It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was just going to be a some mildly amusing little omake about how Castor fought some big beaver and lost. Then I got seized with a fell mood or something, and it evolved into....this.
Criticism's appreciated, as usual.
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The Depths
Castor Tyndaridae
In the depths of the earth, mortals laboured, mindlessly, tirelessly, seeking to build a palace worthy of their master, a throne equal to his power. No power halted them, even spirit beasts were overwhelmed by their mindless, fanatic tides before the work resumed. This labour was all they knew, all that mattered. It would never end, as their master's glory and splendour was endless and infinite, and so their picks chipped away at the sandstone, their skin growing sallow and frail as their muscles withered and the light faded from their eyes, their movements unceasing and tireless until they simply keeled over, unable to work any longer, and were disposed of by their fellows, a fresh-faced replacement taking up their duty soon after. Such was the lot of the throne-builders.
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"So you want me to help kill a spirit beast?" Castor eyed the Senior Mechanikos skeptically. Usually it was Helios, or one of the other younger Senior Mechanikos that approached him with offers of tasks or missions. Typically, he dismissed those out of hand. Vulcus, though? Vulcus, more often then, not, was simply content to leave him to his work, answering questions only when spoken to. For the Senior Mechanikos to offer him a mission was…odd.
"Mhm. It's been causing quite a lot of troubles for one of our mortal vassals to the East. Disrupted their mining operations and cost them thousands of men. Not usually something we'd concern ourselves with, truthfully, that's what garrisons are for. But when the garrison we had stationed there sent in a team to deal with it, their singular Foundation Establishment expert included, only one cultivator, one of the rookies, returned alive. So, the responsibility falls to us. Young folk these days, I swear, can't even kill a single Spirit Beast…."
Tuning out the grumbling that followed, Castor mulled the idea over. Honestly, he wouldn't have been inclined to participate, usually. The Elastic Ape had been bad enough, and he wasn't exactly in the market for new parts to add to Pollux at the moment. His automated companion was, for the time being at least, at full functionality, and Castor himself was focused on finally breaking through. He'd delayed long enough, and he could tell he was almost ready to break through the bottleneck to the Second Heavenstage. If Vulcus was making the request of him though…
"Might I ask Senior to elaborate a bit on what exactly the mission entails?" It was the politest way he could think of to ask "What's in it for me?" without getting a whack on the head from the curmudgeonly Mechanikos.
"You'll be descending into Fractured Sky city's mines, alongside a team of various other Qi Condensation cultivators and three Foundation Establishment cultivators, a specialist included, to hunt down and kill this Spirit Beast so that the city can resume it's mining activities. Every participant in the mission will be rewarded with a considerable sum of contribution points, as well as a portion of the Spirit Beast's corpse, as we believe it to be at least in the Foundation Establishment stage of it's life-cycle."
Well, he could certainly see some benefits involved, when Vulcus put it like that. Even if he wasn't in the market for new parts, the materials from a Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast were usually well beyond his means, and would probably lead to a useful upgrade for Pollux, whichever parts he acquired. Working alongside three Foundation Establishment cultivators would also be a valuable learning experience, assuming they were open to questions and inquiries. Still though, there was something else. Fractured Sky City, the name sounded familiar to him, for some reason or another…ah.
"Wait, isn't Fractured Sky City where they've currently deployed the-"
"Astute, Castor. Indeed, Fractured Sky City's the current location of one of your family's ancestral works. I suspect you'll find examining it to be quite enlightening, even if it's not one of the more combat-oriented masterworks."
Well, if that was the case, then he simply had to go. Few of the truly exceptional automatons created and deployed by his family survived long past the death of their owners, an unfortunate consequence of the specialized nature of his family's array crafting skills and the fact that most such automatons accompanied their creators everywhere.
Those that did, though, could often be considered nothing short of valuable masterworks, exceptionally well-made and excelling in one area or another. Even if this one wasn't particularly powerful in combat, he was sure he'd be able to gain some valuable insight from observing it, one way or another.
It would be unfortunate to stall his cultivation, especially when he was so close to a breakthrough, but an opportunity like this was rare enough that, combined with the other possible benefits, it would be well worth the setback.
"I'll gratefully accept this offer then, Senior Mechanikos." Castor bent low at the waist. Vulcus certainly knew how to pick out the perfect mission for him.
"Hmph," Despite the annoyed harrumph Castor could see a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. "The rest of the mission team will be assembled in the next few days, I'll send someone over when they're ready to depart. I suggest you prepare yourself as well, in the mean time." With that, Vulcus turns around, departing with nary a word.
"Very well, Senior Mechanikos. Farewell."
"Harrumph!"
Castor turned back to his work, excitement playing across his features. He couldn't help it, being able to observe, possibly even work on one of his family's masterworks would be a great opportunity to learn and improve, devise new ways to improve on Pollux using it's design.
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"Alright, now that you're all here, we'll elaborate a bit more on the exact nature of the mission. Nothing top secret, but there were a few details we didn't see as necessary information for those who hadn't accepted yet."
Castor really didn't see the need to clear out a muster yard for a small team of thirty cultivators, they could have done just as well with a corner of it, but protocol was protocol he supposed, even if the mission was nothing worth eavesdropping on. Putting the briefing into the back of his mind (something about a beaver? He was sure he'd find out later), Castor covertly looked around at the other Golden Devils he'd be fighting alongside for this mission. Nobody he recognized, unfortunately, though there were a few rather standout characters that he could see from his position in the center of the loosely organized crowd.
Off to the side right of the crowd, looking to all the world like a master class in brooding, was a cultivator almost entirely swathed in a black cloak. Even straining, Castor couldn't quite make out their face, though he something about their body language told him they weren't happy to be here. Either a shortage of contribution points had driven them to participate, or they had some secondary objective in Fractured Sky City, if he had to guess. It was a nominally mortal city, from the reports he'd read, but there were at least a few loose cultivators and extremely minor sects that were active there, even if none of the cultivators were even Foundation Establishment.
