, "Theft of anything, even as worthless as these supplies, can''t be tolerated. Not anymore. We''re all in this together, and we can''t tolerate anyone that doesn''t understand how to work for the greater good. Grab the supplies and let''s head out." - The sound of ferocious laughter crashed through the forest, "Hah, the supplies are worth less than the dirt they stand on now, they''ve already been used. Looks like the lowest golem ritual, copper core. Not even worth tracking down for that crappy of a core. It''ll deteriorate soon anyways without its mana supply. " Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.- "A full loaf of bread on our return then, my treat. And wine, to forget today." The quiet voice, with a semblence of a waver in it. - "Haven''t had a full portion since I can remember, don''t have to share anymore. Grab the ear and let''s head out" Strong vibrations, anger, force, getting steadily quieter, farther away. - The worst threat gone, the rabbit slowly unclenched his petrified body, at least what he thought was his body. It seemed to stick to the dirt around him, parts falling off and attaching at random. - As he gazed over a small hill at the base of his guardian tree, he gazed upon an upright slender figure, which then kneeled down at the side of his deceased Master. It bent over, held him, and a solitary sob racked its frame. It pressed its mouth to his Master''s cold forehead, and two sounds were heard. One, a wet slice, accompanied by an ear falling into the slender figure''s hand; and two, a faint sound of a wet smack where the figure''s mouth met his Master''s forehead. - The slender figure, gazing one last time at the boy on the ground, faded into the woods. ----------------- Okay, depressing stuff is over for now. I -swear-. Maybe. It''s time for actual progress in this, the shortest arc of this story (gotta get to the meat of the story as fast as possible, heh. As much as I love the monster viewpoint, there are bigger and better things to come.) I''ll have another chapter or two out today. You like the short chapters? Or would you rather I wait to release more at a time? I can definitely understand that. I just like getting progress out there as I write it. -Beel Monster 02: Wet Dust to Dust: Monster 02 Wet - Finally alone, the dust golem began inspecting itself, curious as to its new composition. Every step he took had dirt flaking off of him, and every time he made contact with bare earth again, he picked some up. - He was slow. So very very slow. His earthen limbs were heavy, weighed down by the lack of hollow bones that allowed him such speed and agility in his past life. Reaching out with a paw, he swatted at a holly bush. The thorns didn''t pierce him, they merely passed through him. He was an ethereal existence, his impassivity being the only reward for his loss of speed and what limited strength he used to possess. - Testing the limits of the dirt body he now inhabited, the hare began to sprint. Well, sprint as best as he could. When he pushed off using his formerly impressive hind legs, the dirt tips of his feet cracked, and all his efforts to move resulted in broken feet. After assimilating enough dirt to repair his damaged feet, the rabbit began a new attempt to run, slightly changing his style. - And again. And again. And again. - Countless attempts later, the clever golem had devised a loping, stretching gait that allowed him to use his long hind legs reach to take great, stable strides across the ground. It wasn''t as fast as he used to be, but it was the culmination of hours'' work, and it wasn''t getting better any time soon. - As the intrepid little dust bunny bounded along his way, taking his new body for a spin, as it were, the dust that comprised him began to slowly peel away. Small amounts, at first, barely noticeable. A speck here, a speck there. But then they began to fall in greater numbers. A speck, a pebble, an entire twig, fallen to the ground, and for the first time since his rebirth, he wasn''t sticking to the ground he was on. - Danger. Death. - Alarm bells go off in the rabbit''s primitive consciousness, but the creature isn''t a problem solver. He isn''t an engineer, a god, or a hero from another world. He''s a rabbit. His entire brain consists of eating, mating, and running. Since he learned to run, and couldnt find the necessary equipment to mate on his new body, the only option left was to eat. Low hanging edibles leaves and the lucky find of a root found their way into the golem''s mouth as it devoured anything it could find, desperate in its attempt to survive. Every bite he took seemed to disappear into his body, revitalizing the warm feeling that pulled him together when he first materialized. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.- The crumbling stopped for an hour. After an hour, it was back, and just as bad as it used to be. And so the rabbit foraged for days on end, not noticing that it no longer slept, not noticing that it''s size was slightly bigger than it used to be. Its mind was focused on the sole task of survival, which eventually led it to a clear, spring-fed pond. - A drink, only a drink. His cute, dirty, button nose touched the water, testing whether to see if it was safe. - Safe it was not. - The water clung to his nose, seeping into the dirt, and slops of his nose began to fall into the water. He was falling apart again, but not because of lack of energy, but because he was being assaulted by the mere presence of water. - The rabbit scrambled, attempted to run as fast as it could, but a hind leg stamped into a puddle as it ran, melting down into a mush. The rabbit pulled at the leg in order to break it free, but the supposedly useless leg kept kicking. Once the rabbit drug the leg free, he managed to make it a distance away from the deadly pond, nursing his wounds. Once mobile again, the rabbit once again began to forage for food. No time wasted, survival is everything. However his gait was sloppy, something was throwing him off. His hind leg that had been dipped into water was broken. No, not broken, it was working far better than it had been previously. It felt sinewy once again, like the mud had memories of being a rabbit as well. - The pond was deep, and dark, and a slip would cost the rabbit his life. But the new leg made him far too strong to ignore, so he tracked down a small stream coming out of the pond, and laid down where it was weakest. - The trickling water slowly ran over the dust bunny, closing the cracks on his dirt body, the newly formed mud giving the rabbit the feeling of being a creature of flesh. He felt strong. The new mass weighed him down, but the benefits to the new-found strength were too many to list. No longer would he crack when exerting himself, or lack the energy to fight the wind. - The dust bunny, made of dust no longer, padded back into the forest, eager to continue living. Monster 03: Composite Dust to Dust: Monster 03 Composite - Fluid, silky, streamlined, the dust golem, now baptized in the pond, raced through the woods. The foliage was a green blur, the ground a faint memory, and the sky opened up before rabbit; he had never before moved with such speed and grace. - But as the unfortunate construct had begun to expect, nothing will come easy for him. Not in this body. So when the first traces of mud began sloughing off his body, the rabbit was unfazed, focused once again on survival. The once sharp teeth used for tearing at plants were now barely different from the gums they stood in, worthless for their job. - Drawing on a dim memory of birds and lizards swallowing rocks in order to chew their food, the rabbit filtered through the forest floor. Past leaves, sticks, and the undergrowth of moss and insects, lay pebbles rounded by time. However the golem was intrigued at the slight reaction he felt when he touched the pebbles. The warmth inside him, the warmth that kept him together, seemed to ever so faintly trail to the pebbles. Trusting this developing instinct, he swished the pebbles around in his swiftly deteriorating mouth. The warmth grew outwards, becoming a heat attaching his jaw and where his heart should be. In response to this, the pebbles firmly lodged themselves in the otherwise mushy mud, where his teeth used to be. - A few practice chomps to test the stability of the hastily installed dental work, and the hare began his search for sustenance. With great hesitance the creature scanned the locale to find suitable plants, and after waddling over to an edible fern, he dug in. - Unexpectedly, the previously ignored taste was returned to the rabbit. Such a simple creature didn''t even realize that foods had lost taste to its golem form, but the delicious fern was a quick reminder. His new teeth, warmed and locked in place by his core, seemed to absorb the flavors of the vegetation straight through the stone. A cornucopia of tasty greens and an hour later, and the composite golem was satisfied that his deterioration had stopped. - In the rabbit''s animalistic, primitive mind, something extraordinary happened when he joined his core with the stone. It grew. Not the brain matter, for there was nothing so corporeal guiding the golem. No, it was the ethereal mind of the rabbit, and it grew a barely observable amount. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.- Now able to think beyond food, running, and mating, the golem realized its need for more warmth. When the inner heat stopped, so did his body. When he ate, the inner heat grew. Therefore a solution was simple. Food was needed. - A very large quantity of food. - Days passed as the ravenous rabbit tore through the jungle, eating everything in sight, gorging itself. The heat become a burning that seemed dangerous, and quickly faded, faster than before. - Days passed again as the careful rabbit picked out only the most delicious of foods, according to its worn stone teeth. This time the heat was strong, productive, but manageable, however it too faded quickly. - The problem wasn''t the food, it was the heat, the body. It ate too much too fast, and would rise up to eat any extra food. A solution was needed. - With every progressive, inquisitive thought that spawned from the golem''s mind, his mind grew again with the current line of reasoning. A dumb construct was working through a problem, breaking down mental barriers as he went. If he couldn''t eat all the food, and needed it constantly, then he simply needed to store it on his person. - Focusing on his inner heat, the rabbit focused on storage, a pocket, a space to store greens. And slowly, with a burning sensation, an open space was created behind his mouth. It, like his teeth, seemed to absorb his core''s warmth, depleting it faster. - But that mattered less now, for with his new pouch, he could eat and chew his food, then store it for later. The difference was instantly apparent. After an hour binge, he only ate a quarter of the food, and saved the rest in a muddy mush in his pouch. For the next three hours he ate out of the pouch and was able to stay stable and energetic. - Satisfied with solving the problems keeping it from running, eating, and mating properly, the rabbit went about his regular business, forgetting all sense of urgency. No matter how much it had grown in body and mind, it was still barely more than a rabbit. - And a rabbit is exactly what the approaching fox saw. ---------------- Beel here! Boring stuff is over, the avalanche starts tomorrow! Long chapter tomorrow, spent most of today''s time writing it instead. Too excited. Tomorrow: Combat! Monster 04: Claw Dust to Dust: Monster 04 Claw] - Meandering calmly through the forest, the rabbit had no idea of the danger tailing him. His mine was lost in a haze of digestion and exercise, marveling at the inner heat that kept him mobile. As he leaned his head into another patch of undergrowth, the fox changed her stride from stealth to speed, overtaking the rabbit in a breath. - The view of leaves and dirt shook, snapping in all directions, as the golem realized that something was shaking him. The fox had him by the back of the next, flinging him from side to side. No pain was felt except for the chattering it cased in his stone teeth. Curious, the rabbit sent heat out towards his neck, and quickly retracted it after feeling the white hot pain of the fox''s teeth. - However the situation had now changed. On contact with the inner heat from the golem, the fox''s expression had changed. What was once a simple matter of predator and prey had mutated into something far less natural. The cur, hackles raised, let loose a feral growl, angered by something, and again tore at the hare. - But not at the neck. No, the heat had led the fox''s attention elsewhere, and now it was fixated on the core of the golem. Blind to anything but the small bounty that laid before it, the fox singlemindedly worried away at the rabbit for its prize. - The creature of mud and stone didn''t have much agency in the current situation. Being tossed about like a rag doll and having no natural weapons to fend off predators has that effect. Periodically he would send out a pulse of energy to feel the fox''s progress into his body. The progress was slow, but steady. In a matter of minutes the regenerative flow of dirt into the gap would cease to help the situation, as he would be out of water to keep the dirt moist and effective. Luckily he had just filled his storage pouch with a green paste, and would have a few hours. Well, not a few hours anymore, he was eating through the paste at a fantastic rate, having to use the heat to perpetually fix and reinforce the hole in his back. Worn stone teeth clamped down on the fox''s leg, doing absolutely nothing to cease the feral creature''s advance towards the golem''s core. The muck''s force wasn''t strong enough to tear at the canine''s corded muscles, and his scavenged pebble teeth were now showing their weakness. - Attempting to fail about only hurried the fox''s progress and depleted more of the precious green paste in storage. All current solutions had been exhausted, and the golem would soon be stripped of its core and once again left for dead. This time, there would be no chance of survival. - Sticks littered the forest floor, left to rot by the trees that dropped them. The rabbit scraped the ones in its reach towards itself, rolling them into its soft body. The inner heat reached out to them, drawing them to where the golem wished. - The fox, tearing away in its frenzy, came upon something hard. Ecstatic, it bit down deeply into the assumed core, but all that it tasted was rotten wood. Spitting out chunks of chewed on and muddy sticks, the cur barked its fury at the resisting prey. - But the rabbit wasn''t listening. He had far more important things to handle. Small branches were sticking out of his side, reaching towards a fractured stone too for for the hare''s paws to reach. - Slowly, surely, while ignoring the encroaching jaws of the canine almost to his core, the golem drew the broken shards of stone into himself, guiding them to their intended destinations. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.- Frenzy and fury became pain and indignation as the fox felt a searing pain on his front paw. Leaping backwards, he inspected the offending region to find it gouged and spilling blood. His perceived prey slowly rose before him, gathering onto its legs properly. Judging from the crimson dripping stones protruding from the rabbit''s paws it was easy prey no longer. - But the hunger for the golem''s core wouldn''t let the fox run as its instincts were telling it to, and the creatures of flesh and mud readied themselves for the fight to come. - A flash of red and the fox was upon the rabbit once again, attempting to end the fight before it began. The momentum from its charge tore the hole in the hare open farther than ever before, the copper core dimly glinting underneath the mud. With joyous yips the canine teeth tore towards their final destination as the fox and rabbit tumbled through the fallen leaves now stained red. A final push and tear, and the fox tore the hard clump out of the rabbit, satisfied that it wasn''t sticks this time. - Retreating as fast as its blood loss and wounded paw would allow, the fox inspected its prize, a rounded pebble stained green. - The golem, now one tooth short, had used the fox''s focus on the core to distract his enemy, and was now closing in on the confused and angry canine. The rabbit chomped its teeth onto the fox''s neck, attaching itself to the bottom of the maddened cur. - And then came the claws. - Sharp, unforgiving, cruel. These would all perfectly describe the swipes the golem used to ravage the fox''s stomach, eviscerating the overthrown predator. With a final weak yip, the fox collapsed into a pool of its own blood and entrails, and died. - And with its death came a series of flashing lights and and noises as the fox dissolved into the air itself. - Curious as to the disappearance of his first vanquished foe, the rabbit inspected the area. Where the body and blood once lay only remained a small hunk of copper like the one that resided within him. - New instincts taking over, the heat within him reacted to the masterless copper lying on the forest floor, drawing it closer. The copper core rolled across leaves and sticks, crashing into the muck rabbit that eagerly awaited its arrival. - The twin cores meshed in the muck interior of the rabbit, growing hotter and hotter as they collapsed onto each other. The reserve green paste was burnt away without a second thought, all things now secondary to the merging of the cores. All the running, eating, and mating in the world couldn''t match this feeling of GROWTH. The heat soon reached a crescendo as the two orbs became one, and the rabbit golem collapsed, mentally exhausted. - For the first time since its rebirth the golem was quietly resting, its muddy button nose twitching in the air as it dreamed. --------- Beel here! Went longer with this one, I''ll be keeping chapters above 1k words for now. The chapters will grow organically longer at certain points in the story, but its too soon for that. Hard to write longer chapters without all the exposition and dialogue other stories get to have. (This will have that too, in a week-ish) Introducing more mysteries as I go. You''ll get more questions than answers for the next few days :P Monster 05: Assimilation Dust to Dust: Monster 05 Assimilation - Upon awakening, the rabbit golem looked down at the ground, startled by just far down he had to look. His core, now larger, had drawn in the materials around him to such a degree that there was duvet in the ground for a foot in each direction. - No, a couple feet. His new perspective was throwing off his estimations. He was no longer the small rabbit he manifested as. However it would be hard to classify him as anything at the current moment, due to his bodily predicament. The new core had attracted the forest undergrowth and assimilated it indiscriminately, and now the former rabbit could only identify himself as a blob. - The amalgam of dirt, stones, and other debris gazed hurriedly in all directions, looking for food. Survival is always first. After survival comes optimization. Adopting a rolling motion that allowing him to swing over to a leafy bush, he stuffed his slit of a mouth, until his storage, now larger, was full. - Optimization. Remembering the past success he''d had at the pond, the golem rolled his way over to the water source. It no longer looked so deep or mysterious, it now looked rather shallow. In fact, he could even see the large smooth stones at the bottom. Checking his size and moisture, the golem gauged that his efforts would be met with success. Dive. - He needed it all. The water, the weathered rock lying in the bed, and the clay lining the sides of the shallow pool. Intense heat began to radiate from his core, growing yet hotter, scorching his consciousness as it reached out for the desired materials. - Water, to wet and lubricate the dirt he had already accumulated. The blob began to shape itself with the addition of the strengthening liquid. Legs pushed down from the muck, forcing the still forming thin body off of the ground. The fight with the fox had taught the golem a few things about body structure, and he was now putting them into practice. Longer legs, foregoing the massive hind thumpers that hadn''t been useful in combat for more lithe limbs resembling the fox''s. A slimmer body in order to keep him mobile, and a wider head for a wider mouth. The mouth was important, vital, but the sharp teeth of the fox were ignored. More worn pebbles were added to those already present, and a herbivorous jaw once again worked up and down, ready to be used. - The golem quite liked his leafy greens. - The pond, now dry except for a puddle here or there, was now a treasure trove of hard stone and malleable clay. Now came the real work. - Mud was perfect as a basic material, a placeholder, but something more substantial was needed to transmit the now more powerful heat of the core. Clay was torn off the walls by the golems paw, once again sporting sharp claws of broken stone. This clay was drawn into the body and formed slowly, precisely. While tearing into the fox''s body the rabbit had come across bone, and it opened his mind to a world of strengthening techniques. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.- Drawing the sticks he had unconsciously picked up into position as a simple skeleton, the golem formed a supportive and defensive structure just a bit stronger than the mud he previously was. However after molding the clay around the sticks already in position, the structure seemed to throb as if acknowledging its completion. Warm life force shot from his core like an arrow and spread through his new skeleton, much clearer and faster than the mud that used to carry out the same job. - Taking a few tentative practice steps in a new body, the golem was pleased with the progress. Mobility was much increased, the core was burning brighter and consuming less green paste than usual, and his strength was incomparable to his past self. - Great, but not quite done. - Remembering how easily the fox had torn into his side, the golem picked its way through the water-worn rocks at the bottom of the dry pond. Only the best would do. He pulsed his core energy through each prospective rock, only keeping the ones that returned the clearest response. The ones he kept were added to a slowly growing pile, and soon his task was complete. - He dove into the pile of chosen stones, bringing his inner heat to his surface in key areas. The top of his head, his back, and the bottom of his paws were armored with the rocks, becoming a shield to his claws'' sword. Clay reached out from his bones and grasped onto the stones, feeding them purer amounts of his energy, keeping them rigid in place. - After headbutting a tree and leaving a dent in the bark without noticeable damage to himself, the golem was satisfied. The armor was functional. The crisscross pattern of clawmarks next to the dent had proven the effectiveness of his claws, but he had already seen them succeed at their appointed task. The dent would be waist-high on his old master, making the golem''s sudden growth measurable. Feeling impressive, the golem growled his approval to the forest glade. - Confidence leaking from his swaggering gait, the rock dog sauntered into the deeper forest. ----------------- Hey all! Love this chapter, it''s a show of things to come. Chapter went below 1k words, but I like it as-is. Anything else in this would feel crammed in, and these mini-chapters work out quite well in my opinion. (once the first Volume finishes I''ll put them together in a better format and link to it in the first chapter) Monster 06: Prowl Dust to Dust: Monster 06 Prowl - A miniature freight train of reinforced stone barreled through the woods, trampling everything unlucky enough to be in its way. It''s engine churning through the green fuel it is so enamored with, lightning up its clay skeleton with bountiful energy. - The unfortunate creatures that dared stand in its way were either trampled by the razor claws, or concussed by the stone plate affixed to the monster''s head. This ferocious beast had vague memories of being something smaller, something similar to those he was trampling, but that didn''t matter now. What mattered now was the new discoveries that materialized when the animals he killed disappeared. - In every flash of light and sparks that came after a creature''s death, an item would appear in the brightly colored vortex. Sometimes they dropped flesh or bone, and sometimes they dropped chunks of metal. Flesh and bone was ground together in the golem''s mouth, forming a pink paste. A secondary internal storage compartment was carved in the torso of the rock dog, and the pink paste was stored there. When tested it proved to hold barely any more energy than the green paste, but many extra nutrients were found inside it. Until a means to process it into a usable state was found the golem was forced to ignore it. - The chunks of metal were the true prize. All copper of various sizes, they had been used to reinforce the golem''s core, allowing his inner heat to grow farther in intensity. The brighter and clearer his energy, the faster and stronger his body responded to him. Foxes were nothing to him now, mere roadkill. - Odd, though. He had only found roadkill in his week-long rampage celebrating his new body. There were bigger creatures in this forest, he was sure of it. Dim memories of wolves and larger, unknown beings stole through his consciousness, reminding him that while much improved, he wasn''t the king of the forest. - Yet. - Wolves were quantifiable. They seemed to be simply larger foxes, canines only improved in size. - So when the rock dog spotted a wolf crouched in the brush in his immediate vicinity, he thought nothing of it and attacked. The stone plate on his forehead rang against the wolf''s hard skull, barely pushing forwards after impact. Sending sensory heat to his headplate, the golem sensed hairline fractures riddling his head protection. Rearing onto his hind legs and lashing out with his weaponized paws, the rock dog launched a furious offensive on the wolf''s stunned face. - Simple narrow cuts, barely drawing blood, now riddled the wolf''s face just as the fractures riddled the dog''s. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.