Gilgamesh walked with Heroine through the slums in the light of noon. It was the seventh day of the Fourth Trial now, two days after the expansion of his gambling den gang. Though not as much as the first, the four new dens were already making a decent profit. In total, he had amassed over 23 jadestones.
Operations had been smooth and uneventful thus far, but Gilgamesh still patrolled between the dens with his anxious bodyguard daily to make sure the pawns did not forget who was in charge.
“Boss.”
“Boss.”
The underlings of the den greeted him as soon as he approached. These ones had a bit more sense than the previous. He hadn’t even needed to instruct them to address him as such.
“Any trouble?” He asked the burly man.
“...other groups are starting to spring up. Got a couple trying to test us already.” He answered carefully. “Might be-”
Both of their attentions suddenly turned left to the dozen people with ill intentions who pushed their way through the crowd and confronted the underlings at work.
“Nice scheme you got here. Mind if-”
Heroine bashed the man in the head without warning, but it didn’t shatter. His body had become solid steel in an instant, and all the ambush had done was knock him into a stagger.
The steel man’s sharp gaze snapped towards her, and Heroine immediately darted away. Gilgamesh activated his two Boulder Apes, and the crowd of gamblers fled as a brutal fight broke out.
He ordered one golem to attack the steel leader, while he wielded the other to smash the rest as though there were nothing but bugs. His den underlings flew into action as well, though mostly to protect their own lives. Not that their help was needed.
None of the enemies possessed Attributes high enough to match his golem and neither did they have a Talent to compensate. Only the steel leader could hold his own, and even then, he was nothing more than a punching bag.
But Gilgamesh did not let his guard down. He spotted Heroine using his golems as cover to launch ambushes, but an unassuming man among the enemies left suddenly cast a wide surge of frost straight for her.
Gilgamesh maneuvered his Boulder Ape to shield her completely, but at the same time, the steel leader threw one of his swords at him with great speed and a talisman at Heroine. The attack was no great threat, but it had now forced him into a dilemma.
If he wielded the Forest Hand to pull himself away, then he could not move the Boulder Ape to protect Heroine from whatever the talisman did. The choice was himself or Heroine, and Gilgamesh chose himself without hesitation. But as he prepared to wield the Forest Hand, he realized a change in the connections of his bonds.
Gilgamesh pulled himself out of the sword’s path as the Boulder Ape covered Heroine from the blast of fire the talisman caused. “I can wield two at once now…” Gilgamesh immediately wielded both of his Boulder Apes to devastate the rest of the enemy group.
The steel leader saw the writing on the wall and fled, but Gilgamesh had his Boulder Ape pin him to the ground. Without even a word of warning, Heroine stood over with her mace held high and pummelled the man until his Steel Body ability finally wore off and his brains splattered over the ground.
Gilgamesh checked his surroundings to ensure there were no more enemies, then contemplated the discovery of his expanded abilities. “It wasn’t because Master Golem Core reached lvl 2. There was no change after then. Then the catalyst must have been Control. It’s 24 now, and 10 was sufficient for one golem. Is 10 control needed per golem? If that is the case, then I would be able to wield all three if I increase it to 30… This is an unexpected boon.”
Gilgamesh wielded his two Boulder Apes again, along with his Forest Hand as well this time to test that theory, and it worked. However, as it was with his Clay Sentry, wielding a third golem now was more strained and difficult than usual. He needed 1 more point into Control.
With that confirmed, Gilgamesh was about to tell the others to loot the enemies for their valuables, but Heroine had already started.
“Get things cleaned up and running again.” He instructed the burly den leader, then turned to Heroine. “We’re going to inspect the rest of the slums.”
---
The duo walked through a shabby street bustling with illicit activity. Prostitutes solicited anyone who walked by a large two-story building that had been appropriated as a brothel. Listless vagrants lay strung out on the ground with bags of half-finished herbs in their hands, and seedy peddlers hawked plundered wares for cheap prices.
Society within the lawless slums had developed shockingly quickly. There were all sorts of establishments of the unsavory kind and large gangs behind each of them. Gilgamesh saw the direction the slums were headed.
