The rain was still falling as the Lischelle-Drakle family bade farewell to Fierre and Ryoka. Magical typhoon Erannda was still chewing up Baleros\u2019 coastline and provoking sympathetic storms around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut neither rain nor snow and all that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fierre looked at Ryoka, confused. The City Runner coughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry. Just a saying from back home. \u2018Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night shall stay these messengers about their business.\u2019<\/em> I think that\u2019s how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNice saying. Where\u2019s it from, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n Shit.<\/em> The problem with being friends with an informant was that she could look that up. Fierre saw Ryoka\u2019s face go slack. She raised her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t want to talk about it\u2014I won\u2019t look into it, Ryoka. I\u2014my entire family\u2014my species<\/em> owes you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka smiled. She looked at Fierre, who was extra-bundled up. Hood, gloves, long clothing\u2014she burned even faster by daylight. But she was no longer coughing.<\/p>\n She was healthy.<\/em> Ryoka was so glad. So relieved.<\/p>\n So angry. If she thought of it too long, Ryoka\u2019s hands would start shaking.<\/p>\n Ylawes.<\/em> House Byres. The\u2014evil of it. Poisoning an entire continent.<\/p>\n Damn them. <\/em>But also\u2014because she was Ryoka\u2014part of her mind whispered treacherously.<\/p>\n What if they\u2019re right?<\/em> What if they had good reasons? What if\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cRyoka? Are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre looked at Ryoka. The City Runner glanced up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Oh. Sorry, Fierre. It was just\u2014I was thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout the silver?\u201d<\/p>\n The two started jogging back towards Reizmelt. Ryoka started and eyed her friend. Fierre gestured.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was written on your face. Also, your heartbeat picked up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNice to know I\u2019m friends with a walking lie-detector.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman groused. Fierre grinned slyly as she adjusted her hood.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes in handy.\u201d<\/p>\n For a while, the two ran through the morning. Ryoka saw Fierre matching her pace, despite having shorter legs, copying her running style. Fierre lost a bit<\/em> of her superhuman speed and strength in the sun. But not as much as the legends indicated. It was mostly the \u2018catching on fire\u2019 thing that made Vampires weaker in daylight.<\/p>\n After a bit, as they ran past grazing cows\u2014a number of farmers lived here along with Fierre\u2019s family\u2014Ryoka felt compelled to bring it up again.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what are you all going to do? We didn\u2019t have much time with the other [Farmer]\u2019s families to talk about it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre bit her lip.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about it. We might\u2026move. Somewhere far, far away. That\u2019d be huge. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFierre! You forgot your lunch!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Someone called out after them. Fierre turned red as a man ran after them, moving faster than he had any right to.<\/p>\n \u201cDad!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou left it behind. Don\u2019t give me that look.\u201d<\/p>\n Himilt appeared unapologetically. The [Farmer] stopped Fierre like every parent in the world\u2014except he\u2019d just broken most athlete\u2019s records for a thousand meter dash. Ryoka looked around, but only the cows had observed.<\/p>\n \u201cHere. Meat, bloody\u2014don\u2019t open the bag. You\u2019ll have it go bad! And blood\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDad. Please. Thank you, but you didn\u2019t need to run after us. What if someone had seen you?\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre, embarrassed, shoved the packages into her bag of holding. Himilt gave her a long look and adjusted his scarf and hat.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need it. It\u2019s not as if we can give you the farm\u2019s blood. We had to pay for a breeding-goat we were sure came from Chandrar. It might\u2019ve grazed on the way here, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka saw him flick his eyes back to their farm. And the well, freshly topped-up with silver. The Lischelle-Drakle family had been forced to boil water and collect the evaporated droplets rather than drink from the well. Hiding that from the non-Vampires during the storm had been a trick and a half.<\/p>\n \u201cBe careful, Fierre. You\u2019ll have to find a supply yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will. Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre looked at Ryoka. The young woman nodded slightly to Himilt.<\/p>\n \u201cIs your family leaving, Mister Himilt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still talking. We need to spread word. Bamer and Rivel are going to deliver the news already.\u201d<\/p>\n The Vampire farmer replied quietly. Ryoka nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what will you do? Leave Izril?\u201d<\/p>\n Both Himilt and Fierre were quiet. The farmer glanced back towards the ruined keep. He sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not so simple. My family is one thing, Miss Ryoka. Vampires as a whole? Another. The thing about wells and groundwater and such is\u2026it takes more than that to chase us off. Now we know what<\/em> is ailing us, we can at least clean the wells, dig new ones, and perhaps\u2026we\u2019ll have those pills made up for us and try them. I will, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n Charcoal pills.<\/em> Ryoka nodded. The Vampires were also going to use different methods to clean their water. The problem was\u2026she was no expert in metal poisoning and they had lived here for generations.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019ll try first?\u201d<\/p>\n Himilt nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we must move, we must. However, that would be what House Byres wants. If we flee\u2014they win. I\u2019d rather try to save what can be saved, first.\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes were flinty and crimson. Fierre nodded, folding her arms. Ryoka couldn\u2019t imagine what they were feeling.<\/p>\n Himilt went on after a pregnant pause.<\/p>\n \u201cFor now, we have too much to do. We need new flocks. We were lucky to buy some breeding pairs from overseas that had just come in. Colfa knows [Breeders] and [Herders] the continent over; her family can get us animals. New animals. Ones who weren\u2019t raised in Izril.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the old ones?\u201d<\/p>\n Himilt blinked as Ryoka glanced back at the plentiful herds, being led out by Colfa herself to graze. He shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll keep most. Fluffles, of course. He just won\u2019t give blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Well, good.\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre\u2019s jaw dropped. She stared at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you think we were going to kill him? He\u2019s my favorite sheep! I\u2019d eat<\/em> anyone who hurt him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just\u2014I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka raised her hands defensively. Fluffles the Seventh\u2014or was it Sixth?\u2014was an odd pet for a Vampire girl.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will keep talking. And decide as a group. For now\u2014Vampires are in your debt, Miss Griffin. We won\u2019t pass on your name, as you asked. But word will spread.\u201d<\/p>\n Himilt nodded at her. He\u2019d said as much this morning. Ryoka felt embarrassed again. But this time\u2014a thought occurred to her she\u2019d forgotten to ask.<\/p>\n \u201cHimilt. Can I ask how many Vampires there are<\/em> in Izril?\u201d<\/p>\n She hadn\u2019t ever inquired. Fierre and Himilt glanced at each other.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s normally secret, Ryoka.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell then I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut for you, it\u2019s fine. There are several thousand of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka\u2019s jaw dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cSeveral\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n That was a lot.<\/em> Wait. Was it? Several thousand for a continent of Izril\u2019s size? Was it a lot or a little? Himilt nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not all scattered families like ours. There are\u2026settlements. Larger clans. Even\u2026towns. Fierre can tell you more. So you can imagine moving all of us will be difficult indeed. Everywhere House Byres has gone is poisoned. If we can clean the area, well and good. But they have had centuries to turn Izril against us.\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head. Fierre spat. Ryoka nodded. Then she had a thought. She glanced at Fierre, and then south.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll bet they never made it past Liscor. House Byres, I mean. Did Vampires?\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre and Himilt exchanged a quick look. The farmer looked around. Then he walked over and lowered his voice even further.<\/p>\n \u201cWe went everywhere. The Vampires of Drakes and Gnolls\u2026were hunted differently than we. More bitterly, by their kind. If they exist\u2014we lost touch with them long ago. But that is a good point. We will think on that, as well. Thank you once more, Miss Griffin. You will be welcome here anytime. Fierre\u2014watch your meals.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got one right here, father.\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre grabbed Ryoka\u2019s arm with a smirk. Himilt rapped the top of his daughter\u2019s head and she scowled.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be arrogant. We will have to talk later about your\u2026change. Later.\u201d<\/p>\n He waved them off, brusquely, and jogged back towards the farm. Fierre glared at her father\u2019s back, but she smiled before she saw Ryoka looking. The two ran on.<\/p>\n \u201cYour father\u2019s nice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s overprotective. But\u2026yes. I\u2019ve never met your family, Ryoka. Are they\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have my issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka bit back saying \u2018I hate their guts\u2019. It was\u2014true. But Ryoka, now, wondered if maybe it was partly her. Well\u2014it probably was. But her father was still an asshole. Compared to Himilt, it was night and day. Her<\/em> father had never burned his hands down to bone to lie for his daughter. He had bribed people, though.<\/p>\n The City Runner shook that off. The two ran on. And in time\u2014they encountered someone running towards them.<\/p>\n \u201cSalamani! Morning!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka, Fierre! Everyone still alive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been two days. No one\u2019s gotten sick or been hurt yet.\u201d<\/p>\n The Courier slowed as he turned to jog with them. Salamani had yet to go running on his journey as well.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven how long I\u2019ve known you two\u2026have you settled things at Fierre\u2019s home?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust about. Now, back to business.\u201d<\/p>\n The three ran on, and Ryoka saw Reizmelt appearing in the distance as Fierre gave Salamani some of the cheese her family produced and thanked him for his help. The Mage Runner waved it off.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s next for you two?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka smiled, brought back to life. As they covered the last three miles, she turned to Fierre and Salamani.