1/3 Deem 2021/03/11(Thu)01:27 No. 990664 ID: d2408a
File 161545484731.png - (30.80KB , 800x550 , drudges_and_drinks.png )

>>Broke into the vault, probably vandalized the church
>Well, I hope that didn't get you in too much trouble. You didn't wake up in jail at least...
The church probably deserved it. I'm sure everyone would agree.

>Just be your usual headstrong self, you can basically do anything and he's lucky to get a chance to work with you. We do kind of need to know what he actually talked with you about though.

>Write up a list of things you expect the petitioner will request, such as cuisine or a sporting match. Prioritize questions about your dungeon and business opportunities.
Golems. Commissioned magic items. Rare materials or monsters. Perhaps paying special effort to testing and strengthening anyone he sends to challenge my labyrinth.

>Dye your hair, go on an easter egg hunt.
>Get yourself a little food, try to get more of the story of last night from the others, clean up the place a bit too. Pick up those eggs you've left lying around.
I asked Hin to get the others out of bed already, so I head to the stable to look for any bits and pieces we didn't get off the pack-mule golem.

Th golem has seen better days that featured more legs. There's other dormant golems of inscrutable purpose scattered around. That might be for the best - I need laborers to clean this places up and I already decided not to rouse that cancerous mass of golemetry in the upstairs bedroom. One seems to be made of river mud, one's made of sticks, one is made of rocks and other found materials, and there's one that resembles an artistic interpretation of Belphe. There's a salt crusted mass inside that last one that smells faintly of seawater and eggs. Maybe I should take that one back to my dungeon, it might encourage my little pot to not slack off.

There's some other signs of alchemical activity too - a few scattered potion pots with labels attached to them in a childish scrawl, labeling them "satid- saif FOOd", "BIG" and "gOLi e m".

And another egg or two as well, of course.

>Well obviously you need to make sure everyone's sober and presentable by the time the guy arrives. That includes you.
I reactivate the stone golem first as it seems like nothing too experimental was attempted with it and it has hands. Aside from a bizarre predilection to hand me potions and take them away, it applies itself to clearing some of the clutter, while I brush my hair and darken it.

>Returning to the shape that you arrived in town as may actually be a good idea. It will make the clothing Moriko designed for you fit properly again. It could make the difference between this person seeing you as an individual, or simply as an advanced golem Merud or Kallia whipped up. You don't need that nonsense.
I do need to find some good quality clay though. For a golemetry guild, this place is bizarrely lacking in it. I must have given too much of myself away last night.

Something's nagging at the back of my mind. Did I do that, and do I need to do this now? I probe the altered connections between my Heart fragment and golem body. Ahah!

----------------------------------------
New Abilities Unlocked!
----------------------------------------
Distill and Disperse Modes: Deem has two forms. Distill Mode refines and process energy, while Disperse Mode spreads it. Disperse Mode loses access to Spell Revolution and instead gains Earth Surge.

Earth Surge: Deem can momentarily amplify her physical abilities with a pulse of mana. It loses effectiveness if she's not in contact with the ground.
----------------------------------------

Something twists in those connective channels, a change of flow. My outfit becomes snug as my golem body expands to better fit it.

Outside I hear Kallia scream.

2/3 Deem 2021/03/11(Thu)01:28 No. 990665 ID: d2408a
File 161545492238.png - (36.94KB , 720x720 , these_goofs.png )

Hin has gotten Kallia out of bed. And out the window.

"Kallia, you're up!" I say.

"Agh, not so loud." Kallia winces. "And yeah, I noticed." She squints at me suspiciously. "How're you up? You were wasted."

"Maybe she's some kind of drinking expert?!" Hin chimes in. "Woo, drink team!"

"Don't you drop me!" Kallia says.

"Relax!" Hin sways. "Haven't droppened nobody yet."

"Yeah that doesn't reall-"

"Nyaha! What an adventure!" my dungeon's very first invader invades the scene. Kallia winces again. Myaousha perches in the window.

"Oh hey cat." Hin says.

"You're tall!" Myaousha says to her.

Hin looks at herself in what I hope is mock surprise. "Huuuh, guess so." She raises her water jug to Myaousha, who drinks some and passes it back to Hin.

"Mwah," Myaousha says. "What's for breakfast?" she yawns.

"The pantry's empty." I say.

Hin drains the rest of the water jug and then refills it. "There's those eggs, can you cook those up?"

Kallia squints at the sun, distrusting the bright, glaring thing that only means her harm. "Huh, kinda later than I thought. You got that guy coming soon right? Maybe just use those new food-potions you brewed, huh?"

"The guy?" Myaousha asks.

I sigh. "Pilan Nemellan's son."

"Oh right, Thingy!" she says.

>Get everyone's answers straight in preparation for interview. Especially Myaousha's. She needs to understand that she saw a very early, prototype version of the dungeon - we're much bigger now, with much larger and impressive assets - like Hin!
"I want to make sure everyone's clear before he shows up," I say, looking at both Kallia and Myaousha's groggy faces. "The dungeon you've seen was a very early and unpolished version - you especially Myaousha. It's much better now, it has much larger and more impressive assets, like Hin here!"

Hin tips her water jug in a toast. "Yeah I'd kick your ass this time, prolly!"

Myaousha tilts her head in confusion. "I fought you?"

"You thought she was a troll and a witch." I provide.

"Oooh! Let's fight!"

Hin grins at me. "What do you think?"

