by Aleron Kong
Richer hopped down and raised his sword. He had known before he got here what he was going to start with. His blade fell. It took two more strikes before the first spike of the giant’s rocky crown fell free. He cut through the other two and then examined what he had found.
You have found: Spike of Rock Giant Crown. Durability: 211/211. Item Class: Unusual. Weight: 2.3 kg. Traits: Can create a high-density weapon. This could also be ground down to augment Earth-based potions or used to make a potion of electrical resistance.
Richter put each of the spikes in his bag. The he started cutting into the giant’s face. The eyes did not produce a prompt and neither did the tongue. He had to saw and bash the skull to get to the creature’s brain. It started drizzling out while he was working. His sweat mixed with the bits of flesh and blood that were released from beneath the rock giant’s exoskeleton. Harvesting useful parts from monsters was definitely not glamorous.
Richter started cutting into the monster’s chest. Its natural armor was two to three inches thick and made for slow going. Richter didn’t want to ruin it though. He sawed his sword along the side of its ribs, tracing a sleeveless vest pattern. Then he started skinning it. If he didn’t have an elementum blade, he didn’t think he would have been able to manage this. Even with the wondrous metal, the short sword was not ideal for this kind of work. It was only because of the rock giant’s massive size that the weapon was at all feasible. Despite the difficulties though, he was able to remove the rocky chest plate.
You have found: Rock Giant Exoskeleton. Durability: 648/648. Item Class: Unusual. Weight: 37.1 kg. Traits: Can create a high-density armor. This could also be ground down to augment Earth-based potions or used to make a potion of electrical resistance.
Richter started on the rest. It took another hour to remove the exoskeleton from its legs and arms. That only left the giant’s back to be skinned. Before he ordered mist workers to turn the giant over, though, he started to examine some of the small fragments that had fallen off of the giant’s exoskeleton. Even though he had picked up a rock that was smaller than a baseball it weighed as much as a bowling ball. No prompt came up as he examined it, but he had an idea. He cast Create Soul Stone (Common) with his left hand. White light bathed the grey-black chunk of rock in his right hand and it began to change. In no time, the rock had been replaced with a multifaceted amber jewel. It had worked!
You have found: Soul Stone. Level: Common. Status: Empty.
Richter examined the prompt. The loose rubble around him could be turned into common soul stones! The marbled quartz that was spread throughout the hills around the village had been used to make soul stones for the hunters, but it only made stones that could hold basic level souls. Looking around at the many small rocks that had littered the ground, he smiled. There were dozens of rocks here, maybe hundreds! And the pieces of the rock giant made common level stones, a full level stronger than the basic stones the quartz made. Richter collected the rest of the small rocks and put them in his bag. He could always convert them later and if he decided to invest in the Talent that let him make stronger soul stones, he didn’t want to waste the materials.
Richter was about to summon several mist workers to roll the giant’s carcass over when his eyes fell on a piece of the giant’s flesh that had fallen to the ground. Unlike the dark, rocky skin, the meat was a pale pink.
You have found: Rock Giant Flesh. Durability: 13/13. Item Class: Unusual. Weight: 1.3 kg. Traits: This tender flesh is found beneath a rock giant’s tough exoskeleton. Properly prepared, this flesh can give a strength boost if eaten.
Richter’s face wrinkled in disgust. Eat this thing? Could he do that? Richter looked at the massive amount of flesh in front of him and considered the morality of eating a semi-sentient creature. It didn’t make him a cannibal exactly, but at the same time how did you draw that line when there were so many intelligent species in the world? Back on Earth, he would have felt bad about eating dolphin. On the other hand, dolphins were not malignant creatures that delighted in the pain and suffering of others. This thing did.
Richter thought about it for long minutes, then thought back to a conversation that he had had with Yoshi months ago. He had been concerned about the sprite judging him for Alma’s special Brain Drain attack. To feed her more enemies, he would cripple enemies so that she could feed on them one by one with impunity. It meant the creatures suffered longer than otherwise would have been necessary. Yoshi’s response was simple and absent of judgement, ‘Any opportunity to get stronger should be taken.’
