Chapter 794 - Guide Metallurgy (Patreon)

With everything ready and Daskka using some mist to hide the shape of the toilet and the garbage can, Hera spoke, "I call upon the Guide of the Cinderspire Citadel. As an explorer, I have proven that my motives are pure."

There was a clanging sound as if something metallic was being tossed inside copper pipes. That noise echoed everywhere around the bathroom. Eventually, focusing on the ceiling. Hera paid attention and started to hear a small voice along with all those clangs, clunks, and pangs. The guide seemed to be… hurting. With each loud bang, they would give an 'ouch,' or a 'dammit,' there was even a 'c'mon' tossed in the middle. 

After almost a full minute, with the sounds getting louder and louder, the voice started a scream from above. A lump of scrap, plates, gears, and wires fell screaming from the ceiling, slamming against the tiled floor of the bathroom. 

Hera blinked a couple of times before reacting, "Are you ok?" 

An arm shot up, with the hand giving a thumbs up, "I'm fine." 

The voice was a bit muffled, but before they could understand what was going on, the clump of metal changed. Hera and Daskka watched as the pile of scrap shifted, each plate, spring, and gear attaching to a different part of the complete mess of metal. Little by little, the form of the guide appeared. They had two arms and a torso like that of any person who lived in the MAZE. But coming from their back, there were three extra limbs. One was almost like a tentacle with a pincer at the tip. The second was another arm, but longer, sturdier, and with a more limited range of motion, while the last one was, in essence, a hand attached to a spring. When moving, that spring would go back and forth, but the guide seemed to be able to control it properly instead of it being just a snap punch. 

When looking at their waist, any semblance of that of a person went away. For one, they had six legs. Two of them were spider-like, the two in the middle. The front left one had a small wheel, just like the back right one. While the remaining two had long caterpillar treads connecting them both. To make everything even more confusing, despite the guide appearing from a pile of scraps. When they finished 'building' themselves, their form became sleek and pristine. The copper covering its body didn't have a single scratch, blemish, or unpolished part. The connections between plates had a cobalt blue hue, representing the metal that filled in the gaps. Each visible bolt and gear had intricate carvings with a mix of gothic aesthetic and futuristic lines of minimalism. The guide was a case for incongruity. They were made out of scrap but completely brand new, old but futuristic, complicated yet simple. A mess that wasn't even symmetrical, yet it had such harmony that it could be called either a piece of art or something made by an assembly line. 

"This one was a mess and a half," the guide spoke. His voice was soft and not at all mechanic, even if it had a bit of the reverberation of sound going through a speaker. 

"Are you entrances always like that?" Daskka asked, getting a glare from Hera.

"Not always. I'm trying to make this tube system work, and I don't get enough practice. It worked fine back home, but I didn't consider some of the differences in weight the pipes would have here. Or the changes they would go through because of the heat. Not to mention the whole issue of passing through obsidian and the molten stone. I mean, even if I'm a guide, I still don't like diving into magma. It gets really stuffy really fast," the guide continued. Their tentacle-like arms make notes in the air.

"I see…. I don't know why, but I never pictured that you would have that kind of issue. Of not considering something about your own room," Hera admired. 

"Oh, we do. More than you can imagine. The reason why you might not see that as often is simple. We have a lot of experience. So it's hard to find a guide who is struggling with something new that they have never tried before. In my case, it is to make a water slide. Well, a slide without water. I tried using water, and trust me, that was even worse. The place was filled to the brim with steam. People coughed a lot; it wasn't a good idea," the guide continued, making notes in the air. Hera could feel a bit of mana from their tentacle arm and how they were actually writing, not just playing around. After a moment, the robot realized one thing, "Right. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Stewart. The guide of this room."

"Stewart? Like steward bot?" Daskka asked.

"Daskka!" Hera huffed. The herald usually wasn't this talkative when dealing with the guides.

Stewart chuckled, "Yep. You got it right. I don't think I've met the person who coined that name, but I wouldn't say it's impossible for me to have a connection with them. Still, I like that compassion. A steward bot is there to help, just like I am. They are usually in odd shapes and sizes. Like I am. And they generally are either very helpful, very weird, or very dangerous. And I'm three for three on that part." 

"Wait, and don't take this the wrong way, but can you be dangerous? I mean the guides in general," Hera asked.

"Absolutely we can," Stewart nodded, the arms on his back following along with the motion, "Before, when we could interact with anyone, the system had some barriers in place to stop us from harming anyone. However, after, people captured one of us and started to experiment when the MAZE made the skill and the setup we currently have. We also have one more thing. The right of self-defense. It's kind of redundant since if someone without the guide skill sees us, they are frozen. Just like if they were going through a doorway. But, if they somehow are able to avoid that, we have free reign to fight back. Killing is frowned upon, but it is not a rule we have to follow. Also, we can never harm the person who called us with the guide skill. So you can be at ease."

"Ok…. Hang on, what if I invite someone to my private room? Can they harm me?" 

"I think so. There are no rules about that." 

"That's kind of terrifying. From what I know, you are basically omnipotent when you want to," Hera crossed her arms.

