Vortena

by Neven Iliev

  *DONNN*

  A heavy clang rang out as Fizzy smashed shield-first into a stone soldier’s shin with enough force to cause the leg to crack, swinging her wrench before the off-balance statue could react and smashing its fractured kneecap into dust. The soldier nearly toppled but managed to prop itself up with its massive shield, stabbing its spear downwards. Fizzy effortlessly dodged the awkward attack and followed up by crushing its other knee with three rapid swings of her weapon, forcing the golem flat onto its back.

  She leapt onto the statue’s torso and ran across its abs. She slammed its chest with her heavy weapon, the forceful impact covering its entire upper body in cracks. She took a few more steps forward and swung the wrench once more, this time aiming for the golem’s stupid, handsome face. Though the hit nearly split its head in two, Fizzy was not nearly satisfied and kept hammering at it until her foe had been reduced to a literal pile of rubble.

  [Level up!]

  [Congratulations, you are now a Level 15 Metal Golem! STR +3. END +3. AGI +2. FTH +1.]

  “Yeaheaaah!” she cheered with a fist pump. “How’s it feel to get your ass run over by the pain train, blockhead?! Get wrecked, motherfucker!”

  Although the mad glint in her eyes, manic grin and high-volume shouting suggested that the Paladin was under the influence of the Champion of Chaos Skill, that was not, in fact, the case. Fizzy was simply screaming obscenities because she wanted to. While it had barely been four days since her transformation, she had completely embraced her new life of violence and slaughter. One would normally need more time to come to terms with a completely new self, but the adaptability of the gnomish mind – even a shattered one like hers – left her no time to wallow in self-doubt.

  “Oh, right! Levels! Skills! I hope it’s there this time!”

  She stopped gloating and turned her attention to her Skill List. She had thus far unlocked two Skills from her Metal Golem Job and she was incredibly satisfied with both, especially since Boxxy had allowed her to choose them herself. While it had at first forced her to develop her Paladin occupation in a certain direction, that had been when she’d had no idea what she was doing. But now that the lich was under control and Fizzy was a full-fledged monster, there was no longer any need to dictate her Skill choices.

  Quite the contrary, in fact – it was important to allow her to forge her own path. Not because of silly things like trust or benevolence, but because the Mimic could no longer confidently state the best way to make her stronger. The steel golem was so foreign and bizarre from the shapeshifting chest’s viewpoint that any attempts to ‘help’ her would likely only prove detrimental. And since Boxxy wanted its minions to be as powerful – and therefore as useful – as possible, it had decided to leave matters to her. After all, nobody knew Fizzy’s body like the woman herself, especially considering that the Mimic had spent all this time teaching her to understand her limits.

  The first two Skills Fizzy had used her newfound freedom to select were Heavy Metal and Armoured Charge.

  [Heavy Metal]

  The golem gains a thicker skin.

  Requirements: Level 5 Metal Golem

  Type: Passive

  Range: Self

  [Effects]

  Increases the weight of outer plating by 5% per Level of this Skill.

  Increases the durability of outer plating by 3% per Level of this Skill.

  The first was rather straightforward, upgrading her armoured skin to be even sturdier. This synergised excellently with the Toughness Skill from her Paladin Job, which raised the hardiness of all heavy armour with which she was equipped, even if that armour happened to be part of her own body. The added weight wouldn’t hamper her mobility either, as the ample STR and END provided by both the Skill and the Metal Golem Job would compensate for it.

  That said, actually getting into melee range could potentially prove to be a challenge for a relatively slow-moving chunk of steel, which was where the second ability came in.

  [Armoured Charge]

  Propels the golem forward like a living battering ram.

  Requirements: Level 10 Metal Golem, END 45

  Type: Active

  Activation Time: Instant

  Cost: 35 MP

  Range: 30 Meters

  [Effects]

  Charge in a straight line at 400% run speed.