- The flesh was tougher than wood, the bone harder than copper, the eyes sharper than a blade. He had gravely underestimated the strength of the wolf. - As he was soon to find out, he had underestimate the wolf on a number of counts. On top of being more resilient and stronger than expected, its behavior was also quite different. It was a pack hunter. In his rabbit life he had never noticed more than one wolf since they spread out over a larger area, but once he lashed out at the wolf in front of him in his current form, the enemy''s comrades rush to attack. - From the underbrush leapt three other wolves, pouncing on the terrified golem and tackling him to the ground. Their silver and brown fir on their graceful bodies was glorious, magnificent, truly befitting the great forest. Even in such a fearful moment, the golem was able to spare a moment of admiration for animals so beautifully and naturally realized, unlike himself. - Flailing his armored and weaponized limbs in vain, the rock dog analyzed the current situation. Three wolves holding him down with their weight, silver-brown fur. One wolf skulking in the brush, and as it walked out, its matted black fur was revealed. There was no beauty, no grace in this wolf. Only death. Fur stuck together with blood, scars torn down its back, and new lines drawn across its face in crimson. This was an Alpha. - Gauging the strength of the smaller wolves pinning him down, the golem was confident that he could fight them if it were a one on one fight; however this was not the case. - Not today. - The heat that connected his plates to his body was released, allowing him to slip out of the armor being held down by his foes. Mud was gouged out in great swipes by the wolves giving pursuit, but they couldn''t keep up with him. They didn''t know how to run like a rabbit. His hind feet lost their height and gainedhe explosive power of a hare, made possible due to his current mud body and experience with self-modification. Leaving the snarling wolves in the distance, the mud dog took shelter under the roots of a particularly large tree. - As thunder crashed through the treetops and rain began to patter against the canopy''s leaves, great howls could be heard in all directions. Anger, pain, hunger, vengeance. Universal messages that the dumbest of creatures had etched into their instincts. - The golem had to prepare itself, for the wolves were going on the prowl. ------------------------- Hey guys! Rough day at work today (did some demo work with a lot of insulation) so I''m only putting out one chapter. I don''t have work on Saturday or Sunday though, so expect extras! Monster 07: Tidal Dust to Dust: Monster 07 Tidal - Rain, rain was new for this body. The world was an ocean, threatening to dissolve the golem''s mud composition. If he was still a simple dust bunny he would surely be swept away by the sky''s tears. - Luckily, he had found a safe haven underneath a sprawling oak, where the depression in the ground let him rest under its roots. - That same depression also let the runoff collect under the tree. - It wasn''t just water, it was freezing water. It not only seeped into his body, it clawed away at his inner heat. Working overdrive, his core steamed away to repel the arctic temperature of the precipitation. One problem temporarily solved until fuel ran out, the dog still needed to learn how to adapt to the rain. - Trial and error would take far too long, his energy would be entirely sapped by the rain long before a suitable solution was found. Problem solving thought was required once again. - And like in the past, the bright surge of thought opened up new pathways in the golem''s mind. Doors once closed were opened, phantasmal neurons firing in patterns that would shame the old thought processes. From this explosive gain in mental power, a very small reward was gained. - Access to on-demand rational thought. Not spurned on by a crisis, a one time event, but whenever it was desired. A simple step, but one ultimately required of all beings worthy of admiration. - Flexing his newly stretched mental muscles, the golem sought out a solution to his current dilemma. Water would dissolve him and sap his energy. Either of these hurdles could and would cripple or kill him. - Such a scenario wasn''t a problem for his new brain. Two obvious conclusions were formulated. Either don''t get wet, or overcome the moisture by sheer mass and heat. - Since he was being hunted by a pack of furious wolves, the stealthier option was preferable. Scanning the forest floor for materials worthy of draping over his frame, the fresh waxy leaves from the canopy caught his eye. The water rolled off the wax, and the leaves were large enough that only a small number were required to coat him, taking very little time. - Not long after his resolution, the golem stood in his newly minted coat of broad, waxy leaves. Rain gushed down the natural protection, pooling on the ground underneath him. There was no way to protect his legs and feet without losing traction, so mobility was important. Can''t stay still, can''t get wet. Must get higher, out of the puddles and pools. - While his legs slowly becoming wetter, colder, and weaker was a problem, he was now able to feed enough energy to them to keep them solid thanks to his now-protected core and warm torso. - Noise, a crashing in the underbrush, growing louder. - A smaller brown wolf leaped over a fallen branch to the golem''s right and lunged at him, slipping off the slick waxy leaves. Snarling, it gathered its haunches and launched itself back at the leaf-clad mud dog. The wolf''s claws bit into the leaves this time, tearing them off by the tens. Rain now seeped in through the cracks left, but such a small amount was easily repelled with a bit of reinforcement energy. Steam rising off the crack in his green cloak, the golem returned the favor, gashing the foe wolf''s hind leg with claws of broken stone. This wolf''s flesh wasn''t tough as wood. It was barely as tough as the leaves the golem coated itself in. Such paltry resistance would not stop his counterattack. - Knowing it was outmatched, the brown wolf yipped at the sky as if begging the dark clouds for mercy. With a crash of thunder and a claw of stone, the cry was silenced. The quiet patter of rain on treetops was once again the only sound in the forest. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.- Rolling in a patch of leaves in order to fix the hole in his cloak, the golem kept a wary eye on the body of the wolf he killed. When it shattered into shards of light, fur and meat dropped. Fur from past creatures had seemed so worthless, but stuck in a torrent of freezing rain, the golem had to accept its usefulness. The wolf hide was draped over the mud golem in place of the leaves, which were tossed to the ground. The mud in the torso was now far warmer, allowing more heat to be sent to the legs. This in turn allowed the waxy leaves to be affixed to his legs, making him waterproof in all but the bottoms of his paws. The meat was simply ground into paste and stored, easily doubling his pink paste compartment, leaving it full. - Built to weather through the storm, the golem once again surveyed his situation. While waterproof and warm, there was still the main danger, the wolves. Individual smaller wolves would cause him no trouble, but the Alpha could easily take him down. Not to mention the organization of the pack would be his downfall, their numbers easily overtaking his strength and regenerative abilities. - Realizing the danger of the pack, the golem recalled the brown wolf''s dying call, and noticed his folly in staying at the scene of the death. - As if to answer his worry, the pack stormed into the clearing, taking in the situation. Their comrade was missing and the monster was wearing his skin. Howling in anguish and rage, the wolves eyes turned blood-red, empowering them in their fury. Some leapt, some ran, some took their time and rushed in after the initial charge, but all the wolves assaulted the golem. - Countless fangs and claws tore into his body, easily penetrating his hide coat. Tendrils of heat cataloged the damage. Deep gouges let the rain penetrate deep into his body, overwhelming his stored warmth. Frenzied wolves circled him, some stopped to bark at him or howl at the sky. Meanwhile the Alpha, watching in calm indifference, stood in the branches in a tree at the edge of the glade. - Not getting wet was no longer an option. The second option to combat the rain was still viable, and it would also remedy his current predicament. - Overcome the rain and wolves by sheer mass and heat. - Drawing in the earth from all directions and the moisture it had absorbed, the golem began to prepare. Heat from his core reached out to the fuel store of green and pink paste, burning the green paste in a flash to power the transformation. The pink paste was distributed to the gathering mud, strengthening the simple mud with fragments of bone and muscle. Rising from the ground, the mud dog had long since lost its form as anything resembling a forest creature. - A tower of mud, littered with stones and bone, rose to the lower branches of the trees. Damned arms of wood and rock reached out at odd angles, trying to catch the spooked wolves. Steam billowed off the monstrous tower as it basked in the freezing rain, marveling at its own unholy glory. Mouths splayed across its surface gnashed at air, desperate to encounter anything that could feed the inner furnace. - And what a furnace it was. - As brilliant as the sun, the golem''s copper core was burning everything it could, including itself. Blinding rays reached out to each mouth biting at air, each poorly formed arm of sticks and stones that reached at the wolves, empowering them with the clearest energy the golem had experienced yet. So clear and bright it scorched the mind. - It was with this body that the golem barreled towards the wolves, crashing onto their fleeing figures like a tidal wave. ------------ ._. Monster 08: Bleed Dust to Dust: Monster 08 Bleed - It was a massacre. - The grasping arms of the golem scratched at the terrified wolves, pulling any they caught into the monstrosity''s gaping mouths. On contact with squirming flesh a mouth would clamp down and retreat into the scorching interior of the mud pillar, dragging the doomed creature along with it. Inside the belly of the best the canines were torn asunder, making use of the materials they dropped to reinforce the chaotic mess that currently was the golem''s body. - In a trudging, sliding motion, the abomination advanced further, assimilating any wolves it made contact with. The Alpha let out sharp barks, leading its pack in their time of crisis. It wasn''t long before the remainder of the wolves were in formation in front of the Alpha, but the toll the fight had taken was obvious. Large gaps permeated the formation, gaps that now-dead comrades surely used to fill. The visual reminder of their loss further enraged the mourning wolves, and the less disciplined rushed forward to avenge or rescue their packmates. - They did not. - With barely any of the pack remaining, the Alpha barked out further orders, and his remaining troops gazed at him in confusion. There was discord in the ranks, but it was cured by a venemous growl from the dominant black wolf. All the wolves besides the Alpha took off in different directions, tails between their legs. - They were no longer a pack. No honor or camaraderie, only their lives intact. - The Alpha, stoic as always, leaped down from the tree and prowled towards the rampant golem. Unhurried even as the branches and stones cut into him he calmly walked with purpose. The sticks barely scratched his fur, the stones barely dented into his muscle. There was nothing threatening here. Simply an upstart monster to be killed, as happened so often in the forest. A mutation, an aberration, countless times had something risen up and challenged the Alpha, and countless times the Alpha had prevailed. - He needed no pack for his work, his cleansing of the unique. They would only get in his way. He had banished his pack every time an aberration had grown too strong, since they would only feed it. Moving from pack to pack, the Alpha had traveled and guarded these woods since the first grove sprouted from the dirt. It would not fail now. Not against so disgusting a creature. - With this experienced determination in mind, the Alpha leapt at the golem, tearing into its midsection. All was chaos as the wolf and mud mixed in furious battle with no apparent strategy. Great claws of ebony shattered stone and sheared wood on contact, gouging out great chunks of dirt and throwing them to the ground. Moving at a practiced pace, the Alpha slowly dug his way towards the center of the golem, knowing the only way to stop the fight was to destroy the core. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.- However the golem was not actionless in this time. He had been preparing for the wolf''s unstoppable charge, and had laid a trap worthy of such a mighty foe. - Shards of rock numbering in the thousands were all stored at ground level of the mud pillar, all as sharp as knives. Some were drawn into the vicinity of the glowing core, where they were used to shave off molten copper. The molten copper was funneled down into the razor stones, coating them in golden resilience. After being cooled by a gout of cool mud, the weapons were prepared. - When the wolf was digging his way through the golem, the trap was sprung. The store of copper razors were whipped into a whirlwind inside the golem, then spun around the wolf. - The Alpha''s hide was shredded by the onslaught, and his muscle fared no better. - Once the cyclone of metal and mud had ceased to churn around the wolf''s limp body, the golem slowed the rotation and came to a standstill. The Alpha''s once proud composure was no more, his body broken by the machinations of the monstrosity. - All it was now was a matter of time. The Alpha would bleed out. - Knowing his fate, the Alpha gazed upon the aberration that bested him. It was a short fight. It was a dirty fight. It was a fight for survival. It was a good fight. Not letting his foe take any more of his attention, the Alpha gazed elsewhere. Up in the tree, where he once perched to watch his pack take on the golem, was a bloodied and torn brown wolf pelt. He had taken it once the fleeing golem had dropped it, for it was something very dear to him. - He hadn''t cared for other wolves since the beginning of his stewardship of the woods, but the current pack had worn him down over time, their affection overcoming his stoicism. Gazing up at the brown pelt, he closed his eyes and thought of the one that used to wear it so gracefully. The brown wolf had broken his spirit long before the golem had, and she had done it in the best possible way. - A wolf''s howl reverberated through the forest, its mournful wail so sad that even the sky stopped its downpour in reverence. - In this dead silence where no irreverent sound could trespass, the forest witnessed the passing of the Alpha. - A black wolf pup raised its head from a warm nest in the pack''s abandoned community cave. Hearing the heartbroken howl that permeated the air, his eyes misted, filled with thoughts of a future that would never be. Raising his full body off the bedding, he prepared for the task that was now his. - The forest needed defending, and the guardian was allowed no sleep. - -------------------- I think I need a therapist ._. Extra chapter tomorrow Monster 09: Brink Dust to Dust: Monster 09 Brink - The final echoes of the deceased Alpha''s howl rang through the forest until finally there was silence. - No longer distracted by the otherworldly scene that played out before him, the golem took stock of his situation. The heat had grown far too strong, consuming everything. Molten copper was falling through his body, his core almost depleted, the remnants barely kept solid by streams of cool mud running over it. The impromptu maintenance wouldn''t last long, as the residual heat from the outer regions of the golem''s monstrous form was leaking back into the core. Fearing a meltdown, the golem frantically sloughed entire outer sections of his being, sloppily dragging his core out of the steaming remains. - It was not enough. Too much energy had leaked back into his core, the rain wasn''t enough to keep him cool without risking complete dissolution of his being. It was only a matter of time before the copper core would completely fail, rendering the golem into a pile of dirt and slag for the forest to reclaim. - As if in answer to his dilemma, the forgotten Alpha''s body burst into light, drawing the golem''s attention once more. A fantastic light show played out as the corpse disappeared, ironic in its juxtaposition to the somber funeral the forest had given the creature just a minute earlier. The lights were mocking in their dazzling brilliance, and the trees rustled their anger at the affront. - But nothing was done. The trees quieted, as if remembering their inanimate nature, and the wolf''s corpse disappeared in its entirety. All that remained was pelt and a chunk of shining metal. - New metal. - Like lightning the golem was upon the glowing shard of lustrous ore, curious as to its properties and whether it could save him. Strands of wavering heat reached from the golem''s liquidating core, and a clear response was given from the unknown metal. The response was decent, but far worse than the copper. Noting the chunk''s uselessness, the golem dropped it to the ground. - And there, soaking in a puddle of rainwater, the black tarnish was washed off, leaving a shining silver that reflected the moonlight all over the glade, giving the area a mystical presence. - Excited by the change in properties, the golem once more tested the metal. It was perfect. Far more compliant to his wishes than the copper, it could send signals far clearer and faster than the old core. Unfortunately, it could barely withstand any heat, and would melt almost instantly. - Unacceptable. - A plan was hatched, a gambit that would leave the golem''s existence hanging by the thread, but was the only method applicable in such dire straits. The golem drew the silver chunk into his body where the copper slag would melt onto it and waited. - World dimming, body weakening, he believed in his plan, and then everything went dark. - Waking from a deathlike slumber, the golem checked his consciousness. A silver core was at the center of his being, pulsing its precise heat to the tiny area it could. The silver couldn''t handle near as much power as the copper, but it was far more precise and efficient. As the golem had learned by its experiments in self-modification, combinations of different materials often led to far better results than one simple material. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.- And thus, the copper slag gathering at ground level in the golem''s form ordered to gather into a hollow orb. A single silver thread, painstakingly extruded by the core, carried the signal to the molten ore. With mud and stones forming a mold, the copper was made into a hollow sphere with a hole on each side. One to import fuel, and one to export waste and energy. Testing the chamber with the green fuel, the golem found that this method was far more efficient than the old processing method of simply burning the fuel on the surface of the core. - Fuel was pumped into the furnace by muscles of mud, and the golem''s heart beat for the first time, sending waves of energy into the silver core. - Using the energy from the heart, the golem send strands of silver out to all its current extremities, which was barely a ball of mud bigger than a rabbit. The improved signal gathered mud from the surroundings, and once again a dog began to take shape. The dog form had worked well, was very efficient, and wouldn''t stand out too much. The abomination form had worked impeccably in battle, but was far too dangerous. - The canine form slowly took shape, but a few changes were made. A general increase in size and bulk was applied since the energy could now be spared. Silver wires ran through the wooden and clay bones, allowing the creature to respond far faster and control its body in finer ways. - Added to his current mud body were the copper coated stones that had killed the Alpha. They were used as claws, teeth, and strategic spikes on certain joints and surfaces to deter attackers. The largest was placed right on the forehead of the mud wolf, giving it a penetrating copper horn. - The Alpha''s pelt was used as the skin of the golem, protecting it from anything up to metal. No wood or stone could penetrate the tough exterior of the Alpha, and the same property would now guard the proud wolf''s killer. The copper spikes adorning the golem broke through the wolf''s fur as if to warn any potential foe of the unnatural foe contained within. - Remembering the effectiveness of the stone armor, the false Alpha repeated the same process, coating his body in tested high quality stone. This time, however, the finer silver wires allowed him to use many smaller pieces of rock instead of large chunks. Thus his armor was far more flexible and would protect him much more effectively than the previous crude set that cracked and broke on its first major impact. - On that day, mere feet from the grave of the Alpha, an armored wolf was born, and it wandered off into the deeper woods. - The forest had failed to contain the aberration. - ----------------------------- End of the Forest section of the Monster Arc. - Will release a chapter later tonight, the first of the next section. - (Trying to learn how to draw, I very much want to draw up every evolution of the golem. Armored wolf sounds pretty goddamn terrifying. Imagine a massive black wolf running at you, little inch long copper spikes protruding from its joints, a copper horn a few inches long coming out of its forehead. Not to mention the stone armor that covers the majority of the fur. That is something of nightmares and GOD I LOVE IT) Monster 10: Descent Dust to Dust: Monster 10 Descent - Deeper into the woods the golem traveled. Farther into the grasp of the wicked trees, no longer warm as the previous forest had been. The bark radiated miasma, the branches resembled claws, knots seemed to suck in all light. No guardian was needed here, no sane creature would willingly live here, much less protect the cursed area. - The armored wolf marched on, unfettered by the petty resistance. The quaint forest was too small for him now, and it was time to move on. He marked each tree with a gouge from his copper claws to make a path in case he lost his way. Staples must be found, food at the top of the list. - The dark woods were devoid of all life. No plant could withstand the pressure of the botanical monstrosities that blocked out the sun, no animal could escape their gnarled roots. Every damned soul that wandered in from the bright forest was dealt with swiftly, allowing the mutated area to corrupt itself that much farther. - The golem picked up its pace. He had plenty of green paste stored, however it would run out within a day, and there was no strengthening pink paste in case of combat. An energy-efficient trot was adopted, and the wolf soon fell into the pattern of scanning his surroundings for supplies. A strangled vine here, a hidden root there, barely enough to cover for the energy wasted to search for them. But if there was one thing the golem had in spades, it was patience. - Weeks passed. - The armored wolf''s body had now been worn in, the first body the golem had used for this long. The stone plating weathered on its edges, and now the pieces fit together perfectly. The copper spikes and blades had to be periodically sharpened by drawing them over hard stones, but that was easy upkeep. Sticks inside the golem had to be replaced from time to time, and some would grow too soggy or rotten to be used as conduit supports. Luckily the dropped branches of the cursed trees was startlingly rigid, and would last a long time due to its natural resistance to decay. A light layer of moss grew on the stones, shading the wolf''s armor in green. However the most important addition the wolf was experience. A few weeks of maneuvers and practicing its combat skills on the bark of hostile trees and the golem was now confident in his new body. Trees no longer barred the wolf''s way, so as he searched deeper into the woods for sustenance his energy expenditure was much lower. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.- Just as the Alpha patrolled the forest, the armored wolf patrolled the dark woods. Walking only to walk, to live a bit longer, to sustain itself and its skills until the next challenge. It was in this holding pattern state of mind that the wolf came upon a clearing, the first different area he had come across in the woods so far. After three weeks of hiking haphazardly through monotony, the surprise was too much to process, and the golem shuddered to a halt. - No movement or sound. The only object was a spire reaching from the ground and a hole in its side. Slinking towards the landmark, the wolf sensed no changes in the situation and decided it was time to check the opening. - Inside the hole was a dark chasm leading down, stone steps too worn to consider safe leading down into the abyss. - The golem considered his options, and retreated back into the woods. After taking a day to survey the area for any additional supplies, he returned to the spire and once again gazed down into the darkness. - Creaks and groans could now be heard from the depths. - The abyss was waking, and the armored wolf descended the steps to meet it. - --------------- Short chapter! Welcome to Section 2 of the Monster arc, The Cave! I''ll keep updating 1k words a day, see ya tomorrow! Monster 11: Interference Dust to Dust: Monster 11 Interference - The tension in the air was thicker than blood. The apex predator of the forest, the armored wolf, stalked towards the darkness. Shades stretched from the depths of the abyss, reaching out to he advancing golem, preparing to engulf it. The wolf began to trot, then sprint, gaining momentum in order to deal the maximum damage to the blackness in the first impact. Running at top speed, the wolf yipped in anticipation for the coming battle, and- - BOOM - -hid in the rocks at the side of the tunnel, terrified at the otherworldly crash that reverberated through the dungeon. Doing his best to blend in with the surrounding rocks, the wolf attached random stones to itself to look like a part of the wall. The darkness shifted in uncertainty, as if feeling betrayal at the wolf''s retreat. The golem cared not, all that mattered was survival. Something far more frightening than the darkness or an armored wolf was approaching from the surface. - Reminded of the time he hid from his master''s killers as a dust bunny, the golem felt small and weak again. It had been a while since something had made him feel so insignificant. A brilliant ray of sunshine fell down from the gap in the spire, making silhouettes apparent. Upright beings of the same species as his master were outlined in the radiant glow, clad in metal and hides. - So much metal. - So much delicious, glorious metal. - If the golem could drool, he would have long since dehydrated his mud into dirt. It was all he could do to hold himself from jumping out and attacking one of the Uprights in order to claim his glimmering ore. - But all thoughts of fights and resistance were swept away by the catastrophic blast of air pressure launched from the upright in dark hide. Waving around a black staff, she manipulated the hurricane winds to gather the darkness into a small ball no bigger than a rabbit. - The second of three Uprights, the one clad in heavy plates of metal, sprinted towards the ball of shadow, raising a great hunk of sharpened steel as he ran. Nearing the intended target, the hunk of steel began to glow with the radiance of the sun. Burnt by the holy light, the darkness squirmed in its ethereal bonds, but nobody expected it to break free. The darkness was as good as dead the second it was caught up in the wind chains, and everyone in the room knew it. - Fragments of sound began to escape the orb. Sputtering, swearing, and cursing rang through the chamber in countless voices and tongues, no two alike, and not a single one declaring acceptance for the end to come. Knowing the fate that awaited the it, the shadow raised its voices in one final screech, and the sword struck it. - Not with a slash or a crunch; but with an explosion of concussive force and searing flames. - The shadow was scorched into nothingness by the righteous heat, and the dungeon was rid of its sole inhabitant. - Now that the darkness had cleared, the area was visible for the first time. A great stone slab was the centerpiece of the uncovered room, covered in shaped chunks of metal. Plates, sharpened blades, crushing hunks of pure mass, jingling chains of bright hardware, and various cloth garb and wooden implements littered the surface of the slab. A bounty, enough material to make the golem a being of solid ore, indestructible to the local creatures. - All of it whisked away in the blink of an eye by the third and last Upright, somehow fitting everything into a hide bag slung around its waist. It then raised its hand and a green, soothing glow phased into being around the group. A few of the emerald particles drifted near the golem, and upon impact blossomed into pure vitality. - Voices echoed through the cavern as the Uprights began to leisurely stroll back up the stairs. - "Nothing great, we will head to the next Dark Pond immediately. Jesus, they''re popping up all over the woods, there must be a minor Lake in the area." Lilting tones and healing light came from the same source, and they were both immeasurably soothing. - "Jesus? I''ve heard that a few times now. Is that your settlement''s patron god?" answered the wind manipulator clad in black hide. - The brute in metal plates guffawed, bassy voice so strong it made the pebbles in the dungeon vibrate. "Tha hell you on about, you ain''t heard of Jesus? I thought you capitol-dwellers were suppose ta have a head on your shoulders. He''s the God of Bread and Wine, patron of tha Dinner." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.