Richter stared at the rock giant’s carcass. Yoshi’s statement was overly simplistic, but it held a strong truth at the same time. Richter knew that there were some lines that he wasn’t willing to cross, but this wasn’t one of them. He started cutting into the body.
Large chunks of bloody meat fell to the ground after he cut them free. He sent Futen ahead to the cooks with instructions to preserve the meat. Also, anyone with the Cooking skill should see if they could unlock the properties of the flesh. Ideally, the meat could be turned into travel rations that the strike groups could consume before going into battle.
He kept cutting into the body. After digging into the leg, he uncovered one of the giant’s long bones. The durability on the long bones was insanely high to support the heavy mass of its exoskeleton.
You have found: Rock Giant Long Bones. Durability: 3,792/3,792. Item Class: Unusual. Weight: 37.1 kg. Traits: The high-density long bones support a rock giant’s frame. These bones are too dense to be easily worked into anything useful. It is possible they have further uses that may one day be unlocked, however.
Richter was surprised at the lack of organs. The magic that allowed the monster to exist had apparently made them unnecessary, or so Richter thought, until he his blade met something it didn’t immediately cut through. It was in the giant’s chest, on the left side where a human’s heart would be. He cut around the obstruction and found that it was roughly spherical. The short sword wasn’t the right tool for the job and ultimately Richter ended up using his hands. His strong hands ripped through the meat surrounding what he had found. After ten minutes of struggle, he was able to shove his arms deep into its chest. His fingers found the bottom of the object and he lifted.
It turned out to be a round rock about the size of a soccer ball. The surface was pitted like a meteorite and it had sharp projections sticking out at odd spots. Strangely, the outside of the stone was mildly reflective in the spots that were not still covered in gobbets of pink flesh or rotting fluid. A prompt appeared.
You have found: Rock Giant Heart. Durability: 78/78. Item Class: Scarce. Weight: 14.9 kg. Traits: This metallic sphere is the focus of the magic which powers the rock giant. This metal can be smelted for powerful weapons or armor.
Bong!
Know This! Your Talent: Synergy of Items I has allowed you to identify a possible Object Set: Spike of Rock Giant Crown x 3, Rock Giant Exoskeleton, and Rock Giant Heart. This series of objects can be turned into an Item Set, among other options. As of now you do not have the requisite skills to make anything useful from these objects. Take them to other craftsmen to obtain their input.
Richter looked at the hunk of metal excitedly. Despite his earlier judgement of Beyan for getting covered in gore, he was now standing inside of a monster’s body, covered in congealed blood and flesh, smiling lovingly while he held a mortal enemy’s heart. None of this penetrated his psyche, though, as he was so overcome with thinking of possible uses for the object set. He was so enthralled by his discovery that he didn’t see the three hunters that had been watching him for the last few minutes. All three exchanged looks and walked back towards the village proper. They didn’t speak, but all of them came to the same conclusion. Their lord was not someone to fuck with.
CHAPTER 12 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
Richter cut up the rest of the body, sending the meat to the cooks and the rest of the thick skin to the Forge. Night had fallen, but with the m
ist lights overhead, there was more than enough light to work by. Futen had come back while he was working which was the only break that Richter took. He sent the remnant right back into the village to gather Sumiko, Zarr, Quasea, Gloran, Shiovana and Roswan at the Forge of Heavens. He wanted his top casters and craftsmen to look at the item set and see if they could figure out anything useful to do with it. Mist workers carried everything away.
When he was finally done, he walked over to where Beyan was working on one of the assengai drones. “I’m assuming this means you’ve finished with the cutters and the queen?” Richter asked him.
“That I did,” the gore-covered gnome said. “Let me show you.” He started showing Richter what he had found by butchering the drones, then he moved on to the cutters and finished with the queen.
