Finally having time to myself made a load of difference. Though, working myself to exhaustion each day sculpting ice, while doing two people’s worth of jobs. More like close to an entire team’s worth of extra work, considering how the division was still understaffed... Still, it was nice to focus on something other than work. Almost like a hobby.

  On the final day of work until the final weekend and the next full moon. I had a feeling that I could just ride it out and do nothing, but… a full moon represented opportunities. I was quickly approaching the red, my funds near depleted after the spending spree I was on…

  I needed cash. Perhaps I could sell the silver coins, but I didn’t want to do that, not unless I absolutely had to.

  With the full moon, there should be a plethora of bronze ranked monsters in the sewers, or waterworks below the city. I highly doubt I will run into a gold rank creature… so, it wasn’t a bad idea, but going alone, even with golems sounded like a recipe for disaster. And it wasn’t like my golems were at a point where I felt comfortable going at with only them at my side.

  I could probably call up Grim. I had her number. As for éclair… well… I haven’t met up with her since we had worked together. Or rather, since I followed her around. Which reminds me, it is strange that Grim didn’t ask me to give a report or anything, but maybe that was because the Wizard Gang acted as a witness of sorts…

  Mm… I didn’t really want to meet up with Grim. She was definitely trouble, even if there was something absolutely about her that held my attention. éclair, even if I could team up with her, something tells me she wouldn’t be good for my heart…

  Whereas… here, in this office, I had two possible candidates. Liche and Joan. As work winded down, I made sure to confront them.

  “Something up?” Liche asked. Joan for her part kept quiet.

  “How would you like to join me on an expedition tomorrow? I plan to head into the sewers, and I’d really rather not go alone.”

  “The sewers? Why?” Joan was the one to ask.

  “For coins. During the full moon, the sewers tend to be filled with bronze ranked monsters that give coins.”

  The pair shared a look and communicated with a subtle nod.

  “We can do that.” Liche answered for both of them.

  “Great, in fact… let me give you my number. I can let you know where we will meet. I can even pick you up if you want.”

  “Let us know and we’ll be there.” Liche answers and we exchange numbers. Two more names to my contact list.

  The moment work was out, I went to the warehouse, where I had been sleeping for the past two weeks. I sorely missed my cramped room, though I did not miss the public bathroom... Not one bit.

  Inside the cold storage area of the warehouse were my newest creations.

  They looked like soldiers. Had they been real and not made of ice, they would have had metal helmets, a face guard with holes in it for breathing, and a breastplate on their chest. Carving it just right was difficult enough. Getting the texture and feel for clothing and boots, let alone the gloves was hard as well.

  Still, they were alive. Having used my magic, imparting them with a small smidgeon of my soul and a healthy dose of my magic. They were now technically alive, though, not aware.

  They moved clunkily, partly due to my still poor workmanship and also due to them still being the equivalent of a newborn. Perhaps with time they would develop and work out the kinks. For now, I was stuck with this.

  They each had spears made out of ice. Simple enchantments for hardening on the shaft and sharpening on the tip. Their own magic kept the enchantment going. They were surprisingly weighty, despite being made of ice. The ice itself was a bit cloudy. Small lines ran through them, carrying the magic from their core at the center of their chest to the rest of their body.

  I had to carve out a hollow in their chest where I then had to pump magic into said hollow. All the while using my magic to slowly etch the lines into their body according to my knowledge. Given time, the lines would multiply, their overall magic capacity would increase, and they would grow stronger, denser… in theory.

  As it was, I had maybe four of these ice golems. Not nearly enough to make a big difference in my mind…

  I had maybe two days until the full moon. In that time, I need to make another golem. Maybe get a box truck in the future as well… but with my funds as they are, I would have to wait. There was a sewer entrance not far away, so I could use that this time, but in the future, it might be good to have one.

  What would the theme be? I had basic soldiers, perhaps a knight? Give them a sword, shield? Mm… Maybe just a sword, a two-handed blade. I didn’t need to carve it out of the block of ice along with the knight, thankfully. I could carve it using a separate block of ice easily enough. Then I could carve the enchantments…

  Sounds like a plan. A knight alone wouldn’t be enough though. Even if I made them, they wouldn’t be that much stronger than the soldiers I had made.

  What if I were to use a silver coin? It could make enchanted items, perhaps it would allow me to make a stronger golem?

  Not like I have any better plans for the time being, so, I’m going with that. Regardless, if I don’t actually start, I won’t finish in time…

  First step, prepare a mold and fill it with water. This takes a bit of time, but eventually it gets done. Once done, I roll it into the cold storage and begin freezing it. Now that I was more familiar with the process, in large part thanks to my newly acquired talent, I now had a better feel for how I should freeze the water.