As far as their skills….a stealth specialist, maybe? They certainly didn't look like a frontline fighter, and while Mechanikos came in all stripes he didn't really get the vibe of a fellow academic from them either. An enigma, in any case.
Near the front of the crowd, standing more then a head above just about any cultivator in the mission crew, was a man that looked like he'd never taken a bath in his life. His skin was bronzed by both blood and sun, and his stringy blond hair was organized in a loose ponytail, which partially obscured the tattoos running all the way down his back and arms. He couldn't see all of him, but Castor'd bet drachma that he was tattooed in much the same way over most of his body. Many of the tattoos he could see, though, were marred by scars. The scratches of claws, bite marks, burns, his skin was a book that told tales of hundreds of different battles.
As for his clothing…well, there really wasn't much at all. A loose fitting leather vest and…some kind of kilt(?) seemed to be about all he had covering himself, outside of some cords around his arms that seemed to carry teeth, scales, and all other manner of bestial memorabilia. He did remember Vulcus mentioning a Foundation Establishment specialist would be participating in the mission, and this fellow certainly seemed to fit the bill. He'd have to consult him on the journey over, see if he knew any more about their quarry.
Finally, off to the left of Castor's position were a group of rather unremarkable female cultivators. Skin lightly bronzed, with neatly arranged white-blond hair and aquiline features, they looked the part of a traditional Golden Demon cultivator to a tee….all three of them. Exactly. Were they triplets? It would've been odd on it's own, though believable, but their Qi was like nothing he'd ever felt before, a shifting, roiling mass, a living thing that flowed freely though the three of them.
These….three(?), he wagered, were the three Foundation Establishment cultivators that would be accompanying them. A bit of a motley crew, if he was being honest, but cultivators did always seem to develop quite a bit more individuality once they finally escaped the Qi Condensation stages, so he supposed they were about par for the course, even if they didn't quite fill him with the same confidence as the two Foundation Establishment members that had accompanied the first caravan he'd ever been a part of had. Castor would need to see if he could meet them during the journey, especially that beast specialist. He'd likely be able to tell him more about this Spirit Beast they would be hunting then a mission scroll ever could.
As the mission briefing finally began to wind down, and the cultivators began to disperse, Castor followed suit, absorbed in his own thoughts. He wasn't particularly looking forward to another caravan journey, especially with how his last one had gone, but he'd hopefully have the chance to get the know these Foundation Establishment cultivators a little better. Small mercies.
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This caravan's journey was, thankfully, a good deal more peaceful then the one he'd been on before. No Blood Path cultivators or bandits hindered their path this time, only a few packs of spirit beasts, ignorant or reckless enough to test themselves against three Foundation Establishment cultivators and a sizable retinue of Qi Condensation disciples. These attacks had, at the very least, given Castor ample opportunity to see exactly how competent the comrades he would be fighting alongside were.
His fellow Qi Condensation cultivators were, if he was being honest, rather disappointing. They were hardly incompetent, by any stretch of the imagination. Most would label them fine examples of Golden Devil disciples. Still, though, they were just that, average. No interesting techniques or specialties, as far as he could tell, and despite the fact that most of them were multiple Heavenstages above him, he didn't think he'd be at much of a disadvantage in a fight, especially with the assistance of Pollux. The Foundation Establishment cultivators were, at least, quite a bit more interesting. The black cloaked figure hadn't removed that stuffy looking robe the entire journey, and any time Castor'd tried to approach them to speak, be it near the end of the day when everyone was bedding down or in the wake of battle, they always managed to quickly slip away.
Their combat ability remained a complete mystery as well. Outside of a couple of silvery flashes shooting from their robe, which Castor scarcely noticed in the heat of battle, they hadn't apparently taken any sort of action otherwise, never getting within a hundred meters of any of the Spirit Beast attackers. That said, though, every silvery flash seemed to herald a strange effect in some beast or another, Castor'd observed.
Sometimes they'd simply begin to foam at the mouth before keeling over, other times they'd turn their attention from the cultivator they were fighting and attack one of their comrades. In one instance he'd even noticed that, as some vaguely draconic, scaly Spirit Beast attempted to spew fiery breath from it's mouth it had suddenly snapped shut, bewilderment the only emotion in it's eyes before the fire, left with nowhere else to go, melted them from their sockets. The mystique surrounding the senior cultivator, much as it seemed to disturb many of his contemporaries, fascinated Castor. Still, all of his attempts to find out more about them had been rebuffed. Hopefully some kind of opportunity might present itself when they arrived at their destination, but in the meantime he was stumped.
The beast hunting specialist, who's name he'd learned was Persus, well, he was about as straightforward as they came. He was at the front during every Spirit Beast attack, ripping and tearing into enemies with his bare hands, not that Castor was particularly surprised. Despite the strength behind his blows, though, Castor had noticed a great deal of precision. Every strike seemed to rip into his enemy's with even greater ease then one would expect, and Castor suspected that he knew exactly where to strike to deal the most damage. Behind that meathead exterior, there was probably quite a lot of knowledge lurking. Most of the time, though, he appeared to avoid hanging around the caravan, mostly "scouting ahead", though if Castor had to hazard a guess he simply preferred the solitude. Asking around, none of the other Qi Condensation cultivators had heard of him, despite his seemingly young age, a fact that, to Castpr at least, spoke of someone that much preferred the wilds to civilization.