“The factions here are bigger than ours…” Heroine said with concern. “We should get more thralls. In case they attack…”
“Yes, but not for more dens.” Gilgamesh partially agreed. Upon her confusion, he explained. “Have you forgotten? This trial only lasts 30 days. There is no reward for a stable, long-lasting venture. Soon, raiding will become more profitable than business. But we are going to start before anyone else.”
Having seen enough of the slums, Gilgamesh led the way back to the border between the Bazaar. He turned to Heroine and held out his hand.
“Your purse.”
She reacted adversely.
“You cannot enter the Bazaar, so I will purchase what you need for you. We must equip ourselves as best we can, before we start a war.” Gilgamesh explained.
Heroine still hesitated for a few moments despite the sound reasoning, but eventually, she gave him her felt pouch. Albeit, reluctantly.
“What do you need?” Gilgamesh asked.
“...a good shield. Round, full steel. And a flanged mace. And armor, a chestplate and a helm. Full helm, open-faced. A dagger, needle-point, and ranger boots.” She listed awkwardly. “They should all be enchanted… Passive enchantments. The mace should have Impact. Reduction for the Shield. Durability for the chestplate and Deflection for the helm. Sharpness on the dagger. Muffle on the boots…”
“Passive enchantments because she has low mana capacity?” Gilgamesh assumed. “Why a mace?”
“It’s more reliable… Don’t you even know something that obvious…?”
It was indeed obvious. Gilgamesh had only asked because he wanted to confirm her thoughts. “Wait here.”
He headed off into the Bazaar by himself, first back to the Golem store.
“Finally ready to train some more, eh?” Lox asked from behind the counter.
“I’m here to buy golems.” Gilgamesh said.
“Better to learn how to make them.”
“I will later.” Gilgamesh had no intention of passing up the opportunity, but he needed to amass wealth first. Gilgamesh scanned through the list, though he had already long contemplated on which ones he intended to buy.
[ Boulder Ape - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 60
Agility - 30
Vitality - 25
Perception - 10
Force - 0
Spirit - 15
Control - 10
Willpower - 0
Material: Granite (low grade)
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Mana Capacity: 150/150
Consumption: 10 motes per minute
Recovery: 5 motes per minute
First was one more Boulder Ape so that he could constantly cycle through them. They held the best physical attributes on offer for the role of a durable vanguard and he had become quite used to wielding them. It cost 3 jadestone.
[ Clay Salamander - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 10
Agility - 30
Vitality - 10
Perception - 10
Force - 0
Spirit - 65
Control - 25
Willpower - 0
Feature: Poison Smoke (bronze)
Material: Clay (inferior)
Mana Capacity: 650/650
Consumption: 4 motes per minute
Recovery: 4 motes per minute
[ Poison Smoke (bronze) ]
'Emits a stream of Low Grade poison in the form of smoke.'
For his ranged options, he decided on two Clay Salamanders instead of Bolt Vipers. They were large lizard-like golems, but they cast pure magic instead of what was effectively a physical attack. Gilgamesh believed that magic offense would likely be more effective in most cases than physical ranged attacks at this point.
He chose Poison Smoke as the specific Feature, as he felt that it held the most potential against a crowd of enemies. Even better that he and his golems would be unaffected. Poison also conveniently wasn’t reliant on Force for its potency, which allowed points to be distributed to other Attributes. Namely Spirit. 5 jadestone was the price for both.
[ Bomber - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 5
Agility - 5
Vitality - 10
Perception - 10
Force - 80
Spirit - 15
Control - 25
Willpower - 0
Feature: Self Destruction (bronze)
Material: Clay (inferior)
Mana Capacity: 150/150
Consumption: 3 motes per minute
Recovery: 1.5 motes per minute
[ Self Destruction (bronze) ]
'Destroys the golem's core to cause an explosion of raw mana.'
