Supreme Magus

Chapter 4328: Siege Fortress (Part 2)

After making sure with all the means at his and his companions’ disposal that there was nothing magical or mechanical he might disturb, he activated the orange eye on his right shoulder.

The rock wall became soft, and multiple lines appeared on its surface as if dozens of invisible fingers were drawing in perfect harmony. When Morok was done, the lines formed the stylized form of a woman holding two winged babies.

”There. If I can’t remember where I left a picture of my wife and children, then nothing else is going to work.” He said, staring at his work with pride.

There were too few details to identify the subjects of the mural, but the softness of the lines expressed all the love and affection that the artist felt for them.

”This is incredibly romantic.” Quylla squealed, holding the Tyrant’s arm.

”Yeah, but it’s not for everyone. I suck at drawing, and I have no mystical eye to help me.” Nalrond sighed. ”Any attempt to draw Friya would look nothing like the original.”

”You could always draw her boobs.” Morok shrugged. ”It’s not that difficult, and I bet they are hard to forget.”

”Very funny, smartass!” Nalrond snarled as he tried and failed to carve in the rock something that held any significance to him.

’Morok must never know.’ He actually thought.

”I love my kids, but I’m no artist.” Ryman raised his hands in surrender. ”I’ll count on my speed to rush on your side in case anything happens, Lith. What about you, girls?”

”Too complicated.” Tista said. ”I’ll just use Spirit Blinks to reach Lith.”

”I’ll use this mural as my dimensional beacon as well.” Quylla said while admiring Morok’s work.

”You love yourself that much? That’s unhealthy, dear.” He said.

”No, you oaf.” She snorted. ”I love the thought my husband put into his art piece.”

”Thanks, then.” He gave her a polite nod.

Once everyone was ready, Solus opened up the door again, and everyone crossed over. The corridor was large enough for four adult humans to walk abreast, but Lith ordered everyone to move in pairs so that only he and Solus would be forced to rush forward if the passage closed suddenly.

Protector and Morok were fast enough to rush out, while Quylla and Tista had a clear line of sight to Blink to safety.

Nothing happened, and everyone reached the other side before the door closed shut by itself.

”Well, this is as creepy as it’s impressive.” Morok said while using his multiple eyes to look around without turning his head. ”If I didn’t know better, I’d expect that lots of people live here.”

Tall, bulky golems with a chest wider than a barrel and elemental crystals the size of a coconut stood along the entire length of the defensive wall. They were deactivated and their eyes were empty, but the mana crystals and runes on their surface emitted enough light to display their dormant power.

Tall and spindly golems walked across the fortress with purpose, extending their limbs for several meters whenever they detected a rune that needed maintenance or an almost depleted mana crystal.

Each of their fingers carried a scalpel-shaped white gemstone that they used to repair a damaged rune or slightly shift its position if they had gone out of alignment with the rest of the array for whatever reason.

The Maintenance Golems carried large metal baskets filled with mana crystals of different sizes on their backs. Most gemstones were filled with energy, some were recharging themselves, and a few were almost depleted.

Yet the Maintenance and Soldier Golems were exactly what Morok would expect to find in such a fortress, and not the reason for his comment.

The entire Armory was as bright as day thanks to small holes in the ceiling and a system of mirrors and crystals that spread the natural light. The courtyard was filled with flower beds, bushes, and orchards.

Constructs shaped like small, stumpy chariots tilled the fertile ground, while humanoid golems trimmed the branches, watered the fruit trees, and killed the parasites infesting them with magic.

In the distance, far on the east side of the Armory, Lith could see a pond with fish jumping above the surface. The air was fresh, and if not for the winter, the stronghold would have been filled with colorful flowers and ripe fruits.

”This isn’t an enchanted metal deposit.” Menadion said, furrowing her brow. ”This is an underground fortress built to withstand a prolonged siege. The Invincible King was as brilliant as he was afraid of his mysterious enemy. Look at that.”

Small, bird-shaped flying golems circled the courtyard and had locked their mystical senses on the newcomers. More constructs of smaller build compared to the Soldiers, but of identical design to each other, strolled the city for no apparent purpose.

Units of even smaller constructs the size of a basketball and shaped like spiders skittered along the outer walls and accompanied all the other golems as they moved across the underground city.

”The human-sized constructs seem to move independently, but if you pay attention, you notice that they never stray too far from each other and form a six-man unit.” Menadion pointed out.

”Moreover, unlike the big constructs, they have been embossed with elemental crystals of different types. Those are Array Golems. The spiders, instead, are Fixer-type golems.

”They repair damaged constructs during battle when there is no time to wait for them to self-repair or they suffer critical damage.”

”You were right, Ripha. This is a trap.” Lith looked around, realizing that they had already been surrounded. ”The Scouts track our numbers and position, the Array Golems form a perimeter around us, and the Fixers stand ready to step in.

”We are against a specialized army that is probably studying us and formulating strategies as we speak.”

”An inactive trap, though.” Ripha said. ”As long as we are careful, we have nothing to worry about. Where is the Adamant storage, Solus?”

”That way.” She pointed at the keep of the underground fortress. ”Is it me, or are the Golems paying more attention to me than to the rest of you? I know we are all under surveillance, but no matter where I turn, I always find at least three constructs focusing on me and only one staring at each of you.”

”You are right.” Morok said, after a quick mind link allowed the evolved humans to share their multiple fields of view. ”The Golems seem to be particularly wary of you. Even the Array Golems form a circle centered on you. Can it be because you are the one who opened the door?”

”Maybe.” Solus shrugged. ”Let’s do what we have to and get out of here.”

”Agreed.” Lith nodded. ”Too bad the wall is made of Orichalcum, or I’d just Warp a large section of it on our way out and be done with this place.”

He shapeshifted into his Tiamat form and unfurled his wings, ready to react with multiple limbs and extreme prejudice if the Scout Golems assessed him and his friends as a threat after completing their scans.

Protector and Nalrond followed suit, switching to their hybrid form to keep themselves humanoid and not hinder their companions with their size.