Chapter 93 – Proof Of Concept (2/2)

“I WANT TO CREATE A FORGE. THERE IS NO FORGE IN THE CITY. A FORGE IS NEEDED.”

Kairon held up a claw. “Before we get into that, could you please lower your voice?”

“NO.”

“Alright.” Kairon sighed, deciding that battle wasn’t one he was going to pick right now. Instead, he motioned at the other demons to stay calm before turning back to the Industrializer. “Look, what did you think about forming an agreement? I mean we already sort of have one.” He held up the pact the system had made for them. “But I’m a fan of a more personal touch on matters such as this.”

“PERSONAL? YOU DESIRE ME. BUT DO I DESIRE YOU?” it asked. It didn’t sound aggressive—more curious. Like it was truly trying to decide.

“That is a fair point...” Thinking back to what he’d observed so far, Kairon clicked his tongue. “But I would urge you to consider three factors. First, the pact—well technically subpact that we have—already binds us to a degree. It does have a dissolution clause, but invoking it will likely be quite unpleasant for you.”

“WHY?”

“Other than the process itself, which I hear is not exactly comfortable, my understanding is that you’ll be smack dab back with your creator. The Creator, actually. And like you, he wants to create. Though in your case, I dare say he might bind you and force you to do only as he says. He might not let you create and reshape willy-nilly. If you were to remain with me, however, I think we can work out a middle ground. A way for us both to get what we want.”

“MMM.”

Taking that as a form of understanding, Kairon went on. “Second point. This is my city. My domain. While I wish you no harm, if you desire to reshape and create, would it not be easier with my blessing and even support?”

“MAYBE.”

“Third, and I think this is the point you really should focus on, how do you create? What do you need?” Kairon thought he knew the answer to this, but he needed this childish building to say it.

“NEED FORGE.”

Kairon took a step forward, nudging the raised conveyor belt with his staff. “I think what you need is materials.”

“AND FORGE.”

Part of Kairon thought he was stupid, but the other part thought maybe not. That maybe he was referring to the forge aspect itself.

Walking around, Kairon started looking closer at all the valves and gauges. If The Creator made this contraption, it had to have a readout or control panel of some sort. It would tell him what he was after here.

Halfway around, he identified it. A crude panel was set against one side of the machine. It had a set of smaller levers and dials, with several gauges. Again, a lot of it made little sense to Kairon. Perhaps some of the forge imps he would soon spawn would know more.

However, there was one dial far more ornate and larger than the rest. One that it didn’t take a forge blessed demon to understand.

“If I’m reading this correctly, you’ve only got about ten percent of your fuel.”

The forge made a sharp whistle. The eyes seemed to go inward, dimming, before brightening again. “YES. I TOLD YOU. I NEED FORGE.”

“You need to build a forge, or you need forge energy?”

“I NEED FORGE.”

“Let’s pencil that as both.”

Bean couldn’t take it anymore, finally heaving in a great breath. It seemed he took Kairon’s warning literally, even keeping from breathing. He gasped air in and out, took one good glance at the Industrializer, before giving Kairon a helpless smile. “Sorry, Master!”

“It’s fine. Just uhm… Please, mind yourself.”

Seeing the consternated look on Bean’s face, Kairon gave in. “Yes?”

“Nod’s going to have a heart attack,” giggled Bean.

Turning around, Kairon grimaced. “Actually, I think he already is.” Back by the citadel, Nod’s little eyes had gone wider than saucers. He’d dropped the bark he was holding, staring in absolute horror at the machine.

Kairon could make out one word clearly on his lips.

Violation.

“Tell you what. Bean. You go chat with Nod. Make yourself erm—available to provide any assistance he may need. In the meantime, assure him that I’m seeing to better understanding our newest building.”

Shrugging, Bean absently rubbed at his four drill arms. “Sure. Just let me know if this big metal contraption can dig, master!”

“I CREATE.”

Shiny took this as permission that he too could now speak. “Master. New customer?”

Kairon patted his head. “Sort of. I would like you to consider him more of an asset. An ally, if an agreement can be formed.”

Shiny, not convinced, pointed his claw at the big furnace. “You customer? You want material? Maybe we make… deal.”

“DEAL?” asked The Industrializer.

