by R. A. Mejia
Would you like to fabricate the companion?
I chuckled at the stats of the ROIS, it had a wisdom of 10, but only an intelligence of 2. I guess that meant it was streetwise, but not really book smart.
At the mention of the material costs, both gnomes gasped.
“What? Is there something wrong with what the program is asking for?”
Tognomey scratched his red head and shook his head. “No, there’s nothing wrong with most of the materials. We could easily get everything you needed except for the steel and ochrium.”
“What’s wrong with those materials?” I asked.
“The steel is fairly common but the ochrium is expensive and rare is what the problem is,” Tognomey answered.
I recalled the price I’d seen for the material and did the math. “Ochrium is priced at over 100 gold per pound. Which means that 0.125 pounds of it was going to cost about 12.5 gold.”
“And I bet you expect the Institute to foot the bill for it all too?” Gnomerad grumbled.
“Well, it would be a good way to help me become more powerful for the Ultimate Research Warrior Competition,” I said. I’d used similar reasoning to get the Institute to fund the cost of my armor upgrade to iron plating and hoped the same logic would get them to foot the cost here too.
Tognomey’s eyebrows raised, and he tapped his chin, considering my suggestion.
“No! That much gold is too big of an expenditure to waste on this machine. I could fund more productive experiments with that kind of coin,” Gnomerad said, wagging his finger at the red-headed Tognomey.
Tognomey reluctantly nodded his head. “Even if I wanted to give you the materials so you could build your machine, I’d have to get approval from Professor Gnominsky for the steel and ochrium.”
I tapped the back of my right hand to my chin, a sign I’d gotten used to making when I felt frustrated. The amount of coin it was going to cost me to make a mechanical companion was going to be an issue if I had to raise it myself. It was no wonder the description mentioned that there was a significant cost to it. I could only wonder what fabricating a larger creature than the ROIS would cost, and I voiced my questions.
“I wonder if the material cost scales with the size or complexity of the creature used as a template? It would make sense that larger creatures would require more gears and pistons to work. More intelligent ones would need more complex minds to mimic. Were the specific materials listed related to the animal directly or its stats? If the template creature had great strength, would that require steel instead of copper? Or if it had tougher skin and more armor, would it need iron?”
Tognomey’s eyes lit up. “Yes, perhaps another machine based on another creature would have reduced costs. Let’s check.”
I scanned the other animals with the Companion Design Program, and it created mechanical versions of each for me.
Bile Hawk
Level 1
AC: 12
HP: 7
Giant Millipede
Level 1
AC:13
HP: 4
Spiderling
Level 1
AC: 13
HP: 11
Giant Frog
Level 1
AC: 11
HP: 39
Not only were each creature’s stats different, so was there health and armor class. Health was generally bigger for the larger creatures, but armor class seemed related to the dexterity stat. Each mechanical version had common upgrade options to increase armor, add bite or claw attack, and increase health. They also each had unique upgrade options based on the creatures they were designed from: the Giant Frog could be upgraded to work on both water and land; the Spiderling could be upgraded to climb difficult surfaces, including ceilings and webs; the hawk could be upgraded to fly, which seemed like it should be an inherent ability; and, oddly, the Giant Millipede was only medium-sized but could be upgraded to add poison damage to its attacks.
The gnomes and I also learned the threshold between a medium and a large creature. I could create the Spiderling, which was about the same size as a gnome, but I got an error message stating that I couldn’t create the Giant Toad, which was just a bit bigger. Additionally, I could only create a mechanical companion that was based on a non-sentient creature or monster--which we confirmed when I tried to scan one of the gnomes.
Unfortunately, we also discovered that the material cost for a mechanical companion went up with the increase in size. The complexity of the creature also affected cost with Giant Millipedes not requiring the same amount and types of material as a Spiderling.
“No matter the type of creature, they all require a bit of Ochrium--even the millipede, the smallest creature, which is only as long as my forearm needs some to make its brain,” I said after I described the material costs of each creature.
Gnomerad shook his head and said, “You see, the stupid machine will cost the Institute a fortune if we continue to fund these upgrades.”
“Well, we will let Professor Gnominsky decide if the experiments are worth funding. I imagine there’s much we could learn by observing the creation of such machines after all,” Tognomey argued.
The two turned away from me and moved to leave the lab. But before they did, I said, “Remember to take four-hundred gold off my debt since we spent four hours talking and scanning the creatures you brought. Oh, and if you’re asking about getting special materials, could you ask about getting me about 20 pounds of steel so that I can upgrade my armor again.”
Gnomerad stared at me for a moment, and then his face turned red. “You have the gall to ask for even more, you arrogant collection of bolts? I’ll…”
But Gnomerad didn’t finish his sentence as Tognomey patted the dark-haired gnome on the back and interrupted. “Now, Gnomerad, it won’t hurt to ask for steel in addition to the ochrium. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? The request is turned down. We'll let the professor decide. Let’s go.” Tognomey gently pushed the angry-looking Gnomerad out the door.
