Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty Seven – 327Install them all? Felix mouthed. "Uh, Yes?"
Please Stand By...
Mapping Home.
Stronghold Detected.
A sudden holographic display appeared before him, a scale model of the Temple, the cliff, and a sizable portion of the river, lake, and forest around him. At the same time, Felix's sense of the actual, physical area swept through him, far more detailed than it had been with his Perception alone. It was a ton of information, but his powerful Mind shifted and sorted it all almost automatically, his Intelligence and Willpower handling the influx with little issue. At most, it made him blink in surprise as a kernel of wonder bloomed within him. Wow. The display trilled softly as he ran his fingers through it, like a song made of light.
"This is...?"
"The totality of your Stronghold, yes," Karys said from the side. The room was large, but everyone had Perception enough to hear one another from such short distances.
Please Select Placement Of Your Patterns!
The holographic map flashed at him again, indicating hundreds of places for each of the "patterns" he'd just been notified of; Felix glanced between them all, a little overwhelmed. Beside the map the patterns appeared again, and he focused on them one by one.
Tier III Forge
A Forge with the basic equipment required to create, reforge, and Temper arms, armor, and more. At Tier III, the Forge contains a variety of arrays. Please see the Forge Menu for more.
Basic Requirements: Raw Materials (Varied), Journeyman Tier Or Greater Smith
Tier III Alchemical Lab
An Alchemical Lab with the basic equipment required to create, distill, form, and manufacture a variety of alchemical concoctions. At Tier III, the Alchemical Lab contains a variety of arrays. Please see the Alchemical Menu for more.
Basic Requirements: Tier I Or Greater Raw Materials (Varied), Journeyman Tier Or Greater Alchemist
Tier III Storage Facility
A Storage Facility with Tier III bindings and 10,000 SQ/FT of modular space. Please see the Storage Menu for more.
Basic Requirements: Tier III Stone, Tier III Wood, Tier II Monster Cores, Tier III Monster Cores
Tier III Glyphworks
A Glyphworks contains the basic tools necessary to create arrays that can be used defensively, offensively, or for utility purposes. Please see the Glyphworks Menu for more.
Basic Requirements: Monster Cores (Tier Varies), Tier I Or Greater Raw Materials (Varied)
"Okay, nothing too surprising there," Felix muttered before raising his voice. "But where do I put them all?"
"You can put them anywhere on that map," Karys buzzed through the sword and his armored body at the same time. "However, taking advantage of your natural resources and the design of your Stronghold will be the most optimal."
"My Stronghold currently consists of a half-broken cliff, an even more broken Temple, and several acres of river, lake, and forest. It's not exactly prime real estate," Felix said.
"I disagree, Felix," Vess interjected. "A Stronghold of such size is powerfully advantageous. You can defend yourself here, given a little work. With your Stone Shaping Skill, you could rebuild this place yourself in a day, I bet."
"The cliff, certainly. But not the Temple. It resists my magic," Felix said. "Karys. Where should I put the Forge?"
"A Forge requires running water, an easy to reach source of materials, and air flow. All of which are available in the topmost sections of your Stronghold." Karys gestured across the chamber and a section of his map pulsed. It was above the Temple proper, but still contained within the stone.
Felix mentally grabbed the pattern for the Tier III Forge and nudged it in the direction he desired. With a faint chime, the pattern sank into his map right where he had indicated, and the entire display rippled. A vision of stone grew and morphed in real time, excavating a series of rooms filled with buckets, troughs, and a huge, cylindrical forge that dominated it all. Several ornate but sturdy exits and entrances were around it, and stone, lattice-work stairs led down into the Temple.
Tier III Forge Will Be Installed.
Confirm?
Y/N
Yes.
Rumbling sounded far above him, and while Felix may have been able to flare his Perception enough to hear it, his sense of his Stronghold provided information far faster. Hundreds of feet up, exactly where it appeared on his illusory map, stone softened and flowed, shaping itself to match the preview appearance he saw. It was over in seconds, and a soft, triumphant note filled the air. Like a hammer against a bell.
Tier III Forge Is Installed!
Please View The Forge Menu For More Details!
"It is over already?" Vess asked. She sounded even more impressed than before.
"Does it usually take longer?" Felix asked.
"I was once allowed to witness my father place a new facility within his City, but it took hours to craft and implement into the array." She shook her head and bent low, inspecting the gold-and-silver sigaldry again. "You were right Karys. This is truly vastly different than my family's Seat."
Karys inclined his head to the woman. "Thank you for the acknowledgement. I do not know what has happened in the Ages of my sleep, but it is clear even the influence of my Empire has long vanished."
"Nym made these arrays?" Felix asked.
"Who else? This is, after all, a Nymean Temple," Karys said. "The System is a natural force, one that the Nym were dedicated to living in tune with; it provided many benefits that I fear are Lost."
"Maybe. But that just means we have to find them again, right?" Felix asked.
Karys perked up, his golden eye-fires flaring. "You are right, Felix. Thank you." He took a deep breath, the sound like air over a deep, metallic jug. Unnecessary, obviously, but Felix supposed the habit was hard to shake. "I suggest you place the other patterns around your Stronghold as well."
"Right." Felix turned back to the map. "Alchemical Lab, Storage Facility, and Glyphworks. Any advice, Karys? Vess?"
"Any sort of storage should be centrally located but also secured. If you are able I would choose somewhere deep within the Temple itself, where someone couldn't access it without authorization," Vess said.
"Yeah, that's smart. But we'd need to get back and forth from it right?" Felix asked. "So centrally located too?"
"That will be less of an issue than you may think," Karys said. "Simply place it deep within the Temple. Somewhere secure. As to the others: an Alchemical Lab also needs to be separated from any living quarters with plenty of air flow and access to running water. I would suggest near your Forge, but not too near."
"Alright."
"The Glyphworks you can place anywhere, but I would choose somewhere near the others. It is wise to keep your crafters within a single district, unless there is a good reason not to," Vess said. She was looking at the map from the edge of the array. "Considering that we have no guards or infrastructure in place, I would suggest all of them be heavily fortified."
Karys nodded. "A reasoned approach, and one I have little qualms with; but let us place the patterns before all else, yes?"