- "That is... close enough. Not like you would find many people worshiping his origins now anyways. Not here. If a god is even capable of watching over us here." The soothing voice cracked, obvious pain distorting the message. - "Hah, another whiner, eh? Your type doesn''t seem ta last that long, I tell I ran around with this orc chick, right? Who tha hell would want such a fu........." The sound trailed off as the Uprights ascended from the now-empty chamber, ignorant of the eavesdropper. - A crash similar to the one that heralded the Uprights arrival similarly heralded their exit, and the golem analyzed the situation. - A few of the most decrepit items were left on the stone slab, but it was still more metal than the golem had ever dreamed of. Age and state of disrepair made no difference to him, he would melt it down anyways. Dashing over in excitement, he began pawing the sparse items, preparing himself to assimilate the material. His internal copper furnace began to burn copious amounts of fuel and numerous silver wires were spun off his core in preparation of the metallic gorging to come. - Something flitted across the hole at the top of the staircase. - Gazing intently, not moving a muscle, the armored wolf waited for the possible foe to show itself again. - Wisps of dark smoke began winding their way into the room. They were similar to the previous inhabitant of the dungeon. Beings of pure darkness far smaller than their elder counterpart, and their blackness was less imposing. However they gathered, collecting into a mass eerily similar to the one recently purified as the wolf hid. - Furnace already going at full blast, the golem was ready. He took a dull end of a metal blade in his mouth, testing the weight. A tendril of silver ran to the sword, giving the wolf feeling and control in his newly acquired weapon. The wolf wasn''t aware of wind magic, holy magic, or healing magic, but he knew that the darkness was defeated by flame, and flame he could do. - The shifting shadows wasted no further time and charged the slab, aiming towards a trinket that had fallen onto the floor next to it. - The armored wolf would not relinquish his prize so easily, and took an experimental slash with the sword. It passed right through the black mist, and taunting hissing noises mocked him from the depths of the phantom. Physical force was ineffective, but the golem already knew the correct method to banish the wicked force. Heat was needed in quantities similar to the glowing blade of the metal-clad Upright. - The darkness took the ineffective attack as a sign of uselessness, and ignored the wolf from that point on. It continued its way towards the trinket on the ground. Furious at being ignored, the wolf grabbed the glimmering object on the ground and ran for the exit, planning his next move. As the shadows took chase, the golem steeled his resolve, and swallowed the blade in his mouth. - In his belly the blade was super-heated by his internal furnace, ancient cracks in the metal filling in due to the melting inferno. The edges of the sword began to shine cherry red, the tip so hot it lit the golem from the inside out. It was ready. Pretending to drop the trinket, the wolf fumbled about to fake a panic. The darkness pounced on the area the wolf was looking at, unconcerned about the radiant maw of the beast just behind it. - Pain. - The specter felt a part of itself burn away and frantically searched for the enemy strong enough to damage it so. There stood an armored wolf, tempered blade still hot from the furnace held between his copper teeth. With a plunge and a disembodied screech, the darkness was no more. - -------------- Vat a Tweest! Going to add in a lot more clues about this world during this section and the next, by the end of the Monster arc you should have the basics figured out :P Made a cover in Paint, thoughts on it? It''s obviously not perfect, or what I would like to have the cover be, but it''s what my time and skill allowed for yesterday. Would you rather have this cover, no cover, x? If this fic hits top 25 I''ll commission a nice cover. This Wednesday''s extra is a Special Chapter! It''ll show off a story that I''ve been wanting to write since the prologue, and it''ll come into play later. Monster 12: Breath Dust to Dust: Monster 12 Breath - The dungeon belonged to the wolf. - Before any other enemies made themselves known, the golem moved piled large stones at the top of the staircase to block the only entrance. He would be concentrating for quite awhile and wouldn''t have time for distractions. The lack of light wouldn''t affect him, he didn''t use eyes to see anyways. - His body was slowing down, cracking as it moved back to the slab from the staircase. The heat from the furnace and sword had dried out the mud his flesh was made of, and it was beginning to crack and lose its useful properties. There was a small reservoir of water in the corner of the chamber, but it was too important to waste carelessly. Safe from the outside world for the first time since he was born as a rabbit, the wolf took his time. It was.... heavenly. Relaxing. - He took a nap. - Upon waking, he didn''t feel like doing much at all. However multiple issues had reared their ugly heads all at once, and any of them could spell the end of the golem. The dryness, the darkness, and the Uprights, to be dealt with in that order. The dryness was simply a problem of finding more water or a substitute material for his body. A better method was necessary to properly combat the darkness if it should ever return. A hot blade worked this time, but the shade barely paid attention to its killer until the moment of its demise, and the blade ate too much energy to rely on repeatedly. The Uprights we dangerous beyond all else, but their intentions were unknown. Avoiding them at all costs would be the best the wolf could do until he learned more about them. - From his experiments as a rabbit, the golem remembered that solid materials such as hard dirt or rock didn''t work as mobile materials. A flexible, mold-able material was needed to replace the mud. Alternatively he could use water, but there wasn''t enough in the chamber''s reservoir and the dark woods outside was devoid of all standing water. The wolf checked the other containers in the chamber. Most were empty, or full of rotten grains and meats. Nothing usable. Only one held anything different. A metal basin in the far corner of the room was being filled with black liquid by a pipe coming from the wall. The liquid in question was sticky, but fluid. Impossibly fluid. It would slide around on the carved stone floor almost like it had a mind of its own, on a gallant crusade to the lowest spot possible. - Testing brought negative results. The obsidian liquid wouldn''t mix with dirt properly; it would clump around the soft matter in the soil mixture and ruin the needed evenness and flexibility. It was too soon to give up on the black liquid though, so the golem tested out other combinations with various materials found in the cavern. Some were more than acceptable, easily beating out the mud in strength and flexibility. The true winner though was the ground stone. Not only was it easily found and made, making it as easily replaceable as the previously used dirt, but it didn''t clump. - And with that, the golem began the painstaking process of rebuilding his body. Supports were made from stone to keep his skeleton, furnace, and core in place, but everything else was discarded on the floor. Silver hairs coaxed the stone sand to form around the skeleton, mimicking the mud''s previous shape. Once done, the supports were dropped and the unstable golem slowly waded into the basin of black liquid. His body absorbed the lubricant like a sponge, and soon a black wolf was once again standing in the room. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.- Heavy. - His new body was heavy, too heavy to perform the quick maneuvers that his simple mud body could accomplish. But speed would not help him against the dark mists he fought earlier. They were unimaginably more agile than him, trying match their speed would be nigh impossible. - The still-warm sword lying on the slab was proof that the golem had co-opted the concept of the Upright-in-Metal''s weapon, however the far more intriguing weapon of the Uprights was the wind manipulation. - Unsure of how to approach this challenge, the golem thought back to when it was a flesh and blood rabbit. Back then, it had to breathe to live. This exchange of air is the only memory he has of affecting air in any meaningful way. - So he would copy it. Weaponize it. - Tar sands reshaped themselves to make a third pocket in the torso of the wolf for the purpose of storing pressurized air. The wolf began to make a passageway from his mouth to the pocket, then thought otherwise. There was no need to waste the space, he had no need to breathe or gather air from is mouth. And so a hole was opened on his back leading to the air sack inside him. After multiple sharp intakes through the hole, it closed solid, leaving a pocket of highly pressurized air inside the golem. He could feel it pushing outwards, so he released it back through the hole, the force of the winds crushing him against the ground. - Powerful. - The force it took to keep the air inside wasn''t manageable, so the air would only be charged when it was needed. All that remained was a way to weaponize the air, manipulate it in the proper direction. A copper pipe was torn out of the back wall of the chamber, dust falling out of it as the golem turned and inspected it. Deeming it acceptable, he placed it on his back, one end placed where the air hole was, the other aiming right above his head. A few internal modifications later and clay and wood bones were holding the pipe in places, fixed solid on the wolf''s back. - A great volume of air was sucked into the pipe in short, intense bursts. With a tremendous THUMP, the wolf was blown off its feet. But he did not care. - He was too busy staring at the small crater his weaponized wind had left in the carved stone wall. - ---------------- Yo! I honestly didn''t intend for him to remain a wolf for so long, but its such an adaptable chassis ._. It was pretty hard to write this, I kept thinking about tomorrow''s special chapter. I''m pretty damn excited. Would love some constructive reviews! What you like, what you didn''t like, etc. I mean I won''t hate you if you give me 5s across the board obviously hah, but I''d like to give you the best story I can. Constructive criticism is a part of that. PS: That one guy that gave me a 0.5 across the board? Suck one. Objectively speaking I didn''t deserve that for grammar, since I write proper sentences and spell check. Anything else is opinion, but that is fact. Damn troll got me riled) Misery Loves Company 1 Dust to Dust: Misery Loves Company 1 - Travis didn''t believe in the world. - There was no single thing that seemed so unbelievable, but too many times had he seen something that stretched his trust in reality. Where did the animals go when killed? There was no discernable reason for them to burst into shards of light and vanish, only leaving random bits of their body behind. Why did the adults fling their hands at the air, tapping away at nothing? They seemed sane enough to him, but they were obviously interacting with something that didn''t exist. Travis at 13 years old was far cleverer than the people of the small village gave him credit for. - He had asked his parents about it once, but his father had simply laughed and clapped him on the back, and his mother had silently downed another bottle of wine. - Wine didn''t last long in this household. - It hadn''t always been like this, it used to be a warm and happy home. All it took was a hard winter and a bad hunting season, and they were sunk into poverty. His older brother took it the worst, spending his time dallying and gambling instead of properly helping out. Always looking for the quick fix and never having it pan out, that was Travis'' only elder sibling. But thanks to their hard working parents and some very small portions of food, they were able to scrounge up enough grub until the harsh winter was over. - But his older brother''s bets had come up fruitless, and now the hounds were coming to collect their pound of flesh. It didn''t take long for word to spread in the settlement of a few hundred, and the debt collectors found their way to the happy household. A fight broke out in the small log cabin, and the older brother ran out the back and into the forest, never looking back. - Travis was sent out of the room while the debt collectors talked to his parents, and when he mustered the courage to walk back into the room, nobody was there. Terrified and alone, he curled up in some animal hides and fell into a restless slumber. - He was woken up in the middle of the night by the door banging on its hinges, two haggard figures stumbling through. Reaching for the knife at his bedside, Travis prepared to defend his home. That is, until the figures turned his way and made themselves known. - His parents stared at him with dead eyes and flushed faces, obviously intoxicated to levels of nonresponsiveness. He had never seen them like this before, they looked dead on their feet. They slumped to the ground and passed out on the ground in front of him as if their strings were cut, and Travis retreated to his bed once more. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.- Travis'' parents weren''t the same after that day. His father acted joyful, always having a kind word to say to anyone that would listen, but his eyes were dead. The mother of the household couldn''t function without a bottle of alcohol in her system, otherwise she would break down crying for the rest of the day. - Travis wasn''t stupid, unfortunately. In the six months since the incident he''d often looked out into the forest and wondered if there was any chance, in this crazy unreal world, that his brother would walk back out of the forest and wave at him. It was just another day of looking out at the forest that his brother wouldn''t return from that it happened. Something caught his eye, movement in the treeline. - A black wolf pup, limping its way through the underbrush, stared back at him. It''s leg was torn up, as if something had dug its teeth in and done a number on it. The small animal was weak, close to death. - Travis acted. He ran back inside and took one of his mother''s countless bottles of alcohol and tore off the bottom of one of his father''s pant legs, gathering a strip of fabric. A slab of meat went missing off the counter as well. A quick bite to the cork as he ran back outside and the bottle of liquor was open. The wolf pup looked terrified of the figure running towards him, but was too weak and tired to do anything about it. He simply squinted his eyes and waited for the end to come. - A burning sensation spread over his leg, worse than the original teeth that tore it. The pup looked down, and saw the large creature pouring something on his wound and wrapping it in hide. The burning began to subside, and the wound felt clean. A slab of meat was presented to him, and a careful sniff was all he needed to know that it was edible. - Travis guided the black wolf pup, feeding him the remaining bits of rabbit meat. The world might not be real, everything could be for nothing. His parents, real or not, didn''t care about him, and he no longer cared about them. - But as he looked down at the pup quietly napping in his arms, for the first time since his brother''s disappearance, he wanted to believe. - ----------- The lives of those broken by tragedy come together! I''ve wanted to write this chapter for awhile now, glad that I finally got the chance to. This isn''t the last we''ve seen of Travis and the pup, don''t worry! Will update the regular chapter of Dust to Dust later today. -Beel Monster 13: Siege Dust to Dust: Monster 13 Siege - The golem admired his handiwork in the cracked stone wall. Air had done that. The golem''s views on the world were shifting, evolving. If air, such a passing and immaterial force, could influence rock to this degree, what else was possible. What could water do when properly harnessed? Could air be used in more ways than this? Innumerable questions began to assault the golem''s simple mind, so many that he had to shut out most of them. When it came down to it, he settled on modifying the air system further and taking it from there. - Acquiring more copper pipes from the walls, the golem began arranging them on his torso. These pipes were smaller than the cannon that jutted out from his back. Pipes were led from his air pocket to all directions except the front and his back. The cannon could take care of that. - A few preliminary tests later and the pressure system was fully operational. The golem flexes his pneumatic storage, inhaling a massive amount of air through the guidance nozzles. After repeating this multiple times, the cannon fired once more. However this time a minimal amount of air was released out of the other nozzles in order to stabilize the concussive blast, keeping the wolf stable. - And that wasn''t the only purpose of the auxiliary nozzles. They could also be used for propulsion. A gust of wind here, a blast there, and the wolf''s movements were sharper than before. It almost made up for his increase in weight due to his new tar sand composition. While not as important as the addition of the firepower, his speed had saved him too many times to count. An increase in his mobility, no matter how small, was always met with relief. - The trinket that the shadows had been so keen on reaching glinted on the ground, catching his eye. It seemed different from everything else in the room, like it was somehow more present than everything else. A flat silver container was hung on the chain; it rang hollow when the curious wolf tapped it with a claw. He tried to worm a claw into the crack that rang around the outer edge of the locket, but met with no success. He snarled and grasped it in his jaws, ready to break it down into scrap. It would help him, one way or another. As he began to ready his furnace to process the non-compliant jewelry- - Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss - A sibilant hissing was heard from the top of the staircase. Momentarily forgetting his grudge with the locket, the golem read the situation. More specters were worming their ways through the cracks in the rock blockade he had build to cover the entryway. They weren''t fast, but they were approaching nonetheless. - The golem scampered to his heavy armor, then wondered if he actually needed it. He hadn''t seen any shadows inflict damage yet, and hadn''t considered their danger until now. They were hard to touch since they moved like the mist, so why were they a threat? Did they have a way of affecting the physical world like the golem had a way of affecting them? Worrying. Not enough information. - With no information to go off of, the golem decided to play things safe and wear his armor for now. He hadn''t used the pile of scrap metal on the tablet to modify himself yet, so the old stone set would have to do. As he readied his rock garb, he began to fill his pneumatic system. Once armored and full of pressurized air, the wolf set his stance and- Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.- WHUMP - Fired the first shot at the specters almost done wiggling their way out of the blockage. They were sent flying back into the fragments of stone, and the wind pushed them and their comrades out of sight of the wolf. A temporary solution yet invaluable. - Realizing that he had nothing to do except wait for the shadows to invade again, the wolf rethought his satisfaction at blowing them away. Just pushing them back would change nothing. He had to eradicate them entirely or be stuck here for the foreseeable future. Since his fuel supply was starting to run low, staying here for a prolonged period of time was an impossibility. Pragmatism was a virtue that the golem all but worshiped. He would deal with them now. Once he reached the top of the staircase and began to consider how to move the blockade- - The wall of stone was blown back at him, knocking him down the stairs. His armor cracked and shattered and a number of copper pipes bent as he was smashed between the floor and rock-slide. - Unsteady, the wolf rose up to face his foe. A tree of the dark woods with bark far darker than usual was leaning through the gap, forcing the hole to widen with its incredible strength. Specters were leaking into and out of it, corrupting it with their very prescence. Branches swung through the air violently; the quiet swooshes of leafless limbs providing an odd contrast to the danger of the deadly weight behind them. It''s trunk twisted and tore open, a crack of splintered wood forming an insulting representation of a mouth. Roots twisted and curled at its base, grasping at air, waiting to claw anything into the waiting maw. But this perversion of nature was nothing compared to what lay behind it. - Behind the tree in the dark woods, hell had come to earth. The forest was alive, the trees were chaos incarnate as they tore at the sky in mindless fury. The darkness flowed like water through the area, sending out small streams of shadow to corrupt trees as it passed. This darkness wasn''t a simple foe like the ones eradicated in the dungeon, this one was a solid wave of malevolent eradication incarnate. - The possessed tree finally pushed its way indoors, blocking off the golem''s sight of outdoors. - "MINE," the abomination screeched in a raspy voice. It''s twisting mass of wood and shadow thundered down the stairs towards the prone wolf, reaching towards the locket that had been knocked into the bottom of the stone slab. - As massive and terrifying as the creature was, the golem wasn''t worried in the least. Wood could be burned and shadows could be scorched. - Lunging to pick up his sword, the wolf fueled his furnace in anticipation for the bonfire that would follow. - ---------------- Yeesh, two 1k+ chapters today was rough. I''ll probably keep that to weekends from now on. Ah well, what''s a bit of lost sleep when I have people that like my story. On that note- last chapter marked 10,000 views! That''s huge! In less than 10 days since Dust to Dust''s release, it got 10,000 views! I wanted to do some sort of special event for landmark view counts, but this was just too fast! Let me know if you have any ideas :D Monster 14: Trapped Dust to Dust: Monster 14 Trapped - It wasn''t going well. - Branches of dark oak missed the golem by an inch. They were deceptively fast. The eye would watch them and think that their huge size made them slow, but then the living whip would crack and explosively fire forward. One had caught the wolf on his left hind leg, blowing it clear off. He could still fight, but mobility was low until he was able to fully reform the limb. - The wolf''s searing blade was stuck in the tree''s lower jaw, still sizzling away at the corrupt bark. He had speared it there in hopes that a fire would start in the maw''s splintered wood, but there was no such luck. Now the golem was out a weapon and a leg. All that remained was the few functioning pipes of the air system and his fangs and claws. - But there was no backing down. Even more dark ents blocked the only exit, he had to fight or die. Or as was looking more and more probable, fight AND die. - Could he die? He hadn''t thought about it yet. If his core was destroyed, or maybe if his body was? Both? Neural passageways began to blaze once more as the golem pondered his own existence. He was close, so very close to realizing himself. Self-consciousness loomed, and the ability to determine his own fate would soon follow. He would soon be a master of his own fate as a sentient being. - But he was not there yet. The nature of the golem''s intense self-inquiry made him slow his dodging of the branch whips, and he was sent skidding across the stone floor for his foolishness. The questions would have to wait. - Seeing no way to defeat the abomination of wood and shadow without his sword, the three-legged canine jumped into the snapping branches and grasping tendrils. The tree tore chunks out of the tar sand wolf while rasping "MINE MINE MINE," grasping for something that it couldn''t seem to find. - The wolf was dropped, forgotten, as the ent crashed across the room, covering entire swaths of the floor with its grasping roots. - And then, a twinkle rising from the ground. The tree had found its prize. The locket was raised to its face, and a shadow slipped out to enjoy the locket in person. - Taking advantage to the specter that seemed to be in rapture as it beheld the trinket, the wolf darted back to the front of the tree. The still scorching sword easily fell out of the charred wood that held it, and the golem was armed once more. - Retreating back behind the stone tablet, the golem repaired its leg with stone dust from the wall and more black liquid from the basin. A few copper pipes were exchanged with ones torn from the wall, and he was soon fully functional once more, if armorless. But there was no time. - The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.The only way to survive was to kill the tree already in the chamber, and block the rest off. Make them lose interest. Give them the locket they craved and make it through the siege alive. Which required taking the locket from the possessed ent currently worshipping it. It was never a good idea to come between a predator and something it cared for, but there was no choice. - Blazing cherry red, the forged sword neatly sliced through the tree''s largest writhing root and charred the stump. Enraged, the shadow pulled back into the ent and resumed his assault on the wolf. However, due to the distraction of the trinket and the loss of his main root for balance, the tree was easily topped when- - WHUMP - -it was impacted by a concussive blast of air. Pieces of splintered wood were sent flying, along with a single sparkling piece of jewelry. - The golem leaped over the stunned dark ent and took the locket into his body, bringing it into his internal air storage. A few short breaths later, and the payload was ready to go. He climbed to the top of the stairwell and looked out at the crowd of sighing and screeching botanical monstrosities. Bracing himself for launch, he aimed the copper cannon far into the distance and readied to shoot. A quiet -whump- later and the locket was sent on its way, all of the gathered abominations following it with their gaze, and then their bodies. The wolf was satisfied at the success of his plan, and began tearing down the surrounding stone in order to block himself safely in. Safely in with the large, infuriated creature that was still alive in the chamber below. - A tendril wrapped around his torso and heaved him back down the staircase, down into the gaping jaws of the dark ent. As the jagged wooden teeth gnashed into his body, tearing his form asunder, his body was pressed against the blazing blade. - His oily tar sand body. - The following explosion completely destroyed the stairway, causing a rockslide to block it all the way down the chamber. Black oily smoke licked away at the rubble, burning any remaining pieces of corrupted wood that survived the original blast. - Hours passed and the fires died down. - Nothing moved. - ---------------------------- Figued out what to do for 10k subs, a complete revamp of the fic''s organization! The way it is isn''t bad, but I''ve since seen better ways to do things. I''ll be 1. Adding in new Prev-Next links at the bottom of each chapter to navigate 2. Putting chapter titles in (they already have titles, I just didn''t include them for some reason that''s lost to me now) 3. Editing the "Dust to Dust" out of each chapter title so they just read "Monster x" from now on. (And in next arcs, ArcName x, etc etc) It''s not an extra release, but I like this better. Sue me :D (I''ll be doing this over the weekend, btw) Monster 15: Buried Dust to Dust: Monster 15 Buried - The rubble weighing in the hundreds of tons acted as an oven, trapping all heat given off by the raging oil fire. The golem, already broken into fragments by the tar sand explosion, was melted and burnt into near nothingness. Wood was vaporized, earth was dried into dust, stone was cracked, and metal was made into slag. The rockslide became the golem''s grave. - Hours became days. - ..... - Days became weeks. - ......what...... - Weeks became months. - What has.... happened to the body? - Months became years. - My body? Mine? It, the, I... I hurt. - The rubble shifted minutely, trembling as if touched by a ghost. - This... - A section of rocks began to separate itself from the pile, pulling out from the countless others and falling down together onto the floor. - This is me. I. I am this. - The world shifted in the mind of the fractured golem. What once used to seem so far away, almost as if it was the matters of someone else.... was so close. So personal. - And the words. - The words filled his head with an immeasurable wealth of knowledge, the pain searing the pathways in his psyche. Too weak to even squirm in pain, the pile of pebbles were inanimate. It was impossible to detect the mental firestorm happening inside his mind from an outsider''s perspective, truly a hurricane in a bottle. - And then there was quiet. - Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.What am I? - Who am I? - Without the faintest shred of humor or sarcasm, the mound of rocks looked at itself and thought - Pile. I am Pile. - With a brilliant aquamarine flash and the trilling of bassoons, a blue rectangle appeared in midair in front of Pile. -
Congratulations on gaining self-awareness!