I watched them go and after I calculated the debt I had left to the gnomes: 23,422 gold. What was a ten or twenty more gold to the gnomes if it helped them win their Ultimate Research Warrior Competition? The grant money from that was for hundreds of thousands of gold. I agreed with Tognomey: there was no harm in asking for the material.
I returned to my room and spent another night fabricating and deconstructing copper nails to gain XP.
By the time the sun had risen, I’d earned another 400 XP from my crafting exploit, but I wasn’t satisfied with the results any longer. Gaining XP was only one way to gain power. I still needed to knock out some class quests to gain more points to buy Artificer abilities. They were the real key to my plans, and I needed as many of them unlocked as I could get to make the most of my situation. The deconstruction ability alone, an ability I’d gotten at level 1, had become intricate to my plan to make money and help the dark races in Greebo’s district. I could only imagine what some of the other more costly Artificer abilities could do for me.
I reviewed my character sheet, realizing that I’d yet to assign the most recent stat point I’d gained when I got level five.
Name: Repair
Race: Metalman
Class: Artificer Level 5
XP to Next Level: 10,198
Weight: 140 lbs
Carrying Capacity: 147/165 lbs
Stat point Available: 1
Class point Available: 2
Money: 48 silver 33 copper
AC: 15 + 2 Shield
HP: 35/35
Mana: 40/40
Str: 11
Dex: 11
Con: 10
Int: 16
Wis: 10
Cha: 10
My initial instinct was to apply it to my strength stat to increase the damage I did in melee and to increase my carrying capacity, but with Greebo’s Scavenger class, carrying capacity was no longer a real issue. He already outstripped anything I could do without dedicating ev
ery stat point I’d get to strength for the next dozen levels. I wanted to plan early. If I was going to develop weapons from my world here, did I really need to increase my strength or intelligence any more? My mana only increased by one point per level per point in intelligence. My melee damage only increases by one for every point I put into strength. I was never going to excel in those areas either. No, my real strength was in crafting, and the stat that allowed me to do that better and faster was the one I needed to focus on.
“Inquiry: What stat affects fabrication speed?”
Dexterity affects the speed at which crafting and fabrication is completed. Every point above 10 increases crafting and fabrication speed by 10%.
“Inquiry: Does dexterity affect any combat abilities?”
Dexterity affects: chance to dodge, ranged combat hit chance, adds damage to some ranged weapons, and affects hit chance with finesse based melee weapons.
That’s what I needed to know. Not only would increasing my dexterity make crafting faster, but it would also increase my ranged weapon accuracy, a must if I was going to develop real firearms. I applied the point to my dexterity bringing it up to 11. It was going to be my main stat from now on.
There were also two class points available. I pulled up my available class abilities and reduced the list to those that I could afford now or soon in the future.
Fabrication III - Ability to create any large mundane item in schematic database. Requires Fabrication II. Requires 3 class skill points.
Fabrication IV - Ability to create any small magical item in schematic database. Requires Fabrication III. Requires 4 class skill points.
Mass production I- Ability to create any mundane small item in large quantities instead of individually. Requires Fabrication I. Requires 3 class skill points.
Schematic Modification I - Ability to modify one parameter of an existing schematic, creating a new one. Requires Fabrication IV. Requires 2 class skill points.
Schematic Modification II - Ability to modify two parameters of an existing schematic, creating a new one. Requires Schematic Modification I. Requires 3 class skill points.
Improve Stats - Can increase physical stats by use of fabrication. Requires Fabrication IV. Requires 3 class skill points.
Improve Armor II - Can increase armor class through the use of fabrication. Requires Fabrication II. Requires 2 class skill points.
Advanced Infusion - Allows for additional commands to be added to infusion process like timers, or trigger commands. Requires Infusion. Requires 3 class skill points.
Integrated Weapons - Allows for weapons created to be integrated into frame. Requires Fabrication I. Requires 1 class skill point.
Integrated Items - Allows for created items to be integrated into frame. Requires Fabrication I. Requires 1 class skill point.
Internal Storage Weight Reduction - Reduce weight of items in internal storage by 10% per total class skill points spent. Requires at least 1 class skill point. Repeatable.
Internal storage Increased Slots - Increase the number of internal storage slots by the total of class skill points spent. Requires at least 1 class skill point. Repeatable.
Improve efficiency when deconstructing - Increase efficiency when using deconstruction tool by 10% per total class skill points spent. Requires at least 1 class skill point. Repeatable.
Improve efficiency when repairing - Increase efficiency when repairing by 10% per total class points spent. Requires at least 1 class skill point. Repeatable.
Improve efficiency when crafting - Increase efficiency when using crafting or fabricating by 10% per total class skill points spent. Requires at least 1 class skill point. Repeatable.
