Holy..... I think I might need to change my pants. Then tell Agnus about this, after I make this golem and the Pagma's Kin golem.
I'd have to think of names for both of them, but that shouldn't be too difficult. I designed the Frankenstein Golem to look like Agnus would if he had an identical twin sister. The Pagma's Kin golem I modeled after a favorite character of mine from an anime: bright blonde hair, always in a red dress.
I swear the system looked at my internet search history when it modeled her. I decided to name her Torva.
To create a golem, I had to do the work of three professions: alchemy, blacksmithing and sculpting.
The alchemy came first. It meant creating the golem's ego, the thing that decides how smart its AI will be. The production method listed reagents like a recipe, but the instructions kept using words like intent and will that no potion recipe I'd ever seen used.
I ground the reagents in a mortar until my avatar's wrists ached. I distilled them over a low flame into a liquid the color of molten brass. Then the method told me to hold the vial and think about what the golem was for.
I thought about Grid chopping firewood like his life depended on it. I thought about a blacksmith who would never stop, never sleep, never settle. The liquid went from brass to gold, and the notification called it an Ego Core.
Then the blacksmithing. I heated the varadinium until it glowed and folded it over and over to mold it into a body. The metal fought me at first. Then I remembered the review that said it bent like a bow, and I stopped forcing it and started guiding it. It went better after that. Not well. Better.
Last came the sculpting. I ground out every fine detail of the body and made sure every joint actually moved. Fingers took the longest. Have you ever tried to sculpt ten knuckles that each need to bend three ways? I don't recommend it.
When I finally set the Ego Core into her chest and closed the plate over it, what lay on the table was the character I'd modeled her on, made entirely of gray metal.
That reminds me. I'll have to get the golems some clothes.
While I was contemplating this, a system notification rang out.
[Due to the masterful work done in creating the golem Torva, she has come out one rating higher than the original production method. All stats increase by +10, and reputation throughout the continent increases by +50.]
Before I could even think about what that meant, Torva broke my train of thought in the most unbelievable way possible. Her eyes opened, and she sat up.
"Servant Torva Claudius has been created in response to your will! May I ask the name of my Praetor?"
I think my mind may or may not have overloaded at that statement. Since when did Satisfy incorporate age-old anime? Or at least, how did the AI I gave her understand what she was modeled after? Whatever. Too many questions and nothing to answer them, so let's just introduce myself.
"Hello, Torva. You can call me Daz, Master, or Praetor, whichever you prefer. It's a pleasure. May I ask what your status is?"
Torva showed me her status, and to say I was surprised would be a severe understatement.
Name: Torva
Level: 1
Class: Pagma's Wish (Rare)
The probability of adding additional options when making items slightly increases.The probability of item enhancement slightly increases.All equipment items can be worn unconditionally. However, there is a large penalty depending on the rating of the item.
Title: One Who Sees the Path to Become a Legend
Medium resistance to abnormal conditions.Will not be recalled right away when health is at its minimum.Will be acknowledged more easily. If there is a large gap in skill, the target will want to teach you.
Health: 300/300 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 26 Stamina: N/A Agility: 14
Intelligence: 18 Dexterity: 28 Insight: 10
Composure: 2 Indomitable: 1 Dignity: 1
Stat Points: 0
Weight: 90/200
[Item Understanding]
Pagma's Wish can understand an item's materials and principles by using, disassembling or repairing equipment items. At 100% understanding, you can learn how to make that item.
[Blacksmith's Craftsmanship Skill]
Lv. Intermediate
Produce equipment items you know how to make.
There is a certain probability of creating rare-rated items.There is a very low probability of creating epic-rated items.There is an extremely rare probability of creating unique-rated items.At the Intermediate stage, the attributes of all items increase by 4%.When rare-rated items are produced, all stats permanently rise by +0.5 and reputation throughout the continent rises by +6.When epic-rated items are produced, all stats permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent rises by +20.When unique-rated items are produced, all stats permanently rise by +6 and reputation throughout the continent rises by +130.
[Intermediate Blacksmith's Craftsmanship Skill]
Lv. 1
Produce equipment items you know how to make. You can create production methods for new items with the 'Intermediate Blacksmith's Creation' skill.