  Increases collision damage by 15% per 3 meters travelled, up to 75%.

  Increases collision knockback force by 10% per level of this Skill.

  This was the Skill that had allowed her to engage her latest victim at such high speed. Being able to run a full four times faster than normal allowed her to cover the Skill’s thirty-metre range in seconds – far too short a window for the statue to react in time. Getting the hang of it, however, had taken some finessing, as both the acceleration and deceleration were not only effortless but instantaneous. The manner in which the Skill circumvented the basic principles of inertia and momentum was both confusing and surreal to an Artificer like Fizzy, but she had eventually given up trying to make sense of it. She just assumed that the Skill had to invoke some form of magic to fulfil its function, which was clearly indicated by the fact that it had come with an MP cost attached to it.

  Magic or not, the Skill nevertheless carried its own set of dangers. There was no way for Fizzy to halt or alter her Armoured Charge. Once activated, the Skill would force her legs to move forward until she either reached its maximum range or came up against an obstacle that made it physically impossible to continue. She was fast, to be sure, but also predictable, and she knew from first-hand experience that predictability often proved fatal in combat.

  Then, of course, there was the recoil damage she suffered as a result of slamming into a stone statue at such high velocity. Admittedly, her target was generally worse off, but her own well-being obviously had to come first. This likely wouldn’t be an issue with a softer, fleshier target but the opposite was true as well. Bottom line, she had to be extremely careful so as to not send herself running face-first into, say, a magically fortified castle wall. Charging straight off of ledges or cliffs was also a very real possibility.

  Fizzy just hoped that her new Level 15 Skill would be less self-destructive as she surveyed her list of Skill options.

  “Yesss! It’s heeeere!”

  And, as luck would have it, not only were there no downsides at all to the upgrade, but it was also exactly what she’d been hoping for since she had become a golem.

  [Advanced Joints]

  Upgrades the golem’s overall speed and mobility.

  Requirements: Level 15 Metal Golem

  Type: Passive

  Range: Self

  [Effects]

  Permanently transforms the body’s joints to allow for more limber movement.

  Increases the effectiveness of the AGI Attribute by 2% per Level of this Skill.

  Provides an additional +2 AGI per Level of this Skill.

  While her body had become much stronger since she’d abandoned her fleshy prison, the quality of her movements had degraded significantly. Her body still felt as stiff and clumsy as it had four days ago, with no sign of improvement. It wasn’t a matter of mindset, practice, or lack of Attributes but a limitation of her construction, the sole disadvantage compared to her previous meatsuit. She didn’t despair, though, as she’d had faith that the opportunity to upgrade herself would be forthcoming.

  And now that it was here, she wasted no time taking advantage of it.

  [Proficiency level increased. Advanced Joints is now Level 1. AGI +6.]

  Fizzy’s body froze, her mechanical muscles seizing up so completely that she couldn’t even blink, let alone speak or move. She was stuck with a fierce smile on her face and both fists raised above her head in celebration, though ‘happy’ was far from her current state of mind.

  Oh, God! What the crap!? she panicked internally. What’s going on?! This is the complete opposite of what I wanted! This isn’t hap- No! None of that!

 
That had been close. She’d almost given in to her old self’s habit of denying reality as if that would somehow make matters different.

  Come on, Fizzy! You’re not that weak, pathetic creature anymore! You’re a cold-hearted, ass-kicking killing machine, so start acting like one!

  After forcibly calming herself with her little pep talk, the golem realised her oversight. Advanced Joints was a Skill that involved a permanent, performance-boosting physical change. It was not so much an upgrade as it was an overhaul, and those always took a lot of time. Granted, golems hadn’t exactly been her field of study, but even a magically-driven machine wasn’t immune to basic principles.

  The slight whirring noises emanating from her body indicated that she was correct – this paralysis was merely part of the process. In a flash of inspiration, she wondered if it would be possible to use her Metallopathy Skill to examine her own body. It was something she should’ve already at least considered, but she’d been having too much fun smashing statues into pebbles for it to even occur to her.