Improved Scanning - Gives a greater chance to successfully scan of higher tier items and gear to be scanned as schema. Increase success chance by 10% per total class skill point spent. Requires at least 1 class skill point. Repeatable.
Several options looked tempting. I could, of course, save for costlier abilities. Eventually, I was going to need all of the fabrication abilities if I was ever going to fabricate magical items. I could also upgrade my armor to steel if the gnomes came through with the materials. Schematic Modification also sounded interesting, but in the end, I reasoned that I needed to increase my crafting speed if I wanted to complete those class quests as quickly as possible. I put my two class skill points into Improve Efficiency When Crafting, which would decrease crafting and fabrication times by 20%. With the bonus from my improved dexterity, that would increase to a total of 30% decreased fabrication time. With the overall increases, what had taken an hour before would only take forty-two minutes now, which also meant that my nightly crafting would get me even more experience since it would take me less time to fabricate and deconstruct.
All the leveling maintenance done, I got up to meet Greebo at our usual spot.
Chapter 12 - The Council
I returned to the Institute after a day of crafting and dungeon diving. I was prepared to give my daily report to Gnomerad and Tognomey and spend the night on my usual crafting exploit for extra XP, but I was flanked by three gnome guards the moment I was inside the compound, one of which was Niala Applebrush. Unlike the last time that we’d gone out, she was armed, armored, and had a serious expression on her face.
“Halt!” Niala commanded while stepping into my path and holding out her hand.
“What’s this about?” I asked. I’d never before had any problems with the guards. At most, I’d said hello and goodbye to them as I entered and exited the Institute grounds each day.
Her body language and expression were stiff and formal, but the look in her eyes was softer, and I could tell that she was conflicted about what she was doing. “You are to report to the auditorium immediately, Repair. The research council is waiting for you there.”
I shrugged. “I still don’t understand what’s happening. Who is the research council, and why should I go see them? I have other things to do tonight.” I tried to step around Niala, but she grabbed my arm, and her vise-like grip would not release though I tried to pull free.
“This is not a request. We are under orders to escort you to the auditorium by force if necessary,” Niala said. Her eyes were wide, and they begged me not to fight back. I wondered who she would side with if I made her choose between following the Institute’s orders or helping me.
Another guard said, “After the last time you ran away, did you think there would be no consequences? I hear that the council is considering banning you from the dungeons.”
“So, that's what this is about,” I growled. Not that long ago, I’d run away from the gnomes after they tried to keep me from trying to save Greebo. I’d been locked in my room to prevent me from fighting the third-floor level boss again, having been almost killed by it once before. I knew that escaping and opposing the Institute’s command would have consequences, but I’d hoped that when I’d returned victorious over the monster, they’d see that I could handle myself.”
I looked down at Niala. “I don’t know why I have to see this research council, but I didn’t do anything wrong when I fled the Institute. I was just trying to save my friend’s life.”
Niala nodded as she said, “I understand. I don’t think I’d have done anything differently if I was in your shoes. But the council has summoned you, and so you must go.”
I still felt angry at the treatment I was receiving, but said, “I’ll go with you.”
Her grip loosened, and the four of us walked past the research labs and the administration buildings, the only places that I’d had any reason to visit before, to enter a fairly nondescript single-story brick building with a single door and a guard out front. Niala showed something to the guard, and he unlocked the door and held it open for us as we entered.
The inside of the building was no more interesting than the outside. It was lit by magical lights that gave the room a warm yellow glow as we crossed it. There were no rooms, only a broad hallway that I was led down which was lined with gu
ards. The guards were the first indication that something quite serious was afoot. I’d thought perhaps that I’d be punished by the head of the Institute, Professor Gnominsky, or that this ‘council’ was really just some of the researchers here. But no one devotes such high-level guards to a casual event.
At the end of the long building, there was a group of four more guards. They spoke to Niala, and then one to the side touched a series of bricks in the wall, and the floor ahead of us disappeared in a flash of light. When my vision cleared, there was a four-gnome-wide staircase that led down. The way was lit by more magical sconces but went so deep that I could not see the end of the stairs. As I looked down the staircase, I briefly wondered if I was being taken to prison and whether the gnomes around me were going to be my prison guards. But no, Niala had said I was being taken to the council, which implied at least a trial or meeting.
The four of us continued our journey and walked down the stairs. There was another flash of light before we were more than a few feet down, and when I turned back, the entryway was no longer there. Instead, it looked just like the rest of the brick ceiling. I turned back and continued to walk down the stairs for what seemed like forever but what was likely no more than fifteen or twenty minutes. If I’d still been my former doughy human self from Earth, I’d have been panting and asking for a rest before we were more than halfway down. But, as a Metalman, I had no issues. My artificial body did not tire, and I could walk indefinitely. When we finally reached the bottom of the staircase, we stopped in front of two large eight-foot-tall wooden double doors. They were heavily decorated with reliefs of gnome armies fighting goblins, orcs, and trolls.
