Whimsical Deity

B3 C51: Mitigations

Added 2023-07-13 07:50:02 +0000 UTC

All booted up, the forge at last made its usage clear, its words relayed directly into my head.

I looked up at the countless tools peeling off and folding out of the rings hanging above me, making my decision in record time.

Guided flow, please.

<Guided creation flow initiated. Please select an object to make.>

A long list of different categories flashed in my mind ranging from Weaponry all the way down to Farming Tools. Somehow, I doubted we’d be picking the latter.

“Any takes on what we should make? I don’t know how many times we get to use this thing, but does anyone need some new equipment?” I didn’t have a great sense of how powerful anything created by the forge would be, but considering how high-tech it looked, I had high hopes.

A strong hand clamped onto my shoulder. “PPG! You should make something for yourself.”

I expected some backlash from the others, but I was shocked to see a trio of nods at her words.

Aw. Guys… I’d lucked out with such a good party. Such good friends, really. And it looked like they really appreciated the work I’d put in to find this place. All that searching and mining and-

Oachin coughed. “I mean. You realize you’re the only one of us who uses metal, right?”

My eyes turned from the potion-wielding alchemist to his fire-flinging sister, to the cloth-wearing researcher, and at last to the fist-fighting brawler.

Oh. Oh yeah.

Seeing my reaction, he went in for the kill. “And we’d still be getting it appraised afterwards and get you to buy out our shares if you kept it. It just makes more sense to make something one of us can use instead of something we’ll definitely sell, right? Especially if it ends up being soulbound or specific to you in some way.”

All right. Heartfelt moment over.

Perhaps I would have been more embarrassed, but there were more important things on my mind. It was forging time!

I already have full plate armor and some chain mail. Maybe a new weapon type? It would be nice to have something tucked away that didn’t make me look as ridiculous as all of my profession-based gear. I’d gotten used to fighting with a pickaxe by now, but I couldn’t deny it still felt silly.

That resolved, I selected Weaponry.

<Please select your weapon type.>

Even larger than the first list, a new one popped up containing every weapon I could think of and a host of ones I’d never heard of. The choice was daunting from the offset, and I found myself wishing for a simpler option.

Huh. Did I trust the futuristic mental forge to pick a weapon for me? Why not? It probably knew more than I did, at least.

<Approval received. Please stand still.>

Before I knew what was happening, one of the many rings of the forge broke away from its sphere, floating directly over me. I watched with trepidation as it slowly shrank and lowered itself to my head, reassuring the others that I was fine.

At least, I hope I am. Please be nothing freaky.

It rested gently atop my head like a circlet before broadening out and going lower, for a second looking like a silver choker as it reached my neck, and then a belt as it reached my waist. Once it reached the ground, it went back up again, bouncing between my head and feet.

<Scanning… Scanning… Scanning…>

<Class detected: Arcane Arsenal>

<Quest log read to optimize for future completion criteria.>

<Soulbound weapons scanned to avoid inferior duplication.>

<Stats read in to optimize for weapon weight and mana conductivity.>

<Skills read to calculate compatibility.>

<Mind scanned to align with fighting style and future goals.>

<... +33 other scans. Please see logs for full details.>

<Optimizing…>

<Success!>

I blanched as the forge presented me with its findings. I hadn’t been aware that a machine could see all that information, and that had been while I still had three obfuscation chains on. Somehow, I doubted that a random forge in a secret dungeon room was going to be selling my information to anyone, but still, the entire thing gave me the creeps.

As if to apologize for the invasive scan, the forge retracted its wayward ring and pushed a new list to my mind, this one with only eight entries that had percentages after them.

<Please confirm weapon composition. Note, using rarer metals will consume additional energy.>

Both mithril and adamantine seemed fairly high, along with some metals I didn’t even recognize. I had the vague sense that if I pushed it, I’d be able to micromanage the exact percentages and how each metal got used, but I’d be the first to admit I knew nothing about metallurgy. Blindly, I confirmed.

<Weapon type and composition locked in. Collecting ore.>

Eight separate rings unfurled themselves from the sphere, tearing themselves apart and stretching out into long silvery arms. Each of them moved to a different minecart, wrapping around the chunks of ore and pulling them back to the forge.

