Lowest Grade Golem Creation (Active) Lv. 1
| EXP: 0.00%
| MP: 2000
| A legendary inanimate creature. Its existence has been known for millennia. The basics of this spell allow you to breathe life into a puppet as long as the grounds are given for the life to take root.
Effect:
| Permanently allows Gerhard the Gamer to create 1 Golem at a time.
| The Golem's abilities will be based on the caster's stats.
Limitations:
| 1 Golem
-
"Yes, this seems appropriate."
> That's so broken, Master. What even are you?
"Resourceful."
> That stands without question. So, I suppose I won't be able to control the Kastelan Robot?
"It should still work. You know, that makes me think what else I could do with the Golem creation skill. I am thinking about Orks, Tyranids and the like."
> True, if you want to be killed outright by the Ordo Xenos, I think you could do that.
"Hmm... then why not humans?"
> Humans?!
"Space Marines. They are already biologically modified. Can you imagine? Space Marine Golems. And no one would realise."
> You're a weird man, Master. But it does seem like a good idea.
"A long term goal. I'll look into the gene seed when we get off this planet. But that's a long term goal, for sure."
> I believe you might even be able to look into chimerism then. Since you can create a golem out of any material you wish in the future, you could, like with the [Creation] skill, simply use biological material as a base and then create a golem out of it.
"But that would then simply create a biological golem and not neccessarily a human golem. I'll need to upgrade my skills for sure. But chimerism isn't a bad idea. I could fuse what makes both Orks and Tyranids strong and fuse those characteristics with biological golems. The shape wouldn't really matter then, since it's all heresy anyway."
> That would be disgustingly broken, especially if they can gain levels.
"Let's see here..."
--
[Kastelan – "Iron Castellan Pattern" - Lv. 1]
| Race: Battle Golem - Rank: Special
| A golem created through the Gamer's power over Mana and [Programming], [Binary Manipulation], [Compiler Construction]. A former enhanced Kastelan Robot, brought to life through Gerhard's [Golem Creation] skill.
| Designed as a frontline siege unit, this Golem follows the commands of the Artificial Spirit known as Hans.
Stats:
| MP: 2000
| Durability: 7,000/7,000 (Auto-Repair: 200/min base)
| Energy Core: Artificial Spirit (Sub-Core Logic)
| Armour Class: Heavy Automata
STR: 160
VIT: 190
DEX: 30
INT: 20
WIS: 20
Defensive Effects:
| +100% Mid-Class Physical Resistance (Kastelan Battlehide)
| +80% Mid-Class Energy Resistance
| +60% Mid-Class Shockwave Resistance
Kastelan Battlehide:
| Reinforced ceramite-plasteel composite plating
| Resistant to Krak-grade explosives
| -40% incoming critical damage
| Head-mounted Scoptic Sensor Plate enhances battlefield awareness
Thermal Regulation Layer:
| -60% heat generation
| High resistance to flame and plasma weapons
Polymorphic Reinforcement:
| Minor adaptive resistance to repeated damage
| +5% resistance per hit (max +50%)
Weapons Systems:
| Heavy Flamer (Under-mounted)
| Phosphor Blaster
| Modified Bolter (Under-mounted)
| Power Fist (Right Arm)
| Power Fist (Left Arm)
-
"The Kastelan is no longer an automaton but is classified as a golem. And it gained some stats as well. It seems that it can now theoretically function according to my or your orders."
> Truly interesting. And how would I give it orders?
"Wait, let me connect you."
...
"There. You should be able to do it now."
> Stand up.
The Kastelan Golem followed Hans' order right away and stood up, standing before Gerhard.
"That's pretty bloody cool. But I don't think you need to say it out loud. Try to do it silently."
The Kastelan took five steps forward and then turned around. Then, the Phosphor Blaster started aiming around, as if it were looking for an enemy. After that, the Kastelan raised its Power Fists. It looked hilarious, like a new existence getting familiar with its body.
And in a way, that was true.
Right now, Hans had 100% authority over the Golem and could make it do anything he or, more importantly, Gerhard, wanted. This was perfect, since it allowed Gerhard to have a reliable and capable partner not only inside his Power Armour, but also at his side to fight with him.
That was an insane advantage, and in a reality like this one, where you couldn't trust anyone, it was even more valuable.
> That leaves me with my body. Will you still make me one?