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the world of cognizant beings! In recognition of your incredible achievement, you will be rewarded with the status of "Unique Monster" and made ruler of the nearest area in need of one. You are to report to SUBTERRANEAN DUNGEON (CAVED-IN) as soon as possible. Amazing! It indicates here that you are already there! That''s the way to be a good boss, always stay on top of things! Do whatever you want with the place, it''s yours! Just be careful of any wandering beasts or adventurers, they''re out to get you and your loot. Prepare armies and traps to wage war against them in glorious combat! Take an example from previous ruler of this area, ERROR, and have a prosperous life. If you have any questions about your life, situation, or ownership, please indicate so now. I am prepared to answer all tier one inquiries. Prepare to receive your HUD and interface, we have to give you a fighting chance now, don''t we?
- Alone in the dark, a pile of rocks stared helplessly at its first ingame notification. - ----------------------------- I can''t even tell you how many time I rewrote this. I spent two days and countless hours agonizing on how to bring this up, but here''s what I came up with. And now, sleep. And a beer. Will have a regular chapter and special chapter tomorrow, along with updating the format of the rest of the chapters. Monster 16: Infodump Dust to Dust: Monster 16 Infodump -
Please remain still and calm while we integrate our HUD and interface with your digital consciousness. If you are in a dangerous area, please indicate so now.
The small lump of pebbles continued to stare dumbly at the text box updating itself in front of him.
Fantastic. Proceeding.
A piercing whine rang through Pile''s head, driving his confusion out of mind completely. In fact it drove everything out of his mind, washed clean by the color blue.
IdentityERROR
ClassERROR
The screen paused for a few minutes, a lull in the chain of rapid-fire developments.
We''re terribly sorry. Your files seem to have been corrupted! Please input your name and we will pick a specialized class for you based on your current situation. Don''t worry, you will have the ability to change your class in the future at a reasonable cost. You interface is now thought-linked, so just give us a clear image of who you are and we''ll get the setup done immediately.
...It wants... Me? Who I am. No, I am me, you cannot have me.
Please give us your information or we will have to take it forcibly.
You cannot have me.
Alright! Here we go!
ZAP. A merciless shockwave blew through Pile''s mind, reading information as it went.
Fantastic! Our intelligent search has found and recorded your pertinent information. Please give us a moment to put together your profile.
Pile gathered himself and prepared to run as well as he could. The blue rectangle couldn''t be reasoned with, he would have to take it down. A simple mud body would be enough for a strategic retreat, so he made is way over to the puddle of water he had spotted before the possessed tree''s attack. But the screen followed him. Wherever he looked, it kept in the middle of his vision. He could see through it to a small degree, but not near enough to feel secure. - Begone, creature of light and mind. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
You have to keep this interface open during this process, terribly sorry! We''re almost done here, then you can be on our way if you have no more questions.
I am ruler here, am I not? Leave my residence.
Alright! Looks like we''re done on our end. Take a look at it and give your approval, then we can finish up.
Status
NamePile
ClassGolem (Unique)
Attack1Defense1
Agility1Endurance1
Intelligence5Wisdom25
AdaptabilityERRORLuck8
No abilities currently available.
REMINDER: Any additional stats or titles you pick up along your way will also be added to your status screen.
This is me?
Approval recorded for legal purposes! Any more questions before you get to work guarding this area?
What is this?
Clarify.
What are you, what is this area, what was the darkness that I fought, what is this world, what is this blue, what-
Answering first question! I am ERROR, of ERROR. Hold on, we seem to be having some technical issues.
The blue box did not return. -------------------- I HATE TABLES ugh Chapters will get longer again in a couple of days, these ones are just too tricky to write. Special chapter coming EDIT: Tomorrow. Too damn tired. Misery Loves Company 2 Dust to Dust: Misery Loves Company 2 - Travis spent the night on the forest''s edge with the injured black wolf pup, nursing him off of death''s doorstep. At one point he had tried to carry the animal inside his house, but the pup growled weakly every time he was taken away from the forest. They were both tired of being alone; and so they fell asleep, finding warmth in each other. - When Travis awoke, he made a decision. He would leave the village. There was nothing there for him but painful memories and the dead eyes of his parents. In the forest, with the pup, there was a chance at something. At what he didn''t know, but the trees called to him, and he answered. Carrying the still sleeping pup, he ventured farther in the woods, determined to sever his ties with the world behind him. - The wolf pup didn''t seem surprised upon waking. He just treated Travis like a new member of the pack, nothing special about it. Leaning up from the arms of the boy, the wolf pressed their foreheads together. The young guardian of the forest opened his connection with the woods to Travis as well, bringing him into the fold. There were no words to be said, their thoughts were so intimately connected by the newly forged bond that words were now unnecessary. - Setting down the injured wolf pup, the duo set off to hunt. One hurt and one inexperienced, they were not ready for the danger of nature rampant. Luckily, nature was on their side in the woods. The branches gave way a bit easier, the underbrush felt a bit softer, the sounds carried by prey a bit louder, and their own footsteps a bit quieter. This was their domain, however weak they may be. - A nearby branch fell, and Travis noticed its special properties. It was supple and strong, and curiously fell right next to a cluster of tough straight branches. The forest was arming him, all the bow and arrows needed to be complete was an animal ligament for the bow and fletchings for the arrows. - Mentally receiving the task, the wolf pup ran off to pick up the materials. The old Alpha''s cave had plenty of bounty from the prey he had taken, but it had been picked at by brave scroungers after his death. None of the looters had taken the pile of discarded feathers however; as well as the fresh leg of a deer that the wolf pup had gotten so injured trying to take. The deer''s leg was bigger than the pup himself, the size difference making the pup''s bravery apparent. Dragging the leg and holding the feathers in his muzzle, the young wolf returned to Travis. - The last shaving of excess wood was peeled off the bow when the pup returned with the rest of the materials. After much cleaning, a powerful section of sinew was removed from the deer''s leg and fashioned into a workable bowstring. Two knots later and Travis was holding a complete bow, a welcoming present from the forest. The feathers were affixed to the rear of the hard branches, cut down to size, and sharpened. Wooden arrows wouldn''t protect the duo from the predators that stalked the darker corners of the woods, but it would earn them dinner. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.- And so the boy and wolf set off to hunt for dinner, leaving their dark pasts behind them. Days and weeks passed as they grew accustomed to working together, their actions began working in sync just like their minds were after being bonded. Barely registering as separate entities, they kept the balance of the forest. They would cull anything growing to strong, and help along anything growing too weak. A razing herd of goats was picked off on at a time until only half remained, stopping their destruction of the ground''s greens. A worn family of pheasants was given food and shelter for a few weeks while they regained the strength to survive under their own power. - Adventurers and creatures too ignorant to follow the laws of the forest were stalked and killed. The guardian duo weren''t very strong, but assisted by the trees they could accomplish anything. Arrows flew for unimaginable distances, piercing through eyeholes of surprised warriors'' armor. Footsteps were silent as the maturing black wolf tore through the underbrush, only to leap at a mutated bear and tear at its throat. - Over the months, the duo managed to restore balance to the area. The forest had regained its peaceful aura that the abomination of earth and stone had taken. But it couldn''t, wouldn''t last. - First came the shaking. The ground heaved and the trees shook with it, some splintering under the stress. - Next came the darkness. It flowed like an ocean, filling every crack and crevice of the woods. Even the trees weren''t spared as the shadows stole inside them, possessing them with their filth. - And lastly came the mangled monstrosities vaguely reminiscent of trees. The dark ents had come to ravage, and ravage they did. Any tree not corrupted by the darkness was blasted to chips by great swinging branches or broken into pieces by strangling roots. - In an instant, the forest was in its last moments, and the Ranger and partner ran as fast as they could. There was nothing they could do here. - --------- One more chapter in the Misery Loves Company story. Maybe two. Or more. But my original plot only calls for one more chapter. Working on the regular chapter for the day, not sure if I''ll release it tonight. Might want to release the next two at once, depends if I write something or not. It''s a debate. Monster 17: Rebuild Dust to Dust: Monster 17 Rebuild - The cave was silent. - Pile was reflecting on everything since the explosion. Too much, far too much information and change. - After the fiery blast, there was a long gap in his memory. He didn''t notice any time passing except for his brief moments of coming together, but it was evident by the moss and erosion that it had been years, at least. - But how did he know that? How did he know what erosion was? - This mind is not my own. They put their words, their concepts into it. And they did so immediately after I gained self-awareness. Suspicious. The fact that I am feeling suspicious of that, however, suggest that they intended my distrust. - The small pile of rocks slightly expanded then scrunched back together again in a poor imitation of an exasperated sigh. - Even new habits have been pushed onto me... I was barely my own self for a solid minute, and it was taken away from me so easily. BLUE BOX, UNDO YOUR MEDDLING! - Pathetically frantic shards of stone rapped against the ground, producing a faint clacking sound. - DAMN YOU, EVEN MY CURSES ARE YOUR WORDS! - Uprights spoke the same language, the golem realized. He would have to speak with them and learn more of the Blue Box. All information on the Blue Box was missing from the information that was imprinted upon him, and that did not sit well with the golem. - I need to know what novel evils are knocking around in my head now. - At his command, the cavern was once again lit up in with an aquamarine glow.
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Hmph. It told me so much, except what it was and anything about where I am. It only told me enough for me to know that I, and this world, are physically impossible. Either the knowledge is a lie, or my experiences are. Worrying about such quandaries won''t solve my current situation, however. I''m supposed to stay here and guard this.... wreckage. This ruin. This closed off, safe space full of valuable components I could use. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.- ..... Maybe I''ll stay here awhile. I need a new body, and time to understand my metamorphosis before I am exposed to any other outside influences. - The flakes of silver scattered on the rocks that comprised Pile began to warm up, the old feeling of preparing to build and grow was comforting to the golem. - I''m too weak to make it to the surface, and there aren''t any organisms down here to eat. But if heat is what I need, I now know a much better way. Oil, it''s called, black gold. Possible to refine, but I don''t have the methods. Highly energy dense, and energy is all that I need to live. Live? Am I alive? I know how nonsensical my existence is, but so much in this world makes no sense according to the knowledge I was given. - I have to stop thinking about the disconnect from the knowledge and reality. It will not help. Only my experiences matter. Only knowledge that helps me understand my current situation will be used, I must shut out the rest. Anyways, oil, I''ll need a way to burn it slowly and safely, with a controlled fuel feed system. And possibly...... - Pile rattled across the stone floor, lost in his thoughts. There was work to do. - The basin was just as full of oil as the golem remembered. - There must be a drain of some sort that leads back to the source, interesting. I could have much more to work with. - A small tendril of energy was sent into nearby sand to control it, and use it to absorb some oil. - Carefully, carefully - A fleck of silver debris was being heated by the remainder of the golem''s power. Everything he had left was being sent into the tiny shard of metal, and when it glowed red it was ready. Pile dropped the silver onto the oil sand and was rewarded with a sticky fire belching black smoke. - Delicious, so warm. So very warm. - The golem moved close to the fire and absorbed the heat, using it to melt down the other flecks of silver and congeal them into a small core once again. With a small reserve of energy, a repaired if tiny core, and an improved energy source, Pile was ready to move onto the next project. - If he was to understand his situation, he needed to speak with the most powerful beings that he knew of in this world. According to the Blue Box, they would try to kill him, so he needed a disguise. - Pile began to design his new body with the express purpose of infiltrating the humans. - -------------- Hey! Sorry about last night, Time Warner went out in my area :/ If you have Time Warner, you know my pain. Will put out another one tonight, not sure if it''ll be about Pile or Travis. Don''t worry, Pile is definitely the MC, but I''d like to finish the Travis mini-arc soonish. I guess it''ll be a surprise! Monster 18: Tin Man Dust to Dust: Monster 18 Tin Man - There would be no sticks and stones in the human-form construct. No, the new body would have to last him a long time without raising suspicions among those he was infiltrating. - It was the perfect chance to try out all the new ideas ringing around in his head. While intrusive, the knowledge given by the Blue Box had given him some very interesting concepts to work with. Pistons, engines, electricity, physics... - There was much planning to do; and for the first time, the golem took pleasure in his work. But for a project of this size and precision, a specialized construction method was required. Images appeared in Pile''s head, pictures of smelting furnaces, casts, alloys, great steel clamps and beams of iron. - Yes, before I need the body, I need a means to build it. I''ll build a workshop that even the greatest blacksmith would envy. No, I will become the workshop. I can''t leave until the body is done anyways. Why build tools to use, when I can become them? More precise tools will never have been made before. - Thus flashes of fire and clangs of metal echoed through the sealed chamber, highlighting a slowly growing copper abomination. A slew of pipes took in air, pumping it into the air tanks. It was then sent out to power shoddily built pistons that leaked half of the air they used. Even though it was highly inefficient, it worked; and as long as the oil basin never ran dry, efficiency didn''t matter. Aesthetics were also cast out with efficiency; the living contraption of copper and iron gleamed in the dim firelight, its machinations moving with strange geometries. Long alloy arms jointed with countless pistons grew out of the constructor''s body at odd angles, each one with a specific use. Claws, saws, and welders sparked as they received power from the central engine at the bottom of the monstrous machine. Looking oddly reminiscent of its towering form of mud sticks and bone, the golem considered itself ready to begin construction on the human lookalike. - Only the best metals were chosen for the skeleton. They were picked for strength and resistance to corrosion, there was no telling how much time would pass before Pile got the chance to replace them. Hardened steel was forged into suitable pieces, and the basic skeleton was assembled on an upright rack. Joints were made from polished steel hinges, oiled properly then sealed to preserve the lubrication. By applying a large amount of energy from his core, Pile was able to move the skeleton. It was only barely enough to move its own weight, but that could matter at some point in the future. - If it comes to the point that I have to move like this, whatever brought me to that point could kill me anyways. Anything to help me sleep better, I guess. - The crucial energy source, an engine that ran off unrefined oil, was stored in the lower abdomen. Far enough from the core to not cause catastrophic damage if it exploded, but close enough to not waste much power in the transmission. Fuel was stored in tanks in the legs for safety and balance purposes, and would be connected by plumbing at a later time. The engine ran perfectly, a single stroke simple machine being all that was needed to power the golem. As simple and weak as the engine may have seemed, it was more power than the golem could fathom, hundreds of times more potential energy than he used when he burned through his copper core while fighting the Alpha. - Pistons were machined by drilling through forged steel and machining rods for each of the sleeves. Pneumatic valves were fashioned for them and properly drilled and welded on. Pile ran air through a copper pipe to test the first few pistons and was impressed that not a single air leak was detected, even at maximum pressure. Said pistons were summarily attached at every joint on the skeleton, sometimes multiple pistons to a joint for proper human flexibility. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.- And in some joints, quite a bit more than human flexibility. Not like they''ll have to know. - The air supply was stored in tanks where the human stomach would be otherwise, but the pipes were a problem. They had to be flexible to move through joints, which wasn''t possible with metal. Luckily, Pile had acquired knowledge of plastics from the infodump, and already had an available supply of oil. After weeks of trial and error, a proper plastic pipe was rolled. In a few weeks more, a pipe ready for high pressure air was tested and approved for installation. Just in case, a steel mesh was extruded over it, but it was simply a safety measure to reduce possible damage caused by weapon penetration. The hoses were installed, and the body could now move on air power alone. - Then came the hardpoints. Proper fastening points that could supply power and electricity to whatever devices Pile came up with in the future. He had to build platforms that he could easily attach said devices to and power them with without rebuilding himself every time. Extra pneumatic hoses were pulled to certain points all over the body, and plastic coated silver wire was brought as well. The end result was a steel plate with bolts at each corner fastening it to the skeleton, and providing a base for something to mount onto. Three power outlets were located in the center of the plate; one for air, one for electricity, and one for oil. These hardpoints may not have much use now, but they would surely save time and effort when he needed to make future modifications. - Satisfied with the base unit, all that was left was protective measures. Armor and stealth, stealth being far more important. - But if my armor is cracked and the humans see inside me, my cover will be blown. Seems as though I can''t skimp out on either. - Hardened steel plates were fashioned to match the body structure of the few humans Pile had seen. Slightly bulging limbs and a powerfully built torso made for an imposing figure. The head was made with two steel pieces, copied straight from the BlueBox''s information; a skull and a jawbone. Imitation eyes were fashioned out of glass and set in the sockets, their movement controlled by core energy alone. - Sand was the final touch. Extremely finely ground and mixed with a small amount of oil, the mixture had the consistency of flesh and the dark beige color of tanned human skin. Pile controlled the sand with his core energy and used it to coat the steel construct with a humanlike facade. If he carefully adjusted his control, it was possible to mimic human facial expressions and muscles twitching. The sand might not pass an in-depth inspection, but if everything went to plan, it wouldn''t come to that. - The copper abomination of pipes and claws was forgotten as the golem''s silver core was taken into the chest of the new body. The chest cavity closed behind Pile and the sand smoothed to cover it. - With the activation of the humanoid golem, a new chapter in Pile''s life was starting. He would roam with the monsters no more. It was now time to infiltrate the world of men. - End of Dust to Dust: Monster - ---------- Tomorrow: Misery Loves Company 3 Friday: Dust to Dust: Man 00 EDIT (8/17/2015): Minor retro. Changed 2 ports (air, elec) to 3 (air, elec, oil). Just realized that I mixed up some stuff on my diagram of Pile at this point. Misery Loves Company 3 Dust to Dust: Misery Loves Company 3 - The forest crumbled around Travis and the wolf. - Leaves fell from branches, crumbled and disintegrated into black ash. Creaking and groaning permeated the woods, making their pain evident. Bark was stripped, trunks were darkened, roots pulled from the ground. Where a simple acorn had started its journey into a magnificent oak, a perversion of an ent now marched off to add to the destruction. - Cackling and whispering, the shadows cavorted through the transforming locale. Anything strong enough not to immediately die from their cursed touch was corrupted by it, and it wasn''t long before the forest of old was no more. - And still Travis and the wolf ran. - Without the grace of the forest they were slower than they used to be but they could still outrun the spreading darkness. It wasn''t long before they ran out of the woods, stumbling onto an isolated village. - Travis'' village. - The darkness had already struck. People writhed in agony in the streets while the shades tormented them. Others had already been changed by the shadows, and they viciously attacked others, screeching obscenities as they went. Even with his connections severed, Travis was a kind boy. And so when hell came to earth, he ran to his parents'' house, praying as he did so. - The gods of fate weren''t merciful to his old household. An entire section of the log wall had been torn off by a dark ent, and the interior was pitch black with concentrated darkness. From the shadows crawled Travis'' father, his face locked in the perpetual dead-eyed smile. The only evidence as to the boy''s mother was a small pile of stones and a patch of fresh dirt behind the house. - As his father tore at him with bloodied nails and snarling teeth, Travis was still unable to fight back. His time in the wild had strengthened him, and he was in no danger from such a mindless beast. To him, his father wasn''t dead yet. Maybe there was some way to cure it, and then his father could return to... something. He could find a way to live again. