Start of what was to be… the sixth day, we were greeted by something wholly unusual. After jumping down into the corpse pit to get more work done and coming out at the end of the day, all with no problems, I wasn’t expecting the air above the tower to suddenly shudder. For my ears to pop and for a very literal eye to appear out of nowhere.

  “YES! YES!! YESSSSS!!! ITS ALIVE!!!” Crazy cries erupted from the tower while we all stood in the courtyard staring at the flaming eye above. When Faust came running out, panting and ready to tell us the good news, he came out to us staring up at the sky.

  When he looked up, he went quiet.

  “Say… Faust, is there a reason why we have a flaming eye above our tower, only blue!?” As I said, it looked like a flaming eye, but blue.

  “Uh…” He stated, intelligently… “I have no idea to be honest, but… It’s supposed to act as an additional defense mechanism”

  “So… it shoots beams?” I asked, just to be sure.

  “Er… yeah. It’ll shoot out a concentrated beam of magic at whatever, whoever is controlling it decides.”

  Ominous floating and flaming eye aside, it felt comforting knowing we had yet another defensive measure for when and if, something goes wrong. Only…

  “Can you turn it off? It’s a bit… creepy.” Diva voices out the concern everyone had.

  “Er… no, I don’t think I can.”

  Whelp… guess we have a giant flaming eye floating above our tower now. We stood for a few more minutes just staring up at the eye, just letting our new reality sink in… Then we headed inside for dinner. It went as usual, only, for our meeting…

  “So, how’s it going with the silver rank golem you were going to make?” Faust asked.

  “Slow. I should be able to finish it tomorrow, but I’ll need help siphoning energy from the ley line for the process… Speaking of, the giant floating eye won’t impact our reserves, will it?”

  “Not at all. The eye functions by pulling from the ley line’s natural generation. By doing so, it naturally charges its own internal battery, of a sort. Once fully charged, we can utilize it up until the charge is spent, then we need to wait again.”

  If the generation is shot, I might not be able to make another unit until it finishes charging then… Well, that’s fine.

  “Alright then, early tomorrow I’ll finish the golem, or soldier, and I can put all my effort on finishing up the corpse pit.”

  “Alright, do you mind showing me how you want the energy siphoned before you take a bath?”

  “No, I don’t mind.” He seemed like he was in a hurry, not that I blamed him. I was second to last on the bathroom list, with Faust being the absolute last. He also took first shift, he was with Ruth today, which gave him time to work. Really, I saw no reason to deny him.

  Pointing out how I wanted it setup, I left him to work. The night proceeded as usual. With the only notable event being the invaders getting back into the bamboo groves. I blame the eye…

  When my shift came around, it became obvious just how much of a nuisance the eye was going to be. The entire courtyard was lit by the flaming eye. Casting the entire compound in an eerie blue light. In a way, it was better than relying on moonlight to work, but still… It really did ruin the atmosphere.

  Still, by the time the sun was up, the golem, or soldier had finally been completed. A few adjustments were made to the lines Faust had made the day prior, then it was time for breakfast.

  After that, it was time to get the big golem moving. Standing on a stool made of stone, I put my hand in the small recess in the soldier’s back. Once my hand was in there, I began the long and surprisingly slow process of animating it.

  Compared to ice, stone, or at least this stone-like substance was a whole different animal. It fought against my ice. It fought against my magic as it etched into its form. With the process started, I couldn’t stop. I had to adjust the flow, and keep it going, all the while guiding the energy.

  The statue pulsed. Lines of blue pulsed just under the surface. Peeking out from underneath. Frost formed over the statue and the surrounding ground crackled as it froze over. As the surrounding magic grew, the frost covering the grass and concrete shifted. The moisture in the air began to be drawn in, hoarfrost forming on every surface in the vicinity.

  Noon blitzed by. My entire being was focused on the task at hand. Slowly, surely, etching and digging into the statue, burning line after line with freezing cold. With every passing second, the flame that was my soul was fed into the construct as well, enabling a more powerful core to develop and grow.

  Noon became afternoon, then finally evening. Just as the sun began to set. Something clicked. Energy flooded out of me and out of the ley line. As the ley line energy was drawn, then overdrawn, a sucking sound, almost like a pump desperately seeking water.

  Then it latched onto me. my magic rushed out. My entire arm froze over. Every bit of magic was being drawn from me, into the statue and even then, it continued and pulled, trying to rip it out of my body. Just when it felt like it might actually kill me, it stopped. Leaving me feeling wholly wrung out and ready for a good meal, a warm bath, and sleep.

  I fell back as the soldier shuddered and was caught by Ruth. Everyone was staring at the monstrous figure as they shook their body. As their form gained definition with each step. Loose stone and rubble worked its way off with cracks and rolling rumbles.

  Each step the solider made had a good woomph behind it. Leaving notable prints in the ground. It then turned to face us, me. It towered above us. The armor that covered its body was minimal at best. Muscular arms that I had meticulously carved seemed to shudder and wriggle like their flesh and blood counterparts.