"Of course. I said I would, so I will. The beauty of all of this is that I will be able to have you both visible to all and use you in the fights to come, without having to worry about the heretic brand. A skilled individual having a Tech Priest to accompany him, who just so happens to be a Datasmith, while rare, is not impossible."
> I suppose you are right. What about the energy core then? I doubt I will be able to power the MK III, my body, and the Kastelan Golem simultaneously.
"You don't have to. Because the Kastelan, now that he is my Golem, uses 2000 of my Mana whenever I activate him. And after that, he can function on his own until he is destroyed."
> WHAT?! That is... impossible. This is a complete disregard of the laws of physics. You can't simply create energy. This is a perpetuum mobile...
It was true. Now, theoretically, Gerhard hadn't cast the Golem Creation spell at once, since he doesn't have 2000 Mana. What he did was make the Mana flow into the Golem and then create it after the total Mana reached that threshold.
It was also this reason that he couldn't use the skill mid-battle. He had to use the spell as he did just now and make sure the Golem wasn't destroyed. Because once it was, he couldn't recast it. But what did that matter when he created a literal perpetuum mobile?
"I am a walking cheat. I suppose that's what you would otherwise call the 'Rule of cool'. Only that it doesn't really apply to me as the Gamer, it's all just overshadowed."
> This is so unfair. But it also solves the most pressing problem of too little energy.
"Very well, then let's get started with your body."
.
Gerhard stood in the centre of the Instant Dungeon workshop, surrounded by a macabre assembly of components. The plans were visible on the computer screens.
In the air, floated the desiccated, augmented remains of Magos Kaspel's corpse, still mostly bound in glowing Mana ropes. Next to him, floated the different parts which Gerhard had assembled and was now mostly ready to put into one single piece.
Scattered across various worktables were the high-grade materials he had painstakingly synthesised using his advanced crafting skills.
"The logic holds, Hans. As a Tech-Priest, you are above suspicion among your own kind. You can even walk alongside the Inquisition or on Mars, though that brings its own problems. The Kastelan, while powerful, is a limited medium and mostly used for battle. You need the flexibility," Gerhard said.
He started with the Magos's remaining organic matter.
Using [Biology Mastery], he delicately separated the truly dead, vat-grown tissue from the cybernetic parts. It was a tedious process, akin to peeling dead meat from an overcooked crab, but essential to the foundation. Thankfully, [Dismantle] came in clutch and helped in that regard.
Gerhard treated the salvaged biological material with a concoction made through [Chemistry Mastery], derived from the healing potions Gerhard had so many of. It was a cocktail that provided a brief burst of rapid-regeneration stimulants and sterile nutritional fluids, turning the withered flesh components into viable, if grotesque, biological 'connectors.'
> I am studying the cellular stimulants, Master. They are highly efficient. Perhaps too efficient. It will overgrow into a tumour.
"I am planning on it. Unlike what the 3rd millennium thought, a tumour is but a misguided tissue, capable of so much more. By providing it with nutrients, I can grow what I want and then cut it to the size I need. I mean that is quite a bit simplified, but you understand what I mean."
With the biological components prepped, he began the heavy engineering.
He used the strongest Adamantium alloy he could currently create and forge to build a new internal skeleton, based on Magos Kaspel's form but significantly reinforced. But he didn't stop there.
Gerhard wasn't going to shy away from work when creating a body for his most trusted and loyal friends and subordinates.
So he added what he had learned from the Polymorphic Alloy and reinforced the Adamantium with it, making it not only powerful but flexible for change.
This wasn't the brittle, ageing augmetics of the Datasmith. He integrated powerful, multi-jointed servo-motors, based on the same principles he used in the Iron Monger but miniaturised, into the new metal 'joints.'
The mechadendrites were next.
Gerhard didn't reattach the ones he had looted. He completely rebuilt them from scratch, using the original interfaces as a guide but replacing the internal wiring and structural rods with Ceramite, very little Auramite filaments, and high-density actuators.
Each mechadentrite was a masterpiece of both utility and death, outfitted with newly designed, multifaceted data tips and precise micro-manipulators, for all sorts of work Hans might need to do.
Gerhard pulled out a mass of freshly grown, synthetic musculature, which he cut to size. He added the necessary hair-like threads to create a complex weave of high-tensile biopolymers and specialised nerve filaments.