You have found: Assengai Spider Drone Leg. Durability: 19/19. Item Class: Common. Weight: 0.8 kg. Traits: The hardened tip of this leg can be used to make a strong arrowhead. x 292
You have found: Assengai Spider Drone Web Sac. Durability: 5/5. Item Class: Common. Weight: 0.8 kg. Traits: The webbing in these sacs has mild analgesic, sterilizing and sedating properties. Each bundle of thread produced will decrease the durability of the sac by 1. x 37
You have found: Assengai Spider Cutter Scythe Legs. Durability: 31/31. Item Class: Uncommon. Weight: 2.9 kg. Traits: The forelegs of assengai cutters can be molded into strong blades. x 16
You have found: Assengai Spider Cutter Poison Sacs. Durability: 12/12. Item Class: Uncommon. Weight: 0.6 kg. Traits: Assengai cutters spit this caustic poison at enemies. Can make a biologic acid. x 8
You have found: Assengai Spider Queen Axe Legs. Durability: 137/137. Item Class: Scarce. Weight: 4.4 kg. Traits: The forelegs of an assengai queen, these limbs can be used to make weapons of high durability and damage.
You have found: Assengai Spider Queen Web Sac. Durability: 308/314. Item Class: Scarce. Weight: 4.8 kg. Traits: The webbing of this sac can create threads of exceptional strength and utility. The gossamer contents of this sac will respond to the will of the person retrieving them from the web sac, producing threads of various magical properties. The level of response is commensurate to the person’s Weaving skill. Each bundle of thread produced will decrease the durability by 1.
You have found: Assengai Spider Queen Egg Sac. Durability: 205/273. Item Class: Scarce. Weight: 15.2 kg. Traits: The sac is created to speed the growth and maturation of assengai. A clever alchemist could create a formula to make creatures grow faster and stronger than otherwise possible.
“Is that all?” Richter asked sarcastically. The weapons from the cutters and drones were useful, but what had been recovered from the queen was incredible. He would have to review the tablet with all of the villagers on it to see if there was anyone with a high weaving skill. He had no idea what was possible with enchanted clothing in The Land, but he was sure it was potentially spectacular!
He was even more impressed with the egg sac. If he was reading the prompt right, the thing was filled with concentrated growth hormone. He knew just which clutch of skath babies he planned to feed it to. Richter summoned more workers to carry the spider legs to the Forge and the egg and poison sac to the Cauldron. Then he slid the web sacs into his bag. He summoned two more to start dragging the rest of the carcasses to the new pit the hunters were using for disposal.
Helping the gnome, they finished harvesting the last useful goods from the spiders. Richter walked over to a water barrel and cast Weak Flame. A gout of orange fire shot into the water and heated it quickly. Both Richter and Beyan used the warm water to clean off the disgusting substances coating them. Once they were relatively clean, Richter put his clothes back on and walked over to the pit. Moving both arms together, he dual cast Weak Flame. The orange flame turned an orange-yellow. He kept the flame trained on the remains until his mana was almost depleted. When he stopped the spell, the remains continued to burn. Beyan and Richter walked west into the village proper.
The gnome wanted to go rest after his hours of work, but Richter pulled him along to the Forge of Heavens. The item set was something he couldn’t ignore. When he got close, he heard arguing voices.
“The best thing to make be a set of augmented armor, ye ninnies!”
Richter heard Gloran retort, “I still say we can make a golem. Why risk a man’s life in armor, when we could create something stronger without him?”
“Can the two of you stop arguing for three seconds?” Sumiko asked in an irritated voice. “I may not have many years left, but I promise that you two will have less if I have to hear you much longer.”
“Do na talk like that, ma lovely,” Krom said. “I already told ye I could make ye feel decades younger.”
Richter heard an incantation and saw a flash of gold right before he was able to look around a weapons rack. He was just in time to see a giant gold fist grab Krom and throw the dwarf backwards. The dwarf flew six feet through the air and then skidded until he rolled into one of the smaller anvils. “I will give you worse next time you decide to let your hand wander again, master dwarf!” Sumiko spat at him, shaking her cane.
