Rough Draft Butcher of Gadobhra Chapter 164 (Patreon)

Ozzy was concentrating as hard as he could on his Pit. As Joe tried to increase the heat of the pit, it was getting harder to hold things together. He wished he knew how hot they needed to get that chunk of metal to melt it down. Luckily he had an expert on that who was just arriving. Jorges rounded the corner with his anvil on a shoulder. He swung it down one handed next to Ozzy. "Don't mind me. This is how I focus heat. We're going to need quite a bit."

"That's the exact question on my mind. How much more heat do we need."

"Jorges stroked his beard and stared at the flaming whole in the ground. "That's going to depend on a few things. First, everything i've seen so far with metalurgy corresponds pretty close to the real world. Things burn at roughly the temperature you'd expect. An oak fire can reach about 1500 degrees. That's not even hot enough to forge a steel knife. Charcoal can get you there. It burns upwards of 2000 degrees with a good man on the bellows. Steel gets soft and malleable around 2k to 2200 degrees. That's a sweet spot for forging."

"You need a lot hotter than that if you want to melt down steel. A good grade of carbon steel needs about 2600 degrees. For that we need a coal fire. If I was to toss this anvil down in your pit it would be liquid in no time at all. You're past the normal temp of a good coal fire. Joe is pushing a constream of air through the fuel, and adding some fire mana to the mix. Coal fires top out at 3500 degrees and I'd toss a guess your pit is over 4000 by now. There's a lot of heat down there, and it isn't leaving. That's the good news."

Sweat was pouring off of Ozzy. "And the bad news?"

Jorges looked down at the meteorite. "I'm having trouble smelting Dark Iron, let along a high carbon Dark Steel mix. It takes a hot coal fire, my own magic, and three people on the bellows. Nearly killed Rufus the other day. He tries, but just doesn't have the stamina to keep up."

"Your lump of screaming metal in that pit is another Tier above Dark Steel. At least. We've got some ideas about increasing the heat in the pit, but the stones of the pit itself are going to melt if we push things any higher."

Ozzy could feel just that happening. His mana was gone and he was powering his pit by stamina now. "Damn. I was afraid of that. I'm not going to have enough fuel in my tank to hold it together!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't do it alone" Ben moved up beside Ozzy and drank down a potion of Fire Resistance. Then he grabbed hold of the red-hot billhook that Ozzy was holding with both hands. Power poured from Ben into the Ancient Billhook of Entwined Fates. Ozzy pushed that power into the Pit, and the walls stabilized.

Ozzy relaxed, but only a bit. "How did you know that would work?" Ben just shrugged.

"I didn't. But it was a solid guess. I've been studying how mana gets moved around to power things like the teleporter up at the keep. And even though that pig-sticker of yours mostly gets used to stab things to death, it's the equivalent of a Wizard's Staff. That's why you were able to channel heat from the pit during the fight with the rat-kin. Power goes two ways."

Rolly appeared on Ozzy's other side. He reached out to grab the billhook, his hand and arm covered by a metallic gauntlet that reflected a rainbow of colors. He didn't flinch as he grabbed the haft of the weapon, even though he lacked the fire resistance Ben had from his hat and a potion. "You just worry about getting the mana into your pit. We'll push everything we've got into your fancy weapon here. It's all about teamwork."

Squirmie landed on top of the weapon, ignoring the sharp edge. The bug began to glow as she forced a large amount of mana and stamina into the billhook. <Go Team!>

Now Ozzy had a different problem, managing the large amount of power in the billhook. Luckily, there didn't seem to be a limit as to what the Pit could absorb. The stones regained their sharp edges and reflected the heat back into the Pit.

Over the top of the Pit a glowing dome appeared. Titania's voice yelled out over the roar of the fire. "We've got it sealed tight. Light the damn thing up." The witches in their circle continued to chant. Mimosa downed the last of her whiskey. "I'm out of alcohol! Who has more?"

Makken pulled a bottle out of the crate at his feet and tossed it to her. The little goblin drank down a quarter of it immediately. "Damned Gobbos and your drinking! You barely taste it before it goes down your throat!"

The goblin witch cackled loudly. "Oh! That's good stuff! You Stunties can sure brew your liquor, even if you can't keep up with your drinking." The little goblin glowed and mana spread from her to Betty and Jenny on either side of her.

"Fire in the Hole!!" Makken began to throw bottles of Dwarven Whiskey into the pit. They past through the glowing screen, even if the heat inside couldn't come out. Each one created an explosion that rocked the Pit. Ozzy was holding on tightly, pouring more power to the walls of the Pit. A long line of workers formed up, and one be one drank a potion that Aliester handed to them before they added their own power to the Pit. Some would need some healing afterwards, the Ancient Billhook was getting hotter and hotter.

Jorges was concentrating on his anvil, heating the metal and then channeling the heat down into the pit. Joe had lost any semblance of human form and was just a whirlwind, sucking in air and feeding a constant stream of oxygen to the Pit. The temperature slowly rose.

Four figures in black robes and goggles approached Aliester. He setting his own goggles firmly over his eyes. Johannes approached Ozzy. "We are ready to begin our experiment. And you have our unending thanks for allowing this event to occur. It's so rare that someone pushes the edge of magical theory until it breaks. We have concocted a most powerful accelerant for your fire."

Ozzy eyed the small box in his hands. "Just out of sheer curiosity, what's in it?"