3/3 Deem 2021/03/11(Thu)01:29 No. 990666 ID: d2408a
File 161545498398.png - (32.02KB , 800x600 , deem_doesnt_deserve_this.png )

"No!" I say. "No fighting! We've got a visitor soon and we've got to get ready."

I think for a moment. Perhaps it'd be best to split the cat and my tipsy half-ogre up for now. "Myaousha, why don't you go freshen up while I figure out what to do about breakfast."

"Sure! I want to try some of that slime milk, OK?" She vanishes from the window.

>Either they'll have a better idea on what happened last night or at the very least when "the guy" shows up it would probably make a better first impression if the meeting didn't have a bunch of passed out drunks laying around the place.
I look at Kallia, maybe she can actually give me an account of what happened. I ask and her immediate response is a smug grin and, "Goddamn, you were an animal Deem."

I sigh.

It looks like I have to herd these three into getting clean, feeding them, coaching them for this meeting and maybe, should I be significantly lucky actually get any useful information out of them before meeting this new backer.

>>990666
Be stern. This is important. They can tell you embarrassing stories later. You need to know what you promised this guy, when he's showing up, and... what the hell these golems do. That mud golem in the back has a kind of... menacing aura about it. What's that in its chest?
Also you need better labels for the potions. Childlike writing is not exactly your best foot forward. What does the "golem" potion do? It's new isn't it?
Actually wait, can't you tell what the golems do? By, you know, reading their spell channels or whatever?

Are those weird eggs even safe to eat? Maybe you should try to get some real food instead of relying on satiation potions; you brought those here to sell them didn't you?

>>990666
I'd say Hin already seems plenty presentable, and she can make sure Kallia gets washed.

See if you can't round up all of your golems, so you don't have any lying around in the street.

Hin might need to get topped up with a satiation potion, can't have her deflating with a customer around.

well you got the golems, you could probably have them splash the girls with water if they don't clean themselves up... and if you have any money left maybe see if there's a bakery or something nearby you can grab some breakfast for everyone.

Sniff those potions for the smell of alcohol first. Then, drink them anyway! The golem potion must be labeled for a golem to drink, so it can wait. Give Kallia the satiation potion as requested, and give Hin the one labeled BIG.
The mana eggs are chicken eggs at their core, they should cook quite nicely and multiply for anyone who wants seconds. Do Kallia’s golems know how to scramble eggs?
So, let’s rotate those tasks. Kallia cooking first, herself satisfied by the potion, Hin washing up, because she’ll be fastest, and Deem grilling Myaousha for details. What’s the last thing she remembers, then start where she met this sponsor.

>>990673
All this seems right. After all somebody's got to down these potions to get rid of the evidence- you're not licensed to sell homebrew yet. Also, satiation via potion is much easier than scrambling all the eggs Hin would need. Recruit your pot golem to help mop up and... try to get the mud golem looking presentable? A protean model can show off the breadth of your capabilities in a single golem. Plus, they're good at charades.

You don't need to do anything with the potions except stash them out of sight (unless the banker's son explicitly asks for them, and... even then).

Have the useable golems help clean, and just... just hide the ones that aren't.

Definitely grill Hin and Kallia, specifically about what you discussed with the banker's son. Be gentle yet stern with steering them back on topic when they inevitably drift onto a tangent.

Maybe the golem potions are... well, golem making potions.

You've got like, 4 mono-material, super crude golems. One is made of bamboo sticks, how could that thing ever be useful? Unless all of the weird golems were test runs, figuring out how to get something useful our of a golem that's not actively made by a golemeter.

Maybe the mud golem can use the stick golem as a skeleton?

>>990857
you want a stick-in-the-mud golem?

>>990858
Well, look at what we've got here. A golem using mixed materials, a fragile-looking stick golem with NO ARMS, and a mud golem that's slumped over in the corner.
I think Deem was experimenting with mixing materials in golem construction. "stick in the mud" may have been the very phrase that inspired the stick golem and mud golem combo.

...hold on, the cauldron is a golem? Can it move at all? Was it an improvised alchemy assistant or just some way to infuse mana into the alchemy? Maybe Deem can figure out what the new potion does by analyzing the spent ingredients inside the cauldron.

>>990858
we already have a stick in the mud golem, it carries Deem's heart fragment

Do you need us to read those labels for you?

1/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:49 No. 991408 ID: 469d24
File 161580535954.png - (18.03KB , 800x600 , the_least_sticky_and_muddy.png )

>Maybe the mud golem can use the stick golem as a skeleton?
>You want a stick-in-the-mud golem?
>We already have a stick in the mud golem, it carries Deem's heart fragment
Enough of your snide commentary! I am very adventurous and exciting, and my dungeon is too! I'll prove it!

>Do you need us to read those labels for you?
No!

>That mud golem in the back has a kind of... menacing aura about it. What's that in its chest?
That's the golem core. And good if it's menacing! Menace is exciting!

>See if you can't round up all of your golems, so you don't have any lying around in the street.
I don't know if any more are lying around because I can only reactivate them at close range.

2/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:50 No. 991409 ID: 469d24
File 161580540329.png - (21.45KB , 500x800 , a_stick_in_the_mud_golem.png )

>Actually wait, can't you tell what the golems do? By, you know, reading their spell channels or whatever?
Much like reading, interpreting the magical anatomy of a golem is a specialised skill only known to a few so yes of course I can. The 'handwriting' of these golems is abominable though.