In the process, a surprisingly large amount of the ore fell into the magma with a splash. Precious mithril fell into the bubbling molten rock, likely never to be seen again.

You’d think with how fancy all of this is, they wouldn’t be wasting any ore.

<Based on the projected energy cost of the creation, additional ore is melted as a mitigation against energy loss.>

Oh. Was it using the ore as some sort of fuel, then? I didn’t fully get it, but it seemed like a mechanic to keep us from creating priceless treasure after priceless treasure. If we created something really expensive, we’d be left with no ore left to make anything else.

After a quick glance at the minecarts, I winced. Already, the more expensive metals were practically gone.

As for the metal that hadn’t been dropped, it was swallowed into the forge. At the same time, a thin tendril of magma began to rise from the pit and move into the forge as if sucked by a straw. The bands started to spin quickly enough to fully obscure the forge’s center, and a loud whirring noise filled the chamber as the complicated machinery went to work.

<Forging in process.>

<Would you like to imprint your weapon with a skill? Note, this option will consume additional energy.>

Um. Can I get more details on that? It sounded neat, but I had no idea what that would entail.

Well, in for a penny, I guess. Already going all-in with the expensive metals. Might as well make it as fancy as possible.

The real question was what skill to choose. I could probably imbue it with one of my weapon skills or even my magic skills to give it some extra oomph, but that felt like the boring option. If I was going to go for it, I might as well choose one of my higher tier skills.

So, pretty much God’s Eye or Stygian Citadel.

Frankly, I had enough vision-related augments. Plus, putting something sight-based on a weapon just felt odd. Especially considering it was the lower rarity of the two, the choice felt clear.

No idea what a metal-space skill is going to do to a weapon, but here we go!

<Skill selected: Stygian Citadel. Projected cost greatly increased. Adjusting.>

Just as before, eight rings broke off and moved to the minecarts, this time full-on upending them into the magma. When they were done, not a speck of metal remained in any of them.

<Ore depleted. Energy depleted. Skipping remaining options.>

<Final forging commencing…>

Shouts abounded as a wave of heat burst from the forge, pushing us all back. Even with the worst of the heat clearly contained in the forge, Oachin and Emin were forced to move back or risk getting burned. With only a sliver of my attention, I noticed my Heat Resistance rising, but the bulk of my attention was glued to the forge.

The many rings of the forge rotated, spun, constricted, expanded, all of it faster and faster with each passing second. The tools built into them folded outwards, fluidly passing through the liquid metal impeding them, presumably prodding, pulling, pushing at the mixture of metal within.

Hotter and hotter the room grew, until even Alara was forced to take a step back. Even through my frost armor and multiple casts of Chill, the heat bled through, drying my mouth out, singing the hairs in my nose.

Faster and faster and faster and FASTER, until-

All at once, it stopped.

No gradual cooldown, but instead straight from its ungodly speeds to perfect motionlessness.

While the forge continued to radiate heat, its whirring and humming had cut off, and all was eerily still.

<Forging complete. Please accept your weapon.>

Every single band of the forge rotated until they were horizontal, forming a singular disk and revealing what lay at the center. A single ring broke off to wrap around the new creation and lowered it down to me, placing my new weapon directly in my hands.

I took it in in all of its glory. The only one nearby thanks to the heat from the forge, it was Nella who took the words out of my mouth.

“Wait. Is that it? It’s supposed to be a weapon, right? Looks like crap.”

I kept waiting for something to change, but after a few seconds, I had to accept she was right.

It did look like crap.

Or more specifically, it looked like a large rectangular block of black rock.

I’m not supposed to go around bashing people over the head with this am I? Afraid what I would find, I hit my new “weapon” with God’s Eye.

Imprinting Shell

A casing of solidified magma surrounding a weapon undergoing a skill imprint. When the skill imprinting process has been completed, the casing will crumble to reveal the weapon within.

Remaining imprint time: 2 weeks

Well. That’s kind of a bummer. Was really hoping for something new and shiny to play with for the rest of the dungeon.