Johannes smiled. "Curiosity is always good. It shows your willingness to learn, even in the face of destruction. To put it in layman's terms, fire needs two things: Fuel, and a small portion of air aspect. We have separated out that aspect and concentrated it. We estimate a 53% increase in temperature, give or take 17%."

Ben was managing the constant flow of workers up to Ozzy. Two at a time they were adding their mana and stamina to the pit. Overhearing Johannes words, he asked a question: "You managed to make liquid oxygen?"

Johannes turned to him, excited. "You know how to liquify the combustive air element? Oh, we must talk after this. All my fellow academics and I have managed up to this time is Solid Oxygen." He opened the metal box and showed Ben the white crystal powder within. It looked like glittering snow."

Makken threw his last bottle. Jorges was nearly out of mana, and Ozzy was getting resistance to putting more power down into the Pit. He yelled out to the group. "Time for the big finale. Step way the hell back if you can, this will get hot."

Coglin produced a strange looking lute and began strumming the opening chords to "Heaven's on Fire." Runt was acoompanying him on harmonica, adding his surprisingly strong voice to the lyrics. Rolly was banging on the sides of the barrels, knocking out a basic beat. The flames seemed to roar upward in time with the music.

Johannes tossed his box into the flames.

Only someone who has been within a quarter mile of a Saturn V rocket launch would recognize the sound. The flames roared up into the sky, white hot. Anyone nearby screamed and covered their ears or eyes. Only Ozzy and the circle of witches could endure the explosion of heat and light. Titania had prepared well for this, first by instructing the circle to cast the most powerful protection hex that she knew, and secondly, to be ready to deal with the Star-Spawn itself.

The barn full of smoked sedge beast carcasses was too close. The wooden beams instantly charred to charcoal and collapsed, the meat inside turning into hard-smoked jerky.

Johannes was burned badly and tossed forty-feet through the air. Two workers tossed his smoking body into the duck pond. He would later proclaim the experiment a great success, and the pain of growing new skin well worth the advancement of experimental magic.

Squirmie spread her glittering wings wide to protect Coglin. The bard was only slightly singed by the experience. Runt had hit the ground just in time to avoid any damage. His years as a minion giving him excellent timing when he needed to avoid damage. Rolly probably should have ducked, but he was having a great time on his improvised drums. He survived, but only because Squirmie dumped his smoking body into the duck pond as well and began healing him.

In the Pit, the metal ball lost it's shape, the liquid metal pouring down over the screaming coal that was rapidly burning away. In it's place was a twisting thing of pure energy and wrong geometry. Ozzy felt his Pit trying trying to take on a new shape and a vision of a seven-sided cube slid into his head.

Titania brought the circle up to the pit. She began casting an exorcism hex.

"Mgr'luh throdogoth ot ya final ye'bthnk! cahf ah nafl mglw'nafh hh' ahor syha'h ah'legeth, ng llll or'azath syha'hnahh n'ghftephai n'gha ahornah ah'mglw'nafh.
M'F'ARGLE! ahor ymg' mggoka Iiahe mgepnah sll'ha'drn!"

M'F'ARGLE! mgep attained h' final ye'bthnk ng evolved ph'nglui level 19 epic boss!!

M'F'ARGLE! Has attained its Final Form and evolved into a Level 19 Epic BossBehold the Glory of My Final Form! That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.
M'F'ARGLE! shall take you as a new host!

The being of energy flew at Titania, only to be stopped by a very angry Betty. "I told you not to show your face in my town ever again!" She swung her milking bucket at M'F'ARGLE double handed like Babe Ruth hitting a ball over the fence. M'F'ARGLE flew high up into the air. Titania and the circle finished the exorcism hex and the Star Spawn was ejected from this reality, becoming a shooting star going in the opposite direction.

The Pit became hotter. As far away as Rowan Keep, where all eyes were watching a glowing Star Spawn get launched into the statosphere and beyone, a message appeared.

Rejoice! Your realm has been saved. M'F'ARGLE, Level 19 Epic Star Spawn has been excorcised from this plane.
The Circle of Sequesterd Mages sends their congratulations and returns to Defcon 5 from Defcon2.

Ozzy barely noticed, he had his own problems.

You have far exceeded the ability of your Charnel Pit to exist. You have some choices:

1. Allow your pit to explode, taking out a small part of your town. Better than being nuked by the Circle, right?

2. Channel the massive amount of heat and mana into a crack in reality, and deal with what decides to visit now and then.

3. Allow your Charnel Pit to evolve to a higher level. This will consume a huge amount of fuel, strange metals, and mana currently in the Pit. You will be responsible for supplying mundane materials to add to it, consisting of a vast amount of wood and stone.

"SHIT! Suzette! This thing is going to blow, unless I try to evolve it. But that's going to take a lot of supplies from the town."

Suzette looked at the roaring fire-pit-of-doom, and at Ozzy who was straining hard to hold it together. "Go for it. Maybe I'll get some building points out of it."

Ozzy chose option three. The flames began to die down, stone began to shift. The moten metal that had been in the meteor began to coat the stones and fill in the cracks in the mortar.

SUCCESS! You have begun the process of creating a Tier 4 Charnel Pit!

Requirements: 350,000 board feet of hardwood lumber. 50 tones of stone brick. 1,000,000 mana or stamina.

Ozzy stared at the message. "Shit. More overtime."