<\/p>\n \u201cNow? After all this, I think we deserve a reward, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre grinned toothily before she covered her mouth. She looked at Salamani and back at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re rich. I\u2019ve got enough items to turn every adventurer in Reizmelt into Silver-rank teams, at least. We might be carrying multiple sets of Gold-<\/em>rank gear. That\u2019s money. Enough money to do\u2026anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, that means appraisals. Selling some of it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. I was thinking\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n As Ryoka Griffin ran through the gates of Reizmelt, she heard a shout from the walls. She waved at the [Guards] there. She turned back to Salamani and someone on the streets pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the Wind Runner!\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka Griffin slowed. Fierre, Salamani, and Ryoka heard more shouting. Warily, they all checked themselves. Ryoka reached for one of her new wands, taken from Valeterisa\u2019s mansion.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that about?\u201d<\/p>\n Salamani shrugged. He drew his wand. Ryoka jogged forwards, seeing more people streaming towards her in the distance, pointing. She took another few strides past a corner\u2014<\/p>\n And walked into a storm of applause. Ryoka Griffin heard cheers, and people shouting her name.<\/p>\n Wind Runner! <\/em>Children and adults both came running to see her. To applaud and cheer her. She had no idea why.<\/p>\n \u201cWind Runner! Wind Runner! Can you write your name on this? It\u2019s an auto-graph!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n A boy came running up, holding a bit of white cardboard and a quill pre-dipped in ink. Ryoka was thrown\u2014and she saw more people cheering her. But why were they applauding?<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n Salamani started laughing. After a moment, so did Fierre. Ryoka was bemused, until Fierre made it so obvious.<\/p>\n \u201cYou woke the Archmage of Izril. You <\/em>did, Ryoka. That\u2019s why!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a group effort. We barely survived! It wasn\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka trailed off. \u2018It wasn\u2019t anything big?\u2019 No\u2026perhaps\u2026<\/p>\n She looked around. The people were cheering her. Asking for autographs. Asking her what the Archmage was like, how she\u2019d done it.<\/em><\/p>\n Perhaps it was something. Ryoka had run greater deliveries. She would never forget running away from the Goblin Lord\u2019s army. Meeting the Necromancer face-to-face. Taking her delivery from a Dragon. Her run to the Bloodfields, full of anger and self-loathing.<\/p>\n But no one knew<\/em> about those runs. This was the first time Ryoka had done something that people talked about. She looked about, and blushed in the face of the genuine adoration. Fierre started laughing at her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It took a while for Ryoka to get out of the crowds. She was tempted to run off, but Salamani and Fierre caught her before she could make a break for the gates.<\/p>\n At least Mad Madain treated her like normal. And Alber. Ryoka found herself waving to the guards by the gates. Her red cheeks still hadn\u2019t vanished.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Wind Runner of Reizmelt\u2014where are we off to?\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre teased Ryoka. The City Runner looked at her friend.<\/p>\n \u201cGot your lunch, Fierre? I don\u2019t want to tell Himilt you lost it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Vampire shoved Ryoka. Salamani watched, with urbane amusement. Ryoka stumbled, and then sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cLiscor has herd animals. And Hedault owes me a favor. I think\u2026I need to pay Invrisil another visit. To talk to Lady Ieka as well. I think she said she was still there and hopefully she hasn\u2019t left because of the typhoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds good.\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre stretched, copying Ryoka. The Wind Runner eyed her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re coming too?\u201d<\/p>\n The Vampire thought about this.<\/p>\n \u201cSuuuuuuure. I can\u2026yeah, why not? I\u2019ve already been out of work. And this is\u2014for the artifacts\u2014yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka grinned. That would make her run interesting.<\/em> And if they got to Invrisil\u2014Fierre might be able to meet Mrsha and Erin! How\u2014strange. And exciting.<\/p>\n Salamani interrupted Ryoka\u2019s musings.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going too.\u201d<\/p>\n The two younger women looked at him. Ryoka raised one hand.<\/p>\n \u201cSalamani, you don\u2019t have to keep following us around. If you want to pay off your debt, I\u2019m fine with saying there is one. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The Mage Runner pointed a finger at her.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, I need you to have one day when no one\u2019s sick or dying before I\u2019ll feel better about leaving you two alone. And at least two<\/em> days where someone isn\u2019t beating Ryoka into mash. Besides, we\u2019re all prime targets for [Thieves] until we get the loot stowed away.\u201d<\/p>\n He was right about all that. Ryoka nodded with a smile. Fierre frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s beating up Ryoka? Besides me?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka and Salamani glanced at each other. It felt like ages<\/em> ago. But it had happened. Ryoka coughed.<\/p>\n \u201cEr\u2026it was Mihaela Godfrey. She stopped by to punch me and left.\u201d<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t sound real, even to her. Fierre opened her mouth and chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cWh\u2014hah. That\u2019s a\u2026are you being\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo Invrisil we go, then!\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka took off. Fierre caught up after a second, Salamani in two strides. He sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long ways to Invrisil. I don\u2019t suppose we could get that carriage again\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n The other two laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cDoubt it. It\u2019s not that cheap, Salamani.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure<\/em> you don\u2019t want to split up? We\u2019re going to slow you down. I\u2019m not that fast compared to a Courier.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka turned to Salamani. He winked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cNot by much. And not if I do this.\u201d<\/p>\n He produced his wand and flicked it as he touched it to Ryoka\u2019s arm, lightly.<\/p>\n \u201c[Haste].<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka\u2019s eyes widened. She stepped forwards\u2014<\/p>\n \u2026And nearly tripped on a rock. The City Runner swore as she nearly split her big toe. Salamani eyed his wand. Then he sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must be wearing an anti-enchantment artifact. I think it\u2019s the necklace. You\u2019ll uh, have to take it off for me to enchant you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka was still wearing a bunch of the looted gear. Salamani grumbled as Fierre giggled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was so much more impressive in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n When he cast the spell again, Ryoka felt a familiar sensation. The world\u2014slowed<\/em>\u2014around her. <\/em>Or perhaps her mind and body sped up to create the same effect. It wasn\u2019t the same rush as when she\u2019d taken Teriarch\u2019s potion. But it was\u2014something.<\/p>\n \u201cAaahI\u2019mgoingsofastthisisamazing!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre zipped past Salamani and Ryoka before the young woman was given the spell. Then she, Salamani, and Fierre were running in their own world of speed. The rest of the world was a slow blur behind them, people turning in wagons, moving slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cWow! And you run like this all the time?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMage. Runner. Do you think I\u2019d ever run without magic?\u201d<\/p>\n Salamani grinned at Ryoka. She resolved to buy a Wand of Haste or something<\/em> to have this effect at will. This\u2014this was Courier speed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you going to do with your money, Salamani? That spellbook with a Tier 6 spell?\u201d<\/p>\n The Courier nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat. And I\u2019m going to buy something I should have bought a long time ago. Well\u2014I couldn\u2019t afford a good one. A Golem! Fierre, you work as an Opener, right? You should invest in one!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGolems? From where?\u201d<\/p>\n The Vampire girl stopped running ahead to run with them. Ryoka was interested too. Salamani shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I can get a discount? From home\u2014I mean, the academy. Wistram makes some. Not high-grade, but we can manufacture up to Autonomous-Combat type Golems\u2014mostly in the Steelbody forms. Nothing like Cognizant-Steward types like Cognita\u2014if she\u2019s not above that, even.\u201d<\/p>\n The words rolled over Ryoka, but each one was fascinating<\/em> in its implications. Fierre, predictably, seemed to know part of what Salamani meant.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich one would you buy, Salamani?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEither one of those huge, hulking types that can fight and perform tasks\u2014or a Golem horse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA what?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre brightened.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve read about those, actually. D-do you think I could buy a Golem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith how much gold we\u2019ve got? Surely!\u201d<\/p>\n Salamani grinned. Ryoka tapped him on the shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere<\/em> do you buy Golems? Wistram?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one spot. There aren\u2019t many places capable of producing\u2026good\u2026Golems anymore. Illivere is by far the best place to commission an order from. But Wistram might discount me if I call in some favors. It\u2019s expensive\u2014very expensive\u2014but at a Courier\u2019s income, you can afford one! You should consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA Golem.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka had a sudden image of a Golem from a video game punching someone in her way. Like\u2026a certain sallow-faced girl. It was a tempting thought. Then she remembered the Snow Golem during the winter run with Ivolethe.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re so useful. Guard duty, lifting things\u2014heck, I could get one to dig a new well for the farm. That\u2019s actually a great idea, Salamani. It\u2019d really make me a credible Opener with some security like that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre was musing aloud. Ryoka nodded. Golems did sound great. Which begged the question.<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026why aren\u2019t Golems common? If they\u2019re at all affordable and that useful\u2026I haven\u2019t seen any on my runs, except maybe Magnolia Reinhart\u2019s mansion and Valeterisa\u2019s. Are they just not common in Izril because they\u2019re made in Chandrar and Wistram?\u201d<\/p>\n Fierre and<\/em> Salamani looked amused. The Mage Runner laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cVisit House Terland, Ryoka. They\u2019re the ones who buy all the Golems. Further north than Reizmelt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka blushed. The other two ran on, now chattering about Golems.<\/p>\n Golems. Owning a\u2026well, to Ryoka, it was like a magical robot. There were parallels to Earth\u2019s understanding of such things. They weren\u2019t Elementals\u2014<\/em>which had existed and still might, but manufactured things. Few had actual intelligence. Buying a Golem with her money?<\/p>\n It felt too big to imagine. But Ryoka was rich.<\/em> She could afford a Golem? Well, unless it could fit in a bag of holding, there might not be a point. But what if\u2026?<\/p>\n Ryoka ran on, imagining a giant rock Golem wearing a maid\u2019s outfit and sweeping a broom while a white Gnoll sat on its head and probably threw things at the peons below.<\/p>\n Yeah. Yeah, that wouldn\u2019t turn out badly at all.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Among the numerous duties of Magus-Crafter Femithain was resolving issues of\u2026discipline within the ranks of the exalted Crafters of Illivere.