From what I can quickly analyse of the patterns and residual intent, the mud golem is designed to... drink a lot? The small stone golem was made to serve drinks. The stick golem has a furled up mess of spell channels in it, they seem to be laid in to imitate and reinforce the mostly dissipated patterns of the plant this stick was from. The cauldron golem is basically a pot on legs but has some elements to try and monitor its contents.

>...hold on, the cauldron is a golem? Can it move at all? Was it an improvised alchemy assistant or just some way to infuse mana into the alchemy? Maybe Deem can figure out what the new potion does by analyzing the spent ingredients inside the cauldron.
The mix in this doesn't seem to be related to any of the potions. Wait. I take a closer look at the crust. The salt crystals are storing a small amount of mana? It looks like it was a mana battery experiment. If I was trying to grow larger crystals, I don't know what happened to them.

>Also you need better labels for the potions. Childlike writing is not exactly your best foot forward. What does the "golem" potion do? It's new isn't it?
>Maybe the golem potions are... well, golem making potions.
Fine! I remove the labels. The bottles are colour coded anyway.

Potions don't lend themselves to analysis as easily as the golems. Now I think about it, I couldn't have made these potions here. I left Doyle and the alchemy kit at my dungeon.

The most I can determine is the golem potion is complex. The ingredients are more like something I'd use in a cognition enhancing potion. It doesn't make or enhance a golem directly, a partial key for a golem core is communicated to the drinker. They can construct a body out of ethereal material? Thought?

The potion labelled 'big' has a similar layer of removal from actually doing anything. It's not a potion either, it's an ointment that has to be poured on or applied to the target. It doesn't enlarge the target, it anchors an enchantment. It's a potion of potion of enlargement?

The one labeled 'food' seems to just be some kind of porridge. It's oddly heavy. It's been compressed somehow.

>Well, look at what we've got here. A golem using mixed materials, a fragile-looking stick golem with NO ARMS, and a mud golem that's slumped over in the corner.
>I think Deem was experimenting with mixing materials in golem construction. "stick in the mud" may have been the very phrase that inspired the stick golem and mud golem combo.
It's an abnormal idea, but I try to combine the mud golem and the stick golem. I've made golems with subordinate elements before, but this isn't that. Perhaps some insight from Centaur last night or simply Merud's diligence with designing cooperative golems has stuck with me as the two merge smoothly.

There, now I have an extra golem with arms and legs to clean up the place. I give it the shirt I was using last night.

The stubby stone golem offers a potion to me. I tell it to grab one of the satiation potions instead and come with me.

3/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:51 No. 991410 ID: 469d24
File 161580546006.png - (33.09KB , 650x750 , bigger.png )

>Somebody's got to down these potions to get rid of the evidence- you're not licensed to sell homebrew yet.
I'm not selling them so I don't need to hide them. I want to make effective use of them though. With how quickly they were brewed they won't have much of a shelf life.

>Hin might need to get topped up with a satiation potion, can't have her deflating with a customer around.
I march outside, a satiation potion in hand. "Hin, could you drink the satiation potions we have?" I gesture outwards. "I want you bigger! I want to be sure we can impress our visitor and you're the most impressive denizen I have."

"Aww shucks." Hin says. "Well you're the most impressive boss I've had! I'm up for drinking whatever."

The small golem toddles forward with its potion and holds it out to her.

"Is this the one I made?" Hin asks.

"I don't remember."

Hin scratches her head. "Well I guess it was a group effort anyway!" She takes it and uncorks it. "Seen Izakikk yet? You really made a fan last night!"

"We ran into Izakikk?" I say.

My blacksmith blinks. "I think so? There's not two masked potion brewers, are there?"

>Definitely grill Hin and Kallia, specifically about what you discussed with the banker's son. Be gentle yet stern with steering them back on topic when they inevitably drift onto a tangent.
"I doubt it." I say. "Quickly though, is there anything else you can tell about the banker's son?"

"Uhh, not really sorry?" Hin says. "You were just enthusiastic was all. Golems and item commissions and pissing off his dad seemed to be the big ones. The bangle was his originally, remember?"

I think Liana mentioned something about that when she was selling it. I thank Hin, leave the second satiation potion with her and step inside to check on Kallia.

4/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:52 No. 991411 ID: 469d24
File 161580553138.png - (34.49KB , 650x750 , dang_kallia_you_short.png )

>Well you got the golems, you could probably have them splash the girls with water if they don't clean themselves up... and if you have any money left maybe see if there's a bakery or something nearby you can grab some breakfast for everyone.
They can have eggs! If they explode or something, it'll be the adventure they deserve!

Myaousha's still in the bathroom so I gather the last of the travel supplies to complement the eggs. It's just some imp jerky, slime milk and vegetables.

>The mana eggs are chicken eggs at their core, they should cook quite nicely and multiply for anyone who wants seconds.
They don't have hard shells so we decide to boil some rather than then figure out how to crack them safely. The stone golem wanders over with a potion and I shoo it away, telling it to get back to cleaning.

>Do Kallia’s golems know how to scramble eggs?
"Why don't you have any golems for this sort of thing?" I ask Kallia.

"Oh, old Okum says us junior golemeters need discipline and humility. We'd get lazy with golems to do the work for us!"

"The bulk of the work this guild does is providing extra pairs of hands to do work." I point out.

"I know. It's stupid." Kallia says.

"It is stupid." I say. They could be selling skilled work instead of just simple labour if they got the practice at making more skilled golems too.