  She was a bit sceptical as to whether she could even accomplish it in her current condition, but that didn’t appear to be an issue, as the ability in question was more mental than physical. It took some concentration, but a few seconds later she had become consciously aware of her entire being. At first it was strange and disorienting, but eventually she was able to ‘feel’ her own insides churning, warping and rearranging themselves as her frame cycled through its upgrade. That was a relief, as it meant that there was nothing wrong with her physically. In all likelihood, her current state was the result of some sort of autonomous self-preservation instinct, as nothing good could come from retrofitting machinery while it was in use.

  Which was why she was panicking a few minutes later when the dead golem under her feet began to disappear as the renegade dungeon reabsorbed its remains. With her footing gone, her paralysed body could not avoid tumbling to the ground with a worrying clunk. Thankfully, though, the sudden jolt wasn’t enough to interfere with the internal process. But though the idea of her own negligence causing some sort of permanent defect was certainly mortifying, it was far from the worst possible outcome.

  What if one of the stone golems happened upon her while she was defenceless? She may have been made of a superior material, but those walking statues had the same type of magical reinforcement as she did and were more than capable of dealing damage to her. Not much, granted, but even a little bit would be enough if she couldn’t even defend herself.

  The good news was that the odds of one of the things randomly popping up were pretty low. The local golems had grown both disorganised and borderline-feral ever since the dungeon’s core had been taken. Not only were they no longer able to work together, but they had started attacking one another. They’d grown so scattered that Boxxy’s group had seen no reason to stick together any longer and had split up in order to cover more ground. That was how Fizzy had ended up on her own to begin with, though she’d first had to prove to Boxxy that she could handle herself.

  Frankly speaking, she’d been a bit insulted that it could possibly have doubted her new and improved self. Not only was her body vastly superior to its previous incarnation, but she also had the STR and END she’d gained from her Paladin Job to rely on. Attributes worked by amplifying one’s base parameters, and golems had more raw power in their limbs than any enlightened meatbag could muster. Right now, Fizzy could probably take even Kora in an arm-wrestling match. In theory, at least. The two-to-one size difference would make it practically impossible to test that claim.

  The bottom line was that she was able to use what she’d already had at her disposal to defeat even foes significantly above her in terms of Levels, which was what had allowed her Metal Golem Job to reach Level 15 in just over three days.

  Her speedy growth had surpassed even Boxxy’s. The Mimic had only managed to raise itself a sixth of the way past Level 49 of its racial Job by the time Fizzy’s hit Level 10. To say that it was envious would be a massive understatement, but it couldn’t exactly be helped. It had a lot more Levels than she did, so it was only natural that the same amount of fighting would not produce comparable results.

  But even if constantly killing the out-of-control dungeon monsters was a bit of a grind, their seemingly-infinite supply more than made up for it. That said, it would have preferred to reach Level 50 sooner rather than later, which was the primary reason it had ordered everyone to split up.

  Which was why Fizzy was currently lying alone and paralysed in the middle of the dungeon. She kind of preferred it that way, though. She didn’t particularly want the others to see her like this, mostly because she’d never hear the end of it. It was too late for regrets now, however, just like it was pointless to worry about someone happening upon her.

  Deciding not to dwell on things outside her control, she instead focused her energy on studying herself with her Metallopathy. Not just the joint replacement, but her body in its entirety. Looking inside really confirmed that she was now a non-biological construct. As best she could tell, the source of the magic keeping her alive was a small, fist-sized core buried deep inside her chest cavity. It seemed to regulate and circulate magical power within her steel shell, not unlike a heart that pumped mana instead of blood.