<\/p>\n The Illivere Federation, a group of smaller states that formed the federation, was a semi-longstanding nation. In that they could boast of several thousand years of unity in its current incarnation and roots in the art of crafting Golems far before that.<\/p>\n Today, Illivere bordered Nerrhavia\u2019s Fallen and was a small fish in the large pond. Which was better than being a large guppy in the smaller puddles. The might of Illivere, as everyone knew, rested in Golems.<\/p>\n They were a democracy<\/em> as well. In that the people of each state voted on a smaller group of Crafters\u2014the elite of Illivere\u2019s society who manufactured or managed Golems\u2014into positions of authority. And then those people voted in the Magus-Crafter. Some people objected now and then that this wasn\u2019t true democracy per se and as such, but the Crafters of Illivere weren\u2019t about to hand over all the power to the common folk, now, were they?<\/p>\n Anyways, about Golems. If you owned no Golems in Illivere, you were poor. If you helped make Golems you were working in the best job there was. Of course\u2014there were differences there too.<\/p>\n Some were just lowly artisans who shaped a calf, or produced raw materials. Others helped make the binding spells, repaired Golems, and so on. The \u2018Crafters\u2019 were the ones who were in charge. Who laid out plans. Who \u2018made\u2019 the Golems. And the dozens, possibly hundreds of workers who contributed to the process just helped out.<\/p>\n It was different from Wistram, where a [Golem Artificer] might create an entire Golem on their own. In Illivere, it was an industry. And as such, the Crafters were often businesspeople as well as artisans. All of this to say that a Golem Crafter was hard to discipline, so it fell to the First Crafters of each state\u2014or the Magus-Crafter, Femithain, to oversee breaches in conduct.<\/p>\n All of this\u2026Femithain stared up three feet and eyed the Golem from head to toe, ignoring the murmurs in the square. All of this still <\/em>didn\u2019t explain why he was staring at a 9-foot tall, nude Nsiia currently posing in the capital of Illivere, Demarsel.<\/p>\n \u201cIt uh\u2014you can see why we\u2019ve asked for your presence, Crafter-Magus. The creator, Siddin of Veule, refuses to take his creation elsewhere. He claims it\u2019s art and has dedicated it to the Empress and the Tiqr resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n The Watch Captain was staring at Nsiia. So were a lot of people in the crowds, many of whom were objecting. Well\u2014some<\/em> were objecting.<\/p>\n \u201cFormer Empress, Watch Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, Magus-Crafter?\u201d<\/p>\n The man tore his eyes away from Nsiia\u2019s chest. Femithain regarded the posing Golem steadily.<\/p>\n Hm. Clay. <\/em>It was quick-fired, clearly a fast creation. He could see some cracking disguised around the seams. The artist had forgone paint\u2014a wise move. Statues painted always had this garish look to them. He\u2019d even gotten the clay to her skin tone. However\u2026the anatomy was just off.<\/p>\n Femithain had seen Nsiia topless. Also, naked. The artist of this<\/em> Golem clearly had not\u2014and he also had a poor understanding of how breasts worked. He\u2019d clearly seen the real thing before\u2014but had decided \u2018art\u2019 need not obey gravity.<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter had a headache. And it wasn\u2019t even mid-morning. He rubbed at his head again and addressed the Watch Captain.<\/p>\n \u201cNsiia abdicated her throne with the surrender of Tiqr. She is not an [Empress] and it is politic to remember that, Watch Captain. Furthermore, the \u2018resistance\u2019 in Tiqr lead by General Vasraf is in fact, an unlawful rebellion. Please adjust your comments accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Magus-Crafter.\u201d<\/p>\n Chastened, the Watch Captain saluted and stared back at the statue.<\/p>\n \u201cThe uh, Golem, Magus-Crafter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave young Siddin remove it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe claims\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI heard. Crafter Siddin! <\/em>You will return this Golem to your workshop now! Or it will be destroyed as a public nuisance!\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter used a spell to enhance his voice and called out to the Crafter who had created the Golem. He was kneeling in front of the Golem-Nsiia, and supplicating the real one in Femithain\u2019s quarters, at a higher elevation from the plaza.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t stop me! I dedicate this to the Empress of Beasts! Make Tiqr free once more! I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake a sledgehammer to the statue. Arrest Siddin and have him escorted to his family\u2019s estates.\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter ignored the wail as the young Crafter tried to protect his golem. He walked off, sighing. Siddin\u2019s family might object\u2014or they might not. Either way\u2014he resolved to have a word with Nsiia.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t that people sympathized with the definitely-a-prisoner Nsiia that was the problem. Or that they supported Tiqr. It was a problem if Illivere<\/em> did that, but Femithain had reassured the other rulers that it was just a small movement. He could always deal with that if it grew louder.<\/p>\n The real issue, as far as he was concerned, was that this was the sixth<\/em> time someone had caused an incident like this. Nsiia was encouraging them. She was certainly bored, but enough was enough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNsiia. I would like to ask you to stop encouraging these young Crafters to their\u2026adoration of you. They waste time, resources, and get themselves in trouble creating odes to you. Like the Golem that attempted to sing outside my workshop.\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain broached the issue at a late breakfast, twelve minutes later. Nsiia looked up from an almost-raw strip of meat she was eating. Femithain stared at her over his morning cup of stamina potion and a banana.<\/p>\n They both gave each other disdainful looks for the other\u2019s meal and Nsiia chewed her mouthful before replying.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t encourage <\/em>them. They just show up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sit on the roof. Occasionally, nude. And you have agreed to model for two of the young Crafters who later proclaimed their undying fealty towards you.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia\u2019s lips twitched.<\/p>\n \u201cAt their request. And what\u2019s wrong with sitting on rooftops?\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain sighed. She was determined not to give him this. He could be diplomatic. Femithain was known as a calm, patient negotiator. However, he was also adaptable.<\/p>\n \u201cStop encouraging them, please. Or I will have to make an example of the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman pursed her lips. She eyed Femithain. Because she knew him, Nsiia did not test the Magus-Crafter. He was not impressive<\/em>, in the sense that his rumpled mage\u2019s robe, spectacles, and lean physique did not convey danger or physical might. But Femithain meant what he said, which was another kind of danger.<\/p>\n \u201cVery well. And a good morning to you.\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter had another draft of stamina potion. That made him feel better.<\/p>\n Once again, he was having breakfast on his veranda, overlooking the pool, and past it, the capital of Illivere, Demarsel. The entire city had multiple levels, although it was no Pallass. Still, it had high walls, and brick or stone buildings built along the steep streets; the rooftops below were a maze unto themselves.<\/p>\n Sometimes, [Thieves] would try to escape via rooftop and fall to their deaths. There was no such danger in the Magus-Crafter\u2019s residence, of course. It had proper security. Why, their prisoner, Nsiia, had no chance of escaping her quarters.<\/p>\n Except if she hopped over the ledge to have breakfast. She was eating another strip of meat. As she did, a bird fluttered down and landed on the balcony.<\/p>\n Femithain eyed it. He was no ornithologist, let alone a [Bird Watcher], so he had no idea what it was. But it was big, had a curved beak and sharp talons along with the dusky ash feathers speckled with blue, and he didn\u2019t like it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNsiia, is that bird an acquaintance of yours?\u201d<\/p>\n The former Empress of Beasts turned and regarded the bird calmly. She smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen it before. It looks like a Dustwing Warhawk. See how big it is compared to a regular hawk? It could take a finger off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI quite notice.\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain mentally prepared a [Dust Arrow] volley in his head. Nsiia, fearless, offered some meat to the bird. It \u00adpecked<\/em> and snatched the meat. Then it let her gently pet its head.<\/p>\n That was Nsiia. Beloved by animals. They came to her, mostly birds, but Femithain had woken up one day to find a crab had somehow made it into the pool. The former-Empress stroked its head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve travelled quite a long way, haven\u2019t you? Where are you going? Do you want more food? Here.\u201d<\/p>\n She seemed to listen to the bird as it pecked at her breakfast. Femithain watched, interested.<\/p>\n They were two very different people, she and he. For instance, Femithain had woken up to deal with the Golem issue this morning after having literally fallen asleep in his workshop. By contrast\u2014Nsiia had gone to bed quite rested after a day full of activity. She<\/em> liked to stand on the rooftops, climb about as nimbly as a cat, and loved animals and they her.<\/p>\n Femithain\u2019s passion was Golems. And it was unrequited, if love could be ascribed to such creations. And it could not.<\/p>\n \u201cI see. You\u2019re lost. Go north. There\u2019s not much food here that won\u2019t get you hunted. North. Don\u2019t look at me like that. I know where food is.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia pushed the Warhawk as it cawed<\/em> at her. It flapped its wings, shedding some feathers and dander. Nsiia plucked some more meat to eat\u2014it tried to snatch it and she flicked it on the forehead as she nimbly spirited the meat into her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t be bullied by a fledgling. Go on. Eat and go. You\u2019re making my friend nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n The giant bird eyed Femithain. He realized it wasn\u2019t even adult, to judge by Nsiia\u2019s words. It hopped over and pecked two more strips of meat off Nsiia\u2019s plate. Then it took off.<\/p>\n Femithain watched it fly upwards, soaring on thermals in Chandrar\u2019s drier climate. The rains that had come were short-lived in Illivere\u2014even a magical typhoon couldn\u2019t change that much.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you hear their replies as words, Nsiia? Or is it just impressions? Guesswork?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey have their own thoughts. No language, and no words. But I\u2019ve had much practice. I was<\/em> ruler of Tiqr.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman settled back. She looked content\u2014then sad\u2014then playful again. Femithain wasn\u2019t fooled by the last expression.<\/p>\n There sat the woman who had been [Empress of Beasts], ruler of Tiqr, a land blessed by many wild friends, a proud nation who had stood amongst its peers and refused to bow when every nation within a hundred miles of its borders declared war. Nsiia had been a powerful ruler.<\/p>\n Now she was his prisoner. A guest? Certainly better-treated than in Savere or Nerrhavia\u2019s Fallen. But a prisoner nonetheless.<\/p>\n \u201cI hear Roshal made another bid for you to sell me to them. And Savere. How much was it this time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Eight hundred thousand gold pieces and numerous gifts by Roshal. About a tenth of that and threats from Savere. And promises that I very much doubt could be enforced by contract.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia blinked as she sipped from her tea cup.<\/p>\n \u201cThey couldn\u2019t make that off me even in an open auction. Or could they? If they could, I should be flattered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand it\u2019s the prestige of selling an [Empress] that motivates Emir Yazdil and the other [Slavers] to make such an oversized offer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd? When am I leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia smiled playfully. Femithain reached for his bag of holding and produced a small notebook. It was magical, and contained many times more pages than the slim binding indicated. It had all of his records, from taxes to resources to personal notes.