"Yeah!" Kallia agrees. "Sad you missed him." she says after a moment. "That's a showdown I'd want to see." She pulls the partially boiled eggs out of the bot and then tries to mash them with a spatula in the pan to convert them into scrambled eggs.

"Speaking of showdowns, I really do need to know more about last night Kallia."

"Nah, don't worry about it too much." Kallia says. "You were basically your normal self, and so was he, except you were drunk off your collective asses. He wants to liven up the place. Liked the thought of having a hand in what adventurers coming here might see. Was interested in golems and magic items but you were clear it'd take a while to get be able to do anything complicated. Guy's a lech though."

"How bad?" I say.

"Got a dirtier mind than me."

"You're kidding."

"I never kid, Deem."

>Try to get the mud golem looking presentable? A protean model can show off the breadth of your capabilities in a single golem. Plus, they're good at charades.
>You don't need to do anything with the potions except stash them out of sight (unless the banker's son explicitly asks for them, and... even then).
Before Kallia and Myaousha sit down for breakfast, maybe I should think what else I need. Centaur's not doing anything, maybe I should get Kallia to loan me the golem.

Currently I have myself, Hin, Hin's hammer, the repaired bangle, two active golems, some untested potions and Myaousha's account to show what my dungeon's capable of. Is there anything else I should get ready?

>Guy's a lech, though,

Weak point acquired! N, wait, Deem, I'm not saying 'show some leg', here, I'm saying that it's possible we have an in here. We almost run an all-female dungeon, big dog and golem guy aside. And Riesarf, but only sometimes? Maybe drop the point conversationally, a good line might be 'It's a good thing there's often no guys around when we experiment with spells, because [nervous laughter], yeah." or similar lines.

You don't have to embarrass yourself or really imply anything, trust me, his brain will do most of the work for you. I know you're a respectable golem-heart-riding-a-female-shaped-ish-golem and this might prickle, but an in is an in, and any guy can tell you it's a strong one.

>>991409
>mud golem was meant to drink
>stick golem was meant to be a plant
>arm golem was meant to serve drinks
Hmm, I guess the mud golem was an attempt at making an actual expert at drinking? Or an attempt at duplicating Hydro Pump? Can you tell if it can drink potions, like the alchemical golems you made?
Stick golem trying to emulate a plant sounds similar to that. Plants drink water! Alternatively... a camouflaged golem? Something meant to hide in a field of bamboo? Or maybe it's a different interpretation of a golem emulating "life". I mean, usually they're based off of animal life.
I think you've already figured out what the pot golem's for. It was for a specific experiment, growing mana crystals.

>golem potion communicates a golem "key" to the drinker
So... it's a potion that tells the drinker how to make golems?
>big potion is a salve that anchors an enchantment
...could it be used to enhance an existing enchantment, like Hin's spell? You said "anchor", could it be used to keep her big after she takes off the bangle?
Or is it used to... uh... enhance a bodypart's natural inclination to become larger? Deem did you make a penis enlargement salve? Or a salve of enhance knockers?
>food potion is compressed food
Ah, an interesting variation of the satiation potion then.
>"Is this the one I made?"
She must mean the Food potion.

Waaaait, that means... I bet you let Kallia make a potion too. That's the Big potion, since it's lewd(probably). Yours was the Golem potion, since it's so complex. It was an alchemy competition to impress Izakikk!
I wonder if the golems were a competition too?

>couldn't have made the potions here
...ah, you borrowed Izakikk's equipment. If you can find them again you'll be able to find out exactly what the potions are meant to accomplish. I wonder if that's where the mana crystals went.

>>991411
Oh good, I was worried we were supposed to have a specific magic item or something ready to give him when he arrived. Also I suppose he'd understand if you don't quite know what you made while you were drunk.

>anything else?
Where are the cart golem's front legs? You're gonna need those for the trip back.
See if you can get Centaur in a cooperative mood.

>>991410
>"I want you bigger! I want to be sure we can impress our visitor and you're the most impressive denizen I have."
Poor Hin. At this rate, she’s never gonna be small enough to fit inside the dungeon when we go back!

>>991411
>They can have eggs! If they explode or something, it'll be the adventure they deserve!
Wouldn’t that be bad for Hin? Because if she does explode, wouldn’t the Resurrection Matrix in your dungeon be too far away to bring her back to life? Didn’t you say that thing only works on your denizens that are killed inside of your dungeon?

Okay, so it sounds like the banker's son isn't too torn up about how you broke into his dad's vault. That's good, at least.

"You'll need to be a bit more clear; does he intend just to advertise, or is he looking to have a more direct hand in that appearance, such as an architect might?"

Having a planner worry about map minutia like treasure and trap placement, trap and puzzle design, mana flow optimization, and aesthetic details so that we don't have to would be a load off our shoulders, for sure. It's also fine if he only plans to advertise, though that might draw the church's attention.

Gather your stuff and wear your A-Game face. With someone who doesn't like his (probably) stuffy and uptight father, we should probably try to be casual about this.

After we conclude this meeting, we should look for Izakikk - if they've warmed up to us, we might be able to recruit them, and they'd be pretty compatible with our dungeon as it is now.

You should get ready for a show. Make Myaousha more inclined to give a favorable review by flattering her. You should have her in your lap while you entertain guests, petting her hair like the evil genius you are.
Spread some of the ointment of potion of big around the cauldron before putting a simple foaming solution inside, to enhance the appearance of its bubbling brew. Perhaps add slime milk to taste.
Perhaps you can show off your speed with ritual casting as well?