Finally, there was the triplets. Unlike the other two, Castor had actually had the opportunity to converse with them, and found them to be quite the interesting individuals, though a bit…odd. They weren't really three people, for one thing. The concept still rather confused Castor, he had to admit, but apparently they'd somehow fused their collective Qi and consciousness together, with one mind controlling three bodies. Geryis they called themselves, and the fusion had allowed their Qi to become even greater then the sum of it's parts, and reach foundation establishment. Castor'd certainly seen the fruits of their unique constitution during the Spirit Beast attacks. Elementalist attacks were where their specialties lay. By using all three of their bodies, they'd thus far been able to produce a variety of different combination attacks, electrifying and freezing water, creating and controlling scalding scene, and even, at one point, creating a flow of magma to melt a pride of many-eyed lions.
An interesting set of seniors, for sure, even if he'd only had the opportunity to actually converse with one.
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"Alright, we're only a few days away from Fractured Sky city. So, to refresh your memory and give some of my own input, I'll be briefing everyone here on the details of the mission."
From his position at the back of the group packed into the largest wagon in the caravan, Castor could nonetheless see that the Beast Hunter was all business. Boisterous but aloof was how Castor would best describe him for most of the trip, so this was a rather welcome change.
"Firstly, we're going to be meeting with the King of the city, Shang Hong. Ostensibly to officially render our services in dealing with the spirit beast that bested our garrison. Really, though, we're mostly going to be visiting the palace to get a quick briefing from him on any changes to the circumstances that might have happened since we set out. Better safe then sorry. After that, we're going to spend the rest of the day gathering intelligence of our own around town. Then, the day after that we're going to be descending into their mines, and hopefully completing our mission. Nice and simple, but easier said then done."
The Beast Hunter looked around, expression grave.
"Outside of my Foundation Establishment companions, most of you have, in all likelihood, never encountered a proper spirit beast."
At that, one of the Qi Condensation cultivators to Castor's right piped up, sounding a bit offended.
"Senior, we've been fighting Spirit Beasts for this whole-"
"Ah-ah-ah." The Beast Hunter wagged his finger, cutting the disciple off. "Let me finish, if you don't mind."
Though still looking mildly reluctant, the disciple fell silent, letting the Foundation Establishment cultivator continue.
"Right. Now, I'm sure plenty of you have encountered spirit beasts within their Qi Condensation equivalent. Probably fought and killed quite a number of them, as well. But it's only when an animal reaches their equivalent of Foundation establishment that a spirit beast truly becomes a
Spirit Beast."
The Hunter looked around, locking eyes with every disciple in the wagon, expression deadly serious as most of them wilted away or looked elsewhere.
"A Qi Condensation spirit beast is simply an animal that's been exposed to some Qi, little different from their natural counterpart. A threat still, sure, but a minor one. A Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast, though, is an altogether different story. A Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast is a creature that has spent most of it's life saturated in Qi, internalizing and feeding off of it, growing, evolving beyond any natural creature. Their intelligence has far surpassed any normal animal's, and though they still lack a human intellect, they're not far off now. The little quirks caused by their Qi exposure have evolved into devastating attacks, their natural attributes evolving into deadly weapons. Just as much as a cultivator of their level, and in many cases even more so, a Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast is a foe to be feared by any fighter below Core Formation. So, the nature of the beast itself aside, I urge the utmost caution throughout this mission. Underestimating this thing could, in no uncertain terms, be the death of you.
For a moment, the carriage is silent and tense, disciples looking around at their peers, suddenly nervous. Even Castor felt a thrill of fear work it's way up his spine. He certainly had his fair share of experience with Spirit Beasts already, after the Elastic Ape, and fighting a creature in a whole different league from that monster….well, it didn't exactly excite him.
After a moment's pause, the Beast Hunter, satisfied that his point had gotten across, continued.
"Right, now, on to the beast itself. Throne-Building Deserts Beavers aren't a particularly well-documented Spirit Beast, normal Desert Beavers are rare enough, and for them to evolve to Foundation Establishment is even rarer. If it has any special abilities as a result of it's evolution, they aren't in any of our records. Still, we can infer it's general abilities, based off of what we know about normal Desert Beavers, and beavers in general."
At that, the Beast Hunter picked up a sketchbook from the table next to him, holding up an illustration for everyone in the carriage to see. It…wasn't the most intimidating creature he'd ever seen, if he was being honest, and his comrades seemed to agree, a ripple of poorly suppressed laughter passing through the crowd of Qi Condensation cultivators.
"Looks pretty ridiculous, I know, but these things are nothing to sneeze at. 300 pounds of fat and muscle, they're durable, and a slap from that tail can snap most other Spirit Beast's in their weight class's neck. As for the teeth, well, normal beaver species use them to chew through trees and logs, but Desert Beavers, on the other hand, with no wood to be found, use them to hew
sandstone. I think that you can guess what they'd be able to do if they could sink those into even a durable cultivator's flesh.
That sobered the room up quickly enough, to be certain.
"The Throne-Building Desert Beaver, as an evolution of this, can be assumed to retain much stronger versions of these traits. It's likely increased a great deal in size and resilience, and it's teeth, if what the records say is correct, are capable of shredding steel like paper at this point in their lifespan. Like it's previous evolution, it's also a skilled digger, a tool it uses to work on and improve it's "life goal". Deserts Beavers, like normal beavers, build themselves sizeable homes of their material of choice, in this case sandstone. The Throne-Building variant, in turn, retains an obsession with expanding on it's home, working on it endlessly to create the massive sandstone maze it inhabits. It was likely hibernating underground when something in the Fractured Sky mines interrupted it's slumber. We can, as such, expect to be fighting this creature in a heavily fortified position location, on it's own turf. Myself and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators will do the vast majority of the work, so for the rest of you, the main objective is to make sure we aren't interrupted. Throne-Building Beavers become rather solitary after their evolution, supposedly, but still, we can't be entirely sure where a Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast is involved. That's about the long and short of it, I believe. I'll be going ahead to inform the remainder of the garrison about our arrival, so I'll see you all in the city. Dismissed."