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Three days from now.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia blinked. She stared at Femithain\u2019s face, and then started laughing. He smiled slightly at his own joke.<\/p>\n \u201cI forget you have a sense of humor! I nearly believed\u2014you should have called in one of the guards to escort me to my room and shackled me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat would have been cruel, not a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot in Tiqr. I\u2019d have done that. Just for an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n The two sat there, chuckling over breakfast. Femithain was checking the position of the sun and the sun dial he\u2019d had installed by the pool just for such occasions.<\/p>\n \u201cNearly time. I must oversee Dellva\u2019s entry into the competition. Nsiia, do you still wish to tour Elbe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do. I\u2019m too tired of Demarsel and since you won\u2019t let me leave the city because I\u2019d steal a horse and ride off\u2014I will gladly join you in Elbe.\u201d<\/p>\n She stretched. Elbe was the capital of one of the neighboring city-states. The nation\u2019s capital was Demarsel\u2014for now. That was because Femithain belonged to the state of Dellva, whose capital was Demarsel. When the next Magus-Crafter was elected, the head of Illivere would shift. It bothered Illivere and the Crafters not at all, but it was apparently exceedingly annoying to the [Diplomats] and [Emissaries] who were assigned to the federation.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo hours, then. We will take to the roads then. Excuse me.\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain rose, placed his cup on his plate so the staff would be spared the extra effort of combining the two themselves, and left. Nsiia watched him go, all efficiency and order.<\/p>\n She sat there for a bit, until she heard the housekeeping coming. Instead of greeting them, Nsiia leapt from Femithain\u2019s balcony over to hers. It was a decent gap, but she did the jump effortlessly, moving as nimbly as an animal.<\/p>\n [Cat\u2019s Grace]. [Gazelle\u2019s Leap]. What were spells for others were Skills for Nsiia. She still had them\u2014even if her [Empress] class was gone. Some of her greater Skills were missing, though. The Laughing Brigade\u2019s Skill was gone. Her royal abilities\u2014likewise missing.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the best, in some ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia swung herself up onto the terrace roof and lay on the beams as she saw the servants enter, take the dishes, wipe the table, and leave. They looked for her, but she was as still as stone. She could still hide like a bat, run with hyena packs, fight Gemlions\u2026<\/p>\n But she could not rule her nation.<\/em> The former-[Empress] closed her eyes. She had lost many Skills. Including\u2014[Wild Riot]. That was something.<\/p>\n [Wild Riot]\u2014A Skill earned in madness. In bloodshed, and war. It was not a skill the [Empress of Beasts] should<\/em> have had. To compel animals to fight and die? No, there were other Skills far more suited to a class that ruled. That Skill had been\u2014<\/p>\n Nsiia shuddered. She had gained it with Thef\u2019s death. Her beloved Grand Elephant friend, whom she had shared so many Skills with\u2014it had come to her in her grief and rage. She had used it and begun heading down a dark path. One she was glad Flos Reimarch had saved her from.<\/p>\n Odd, to be grateful to a man she was still so angry with. He<\/em> had denied Tiqr\u2019s strength. Had failed to be the King of Destruction even in his return as he had in his youth. Even now, she could not believe a single army had laid him low. Where was the [King] who destroyed eight nation\u2019s armies in a battle over a month? Where was the man who had come to Tiqr and received its loyalty without a drop of blood shed?<\/p>\n Yet wisdom was perhaps in surrender. For all Tiqr\u2019s animals had died or fled. For all its people were slaves\u2026for all that. Nsiia hoped she would one day reclaim her nation. And neither she nor Flos could do that if she was dead.<\/p>\n Anyways. She had lost her [Empress]\u2019s Skills, but kept some<\/em> thanks to her new class.<\/p>\n [Animalfriend Exile]. Interestingly\u2014not [Prisoner]<\/em>, but [Exile]. Femithain truly had put few shackles on her, making her more of a dignitary than hostage.<\/p>\n Either way. She\u2019d lost many Skills. Gained a few in return, like her [Famous Name] Skill\u2014and the ones that led young golem-artisans to create endless copies of her. Was it temporary? Depending on if she ever got her Empress class back\u2014she might keep the class, or return herself to her throne. Or combine the two.<\/p>\n All that was for the future, though. In this moment, Nsiia listened to the staff walking away, murmuring\u2014and then she was alone. The Warhawk was far north already, Femithain had gone to oversee the Golem his state was working on under his direction for the grand gladiatorial competition, and they were due to visit Elbe, both on business for Femithain, and to relieve Nsiia\u2019s boredom. She would see some of Illivere\u2019s glories.<\/p>\n And she had two hours before all that. So Nsiia sighed, and flicked out the fork she\u2019d taken from the breakfast table without anyone noticing. It was good silverware, with actual silver in the alloy. Not a knife, but decent.<\/p>\n Nsiia raised it\u2014and stabbed it into her arm as hard as she could. The flash of pain made her double over, clutching at her arm. Blood ran from around the tines and she gripped her arm as pain shot up her arm.<\/p>\n She did not move. Slowly\u2014Nsiia pulled the fork out of her arm. It had gone down as far as it could, nearly hitting bone. She pulled it out slowly, her teeth grinding with the pain. Then, with trembling fingers, she reached for a healing potion and poured just a drop over the bleeding wound.<\/p>\n It closed. Nsiia wiped away the blood.<\/p>\n \u201cForty three days.\u201d<\/p>\n She whispered. Her punishment for the morning done, she swung herself back down and leapt back towards Femithain\u2019s balcony. She crept inside and looked around.<\/p>\n Golems.<\/em> Six unfinished Golems stood around the room, each one in the process of being made or adjusted. They were like\u2026toys. Nsiia saw an arm, perfectly sculpted out of metal, ready to be attached to the body.<\/p>\n The arm was iron, thick, but not solid. Rather, hollow, lined with an inner clay between the iron armor, and laced with runes drawn in gemstone \u2018ink\u2019 on the interior. It would be added to the towering figure, sixteen feet tall and so heavy that Femithain\u2019s workshop had to be reinforced or it would collapse under the weight.<\/p>\n Nsiia inspected the glowing core in the exposed Golem\u2019s chest. Femithain had added\u2026well, that was interesting. She traced the runes across the inside of the Golem\u2019s chest radiating outwards.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s<\/em> how it\u2019s supposed to look? And he used\u2014a different magical binding. Where is it?\u201d<\/p>\n She scoured the workbench in front of the Golem, trying to remember exactly<\/em> what was changed from yesterday. This is what Nsiia did; not sunbathe on rooftops to tease young men, and possibly women, or prowl around like some animal or talk to dogs or birds. She did that to distract<\/em> from the fact that she was often in here.<\/p>\n Learning. Nsiia frowned over the Golem\u2019s innards.<\/p>\n \u201cThis\u2026Femithain would not make an ordinary Iron Golem. So what\u2019s different?\u201d<\/p>\n Well, for one thing, she was sure<\/em> that ordinary [Golem Artificers] couldn\u2019t have created half as intricate magical circuitry on the inside of the Golem\u2019s shell. Femithain had written the magical \u2018instructions\u2019 that allowed the Golem to move and function with a brush the width of a pencil. Nsiia had seen him completing a custom-Golem with standard instructions\u2014the binding spell had been written four or even five times as large. The complexity here spoke to\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cAha! Spells! It\u2019s a Golem that shoots\u2014magic?\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia had it at last when she checked some of the scrolls lying around and realized they were copies of attack spells she knew. [Sticky Webs], [Arrows of Light]\u2026Femithain was binding the spells into<\/em> the Golem so it could activate them at once.<\/p>\n Iron armor, with clay in the middle to cushion the impacts. That was shell. Intricate writing? Instructions. Now\u2026where was the energy?<\/p>\n Nsiia had never been taught how to make Golems. So all the terms and ideas were things she\u2019d picked up observing Femithain or stealing around his workshop when he was asleep. As far as she understood it\u2014Golems had three parts.<\/p>\n Shell, instructions, energy. The shell of a Golem was the armor. Steel, stone, even other substances. Instructions were what\u2026made the Golems move. They had to tell the Golems how to raise arms, punch things\u2014it was what took the most time, even more than creating the steel-bodies for Wargolems.<\/p>\n But the last key was energy. Golems were not infinitely-sustainable creatures. Each one needed magical energy to function. And the more powerful\u2014the more magic. It had puzzled Nsiia no end, trying to figure out how such powerful, giant creations could move. On mana stones? It seemed so\u2026inefficient.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s the power supply? Here? No, here\u2026no!\u201d<\/p>\n She looked around, frustrated. Once again, she couldn\u2019t find it! It seemed obvious, didn\u2019t it? The Golems had<\/em> to have a mana stone. But she saw the armor, layered, the glowing instructions written on the inside\u2014but no power source.<\/p>\n There was<\/em> an empty orb in the center of the golem, with\u2026Nsiia stared inside. Something broken inside? It looked like shards of metal. But the orb was not<\/em> magical. Nsiia had learned magic\u2014she sensed nothing from the orb, despite it being covered with the most intricate runework yet. There was no magic<\/em> here! The closest she could find was, interestingly, jars of magicore embedded in points along the war golem\u2019s body.<\/p>\n Glass tubes, filled with the glowing molten rock. Each one a different color. Nsiia eyed a glowing red one that radiated heat\u2014an eyesearingly-bright one, a standard, element-less magicore tube\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThis must be to power the spells. Fire magicore for [Fireball]. Light for [Light Arrow]. Smart. The Golem can take energy from here and be given more power. But this can\u2019t power the Golem itself,<\/em> surely? Damn, damn\u2014where is<\/em> the power source?\u201d<\/p>\n She wished she knew more about Golems. But Nsiia had no books\u2014and no teacher despite Femithain being a very amiable host. She had seen them in battle, even destroyed them herself. But Nsiia had never been able to take the time to dissect one.<\/p>\n Now, she was lost. Frustrated, Nsiia sat down and growled. She went to the other five Golems. Let\u2019s see. One was made of glass, and waiting to be filled with magicore. But that wasn\u2019t a good example; Femithain had said it was highly experimental, a walking mana-battery Golem if it worked.<\/p>\n Another was extremely lifelike. Male, Human, around\u2026sixteen? The sculpted \u2018hair\u2019 was just grown past short-cropped and the youth\u2019s features were extremely pretty. He had no pubic hair, and, Nsiia was relieved to see, no genitals.<\/p>\n She eyed the Golem with distaste. This one was made of ceramics, white, and the Golem would be one of the servant-Golems, probably for some rich commissioner. Femithain had groused about this one, but his ability to create Golems was such that this looked<\/em> like a perfect serving boy.<\/p>\n \u201cMay you delight whichever fool purchases you, Golem. Lack of genitals and all. Not that it will stop them, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia laid a hand on the Golem-boy\u2019s head and gave it her blessing. The Golem stared ahead, all but finished. It was sealed, but she had seen Femithain make it in a single week, grousing all the while and clearly not enjoying the task. But he\u2019d done it professionally and not once had she seen the power source. Just another orb in the center, the nexus of the command spells.