Cancel all silly lewds forever.

Mostly prepare yourself to be receptive to his ideas and try to compliment his attitude. Follow and bend the flow of conversation.

Also, arrange your antlers aethstetically, it looks like you got poked in the head by two kids who gace up on getting their sticks back.

Can you enchant some boss music? Setting the mood is important as you well know. Just treat this like a dungeon invader, except instead of getting the most out of an invader, you are getting the most out of yourself.
> The mix in this doesn't seem to be related to any of the potions. Wait. I take a closer look > at the crust. The salt crystals are storing a small amount of mana? It looks like it was a mana battery experiment. If I was trying to grow larger crystals, I don't know what happened to them.
Well it might be a mana battery experiment. I personally suspect that it was an attempt to ferment liquid mana into alcohol.

A lecher and a rebel, hmm? Get Pony to give attention to him instead of golems. When you're talking about the dungeon, emphasize the element of shadow and how it can unlock potential in people. Oh, and maybe thank him for the bangle, if you haven't told him the story already of how it helped cure Hin of ghost parasites, then tell it to him again while sober. The catventurer can give an honest eyewitness account, unless it's a negative one. Then she should go try that slime milk instead.
I wonder what enchantment Hin put in the food potion. It sounds like maybe it was related to her hammer's enchantment for compressed storage?
A potion of potion of bigness? Make sure you keep that around to try and remember the recipe, that sounds like it could be utilized well in a dungeon fight. You have invented an interesting new level of recursion here, together.

1/3 Deem 2021/03/17(Wed)02:39 No. 991722 ID: 819251
File 161597396112.png - (24.63KB , 800x500 , breaking_of_fasts.png )

>Mostly prepare yourself to be receptive to his ideas and try to compliment his attitude. Follow and bend the flow of conversation.
I suppose I can be gracious to my first suitor in a thousand years.

>We almost run an all-female dungeon, big dog and golem guy aside. And Reisarf, but only sometimes? Maybe drop the point conversationally.
Doyle and maybe the cake-mimic are boys too. And no, my dungeon is not some sort of burlesque show.

>Having a planner worry about map minutia like treasure and trap placement, trap and puzzle design, mana flow optimization, and aesthetic details so that we don't have to would be a load off our shoulders, for sure.
Are you suggesting some petty little banker's son would be better at that then me? Absurd! I've felt that faulty nonsense his father calls a vault!

>Okay, so it sounds like the banker's son isn't too torn up about how you broke into his dad's vault. That's good, at least.
I should be able to leverage it to prove I know what I'm talking about.

>Emphasise the element of shadow and how it can unlock potential in people.
All dungeons do that. It's what they're for. To wrest power and prosperity from the Labyrinth Game. Shadow in particular is useful for encouraging my denizens to develop unique skills. Also I haven't actually formed that affinity yet!

Myaousha finally emerges from the bathroom and Kallia briefly pops in to freshen up. The eggs and jerky are ready. I set the table for the golemeter and explorer pair.

"Nyo ho, thanks!" Myaousha says, picking up the jug of slime milk I brought along from the dungeon.

"Wow, but you guys eat stuff like this every day, huh?" Kallia says, poking at the imp jerky and scrambled failed alien-jelly-golem-power-source eggs.

"Not really." I say. "We have orange goo too. Oh and I'd like to borrow Centaur, Kallia."

"Sure but be nice to her this time. No tearing off her arms and calling her a clay-stealing harlot!"

"I'll try." I say. I leave them to eat.

>>They can have eggs! If they explode or something, it'll be the adventure they deserve!
>Wouldn’t that be bad for Hin?
I just gave Hin two satiation potions. I don't think she needs eggs as well.

>Poor Hin. At this rate, she’s never gonna be small enough to fit inside the dungeon when we go back!
I'll just put her on a diet. She can work off the weight.

>If she does explode, wouldn’t the Resurrection Matrix in your dungeon be too far away to bring her back to life?
She has a talisman for the Revival Fountain outside the church. I suppose the wretched thing has some uses.

>You should get ready for a show. Make Myaousha more inclined to give a favorable review by flattering her. You should have her in your lap while you entertain guests, petting her hair like the evil genius you are.
She's not a cat.

Well, she is, but not that sort of cat.

Anyway, I've fed her now so she should give me a very favourable review!

2/3 Deem 2021/03/17(Wed)02:40 No. 991723 ID: 819251
File 161597400441.png - (25.71KB , 750x650 , get_out_of_bed_lazy.png )

>See if you can get Centaur in a cooperative mood.
I check upstairs. Still in bed, lazy thing. Completely absurd, it doesn't even need to sleep!

I leave Centaur and the stick-in-mud golem there, telling them to start by cleaning up the bedroom together and then work their way downstairs.

>Where are the cart golem's front legs? You're gonna need those for the trip back.
I don't urgently need to find those.

>Hmm, I guess the mud golem was an attempt at making an actual expert at drinking? Or an attempt at duplicating Hydro Pump? Can you tell if it can drink potions, like the alchemical golems you made?
I'm not sure, none of the potions would be useful to feed it and find out.

>>food potion is compressed food
>Ah, an interesting variation of the satiation potion then.
Not really It's more compact but almost as heavy as just taking food. Also it needs that much food in the first place, rather than processing less edible substances.