As Castor left the carriage, he resolved to make sure Pollux was in top form for arrival in the city. This mission was, at the very least, obviously not going to be a simple matter.
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Fractured Sky City welcomed it's new arrivals gratefully. The normally murky skies, often stained with smoke and smoke that had earned the city it's name were clear now with no ore being smelted or refined, an affair that seemed to have the entire city in a panic. After they were escorted through the city in what practically amounted to a parade, and gave their official statement to the king that they would slay the spirit beast on the morrow, they were ushered into a side room and, after about thirty minutes, the king finally arrived, looking absolutely exhausted outside of all his court regalia. He carried himself with dignity, but his back was bent as if carrying a great weight, and what must have been a well groomed mustache and chin patch looked ill-maintained and drooping, a match for the dark bags under his eyes.
"Honoured cultivators. Pleasantries aside, I'm glad you're here. The situation has become almost untenable. Miners are vanishing left and right, even though we've closed off the mines themselves, and the citizens are on the brink of a panic. Apologies for not being more verbose but, well, we're desperate."
Stepping forward, Persus clasped his hands, giving a tight bow.
"We understand, you're majesty, and we plan to see to it that the threat to your city in eliminated first thing tomorrow. Has anything about the situation changed since the last report? The fewer unknown variables there are, the easier it well be to do our job."
"Yes, there's one major event that's taken place since the last report. The Under-Light Miner has vanished."
Persus blinked, confused. "The Under-Light Miner?"
"Ah, I can elaborate on that, sir." And that was the moment that Castor decided to step in. As Persus turned his gaze to him Castor hurried to elaborate.
"The Under-Light Miner's an automaton that was made by one of my family's Mechanikos, sir, one of our masterworks. It's owner passed away centuries ago, but it's still in good condition, so it's periodically deployed to different mining operations in the Golden Devil territories."
"One of your family's Automatons? Ah, if you've got an automaton as well, I take it you're a Tyndaridae then? I see, I see. How strong would you say it is, young Mechanikos? I've heard your family's masterworks are generally rather powerful."
He'd heard of Castor's family? Shaking the moment of surprise off, Castor continued.
"Yes sir. The Under-Light Miner's specialty lies in, well, mining, but it's combat abilities are still at around Foundation Establishment level, thanks to the materials it was made from and the skill of it's maker, sir."
"That strong? Damn, something like that could upset the whole mission. Alright Tyndaridae, I want you to head down to the garrison and speak with the Mechanikos there. Even if it's creator's long gone, I'm sure whoever does maintenance on and controls it will have some ideas about it's weaknesses."
"Yes sir."
"Oh, and Argent, you accompany him, if you don't mind."
"Hrm."
Castor almost jumped out of his skin at of his skin at the grunt behind him, barely holding back a shout as he slowly turned around to face the black cloaked, Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Scare aside, he'd been hoping for an opportunity like this. He got to learn about the Under-Light Miner and, hopefully, this mysterious cultivator? Perfect.
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How the hell were they this evasive?! The entire walk to the garrison, Castor had tried to get closer to the cultivator, to even get a word in, but they were like a damn shadow. He hadn't lost sight of them once, he was certain, but they always seemed to be more then a few meters away, no matter how Castor tried to close the distance. It was honestly getting a little infuriating. Still, now that they'd arrived at their garrison, there were other matters to attend to.
After introducing himself to the acting garrison commander, and learning of the location of the garrison's Mechanikos, he took off to find his workshop, a rather simple undertaking, as the squat, ugly building stuck out like a sore thumb. As Castor entered he was, privately, impressed. Mechanikos deployed to garrisons weren't exactly expected to introduce new innovations or designs, but this one certainly seemed to be giving it his best shot. Half finished array schematics and weapons were strewn about the room, and at the very center, in front of a massive forge, a burly figured, goggles concealing most of his face with the exception of the bushy black beard underneath, hammered away at what Castor, if he had to guess, took for a Ballista crossbow bolt.
"Excuse me. Are you the garrison's Mechanikos, by any chance?"
For a moment the man didn't respond, continuing to hammer away at the bolthead. No surprises there, Castor hated being interrupted in the middle of his work as well. Finally, though, he turned around, pulling up the goggles to reveal a pair of clear green eyes.
"Aye. Who's asking?"
"I'm with the Spirit Beast extermination team the sect deployed. One of the leaders asked me to find the garrison's Mechanikos and inquire about the Under-Light Miner, since I'm quite knowledge about in that area." Castor stepped aside, indicating Pollux. The man's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then narrowed in interest.
"Oh ho, that's a fine automaton ye've got there, lad, 'specially for someone your age. You are Tyndaridae then?"
"Mmmhm, decided to come on the mission when I heard that the Miner was deployed here. I was quite interested in getting a look at it."
"HA! Bet you were, lad, she's a real fine piece of work, some 'o the finest artifice I've e'er laid eyes on. Shame she went missing a couple 'o weeks ago."
"I don't suppose you have any idea why?"
"Well, reckon it's pretty obvious it has somethin' ta do with that beaver down in tha mine, but I'm not exactly a foremost expert on Spirit Beasts, so couldn't say what caused it, exactly. Did notice a couple of things though, not too long 'fore it vanished."
"I'd appreciated any sort of insight you have, we'd really rather avoid anything cause the mission to go awry."
"Right, right, fair enough. Well, a week or so ago, before she vanished, she started goin' a bit…" The man gesticulated wildly, seemingly trying to find a good way to illustrate his point. "…haywire would be the best way ta put it, I s'pose."
"Haywire?"