Annoyingly enough, I couldn’t manage to fit the massive block into my spatial pouch, nor did I have any desire to lug it around with me.

No chance it still counts as a weapon, does it? I tried to bind the weapon shell like I would any other weapon.

And shockingly, it worked! Somehow that feels like cheating, but I’m not going to complain.

The entire thing disappeared. Resummoning it and focusing on the timer, a quick check confirmed that the imprint time continued to go down while it was dismissed.

And with no more ore, that was the end of our secret room experience.

“You know, kind of feels anticlimactic after all of that. You’d think we’d at least get to see the weapon.”

As if waiting for that exact comment, the mind of the forge jumped back in.

<Receipt of weapon confirmed.>

<Total energy consumed: Prodigious.>

<Please provide the following to refund your energy usage.>

<1. Supply 61 tons of assorted ore.>

<2. Supply 83,000 mana.>

<3. Sacrifice 68,000 experience worth of monsters.>

What the hell?

“What gives? I thought you said that’s what spilling the ore into the magma was for.”

<Based on the projected energy cost of the creation, additional ore is melted as a mitigation against energy loss.>

Patently unhelpful. If it thought I was able to provide all of those things, it was out of its mind, though.

“Is, uh, everything okay over there?” Still hiding from the heat further down the bridge, Emin called out.

“Yeah, it just apparently wants us to pay it. You’d think it would tell us that beforehand, but I guess not.” I listed out its demands, receiving a low whistle from Nella.

What followed was a good few minutes of scrounging around our inventories for enough materials and cash to repay the forge, but try as we might, we couldn’t end up satisfying it. For starters, the machine barely valued Sylum’s currency, and even with two Nobles willing to chip in, we weren’t even close.

“Well. Shit. Does this mean I have to give the weapon back?” I’d soulbound it already, but I could always unbind it.

<Negative. Energy has been expended regardless of your possession of the created object. Payment is mandatory. Please provide payment.>

“It’s saying we have to pay no matter what?” I wasn’t sure what happened if we didn’t, but I was starting to get an incredibly bad vibe here. “Maybe… we should all regroup in the hallway for a second. Or if it wants experience, we can bring some of the dungeon monsters back to pay with?” With as much urgency as I could muster without sounding horribly suspicious, I gestured for all of us to start walking away.

<Negative. Payment must be provided prior to leaving the forge area.> The entire room shook as a colossal slab of metal dropped from the entrance to the hallway. Seamlessly, it fused with the surrounding wall until there was no way out. <Please provide payment.>

By now, all of us could tell what the score was. Emin was drenched in sweat, only half of which I thought was from the heat. Oachin nervously shifted from foot to foot while Nella glowered at the obelisk. And though she projected an aura of confidence, even Alara struck me as a bit tense.

What exactly happens when it figures out we can’t pay?

<Inability to pay noted.>

<Note: Based on the projected energy cost of the creation, additional ore was melted as a mitigation against energy loss.>

<Applying mitigations…>

A ring pulled off from the forge and started to expand, rapidly widening and lowering itself until it was flush with the circumference of the magma pit. I was half convinced it was about to constrict and bisect us all, but instead it began to expand inwards and upwards, forming a barrier above us. The minecarts, the forge, and the ceiling itself were soon hidden behind a low-hanging metal dome.

All of us looked primed to fight at a second’s notice, but no monsters showed up. No special constructs forged to destroy us. Just a dome separating us from the rest of the room.

Is that it? We’re just in a hot tiny jail now? We can probably break out, can’t we?

But unfortunately, the dungeon had other plans.

KERTHUNK.

I whipped around trying to determine the source of the noise, but it turned out I needn’t have bothered. Well before I would have figured it out, there was a more immediate sensation that drove the point home.

Namely, I was falling.

It disconnected the fucking bridge! It’s dropping us into the magma. All at once, the entire structure started to plummet carrying the five of us with it.

Instinctively, I activated Featherfoot and jumped, but that only took care of me.

Crap, crap, crap! Not enough time! Okay. Nella can take care of herself. The others can’t. Nella’s faster in the air than I am. I’m grabbing Alara because she’s the closest, and Nella has to go for Emin and Oachin.

