"It has to be Steel. Nothing else at Low Grade is strong enough while being suitable for a weapon..."
Gilgamesh contemplated deeply on what golem would best suit his needs.
“Now for its Form. Most important are its legs. Four is better than two, but the six of my Roaming Throne feels even more nimble. Perhaps I should try 8 or more.”
“Wait…” Gilgamesh realized. “These are golems, not living beings. There is no reason to limit them to legs. Perhaps a wheel would be best, a design made for movement. But then lateral and dynamic movement would be limited, if not outright impossible…”
Gilgamesh contemplated further.
“What about a ball? That would be able to roll in any direction at any moment.”
He scanned through the guidebook but found nothing that matched his vision, even among the countless options. He had envisioned something that had a sphere for the base of its body that could move independently of the torso, but it seemed such a design was too intricate for Low Grade.
Gilgamesh instead found something closest to his ideal, and crafted it.
[ Sentry Ball - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 10
Agility - 60
Vitality - 25
Perception - 10
Force - 10
Spirit - 10
Control - 25
Willpower - 0
Feature: Knockback (bronze)
Material: Steel (low grade)
Mana Capacity: 100/100
Consumption: 3 motes per minute
Recovery: 1.5 motes per minute
[ Knockback (bronze) ]
'Applies magical force to a hit to move a target away.'
A large steel ball formed to stand at a height that reached his waist. Gilgamesh maneuvered it all around to find a satisfying degree of mobility, but that did not compensate for its lack of potential otherwise.
He activated his Shifting Sand in the form of a shield, and had his Sentry Ball ram into it. The shield did not budge even slightly. Gilgamesh tried again, and this time used the new golem’s Feature. A dull pulsing force knocked the brass shield a few paces back, but there was not one single trace of damage to be found.
“Deft movement, but its method of attack is one-dimensional. And although it gets around the normal Strength requirements for Steel by virtue of its round design, its Attributes are still lacking.” Gilgamesh assessed.
“My vanguard has to be a Lancer. That is the only way it will possess the bare minimum Agility to matter.”
Gilgamesh scanned his options. There were a number of Low Grade metals and other materials, but Steel was the most durable and best suited for weaponry. There was no shortage of such golems, but none stood out to him for the impossibly high standards he had set. And Gilgamesh disdained the thought of lowering them.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] wants to know what you are doing.
Gilgamesh did not answer right away. “...I’m making a new vanguard. One that is fast and agile.”
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] advocates for a snake.
Gilgamesh thought on it, but he did not particularly find serpentine bodies all that impressive. If anything, something like a centipede seemed a better choice.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] pouts at your skepticism.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] insists that snakes are superior.
Gilgamesh lingered in thought, then calmly activated a Bolt Viper to move it around, as he paid closer attention to it than ever before. A slither certainly looked smoother, but the six legs of his Roaming Throne had a more dynamic mobility without question.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] says you are doing it wrong.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] says you have to wiggle.
“...what do you mean?” Gilgamesh found her guidance lacking.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] says every part of a snake’s belly is a foot.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] advises making big steps and small steps.
Gilgamesh thought deeply on the meaning of her message and focused back on the Bolt Viper. He wielded it to push off the ground and bend at another point to anchor its next step and push off again. It was the same imitation of the snake golem he had always done, but unlike the large and broad movements of before, he made each one small and intricate.
Gilgamesh tested it forwards, backwards, and sideways. Each push and bend was as rapid and close together as possible. Then he added in large movements. The Bolt Viper shot forward and suddenly slid to the side to change the path it travelled just slightly.
And Gilgamesh finally saw the value of a snake. Its movement had become much more dynamic and fluid. Even better, it was unpredictable. An overflowing chain of possible movements.
The precursor for satisfaction flowed through his imaginary veins. “This is what I sought.”
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] is pleased you have realized the greatness of a snake form.
With that, Gilgamesh scoured his guidebook for all serpentine Lancer type golems, and found one that suited him.
[ Steel Naga - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 20
Agility - 75
Vitality - 25
Perception - 10
Force - 0
Spirit - 10
Control - 10
Willpower - 0
Material: Steel (low grade)
Mana Capacity: 100/100
Consumption: 8 motes per minute
Recovery 4 motes per minute
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
This was the fastest serpentine Lancer Golem meant for melee combat. For a bipedal humanoid of its same weight, 30 Strength was the requirement to move at its potential speed, given the Statuses of the other golems he looked at. But it appeared that the serpentine lower half of a Naga could move with less.
Like the Ironwood Skirmisher, its arms were weapons. With multiple possibilities for their exact form, Gilgamesh contemplated on which would be most effective.