  Her head, on the other hand, was worryingly hollow, with nothing resembling a brain to be found. That probably meant that she could survive being decapitated, though not for long since it would also deprive her of her sight and hearing. As for her thought processes and memories, she saw nothing that appeared complex enough to house them other than that spherical core. It looked as though the same part was responsible for functioning as both her heart and her brain.

  Fizzy wasn’t sure what to make of that, as her mind viewed this as simultaneously weird and perfectly natural. The important thing was that she understood what was keeping her alive, and what region she needed to protect at any cost. It was convenient that said region was her center of mass, where her armour was thickest, but she would still lose HP even if her most precious part wasn’t damaged. Though she’d die for sure if her core were to be destroyed, too much physical trauma would disturb the circulation of mana throughout her body, thereby killing her. It was the golem equivalent to bleeding out, even though golems didn’t exactly have bodily fluids.

  She wasn’t just making assumptions, either. Her repeated battles with the stone soldiers had given her a good bit of insight as to how they were put together. Simply crushing their heads wasn’t enough – she had to thoroughly pulverise their bodies in order to kill them. She preferred to aim for the head whenever possible, though. Maybe it was because they looked so much like humans, but there was just something so satisfying about cracking their craggy craniums open.

  Then, of course, there was the matter of sustenance. As a golem, she no longer required mundane things like food or water, but at the same time that meant that she was physically incapable of consuming potions or elixirs. She could still try to ingest things through her mouth, but any fluids simply leaked out through the tiny gaps in her body while solid matter was reflexively expelled from her throat.

  In fact, the only thing she actually needed was rest. Not sleep, exactly, just the occasional break. Just because she was made of steel and no longer required nutrition or moisture to survive did not mean her energy reserves were infinite. Actively exerting herself for long periods of time left her tired, though not in any way she was familiar with. She didn’t precisely run out of breath but instead entered a sort of low-power mode. The condition made her slow, weak, and also halved the rate at which her HP and MP recovered.

  Then there was the matter of where her core was managing to draw all that energy from, but that was a mystery that she would not be able to solve anytime soon.

  As far as injuries went, her metal body was perfectly capable of healing itself, just like her flesh one had. Being made of living steel certainly had its perks, but it also presented a problem – any lost part
s would never grow back. The inability to use healing or mana potions was also a drawback, but her divine magic was still as effective as ever. Fizzy had used Holy Light on herself several times, in fact, as it not only restored her vitality but instantly buffed away any accumulated dents or scratches. The tiny imperfections would disappear in due time even without the Spell, but Fizzy found the idea of going about with blemishes on her frame to be strangely… un-tasty.

  In fact, she was so enamoured with her new body that it was slightly terrifying. Fizzy had never before been especially proud of her looks, but now she felt so glamorous that she suspected that she was becoming a narcissist. She already felt an odd sense of prideful satisfaction whenever she realised that one of the others was looking in her direction, as no doubt they were admiring the marvellous steel goddess before them. She knew that this sort of thinking was a bit dangerous, but loving herself felt pretty damned good, so she had no intention of stopping.

  “Oh? I can move again!” she exclaimed.

  She’d gotten lost in her own world for a while there and hadn’t even noticed that her body had regained its functionality. Her Tick Counter Skill informed her that it had been precisely six minutes and forty-two seconds since she’d been rendered immobile. Fizzy wasn’t sure if this was fast or slow since it was her first experience with something like this, but the important takeaway was to avoid picking Metal Golem Skills in the field. Not all of them would augment her body to quite this extent, of course, but she had no way to be absolutely sure which ones would result in a bodily lockdown prior to picking them.

  But what about Advanced Joints? Pushing herself off the ground, she sat up and moved her hands and fingers, confirming that they did indeed feel much nimbler. In fact, her quasi-mechanical limbs moved with such fluidity that it made her flesh hands look like overcooked noodles by comparison. She couldn’t wait to get back to Boxxy and borrow some equipment so that she could truly see just how much difference there was.

  Fizzy stood hurriedly, only to immediately trip and fall flat on her face.