Not even a second had passed before I Jet Stepped towards Alara and grabbed her, slowing our fall. Taking the hint, she used her class to lighten both of us, reducing the burden on my skill.

Unsure if Nella could even carry two people at once, I spun towards the others, ready to make a mad arial dash and expecting to see them a split second away from falling into the magma.

And that was when I noticed something strange.

Yes, they were falling.

But they weren’t getting any closer to the magma below them.

Because, as it turned out, the magma was falling too.

And so was the dome.

Like a hellish free-falling elevator, everything shot downwards together. Not wanting to be smashed against our new ceiling, I deactivated Featherfoot, and soon Alara and I were falling just as fast.

With the extra time, Nella easily caught up to the others, and though she looked ridiculous hoisting them up with her diminutive stature, she had no problem doing so. Both her Strength and her firepower were more than equal to the task.

We shouted and cried out and asked one another if we knew what was going on, but each of us was as clueless as the last. On we fell and fell.

Until at last the magma hit solid ground, sloshing about and licking at the walls as it slowly settled. The dome stopped falling, and both Nella and I pulled up short before we fell into the mana, carrying the rest of our party with us. For its part, the bridge sank into the bubbling liquid, instantly melting.

“I’m going to try to freeze a patch!” I shouted. Thankfully, nothing was attacking us, but whatever the magma wasn’t cooling. I’d hoped that it would solidify into rock now that it was away from the forge, but it seemed we had no such luck.

I hovered down as close to superheated substance as I dared, pumping some extra mana into my frost armor. I doubted it was comfortable for Alara, but I figured she preferred the cold to getting roasted alive.

Chill. Chill. I focused on a single patch of the magma, casting my Initiate ranked spell in rapid succession. When it failed to work fast enough, I barely managed to wrap Alara up with one hand while summoning a spear of frost mana in the other. I overloaded it with mana and sent it down, and a patch of magma cooled off enough to solidify, forming a small raft for us to land on.

Once we were finally standing on our own two feet, I repeated the process all around us, dumping more and more mana into our surroundings until we had a large and stable patch of land.

Fortunately, the others hadn’t been idle either. Instead of solid rock, a sizable patch of fluffy white served as the others’ flooring, the same flame-retardant “cloud in a bottle” Oachin had shown off to us earlier.

With no one drowning in the magma, at last I breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediate concerns taken care of, I started to take stock of the situation, trying to figure out exactly where we were, and more importantly how we were supposed to escape.

As it took in the exact dimensions of the room we were in, though, it was with mounting dread that I realized I knew exactly where we were. And finally, something clicked for me.

All that walking we’d done to get from the sub-boss chamber to the secret room. There’d been a reason for it. We’d ended up walking an entire half the dungeon in length.

Exactly half the dungeon in length, placing us directly above the very last room I wanted to be in right now.

At the very center of the room, the magma started bubbling intensely. A moment later, it began to rise. A wave of molten rock pushed our two rafts to the side as something truly frighteningly colossal pulled itself from the volcanic lake.

The previously submerged monstrosity managed to find its footing, drawing itself higher until it loomed far above us. Caked in a crust of rock and dripping viscous magma, its exact form was obscured. As it flexed its muscles, however, the rock began to crack and fall off, and the second I could see its skin, I hit it with God’s Eye, already knowing what I would find.

Level 28 Reforged War Titan: 20000/20000hp

Wait, it’s stronger? And the name changed?

More rock fell from the creature, revealing more of its skin, painted with its infuriating coating of silvery-

Wait. Not silvery.

The metal covering the titan had changed hues, no longer a single color, but instead a variegated patchwork of silver and bronze. And blue. And green.

The words of the forge echoed in my mind: Additional ore was melted as a mitigation against energy loss.

It’s reforged. And it’s covered in mithril, adamantine, and a host of other metals besides.

As if to underscore just how screwed we were, the titan reared back, and at a volume that could shake the world, it roared. Spittle flew, landing into the magma with a hiss as the titan gazed imperiously, angrily downwards.

And with that, the entire room erupted into chaos.