Unlike the Magos's original tissue, this was designed for both flexibility and strength. Gerhard spent hours meticulously layering and sewing this super-muscle onto the new internal chassis, integrating it with the Polymorphic Alloy joints and chemical fluid lines.
> The kinetic potential of these synthetic muscles is impressive. According to my calculations, my new physical strength will almost rival the Kastelan's and will most definitely exceed it in all other aspects, like DEX, INT, WIS, and LUK.
"We're just getting started. This chemical cocktail here," Gerhard lifted a beaker of glowing, sparkling fluid, "is what I call the interface serum. It should fuse the synthetic flesh with the biological anchors and the Adamantium-Auramite skeleton, creating a single, cohesive entity."
...
"At least it should. I haven't tested it."
> And you will use this body to test it? What if it fails?
"Then I'll try again. Failure is an opportunity to learn and gain insight. Far more than success is."
> I am aware, but I thought it better to 'fail' on a less important piece of--
TSCHHHHHH
"Hmm... I see."
> So start from scratch?
"Yes."
.
After failing like the idiot that he was, Gerhard went at it again. All he lost was time, because he could create the resources again and was even faster this time.
He spent more time finding a way to improve the serum, at least for now. He knew that as he went further down the rabbit hole, the more specific the serum would become. But he didn't care. He would focus on other serums at a later date.
Eventually, Gerhard began the delicate process of pouring the serum along the biopolymer muscle lines, watching with satisfaction as the various materials began to knit together. The biological tissue absorbed the stimulant fluid and expanded, forming seamless connections.
Gamer-science. You had to love it.
With the core physical form established, it was time to install the mind. Gerhard carefully picked up the new Core Cogitator, replacing the one he had taken from the Datasmith. The information he had gathered was truly invaluable and would prove useful in selling the lie that Hans was the Datasmith.
This was the centrepiece, the most complex computer he had ever handled, as he had fused the cogitator with Hans' central logic core, creating a new version of him.
Gerhard built a new, heavily armoured cranial cradle within the brain, lined with crystalline shielding to protect the core from external interference and Warp-corruption. Not that he was worried that Hans would ever get corrupted, as that was impossible, but the circuitry or the connection to the body.
"I might be overpreparing, but that's what gamers do, I suppose. Alright, Hans. Moment of truth," Gerhard said.
He delicately seated the Hans-Core Cogitator into its new housing. He activated the Machine Dominion Protocol on a separate interface, allowing Hans's Artificial Soul, currently connected to the computer's data banks, to flood into the physical core.
There was a moment of silence. Then, a soft blue light began to pulse from the data ports on the back of the newly built body's neck. The chemical lines began to pulse as well, but this time with mechanical clicks.
> The sensation... is different. My new processing bandwidth allows me to take in the world as if from a being of flesh, while still retaining my clear core of an artificial soul and intelligence. I could also turn the sensations off.
Hans now spoke through the vox grill, but sounded like the same digital voice as he did when he spoke with Gerhard through the speakers. It was another irony that nothing changed in that regard, and he truly could pass as a Tech Priest.
"I thought you might experience a small growth in this aspect, but it's good to hear that you can appreciate it."
Gerhard then handed Hans the newly created and heavily improved Omnissian Axe.
"So, what do you think of your new 'rotting' body, Hans? Looks just like the Tech Priest did, right?" Gerhard asked, gesturing to the disgusting image of the deceased Tech-Priest on the computer screen.
Hans looked down at its own hands, flexing the new, powerful mechanical fingers. He had experience with using the different Power Armours that Gerhard had created, but this was still different.
He then raised the heavy Omnissian Axe with ease that belied its heavy weight. Gerhard had gone a bit overboard when he improved it, making it much heavier. The multiple green lenses on Hans' faceplate whirred as they focused on Gerhard.
> I see the irony in this, Master. The combination of biological anchors, chemically enhanced biopolymers, and superior alloys creates an entity of extreme durability and physical power. It is not 'rotting' at all. I believe the Mechanicum may have thought of this when they dissected themselves.
"Now, don't get everyone's hopes up. All I did was use the body's blueprint, replace all the mechanical parts he had with better ones, and add a few of my own twists and improvements. I'm not a great inventor just yet."
> I disagree, Master. This is amazing. What are my stats?
"Well, let's see."