  I hadn’t made a normal soldier. Its face was snarling, with large fangs. Horns on its head. No, I had made an Oni. An Oni made of stone.

  It regarded me for a moment. I had used a nearly ten-foot slab to make them. The actual product was closer to eight feet in the end, just barely enough to get under the main gate if it crouched. After taking me in, it went to a knee and bowed its head.

  I felt its regard for me, the connection I had with it and yet… It felt… off somehow. Incomplete. Compared to Cobalt, the lines, the sensations I was receiving back… It was all wrong, almost fake. Cobalt was a masterwork, a magnum opus of sorts. Compared to that, this, this was merely a child’s attempt. A very poor attempt at what I was aiming for.

  Still, it would do.

  “Rise.” I spoke. The Oni stood. I then pointed towards a weapon, more a slab of stone with a handle. “Arm yourself.” And at my command it did. The moment it grabbed the slab of stone, it changed altered. Growing more intricate, lines were etched into it. The end product was a bit strange. A square shaped club with sharp points along the body of it, and the head almost looked like a small relief of the very compound we stood within.

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  “What can you do?” I then questioned. The oni took a swing, the air whistled with it, kicking up dirt and dust. Then, with a stomp, earth spikes kicked out of the ground surrounding it. With another stomp, a shell of rock formed over its body, imitating armor.

  From what I could guess though, compared to Cobalt… the oni was truly lacking. Cobalt, could to a lesser extent empower its fellows, covering them in ice, enhancing their strikes and such, but the Oni could only self-empower. Was it in part due to their make, or was it really just due to my own lack of skill?

  Regardless, it would suffice.

  “As of now, I don’t believe we need double watches.” I announced, to everyone’s relief. “We should keep normal watches going, but with this guy, we should be fine.

  That and they’d be able to reduce my burden. Keeping track of all three squads of soldiers had been annoying. Now, with this oni here, I could shunt them off.

  The moment I mentally passed on the torch, almost like a mental shrug, every soldier jolted, just a bit. It was subtle. Nothing seemed to change at first, but it became clear within a few moments. They were better coordinating now. The distance between units had grown lesser, and they were now cohesively working as a single unit.

  It made me wonder… consider, and yet… I would have to wait and see.

  After a meal, hot bath, and a good night’s rest. I woke up early and beheld a shocking sight. Standing in the courtyard was one of the units. At the helm was the oni, leading them in what looked like drills. Over and over, they stabbed their spears. I could almost imagine them shouting with each strike. Moving in time with steady steps of the oni.

  I felt a mental ping, a question held within, a single thought dismissed it, ordering them to continue with a single dismissive command. I didn’t want to interrupt. As they worked, I moved onto the next project.

  Until the eye finished charging, I wouldn’t be able to make more soldiers. I needed to finish the corpse pit, but I had the final watch, and I wasn’t stupid enough to work in a pit, before the sun had officially risen, just to get a head start on my day.

  I did have another task in queue though. Ruth had, under my instruction, gathered the bamboo Faust had cut down. The bamboo was stacked in a corner, where in the past week, they had sat in the sun. Terra had hardened the earth into solid rock and raised it above the ground to facilitate a drying process.

  It probably needed more time, but… It was good enough. I cut the bamboo into sections and began to sharpen them with my chisel. It didn’t take too long, but the final product was exactly what I wanted, a short spear. I quickly engraved some basic enchantments, this time focusing on velocity and sharpness. After all, they weren’t meant to last.

  Taking my new weapon, I went up to the ramparts, towards one of the captains overlooking the area surrounding the compound. Looking out, the approach to the compound was perfectly lit by the flaming eye above. Casting everything in that eerie blue light.

  Still, I could just barely see the bamboo grove from here. Looking at the captain, I handed him the bamboo spear.

  “Give it a throw, about…” I considered. “Half of what your best would be.”

  With a nod, the soldier stood and cocked their arm back. It was a good pose, at least, it appeared to be. With a crack, the bamboo spear was thrown, it whistled as the velocity enchantments kicked in, throwing it forward.

  I half expected an explosion, but nothing like that happened. Like a dart thrown at a dart board, the spear stuck into the earth, about three quarters of the way out. Nearly covering the entire distance between us and the grove.

  I let out an impressed whistle. “Good work, what do you think the others could do?” The captain didn’t speak, but their intent was carried over. The answer was, a little under half what they had just done. Which meant, they could cover nearly half the area spanning between us and the grove.

  I considered for a moment… “Right, I’m going to make more. Make sure everyone has some and save some for you and the other captains for when priority targets show up. Understood?”

  Through our connection, I felt a note of understanding and with that, I went back to work. It didn’t take long to work through most of the pile, leaving larger bamboo intact to make into a makeshift javelin for the oni. Those ones would need to be enhanced, to prevent them from shattering under their own weight, but before I could get too into it, it was morning and time for breakfast.