Kairon put his arm over Shiny’s mouth. “Now, now. There will be time for you to chat together later. Let me make sure we button things up first, please.” Raising his voice, he spoke up.

“Shiny is correct. We can make a deal,” Kairon said, crossing his arms. “So I take it you’ve realized what I have. If you want to create, you’re going to need more stuff to create with, no?”

“YES. THIS IS TRUE.”

Good. That was one point settled. He needed the Industrializer to see why he was important. Next, they needed details.

“You did not answer my question earlier. What is it that you can create?”

The Industrializer made its equivalent of a huff. “I RESHAPE. I TAKE EXISTING. RESHAPE INTO INDUSTRIAL. CREATE BETTER.”

In a metaphysical sense, the city lord rubbed his claws together. That was very, very enticing. If he could industrialize his existing buildings, that could be incredibly valuable. It would also explain the veins connecting the industrializer to them. Quickly, Kairon pulled up their pact again.

With a few swipes, he made a few new clauses, before willing the pact to be reviewed by the massive forge. The glowing parchment dissolved into dust, disappearing from his grip.

Presumably, the Industrializer could now sense it.

“THIS DEAL? MMM. YOU MAKE ME FORGE AND FEED ME. I RESHAPE BUILDINGS.”

“Yes. Exactly. But only the buildings I choose and when I choose. For payment, you will be fed and kept happy.” Something Kairon was only half sure he knew how to do. But he had a few ideas—those orange gemstones in the crater, for a start.

“WHAT IS NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT?”

“It’s like a sort of… way to keep information between us more safe.”

“SO. I NONDISCLOSE. I CREATE.”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“Do you think it actually understood the pact, child?” asked Sythara.

The demoness had not kept her voice down this time. Something the forge made clear. “I AM NOT A CHILD. I READ THIS PACT.”

As if to prove this, it made a demand. “ONE DAY IN TEN, I WISH TO RESHAPE. IT WILL BE MY OWN CHOICE.”

Kairon contemplated that. “I can amend our agreement for that, but I will be placing some safeguards in place. You can not reshape anything in the city without my express approval, and you can not use more than…” he paused, thinking, “let’s say ten percent of your total fuel reserves without my approval. That and a few other minor caveats, I can live with it. Oh. And let’s make it one day in thirty.”

“NO. ONE DAY IN TEN.”

“Twenty-five.”

“FIFTEEN.”

“Twenty-one.”

“EIGHTEEN.”

“Twenty-one.”

“NINETEEN.”

“Twenty-one.”

“TWENTY.”

“Twenty-one. And I’ll even throw in one assigned forge imp for every hundred we create to do your personal bidding. Again, with a few caveats.”

“FINE. I RESHAPE THIS IMP. WHERE IS IT?”

“I haven’t made it yet.”

“I WANT IT.”

“Hmm. Okay. I can promise you the first one within a week.” Swiping up, Kairon changed the pact as they discussed, and pushed it back.

Kairon clapped, glad to be done with that order of business. “Welcome to the team!”

Bean and Shiny both gave a wave, Vorathrex yawned, and Sythara cooed.

Then, the forge further proved it might be a child by age, but not totally by intelligence. “THE DEAL IS DONE. FIRST FIFTY PERCENT FOR CITY. WHAT RESHAPE?”

“What is it saying, child?”

“We made a deal. The first fifty percent of its forge capacity is used at my discretion, regardless of the three week reshaping deadline.”

“BUT IF TAKE MORE THAN TWO DEADLINE, PENALTY. GET DOUBLE RESHAPE.”

“You still think it’s a child?” asked Kairon.

Sythara narrowed her eyes. “No. No I do not.”

From then on, the demons, Kairon, and the forge spoke more. The ensuing conversation had been… mixed. Some good, some bad. Overall though, Kairon came away armed with a few new facts.

The biggest of which was the industrializer’s recollection of being born. It had no true memories until today. It did know of The Creator, and seemed to want to steer clear of it out of a fear it would constrain his future as Kairon said, but it did not truly remember it.

“So what will you do?” asked Sythara.

“Test it, of course! We just need to keep in mind that The Industrializer has limited resources, and we really don’t know for sure what industrializing a building really looks like. However, we can make some educated assumptions in that regard.”

“Industrializes?” asked Sythara. “What does this mean?”