Richter saw Krom sit up, blinking and looking confused. The light from the furnace cast shadows of red-tinged black that made it difficult to see exactly how badly the dwarf had been hurt. Richter would have been worried, but a second later he saw his smith smile at Sumiko and then blow her a kiss. The sprite woman harrumphed and turned her back on the dwarf. Several feet away Quasea and Shiovana clapped, though it was unclear if they were cheering Sumiko or Krom. Zarr just had one hand covering his eyes and was shaking his head as if embarrassed for his people.
Trying not to laugh, Richter summoned a mist light and carried it in his hand as he walked forward. As good as a clarion call, the new light announced his presence, and everyone bowed slightly, placing their hands on their hearts. Waving the show of respect away, Richter said, “I’m glad to see that you’re all having fun. I gather there are some ideas as to what we could do with these items?” The objects collected from the rock giant rested together on the floor of the Forge.
Gloran opened his mouth to speak, but Richter cut him off, “I would like to hear from someone that hasn’t already been speaking. Let’s hold off on any further inevitable argument for a few minutes, shall we? Just so it’s said, I have the ability to enchant an item set, but the pieces apparently have to be made into something useful, first. Now that I know we are all on the same page, what are your ideas?” He looked at Shiovana and nodded at her.
The elfin shipwright shrugged, “I could incorporate these pieces into the ship. If I widened the keel, we would be able line the outside with this skin, I suppose, and not tip over, but we would basically be a slowly floating rock. Which is to be expected because this,” she kicked the rock giant’s skin, “is made of rock.”
“Soooo you’re saying we shouldn’t incorporate this into the ship?” Richter asked with a small laugh.
Shiovana closed her eyes and shook her head while slowly mouthing, ‘NO.’
“Okay then. Moving on.” Richter looked at Quasea who shook her head. Zarr did have an idea.
“I think these items could be used to make a golem,” the dwarf said. Gloran raised both arms and looked around in vindication. “I do not know if that fits in with your new profession, but it seems like the obvious option. I do not have the requisite skills to make a golem, however. You would need an Artificer to make a truly powerful one.”
Richter looked at Gloran, “Can you make a golem?”
The elf waffled for a bit before responding, “Not exactly, but-”
“Which were my point, yer lordship!” Krom interrupted. “I canna make any fancy items, but I could make a great set of heavy armor and strong weapons from these things and still have plenty of this rocky skin left over. I’ll leave the enchanting to yer lordship, but I can handle the rest.”
“Any other thoughts or objections?” Richter asked. No one spoke up though Gloran looked regretful ab
out not having a good argument. He turned to Krom, “When can you have it done by?”
Now it was the dwarf’s turn to perseverate, “Ah, well ye know, the thing is, yer lordship, time be a fluid thing and-”
“Bah!” Richter said waving his hand back and forth. “We will talk about this again in a week or so. The main point about tonight was to get you all thinking. I won’t make a final decision as to what to do with the object set until at least one of you can come to me with a solid plan. Understood?”
A chorus of ‘Yes, my lord’ echoed around the forge.
“I am going to bed,” Sumiko said when no one else spoke. From her tone, it was clear that she would be leaving soon whether Richter liked it or not. Krom started going over the objects again, and everyone else chimed in with ideas. Everyone except Beyan that was.
“Errr, milord?”
“What is it, dude?”
“I would like to have some of the leftover skin, if possible.”
Richter just looked at the gnome. Beyan looked around at anything but Richter. The gnome made eye contact for a second and then looked around again.
“You’re not instilling me with confidence here, man. What the hell do you want the skin for?
Beyan took a deep breath and motioned for Richter to follow him. They walked a short distance, and when they were out of earshot, the gnome said, “There was a set of old bones among the rest. A complete set.” Richter started to glare at him, “Nonhumanoid, my lord. I swear it,” Beyan said quickly. “I didn’t even know what they were at first, but I was able to determine that they were from an abyssal siphon!”
The gnome looked at Richter excitedly. It was clear to him that Beyan was expecting some reaction to his pronouncement. It was equally clear to Richter that he was getting tired of people using words he didn’t know. With infinite patience, he asked, “What is an abyssal siphon?”