At the Intermediate stage, the attributes of all items increase by 4%.When rare-rated items are produced, all stats permanently rise by +0.5 and reputation throughout the continent rises by +6.When epic-rated items are produced, all stats permanently rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent rises by +20.When unique-rated items are produced, all stats permanently rise by +6 and reputation throughout the continent rises by +130.When legendary-rated items are produced, all stats permanently rise by +15 and reputation throughout the continent rises by +500.The class will upgrade once a sufficient level is reached and at least 15 epic items have been created.
[Intermediate Blacksmith's Creation Skill]
Create one equipment item production method every time this skill's level goes up.
Items that can be created at present: 1/1
When items are produced using this skill, the creator's name is automatically placed on the item.
I thought I'd had a midlife crisis with my pants earlier, and now I was about to faint from the sheer amount of information this class had. And apparently there were a ton of skills Grid still hadn't unlocked, which Torva will get through leveling whenever he unlocks them. My lord!
I had to steel myself and calm down. I still had one more golem to make before we could start hunting around Winston village.
With all the stuff I'd stocked in the smithy, though, I might just have Torva stay here and work to level up, since she could level through blacksmithing and gain stats from it. I can't even imagine everything a legendary class can do. I thanked Torva for letting me examine her status and asked her to stand to the side while I worked on the Frankenstein golem, which I decided to name Martimer.
Martimer went faster, because I knew what I was doing now. That's what I told myself, anyway.
The ego was harder. When I held the vial and thought about what she was for, my mind kept drifting to Agnus at Cindy's grave, and to the look on his face when the verdict came in. The liquid went dark purple instead of gold. I almost poured it out. Then the method's text updated on its own.
[An ego tempered by loyalty to family has been formed.]
I decided not to think too hard about that.
When I finished, she had long hair and an ample body. If the metal hadn't made her completely gray, I'd be describing the colors of her eyes, hair and skin right now. She opened her eyes, looked at me, looked at Torva, looked down at herself, and laughed. Not a polite laugh. A real one, like she'd just heard a great joke.
"So you're the one who made me," she said. "You look like you haven't slept."
"I'm in a video game."
"You still look like you haven't slept."
I didn't get a special notification this time, but her rating was the same as Torva's. She had less potential in the way of skills, but made up for it in stats. Her status went like this:
Name: Martimer
Level: 1
Class: Frankenstein (Rare)
Permanently gains stats depending on the parts replaced on the golem's own body.Can create undead by combining the body parts of defeated or killed creatures.Can fuse already-created undead into more powerful undead. This can fail if the undead aren't compatible enough, and the undead used will be lost permanently.Undead created by a Frankenstein golem give 25% of their experience to the golem.Undead cannot gain a class unless special conditions are met.
Title: Craftsman of the Undead
High resistance to abnormal conditions.Will not be recalled right away when health is at its minimum.High vulnerability to holy magic.Boosts the power of her undead by 20%.Created undead will be fiercely loyal to Martimer and the user Daz.
Health: 500/500 Mana: 230/230
Strength: 15 Stamina: N/A Agility: 23
Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 14 Insight: 18
Stat Points: 0
Weight: 90/200
I didn't want to take another deep dive into skills, since I don't think my brain could handle it. Clearly Martimer had a pretty advanced personality too, and could speak properly, contrary to my assumptions. With that done, I had them stay in the hideout for a bit while I went out to get them some clothes.
I had Torva start crafting, to see if she could raise her level and make some equipment for Martimer, herself and me.
When I arrived at Winston, I stopped by a tailor and bought a few cloaks and some women's clothing that would auto-fit the two of them. I also bought about ten custom-designed masks with a skull on them and two swords crossed behind it, plus some gloves and shoes, to make sure they could be covered completely.
I want to wait until they level up and reach the appearance from their original designs before showing them off to the world. I also need more golem production methods, or more uses of Golem Understanding, if I'm going to have any chance of upgrading my class.
I need an easier way to use Golem Understanding. I'll ask Agnus once he gets to the hideout if he has any ideas.