  If I freeze the water too quickly, it becomes brittle. A slight hit in the wrong spot will have the block of ice falling apart. Not only that, but the overall strength of the block would be compromised.

  Too slow made the ice too weak. It could still be sculpted, but the end product was too soft, hence why I only had four soldiers after all this time. They were the only acceptable end products. Trying to animate ice sculptures that were made with water slowly frozen were incapable of handling my magic and burst from within when I began etching the lines.

  I won’t even mention how many sculptures failed due to me failing to etch the lines correctly…

  Much like a certain girl who broke into a certain family of bears’ home, the middle option was the best. Not too slow, not too fast. Which sounds easy, it even sounds stupidly on point in hindsight, yet the actual process is anything but. I need to let my magic work over the entire body of water. I can’t just focus it from end to end, or let it slowly encompass the block and work.

  No, to make this work, I had to let my ice work from the inside out, letting the frozen water expand, but not too much. Using my magic to subtly guide and keep the expanding water under pressure. It was tedious process and took a lot of effort and time.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  In part because of my tools, or lack thereof. I was using the most basic method, and even then, my new instincts were constantly telling me something was wrong. Yet, even if it told me something was wrong, it wasn’t like I could correct those issues. It appears, even with my boost in talent, I just wasn’t talented enough to understand what it was telling me at times.

  Still, I knew I lacked control, which I needed to keep an eye on things. I lacked both quantity and quality of magic, that would allow me to work even faster. In some ways, it felt like I was trying to dig a hole through a mountain with a spoon. Or move a lake with a spoon.

  My technique was improving slowly, but surely, which was a nice benefit. However, even if I mastered it, it wouldn’t resolve the other issues.

  Equipment, in part, could alleviate some of the issues or discrepancies, from what I could surmise. Equipment I lacked, nor had the funds for. Forcing me to take such a simplistic approach. Had I not been in a cold room, and quite literally using ice magic, I would have been soaked through with sweat. As it was, a sheen of frost covered my body as I exhaled a frigid breath. The mold was pulled away, the panels removed with clacks and clicks.

  Once off, a mostly clear chunk of ice stood before me. Too many impurities in the water affected the final product, as did my own lacking technique. Perhaps distilled water may work better, or perhaps there was a way to naturally work out the impurities… Something for another time.

  With a block before me, I didn’t immediately get to work. Instead, I started on a second block, then a third. Until I had three blocks before me. Each, about the same quality, give or take.

  I’d arrived right after work, but it was already deep in the night. A quick snack to refuel, and a brief break to rest and recollect, followed by me returning to the task.

  I didn’t immediately get to carving yet. Instead, I began by taking what could be considered a sharpened spike and etched out the basic outline of what I wanted. Working my way around the block of ice. Once that was done, I started. Low and slow. Slowly chipping away at the ice, wearing away at with what I had on hand. Occasionally, I would pause to check over the marks and re-etch them if necessary.

  I had chipped away the upper portion, where the head would be when I paused. The general shape of the head was coming into view, but… it looked wrong. Stepping off my stool, I look over my work and find the issue. The end result would be a tad too short. It had to be bigger, wider.

  First block was set aside, discarded.

  Then, I started on the second block. Letting my instinct guide me and my newly attained skills. And once more I etched. This time, I made it bigger… I cut away, carved what I could. I made good progress, only to be stumped when I came to the arms. Arms at the side? At the front?

  With how wide the knight was going to be, if I wanted it to be somewhat imposing… I would need it to be slightly hunched over. Perhaps have its knees bent…

  I looked at the second block. Looked at the time. Time had flown by. It was already late morning. What I had, wouldn’t work.

  The second block was discarded.

  Next, was the third block. I worked and worked. It looked like it was finally coming together. The knight’s figure was coming into shape…

  A slight hiccup. Even with ice bolstering me, using my magic and staying in this cold area for so long had an effect. A slight tap, turned into a heftier whack, shattering a shoulder, ruining the sculpture.

  I stared down at the chunks of ice on the ground. Back to my nearly complete knight. The ice buried a frustrated scream in my belly. My feet moved, almost mechanically to start filling another mold, but I stopped myself. I checked the time. It was past noon. Tomorrow night was the full moon.

  I inhaled, exhaled… I gathered the mold, filled it with water and let it sit just outside the cold room. Meanwhile, I went to take a hot shower, let out unstifled screams of impotent rage and frustration as the frost melted away, and ate a proper meal, drank some beer I had stashed in the fridge and conked out.

  I awoke near midnight. Ate and swiftly went back to work.

  The freezing went well. The carving went well. By the end, I had a hunched over figure of a knight. It was gothic in design, with sharp fingers, and a helmet with a flat visor. It had no weapon, but that wouldn’t take very long to make.