"Aye, started wandering about when it wasn't told to, stopped and started suddenly, and almost brained a miner a day or two before she vanished. Couldn't find anything wrong with 'er parts or array though, so not much I could do 'bout it."
"Strange. Could you think of anything, anything at all that might have caused it?"
"Well…there was one thing tha' was a bit odd, I noticed."
Wandering over to a workbench in the corner, the man started rifling through vials and tubes, stacks of papers falling this way and that.
"Ah! Here we go."
Crowing triumphantly, the Mechanikos wound his way back through the mountain of blueprints and papers to Castor, handing him a vial. Holding it up to the light, all that Castor saw were…hairs?
"Every day when she came back from tha mine her, and a bunch 'o the miners besides, were covered in this stuff, no clue where it came from, and it didn't seem to be doin' any harm, so we just left it alone. Still, considering the Miner and a bunch 'o workers have vanished now…"
"Mm, yeah, it seems likely that they're linked. Thanks for your assistance senior, I'm sure this will help a lot. One last thing though, much as I hate to ask it. About the Miner, does it have any…weak points? I more then anyone would hate to damage one of my family's masterworks, but well, if something's happened to it…"
"Aye, aye, I understand. She's a fine piece 'o work, but lives're lives. Well, y'see, most of 'er body's heavily armoured, make sure she isn't damage by cave-ins and all tha', but here and here…"
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Castor'd been left with a lot to think about after he left the Mechanikos's office, and the quiet streets, now almost empty with night falling, were the perfect place to delve deep into his thoughts as he made his way towards the quarters the King had mentioned he'd prepared for them before Castor was sent on his errand. So, lost in his thought, he wasn't quiet able to conceal a shriek of terror this time as, from a very innocuous looking shadow, a sibilant voice rasped out.
"Let me take a look at that vial."
Castor, in the meantime, was panting, clutching at his chest as he stared at what he'd previously taken to be an empty shadow. He only began to relax as, finally, a black cloaked figure Castor'd kind of forgotten about in the excitement of automatons and strange hairs began to melt out of the shade.
"Geeez, don't scare me like that, I don't want to end up as some cultivation junior's ghost teacher just yet."
Taking the vial out of his pocket, he tossed it over to the Foundation Establishment cultivator as he stared at them curiously. Much as they'd startled him, he was pretty sure the voice was feminine, which…made sense he supposed, even bundled up like that they didn't seem particularly tall. Why all the secrecy though? The Golden Devil cultivator was, meanwhile, content to ignore Castor's pointed examination, removing the hair from the vial and examining it.
"…There's Qi in it."
Castor paused again at the quiet voice. It felt like it was coming from her figured, yet echoing all around him at the same time. "Hm? Qi? If there's Qi…the Beaver then, I guess?"
"Mm."
With that, she stepped back into the shadows and…vanished again. Castor sighed, staring at the spot where she'd disappeared. This concealment was really getting a bit troublesome, even if there was probably good reason for it. She'd taken the vial too. Well, he supposed she'd probably bring it back to Persus, at least, but still, she could've at least given it back, he'd rather wanted to examine it himself.
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The next morning, the whole mission team stood outside the primary entrance to the mine, the Qi Condensation cultivators lined up before their Foundation Establishment seniors, Persus at the front.
"Alright! Thanks to some helpful investigation on the part of Argent and Castor, we've learned at least a little bit more about our enemy. The beaver, according to Argent's examination of one of it's hair, appears to be able to conduct Qi through it's fur, and even retain a remote charge. With that remote connection, it can use it's Qi to seize and manipulate the Qi of those the fur's in contact with. It's pretty useless against any sort of cultivator, due to our refinement and control over Qi, but for a mortal it's impossible to resist. With some effort, the beaver was also able to take control over an automaton that was being used in the mine, known as the Under-Light Miner. It's not a combat specialized automaton, but it's an extremely well-made piece of artifice, so it's combat ability is apparently around the level of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This would've been a major kink in the plan, since we would've needed to divert one of our number to deal with it, but junior Mechanikos Castor presented a plan that he believes would allow a few of you Qi Condensation cultivators to at the very least immobilize it. Castor, you're up."
Stepping out of the line and to the front, Castor hid a gulp. He could be social when he needed to, but speaking in front of crowds…well, he preferred a quiet workshop, to say the least.
"Well, the Miner's an extremely high quality automaton, which presents a lot of difficulties. Most of it's body is covered in heavy, spiritually reinforced bronze plate a foot thick. Most Foundation Establishment cultivators could barely dent it, let alone break through it, and with a body specialized for mining, it's extremely strong. It has one big weakness, though. Rather then legs, the Miner was fitted with treads, since they allow for easier movement in an enclosed space like a mine. A strength for mining, however, is a weakness for combat. If we can do something to damage or gum up it's treads, we can completely immobilize it."
Persus stepped up as Castor stepped back, nodding to the younger cultivator in acknowledgement.
"Thank you Castor. To that end, Geryis spent most of last night preparing a pair of talismans. They're single use, but the Frost Qi embedded into them is strong. As long as they're in physical contact with the treads when they're activated they should completely ice them over, immobilizing it."
One of the Qi Condensation cultivators spoke up at that.
"Er, sir, I respect your combat knowledge, but asking Qi Condensation cultivators to get that close to a Foundation Establishment level opponent is a bit…" The young man paled for a moment as many of his peers shied away from his position, evidently expecting a rebuke. The heavily muscled beast hunter, though, just nodded in acknowledgement.
"Yeah, you're not wrong, against a normal Foundation Establishment enemy, sending Qi Condensation fighters would just be asking them to die. In this case though, there's a chance. Castor?"