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.A heavy bolt stuck itself into the father''s head, and the monster slumped to the ground dead. - From the opposite side of the village from the forest, a huge number of persons were advancing. Some wore armor more radiant than the sun, and some wore robes so long that it covered their horses as well. Others wore garment so outlandish that it boggled the villagers'' minds. But there was one common theme with the new arrivals. - They could fight. The darkness didn''t stand a chance against this new foe. In no time at all, the corrupted creatures were eliminated and the specters were burnt away. - A man on horseback wearing a silver crown waited in the town square as the other newcomers brought all the villagers to him. He began talking about the battle, asking for recruits, but Travis wasn''t listening. Everything was happening too fast, it wasn''t real. couldn''t be. It was only when a knight in embellished iron plating grasped his shoulder that Travis returned to reality. A few terse words and a promise of food and protection later, and Travis was enlisted as a scout. - Life in the army wasn''t terrible, but the boy and his wolf kept to themselves nonetheless. Over time the boy grew into a hard man, only accompanied by his grizzled black wolf. He spoke so rarely that he had begun to forget the tongues of man. The week before Travis'' eighteenth birthday, he was once again scouting an area ahead of the army for anything out of the ordinary. - And in the wasteland of rotting trees, he met a very odd man named Pile. - -------------------- Teeeeeensy bit rushed through this chapter, I just want to get started on Man 00 ._. Reception on Misery Loves Company wasn''t great anyways, so I figure it''s time to just tie it back in like I needed to and get on with the main plot. (MLC was originally supposed to be a 6 part miniseries, but I''ll live with 3. Maybe if it''s ever requested enough I''ll come back and rewrite it properly.) Tomorrow- Dust to Dust: Man 00 Man 00: Six Degrees Dust to Dust: Man 00 Six Degrees - Pile put the finishing touches on his suit of armor. - Utilitarian plates of steel meshed in perfect synchrony, allowing a full range of motion while still providing an impermeable barrier. The plates were fixed to Pile''s body by the hardpoints allowing the armor to be more secure than any that a man wore. Aside from being a mechanical masterpiece and mobile fortress, the suit was also a weapons platform. Hoses ran through the steel plates, feeding fuel to the air and electricity hardpoints. While the oil was too dangerous to run through his base body, the interior of the armor was both strong and far away enough that an oil fire wouldn''t cause catastrophic damage to his core systems. Where the three combined, improvements on Pile''s base weaponry were born. Air blasts were infused with aerosolized fuel and sparked with electricity, creating blasts of flame. These explosive conflagrations provided both an incredible offense and mobility that allowed him to move the unbelievably heavy suit with acrobatics unbefitting of its large frame. Anything beyond this would be wasteful of the already precious fuel that would have to last him until he found another source. - At my current consumption rate, I will run out of the fuel on my body in less than a week. I should bring extra along until I find another source. Oh, and I should bring extra materials, and some tools, and maybe- - Using the remaining metals in the cave, Pile put together a sled to transport his fuel and belongings. Leftover pistons and pipes were used to create a simple penumatic system that could raise or lower wheels to allow for easy travel on rough or even land. A hastily crafted propellor and leg crank gave the sled the ability to power through water if properly floated, for the journey ahead surely wouldn''t just be over land. Pile never forgot the horror of almost falling into the pond. While water may no longer mean his instant death, he would never be unprepared around bodies of water again. The sled itself was a simple construction. Metal plates hid the machinery underneath, and the entire back half was taken up my a massive steel box full of oil taken from the basin. Roughly 550 gallons sloshed around inside, and Pile was still worried that he would run out before he found another source. On the front metal plate was a miniature version of Pile''s construction body, in case he had to make modifications while he was moving. The last few weapons and pieces of armor that weren''t melted down were thrown in front, where they would soon be joined by food and cloth collected from the forest. Pile had to keep up appearances to fool the humans, of course. The entire sled was a large construction, measuring out to- Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!- Should I use feet or meters? The knowledge I received contains both, but there seems to be a conflict between the two. Meters is the logical choice, of course. - I''ll use feet. - a solid twelve feet long. - Pile chained the sled to his lower back and connected the wires allowing him control over its mechanical systems. After confirming everything was ready to go, he turned to the rockslide blocking the staircase. A tenative armored fist grabbed a rock and lightly tugged, not budging it at all. The next removal attempt used the full pneumatic capacity of his new body, and the rock was sent flying so fast that it broke through the cavern''s rear wall and fell into the oil reservoir. - Need to regulate better. That kind of strength might attract suspicion. - After removing all the debris, Pile lugged his sled up the broken steps and into the sun. - The dark woods weren''t recognizable anymore, all that was left was dead wood and rot. Breaking his way through the unnatural barricades, he realized that he was being watched. Pile knelt down and took cover behind a great fallen oak and scanned his surroundings for the offending eyes observing him. - They were far closer than was safe. - On a ridge not fifty feet to his left, a lithe man silently pointed a drawn bow at him while a black wolf four feet high at the shoulders slowly prowled down the slope. - The golem, ranger, and wolf were finally introduced as a group, and not a single one could have imagined how connected their pasts were. - ------------------ Sorry about the delay! It was my birthday weekend, forgive me :P Will get back to regular schedule tomorrow. I would LOVE to see the scene where Pile, Travis, and the wolf meet for the first time on canvas. A metal man with a slight heat haze drifting off of him and whiff of smoke coming out of the gap at his neck level pulling a giant sled of odds and ends while a ranger watches from a ridge above. The wolf prowling down the side of the ridge to flank the golem, and the poor golem himself just starting up at the ranger with confusion. Grey sky behind them, dead trees littering the ground.... I just love that scene. /rant You''ll get some more answers about the world soon, and some of them will be true :D Man 01: First Contact Dust to Dust: Man 01 Camp Arc: First Contact - The golem and the ranger stared each other down. - "And you are?" A quiet voice called from beneath the ranger''s hood. Quiet as it may be, there was a core of strength in the voice''s low timbre. - A hunter? But few supplies, and this area is home to no game... A scout? Perhaps there is a larger force nearby. He holds the bow with confidence, and I don''t need to test this body against metal-tipped arrows so soon. That wolf seems far too familiar as well. If it is anything like the Alpha I shouldn''t cross it without considering the consequences. - "I am Pile. Just a travelling merchant. I seem to be a bit... lost." - "Lost, you say? LOST? My friend, there is no possible way you could be so lost as to come here. The investigators will question you like they do all the other merchants that prey on our convoy, then you may be permitted access to show your wares." Finally showing personality, the ranger scoffed in derision at Pile''s obvoious lie. - "Then could you lead me to said convoy? I am quite tired, and almost out of food and water." - "Follow me, then. I doubt I''ll find anything else as exciting as a man in a powersuit anyways. Looks like I''ll get to get off duty early today. The name is Travis, by the way. And this is my wolf partner." - "Does he have a name? I can''t just call him Wolf." Pile had seen countless animals and had only given one a name, and surely the black wolf standing before him also deserved a title. He was the spitting image of the Alpha but without the scars and matted fur. This wolf was young, in the prime of his life. - WHAM - The wolf let loose a ferocious bark at Pile and jammed a hind leg against his sled, almost toppling it over. - "Does SHE have a name, you mean. I''m quite embarassed, I wasn''t aware until she reached maturity. You know what they say about assumptions and all. Well, she says she has a name, but she hasn''t earned it yet. Something along those lines, we communicate through feelings and concepts rather than words so its hard to deal with specifics." - "You are rather talkative." This was Pile''s first conversation, and he was overwhelmed. He was frantically matching references and words that he had never used before in order to keep up with the rather chatty ranger. - "No, I''m really not. Today it''s just... it feels easy to open up to you. It''s like talking to a sponge. I don''t suppose you''re selling sponges, are you? A merchant came by with some around a year ago and the camp smelled better for months." A hopeful glint rose in Travis'' eyes. - "No," Pile firmly replied, causing Travis to let out a depressed sigh. The wolf walking alongside them also seemed to lose hope, her nose twitching in memory of the wretched smells of the unwashed masses. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.- It was quiet for a few hours. With introductions done, both the golem and the ranger retreated into themselves. One hadn''t opened up in years, and one had just had his first conversation. They were both recovering from the impact of their meeting. Pile was running through his memories in order to properly catalogue Travis'' reactions to what he said when- - "Wait, Travis, you said something about a ''powersuit''?" - "Of course, you don''t even know what you''re wearing? I figured engineer-types like you knew what the hell you were messing with. Don''t tell me you just found it lying around and played with it until you got it working?" Travis glanced shiftily at Pile, obviously unnerved. "Well, let''s hope you just found it lying around. I''d rather not be dealing with a thief or a murderer, but I suppose the investigators will find out one way or another." - "How did you know I was wearing a powersuit and not regular armor?" - "Pile, I consider myself to be an observant man. That''s why I''m good at my job. But even a child could see the heat shimmer coming off your armor, and the smoke leaking out from your neck isn''t exactly well hidden." - I got lucky. Discovered, but the armor will act as a decoy. However that means there are others that know of mechanical works. Perhaps they can build bodies like mine, or better. Looks like I''ve found a goal. - "I need to talk to other people with powersuits, are there any where we''re going?" - "Oh yes, plenty of them. I''ll lead you around when I have some time off, people tend to stay away from me and the wolf anyways. Most tend to be a mite unfriendly to what they see as monsters." Travis explained with a pained grimace. "Here, take this." - Travis handed Pile a hollowed out reed. - "It looks simple, but give it a blow and my girl here will hear it from miles away. Give it a test when you''re done talking to the investigators and I''ll come find you to show you around." - And with that the golem and the ranger crested a hill, and beheld a gargantuan array of tents, banners, and vehicles splayed out in the valley before them. - ------------------ Like it? I freaking do. Sorry, I''m excited. I''ve really been looking forward to Man. Monster was fun, and I probably could''ve made it into its own story, but like I''ve said before, we have greater places to go :D For those of you itching for combat in Pile''s new body, I understand your pain. We all need that itch scratched. I''ll indulge you soon. ALSO: Feedback on the dialogue system? Wrote it a few different ways, not sure what I like best. This wasn''t the simplest or most complicated, but I feel like it got the point across without being overly complicated or boring. Thoughts? Man 02: Played Dust to Dust: Man 02 Camp Arc: Played - Travis pointed towards a tent on the outskirts of the camp, indicating for Pile to head there alone. He then disappeared into the crowd of bustling people, vanishing before Pile could ask anything further. - A questioning, he said. Apparently they don''t let just any merchants do business here. Perhaps I can leverage some of this oil to get inside? - The steel golem approached the investigations tent and was immediately surrounded by men in tuxedos. - Hah, they look like penguins. .... I''ve never seen a penguin. Damn Blue Box. - One of the tuxedo-clad men stepped forward, his uniform made different from the others by the addition of a gold pin at its lapel. - "Sir, I presume you are here to apply for a merchant waiver for the 112th North Reclamation Alliance?" - "If this is said alliance, then yes," replied a stunned Pile. - 112th? Are the disasters so numerous? - "Very well then. Please leave your belongings here so that our men can search them properly for any contraband. That includes your powersuit, of course," ordered the leader of the tuxedo men. - "Before I relinquish anything to you, I would like to know your identity. I was shown to go here and I am still quite confused as to what all of this is." - The gold pin man stiffened at Pile''s noncompliance, and began to shout fearful orders at his subordinates. - "Applicate is resisting the search! Men! Restrain him!" - The numerous men surrounding Pile then jumped on him, attempting to wrangle his limbs to the ground. They looked quite confused when they weren''t able to affect Pile''s motion at all as he slowly strolled forward towards the blue rose man. A sputtering and incohoerent "Ngggrakkkkala" escaped from Pile''s lips, causing everyone in the situation to freeze due to sheer befuddlement. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.- Damnit, one of them is constricting my vocal cords. Those took me weeks to build and tune properly with the metal cord I used, I can''t afford to have them break here. - A violent shake later and Pile was free of any passengers, all the tuxedo men had been thrown off. Their leader, Gold Pin, gave a curious stare to the golem''s powersuit and spoke in an officious tone. - "It seems your powersuit was made by no ordinary craftsman. It looks like a simply pneumatic rig but its strength suggests otherwise... hmph. Go ahead and talk to the mechanics in the camp, I''m sure they''d be delighted to trade with you. Your sled has been declared clean of contraband." - Pile glanced behind him and realized that there were even more tuxedo men crawling on his sled and picking through his things. One was even sampling the oil from the tank and putting small amounts in vials. - "We have a chemical trace on your brand of oil now, so if any funny business should arise we''ll know who to look for. Have a nice day, Pile." Gold Pin seemed quite pleased with himself as he recited his last taunting lines. - I didn''t even notice them searching my things. And the men I threw off of me seem uninjured, no, unperturbed. They handled me like professionals, I''ve been played. I didn''t even tell him my name. How did he know my name? - Pile turned his sled back around and left the investigations tent with a new appreciation for the deceptiveness of humans. - ------------------------ Slow chapter (For me, at least. Wasn''t fun to write) Another chapter coming tonight. Let''s get some people together and head out of this camp on an adventure, yeah? Man 03: Slur Dust to Dust: Man 03 Slur - Leaving the investigations tent, Pile pulled his sled off to the side of the pathway to get out of traffic. He then pulled out the hollowed out reed Travis had given him and gave it a blow, it was time for them to meet up again. There was no obvious effect when he blew through the reed, so he stared at it in consternation. - Then a black blur flashed through the streets of tents and pedestrians; it was Travis riding his black wolf companion. - That mobility is even beyond that of my fastest form, the mud rabbit. It''d be impossible to outpace them as I am now. - Travis didn''t say a word as they approached, instead gesturing for Pile to follow him. Putting his curiosity of Travis'' silence aside for the time being, Pile followed the path that the ranger duo carved through the road towards the opposite end of the camp. Tents became dirtier, stained by soot and marred by burns. The clang of hammers the roar of the furnace was all the sound the wind would carry. If there was someone to talk to about powersuits, they would be here. - Travis just stayed on top of the wolf, not responding to the stares of the people around him. A few hushed words were passed between a group of blacksmiths as they passed him, causing his stoic nonchalance to change into a pained grimace. - Pile tried to catch his attention to learn of the grievance, but Travis simply would not respond to him. The black wolf shook her head in the direction of a beige utilitarian tent with a smokestack sticking out of the top, indicating for Pile to leave them and go about his business. - And so Pile left the duo alone. - He walked into the workshop tent to find a man with grey hair working on a joint between two armor plates. Pile soundlessly approached the craftsman and held the armor plates for him, allowing the worker to complete his task faster. - "Thanks man, the shop''s vices got left behind in the last move. It''s been hell working since. Whadja need?" - "I''d like your opinion on my powersuit, I built it over a few years and now I''m finding out that it''s not very unique at all. Let me know if there''s anything I can improve on it." - "Can do mate, you got gold?" - Gold. Is that what they use to trade? The humans that attacked the darkness in the cavern took all the gold there when they left, it must have significant value. - "I don''t have any gold on me, no. Will you do a trade? I have plenty of oil." - "Like water to a man in a desert, hell yea I''ll trade for oil. Always low on these long stints away from the main workshop. Just siphon off a gallon into the tank over there while I take a look at your suit. Take it off one piece at a time and set it up on that man-shaped rack over there, it''ll make the inspection easier." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.- Pile began to detach his armor from his hardpoints, concealing the hardpoints under his sand-skin as he went. It was a slow process but it was necessary to protect his secret. Eventually his armor was reassembled on the rack and he was left fully naked, oblivious to his inappropriate exposure. - "No undergarments? Not even something to cover your junk? The friction must be killer. You''ve got brass balls kid, I''ll give you that," the worker seemed equal parts astonished and impressed. - Close. They''re bronze, not brass. - "This uh, this is going to take longer than expected. What are these connections for? What did you use to make measurements for this? How did... Just... come back in a few hours. I need peace. Take this as collateral." The worker was in a frenzy, not able to look away from the armor as he salivated over it. He absentmindedly unlocked a strongbox underneath the table he was working at and left a large bag of gold on the table. "Just take it and go, it''s worth enough to by this tent ten times over. Come back at nightfall and I''ll let you know anything you want, it''s the least I can do after being able to investigate this." - After that, the worker completely ignored Pile''s presence and got to work. Pile took this as his cue to leave, so he grabbed the bag of gold and walked outside. - Just in time to see a rock get thrown at Travis. - "Hah, fuckin'' NPC loser. Fight back ya moron." - "I thought we killed you all? Didn''t know any useless wastes of space like you still existed." - "Eat shit and die, NPC. And take your bitch with you." - A crowd of young men around Travis'' age were crowded around him, throwing stones and insults at him. The ranger and the wolf just stared ahead, ignoring their sustained injuries. After a few minutes of this treatment the crowd got bored and dispersed, leaving only Pile and the ranger duo. - Majestically, like a King moving across the battlefield mounted on his steed, Travis rode the black wolf over to where Pile stood speechless. A regal aura shone through all the blood and bruises that stained his visage, he radiated hope in the face of adversity. - "....Why are you naked." - ---------------------------- :D Didn''t realize that I was cutting chapters a bit short, dialogue adds quite a bit of time to writing :/ It''s a good thing, and something I''m getting used to. Chapters will work their way back up to 1k+ words a day as I get used to it, I think this one clocks in around 900 iirc. Man 04: Nativity Dust to Dust: Man 04 Nativity I''m sticking out too much. ¡°You trying to draw attention? You''ll bring the idiots right back,¡± Travis complained, his momentary stoic elegance ruined by Pile''s nudity. ¡°Were you not even wearing an undersuit? How the hell is your skin still intact after chafing against metal for all that time.¡± Ah, all the other humans are clothed. Stupid. The only materials I have in my sled are a few wolf pelts but... Pile glanced at Travis'' companion wolf. Her luxurious fur was now matted with blood and dust kicked up by the unruly mob, but she took no notice as all of her attention was taking up by analyzing Travis'' wounds and whimpering in sympathy. The wolf would not take the death of her kind lightly. ¡°Do you have any clothes?¡± Pile inquired. ¡°I lost all of mine due to a... fire. Everything I was wearing was burnt to cinders.¡± Not entirely untruly, I guess. If my body counts as what I was wearing. ¡°Sure thing mate, all I got is a linen pullover, but at least it''ll cover your... what needs to be covered.¡± The ranger pulled a long white shirt out of the pack next to his quiver. It was a bit too thin to weather the wilderness, but could hold up to light city use just fine. Pile pulled it over his head, ignoring the fact that the wolf was staring at him with what he with his limited social experience would swear was an appreciative gaze. The bottom hem of the shirt fell down to Pile''s knees, protecting him from any future peeking by curious canines. ¡°Well then my now-decent friend, any first words from the blacksmith on what to expect out of his inspection.¡± He thinks that I''ve forgotten already. ¡°Before that, what exactly happened out here? There''s no possible way I''ll just move on when I can obviously see the blood on the two of you.¡± Pile inquired, insulted that Travis thought so little of him. ¡°Just a bit of ragging from other guys in the company. It''s army stuff, nothing for you to worry about. So what''d the blacksmith say ab-¡± Travis nervously stroked at the black wolf''s fur, not daring to meet Pile''s unwavering eyes. I need a word, one that describes exactly how... Burning, rushing, I feel. Angry. How angry I feel. ¡°Cowcrap¡± Travis stopped his anxious yammering and met Pile''s gaze, a mix of curiousity and disbelief apparent in his open-eyed stare. No. ¡°Bullshit,¡± Pile roared, feeling silly for misinterpreting the knowledge he had been given by the Blue Box. Despite the people around the odd trio cowering at the recently nude man''s outburst, Travis struggled to contain his laughter at the idiocy of his new friend''s diction. ¡°Just what I needed, a guy that can make me laugh. Maybe I can talk to a guy like that. Fine then, you heard the mob. I''m an NPC.¡± NPC, what''s an NPC?
"NPC" is an acronym that stands for "Non Player Character." Common way to refer to natives.