<\/p>\n \u201cHm.\u201d<\/p>\n The other three Golems were too early in the process of creation for Nsiia to learn more. She shook her head, dispirited, and looked around the workshop. If she couldn\u2019t solve this last puzzle\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take this. And this. And this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n A tube of raw magicore, one of Femithain\u2019s magical brushes, and some of his \u2018paint\u2019 went into Nsiia\u2019s bag of holding. She looked around, rearranged some of Femithain\u2019s supplies so he wouldn\u2019t notice the thefts, and leapt back to her balcony.<\/p>\n Nsiia was no [Thief]. She had debated taking the class, but ended up turning it down. She\u2019d never level high enough stealing like this, and it wasn\u2019t a class that would help her, even if it gave her amazing stealth Skills. She could not help Tiqr just by running away.<\/p>\n No\u2014it was Nsiia\u2019s other<\/em> new class, [Golem Maker] that she believed in. Nsiia returned to her rooms and then, carefully, entered her largest closet, now cleared of clothing. It was her workshop, and all of the tools were normally hidden in neatly-folded rugs and blankets in there. Nsiia had asked the staff not to clean her personal room in any case.<\/p>\n Now, she withdrew the product of over a month of stealing from Femithain. Piece by piece, it came out, shining in the light coming from the closet\u2019s slats. And from within, the glowing binding-spells, laboriously copied over from Femithain\u2019s Golems. The material this Golem was made of shone palely\u2014but not like porcelain.<\/p>\n It was bone. Nsiia had obtained each piece of bone, carving it, gluing it together and polishing it until it was almost seamless. She was good at carving, and it was easy to steal a knife from a table after asking for a steak.<\/p>\n However\u2014the material had been the hardest thing. Nsiia had tried pieces of furniture in her room, but the wood was soft and a missing chair would surely go noticed. So she had asked for help.<\/p>\n Dogs from across the city had given up treats or fetched or stolen bones for her. She had rewarded them with pieces of her dinner, and scratching. And at last\u2014she had completed\u2014to their disgust\u2014<\/p>\n A Cat Golem. Nsiia stared at it, inspecting each piece. Tail, legs\u2014the trick was a Golem was not<\/em> an undead, so she had to just make the legs, identical, the torso, the tail, head\u2026<\/p>\n It was just a cat. A housecat, not one of the wilder ones Tiqr\u2019s people might encounter. Nsiia had created her second Golem as a cat because she knew them so well. She had purposely jointed the legs, trying to give it the mobility a real cat would. It would bend and stretch, segmented as the Golem pieces were, each part fitting together\u2026<\/p>\n It was a work of art, if Nsiia did say so herself. The cat\u2019s body moved like scale armor, sliding together so as not to leave a gap even if it had to flex downwards or upwards. She had learned a lot of lessons; a Golem needed to have the instruction-circuits connected at all times or parts of it stopped working.<\/p>\n Her first Golem had been a simple shell of a humanoid thing. Made of clay that animals had dug up for her and fired with a bit of fire magic and a few fireplace incidents. It had taken over a dozen tries but Nsiia had gotten it to walk around, punch clumsily, and try to move wherever she pointed.<\/p>\n It had been an unsteady, fragile thing which had begun to break even with its first steps due to how she\u2019d made it. And it had run out of power after three minutes, eating through the six small mana stones she\u2019d placed in it for power.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, it had been her first Golem. Nsiia had celebrated\u2014before smashing it to dust and burying the remains. She had just needed to know how a Golem was made\u2014even if the power supply had escaped her.<\/p>\n But this Cat Golem\u2014this<\/em> was the one that would be able to do so much more. Steal for her, deliver messages, travel\u2014she was sure she\u2019d figured out each minute detail of most of the Golem-making.<\/p>\n Parts were easy. If you had unlimited time, patience, and Nsiia\u2019s mind, you could copy Femithain\u2019s arm-circuitry and see how it made an arm move up, flex, move down\u2026it was just a matter of making three dozen clay copies, inscribing your own magical instructions, and seeing what did what.<\/p>\n Nsiia had learned magic from her tutors. This was not new<\/em> to her. She just didn\u2019t know how to make the Golem obey more complex instructions, or give it a permanent power source, or\u2026er\u2026how she was supposed to get it to function without her direct, constant supervision.<\/p>\n It was possible to do! Nsiia had guard-Golems. In fact, she walked out of her closet to stare at them.<\/p>\n They stared back. They were about eight feet tall, to allow for them in the hallways of the Magus-Crafter\u2019s estate. These ones were standard, in that they resembled giant suits of armor. They\u2019d be animated, and fight with sword and shield, or mace and shield, or\u2026<\/p>\n They were ordered to keep Nsiia safe. Nothing more. They didn\u2019t stop her as she walked around them and this pair exclusively guarded her rooms. She narrowed her eyes as they stood there.<\/p>\n They appeared to be motionless and she had not, in fact, seen them move except when the staff had ordered them to one side so they could dust. However.<\/em> These Golems would defend her to their end even if no one told them to swing a sword.<\/p>\n She hadn\u2019t made her first Golem do that. She had been forced to tell it to \u2018take a step\u2019, raise its right hand, and so on, in minute detail. She couldn\u2019t just say \u2018walk over there\u2019 or \u2018dig me a hole\u2019.<\/p>\n She was missing instructions and energy. With those two aspects, she\u2019d have a complete Golem, or close enough.<\/p>\n But how to get<\/em> that knowledge? Nsiia pondered it. Her scavenging of Femithain\u2019s genius had reached its end. She had copied and experimented, but she was just\u2026lost. It was time to seek the knowledge. Today, in fact. So Nsiia turned\u2014and broke out of her prison.<\/p>\n The former [Empress] opened the door to the Magus-Crafter\u2019s estates and turned to one of the squad stationed there.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, Guardsman. I would like to see what the Magus-Crafter is working on.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Guard] on duty saluted.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Empress! Er\u2014Miss Nsiia? Your ladyship! Right this way. We\u2019ll arrange a patrol\u2026hey! Give me four Wargolems!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nsiia\u2019s daring escape from her captivity reached Femithain\u2019s ears just a moment before she did.<\/p>\n He was working in one of the state-owned workshops of Demarsel. Two dozen [Golem Artificers] were standing with him, sweating over their masterpiece.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Golem\u2019s heart will be the factor, along with our extended combat cycles, Magus-Crafter. Can we leave it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. I have both ready\u2014and the perfect catalyst. Ah, Nsiia? The [Guards] told me you wished to see me? I am pressed for time. We must finish this Golem\u2019s calibrations if it is to be complete by the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree days!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n One of the [Golem Artificers] swore. They were Dellva\u2019s best and brightest, collaborating on this joint-project. Even the Magus-Crafter himself had taken time out of his schedule to represent his state.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is to be Dellva\u2019s entry into the Golem Fights?\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia stared up at the glittering domed head made of clear crystal, the huge, armored body coated in some bronze-steel alloy, and especially at the inner workings of the Golem, and the giant glass orb that was sitting on a pedestal, waiting to be added.<\/p>\n \u201cNsiia. They are not \u2018Golem Fights\u2019. The proper name is \u2018the Test of Mirrhen\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMhm. Golem fights. I should quite like to see them. I have seen [Gladiators] battling, but this should be even more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not an arena! It\u2019s a test of workmanship, design\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n One of the [Golem Artificers] was incensed. Femithain knew Nsiia was teasing them and held up a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cCrafter Se, please finish the Golem\u2019s legs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs you will, Magus-Crafter. And if another apprentice slips and ruins our command spells, I will see to it they never touch a brush again!\u201d<\/p>\n The [Golem Artificer] stalked off, to the fear of her apprentices. Nsiia saw Femithain turn back to the Golem.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes it have a name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are calling it\u2014er\u2014Domehead.\u201d<\/p>\n For once, the Magus-Crafter actually blushed. Nsiia laughed. It was a fitting name, and clearly, not one that the designers meant to be shared before the actual event.<\/p>\n The Golem resembled many War Golems that Nsiia had seen. Humanoid, armored\u2014with two Human-like hands to grasp weapons with. In this case\u2014a waiting, unenchanted double-handed battleaxe.<\/p>\n Since the point was to have Golems from each state prove which design was most efficient, the weapon wasn\u2019t enchanted but Nsiia thought the ten-foot Domehead would still be able to wield the huge weapon with crushing strength. Certainly, enough to break a rival Golem\u2019s armor.<\/p>\n Anyways, Domehead resembled those armored constructs except in its head. It\u2019s head was\u2026well, a half-dome. Instead of a helmet or carved face, the creators had installed a far broader crystal dome, transparent but thick, and inside placed\u2026Nsiia squinted.<\/p>\n \u201cAre those crystals?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCommand crystals, yes. Supplementary. Er\u2014Domehead is experimental. Instead of placing all the command matrices in the chest area, we\u2019ve created two<\/em> separate interfaces. One in the head as well as the chest, for redundant backups. It should be able to keep fighting even if it takes a great deal of damage to one of the command areas\u2014and the other states will be aiming for that, as will we. The head is<\/em> exposed, but we\u2019ve reinforced the dome and there are few other places we can install a backup \u2018mind\u2019 as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia nodded. She knew how to kill Golems and you generally had to hit their command-spells. Enough damage and the Golem would malfunction or just \u2018die\u2019. It was that, or destroy their limbs so they couldn\u2019t function. Golems were hard to kill and they could be repaired with annoying ease sometimes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExtremely.\u201d<\/p>\n Half a dozen [Artificers] chorused in the vicinity. Femithain was one of them. He grimaced, and then\u2014grinned.<\/em> He looked far younger than he did anywhere else as he pointed at the dome.<\/p>\n \u201cThe command crystals and \u2018helmet\u2019 alone cost half as much as the rest of Domehead. However\u2014if we win the Golem F\u2014the Testing<\/em>, we can make a case for backup command spells to be installed in all Golems worth more than twenty thousand gold pieces. And if it is possible to reduce the overhead and spacing issues, Dellva will pioneer this advancement in Golem technology for decades to come!\u201d<\/p>\n The other [Artificers] let out a subdued cheer at that. This was no room filled with lesser staff; each [Golem Artificer] was the kind who still knew how to do the work themselves and they would entrust it to no one less.<\/p>\n Passion, energy\u2014all into making sure their Golem beat the other Golems into dust. Nsiia sighed. She had been informed that [Golem Artificers] were predominantly male over female. And mostly Human with a smaller section of Dullahans and Lizardfolk as the primary species of choice.<\/p>\n None of that had surprised her. Also\u2014Femithain was still talking.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014greatest competition might be in Ferule\u2019s inspired \u2018Spitshot\u2019 Golems, which are employing actual liquids since no spells are allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2026kind of liquids?