>>big potion is a salve that anchors an enchantment
>Is it used to... uh... enhance a bodypart's natural inclination to become larger? Deem did you make a penis enlargement salve? Or a salve of enhance knockers?
No. No I did not.

>A potion of potion of bigness? Make sure you keep that around to try and remember the recipe, that sounds like it could be utilized well in a dungeon fight. You have invented an interesting new level of recursion here, together.
It just gives the potion recipient the ability to enlarge other things. Somewhat fiddly for a potion but nothing too special.

>Well the pot golem might be a mana battery experiment. I personally suspect that it was an attempt to ferment liquid mana into alcohol.
The pot was full of seawater so I doubt that very much.

>Also, arrange your antlers aesthetically, it looks like you got poked in the head by two kids who gave up on getting their sticks back.
My antlers are very aesthetic!

>After we conclude this meeting, we should look for Izakikk - if they've warmed up to us, we might be able to recruit them.
I can't recruit any more denizens without overtaxing my Resurrection Matrix, which would mean severe resurrection sickness for anyone requiring revival. Once I've built some monster lairs I can consider it, but I need more monsters as well.

>Can you enchant some boss music? Setting the mood is important as you well know.
I don't have any instruments.

3/3 Deem 2021/03/17(Wed)02:41 No. 991725 ID: 819251
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>Gather your stuff and wear your A-Game face. With someone who doesn't like his (probably) stuffy and uptight father, we should probably try to be casual about this.
I think I'd best set up outside, just in case there's not enough time to clean up everything.

>Cancel all silly lewds forever.
You're right, I don't need any of those.

There's a rapping at the courtyard door.

"Deeeem," Hin calls from the courtyard, sticking her head into the passageway next to it, "This green potion tastes weird."

"How'd you get that?"

Hin looks confused. "Your little golem cutie gave it to me to drink?"

"That wasn't a satiation potion, that was the big potion!"

"Then it's what you wanted? Biggening?"

"You're not meant to drink it! You do something like pour it on your hands and it makes things they touch bigger!"

"Ooooh, I see." Hin pauses. "So should I start licking things?"

I sigh.

>Perhaps you can show off your speed with ritual casting as well?
I detest being frivolous with my mana but it would be good to demonstrate what sort of empowered guardians I can create. I will have to be conservative as my Heart fragment has a greater proportion of damaged channels however. Who should I reinforce and how?

Yes Hin, you should start rubbing your chest area profusely. And Deem too, for luck. Use your spit to transfer the potion effect. Actually, is that going to increase the amount of food she's eaten even more, embiggening the food as it goes down? ...It's a good thing you're not liable for this experiment.
Is it possible Centaur can't actually move, on account of you tearing off her limbs? Have the mud golem prod her 'awake'.

>>991723
Did Centaur even move? Is one of its legs on backwards? Or is it detached? Maybe it can't get out of bed, you should fix that.
>>991725
Maybe you should... make the server-golem stop doing what it's doing.
>big potion-salve lets you enlarge things by touch
Hmm, I can see how that could be useful. Triggering the enchantment is faster than applying the salve, so you can apply the salve before combat then use it to enlarge something quickly during the fight. You can then use it offensively; making an opponent's armor bigger without making the person bigger is actually pretty inconvenient!

Use the server-golem as your target for reinforcement since it's basically a waste of space now. Show off that you can quickly reconfigure its body; see if you can make it more crab-like.

For showcasing reinforcement, well Hin needs no introduction, but the mud golem is definitely the fanciest thing to come out of last night. Make the mud half stick together to itself and other things better, reinforce the stick half with a sturdiness, like a tree. That way it can lift furniture bodily as it cleans beneath them, and climb all over walls.

>>991723
I’m seeing something red on the floor next to the pillow that feel off the bed. Right beneath centaur’s head. That important at all?

>>991725
>Who should I reinforce and how?
Offer Myaousha the same stoneskin effect Hin had on when they first met, since it's a visually striking way to demonstrate your capabilities without being too bizarre or threatening, reasonably simple/reliable and affordable in terms of mana, and may help clarify some of her misconceptions through firsthand experience.

Then, see if you can squeeze any more useful intel out of Kallia by reinforcing her poison resistance or natural affinity for witty banter.

>Lick things
No, but she could probably try to kiss them bigger for a short while. Anything we'd care to try it on?

... can she give the banker's son a big ol' smooch on the head to embiggen HIM? That should be a novel experience. Maybe plays into the lech thing too much, but it's not like he isn't gonna be oogling Hin anyway at this point. Call it the one gimme he gets.

>Myaousha, give good review
Well. How often do you get the opportunity to just ask? Just head on over and get her perspective of the run went compared to, say, others she's had, with the caveat your dungeon was/is still underdeveloped.

Unless you did already last night? Can you remember talking to her at all?

>Lazy Centaur
Alchemical clay golems are a brand of fun of their own, eh? Do they often develop personalities? I'd bet a certain golemeter would be having a field day with this.

>fix potion golem
Concur. Can you do so outside while you wait? Probably not too long until they arrive now.

>>991734
It’s just another egg.

>>991725
So Hin can make things bigger by licking them, now? I'm sure the guy would be very interested in a demonstration.

> enhance guardians

There's no real need at the moment. You've already demonstrated what you're capable of.