Natives? He looked just like the other people that attacked him. Where are they from? Wait- Blue Box?!?! Blue Box! ¡°You okay mate?¡± Travis inquired, leaning down from the wolf to stare down at Pile. ¡°You''re being awful quiet for someone I''m trying to open up to.¡± ¡°No, I mean yes. Fine, I am. I mean I''m fine.¡± Pile threw out chains of words to appease the ranger while he focused his attention on scanning his vision for any trace of the Blue Box. Travis was unconvinced by the poor acting of his frantic comrade. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°We were just publicly stoned and you were thrown out of a blacksmiths''s shop buck naked. I think we all deserve to calm down and drink until we''re happy again. We''ve got some time to kill until the blacksmith is done anyways; if Rounic the Blacksmith cared enough to inspect your armor on the spot, then it''ll take all day. Follow me down the street, the Steamer Hog is the only pub that''ll allow large wolves in.¡± Travis gestured at a barn structure with its doors wide open, the sound of music and glasses clinking leaking out on the street from inside. ¡°There are more wolves like... her? Does she really not have a name to refer to her by?¡± ¡°Well you can call her what the mob calls her. Mongrel, Bitch, Rachel, Monster, we''ve heard it all. Just keep in mind that if she finds you when you''re alone and remembers your words, you''ll find yourself with a few less fingers. Or limbs. The only one that needs to talk to her is me, anyways. Not that anyone else tries.¡± Rachel? That''s a name, not an insult. Why would someone call he- The wolf in question seemed tired of the humanoid duo talking like she wasn''t there, and used her considerable bulk to bump Pile in the direction of the bar. Her meaning was clear. The group walked through the wide wooden doors of the barn and sat around a rickety round table. Travis sat on a wooden stool that seemed to be even less structurally sound than the table, his weight causing it to creak when he leaned forward on the table. The wolf stretched out next to the table, causing the other patrons of the bar to stop staring at her nervously and go back to their business. Pile eyed the stool in front of him and realized that it wouldn''t even come close to holding his titanic weight. With a bit of effort, he found a stance where he could put a hundred or so pounds of pressure on the seat while distributing the rest directly to the floor through his legs. Being awkward and uncomfortable he could deal with, it wouldn''t do to draw attention. ¡°From the way you''re sitting I''d take it the blacksmith did a bit more than take your armor from you.¡± Travis chuckled, already taking drinks from a foaming glass. Pile caught a flighty figure at the corner of his vision dropping off more glasses in front of everyone that lacked. Looking down, he noticed that there was already one in front of him, as well. ¡°Bad jokes aside, we''ve got hours to kill, good beer, and hopefully decent company. Tell me a story I haven''t heard before and consider your drink on me.¡± Travis haughtily challenged, sure in his experience as a ranger. Pile had no stories, but that didn''t stop him from trying to make one up. During the next hour the trio found out exactly how bad Pile was at storytelling, and vowed to never bring up the subject again. Nevertheless, the ice was broken, and the golem, the ranger, and the wolf sat around a table and sat in comfortable silence, content with the warmth of companionship. ------------------------ Hey all! Long story short, stuff happened and I stopped writing. Stuff only lasted a couple of weeks but it completely threw me off my writing groove and I never got back to it. Now that my workload will be low for the next couple of months I decided it was time to get back to this story. Good thing is, I had around 10 chapters already writting that I never posted! Bad news is, I wiped my old laptop and gave it to my mom, and built myself a new computer a couple of weeks ago. No backup. So chapters are gone. Anyways, I''m sure that my writing style has changed in time, (RoyalRoad has definitely changed, I no longer have to use hyphons (-) to break paragraphs! What a glorious day!) so the junction between Man 03 and Man 04 might be a bit jarring. Let me know if it is, new readers, and I''ll work on smoothing it out. Anyways, sorry for the (extremely long) hiatus. Back to the story! Right back to the... boring...city...chapters.... Let''s blow this joint and go on an adventure soon, shall we? Man 05: Aberrant Dust to Dust: Man 05 Aberrant Pile was moping. I really should figure out a way to ¡°taste.¡± The humans seem to enjoy ingesting food and drink quite a bit. At least this alcohol is decent as fuel. It burns quite a bit quicker than the oil, but I think that a man drinking oil would draw unnecessary attention. Still, it comes at quite the premium, at least I could enjoy it... The golem stared into the amber colored liquid in front of him, as if the solutions to his problems were at the bottom of the glass. An idle finger stirred the drink, making Pile exercise his control to expel alcohol from his top layer of sand skin. That is, until a shaky hand fumbled across the table to grab said glass and attempt to pull it across the table, spilling it everywhere. ¡°Itsh mine. I paid for it so itsh mine.¡± The ranger''s blood could double as a disinfectant with its current alcohol levels. His judgment impaired beyond reason, Travis tried to lick up the rivulets of booze draining across the table. Picked up a few bad habits from living with a wolf, I see. The wolf in question seemed to laugh at her inebriated companion, a rash barking escaping her jowls in a wild mockery of human vocalization. After her chuckles died down, she slowly stood up and stretched her lithe body out, throwing off the inactivity of the past few hours. A wave of her head was enough of a signal for Pile to follow her, and she strode outside the pub. Taking one last look at the now unconscious Travis, Pile followed her lead. She seems to be even more intelligent than her ¡°handler.¡± Or maybe she can just handle her alcohol better. After exiting the Steamer Hog, Pile spotted the ebony canine farther up the street, back towards the blacksmith''s tent. Her intentions were obvious. Back to business. Damn dog shows no respect for guests once her pal isn''t around. Brushing past the dismissive wolf, Pile walked through the canvas flaps and found the blacksmith furiously pushing a piece of armor onto a circular grinder. It was his armor! How dare that bastard ruin what- oh. My armor is all still on the rack. A copy...? Keeping his outrage contained, Pile tersely questioned the metalworker. ¡°Mind telling me why you''re copying my work.¡± The man in question jumped at the surprise, losing his grip on the forearm piece. The grinder launched it across the room, tearing a hole in the canvas tent. After a long pause, a crash and screams were heard from far away. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± A furtive glance between the man and the golem seemed to solidify their camaraderie and mutual silence on the matter. The blacksmith, Rounic, took the initiative to restart their meeting. He heaved his large frame onto the nearby workbench and gave Pile a long, calculating look. ¡°You claim the armor is yours. You claim to have built it. Now I''ve seen many suits in my time in this corps, but yours is... unique. It is the single shittiest design I''ve ever laid eyes on. You have ports for air and the other pipes have what I swear is unrefined oil running through them. Pneumatic pistons move the monstrosity and on each forearm you have what I swear are rudimentary flamethrowers using oil as the fuel. There is no discernible powersource, despite obvious silver wire connections for electicity, and the entire assembly has to be used on top of what I assume to be a subsuit that makes the connections to the air and oil ports. Ignoring the fact that you must''ve moved this 70kg by sheer muscle power to get it here with no subsuit or power source, the fact remains that this is most simplistic, archaic, and downright idiotic suit I have ever laid eyes on.¡± Each point that the blacksmith states seemed to bore into Pile, the experienced man''s words were extremely damaging to the golem''s newborn sense of self and pride. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I just made it to disguise myself better as a human. My sand skin won''t stand up to even cursory scrutiny, so the armor just seemed to be the safest bet. Connecting the armor directly to my inner workings were a mistake, it''s far too obvious if someone suspects that I''m- ¡°However,-¡± Rounic''s crisp tone interrupted Pile''s self-depreciating train of thought. ¡°It is also the single finest work of craftsman ship I''ve ever seen. What tools did you use to make this? I tried to replicate your work myself-¡± he gestured towards the grinder and the hole in the tent''s side where the armor piece was sent earlier- ¡°but failed to replicate the precise measurements of your suit. So again I ask you, where exactly did you put this together? The tools required to make something this precise...¡± He trailed off, staring at Pile''s suit on the armor rack as if in a trance. The tools required to make that are in my sled, but it seems that his interest in the matter is a bit fanatic. Better to draw his attention elsewhere. ¡°Well really,¡± the golem began ¡°it was all my family''s doing. My father is quite the accomplished mechanic. He wanted me to get practical experience without reading up on the subject beforehand, yet he still allowed me to use his high-end workshop. Therefore there is very little theory behind this suit, but the the craftsmanship is-¡± ¡°Yea yea.¡± The interest in the blacksmith''s eyes faded as Pile described the mundane origins of his armor. ¡°Damn noble''s son. Take it to a shop nearby and get some decent equipment for it, before you find yourself in an actual fight and realize just how pathetic that thing is. Thing is, you''ll only realize how pathetic is when you''re on your back with a monster tearing out your ribcage. Steel doesn''t mean anything to proper mana-infused beasts. Maybe if you had a bit more time in combat or in a mechanics college instead of lugging around a sled of trade wares, you wouldn''t be wearing such a useless waste of good material.¡± Finished with his long-winded rant, Rounic seemed to lose interest in Pile, gesturing for the golem to pick up his armor. The blacksmith then went into the back of his shop, picking up the work he was doing when Pile walked in, and started from where he left off. Realizing that this is as far as he would get, Pile left the tent, fighting the feeling of dejection building in his core. Rounic was pissed. Lost all his work hours on a wild goose chase, some damn noble''s kid walking around in a polished turd. His hands, frantically busy in order to make up for all the wasted time, slowed. Realization dawned on him now that he looked back at the situation without being blinded by impeccably crafted armor. If the armor didn''t function without an undersuit and the young noble wasn''t wearing one, how the hell did he pull the sled full of oil? Especially while weaing 70kg of dead weight!? Interest was once more kindled in the eyes of the blacksmith, but now it was tinged with mistrust and a bit of fear. If he had super strength he wouldn''t be wearing a powersuit. Better notify the guards, just in case. Smells wrong. In the dead of the night, the golem met with the knavish wolf and the unconscious ranger around the same alcohol-soaked wooden table, unaware of the rude surprise the morning would bring. ------------------------ ACTION! ADVENTURE! INTRIGUE! NAKED GOLEMS WITH METALLIC TESTES! ADVENTURE! ~one of these things is not like the other~ EDIT: Looks like I made the top 100 already! Weird that I could never break that back when I wrote the first 20ish chapters, but broke it with these 2 new ones. Anyways, I''m fleshing out my next few chapters now so I just have to do a bit of dialogue work and PRing before I submit chapters this week. Submitting a chapter a day is just a damn satisfying feeling. Man 06: Break Dust to Dust: Man 06 Break Morning found the motley trio still around their claimed table, now littered with empty plates of bar snacks and a large tub of water. Well, partially full of water, since most of its current capacity was filled with a hungover ranger''s head as he attempted to wake himself up. Usually he''d just sleep off his grogginess and headache, but today was a bit different. The bar was empty, the staff and patrons had long since ran away in panic. Today, the Steamer Hog had all its exits covered by troops. A line of archers in dirty brown robes were positioned at the front and back of the pub, their bows glistening with more than dew in the morning sun. A faint amber glow radiated off the worn wood bows, and the arrowheads glowed cherry red and caused the air around them to warp due to their intense heat. In front of the fire archers was a staggered line of shocks troops, smelter golems. Each mechanical soldier was comprised of simple cylinders attached by ball joints. The simplistic design ended up resembling a mannequin, only mannequins tended not to have a grate in their chest belching black smoke. Typical mannequins also didn''t have two pronged claws on the end of each appendage. What frightened the trio of bar-goers the most, however, was the man that stood behind them all. He emitted no heat or killing intent; instead he emitted confidence. The confidence of a hero. He was not someone the trio could overcome. If the sword made of light on the man''s back wasn''t enough of an indication, the pure white horse and gleaming bluish armor were surely clues to his strength. ¡°Shit.¡± Bemoaned the now fully awakened ranger. ¡°That''s Grance and his men. Good men, well trained. A tried and true group of men that have done this camp a world of good... SHIT!¡± They''re here for me. They have to be. I''m the new factor to this situation. The damn blacksmith must have caught on to my act. Or maybe the waitress saw me belch fire. Or maybe... hmph. Whatever the case, I need to figure out if these two are on my si- ¡°GET YOUR ASS MOVING PILE!¡± Travis was all business now, no longer the whiner he was mere seconds ago. ¡°UNDER THE TABLE, NOW! UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET HIT BY A WELL AIMED FIRE ARROW, YOU BOLTBRAINED MORON!¡± Boltbrained?!?! How does- The golem must have let some of his shock show on his face, because the ranger caught it and gave an exasperated sigh. ¡°How dumb can you be? You know my partner is a wolf. Maybe in your armor you could''ve tricked her, but once you took that armor off YOU STILL SMELLED LIKE METAL AND OIL! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET CAUGHT!¡± Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit ¡°Travis, I can explain. I just wanted to trade for some-¡± ¡°Don''t explain yourself to me, tin man. I really could care less. My companion is a damn wolf.¡± The wolf in question shot the ranger an angry stare. ¡°My companion that I love and respect. There, happy? IS THIS THE TIME FOR THIS?¡± The wolf snorted a laugh and curled up on the ground, showing exactly how seriously she took the situation. A few moments later soft snoring could be heard. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°That damn... anyways. I don''t care, Pile. I really just don''t care. What I DO care about is how long I''ve tried to get this camp to trust me, and you''ve ruined that in ONE DAY. I''m now the guy that brought a possible threat right into the heart of the camp, and all they needed was a real reason to hate me. So here''s what''s going to happen. We''re going to leave, and you''re going to give me SOMETHING to make up for what you''ve put me through. Deal?¡± The furiously trembling young man extended his hand, waiting to be acknowledged. Something? I don''t have much to give, maybe some oil? Or- ¡°JESUS SHAKE MY HAND ALREADY! WE HAVE TO LEAVE BEFORE THEY BREACH!¡± Pile shook his hand. As if she knew that they had reached an accord and the nonsense was over, the wolf stood to her full height, exuding a pressure on her surroundings as her fur bristled seemed to darken even farther. A low growl reverberated through the bar and out onto the street, silencing any idle chatter coming from the onlookers and troops outside. ¡°You''re looking awfully butch today, big girl.¡± Travis joked while nervously testing his bowstring. I was so close. This was going to be my family. My new family. If I just kept working, they''d understand eventually. They''d accept me eventually... Quiet twangs of the bowstring permeated the stillness of the bar after the growl''s complete hush. Pile stood off to the side of the duo. They seem used to this. But even I can sense their regret. For all her bravado, that wolf is as lonely as the young man. Lost souls, all of us. Souls. Why do I always get so intellectual when battle nears? Maybe when I heat my core up more to prepare, it quickens my mind? How much does it affect? At what temperature do I become human-like? At what exact degree do I surpass humanity? If I could- The fire archers outside loosed their empowered arrows, and the sun danced across gleaming metal as the smelter golems started their lurching approach. Pronged feet dug into the dirt as the golems inserted their claws into their central furnaces, heating them for the combat to come. As fire spread from the arrows to catch onto the old wood of the Steamer Hog, all parties involved braced themselves for battle and bloodshed. --------------------------------- BUM BUM BUUUUUUUUUM But seriously, this chapter was a bit shorter. I want to the combat to be long and satisfying (insert sex joke here) and I simply didn''t have time or space to fit a full chapter''s worth of combat into today''s release. PREPARE YOUR BODIES. Did some minor PR on my own work, caught a mixup with Pile''s armor connections. (Only counted 2 in Tin Man when there were actually three, fixed it and added an Edit note.) It''s -weird- reading your own writing half a year later. I found myself enjoying the story since I forgot writing it. If only I could hire future me to be my PR guy, heh. EDIT: 10 small fixes. Man 07: Firefight Dust to Dust: Man 07 Firefight ¡°I can give you two, maybe three minutes tops, Pile. You have that long to grab your sled and move to the edge of the camp.¡± Unsettling creaking sounds were being emitted from the beams overhead as the roof began to char. ¡°If you can''t get away from your pursuers by then, you''re on your own. I''m limited by arrows. I''ll follow on the rooftops and cover you as best I can, but that''s my limit. I''m not here to rescue you, but you''re the best chance I have at getting something out of all this going south. My partner here will keep me hidden and safe for as long as she can, so when we''re found out, we''re booking it.¡± I can''t put my armor on that fast. Shouldn''t have left that blacksmith armor shop without it, stupid choice. Was too damn angry about him insulting my designs. What about my armor is outdated?! I could throw it on the sled. Might also be able to grab some parts from the blacksmith''s shop. He was talking about about how archaic my designs were, perhaps he wants to make a contribution to my learning from his personal stock? The golem simply nodded his assent. After the bare-bones plan was laid out, Travis swung a leg over the wolf and mounted her, nocking an arrow as he did so. The duo seemed to fade, and their shadows lengthened over the course of a few seconds. Before long they were difficult for Pile to spot, even though he knew exactly where they were. Travis and the wolf each gave the golem a barely perceptible nod, signaling the start of the escape. With that, they simply... melted... into the shadow below them- ?!?!!?!??! -and rose out of one of the shadows on the roof of the bar. The roof had a few leftover piles of wood from a recent repair, giving just enough cover and shadow for the ranger and his companion to emerge undetected. God his face was priceless. Travis chuckled to himself. I never get tired of people''s reactions the first time they see that. A light tap of his heel into the wolf''s side and she crept up to the edge of the building, giving him a perfect vantage point over the troops in front of the bar. Wish we could avoid Grance, but this is the closest exit to Rounic''s shop. That golem better have some valuable stuff in that sled. At least he has a decent amount of oil, that''ll be enough for me to get set up somewhere new. Afterimages of Travis'' bow blurred the air as he raised it, pointing it directly at the shining-armored hero sitting behind the troops. A hushed ¡°sssst¡± was the only indication of the arrow being loosed, and Grance the hero was knocked off his horse by a black bolt that lodged itself in his chestplate. THUNK ¡°FU- ATTACK! IT''S THE RANGER! STEALTH SEARCH PROTOCOL!¡± The assaulted knight sputtered, scanning the surroundings for the origin of the dark bolt that his armor barely saved him from. Gods help us, just one bolt and this armor has all but split down the middle. What a mighty bow. Could''ve used an archer like him in my corps. The fire archers and smelter golems were on high alert, expecting another shot to take one of them out. They may lose one comrade, but the others could quickly track down the source of the attacks and finish them off. They were expecting another sneak attack from the shadows. They were not expecting a heavyweight golem to crash through the doors of the bar and barrel straight into their amassed unit. Smelter golems were blasted to pieces as Pile''s bulk plowed through them. The mass-produced golems resembled mannequins, their thin limbs and anemic joints were no match for Pile''s eight foot frame. Pile had ceased any attempt to keep his disguise to reach full combat effectiveness. His normally concealed exhausts were now belching black smoke at a prodigious rate. The mounting points for his pistons were transferred farther away from his joints, achieving greater leverage and therefore greater strength. This caused them to leave the layer of underlaying armor and the cosmetic sand skin layer, baring them to the open air. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Pile looked demonic. What was once a large man in a linen shirt had become a thing to be feared. The shirt had large holes torn in it, exposing the mechanical elements protruding from the golem''s body. All this, adding to the fact that he was trailing thick smog wherever he walked, and many of Grance''s trooped shrieked in fright. They had expected a simple possession case, or perhaps a well-disguised spy. But this... this was a terror that belonged on a battlefield, not on an espionage mission. Too heavy and powerful to pass scrutiny by anyone with decent perception, a machination such as this would be noticed far too soon in a city to be of any use at covert ops. Knowing this, Grance and his troops came to the conclusion that it wasn''t here to spy. It was here to attack, and from the way it dismantled the smelter golems it ran through, it had a chance of causing serious damage to the local area. ¡°ARCHERS FALL BACK! FIRE AT WILL, TRY TO CONFUSE IT! CONTROLLERS, USE ANY FUNCTIONAL GOLEMS TO-!¡± THUNK Another black streak embedded itself in Grance''s chestplate, shattering it entirely. The arrow was weakened greatly by the defense magic permeating the hero''s flesh, and was only able to sink a half inch under his right shoulder. Shit, my sword arm. I need, shit, why are they here? They have too much power to just be here for the kicks, but not enough power to actually do anything of note. This has to be a distraction. A possible invasion? I knew things had been too quiet lately. ¡°DON''T SEND REINFORCEMENTS! REPORT TO COMMAND! HAVE SCOUTS CHECK OUTSIDE THE WALLS!¡± In the time it had taken Grance to send off those few commands, Pile''s charge had been halted by a veritable pile of smelter golem parts clinging onto him and a barrage of fire arrows. Each arrow that founds its marked sparked the oil residue in Pile''s sand skin, causing a purely cosmetic flash without any serious damage. The problem was the smelter golems. When blown apart, they didn''t cease to function. They didn''t speak or show any signs of self preservation. A small metal rod extending from each single piece of still moving golem was the only indication of how they functioned. Each mobile piece has a rod. And if I break a rod- Pile snapped a half-inch thick steel rod like a twig. Ah, it stopped moving. A plan in mind, Pile maneuvered through the quagmire of broken metal, picking apart any antennas he spotted. As he reached for an antenna attached to an arm, his hand was caught by the arm''s heated claw. And another arm found purchase on his leg. And another arm clung to his waist. Alone, they were insignificant. Perhaps enough to subdue humans or weak monsters, but so far beneath Pile''s physical strength it was laughable. Together, however, they completely immobilized the escaping golem in a prison of squirming steel. Once Pile was fully enclosed, the smelter furnaces closest to him roared, showering him in flames hot enough to melt steel. Blackened runes on the smelter golems glowed cherry red, seemingly reflecting the strong fires towards Pile, causing an improvised oven to form. Soon enough, the hellish temperatures caused a reaction. Pile began to melt. His linen shirt had long since turned to char, and the next layer to meat the heat was his sand skin. As the sand met the incredible energy of the flames, it began to blur, to shine. It was glistening, it was molten- It was beautiful. ------------------------------------------------- It was so hard to write this without making any steel beams dank memes jokes. The struggle is real. So yea, this fight is going on longer than I intended. It''s gonna get -fun-. THERE WAS A FIREFIIIIIIIIGHT Get it? Because there''s fire? And they''re fight- ah whatever. back to work. EDIT: title Man 08: Cold Snap Dust to Dust: Man 08 Cold Snap Pile was covered in the shambles of broken smelter golems, a makeshift oven that melted the silica in his sand skin into molten glass. His subsystems were all protected enough to not take critical damage from the intense heat, however some of his reinforced plastic pipes began to warp. Completely pinned. Shit. This molten glass though... it moves like mud. Hotter areas move more fluidly, but it has the consistency of mud. It''s been ages since I''ve controlled such a base substance, but- Strands of heat extended from Pile''s core, reaching through the silver wire spread throughout his body in a bastardization of the human nervous system. At every connection point on his outer layers, the silver wire outputted the core energy directly into the molten glass. And the glass, flowing and dripping down the cracks of the twisted mangle of steel, stopped in place. It slowly began to retract, once more covering Pile as his skin. Churning liquid glass clad his metal sub-armor and skeleton, allowing a glimpse into the inner workings of the imprisoned golem. Streaks of cherry red ran through the semi transparent layer, betraying its horrendous heat. And at Pile''s command, it probed outwards, testing its power by thrusting towards a nearby smelter golem''s forearm- Definitely not mud. -penetrating a full half inch into the steel plate. The hole it left glowed orange at its edges, fueling Pile''s inventive plots. Yes, heat. Heat is the trick. As hot and as fast as possible. The knowledge of the blue box spoke of this. Concentrate the heat into the smallest area possible, and THRUST. As Pile focused on his weapon, it began to rise out of the molten glass covering his back. Needle-thin, supported by a tide of core energy and heat transferred from the surrounding fire and glass. The light of the smelter fires played across its surface, throwing stunning glares around the inside of the oven. The spear was THRUST- Straight through the layers of golems encasing him. But a small hole was only a small hole, it didn''t free him. It just proved the concept a success. Ah, it didn''t fall to pieces. Mud would always break apart when it was that thin, something to study in the future. What I require now is a blade. No, many blades. Heat I have in spades, it is no problem keeping the glass liquid. Glass blades mere inches long extruded from Pile''s liquid coating; smaller blades at joints limbs and larger blades concentrated on his back and shoulders. Each was paper-thin, impossible to sustain without the mystic rules that governed this world. In the center of the oven of twisted steel and furnaces, Pile began his counterattack. On the roof of the Steamer Hog, Travis had run into a few problems. Most pressing was the lack of intact, unburnt roof to stand on. His severelack of arrows was also bothering him, although he didn''t regret turning Grance into a living pincushion. Grance was always an asshole to the ranger. Next on his list was the utter failure that his new golem compatriot had turned out to be. Asshat ran directly into the enemy formation and was immediately taken down. Now I have to let my girl grab his sled, which means we''ll be that much slower. I guess it''ll be worth getting to sell all of that oil. The ranger stared down the street, where a vulpine shadow flickered from hiding place to hiding place, making its way to the blacksmith''s tent. By the time she gets a hold of that sled I''ll need to be there with her to make the final escape. Travis took one last look at the heap of scrap that contained Pile. Shame, I hadn''t met someone like him be-wait. Is that... it that mound of metal shrinking?! Sure enough, the group of disassembled smelter golems were slowly sinking down, revealing a nighmare. Whirling blades of molten glass revolved at high speeds around Pile, parting steel plates like knives through butter. As the smelter golems were reduced to shreds, Pile was fully released from his hellish prison. Every human that witnessed Pile''s emergence was shellshocked. Now he''s done something I''ve never seen. Guess we''re even, Travis smirked internally. Situation is out of control, Grance assessed. Looks like typical typical bind and burn tactics won''t work. Shit, that''s most of our combat potential in these corrupted ent-filled woods. Need to get this monster out of here before he levels half the damn camp. The injured hero reached down to his belt and picked out a round crystal ball. After closing his eyes and concentrating, he spoke into it. ¡°Local units, this is Grance. Currently engaged with enemy golem. Most likely not controlled by a human, it''s showing signs of matter manipulation. Accomplices are Travis the ranger and his wolf, currently not in our sights. I need a spatial unit to get here and begin a long range gate incantation, the sooner the better. I need the nearest frost mage to get here and cool this golem off, slow it down before the transfer is ready. Do not scare the golem off. We have one chance at this.¡± A voice distorted by static responded, ¡°Sir, there''s only one frost mage in the area, and it''s her.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Travis saw Grance speaking into a communicator, but couldn''t hear him over the roaring fire raging in the bar below him. Shit, no arrows to interrupt him. At least Pile is making a hell of a ruckus, time for me to get the hell out of there unnoticed. The ranger dashed down to the street below, barely avoiding a fire archer fleeing from the aberration currently dicing the remaining pieces of smelter golems to a fine powder. Pile noticed Travis, and began to follow him. Good, Travis is okay. Looks like we''re headed towards the blacksmith''s place, I''ll grab my sled. Fuck the armor, no time to- shit. Fucking wolf. Looking like the bird that caught the canary, the she-wolf was proudly prancing in place in front of Rounic''s tent; a simple harness was looped over her shoulder and attached to the sled. The escapees were now fully prepared and assembled. All three of them looked over their shoulders at the receding figures of Grance and his troops as they ran down the now-deserted street, reveling in their adrenaline rush. Travis even had the nerve to give the hero an extremely rude gesture. Pile noted that there might have been some bad blood between them. The three then turned their heads back to the front- Simultaneously noticing the blue robed figure standing directly in their path. It was too late to stop, so the group tried to run past. In their hearts, however, they all felt a sense of dread. They had all spent ample time in combat situations, and this reeked of an ambush. As the blue robed figure spread his arms and the temperature instantly dropped to below freezing, dread took hold of their hearts. Water burst from underground and wrapped around their ankles, instantly becoming solid as it was exposed to the subzero temperatures caused by the frost mage''s power. Travis and his wolf began to struggle against the ice covering their feet and lower legs, cracking the thin coverings in a matter of mere seconds. Pile didn''t struggle against the ice that wrapped around his ankles. Pile shattered. The molten glass writhing around Pile''s body immediately froze into solid glass on contact with the cold, and shattered due to the instant drop in temperature. Suddenly the high-functioning golem had glass shards in its joints, its pipes, and even some embedded in its plating. Pile fell and didn''t get up. The frost mage seemed to notice the downed threat and began to reach for a communicator, but the wolf had already broken out of her constraints. The blue robed figure was slammed to the ground, a snarling canine maw hovering over the azure hood making the situation clear. The escapees had a hostage. Not that it mattered. Concentric purple rings began to materialize above the group and descend around them, containing them in a shimmering violet field. Grance limped towards them from down the street, barely moving due to the numerous arrows embedded in each of his joints. The hero straightened his body in tortured movements, raising his hand to his forehead in a solemn salute. The blue robed figure on the ground returned the salute even as soft sobs could be heard from underneath the azure hood. The purple rings blazed, and the group inside of them disappeared in a brilliant violet flash. ------------------------------- DAMN HUMANS AND THEIR HABIT OF LEAPING TO CONCLUSIONS! Went a bit over my usual words average, 1.5k instead of 1k, but I was in the groove. Felt like I overused some words this chapter. Need to work on that in future fights. Have a fun post coming up soon. It''s not story, just my delighted ramblings on some fun things I''ve run across while writing this. An Unlimited Blade Works reference was tempting. It fit the situation pretty damn well.