"Well, the Miner's incredibly strong, probably only a step or two below Core Formation in that regard. In terms of speed though, it's extremely slow. Not even at the peak of Qi Condensation. Not that that would normally matter, since it can wear down just about any opponent's stamina before they pierce it's defenses, but with a tactic like this one even Qi Condensation cultivators like us should be able to get in and out to deliver the talismans, though it's still a risky prospect."
"There you have it. Assuming there are no other objections I'll need two of our fastest Qi Condensation cultivators, to deliver these talismans. If you're confident in your speed, then step forward."
Slightly hesitatingly, two sect members stepped up. One of them, to Castor's surprise was the young man who'd questioned Persus earlier. The other was one of the other Golden Devil cultivators, a slim younger girl with straw blonde hair plaited down her back. Persus presented them with the talismans, then turned back to the rest of the group.
"Right! With all that said, it's time to descend. We'll step in if anyone looks like they're in serious danger, but for the most part the three of us are going to try and preserve our Qi for the fight with the beaver, so we'll be travelling in the middle of the group. Golden Devils, advance!"
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The silence in the mines was oppressive. Every breath Castor took, he felt as if he might awaken some ancient, unfathomable creature, a being that humanity hadn't laid eyes on for incalculable eons.
They'd been descending through the winding tunnels of the mine for a few hours now, and though things had begun jovially, cultivators talking excitedly amongst themselves about what they'd spend the mission's contribution points on, as the surface became further and further away, the damp, all consuming darkness began to weigh on hearts and minds. They began to whisper, then barely speak at all, as flickering lanterns that had been brought along for the trip to conserve Qi cast shadows that seemed to ebb and flow like ink, immediate surroundings brought into sharp relief but anything beyond them an invisible wall of pitch black that promised unknowable horrors.
It was only once they'd reached the deepths of the mines, hundreds of meters below the surface, with a rock mass that could kill a Nascent Soul cultivator hanging over their heads that they finally heard something. It could've been anything, some tiny spirit beast, or a bat, or even just a pebble, carelessly kicked ahead of them. Regardless, though, a pall settled over the group in an instant, quiet, whispered conversation fading out of existence as everyone in the group listened, straining their eyes in hopes of catching a glimpse of something, anything, in the darkness beyond the lanterns, something to dispel that ominous mystery of what lay ahead. Nothing made itself known, though, and hearts weighed even heavier then before, the mission team pressed on into the umbral abyss, hairs on end and nerves already frayed to their limits.
Finally, they came upon what could only be the entrance to the Throne-Building Desert Beaver's home, the rough tunnel stretch off past the range of their lanterns and hewed with distinct bite marks.
Then, in the distance, a patter. Almost imperceptible at first, it built up to a rumble. Something was coming up the tunnel. Weapons were readied, eyes straining once again until, to the belief of all, Geryis cast an incantation, illuminating the tunnel with soft but steady light. Castor almost wished she hadn't.
What was charging towards them could only be described as a tide of flesh. Hundreds of mortals charged down the wide, their clothes tattered and covered in reddish gold fur that glinted in the magical lack.
The miners themselves looked horrible. To a man they were horribly emaciated, flesh seeming glued on to thin, twiglike limbs and malnourished torsos, ribs poking prominently out of their chests. Many of them sported festering wounds and scars, unbandaged and unseen too, and some even lacked limbs, blackened, rotted stumps all that remained where their gangrenous limbs had once sat. They wielded pickaxes, looked as chipped and worn down as they were, with manic strength. The worst part for Castor, though, was their eyes. They weren't the eyes of human beings. Even the Blood Path cultivator Castor had fought's eyes couldn't even be compared to these lifeless glazed, milky white marbles, locked on to their targets yet at the same time seeming to look right through them. Not one of them uttered a sound as they charged, the only noise they made the patter of their shoeless feet against the sandstone floor of the tunnel.
As the two sides finally met, resolute cultivators against a mindless horde, what ensued couldn't even be called a fight. Every strike from the Qi Condensation cultivators killed or crippled, but their enemies didn't care in the slight. When they died their bodies seemed to simply curl up, dying as soundlessly as they'd attacked while two more of their fellows took their place, swinging their picks with wild abandon and no regard for their own comrades. When a blow was crippling they simply carried on without a sound. At one point Castor was almost brained with a pickaxe when a hand gripped on to his ankle with rictus force, one miner continuing his attack even after Castor had shattered both his knees. Still, though, they were in no true danger. Whenever a blow came too close one of the Foundation establishment cultivators stepped in. It was a surreal, silent battle, the dim blue magical light lending the scene and ethereal quality.
When the last of the miners finally fell, though, Castor only felt sickened. Already some of the other young Qi Condensation cultivators were doubled over, vomiting in disgust as the Foundation Establishment cultivators looked on, even their expressions (The ones not concealed by a black hood anyways) showing a disquieted disgust.
When calm had finally been restored, and gorges were no longer on the rise, the Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered everyone together, then pushed on. Argent scouted ahead, melting out of the shadows with a warning whenever another horde of mindless miners was imminent while Geryis kep the battlefield illuminated and the Qi Condensation cultivators alive, if only just. Persus directed the battle lines, occasionally stepping into the melee himself when the line became strained, though with none of the savage joy he had shown fighting beasts. It was the most grating, exhausting and brutal next few hours of Castor's life. Finally, though, it came to an end when, at the end of the longest tunnel yet, they emerged into what could only be described as an arena.
An almost perfect semicircle, the room stretched on for what Castor estimated to be a few kilometers, the ceiling stretching so high it almost vanished out of range of Geryis' light. It gave Castor the impression of being in a globe, especially with the loosely packed sand underneath his feet. And sitting in the dead center of the room, and a massive, raised sandstone dais, was their quarry.