“The design should favor weapons of a longer range to compensate for its lower quality. A spear is too vulnerable to damage from its own strike. A lance then. And a shield to pair with it, lest it risk being destroyed too easily.”
But the moment he thought it, the idea of a shield did not sit right with him. “No… A shield of lesser quality isn’t much use. Its purpose should be overwhelming offense. Compromising for a balance will only limit its potential.”
Gilgamesh contemplated more.
“Two lance arms, then. Although that would limit its options to purely thrusting attacks. The Training Dummy is too skilled for such limited means to get the better of it…”
Gilgamesh sank further into thought.
“A different weapon, then. Longer scimitars? Perhaps a scythe like the arms of a mantis. A less orthodox design would throw off many opponents.” Though as he thought them, Gilgamesh did not feel obvious supremacy from them either.
“...hands…” He voiced a thought. “Large hands with long fingers like blades. With those, it could slash, pierce, and even bash as needed. They would also have some ability to block, should that be possible.”
[ Husband of the Golden Bride ] wants you to give your next golem a beautiful female form.
Gilgamesh read the message with no enthusiasm. “Give me a quest first.” He demanded. A silence held for a moment, but the god soon responded.
[ Husband of the Golden Bride ] offers 1 Attribute Point if you craft a golem of feminine beauty.
With the official promise of reward, Gilgamesh started to craft. The formula for a naga golem was that of a lower snake half and a humanoid snake torso. As such, he would have to change the design of its torso to that of a woman. And it had to be beautiful.
Gilgamesh was no artist by any measure. In truth, he did not even consider himself an appreciator of beauty. Such a thing had no place in his pursuit of survival and power. Should the design be left to his own imagination, it would surely fail the standards of this strange god.
Therefore, he decided to model it after someone. However, few women had left an impression on him in the trials.
“Heroine? No.” Gilgamesh dismissed her candidacy the moment he thought it.
She was not unattractive. He would even say she was more so than not, though perhaps not enough to catch the eye of a god. Parallel to his thought of Heroine, was one of Melinoe. But Gilgamesh did not give the thought air to breathe.
“...Kubera.”
Gilgamesh had seen her face clearly twice, and she perhaps embodied beauty more than any of the handful of women he could recall. With that decision made, he crafted the golem at once.
Aside from the emphasis on beauty in its form, it was a fairly easy endeavor. Hardly any different from a Stone Ape. With just his second attempt, he achieved a perfect success.
Gilgamesh activated the golem and found it acceptable. A beautiful woman made of metal with the lower half of a snake. Its tail was wide and long for greater mobility and balance. As such, its torso only stood about 7 feet tall and only slightly larger than a human. He stationed its core at the base of its back where it met the tail, an area that would be most protected and hardest to reach in combat.
[ Husband of the Golden Bride ] finds your golem unappealing.
“...Why?” Gilgamesh demanded to know. By his objective assessment, his golem was near Kubera’s appearance. While he may be lacking in artistic talent, he had seen venerated ancient sculptures of the past and his golem bore a similar quality.
[ Husband of the Golden Bride ] says you simply lack an artistic eye…
Disdain simmered silently within Gilgamesh as he decided to ignore this fool of a god for the rest of the Trial. Instead, he turned his focus to a more important matter. He had to test the capabilities of his new golem.
Though slightly slower than the centaur Ironwood Skirmisher, its sheer mobility made it a more dynamic threat. There were, however, other casualties of its higher Strength requirement.
The golem’s Perception was barely enough to keep up with the Hard Mode Training Dummy at its base. Perception needed to be at least a fifth of Agility to clearly see such speed and a tenth to track it at all.
And also, its mana capacity was low. Too low for long periods of combat.
“Wait…” As Gilgamesh thought that, he realized something. “There’s no reason to craft it normally. Not when I possess a unique advantage. This golem does not need to rely on itself because I will be wielding it, nor does it need to last in a long fight when its sole purpose is to secure victory in a short one.”
Gilgamesh crafted another golem immediately. One that adjusted its distribution of Attributes to maximize its sole purpose. He gave it a new form as well, a blend between Kubera and the naga head to form a half-snake woman equally as enthralling as it was frightening.
[ Steel Naga - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 20
Agility - 90
Vitality - 25
Perception - 0
Force - 0
Spirit - 5
Control - 10
Willpower - 0
Material: Steel (low grade)
Mana Capacity: 100/100
Consumption: 8 motes per minute
Recovery 4 motes per minute
25 was naturally given to Vitality to support its Steel material, and 10 to Control because a golem needed its Basic Functions to work. But he lowered Spirit to 5 and left out Perception entirely.