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard magma, but that sounds like a ruse unless they\u2019re actually investing in that much heating spells and a container. My guess is oil followed by flame. Or maybe an alchemical substance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey won\u2019t be able to make a case their Golem is superior if they win because of the most volatile liquid!\u201d<\/p>\n One of the other members of Dellva\u2019s team complained. Femithain waved a hand at him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019ve taken steps with our armor, Hecii. You worry about those fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia stared at the fingers being attached and looked at Femithain. Here came the important bit. She licked her lips.<\/p>\n \u201cI can see you\u2019re quite busy. I didn\u2019t want to disturb you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. Also, I note that here you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI am indeed. Actually\u2014I just wanted to watch. There isn\u2019t much to do in my rooms if I can\u2019t sit nude on the roofs. I thought about doing that here, but I can see you\u2019re too busy.\u201d<\/p>\n A young [Golem Maker] nearly slipped<\/em> as he shaved a bit of metal off Domehead\u2019s knee. Nsiia was quite pleased by that. Femithain sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cI gave you access to the library, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou did\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n But there are no damned manuals on how to make Golems there since your people keep them in their workshops and yours are all too advanced\u2026<\/em>was what Nsiia didn\u2019t say. Instead, she pointed at Domehead\u2019s\u2026head-dome.<\/p>\n \u201cAre those ah, command-crystals standard? I\u2019ve never seen them before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHardly!\u201d<\/p>\n Artificer Se was back with the legs. As they were being installed, she pointed proudly at the crystals.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re each a solid unit. Two halves of crystal, see? Usually a large gem with almost zero defect\u2014we have to remove impurities by hand, so we buy from Salazsar when the Drakes aren\u2019t price-gouging\u2014and then we write the instructions on the inside<\/em> of the crystals before fusing them together. We have to do that, you see, since they\u2019re external to the Golems and the linkage spells have to be on the outside. However,<\/em> with this method we can effectively increase the amount of command-space because of the crystals\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSe. Se. While your commentary is fascinating, I don\u2019t believe Nsiia cares to follow the advancements in command crystals.\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain interrupted the [Golem Artificer] after the sixth try. Nsiia caught her breath as the woman deflated\u2014she actually had a fake eye, Nsiia noticed. It was stone and kept swiveling around in her head. Not at all creepy and why her apprentices were terrified of her, of course.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, Magus-Crafter Femithain, Crafter Se\u2014I am finding Golems to be quite interesting. I have no idea how they work, though. Can you explain how Domehead will get his\u2026energy?\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain blinked. Crafter Se brightened.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, well, we have the most efficient mana-draw spells inscribed on his heart. Once Femithain finishes his activation and Forming\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have this, Se. You really have an interest, Nsiia?\u201d<\/p>\n She gave him her most interested look\u2014which wasn\u2019t hard because Femithain didn\u2019t look suspicious, but pleased!<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOf course. I would love to know\u2014if you have time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI should be pleased to. Golems are my passion. We can certainly chat about it while I wait for the heart to be prepared\u2014and later, of course. Let me know if I am bothering you, but this is a quite pleasing development, Nsiia.\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter smiled. Nsiia swallowed ten thousand oaths. She should have done this from the start!<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026how do Golems gain their energy? Mana crystals?\u201d<\/p>\n The former-Empress saw Femithain\u2019s eyes bulge. Then he and every [Golem Artificer] in the room burst out laughing. Even the apprentices attaching the legs had to stop to avoid dropping it.<\/p>\n Nsiia glowered. Clearly\u2014the answer was \u2018no\u2019. Femithain looked amused\u2014and embarrassed as he shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all, Nsiia. Excuse me. It\u2019s just that\u2014I believe every single apprentice has asked that of their master. I did the same when I was, oh, twelve\u2026no. I can understand why most would assume that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIncorrectly. You\u2019d burn through even a big mana crystal in an hour! Hah!\u201d<\/p>\n Se pulled out her fake eye with a laugh to wipe at the socket. Femithain nodded. He walked over to the orb, the same as Nsiia had seen in his other golems.<\/p>\n \u201cThis, Nsiia. This is a Golem\u2019s Heart as we call it. Do you see the command spells running across it? They connect to the entire body.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed to the intricate runes that would match up with all the ones running across Domehead\u2019s body just so<\/em> when the heart was installed. Nsiia nodded, her own heart racing. So that was it!<\/em> But\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cBut there\u2019s no magic in there, surely?\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain smiled as another chuckle ran around the room. Now Nsiia was playing the willing fool, and the Crafters were clearly pleased to show off their knowledge.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, there will be. A Golem\u2019s Heart is meant to draw mana from the world around it. No\u2026vessel could hope to hold enough mana unless it produced itself, and since Golems cannot do that, and it is inefficient to link them to [Mages] unless they\u2019re temporary\u2014Golem Hearts store and draw magic from the world around them. Sometimes they need additional mana, but\u2026that is their secret.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh.<\/em> That makes so much sense! Forgive my ignorance!\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to steal your best Golem Heart.<\/em> Femithain smiled at Nsiia\u2019s credulous look.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are exceptions, of course, Nsiia. Some Golems did run off of unique Golem Hearts that produced mana. Unicorn horns, a Kraken\u2019s eye, even\u2026I\u2019ve heard of a Sage\u2019s Grass heart, but it requires at least a decade-old plant and keeping it alive is too difficult\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEasier to draw mana. But how did Illivere march it\u2019s army to Tiqr? There were four hundred Golems, were there not? They should have drained the area dry.\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed they did. We had to bring mana potions and split them up to reduce the strain. Mostly however\u2014a [Golem Leader] or [Golem Artificer] generally gains the [Mana Well] Skill. It allows us to build reservoirs to cast spells from or power Golems. A necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Like [Summoners] and [Necromancers], you mean. [Golem Makers] are much like those two classes, or so I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the wrong thing to say. The good mood of the workshop went dark at once. Someone actually threw something at Nsiia. The woman caught it and stared at Se\u2019s eye, which gave her a dirty look. Nsiia tossed it over her shoulder, and Se ran after it, cursing.<\/p>\n \u201c[Golem Artificers]\u2026are not the same as [Necromancers]. Or\u2026[Summoners],<\/em> Lady Nsiia.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the older Crafters said with a strained smile. Nsiia gave him the same smile.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how not? You all three create beings, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but theirs<\/em> are inefficient wastes of\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain held up a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe what Crafter Merk was trying to say, Nsiia, was that our disciplines have similarities\u2014but are quite different. Summoned beings and undead are usually highly inefficient compared to Golems. They leak mana like sieves, to put it politely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Se had reclaimed her eye. She walked over to Domehead and tapped his legs.<\/p>\n \u201cStructure. See? Domehead is one thing. A skeleton? A zombie? Holes everywhere. Animation spell has to keep the damn bones floating. It\u2019s why they\u2019re so expensive. Although\u2026they do generate death magic. But that\u2019s because they were once alive! Golems are more efficient. And summoned beings? Wastes of mana, the lot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you can reuse summoned creatures and not fear damage or death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh! Ah! <\/em>But can you get the efficiency of a hundred pound arm turning your fancy summoned warrior\u2019s face into\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain actually had to grab Se to prevent her from storming Nsiia. The [Exile] sensed a definite\u2026rivalry\u2026between the classes.<\/p>\n \u201cSe, Se\u2014remember that Sand Golems are temporary by and large. They need to be filled with magic by the caster. Dust Golems too\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose don\u2019t count! We create legacies! You show me an undead that lasts a century!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we fill Domehead\u2019s Heart and calibrate him? I\u2019ll do the forming. You bring Domehead to the practice yard.\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain ushered Nsiia out of the room before she could get herself stabbed by a chisel. She walked with him, wondering if she\u2019d actually managed to annoy him\u2014then she heard his chuckling.<\/p>\n \u201cArtificer Se has stabbed apprentices for less in her classes, Nsiia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClasses?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes. She\u2019s one of our [Teachers] as well as Crafters. We can do a tour on our trip\u2014I forget you have never seen Illivere\u2019s education systems. For now\u2014we should complete Domehead\u2019s activation. We are<\/em> on a schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n True enough. Nsiia watched Femithain take the Golem\u2019s Heart out of the workshop, carefully transporting the glass vessel to be\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that? Formed? What does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain adjusted his spectacles with his wrists as he carried the heart\u2014although Nsiia was pretty sure she\u2019d have trouble breaking it with a hammer.<\/p>\n \u201cAh. Forming. There are three disciplines, broadly speaking, in Golem-making. Shaping, Inscribing, and Forming. Each one is well\u2026self-explanatory. Shapers create the Golem\u2019s body. Inscribers, their instructions by which they move. Formers\u2026well, it is more of a tertiary thing these days. Not truly practiced by all. I am considered the best Former in my state.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is forming?\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cGiving a Golem it\u2019s\u2026being. It differs from instructions. I should explain. Domehead had thousands of commands. Intricate\u2014sequences that allow it to raise an arm, swing the axe\u2014that\u2019s why we put so much time into it.\u201d<\/p>\n Like I did, figuring out how to make a cat\u2019s body move properly.<\/em> Nsiia nodded. She had to create entire cycles for the Cat Golem\u2014walking without falling on its face was an incredible task.<\/p>\n \u201cForming is different. It is giving the Golem\u2014intention. The Steel Golems outside your room? They would only be able to follow orders if their Golem Heart was not formed. They would be Puppet-class Golems, rather than Autonomous-class.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMore words I don\u2019t know, Femithain.\u201d<\/p>\n The Crafter-Magus blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cAh. Well\u2014Puppet, Autonomous, Sentient, and Cognizant are the four classes of Golems. You may hear Autonomous-Sentry. The second word defines purpose. But the four designations refer to the will of a Golem. Puppet means it only obeys orders. It needs no Golem Heart, just the ability to take instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia had made a Puppet-class Golem. She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the other three?