  I checked the time. It was closing on evening. I allowed myself a single moment of satisfaction… though, the knight was still poorly made. Rough around the edges, clearly, it wouldn’t win any awards. Still, it should be good enough.

  I glanced over to the first discarded block and went to work. Swiftly carving away until I had a finished sword. Carefully, I etched enchantments along the surface, but a mistake rendered the product moot.

  I had to go again.

  The second block was brought over, chiseled down, being just large enough for my purpose, and having already been chiseled down enough that it didn’t take that long to transform it.

  Lines were drawn, more carefully. Eventually, miraculously, I finished.

  I checked the time and clicked my tongue. It was starting to get late, but I had a few hours yet to gather what I needed for the expedition. I sorely wanted sleep, but for now, the ice could keep me awake and sharp.

  But first… I looked at the knight and made the final adjustment. With another tool, I slowly made a small tunnel in the center of the sculpture’s back. Just large enough to fit my admittedly thin arm into. Despite being hunched over, I had to stand on my tiptoes on the stool, just to have the right angle.

  Normally, I would now thrust my hand into the cavity and begin the process of animating the sculpture. The process was fraught with danger. My magic would etch lines along its body, and a single mistake could ruin all my efforts. I couldn’t afford that, not at this juncture.

  Fortunately, I don’t think that will be an issue. Pulling out a silver coin, I push it into the cavity, into right where the core would be. I let my magic pulse into the coin, and it vibrated in my hand, an unspoken question rang back.

  ‘What is it you desire?’ It seemed to ask. Not with words, but intent.

  My answer was all too clear. I needed a golem. A warrior. A knight. The coin vibrated one last time, and it burned…

  No, it seared into the knight sculpture, not with extreme heat, but with extreme cold. Lines of liquid cold, colder than liquid nitrogen carved through the ice. Wherever it passed the slightly cloudy sculpture was purified, impurities were literally scoured away by the burning cold, leaving only blue ice.

  I watched, fascinated, as the lines grew more intricate. A thump echoed from its chest; my hand pulled back as the ice slowly closed. The lines grew more intricate, like the countless roots of an old tree, all originating from the core. The lines pulsed, burning away more impurities, strengthening the ice in a way I couldn’t. Changing it on a fundamental level.

  Its body shook. Cracks reverberated through the storage area. I hopped off the step ladder and gave the sculpture, the soon to be golem space. Slowly, as the lines reached its extremities, it moved. The fingers shifted, joints moved and cracked.

  It vibrated, shook. Slowly standing tall and adjusted itself. A layer of ice fell off its form, shedding who knows how many impurities and improving its appearance in the process. Slowly, it turned to face me. The knight was a beautiful blue and hidden within the recesses of the visor I had carved, twin blue lights gleamed out.

  Slowly, the knight lowered its head to regard me, then, it kneeled. Slowly, surely. Until it was down on one knee, head bowed. As if kneeling before a ruler. Glancing over, I walked over and picked up the sword I had fashioned. The blade of ice was nothing compared to the knight, but a weapon was a weapon.

  Grasping the blade in hand, I stood before the still kneeling knight. Their head was still lowered. I raised the blade slowly and spoke out.

  “You, are to be my first knight.” I spoke. The words felt right. Like I was being led along towards something. I did not question, merely followed. Eager to see what would come of it.

  “From henceforth, you will be Cobalt. The first of my knights.” I lowered the blade and tapped Cobalt’s shoulder, then raised it and tapped the other. Once done, the knight raised their arms, palms facing upward.

  “Serve me well, with this blade.” I finished, placing the blade upon their palms. Slowly, the knight grasped the blade. I felt a pulse of magic, a thump of an artificial heart. Liquid ice flowed into the blade, burning away the impurities until all that was left was a beautiful cerulean blade.

  I stepped back, and it stood and hefted the blade. The blade was large, near half its size. It was wide as well, meant for slashing. One look and I could tell that the enchantments I had etched had grown. The lines grew, connecting with the pommel and further connecting with the knight.

  It stood at the ready. Stood at the attention. Awaiting my orders, as the first of my knights, the first of what would be many.

  “Stand by, I have to head out, and when I get back, we’ll head out.” I spoke, even though I thought it unnecessary, but a flare of understanding sparked between us. Along a connection, a single thread of fate that twined us together. Carrying with it the golem’s feelings and thoughts. Its desire to serve.

  “While you wait, acquaint yourself with the rank and file.” I motioned towards the soldiers. Cobalt nodded, but I did not immediately leave. At my command, Cobalt left and stood before the soldiers. I could sense the dissatisfaction my knight held for the soldiers. The lazily standing soldiers immediately tightened up ranks, spears held at their side, backs straight as the knight let out a hissing growl.

  It was interesting, and I wanted nothing more than to continue watching, but I had preparations to make. Daylight was burning… The full moon was nearly upon us.