"Well… sort of. We are when we are in our own territory. When we are in someone else's, we have some constraints. But still. No explorer, no matter the level or the species, would be able to hurt one of us. Not physically, at least. If you tell a guide who paints that their art sucks, that's another thing." 

"I would only say that if they asked for criticism. And not just they suck, but the parts that I didn't like," Daskka said proudly.

"I think you should toss in some praise. Like, talk about what you did like. Just hearing the bad is never a good feeling," Hera suggested.

"I like that," Steward nodded again, "Anyway. Time to do my job. Do you have your questions?"

"I do. Well, it's mostly one question and some potential follow-ups. But I also have a favor to ask," Hera replied.

"A favor?" 

"Yeah. Only if you can do it. And it won't mess with the questions. I can wait if I need to. I just wanted to speed things along." 

"That's a first… what's the favor?"

"Do you know about my legacy? I know you all talk about me when I'm arriving in a room." 

"I know the broad strokes," Steward replied. 

Hera nodded and took a moment to explain her legacy more thoroughly. Then, she talked about her court and how they would be in a 'void' when inside the legacy, "Then we come to the favor. I wanted to ask if you could just ask Peaches, Capri, Nina and Talpa, maybe Kelp, and Fritz. Definitely, Fritz, if they have an idea about how I can make my court a private room inside the legacy. Kind of like my private room but just for my court. I'm not talking about having any benefits aside from a comfortable place for them to stay. I just wanted them to think about that for a little bit and tell me if they have any ideas on what to do or how I can make that work. I'm going to send them a text as soon as I can, but in the middle of a rampage, it is hard to reach a doorway." 

Stewart thought for a moment, "That's easy enough. And if you don't mind. I'll add Ruma, Shiretaa, and Laika to that list. They are good with constructs and settings in general. I mean, Shiretaa literally lives inside a lamp, and it's massive inside." 

"Oh, that's perfect. Thank you. Feel free to tell any other of the guides I know. I was just thinking about the ones who might be able to help me." 

"I get Peaches. He's kind of a leader. But why Capri, Nina, and Talpa?" 

"Nina and Talpa love to dance, and I figured they have a good idea of how to make stages and things to set up their dance moves. Maybe even like lights that move in a rhythm. I was thinking about using that to make a day-night cycle inside. Maybe just in the windows, if it will even have windows. Capri… well. I'm kind of taking advantage of him. He really likes me a lot. And I really like him too, but I feel like if I ask him about this, he will go above and beyond to help me out," Hera explained.

Stewart opened his mouth and closed it without saying anything.

"You know what. That's very fair. He is already crazy about you. You might as well get something extra." 

"That was the idea. But I'll thank him properly and tell him why I asked him to participate in it later. I don't want to be sneaky about it," Hera added.

"Ok, ok. I can do that. No worries. No time from your question is required. Can we go for the actual question now?"

Hera nodded, "Ok. Here," she showed the spell circle Daskka and her court tried to make in the map of the room. It was stretched across the entire spire and the city underneath it, "Can you help me make this work? The mana is not working like it should. When I set this up, some of the areas of the array are too thin or too twisted for the mana to pass through."

Stewart looked at the map for a moment. It took just a few seconds before he replied, "Oh yeah. I can help you. The time you have only lets me give you a hint. And it will use the entire 5 minutes."

"That's ok. What's the hint?"

"When you make the spell on flat ground. How high does the effect go to? I mean actual height."

"It works like a sphere. So, it follows the same radius. Well, sort of. If the circle is in a different shape, it's kind of proportional. Like a large rectangle turns into a brick." 

"Exactly." 

"That's it?" 

"Yes. Now, all you need is a change in perspective." 

Daskka gave Steward a blank stare. "Really!? That's it?!" 

The robot smiled, "Yes."

"I'm so angry at myself right now," the herald groaned.

"What's wrong?" Hera turned to the snake. She didn't even have time to process what the guide said, and Daskka would always be more important than making a spell work.

"Here," Daskka made her own mist illusion of the room and drew the spell circle above it, however, instead of placing the array on the top of the spire. She flipped the map, making it sideways. Changed the shape of the spell circle and placed it along the length of the obsidian spire. The herald even made it wider at the base, using some of the chains and wires that connected the caldera to the sprite itself as part of the spell. And despite the slightly phallic shape, the strands of mana were no longer stretched. 

"So… all we had to do was make it on its side?" Hera asked.

"Yes. Now, the finer details are up to you. I don't know if you will be able to make it work. But that problem is solved," Stewart said with a smile as a small hatch appeared on the ground, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to go. I'll send you a text with a list of all the guides I talked about your idea."

"Thanks, and I'm glad I'll be able to talk to you again," Hera smiled just as the robot guide opened the hatch and jumped inside. Soon, the clangs started ringing again for a moment before vanishing completely.

Daskka was still staring at the new spell circle, extremely frustrated for not being able to figure that issue out herself. Hera just picked up the snake and put it around her neck again before leaving the room. They now had an idea about how to make the Pool of Styx work during the rampage, and if they managed to use it, everything could become much easier.