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAutonomous is most common. Actually\u2026almost all Golems you will run into are variations of that idea. Able to take comments more or less efficiently\u2014there is quite a lot of variation in the class. But, say, able to improvise on a comment. Not take initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see. Then Sentience is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter halted. And on his face was a look Nsiia had never seen before. A longing.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue intelligence. No\u2014at least the capacity for thought. Like\u2026an animal. Or a child. There is a distinction. Cognizant-class, of which I know of less than ten in the world\u2014those are Golems, undead, or even summoned beings that can think and act of their own will.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia knew of one too.<\/p>\n \u201cLike Cognita of Wistram?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust so.\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-crafter\u2019s spectacles moved towards her for a second, then away.<\/p>\n \u201cI had the honor of meeting Cognita of Wistram, once. She was unlike any Golem I have ever met, before or since. I wish I had the time to travel to Wistram to meet her there as well. Once the states vote another Magus-Crafter, I intend to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou met this Golem outside of Wistram?\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia was startled. Femithain nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce. She visited Illivere. It is rare, but Cognita is able to go where she pleases. She still has\u2026had\u2026a master whose will she carries out. But she herself can adapt as you or I could. Perhaps she is more intelligent than either of us. She is what Crafters aspire to create. But\u2014no one in Illivere can even craft Sentient-class Golems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n And Nsiia did. Completely. She saw it on Femithain\u2019s face. If that young Crafter from this morning had looked one way when he had created the imitation of Nsiia, well\u2014that was how Femithain looked now. It was not love. But it had captured him like a dream.<\/p>\n Nsiia wondered if Cognita had posed nude for Femithain<\/em>, or if he\u2019d been attracted to her for other reasons. Either way, she looked at the Golem heart.<\/p>\n \u201cSo how will you form Domehead\u2019s heart? And why is it difficult to make Sentient-class Golems?\u201d<\/p>\n The man came back into the world.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, impossible? Because we have lost the knowledge, Nsiia. As it is\u2014Forming is an art. In truth, I do not know if the time I put into each Golem heart makes them\u2026better. I believe there is some improvement, but a [Golem Artificer] can spend five minutes on a Golem heart\u2019s forming and get the same result.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere. Look at this and tell me what you see.\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter sighed and rotated the orb to Nsiia. She saw the hollow center, waiting for something to go in the glass hole at the top that would be sealed and create the perfect sphere into which mana would flow. Command spells ran like the world\u2019s most convoluted maze all over the orb, connecting it to Domehead\u2019s other lines of instructions.<\/p>\n But there\u2014in the center\u2014was something strange. Nsiia saw it, connected yet separate. Not written in the language of magic, but in\u2026words.<\/p>\n It was a poem.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What purpose has the hammer who strikes?<\/em><\/p>\n What joy has the fang which bites?<\/em><\/p>\n The sword reaps no reward that it cuts.<\/em><\/p>\n Yet the satisfaction, aye, that may be it all.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n It was a poem written on the Golem\u2019s Heart. Femithain smiled slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cIntention. That is forming, Nsiia. And I will add a material thing to the center of the heart. Something to give the Golem\u2014a purpose. As I said\u2014another [Golem Artificer] could take five minute and copy that poem or another commonly-used speech, or even picture. I\u2026customize each one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut why\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo they are more than words and metal. How else would you make a heart? If you leave it empty, they are just shells. Puppet-class. At least in this way, we can create Autonomous-class Golems.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all the Magus-Crafter said. He led Nsiia onwards to find his Golem\u2019s Heart. She followed, understanding more and less about Golems by the moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The thing that would be Domehead\u2019s Golem\u2019s Heart was important. At least, to Femithain. Others were less caring about intention. They might put in a flower, a few rose petals, a bit of seawater. But apparently, the Golem hearts of old had been truly magnificent and Femithain believed that was the key to creating a Sentient-class Golem.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what will be Domehead\u2019s heart?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI asked for the one thing I think would be appropriate. And he will also help us \u2018teach\u2019 Domehead by refining his move set before the Golem F\u2014the Testing. <\/em>And here he is. Armsmaster, my thanks!\u201d<\/p>\n Armsmaster Dellic, the same man who had led Illivere\u2019s living armies during the war, turned and bowed. He hesitated as he saw Nsiia, but she smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cArmsmaster. You look as well as the day I surrendered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you in health, Empress.\u201d<\/p>\n The man muttered. Nsiia took pity.<\/p>\n \u201cA [Soldier] does what he must, Armsmaster. Vasraf would have done the same if the situations were reversed. I hold no grudge against you.\u201d<\/p>\n She winked and the man straightened.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of you to say, Empress.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFormer-Empress, Armsmaster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery good, Magus-Crafter. I ah, have what you requested right here.\u201d<\/p>\n The man produced a little bundle wrapped in white cloth, looking embarrassed for some reason. The Magus-Crafter smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. Did you wait long?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Armsmaster] shook his head mutely. He looked around at the Crafter\u2019s workshops, set in this most prestigious, most important part of the city. The \u2018practice courts\u2019 were not for people with swords, incidentally. They were for Golems to walk around in, even spar.<\/p>\n \u201cI made good time, Magus-Crafter. It\u2019s an honor to help with the Testing.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a strange thing. Dellic was a rather good fighter, as Nsiia understood it. As [Armsmaster of Steel], he was a formidable man and Nsiia would have placed him highly in her own armies, especially as a trainer of new warriors. He seemed loyal, an excellent virtue, and Magus-Crafter Femithain clearly held the man in some regard, and the same was more than true of Dellic.<\/p>\n However\u2014the man was in charge of all<\/em> of Illivere\u2019s armed forces. An [Armsmaster]? And to judge by the way some of the Crafters were looking down their noses at this intruder, even the way Dellic stood, it was clear they regarded him as being little more than an elevated [Guard].<\/p>\n It annoyed Nsiia no end. She<\/em> was a non-Crafter, and thus inferior, but like a peacock, she was awarded a significance as a former [Empress] as well as her beauty and fighting grace, which Illivere\u2019s citizens had in short supply. But that only meant she empathized with Dellic; to some, she was an exotic beauty, excellent to be turned into a Golem\u2014but not a person.<\/p>\n \u201cArmsmaster, do you have much to do in times of peace? These wars with Reim must surely keep you busy.\u201d<\/p>\n The man started and bowed again.<\/p>\n \u201cI am much less busy in times of peace, Empr\u2014Highborn Nsiia, it\u2019s true. I maintain Illivere\u2019s Sword Regiment\u2026s\u2026with volunteers. Right now I\u2019m drilling as many as I can get to enlist. The Magus-Crafter has kept us from war\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n And long may he continue to do so.<\/em> That was the man\u2019s unspoken message. Nsiia nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the latest with the King of Destruction?\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain was busy unwrapping Dellic\u2019s gift. The two stood to the side, talking knowledgably, even agreeably. If Nsiia liked Femithain\u2014she and Dellic shared a bond of understanding.<\/p>\n \u201cArmies are pouring into Reim. Hellios being encouraged to rebel\u2014but no one\u2019s jumping up yet, just a few idiots who got squashed. Not with the Steward shooting across the borders. Er\u2014the King of Destruction\u2019s slowed Medain and his eastern flank, though. Mars and Orthenon both sacked cities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy themselves?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmall group. Apparently the Illusionist broke through the gates, climbed onto the walls, and fought for six hours until the defenders broke and ran.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds like her, at least. No small city could stop the Illusionist\u2014or the Steward. What of Pathseeker?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGazi the Omniscient? Nowhere to be seen. But that just makes everyone worried.\u201d<\/p>\n The two chuckled over that. Nsiia heard a sigh and turned. Femithain had Dellic\u2019s object that he wanted to place in the heart. Nsiia saw\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIs that\u2026a shield?\u201d<\/p>\n It was, in fact, a buckler. Old, worn\u2014and split in two, so definitely not actually useful as a shield anymore. It was good steel though, and had clearly seen countless battles before it had split. Nsiia looked at Dellic. The [Armsmaster] shuffled his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ah, mine, Highborn Nsiia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNsiia will do, thank you, Dellic. Your buckler?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s seen me through years of fighting. Carried it everywhere as a soldier of fortune. I hung onto it because it saved my life. Sentimental. I mentioned it to the Magus-Crafter and he asked to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia inhaled. Dellic just shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nothing special, Magus-Crafter. Not even enchanted. It\u2019s an honor, you wanting to place it in the Golem\u2019s Heart, though. Especially to represent the Testing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI believe it will make a difference, Dellic. Something of this value matters to Golem Hearts, or so I have observed myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Femithain quietly inserted the pieces of the buckler. They lay there, nothing special to look at. But Nsiia saw the value.<\/p>\n \u201cValue, Magus-Crafter? Only to me and the people it\u2019s helped me kill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs I said, Armsmaster. Value beyond what I could give Dom\u2014the Golem.\u201d<\/p>\n The man flushed with pride and clasped a hand to his chest. Nsiia reflected that Femithain was more bureaucrat and [Golem Artificer] than ruler. But he was not bad at leading men.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The activation of Domehead was simple. The entire body was wheeled out into the courtyard. Femithain placed the Golem heart in the chest and it was secured, the chest-cavity closed. Then he placed a hand on the chest, spoke a word, and the Golem moved.<\/p>\n Nothing fancy. Yet\u2014suddenly, the giant of bronze-steel armor moved.<\/em> The glowing dome and crystals lit up. It stood\u2014and picked up the axe.<\/p>\n Nsiia tensed reflexively. She still remembered the War Golems in battle at Tiqr, and Domehead was a paragon compared to them. Not in height or mass\u2014but in construction.<\/p>\n \u201cSteady, Empress.\u201d<\/p>\n The Armsmaster placed a hand on Nsiia\u2019s shoulder. She relaxed and nodded gratefully towards him.