Better save the reserve, you might have put yourself on a few radars after last nights shenanigans, you do not want to approach empty any more than you have

Can you enhance your perception? Being able to accelerate your thoughts to think more about things without showing it would be useful if they try to pressure you. If you could enhance your ability to pick up on lies, misdirection, or ulterior motives then that could be, well, you probably won't like looking into what a lecher is looking for most of the time, but it remains an invaluable negotiating aid.

Could you grant illusion or sculpting powers with which to depict yourself? It is not as though you plan to take him back to your mountain to show yourself off personally, and a visual reprentation of what he is investing in would help clarify things.

>>991722
>my first suitor in a thousand years
[DISTANT DISTRAUGHT MORIKO NOISES]

1/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:29 No. 993232 ID: ead888
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>So Hin can make things bigger by licking them, now? I'm sure the guy would be very interested in a demonstration.
>She could probably try to kiss them bigger for a short while. Anything we'd care to try it on?
>... can she give the banker's son a big ol' smooch on the head to embiggen HIM? That should be a novel experience. Maybe plays into the lech thing too much, but it's not like he isn't gonna be ogling Hin anyway at this point. Call it the one gimme he gets.
"Well you could kiss things as well." I say to Hin. "We might try a demonstration during the meeting."

"Noted, I'll try to look smooch-able." Hin says.

>Maybe you should... make the server-golem stop doing what it's doing.
I tell the golem not to bring anyone anything.

"Aww, poor little guy. He looks so sad." Hin says. "You're denying him his purpose in life! Can't he bring us water at least?"

"Fine," I say, "only serve people water unless I specifically ask otherwise."

>Use the server-golem as your target for reinforcement since it's basically a waste of space now. Show off that you can quickly reconfigure its body; see if you can make it more crab-like.
"I'll be using this golem for a reinforcement demonstration too." I say to Hin. "Make sure it stays out of trouble."

"Aye aye boss!" Hin says. She sets down her pot and the golem eagerly toddles off to the courtyard water pump with it.

>Actually, is that going to increase the amount of food she's eaten even more, embiggening the food as it goes down? ...It's a good thing you're not liable for this experiment.
Yes, I think so. I warn Hin to let me know if she's experiencing any stomach problems.

>Yes Hin, you should start rubbing your chest area profusely. And Deem too, for luck. Use your spit to transfer the potion effect.
Neither I nor Hin share your fascination with chests.

>>big potion-salve lets you enlarge things by touch
>Hmm, I can see how that could be useful. Triggering the enchantment is faster than applying the salve, so you can apply the salve before combat then use it to enlarge something quickly during the fight. You can then use it offensively; making an opponent's armor bigger without making the person bigger is actually pretty inconvenient!
That is a good point. I might have Hin try to demonstrate that too.

>Alchemical clay golems are a brand of fun of their own, eh? Do they often develop personalities? I'd bet a certain golemeter would be having a field day with this.
All golems develop quirks. If they did not possess some volition, they'd just be puppets.

Some cause more trouble than others.

2/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:29 No. 993233 ID: ead888
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>Is it possible Centaur can't actually move, on account of you tearing off her limbs? Have the mud golem prod her 'awake'.
>Did Centaur even move? Is one of its legs on backwards? Or is it detached? Maybe it can't get out of bed, you should fix that.
Centaur doesn't seem to have left the bed. I go upstairs to check on my newly appointed cleaning team.

"You stop that right now!" I shout at Centaur, finding her and the mud golem all tangled together. Whatever odd, parasitic golemetry Centaur showed last night still seems to be present. I would be interested if I wasn't so annoyed!

Centaur stops and I have the mud golem sit out of direct contact. It is still functional, despite missing an arm and a lot of its body mass, but its responses feel erratic. The plant bits seem to be sprouting, the stick golem's powers of tree imitation seem to be faster acting than I assumed.

I hear Kallia come up behind me. "Huh, what's going on here?"

"Kallia! Your golem was trying to eat mine!"

3/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:30 No. 993234 ID: ead888
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The golemeter squints. "Huh."

"Just huh?"

Kallia shrugs. "I'm kinda hungover Deem. I mean yeah, it's pretty weird but Merud's caused some pretty weird golem-related messes too. Just split 'em up for now and stop leaving Centaur alone with clay golems, huh?"

"Hmmph. First Hin drinking those potions and now this." I glance backwards at Kallia. "Did you get taller? Don't tell me Hin's been licking things."

"Terrible right? Half a dozen deemimic eggs down the hatch and all I get is a few inches. I coulda gotten down and dirty with Hin for that!"

I'm not sure if I want to acknowledge any of that. "I didn't give you that many eggs." I eventually say.

"I ate most of Myaousha's."

"Ah." I say.

"What's the matter, Deem? Eggs, potions, ogres, careless golems. I swear, it's like you want things to go wrong this morning."

"Hmmph." That's absurd, why would I want a meeting with the idle son of some petty banker to go wrong? After all I'm only perilously low on mana, which is even now bleeding out of of crack in my Heart, and about to see whatever grasping little demands he might make of me in exchange for a pitiance of gold to fractionally improve my situation.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I'm crippled, Kallia!" I snap. "This shouldn't be worth my time. But I need gold if I'm to have any hope of recovery. I have been petitioned for things that approach the realm of the miraculous! What is the banker's son going to want? Some tawdry things that could be accomplished by a mediocrely talented enchanter or craftsman?"

"Yeah? So wring him for every bit of coin he's worth and use that to go on to bigger and better things."

I laugh in surprise. "So mercenary, Kallia!"