  After enlisting Terra and Diva’s help, I was able to slide down into the pit and get to work, safe in the knowledge they would watch over me. Up to this point, nothing had happened. The invaders had, since the flaming eye appeared, seemed unwilling to breach the bamboo grove line and into the field surrounding the compound.

  Today, should have been no different.

  As I worked. Nothing happened. As the day wore on… Nothing happened. This continued. Even as I had lunch thrown down to me, along with a bottle of water to drink. It continued even as the day wore on, and the sun began to descend.

  It continued… Up until I was nearly finished. I had one last area to cover, and I was intent on finishing it before all goes to hell. That was when, a voice crackled out.

  “PRIMA! THEIR COMING!” It was Diva, her voice enhanced by her megaphone.

  I swore, yet I didn’t stop. Above I could hear the soldiers readying themselves. The vibrations they made, walking on the ramparts echoed down to here and into my hands through the stone.

  “Their almost here!” Diva cried out.

  “I’m almost done!” I cried out, knowing very well that if I was caught here, it could be a serious problem. Still, I couldn’t rush it, I was almost done, almost… almost…

  “YES!” I shout, the final addition finally clacked into place with a crackle of magic. The lines I had etched into the pit walls with ice glowed and hissed. A haze of frost swiftly filled in the pit. I heard Diva cry out again, and I chose the smartest option available.

  I summoned my rifle and moved. I wasn’t far from the steps that could take me up. I didn’t need to go far. Above, I heard the crack of bamboo spears being thrown. Followed by the steady shluck of them crashing into flesh and blood bodies.

  With ice in my veins, I was cool, calm, collected, which is why, when a creature leaped down from above, I greeted them with a bayonet to the face. With a shout, the bayonet shimmered into existence. It sliced into the creature’s head.

  I had a single glimpse of a strange wooden mask, a body covered in gnarled, thorned vines that pulsed with red veins before I pulled back and kicked the body aside. I didn’t have the luxury to fight.

  Running forward, I heard more bodies fall into the pit. Above, I saw more figures leap towards the wall. Primitive tools and axes, made up of wood and vine twined around bits of metal dug into the walls, or rather, tried to.

  Many of the weapons failed to find purchase. The creatures that failed to find purchase fell into the pit with a wet, meaty thud. It was literally raining them as I pushed forward. My bayonet flashed out, cutting through a creature’s bark like shield with ease and cleaving them in twain. The next one, rushed me with an axe raised high.

  I met the strike with the butt of my rifle and pushed, pushing them off-guard before bashing their mask clad face and sending them to the ground. Then, without a thought, I pressed forward. My foot stomped down on their skull with a satisfying crack as I consciously put more force into that particular step.

  More arrived, but the pit shuddered. The earth tried to move.

  “Don’t break my damn pit!” I cried out, the earth stopped shaking briefly.

  “Well get the fuck up here!” Terra cried back.

  Another swear left my lips and I pressed forward. A high-pitched scream ripped out, making the creatures briefly shudder, but… I realized; this wasn’t like before. The heart had been in an enclosed space, a very literal echo chamber. Out in the open, Diva’s effectiveness was massively reduced.

  Above, the creatures that managed to get purchase along the walls tried to climb, only to be stabbed with spears and impaled. Once impaled, they were pulled up where a sword wielding soldier finished them off. After that, like discarded trash, they were peeled off and dropped into the pit, right over my head…

  More creatures leapt down, more, having survived the initial fall after failing to get purchase on the walls above would stand and bar my way.

  I cut, I bashed, I slashed, I stabbed. I threw my whole weight into moving forward and just before me, were the stairs. Without a second glance, I shot for the step, running up the steps, two at a time. Just behind me, the creatures followed with incredible agility. Arrows whizzed above, clattering against the wall. A pained yelp sounded out, and another dull thunk announced an arrow finding a home in my shoulder.

  The ice numbed the pain, limited the damage, and uncaring for both, I reached the top. Without a second thought, not having even time for a second thought, I leapt up. As I ascended, arrows flying around me, just behind me, the creatures clambered after me, it occurred to me…

  Would anyone be here to grasp my hand?

  With arrows flying, with someone injured? Would I just fall below?

  As I hit my apex, those gnawing feelings chewed at the ice. Small, brief cracks formed over my frozen calm.

  Yet, just when I began to dip, something shot towards me. Something metal, something black and yellow. Ruth’s bat.

  I grabbed it. My frost covered fingers stuck fast to the metal, like a tongue does a metal pole during winter. With a grunt, I was pulled up and thrown towards the rampart, Ruth rolling to the ground in the same motion beside me, just as another volley of arrows sailed overhead.

  I panted. I gasped. I didn’t thank her, not vocally, but our eyes met, and I grinned. She grinned back. Hefting my rifle… I began my counterattack.