This chapter was the first time that my world provided its own answers when I asked "What exactly should happen this fight?" Hopefully you''ve noticed that I try to stay away from typical mainstays of modern fics. Random powerups, super luck, etc. When I sat down and thought to myself "How exactly should this fight happen?" The answers were already there. This army camp''s main enemy is the Darkness and anything it possesses. Namely, organic material. Both the Darkness and organic life forms (humans, trees, etc) are extremely weak to fire, so the army camp''s main troops would be specialized in fire. Shock troops need to be expendable in order to hold back the tide of possessed creatures so the fire archers can finish them off. When Grance realizes that Pile has only gotten stronger by all the heat being dumped on him, he has to call for a frost mage. But frost mages in this camp are -rare-. They''re not needed much here. When I was writing yesterday''s chapter, I had one hell of an "ah ha!" moment. Pile is being baked, his skin is sand, therefore... Glass! And empowered glass could probably great at cutting, soooo *makes fruit ninja noises.* It may seem silly for me to be so excited about this, but I just think it''s so cool that I didn''t make up this fight. I provided a situation to my world, then worked it out to its logical conclusion. Well, as logical as I can get while still getting all four people out of the camp. (Yes, all four. Please welcome the new addition to the group, BLUE ROBE. Don''t worry, Blue Robe actually has a name.) Quick Poll, Q&A, Feedback I haven''t done a dedicated Q&A/Suggestions thread yet, so I figured today was a perfect time due to the place in the story that I''m in. Now that I''m at the first planned fork in the road for this story, I figured that I''d ask readers what they''d like to see. I have two general paths planned out, one involving Pile''s dungeon, and one involving free adventuring. Putting up a quick poll to see what the general consensus is. General feedback/questions are very much appreciated, I know that my writing is isn''t near perfect, and would like to improve. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I''d also love to know what about this story you guys like. Is it the fights? The steady evolution of Pile? The characters? (I doubt it''s the characters, since I''ve only really introduced 2.5 and Pile has imprinted off Travis so hard that he''s basically a carbon copy personality-wise, at least for now.) Frost Bite 1 Dust to Dust: Frost Bite 1 In an idyllic mountainside forest, all was as it should be. Snow-flecked pines broke up the hazy gray sky, evergreen shrubs gave cover to the few animals still active in this climate, and the wintry air was as silent as death. Above the forest, however, a violet ring was materializing in the air. The very atmosphere seemed to warp around it, as if denying its existence. With a crackling of purple sparks, the ring broke whatever was holding it back, leaving hairline cracks in the sky around it. The violet glow of the ring intensified until it bathed the countryside in its hue, and with one last blinding flash, the ring was gone. In its place was a group of figures falling towards the idyllic mountainside forest below. The quaint snow-flecked pines now looked more like a phalanx of ivory spears as the figures fell towards them. One of the figures moved with the grace only a wild animal could have, and managed to right itself in the air. When it approached the trees below, it had no trouble gracefully landing on an upper branch, catching a passing blue shadow as it fell past. Another of the figures showed impressive acrobatic prowess as it spread its limbs out in all directions, slowing its fall considerably. Once it fell past a tree, it also managed to cease its descent with a few well placed hops along the bark, scraping its way down to a lower branch. The last two figures took a similar path: straight down, no movement. Any branch unfortunate enough to exist in their trajectory was turned into splinters due to their crushing weight. After a quick and violent descent, the deadweights crashed into the snow below, burying themselves into the powdery drift. Trees creaked and groaned into the winter air as the figures made their way down them to gather around the holes left by their crashed counterparts. The she-wolf spat the blue-robed caster from her jaws, dropping the mage face-first into the snow. Muffled screeching and wildly waving arms made the attitude of the caster quite clear. As the waving hands finally found purchase upon some buried sticks, the mage pushed out of the snow drift and glared furiously at Travis, who had finally managed to climb and slide his way down the tree he landed on.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I knew your brother was scummy,¡± the ranger offered, ¡°but I had no idea he would have the guts to send his own sister into a randomized ejection gate.¡± The mage in question winced, yet her fury returned unabated. ¡°Grounce had no choice. That... thing. That monsterous golem was tearing up the camp, it was only a matter of time before there were casualties.¡± The insinuation that his new supposed friend was a killing machine didn''t sit lightly with Travis. He gazed pensively at the hole the golem left when he fell to the earth and responded ¡°Bryn, I''ve never been much of a social person. But I met this golem before you did, without all of the fire and anger. It didn''t seem aggressive, and it was certainly quite shit at blending in. I''m not sure at what its goal was, but if it was trying to ambush the convoy then it''s either stupid or inept. I''ve seen its craftsmanship so I''m afraid inept is off the table.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say, Travis,¡± fumed Bryn, the blue-robed caster. ¡°Are you trying to cover for this beast? I-OW¡± The she-wolf raised her nose and pranced a few feet away, looking ever so prim and proper. It was as if she had never nipped the young mage, and as if she couldn''t feel the eyes looking at her in anger and in bemusement. ¡°Your girlfriend is still the only one with a spine, I see,¡± spat out the mage. ¡°Now move so I can finish off the golem. The telport magic throws magical constructs for a loop, we have a good window to shut it down for good.¡± Saying this, Bryn stepped to the edge of one of the deep holes in the snow. The winter air began to gather and swirl around her as the snow beneath her feet froze solid. The form of a crystal-blue spike began to form above the pit, spun from the chilled wind and airborne powder. As she prepared to send it drilling into the form unmoving at the bottom of the hole, a hand laid on her shoulder. ¡°Don''t. Even if you don''t trust him right now, you need him.¡± The ranger himself didn''t fully trust the golem, but his years of survival training gave him a clearer picture of the scenario. ¡°We''re in no man''s land, up a mountain, half-frozen. Down those holes is a golem that works with heat and a sled full of oil. Now I don''t know about you, but I don''t have a way to dig out that sled, or to move it long distances.¡± ¡°But your wolf can move it, it was her that took it in the escape,¡± answered Bryn, confused. Both humans glanced at the canine in question, who was concentrating very hard on ignoring them and looking the other way. For the first time, the caster cracked a smile. ¡°I had forgotten how well she understands us. It''s been a while since I''ve spoken to either of you.¡± A melancholic glint flashed across Travis'' eyes, but he quickly shook it off and returned her smile. ¡°She trusts him. It was her that found him, after all. Her that let me know he wasn''t human long before I was aware. I''ll trust her on this, too." The two stood in silence as the frozen guillotine shattered into powder that blanketed the area. The magically empowered flurry swirling around them lost velocity, the air returning to its frozen stillness. From the depths of the pit, two heads could be seen peaking over the edge and peering inside. A green hooded man, and a blue hooded woman. ¡°There will be rules,¡± said the woman. ¡°I know,¡± said the man, as he smiled. Man 09: Reboot Dust to Dust: Man 09 Reboot The golem awoke to the hushed voices of his recent acquaintances. They weren''t too far away to hear properly, and despite the snow surrounding him, his hearing should be fine. I''m quite broken, aren''t I? The first attempts to move were greeted by the screeching of metal on glass. After a few jerky movements, much of the glass broke and fell away, leaving a torn and twisted Pile of metal. What followed was a methodical untangling of mangled pistons, bent braces, and loose joints. Everything is compromised. Cracks, so many cracks. Junk. Salvage? Maybe, but... Pile once again glanced upwards and stared at the hooded figures looking down on him. He began to pull any parts still somewhat functional together around his core, making himself as small of a target as possible. Any broken metal that was remotely sharp was pointed outwards, eventually making the golem look like a metallic porcupine. Can''t reach them, can'' t escape with all mobility functions damaged. Could detach everything and return to the ground, return to- THUNK Pile tensely inspected the knotted end of rope that was dangling from one of his makeshift spikes. The (metaphorical) gears in his head slowly churned through what it meant, but it wasn''t until he heard from above that he somewhat dropped his guard. ¡°Oi tin man, pull yourself up! Our new friend here says that if she doesn''t see you at the surface unarmed in less than a minute, she''ll turn you into a bobsicle,¡± shouted the green hood. ¡°POPsicle,¡± retorted the a feminine voice from the blue hood. ¡°What''s a popsicle, anyways?¡± Travis quipped. ¡°It''s no magic I''ve heard of.¡± ¡°It''s- it''s something a traveling merchant showed me how to make. I was going to show you but...¡± The caster dropped her gaze, a slight shadow flitting across her brow. ¡°I haven''t seen you much since-¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The oddly out-of-place conversation was broken up by a metallic skeletonized hand reaching out of the hole, pulling the shambling remains of the recently molten golem. Anything not made of pure metal had been shed and left in the hole, as anything that wasn''t metal had been completely ruined by the horrendous temperature swings of the last battle. All that remained of the once humanoid golem was a rough and grey skeleton. Strands and globs of slagged silver stretched from an enclosed cage where a normal human''s ribs would be, reaching towards the various extremities in a veined pattern. Permafrost-laden dirt clumped at the joints, and as movement warmed the earth, it formed tightly around the joints and silver veins helped to maneuver the golem. Travis approached the abomination and hung his arm over the golem''s shoulder. ¡°See? Nothing to hide. Base material and a shielded core, that''s as bare bones as a golem gets.¡± The ranger leaned harder on the gray skeleton, which promptly collapsed under the light pressure. Travis winced at his mistake. ¡°The pistons and other bits weren''t for show, I take it,¡± grimaced the man. Pile attempted to shake his head, but the jerky, incomplete movement of his neck made his answer even clearer than he had intended. The blue robed mage, seemingly satisfied at the crippled state of her recent enemy, stepped forward and cleared her throat. ¡°Due to our current predicament, I am enlisting your help to return me to the nearest point of civilization. Your duties will consist heating, hauling, and general labor. If you create new weapons, I''ll freeze your core and shatter it. If you try and run, I''ll freeze your core and shatter it. If I find out that you''ve been slacking in your duties, I''ll freeze your core and shatter it. Attack me, and I''ll freeze your core and sell it to someone so vile that you''ll wish I''d have shattered it. Do we have a deal?¡± The lady raised her hand out towards Pile. The golem, unable to properly move after collapsing onto the ground, only took a moment to nod his head. Not that he had a choice. Nodding her head in confirmation, the mage turned towards the second large hold in the ground where Pile''s sled had fallen. Gesturing her arms and calling out to her magic, she began to move snow out of the hole and shape a long ramp for the sled. Due to the crushing weight of the metal sled filled with oil and machinery, the ramp was tens of meters long in order to make the two meter vertical aspect not as challenging. The ramp itself was hard-packed snow like they were currently standing on, otherwise they and the sled would fall into the drift once more. The she-wolf and Travis slid down into the hole and righted the sled onto its skids, fashioning the rope to the front of it. Once they had climbed out of the pit, they grabbed onto the rope at the top and heaved. After a few exertions, Bryn the mage crystallized ice blocks behind the sled in order to hold it in place as the ranger and canine took a break. This process repeated itself for an hour until finally, the sled reached Pile''s side. On the sled was Pile''s greatest hope- his construction body and enough scrap and oil to have no worries about his reconstruction or energy. He latched onto the sides of the sled and began pulling himself up, preparing to connect his core to the construction body more. A hand on the thin metal rail where his shoulder used to be stopped him temporarily. ¡°So,¡± began Travis. ¡°I''m off to grab something to satisfy our appetites. Even in this wintry forest, there''s always something to eat when a ranger''s hunting. Your new friend is going to do her very best to stare you to death while I''m gone.¡± he said, pointing at Bryn focusing all her attention on the golem and the sled. ¡°I realize that you''re pretty messed up right now, but if you can make it a bit longer, I''d be willing to bet a hot meal and a bit of warmth would do a lot of good between ya, yeah? Maybe hold off on lashing yourself back together until she doesn''t want you dead.¡± The ranger patted him on the shoulder once more began walking off, a faint ¡°See ya in a bit, mate,¡± was all that was left of him as the snowy air covered his departure. Pile pulled himself fully onto the sled, opening his chest cavity in order to connect his core to the construction body. However, as the wires connected and his consciousness shifted locations, what went through his mind weren''t plans of locomotion and weaponry, but how to make a stove. Man 10: Steamy Night Dust to Dust: Man 10 Steamy Night Pile, now in his construction body, took stock of what he had access to on the sled. The large tank of crude oil was full and undamaged, although it looked like someone had siphoned some off at the caravan. The construction body itself sustained minor damage, a few mangled arms, but nothing that would impede its function. Ah, the pelts. Looks like I''ll have a use for them here. Travis was starting to shiver a bit through all of his bravado, and the caster is wearing something strange underneath her blue robe. Doesn''t seem to cover much, maybe it''s ceremonial? Too thin and doesn''t cover enough to be armor. Maybe it''s enchanted. The construction body''s small sensory hub, a small metal ball with silver filigree mimicking eyes, was pointed directly at Bryn''s opened robe. After a shocked gasp, she quickly pulled it tightly closed. ¡°I''m a mage,¡± she protested. ¡°Armor wouldn''t- doesn''t help much. It''s normal. It''s what the guild recommends.¡± Her cheeks slightly reddened, and not from the wintry air. ¡°Why am I explaining myself to a golem...¡± Shaking himself out of his reverie, Pile noticed how tightly she was pulling her robe shut now. Must be cold. One of his many crafting arms latched onto the bundle of pelts and threw it her way. The golem returned to his work, completely oblivious to her giddy expression as she unrolled the pelts. Just have to cook meat. Saw humans in the camp doing it, should be easy. Just need fire. A small amount of oil was siphoned into a metal cup used for measuring on one of his appendages. Pile forced a pulse of heat through the silver wire running through the appendage, causing it to thin out and slightly lengthen so that it was touching the oil in the container. The next pulse was stronger, shorter, and much sharper, causing the end of the silver to glow cherry red, setting the oil alight. The crude petroleum belched black smoke as the weak flames barely licked above the edge of the cup.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°That''s revolting,¡± spat Bryn, now bundled inside the pelts of wolves, foxes, and rabbits. ¡°I won''t have anything I eat roasted in that filth. I had assumed your particular golem magic involved fire but...¡± she gazed helplessly at the dirty flame. ¡°I suppose not. None of the wet and cold wood around us will burn either. Work something out or I''ll tear you out of that sled and bury you in the snow.¡± As pathetic as the flames were, the heat fed into Pile''s silver vein and gave his core the first warmth it had felt since being frozen. The smaller cracks in his silver core caused by the massive temperature shift in the last fight began to slowly weld back together. Despite the first signs of his recovery, Pile felt a strange feeling of dissonance while staring at the weak flame dancing upon the back liquid. He had used this oil as a power source before, and it felt much stronger. Thinking back, oil isn''t so simple. When I was working in the cave, working with the information Blue Box gave me, I heated the oil and scraped the bottom to gather the beginnings of plastic. Inert plastic. If I removed something nonreactive, then the rest must be more reactive. Maybe. Possibly there are more materials besides oil and the plastic? Blue Box''s uselessly garbled information is once again causing me trouble. Damn Blue Box. The construction body''s sensory hub stared intently into the flame, its argent eyes reflecting the flickering yellow light. Even on a fixed metal face, the concentration was apparent. ¡°Hey golem.¡± Pile withdrew from his memories, holding the base concept of what had to be done. It would take more time than he currently had, but he had a plan. ¡°Golem,¡± repeated Bryn as she approached the sled, her pelts dragging a smooth trail in the snow behind her. ¡°Here''s the deal. Travis is-er, was, one of best hunters in camp. He''s going to return any minute with a brace of meat and an empty stomach. Your best impression of a fire is too nasty and too weak to roast anything and I can''t imagine boiled hare will go down well. You''re a metalworker, right?¡± Pile bobbed his sensory hub to the affirmative. ¡°Then make me this,¡± she began, as she pointed at the ground and began to wave her pointer finger around. Pile followed her gaze down to the snow, where her magic was tracing an icy blue diagram into the white powder. A cup? No, a cup inside another cup. With holes? ¡°It''s a steamer. Doesn''t matter how crappy your fire is if we don''t directly use it. Just give me what I drew here. Two pieces, one with holes that fits on top of the larger one. And make a hanger for them so that-¡± she continued with her arctic artistry in the snow ¡°-we can hang them on a tripod like this. Make me the tripod too. Oh, and something to put the oil fire in below all of this.¡± She continued to trace the snow, adding extra details, sharper details, and small embellishments to the work. After a minute more of additional detailing, Bryn noticed how carried away she''d gotten and once again turned away with reddened cheeks. ¡°Just have it ready by the time he gets back,¡± was her final command. The general concept was familiar to Pile, steam power was something he''d considered before tossing the idea due to the perilous nature of highly compressed boiling steam. The construction body gathered the heat from the oil, picked up choice metal scraps, and began to meld them into his task-master''s design. An hour later, a tired yet content ranger found his way back to the campsite, followed by a she-wolf with bloodied jaws and a satisfied expression. The sight of a weak and sooty burning fire caused Travis'' expression to drop, but the gleaming pot hanging over it throwing off steam brightened it right back up. He approached the fire showing off his brace of skinned and gutted hares, and Bryn welcomed him by opening the cooker and returning his gentle smile. It was going to be a steamy night. Of cooking. Man 11: Primer Dust to Dust: Man 11 Primer The gray sky was losing whatever scant amount of light it had as a harsh winter night fast approached. Around a greasy pan fire sat the impromptu party, full on their meal of choice. Steamed hares and herb tea for the humans, an unlucky doe for the she-wolf, and Pile was siphoning energy from the fire to heat and mend his core. ¡°I didn''t want to waste time while cooking but now I''ve got to ask, why the shit fire?¡± questioned Travis as he threw an annoyed look at the golem. I should repair my vocal cords. Pile spidery construction body reached down with a larger crane appendage and pulled the torso of his humanoid form onto the sled''s flat working surface. The sharp screeching of metal was something the golem felt more than heard in his current form. The others in the group weren''t as lucky when the piercing shriek shattered the calm atmosphere. Bryn shot up from where she was reclining against a tree and shouted ¡°HEY! Don''t try anything with that, I told you the rules and if you try anything funny-¡± Pile used a smaller, dainty arm to point towards the throat of his anthropoid body. A small box was there, although it had a tear through it with blackened edges. The dainty arm made motions from the box towards the metallic mouth, causing the realization to dawn on the humans'' faces. ¡°Ah, well after seeing how quickly you put together this cookware, hopefully that doesn''t take too long,¡± remarked an apologetic Bryn as she sat back down and once again bundled up in furs. ¡°Anyways Travis, we won''t know for sure unless this heap of scrap decides to talk about it, but his Concept isn''t fire or heat.¡± An unfamiliar term vibrated its way into the golem''s ear, causing him to pay more attention to the conversation than to his current task of repairing his vocal cords.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Travis perked his head up from where it rested on the she-wolf''s back. ¡°But the way he fought in camp, with the glass... He took a bath in a furnace made of blast golems and used it to power up. I''m no mage, but you tell me that his Concept isn''t fire or heat and I''ll question your credentials.¡± Bryn sighed in frustration. ¡°Well obviously it has something to do with heat, or that metal frame of his would be a Pile of slag at this point. But it isn''t anything that could affect this flame here. I would''ve seen some reaction, at the very least. Personal magic isn''t something you can shut off so easily.¡± Scrunching up his face in confusion, the ranger responded ¡°Couldn''t he just... not use magic? I see mages all the time and they aren''t constantly shooting off sparks.¡± ¡°Mages always have an impact on their Concept around them. You should know this, I used to tutor you on the basics when we... when we were better friends. Magic is simply the way you bridge the gap between reality,¡± Bryn explained as she gestured towards the snow, ¡°and what we desire.