“If it’s what I assume, it means to make it more close to a machine. To bring the building to a more automated or automatically driven state. Which, when you consider this was made by the chair of forge, makes sense. I wonder what he planned to use it for?”

Kairon shrugged. Didn’t matter now.

“Forge is usually used by more crude demons. Always playing with soot and coal.” Sythara made a disgusted noise. “Though I admit, this contraption—the Infernal Industrializer, you said it was—is something worthy of study.”

“Agreed.” Kairon put his claws on his hips. “Any reason we shouldn’t try this out? A proof of concept, of sorts?”

Sythara gave him a sly smile. “Do be careful. But… I’d like to see.”

Shiny let out a little yawn. “Master. Can this create brood? Make new worker?”

“I don’t think so, Shiny. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be something that helps the brood in the end.”

That made the little imp perk up.

“Anyway, I just need to decide on what building to try this on…” He could choose a relatively unimportant one such as a camp in case it went wrong, but… the demon glanced again at the dial. The needle for the machine’s power was nearly on red. Kairon didn’t know how many times it could work.

He needed to make this count. The city lord ran through the entire list of buildings the city had in his mind. Of all of them, one in particular had the most likely synergy with a contraption such as this.

The feeding pits.

They were all about processing, were they not? That was the entire core of industrialization. Processing, automating, and revolutionizing.

Mind made up, he chose one of the feeding pits constructed in the brood district. During his chat with his new building, he learned the levers and dials could be used to point out which vein of connection, and thus which building, he wanted to upgrade.

Doing so, Kairon adjusted the channel connecting the heart of the new forge to the feeding pit in question.

Sythara cleared her throat. “I’m ready when you are, child.”

“Alright! Please industrialize the building I have selected.”

Stepping back, he watched.

As he did, one thing became more clear. Although The Plane had somehow brought him this new building, it did not make it. There were no menus. No numbers for his sigil to stick to, nor anything official to bind.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be able to optimize the hell out of the thing. He just needed to treat it both as an employee, and an asset.

“I WILL RESHAPE. BEAR WITNESS, KAIRON.”

A buzzing filled the air, and all ten pylons around the industrializer began to glow bright orange. Curiously, Kairon watched the power dial on the machine. Timidly, it began to wobble to the left. Not a percent, but just a smidge.

In his mind, the connection to the feeding pit selected glowed brighter and brighter.

“Hmm… Nothing much is happening just—ah. Nevermind.” Before his mental gaze, a pulse echoed from beneath the industrializer. Moments later, a line of forge energy flowed from it and started pumping straight into the feeding pit.

“Sythara… Have you ever heard of corruption being inserted directly into buildings?” he asked, raising his voice.

The demoness scoffed at the question. “No, child. But there are a great many things that happen in this city I have never heard of. So what good does this knowledge of mine do? What’s the point of thousands of cycles of demonic history when it just takes one pesky child to overwrite them all?” While the words she said could come off as a jab, the tone she used felt more of interest than scorn.

She was just trying to hide it. But she thoroughly enjoyed the oddities and new experiences the city brought. It was a researcher’s dream after all.

What Sythara went on to say from there, Kairon didn’t really hear. He was too entranced by the most fascinating show. Although, he did glance down at the power gauge.

Its readout deflated his mood somewhat.

It’d been perhaps half a minute. And the gauge had dropped from ten percent to nine. Then eight. Seven. Just before it hit six, the needle halted, and the pumping of forge slowed.

Drawing his attention back outwards, he saw that besides the pylons, the industrializer didn’t change. The conveyor didn’t move, the tools didn’t act, and the furnace didn’t grow brighter. There wasn’t even smoke pumping into the air.

“Child? The energy is… It’s stopping.” Sythara was staring, her shapes spinning and tentacles feeling the metal of the machine. “But none of this… creation moved. Curious. Maybe it is broken?”

“IT IS NOT BROKEN. IT HAS BEEN RESHAPED.”

In the distance, a brood imp let out a squeal. One that was on the side of the citadel nearest the feeding pit that had been pumped full of forge energy.

Calling upon Sovereign Eye, Kairon drew his attention to that feeding pit. The one that just moments ago had been a stone and bone maw of teeth jutting up into the air.

What he saw drew his breath up short.

“Oh, Sythara. Our new building and ally is correct. Our crude feeding pit had certainly been reshaped.”