As a consequence, its Mana Recovery was practically irrelevant. But that was no matter when he could simply replenish it with his own. Gilgamesh would have phased out Spirit entirely if he could, as he did for Perception, but a golem needed at least some Capacity to work.
Even if he had given it some Perception, it would have been far too low to even be of any use. Gilgamesh planned to rely on the vision of his Shifting Sand and himself to wield it completely in third person, as he had done before he acquired the Golem Peerer Trait.
A Perception of 0 meant that this altered Steel Naga could not fight on its own, but that was also irrelevant. This golem was purely a tool for him to wield.
All 15 Attribute Points he had managed to scavenge naturally went into Agility. It was hardly a massive gain, but it had brought the naga's agility close to the Training Dummy's own, and that would make a difference.
This altered Steel Naga could only remain active for 12.5 minutes before running out of mana, and would prove a steep burden on his own mana reserves, but that was fine. He did not need it to last for a long fight.
Gilgamesh tested his new golem and was more satisfied than before. It could slither back and sideways just as nimbly as it could forward and change directions in an instant.
Its serpentine tail also provided a versatile foundation to attack from. It could lean back away from danger or elevate itself high to strike down from above. The naga could coil around to leave its tail between it and the opponent to disrupt their footing, and even lash out if necessary.
Through his tests, Gilgamesh found that there was one position that resulted in the fastest speed. It was a forward motion, and required the torso to lean far forward as the snake tail was kept as long as possible.
He formed his Shifting Sand golem into a shield and had his Steel Naga claw at it. With its meager strength, it did not come close to slashing through. But it did leave a clear mark.
This Steel Naga was faster and of better material than the Ironwood Skirmisher. Its claws were more versatile and sharper than the centaur’s swords, and its serpentine tail more dextrous and stable than its hooves. It was an upgrade in every way.
With its impressive Agility, Gilgamesh believed it could dominate most warriors at this stage. Although many of the elites were still above it. Shenwu was faster, and those of the Atreus who would not be damaged by it.
“But that is only how things are now.” Ambition rose within him. “One day I will create golems that surpass them all.”
[ Three-Headed Snake ] responds to your obsession.
[ Three-Headed Snake ] offers 5 Attribute Points if you achieve a genuine victory over someone strong in the arena.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] quickly matches the offer.
Gilgamesh mused on the message, but then another one came. One that was quite unexpected.
[ Husband of the Golden Bride ] has decided he approves of your golem’s form.
[ You have completed the quest given by [ Husband of the Golden Bride]. Rewarded 1 Attribute Point. ]
[ Spirit: 59 -> 60 ]
Gilgamesh did not bother to analyse the god’s psyche. He threw the point into Spirit and entered the sparring ring right away. Against the Hard Mode Training Dummy, he summoned his Shifting Sand, Roaming Throne, and Steel Naga with vicious focus.
The Training Dummy burst forward, and both his vanguards lunged to meet it. Shifting Sand in spiked buckler form stopped its first attack, and the Steel Naga struck with both hands in the opening. One was severed by the black sword, but the second forced the Training Dummy to take a step back.
The Training Dummy set its sights on the Naga, but the Shifting Sand took the form of a crescent blade and rained down slashes upon it. The Training Dummy blocked them all cleanly but when it tried to counter, the naga struck from the other side to steal back its focus.
Gilgamesh wielded his Steel Naga as less of a vanguard and more of a harasser. It never challenged the Training Dummy to an honest clash, as it would surely lose. But it was fast enough to attack in the openings, and just threatening enough for the Training Dummy to take seriously.
His Shifting Sand did not let up for a moment. It struck at the Training Dummy’s body, forcing its shield and footwork to oppose it, and the Naga clawed in dishonorable ambushes. Gilgamesh pressed his ruthless attack with stoic zeal, but the Training Dummy grew calmer.
It burst backwards away from the Shifting Sand, right towards the Steel Naga. Gilgamesh maneuvered it away at once, but the Training Dummy stopped short and burst back towards him.
Gilgamesh realized his mistake and wielded the Steel Naga to sprint back, but it was too late. The Training Dummy bashed the Shifting Sand away with its shield and severed him in half.
The sparring ring reset with his defeat once again, but Gilgamesh was far from dissuaded.
“This is the right path. My Steel Naga is barely adequate, but now my Roaming Throne is the weak link. I need to craft a new mount.”
Gilgamesh left the sparring ring and opened his Novice Golemcrafting Guidebook again to peer through its contents. Ambition now gleamed in his eyes with a greater intensity than ever before.