Magnitude: 2.5
Mana Cost: 100 motes
Salamanders were great for dealing with weaklings in large numbers, but he did lack the firepower to deal with stronger threats. To remedy that, Gilgamesh chose an unorthodox golem.
Bombers were spherical golems that could only roll slowly on the ground by themselves, and trigger after a specific criteria, such as taking too much damage or after a certain amount of time had passed.
But through his Master Golem Core, Gilgamesh could simply use his other golems to throw them at his targets. And by its impressive Force which would further be enhanced by the high Magnitude of Self Destruction, few he would encounter could likely withstand it.
Bombers were cheaper than other golems, but exorbitantly expensive for something that had only a single use. 4 jadestone for two.
[ Floating Shield - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 20
Agility - 5
Vitality - 25
Perception - 10
Force - 40
Spirit - 25
Control - 25
Willpower - 0
Feature: Levitation (bronze)
Material: Steel (low grade)
Mana Capacity: 250/250
Consumption: 10 motes per minute
Recovery: 8 motes per minute
[ Steel (low grade) ]
'A durable metal with no innate magical qualites. The product of Iron tempered with mana.'
And lastly, he bought a Floating Shield. It was quite similar to Forest Hand in some ways, but this large shield-shaped golem sacrificed utility and versatility in exchange for specializing entirely in defense. At 3.5 jadestones it was the most expensive of the bunch.
"8 motes per minute for Recovery." Gilgamesh noted. "With Boulder Ape as a comparison, having a Low Grade material doubles a golem's Consumption. Considering that 2 motes of its Consumption is due to Levitation, that means that having Spirit at 25 will make even those such golems to become Efficient. While I would rather higher Attributes over a shorter time, I should buy an efficient combat golem when I have the jadestones to spare."
It had taken him days to amass, but he had already spent 15.5 of his 21 jadestone. Most of his money was gone in mere moments, but that wasn't an issue. It had simply become his ‘wealth’. And more importantly, it made him more powerful.
“Ya should really get yerself a Sentry.” Lox advised, seeing Gilgamesh’s choices. “Everything’s too specialized. Ya also need some smarter ones. That’s what’ll really save ya in a pinch.”
“No need. I can control them directly.” Gilgamesh admitted.
Though they were merely crystals, a strange gleam seemed to appear in Lox’s eyes. “Ya have a golem core, do ya? Which one?”
“Master Golem Core.” He answered.
“Really?” His zealotry seemed to rise as he leaned closer. “Did ya get it from the Schema?”
“...is that surprising?” Gilgamesh asked.
“Well, not so much surprising as ‘good luck’. A lot can go wrong when trying to mimic the Schema with yer own abilities…” Lox’s enthusiasm turned somber and reflective.
“That must be what happened to him…” Gilgamesh thought.
“Well, no wonder yer choices are this way.” Lox brushed off the awkward silence. “Don’t need much generalization when you’ve a whole battalion at yer beck and call.”
“What do you mean?” Gilgamesh asked. Three was hardly a battalion.
“Hm?” Lox seemed confused by his confusion. “Yer Trait, lad. Master Golems can handle dozens of active golems, compared to the normal 1.”
“Dozens?” Gilgamesh questioned. “I can only bear the strain of three.”
“What are ya… Ah, that’s right. Mmm…” Lox thought about how to phrase his next words. “Rank and grade. That’s the extent of the hint I can give ya.”
“Rank and grade?” Gilgamesh mused. “...the tier above Iron abilities is Bronze. Low Grade must be equal to Bronze tier, and Iron tier to the common and mundane. Does that mean the next Rank above Iron is Bronze as well? Would I be able to control more golems at Bronze Rank? What does that entail, and how do I reach it? Is there a requirement for Attributes? Or perhaps Talents?”
Gilgamesh did not bother to ask, as he knew full well the Tower would not allow it.
“Need anythin’ else?” Lox asked.
“Not today.”
“Well, come back here when yer ready to learn, ya hear.”
“Sure.” Gilgamesh wasn’t attached to this place but it had proven sufficient.