The beaver was even bigger then Castor had expected it to be. It looked almost three meters tall, and nearly that wide, built like a massive, furry barrel. It's fur was wiry and thick, a lustrous, tawny red-gold. It's eyes, though, looked like malevolent black marbles. This wasn't a simple animal. Castor could feel the hatred in it's eyes as it sized up the intruders in it's throne-room, flashing bladelike front teeth as it almost barked at them, it's voice a feral, bass rumble. No words, but the intent was certainly clear enough. More so then even the beaver, though, it was the figure standing next to it that really seized Castor's attention.
The Under-Light Miner was everything Castor hoped for it to be, and more. Standing a meter taller then even it's current master, the Miner shone, it's burnished bronze form seeming undamaged by it's time without maintenance. It was armoured in a style Castor had only seen in books, heavy plate covering it's form in the approximation of some mortal knight, though the image was destroyed somewhat by the massive pickaxe resting on it's shoulder. Barely visibly under it's bronze visor, blue sensors gleamed in an approximation of eyes, zipping across the team of cultivators squaring off against it at the chamber's entrance. Just laying eyes on the treads, Castor felt his confidence in his plan begin to track. The thick bronze wheels looked as robust and strong as the rest of the automaton, the rubber tracks unblemished by the sand and sandstone. Still, his idea was their best change. They would just need to trust in Geryis's skill.
As the beaver glared down at the intruders, most of them glared right back. If any of them had simply seen it as a wild animal that doubt had vanished the minute they entered the creature's tunnels. Animal or not, even members of a "demonic" sect like the Golden Devils couldn't help but be disgusted by what they'd seen. After another moment of silent standoff, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators blurred into movement, Geryis taking to their air with talismans in all three sets of hands and chants on their lips as Persus charged the Spirit Beast directly, low to the ground in a dead sprint as a grin finally bloomed on his face. Argent seemed to just vanish into a blur and puff of sand. The beaver, in the meantime, leapt from it's throne, and, as it touched the sand the sand, seemed to simply sink in, slipping under the sand without even a ripple.
Their battle, though, wasn't Castor's concern. Half of the Qi Condensation cultivators had been assigned to guide the door while the other half, Castor included, would try and enact the plan to incapacitate the automaton. Quickly, those few among them equipped with ranged weapons opened fire one on the automaton, which had begun to move into the path of Persus. As arrows, spells, and other projectiles clanged off of it's helmeted head, though, the Miner turned it's attention away from him, and towards it's aggressors. It's advance was slow but deliberate, it's pickaxe poised for a devastating swing as it advanced towards them. Taking one of it's hit dead one was a non-option, even a mostly nullified blow from a foe as strong as this one might cripple them.
So, they split up. The ranged fighters continued to retreat backwards, sonorous incantations and the twang of bowstrings signifying their continued assault. Melee combatants, on the other hand, broke off the sides, many of them making their way all the way around to it's back. Castor himself, well, he mostly just stayed out of the way. Automatons didn't exactly have pressure points, and he doubted the pitiful amount of bronze blood he could focus into his fingertips would have a prayer of even scratching the thick plates.
Pollux, though, was on an all-out assault. A barrage of extendable jabs clanged into the automatons torso, the brazen front to the combined melee attack as swords, spear, clubs and various other weapons screeched and clanged into the automaton's arms, head and torso. He almost paid for it too, as Castor desperately directed his automaton to leap out of range, narrowly avoiding a swing from the pickaxe as it whistled through the air. It was slow by the standards of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, maybe, but to Qi Condensation cultivators like them, it was still quick as a whip. If they wanted to plant the talismans, they'd need to do better then this to grab it's attention. A risk would need to be taken. Luckily, much as it had been a slapjob when first developed, there was a weapon installed in Pollux that could do the deed.
Rushing over to a spear wielding Qi Condensation cultivator, Castor relayed his idea and asked him to help spread it around. They looked, well, skeptical to say the least, but it was obvious nobody else had a better idea so they reluctantly agreed. That done, the two of them were able to disseminate the idea quickly, and soon enough, Pollux stood alone, narrowly avoiding the Miner's ponderous swings, Castor wincing at every tortured shriek of metal on metal that signalled a close call. Then, the perfect opening arrived, a horizontal swing aimed directly at the side of Pollux's. Twisting to face the oncoming blow, though, Pollux didn't dodge.
Instead, with a series of whirrs and clicks Pollux's chest cavity opened, bronze jaws ready. As the tip of the pick sped into the opening they snapped shut, metal grinding against metal as Pollux was carried into the air, pick still caught on the bronze jaws. Castor grimaced as he saw the tip of the pick piercing out through Pollux's back, but he'd been more or less expecting that. Pollux's vitals had been rearranged shortly after he'd returned home from the Elastic Ape mission, wouldn't do to have such an obvious structural weak point.
As the pick's movement was finally arrested, Pollux still impaled on the tip, Castor feared, for a moment, that Pollux would simply be flung off by the moment. Thankfully though the jaws held, the pick, unlike the automaton, was hardly master artifice. Staring up at it's fellow automaton, impaled on the tip of it's weapon, the automaton's eye sensors blinked as it considered how to address this strange variable.
On cue, both of the cultivators holding the freezing talismans sprung into action, closing in and planting both on the burnished bronze wheels before quickly retreating. Distraction successful, Castor released the bronze jaws, Pollux pulling himself off the pick's tip with a metallic screech before dropping back to the ground and leaping out of range himself. In that same instant Geryis, who had been keeping just a sliver of her consciousness directed towards the other battle in the room, activated the talismans.
The effect was almost explosive, chilling air blast any too close to the Automaton back as ice and frost quickly crept over the treads. With a sickening grind, the Miner tried to move forward and attack one it's targets, but the treads were unresponsive, it was stuck fast. The Miner was, for the time being at least, no longer a threat. With a sigh of relief, a mixture of thankfulness that he hadn't needed to destroy one of his family's masterworks and that Pollux hadn't been too badly damaged, Castor turned his eyes to the other battle that had been taking place in the room in the meantime, and almost wished he hadn't.