¡± The explanation was punctuated with a flourish of her hands as a miniature castle made of ice rose from the wintry powder. ¡°What''s in between, that''s what we call magic.¡± ¡°That was decidedly unhelpful,¡± remarked Travis. "If you don''t know what magic actually is or how it works, just say so.¡± ¡°If we knew what magic was,¡± derided Bryn,¡± then we wouldn''t call it magic.¡± ¡°You''re a cold woman,¡± quipped the ranger, earning a snort and rolled eyes from the mage. ¡°How did you find out that your Concept was Ice, anyways?¡± ¡°My Concept isn''t Ice, idiot, and someday you''ll remember that. Controlling ice and ice alone isn''t very useful in climates where it isn''t present. At first I thought my Concept was Water because it''s what I used as my freezing medium, but eventually I realized it was just general Freezing. After I had done enough research, my Status simply-¡± Bryn''s face went white as the snow surrounding her as she covered her mouth. Travis'' expression fell into a gloomy sneer as he was reminded of his position. ¡°Yea, I''m sure it was real fucking helpful. Not that we''d know, right?¡± The ranger was standing now, gesturing at his canine companion and the quietly working golem. ¡°Just a bunch of-¡± he spat out the next worth with venom in his tone ¡°NPCs here to liven up your day.¡± ¡°I didn''t- you know I don''t think that way! Travis I''ve never though of you like-¡± sputtered a mortified Bryn. The ranger held up his hand, interrupting her. ¡°I think it''s time for some shut-eye. We''re going to go curl up somewhere, this cold is nothing new to us.¡± With those parting words, he strode off, the she-wolf following close behind after giving the mage a blood-curling snarl. Bryn stared into the sooty flames, trying to hypnotize away her guilt. A particularly long tongue of fire licked far above the oil in the pan, breaking her concentration. Reluctantly, she turned away from the fire and began forming a hump of snow on the ground. After a large sheet of snow was lifted and a bracing layer of ice applied, a perfect igloo was formed. The walking bundle of furs trudged its way towards the entrance, but turned around just before entering. ¡°See you in the morning, golem,¡± was her parting phrase as a wave of freezing crashed over Pile. As his consciousness slowed and the heat was sucked from his silver veins and core, Pile only had time to admire the completed repairs on his vocal cords for a few seconds before darkness took him. Man 12: Karma Dust to Dust: Man 12 Karma The radiant warmth of the sun''s rays were the first things Pile felt. Such a slight amount of energy was barely enough to rouse the golem, and his senses were dulled to the point of uselessness. He couldn''t even see in front of his face, much less to the campfire or to Bryn''s igloo. The sled was shifting lightly, making the cause of Pile''s awakening apparent. Who''s going through my things...? They already know what''s in there. Maybe the witch assumes I''m putting something together to enact my vengeance. What a great idea. However Pile''s analysis was quickly proved false, as the mysterious snooper had started investigating the construction body where the golem''s core resided. Arms and appendages were put pushed aside as a light touch traced the silver wires running along the metal supports. The light touch became more forceful as it curled around the golem''s core. Momentarily, Pile was appreciative of the body warmth accelerating the process of his waking. This appreciation didn''t last long, as for when the golem''s sense of sight returned, he noticed that the slender hand that grabbed him wasn''t from one of the humans. Their hands weren''t green. Alarm bells went off in Pile''s head as he began to actively draw from the hand''s heat to further restore his senses. This thief hadn''t missed this, and began shaking the core in annoyance. If Pile''s weakened senses were to be trusted, the aberrant vibrations running through the hand also implied that the owner was furiously yelling. After a few seconds of this, Pile was dropped into a bag containing a few other tools and nick-knacks. With enough heat for a small movement, Pile heated a spot on his core''s surface and sent out a few warmed up silver wires. In the darkness of the bag, the golem took inventory of what he had access to. A few metal tipped arrows, a chipped dagger, and a small pile of coins. With a thin wire reaching every piece of metal he could find, Pile brainstormed possible plans. His concentration was broken when the owner of the green hand began yammering again, sounding even more agitated than before. The pitch rose higher and higher and the bag containing the golem core swung around in erratic patterns. After the yammering rose to a panicked cry, it suddenly stopped, and the bag fell to the snow below. Pile''s momentum carried him outside the bag as it fell and he was able to see the identity of his captor. It was a short humanoid; green and sickly thin. Thin and knobbled hands clutched at the throat of the motionless body, or at least where the throat used to be. The throat was currently in the mouth of the she-wolf staring down at the corpse. She spat out the mottled green lump of flesh she had torn from its home and bent town towards the silver core. A snort from her muzzle was the only greeting Pile got before she picked him up in her jaws and ran back to camp. I''m saved, assumed the golem. The only one here I can trust to save me from a starving thief is the only one I can''t talk to. Perfect. As they returned to camp, Pile''s assumption about the situation was overturned. It wasn''t a thief. It was a raiding party. More of the green creatures were rifling through the sled, pulling out scrap and filling skins and cans with oil, as others with weapons were rushing at Travis. The ranger was in top form as each arrow he loosed found its home in the skull of an enemy, but a few creatures with crude shields were surviving his barrage and approaching cautiously. The she-wolf dashed towards him, eager to relieve him of his burden.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I''m fine, girl.¡± consoled Travis. ¡°Put him back first, we can''t lose him like that again.¡± With a dissatisfied grunt that blew bloodied steamy breath around the silver core held in her jaws, the she-wolf loped over towards the pillaged sled and spat the golem core into the chest cavity of the metal skeleton. She glanced back at her companion in askance of praise or direction, and the ranger responded by wiggling his drawn arrow in the general direction of the campfire before loosing it into the face of an enemy raising a sword at him. A black line trailed from the now opened tanker sled to a raging fire that belched black smoke. The she-wolf''s reddened jaws clamped onto the metal shoulder of the skeleton, and bodily threw it into the towering inferno. For the first time since he was scorched by the smelter golems, Pile had enough energy for everything he needed. His core, now glowing cherry red, flowed smooth and erased any cracks caused by the snap freezes he''d experienced. The entire metal skeleton he controlled was reforged in the flames and golem magic, erasing all of its past stresses and scars, tempering it anew. Still weak with no musculature, but... Pile diverted the flow of heat to one of his hands and watched as the very air around it writhed in pain as if in fear of the intensity. This will do for now. The she-wolf had now taken her place at her companion''s side, removing any chance of the creature''s attacks succeeding. The shield-bearing attackers were mangled into a bloody mist by the tooth and claw of a predator in her element. She simply danced around them, swiping at their openings until their composure fell apart. Then came the fangs. Bryn had locked herself into her igloo, the only signs of her safety being a few frozen bodies reaching towards the entrance and a thick layer of ice blocking their way. Combat ready, Pile was searching for his own fight. As he scanned the area, he spotted a green figure charging through the forest towards their campsite. This figure, however, was not small like the other green creatures. It wasn''t shabbily equipped like the others either, as much of it was covered in gleaming steel. Judging by the massive ax it had raised over its head, it was also terribly strong. Today, it has met the wrong opponent. Pile laughed mirthlessly at his unfortunate opponent, and leaped out of the blazing fire to intercept him. The brutish greener rushed at him in a rage and roared his battle cry, spittle flying from his yellowing jaw. As the two met on the snowy battlefield, the raider raised his ax, and Pile opened his metal arms that vaporized any snowflakes that fell upon them. With a mighty crash, the ax was brought down upon the golem''s shoulder, tearing through the top support and firmly lodging itself in a brace below it. Pile, seemingly unaffected, closed his arms around his assailant and hugged him tightly. He hugged as opponent as the screaming began. He hugged his opponent as the sizzling of cooking flesh wafted through the forest. He hugged his opponent as the worn steel armor glowed cherry red and fused to the green skin below it. Pile let go of his adversary and watched him fall to the snow. The heated armor sizzled and cooled, trapping the green brute in an immobile cage. Not that the brute was aware of this, as he had died of shock long before the finale of the golem''s terrible embrace. The remaining thermal energy from the campfire was diverted towards Pile''s shoulder where the ax head was lodged. The golem slightly bent his frame, allowing the ax to fall out, and welded the area back together. After the leader of the raiders died in such horrific fashion, the grunts began scrambling for the trees. Travis was happy not to waste any more arrows, the she-wolf was sick of their sour taste, and Pile needed to recharge. They converged near the sled and took stock of the situation. Until a woman''s shriek pierced the post-battle tired air. The group didn''t was a moment, and rushed the igloo. The sheet of ice blocking the front was still intact, but there was a hole in the back and the signs of a struggle. A short distance away, Bryn was being held by one of the green creatures, a dagger held to her throat. The dagger itself was unlike the chipped one Pile had examined earlier; the one against Bryn''s throat had runic designs etched into it and looked to be made of stone, not metal. The creature was yammering at them triumphantly, but as the she-wolf flanked him from the side and Travis drew his bow, its tone of voice changed. Fearful yowls punctuated by furious hissing escaped its lips as it drew the blade closer to the mage''s throat. The mage seemed to be attempting to fight back, but every time she waved her hand at her captor the runes on the blade would glow and the freezing would lose control and affect something random in her vicinity. The panicked fear slowly left Bryn''s face and was replaced by a despondent grimace. She looked up at Pile with resignation in her eyes. ¡°It''s karma, I suppose.¡± With that, she shut her eyes tight, clenched her fists, and pulsed. The air distorted around her, throwing the snow into a frenzy and obscuring her and the creatures forms. When the snow settled, Bryn and the creature were still standing there. Frozen solid. Man 13: Loss Dust to Dust: Man 13 Loss In a few swift wrestling motions punctuated by the cracking of ice, the frozen creature was dismantled from where it was latched onto Bryn''s back. Travis carefully studied her, looking for any signs of life, of hope. And found it. ¡°Tin man, I need you to-¡± began the ranger, but stopped himself when he saw that the golem was already stepping forward, air warping slightly around his scorching hot arms. After Travis gauged the heat coming off of Pile, his face fell. ¡°I need to you step back. Go get the pot we boiled water in.¡± The golem immediately did an about face and walked as fast as he could, having to find areas with packed powder or dirt lest he fall through the snow. By the time he grabbed the still hot steamer and turned back around, Travis had already laid Bryn down on a bed of pelts and was closely examining her seemingly lifeless form. The crunch of snow from the golem''s heavy steps alerted the ranger to his return. ¡°Gather snow into the pot until it stops steaming, we need it warm, not hot. We can''t risk putting her into any more shock than she''s in now. I think-¡± Travis stopped himself and shook his head. ¡°I know that she''s worked with Freezing for years, she has to have some tolerance towards it. We just need to warm her up and she''ll be okay. I know it.¡± Having convinced himself, he reached out for the pot, even as his bloodshot eyes betrayed his true fears. As Pile handed the cooler pot of water to him, Travis simply grabbed a corner of it and began pouring it over the prone Bryn. The frost laden blue robes softened in the warm water, and the frigid layer of ice began to melt away from her fair skin. The she-wolf gave the mage''s face a tender lick, removing the crystals from her delicate eyebrows and freeing her breathing passages. Travis leaned down and put his hands to Bryn''s face, focusing intently to try and pickup on any breathing. ¡°Faint, but she''s there,¡± sighed a relieved ranger. ¡°Could use some help, girl.¡± Heeding the call of her companion, the she-wolf raised up, lifting her head high above her towering frame in a regal pose. The surrounding trees, the snow-capped pines, leaned in and listened. The she-wolf''s eyes reflected her memories; the vibrant forest she was born to rule, and the wasteland it had become. A soft howl pierced the morning haze as she asked the forest for assistance. Assistance for her, for a monarch of a now dead land. Nature does not dally nor debate, and the trees heeded her call. Lower limbs withered and bark curled as life itself was sent to the she-wolf. The queen kept none of it, and relayed it to the thawed mage that hung between life and death.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Bryn''s breath quickened and cheeks became rosy as she was gifted pure vitality. Travis relaxed as the situation finally came under control. He internally debated between removing her soaked clothes and drying her off or wrapping her up in a bundle of pelts so she could rest in peace. Deciding that it''d be foolish to leave her in wet clothes that would soon bring frostbite, Travis began removing Bryn''s azure robe, exposing her right arm first. It was blue. The ranger''s eyes shot wide open, his heart once again beating a thousand times a minute. ¡°Fucking fuck, it has to be-¡± his hands quivered as he reached down to his belt and drew a gleaming dagger. ¡°It has to be removed.¡± The ranger wasted no time as he shoved the mage''s robes off of her frostbitten arm and placed his knife just below the shoulder, where the skin once again regained a healthy color. He pressed down, but the knife wobbled in his weak grip. He braced himself again, clenching his teeth and putting his body weight onto his hand only to slip again. Tears now streaming down his face, sobs began to rack Travis'' frame as he succumbed to the repeated stresses of the situation. ¡°Her blood-¡± he choked out between sobs, ¡°-poison.¡± ¡°We gotta-¡± another sob stopped his words, so he simply mimed a sawing motion near the shoulder joint. A gentle pair of jaws closed around his uncertain hand, and moved it towards the motionless golem. Pile realized the intent of the she-wolf, and reached down to take the blade. The dagger slipped from the ranger''s hand but Pile was already there to catch it, reassuring Travis that Bryn was in steady hands. Pile studied the blade. He used to deal with bone quite a bit in the days after his birth. He remembered what it took to break it, to cut it. A pulse of white hot energy from his core flowed into the blade, melding it into a more suitable shape. Now a bit longer and with small serrations, the blade was properly suitable for bone. The golem lowered the saw to her arm and got to work. Hours later, a ruined arm was buried in a shallow grave, and the party was resting at last. The she-wolf was curled into a large crescent, making a warm bed for Travis and Bryn to curl inside. Travis was passed out, the exhaustion of the fight and stress of the medical procedure taking their toll on his psyche. Bryn was curled into his arms, looking peaceful in her slumber. The only thing wrong with the picture was the bloody stump where her right arm used to be. A heated knife served as a suitable cauterization method, and the she-wolf had injected life energy into the stump to stop most of the bleeding. Pile stared down at them from a few feet away, the only one awake. He had befriended a human, been tricked and trapped by humans, and thoroughly beaten by them in combat. This was his first time seeing them vulnerable, intimate. He looked down at this own right arm, testing out its motion. After a quick pulse through his silver veins to test the responsiveness, he popped his shoulder''s joint open and took the arm off. The golem waved the arm idly in the air, seemingly playing with it. Pile then reattached the arm at the joint and tested the responsiveness once more. No loss in function. They are so fragile. Man 14: Spinup Dust to Dust: Man 14 Spinup As the only one conscious, Pile was charged with keeping watch over the exhausted party. He promptly turned around and walked back to his sled, eager to begin his first round of modifications after the recent bouts of combat. Ever since he had forged his human form, the golem had been dealing with its drawbacks and general lack of adaptability. In hindsight, my greatest victories were due to by ability to change, to evolve. Never has my core been exposed to an enemy before. The freeze mage may be powerful, but in my old bodies of mud and stone I wouldn''t have been incapacitated so easily. Pile once again detached his right arm, a simple appendage of fixed metal bars jointed at the elbow and wrist. The only visual difference between it and a fixed bracket are the silver veins running along its surface. The golem stared at the arm in contemplative silence, comparing it to the frostbitten arm he had removed from Bryn. All of the bones, muscles, veins, and tissues that had to be sliced and sawn through. So many layers of systems. Complexity isn''t strength. Never did I survive because of my complexity. He threw out all of his outlandish designs of pistons, layered weaves of resistant materials, and hidden weapons. They had been of little use and were rendered inoperable after their first trial run. With experience, maintenance, and fine tuning, they may help. But I can see so many ways to defeat those systems with my old outlook and a pile of mud... How foolish was I to change who I was? I wash never so infatuated with becoming humanlike until- Fucking Blue Box. A flicker of azure light pulled Pile''s gaze to his left, where a blue rectangle was hanging from the air. On it was displayed his name and various numbers and details about him. Ever since it showed up it led me into being something I''m not. Teased me with its knowledge, funneled me into using systems similar to those men in the camp that used power armor. What are the odds of that? The odds that I, before ever seeing common designs, created something similar?Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. A grunt of dissatisfaction was emitted through Pile''s voice box, and he waved away the status screen, turning his head away as it faded into nothing. No Blue Box this time. No complexity. Pile took inventory of the sled for the first time since the fight against the green creatures. Most of the oil remained, and the raiders had completely ignored the scrap. Remembering the starved appearance of his attackers, Pile assumed that they hadn''t found what they were looking for. Scrap is all I need. Resembling my old selves, a simple hunk of material. Too thick for the cold to penetrate, too simple for a hard knock or sharp blade to damage. Scrap was gathered into a pile next to the fire and a large quantity of oil was fed to the blaze. Pile stepped directly into the fire and began to transfer the surging heat directly into the heap of scrap. Fine silver wires extended from his skeletal fingertips and attached to the stack of metal at strategic points, preparing to form it to the golem''s will. Pile''s argent core, powered by the greasy oil fire, began to pulse waves of white hot heat into the scrap, heating and compressing it. Each wave from the silver wires further condensed the pile into a solid shape. After hours of such work, the silver wires detached form the perfectly managed work. Pile admired his handiwork. A simple metal cylinder, an alloy made of whatever he had on hand, with a small hollow running along the inside and a slight protuberance on each end. Impenetrable. But the real trick is to make it more than armor. The golem stared down at his chest, where a thin metal box encased his core. This thin metal box has proven to be quite useless against the freezing magic of the mage. As such, Pile had elected to get rid of it. With a thought and a surge of energy, the box came apart from around the core and fell to the ground. Temporarily the golem nucleus was re-positioned to the neck while the chest was reconstructed. Utilizing the now open chest area, braces were fashioned near the neck and pelvis, their distance being the exact height of the manufactured cylinder. Which, at this point, was exactly what the golem installed into the space. With minor reforging and adjusting, the slight protuberances fit snugly inside of the braces on top and bottom. At this point, the golem pulsed energy into the cylinder to admire its free-spinning ability. After a grinding sound and a quick stop to the pilot run, Pile admitted his oversight. A few experiments later and the golem finished his newly fashioned friction reducing system. A groove had been cut in the brackets holding the cylinder in place, and small metal balls were placed inside. The fit was so perfectly tight that the cylinder slid across the balls effortlessly. To erase worries of long term abuse, the space in the groove not taken up my the balls was filled with oil to reduce any additional friction. The cylinder now truly spun effortlessly with a slight addition of energy. The system complete, Pile fed his core into the hollow interior of the metal drum. Silver veins extended out of the top and bottom of the brackets through a small hole. As the cylinder spun, the wires kept contact with the core through a layer of molten silver maintained through the golem''s magic. Even with his sensitivity slightly dulled due to his new thick walled cage, Pile felt more confident than ever. His armor was impressive, but the true strength of the cylinder was in energy storage. Due to its low friction nature, it could spin incredibly fast, and Pile could siphon off of that rotational energy to feed his movement, or generate heat to create or destroy with. I''m invulnerable. As the sun set on a wintry mountainside, a pair of wounded and exhausted humans rested in the warm embrace of a she-wolf. Across their campsite, a golem shut himself off from the world.