With his golems acquired, Gilgamesh next went to a nearby smithy. He bought a flanged mace, round shield, simple chestplate for a woman, and an open-faced helm with cheek guards, similar to an imperial roman helm.
The sheer quality of items available earned a moment of his attention. All of the items were made of simple steel, the same as could be found on earth, but no mundane measures could ever replicate this artisanship nor the quality of the steel itself.
It was cheaper than his golems. 1.5 jadestone for the mace, 2 for the shield and chestplate, 1.5 for the helm and just 1 for the dagger. But these were just the base items. A smithy did not provide the magical effects as well, thus he needed to seek out an Enchanter.
He stopped by a Cobbler to buy the leather ranger boots she wanted, then found an Enchanter nearby and commissioned his order, which returned to him unnaturally fast.
“Sound choices…” Gilgamesh assessed of what Heroine asked for.
A flanged mace was superior to a round one against armor, which most enemies would be equipped in now, and the Impact enchantment maximized the effectiveness of every hit.
A round shield was a well-balanced shield. Sufficient for defense and easier to attack with than most other kinds. Reduction was the opposite of Impact, an enchantment that diminished the blows it would endure. That would allow her to block attacks from those stronger than her.
The chestplate was simply to protect her vitals, and an open-faced helm would give her the necessary protection without obstructing her vision. Durability on the chestplate solidified such a role, while Deflection for the helm was an apt choice as it was better to mitigate as much of the damage she might take to avoid potential concussions.
The dagger was similar to a stiletto or rondel. Its cylindrical needle-like blade was meant only for puncturing. Useful against weak armor or the gaps of good ones.
And ranger boots. For anyone else, Gilgamesh would have questioned why she hadn’t asked for armored ones. But her manner of combat was underhanded and opportunistic. Prioritizing her speed and ability to ambush was more to her advantage.
It was not equipment for war, but for surviving a lawless land. Gilgamesh himself would not have changed anything if he were in her shoes. He only would have bought more armor in a similar vein, as well as backup to her mace.
But Heroine’s money had already been used up entirely on just those six pieces of gear. Enchanted items were more expensive than his golems. Though that was fortunate for Gilgamesh, as he still had some left to spend.
Gilgamesh also purchased an Artifact for himself. A single bracelet of woven silver for the cost of 3 jadestone.
[ Mana Screen Bracelet - Artifact (Low Grade) ]
'Enchantment: Mana Screen'
Material: Silver (low grade)
[ Mana Screen (bronze) ]
'Create a thin shield of raw mana.'
Potency: 50
Mana Cost: 30 motes
[ Silver (low grade) ]
'A metal with a high tolerance as a conduit for Magic.'
He had chosen an Artifact with a fixed Potency since he had not invested into Force at all, nor did he plan to. The Mana Screen Bracelet only had an equivalent Force of 50, and cost triple the mana that a Spell normally does, but it was a necessary last resort.
Gilgamesh reviewed his arsenal. 3 Stone Apes. 2 Forest Hands. 1 Bolt Viper. 2 Salamanders. 2 Bombers. 1 Floating Shield. Mana Screen Bracelet.
With 2.5 jadestone still remaining, Gilgamesh decided to return to Lox's store and purchase that efficient combat golem. But just as he was about to leave, the cold fingers of dread crept over his back, and he froze in place.
“What am I doing…? Almost enough is not enough. When did I become so soft?”
Gilgamesh turned back to the enchanter and bought a ring with the design of a coiled snake.
[ Snakecord Ring - Artifact (Low Grade) ]
'Enchantment: Snakecord'
Material: Silver (low grade)
[ Snakecord (bronze) ]
'Conjure magical ropes to wield like living snakes, which will turn into mundane rope upon ending the spell.'
Mana Cost: 45 motes
Gilgamesh could envision wielding this magical rope to ensnare targets then turn back into normal rope that held their bindings. An effective ability against pure warriors.
“I need to use everything at my disposal. Take everything I can. This world will not reward me for anything less…”
Callous resolution returned to Gilgamesh’s eyes where mild composure had briefly been allowed to invade, and he headed back into the slums.