<\/p>\n \u201cDomehead\u2014Attack Routine #1. Execute!\u201d<\/p>\n Crafter Se ordered and the Golem swung its axe around. It stepped forwards, bringing down the axe in mighty sweeps and cuts. The watchers in the courtyard murmured\u2014and it was every Crafter in this commune and more visitors besides.<\/p>\n \u201cMagnificent. Look at that fluidity of motion!\u201d<\/p>\n Someone commented. Nsiia just gulped. She had seen the Iron War Golems fighting and they were slow\u2014if deadly swings. You could dodge them\u2014Nsiia had, cutting into their legs. They were more of a terror when supported; an unstoppable blow you had to evade or die from unless you had a high-level Skill.<\/p>\n Those Golems were slow. Domehead? He moved as fast as a man with a hatchet, not a huge battleaxe. Maybe even a bit faster than your average Level 15 [Warrior].<\/p>\n \u201cImagine one of those bastards in a fight. Not er, Tiqr. Just any fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Armsmaster Dellic breathed as the Golem ran through more attack patterns. Nsiia nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cIllivere was once a far larger empire when Golems were still widespread, weren\u2019t they, Armsmaster?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAn empire the likes of which we\u2019ll never see again. Not with the way it ended.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia glanced at Dellic.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDefense Routine #16. Execute.\u201d<\/p>\n Domehead\u2019s axe was a blur of blocking at different levels. Nsiia felt compelled to ask why he had routines.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s simple. We give them routines so it can improvise in a fight. Autonomous-Class won\u2019t deviate from what they know. And they\u2019re too simple to think<\/em> to use a chop; some\u2019ll just use the same thrust over and over. Giving them routines makes them more efficient. And Femithain has created the most adaptive command-inscription Illivere has. Domehead will use different tactics if it senses it\u2019s being ineffective. It\u2019s as close to Sentient-class as you can ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia watched Domehead parry some strikes that the [Golem Artificers] were making with longspears and nodded slowly. Crafter Se looked proud of her creation. And yet\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough. Domehead has no issues in its execution of all attack and defense routines. However\u2026we can still improve the basic routines themselves. Armsmaster Dellic. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n The man had been watching Domehead with an increasingly critical eye as it went through the routines. Now he bowed and spoke, nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cI ah, do see places where\u2014Domehead\u2014can be improved, Magus-Crafter. A few openings and inefficiencies in how it moves, begging your pardon.\u201d<\/p>\n The Crafters muttered. They didn\u2019t like that. Nsiia pursed her lips. She\u2019d seen the exact same thing.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you elaborate, Armsmaster?\u201d<\/p>\n The man tried.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s uh\u2014I think it was Attack Routine #5, Magus-Crafter. You see, when the Golem\u2019s raising his axe like this\u2014it\u2019s a bit too high, you see? Too open. I\u2019d slide in and cut a man trying that on me. And the motion whenever Domehead swings his axe sideways\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He tried to show the skeptical crowd, but he looked silly and Domehead looked impressive when you lined up the motions. And that was because they were flashy<\/em> attacks. But not good<\/em> ones.<\/p>\n They looked like, well, a non-[Warrior]\u2019s idea of what fighting should look like. Dellic was completely right in Nsiia\u2019s eyes. Unfortunately, experience had taught her that meant very little.<\/p>\n \u201cThat jab looks all wrong, though. With a battleaxe like the one Domehead\u2019s carrying, what does a jab like that do?\u201d<\/p>\n One of the Crafters didn\u2019t like the feedback the [Armsmaster]<\/em> was giving him. He jabbed in a parody of Dellic\u2019s motions. The [Armsmaster of Steel] spoke to a point over the man\u2019s head as he clasped one hand to his breast.<\/p>\n \u201cNo offense, Crafter, Sir. It\u2019s just that it works in combat. The axe is a bit oversized and er, fanciful for that matter. Looks a bit too heavy from the blade-end the way the Golem\u2019s swinging it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot Golem-combat, you mean. This axe is designed to pierce<\/em> enemy Golem\u2019s armor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir. I only meant\u2026yessir.\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia could bear no more of it. She strode forwards before Femithain, who was busy overseeing the inscription changes, could interrupt.<\/p>\n \u201cI rather think Armsmaster Dellic has the right of it. I happen to know how to fight myself and I agreed with everything he said\u2014only more strongly. Or would anyone who\u2019s slain more foes on the battlefield care to object to your [Armsmaster of Steel]?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Her tone was derisive. Femithain looked up and the red-faced Crafter hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cBut surely\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFast blows work in combat. More than wide swings. Domehead doesn\u2019t use his weight. He could lean<\/em> into me and I would be cut. He doesn\u2019t seem to shove, does he, Dellic?\u201d<\/p>\n Nsiia looked at the Armsmaster. Encouraged, the man shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all, Empress Nsiia. He could bring that axe up, just like that and just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n He demonstrated and the audience muttered. Nsiia saw many were unconvinced, but she\u2019d given them pause.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you demonstrate, Armsmaster? Only, it\u2019s hard to see for non-[Warriors]. So\u2014try me. Have you practice swords? Or sticks?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Armsmaster] blinked as Nsiia looked around. Femithain raised his brows.<\/p>\n \u201cIt might be illuminating to have two [Warriors] of your calibers spar, Nsiia. Would you be willing to do a demonstration?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSurely. If Armsmaster Dellic has no objections?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014with practice weapons, not at all, Lady Nsiia.\u201d<\/p>\n The man looked embarrassed, but he was<\/em> an [Armsmaster]. He accepted an axe and Nsiia a spear\u2014clearly meant for Golems to use. They were rough on the hands and poorly weighted\u2014but she felt a thrill as she lifted the weapon.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the Golems uses a spear. From Thun. Can you u\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGolem tits!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Dellic deflected the strike from the wooden spear that flashed at his chin. Nsiia would have pulled the blow if she\u2019d felt it would have landed, but the man flicked the spear back without even jerking back much. That showed training.<\/p>\n The audience gasped. Nsiia winked.<\/p>\n \u201cI have heard there are Golems of that sort, Armsmaster. Magus-Crafter Femithain hasn\u2019t explained where they\u2019re to be found, however.\u201d<\/p>\n The Magus-Crafter closed his eyes. He was never<\/em> going to talk about that<\/em> practice in Illivere. And it did exist. But then his attention was drawn to Nsiia.<\/p>\n Because she was quite good with a spear. She might have been an [Empress], but she had fought with the Tusk of Tiqr and she lashed out fast, jabbing at Dellic. Nothing fancy\u2014just a clean thrust that would go through<\/em> you if it landed.<\/p>\n The man held still, using the axe, and knocked the spear butt away. Unlike Domehead\u2019s defensive routines, he could do so moving or standing still and with an economy of motion, nothing fancy.<\/p>\n It made more sense to just knock the spear off-target than to whirl your axe and send it flying. With the whirl of the axe, both you and your opponent needed to bring your weapon into line. With Dellic? He knocked the spear thrust down and attacked in the same motion.<\/p>\n That was skill.<\/em> And the audience, willingly or not, saw it. Femithain murmured to the [Golem Artificers] working on Domehead\u2019s head-dome.<\/p>\n \u201cCan we directly copy some of Dellic\u2019s moves? We had extra space in the command-crystals in the head-dome, didn\u2019t we? Just execute a copy-order and we can wipe it later.\u201d<\/p>\n Magical lines began appearing in one of the blank crystals as a [Golem Artificer] ordered Domehead to do just that. The Golem watched as the two went back and forth and the Inscription-specialists argued over how to translate the basic attacks into Domehead\u2019s movements.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nsiia went for several bouts with Dellic and felt more invigorated than she had in a while. He was good.<\/em> And she was a former-[Empress], not [General] Vasraf whose Skills were more combat-focused.<\/p>\n If it was a battle to the death, she could have used a number of Skills. But since this was a display of talent, she refrained from using [Elephant\u2019s Strength] for a temporary advantage. That would<\/em> have made Dellic sweat.<\/p>\n But he was better, and she didn\u2019t mind admitting it. Nsiia went for a slashing lunge and he swung his axe up and actually severed<\/em> the tip of her spear.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry about that, Empress! [Sundering Strikes]. Forgot to turn it off.\u201d<\/p>\n The man looked embarrassed as he lowered the axe. Nsiia stared at the spear and tossed it aside.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s where you die. Unless you\u2019re a Golem and can be put back together. What would you do then, Empress Nsiia?\u201d<\/p>\n Crafter Se looked amused. Nsiia looked up at the needling tone and smiled. She saw Dellic tense\u2014and lunged out in a punch<\/em> as she grabbed for his axe.<\/p>\n He recoiled and shoved her aside. She tried to hook his legs as her palm went for his face. He was still<\/em> too fast! He backed up, placing his axe up.<\/p>\n \u201cFoul! <\/em>And enough, please, Nsiia. I don\u2019t think hand-to-hand fighting versus an axe is something you would actually practice, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n But Femithain looked amused. Nsiia shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had vambraces and gauntlets, I might risk it against someone half my level. If it were<\/em> a fight to the death, though\u2014and it was Armsmaster Dellic, I\u2019d just run away. Can you teach Domehead that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2014but not for the Testing. Thank you Armsmaster.\u201d<\/p>\n The man bowed to the Magus-Crafter and then to Nsiia. He looked relieved\u2014and grateful as the other Crafters expressed the same sentiment after seeing his actual skill with a blade.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an honor, Magus-Crafter. I shall be at the Testing, of course. Best of luck on Dellva\u2019s victory!\u201d<\/p>\n The others could all cheer at that. Nsiia took her compliments and a towel and water and immediately struck down several more apprentice Crafters as she rinsed herself. Femithain was pleased. Dellic was pleased. Domehead was taken back to the workshop to be adjusted for the matches.<\/p>\n And after that\u2014Nsiia went on a tour of Illivere.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gazi Pathseeker stood on a hill, surrounded by enemies. The sand crumbled underneath her armored boots. She looked around, holding the two-handed claymore. Fearless.<\/p>\n There were so many. <\/em>They came up the hill in a swarm, without giving her the chance to duel. A swarm of faces. The first\u2014was Rasea Zecrew, leering, brandishing a sword.<\/p>\n Dozens of [Pirates] followed her, along with other foes. A Manticore, soldiers\u2014Flos, Orthenon\u2014Gazi spun her claymore around.<\/p>\n She beheaded Rasea, and then impaled the first [Pirate] on her sword. She leapt down the hill as the clumsier attackers swung at her. Their blades and weapons bounced off her armor. Gazi brought her sword up and chopped down\u2014<\/em>into Flos\u2019 head.<\/p>\n The King of Destruction fell down, dead. Gazi kicked Orthenon and then ran him through. She turned, hit the Manticore with her fist and actually shoved<\/em> it backwards, overpowering the larger foe. She saw Flos was still moving and stomped his head into dust.<\/p>\n At this point, Trey decided the sand war-games should probably