"I too am a grump in the morning." Kallia sips from her mug. "But yeah even if it's something small, I bet there's a ton of unique stuff you can provide. Something that 'stirs the heart'. This imitation coffee's great by the way. What's it made of?"

"Squeezed imps."

"Hah, good one." Kallia says.

I don't say anything.

"You're joking, right?"

4/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:32 No. 993235 ID: ead888
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With a reduced workforce I focus on just preparing the courtyard.

>>my first suitor in a thousand years
>[DISTANT DISTRAUGHT MORIKO NOISES]
She's fine.

>>Myaousha, give good review
>Well. How often do you get the opportunity to just ask? Just head on over and get her perspective of the run went compared to, say, others she's had, with the caveat your dungeon was/is still underdeveloped.
I have a quick chat with her, but don't have the time for more developed feedback. It's much as what I expected - some interesting encounters with my guardians but little else. She does call out fighting Reisarf and Stargazer on the ice platforms as a highlight.

>Can you enhance your perception? Being able to accelerate your thoughts to think more about things without showing it would be useful if they try to pressure you. If you could enhance your ability to pick up on lies, misdirection, or ulterior motives then that could be, well, you probably won't like looking into what a lecher is looking for most of the time, but it remains an invaluable negotiating aid.
I'm not enough of a mentalist to easily be able to do that to a useful degree.

>Could you grant illusion or sculpting powers with which to depict yourself? It is not as though you plan to take him back to your mountain to show yourself off personally, and a visual representation of what he is investing in would help clarify things.
I spend some time working on a mud map of the dungeon in a corner in case it proves to be useful.

All too soon there's a knock on the door. Kallia goes off to bring the visitor in.

"Good morning ladies!" the banker's son says, strutting into the courtyard. "You're looking so fresh after a splendid night out on the town like that. I love your energy! I must invite you to some of my parties."

"And a good morning to you, Olan." I say. For I did, eventually, manage to confirm one of us actually knew his name.

He's holding an egg. "I'm so happy to see your tales of vault cracking were no mere myth." Olan says, brandishing it. "You really are a woman of abundant talents."

I settle for an enigmatic smile because I do not actually remember how I got into that vault, but it seems I left an egg behind as a calling card.

"It really sets my head spinning." he says. "So just to get talking started, what do you think you could offer for five thousand gold?"

It is not, in the scheme of things, that much gold. Hundreds of low to mid strength potions. Perhaps a dozen of the weakest of enchanted items like the Fixity Bangle or the levitating plaque. A handful of more significant labours. Perhaps an independent golem, were I to source the materials for a complex golem core and a mana source to keep it operating. Training. Research or tutelage into magic or another of the natural philosophies.

What I'd do with it? I'd simply sit on it. Hoard it and offer it as a reward to stoke the earth-pulse, strengthen my denizens, delve deeper, and build new wonders out of the treasures of the earth. It is not much, but it also twice the amount of gold I currently possess, and enough to fortify my Heart with another layer of crystallised mana. An amount such that I would have to manage my dungeon's surroundings very carefully if it were to be introduced all at once. Otherwise I'd have to deal with more creatures like the devil bear popping up from a glut of power from the strengthening earth-pulse.

This is a trap, of course. He is trying to gauge how I react to that initial offer, what I might do cheaply. Materials and monsters available to me are still limited so I wouldn't want to over-promise anyway. I have knowledge, but am still lacking in ability to put it into action. How should I handle him?

>>993233
I wonder how many golems you can feed Centaur? Imagine it turning into some kind of massive monstrosity not normally possible via basic golemetry! ...is it using your cart's legs?

Also I think the mud part of the stick-mud golem is feeding the plant part. Something will happen. Hopefully not a berserk tree monster?

>>993235
Ok, list off the things you thought of, but leave the numbers vague or lower than would be fair. For the independent golem, make sure he knows the construction cost is going to be included in the price, and that you would value it higher than 5000. Lastly, tell him that you need to get yourself more familiar with the market, and adjust your prices so you're not being taken advantage of.
You may want to price checks and advice from Liana at some point. Heck, maybe you can bring her in during negotiations. You have a good working relationship with her, and you DID save Ophelia's life.

>>993235
oh no he's hot

Well what's he interested in, potions? Items? golems? Everything we can make can be completely bespoke or unique.

Stoke his imagination. For five thousand you could do something sensible and an uncommon niche for this corner of the world - but the talents of the old masters are worth more than five grand. You could also perhaps offer to merely tighten the vault's wards against earth pulse leakage - for more, you can go and plug up the vulnerability you used. For even more, you can tell them what it was, so they can sell the knowledge to other banks... It'd be a good opportunity to go and examine your handiwork.
Magic items seem like a good lead in to how you can come up with new items, like this Deemimic egg. But research and deemvelopment takes time, time that additional gold can accelerate.
How quickly could you infuse five grand without spawning another boss monster? With your limited golem caravan capacity, do you even have to worry about bringing too much too quick? What if you carry old gold out for purchases back at town on return trips?
Remember, it's cooler if you call it 'investing into mana research' instead of 'sitting on it.'

(pinging to see if there's life)
Perhaps one thing to do is show off your skill with a golem. You've proven that you can both make golems more quickly and with more detail and precision than most, if not all, golem makers that specialize in that field.
Even if you don't want to make a more human-like golem on the spot, you have Centaur to show your skill in making some human appearing golems (though he doesn't have to know all the details behind her, obviously).