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Damn it, he knew he shouldn't have trusted a report from some rookie. This beaver was easily near the peak of Foundation Establishment. Another decade or two, and it might reach Core Formation at this rate. They
needed to kill this thing here, or it'd become a big enough issue that a major section of the clan's forces would need to be deployed to deal with it, and that couldn't be allowed. This damn beaver, of course, didn't particularly care how inconvenient it's existence was to the clan. Persus had been hunting Spirit Beasts for 80 years now, and he could honestly say this was one of his toughest quarries yet. His companions weren't too bad either, Geryis was excellent heavy artillery with her combination spells, and Argent's Qi needles were able to keep it somewhat disoriented, even if this thing was a terrible matchup for her. But damned if this Spirit Beast wasn't given them a run anyways. He threw himself out of the way of another high speed pillar of sand, cradling the massive bite in his side as he concentrated the bronze into his nails, charging forward to try and strike at it's haunch to try and arrest all it's movement, only to be met with a blast of air as it swung it's rudderlike tail. He needed something more then just his current backup if he wanted to do any more then keep it in check. If he could just land a crippling strike, anything to slow it down or bleed it, then he could turn the tables and bring it down.
Then, off to his right, he felt a slight blast of chill air. Persus looked over, hopeful, and sure enough, the Miner was stuck in place, pick swinging futilely at targets well out of it's range. They could count on the Miner not to join in now, at least, and tip the balance. Still, he needed a chance…
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The fight didn't look to be going well. Persus was clutching at wound in his side, and as resilient as body cultivators were even they couldn't regenerate blood at the speed he was using it. Geryis was still aloft, but all three of her bodies were sweating and panting, incantations coming out in laboured gasps. Castor didn't see Argent but well, he couldn't imagine her state was much better.
The beaver certainly hadn't emerged unscathed either. It's skin was marred with cuts and gouges, patches of burnt and frozen fur dotting it's frame. One of these baleful, glaring eyes even appeared to have been pierced by a precisely aimed fist. Still, though, none of the strikes looked grievous, and the beaver didn't look nearly as exhausted as it's opponents either.
One bow wielding cultivator, not thinking, blurted out what was nevertheless of everyone else's minds.
"They're losing."
The cultivators next to him cuffed him on the back of the head, but they all knew he was right. The Golden Devil cultivators were one wrong move away from a bad blow that would tip the scales in the beaver's favour. Still, what were they supposed to do? The fight they were watching now was in an entirely different league from the one they'd just gone through. Interfering would be tantamount to suicide.
"We've got to do something to give them a chance, anything."
"Are you kidding? If any of us got involved in that we'd die."
"If we don't step in
they'll die, and then
we'll just be next on the menu."
"…You're right, but what can we do? If any of us tried to attack it we'd just get in the way."
"…I don't know."
As discussion raged, Castor stood silent, mind whirling. They weren't wrong. The Miner might have been one thing, but this fight was an entirely different beast. The difference in strength was just way too big for them to even try and injure the beaver. But they still needed to do something. But there didn't seem to be anything they COULD do. Then, it hit him. They didn't need to do anything to the beaver, injuring it was simply outside their abilities. All they needed to do was give Persus, Argent or Geryis the opportunity to do the job themselves. The difference in power, in comparison with the beaver, was as much of a strength as it was a weakness in this situation, as long as he was willing to take the risk. And Castor was. It had one big weakness, something it hadn't had before, that Castor might be able to use to disrupt it.
So, Pollux in tow, Castor began to make his way towards the fighting. Slowly and deliberately, Castor approached, breathing quiet, steps light, trying to do as little as possible to make his presence known. Persus and Geryis both looked confused for a moment, he even saw a flash of anger on the Beast Hunter's face, until he saw Castor's angle of approach. It was no small risk, but still, an opening was exactly what they need, and this might provide one, however small. Persus dove in, redoubling his assault and keeping the beaver in place, attention focused on his as Geryis and Argent peppered it with spells and near-imperceptible flashes of silver. Close and closer Castor came, until, finally, he was only a meter or so away, even the blowback of the exchange forcing Castor to dig in his heels to remain in place. Then, in time with Pollux, he punched the beaver in the ruins of it's eye.
The reaction was instant. With a bark of pain, the beaver swung a paw out, smashing into Castor's chest, a purely reflexive reaction. Castor felt a crack, then a rush of air, and then…black.
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Apparently the opening he'd created had been just enough to do the job. In the same instant he'd been hurled away, Persus had struck with a punch to it's abdomen, burying his entire forearm into it's vitals as Geryis use her remaining major talisman, scorching the flesh from it's back with a massive fireball. Argent, in the meantime, had caught him before he was turned into a grease stain on the wall, something he was quite grateful for, much as it annoyed him that she'd vanished as soon as the mission was done, ostensibly to travel back to the clan compound and inform them of the mission's success.
The contribution point bonus was nice, Castor supposed, and considering how much of the beaver's body he was going to be given he was sure he'd be able to install something interesting into Pollux. For the time being, though, he certainly wouldn't be cultivating, with half the bones in his body broken and his meridians thoroughly out of balance.
On the plus side, stuck in the city as he was, he'd been given free reign to watch the resident Mechanikos work on and maintain the Under-Light Miner, which was why he was here in the first place. Something to look forward to. In the mean time, though, he was going to take a nap. Bones weren't going to heal themselves, and he needed to get done with this bedrest quickly, so he could redouble his cultivation efforts. Couldn't be falling behind.
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Would like to request a lifesaving treasure as my reward this turn, for, well, obvious reasons.
