Sweat beaded liberally down Cicero’s slanted forehead as he toiled over his latest creation. No, he corrected himself, his latest masterpiece! Using his long dexterous fingers with the skill of a practiced surgeon, he expertly pulled several threads of magic interlaced between elven gray matter and a wondrous metalloid organic material he had affectionately dubbed ‘bio-quicksilver.’ The System, of course, had an incredibly protracted name for what essentially amounted to mechanical flesh, which could be molded to fit any shape. The marvelous substance had intrinsic properties more akin to very strongest metals known on any Prime World. It did come from an Ascended world, after all.
“That’s not quite right,” Cicero commented under his breath as he untangled a particularly annoying cord of arcane energy determined to bond to the imprecise location. The cord would bend to his will, exactly as he wanted it to. Everything needed to be perfect. Cicero planned out each step with absolute precision. To do otherwise would be an insult to his profession, and his fledgling war golem would never be able to live up to its full potential. The shaman’s unrelenting nature would not allow such fragility in his creations. He was the master. And this was his masterwork. Shortly, his machinations would soon create his strongest creation, and, oh, it would serve him unflinchingly.
“There we go,” he congratulated himself as the connection he had been manipulating the past several minutes finally relented and affixed to the proper location. The lanky orc’s words echoed against the cold, barren walls of his workshop. Situated at the top of his beautiful emerald spire, his workspace not only afforded him complete privacy but also a wondrous view of his budding lands. Nothing else stirred in his workroom, not unless he desired it.
It was Cicero alone who had the talent, skill, and ingenuity to manifest wonders never before seen anywhere in the Universal Games. Feeling the irritation once more, he moved an arm to remove the offending liquid. The olive of his tacky skin passed before his eyes and elicited a grunt of displeasure. Wiping away the sweat accumulating across his broad forehead he attempted to brush aside the hate he felt every time he was reminded of his chosen race.
Damnable orcs and their ungainly, twisted caricature of a body, Cicero swore internally as a grimace stretched across his features. Sneering at himself, there was no denying what he was and he loathed being reminded of it. He only chose the blasted race because of the benefits the System granted to orc Hunters in the form of powerful abilities. From a young age, Cicero set himself on a path to become a summoner, the greatest ever known. Through and through, balls to bones, it was his forte. But, gods, did he hate his body!
As if the ungainly tusks jutting past his bottom lip weren’t enough to constantly remind Cicero of his despicable race, the annoying protrusions of bone causing him to sound like a rutting swine whenever he exerted himself, even a single glimpse of his green skin caused a surge of irritation to swell in his belly. His displeasure with his appearance was the sole reason not a single mirror could be found anywhere in his beloved home. His choice to become this foul race had been worth it, of course. As suspected, the System granted Cicero his desire. He knew that from the moment he first opened his heavy eyelids after the transformation to gaze upon his awakening message.
The System was fair, if anything. There had been a chance Cicero may not have received an ability geared towards the noble art of summoning, but it had that day. Sort of. Those many years ago, with a slight caveat, he earned a powerful racial trait. Thankfully, mercifully, the wrinkle in his plans was not insurmountable. His trait, Totemic Summoning, simply required him to channel his craft through a not-unheard-of medium: totems. With them, Cicero could then create with a flex of his will.
Totemic Summoning (Trait) – Your Orcish heritage provides you with the innate ability to strengthen and empower any summoned totem you create. Grants a 10% bonus to all resource pools and attributes of summon creatures when using the skill Summon Totem.
After attaining the much-desired trait, it was simplicity itself for Cicero to ensure he received the corresponding Summon Totem skill instead of one of his Hunter starting spells. The only downside to his trait was the necessity to guard his totems lest his efforts be spoiled and his summoned creatures be zapped back into oblivion from whence they were pulled. So, Cicero’s vault, the most heavily defended chamber within the Cabochon spire, was tucked safely in the spire’s peak. While his creations could protect themselves, superbly so with the enhancement his trait and later discovered abilities afforded, it didn’t hurt to keep the relatively fragile totems locked away from the world.
Refocusing on his task, Cicero worked through the finishing touches of his magnum opus. Delineating the last few steps required to be skillfully completed, but, at long last, his greatest creation would be realized. It was only somewhat recently Cicero fully understood the complexities, intricacies, and subtle nuances required to properly mold the metallic flesh as he desired. At level thirty, Cicero gained a truly remarkable spell: Conjure Ascended Biological Integrant. He recalled looking upon its description of that fateful day in shocked awe and amazement. It was perfect for him.
[Conjure Ascended Biological Integrant]
Call upon the phantasmal energy bridging the caster’s current world to that of one tier higher and conjure an amount of biological material primed for the use in monster summoning, as well as other uses to be discovered. The specific material pulled across the void between worlds will be randomized and have a higher chance of being low rarity. However, at higher spell levels, the caster can attempt to manipulate the spell to draw previously conjured material at an increased mana cost (dependent on rarity). The amount pulled across the void is 10 plus 0.05n kilograms, where ‘n’ equals intelligence.
Base Cost: 5,000 mana. Cast Time: 300 seconds. Cool Down: 24 hours. Plus 3% likelihood a previously conjured material will be drawn across the bridge per spell level.
Once per day, Cicero can cast a spell requesting the System transport a mass of organic material only to find a higher-tiered Ascended world! For his profession, it was a boon of unprecedented proportions and was the sole reason his latest creation could see the light of day. Upon casting, and at his current intelligence, over a hundred pounds of material would appear contained within a short-lived extradimensional space. While it was at a relatively low level, the spell created biological matter of little use, but as the months progressed, he finally stumbled upon something truly remarkable.
As a result, Cicero had, with enough time, conjured enough of the metalloid substance to see him through today and would continue to do so far into the future. He recalled the Nagas he created and was assured their next iteration, with skin as hard as enchanted steel, would be nigh invincible to most denizens of this world. It was going to be glorious!
Cicero''s eyes reverently roved over his aspiring golem; its slick obsidian lines reminded him of the machine of war his father’s solar system spanning conglomerate manufactured back when he was an impressionable child. The subconscious desire to create one of his own had been firmly rooted in him those decades ago. Through the copious use of System-granted magic, Cicero’s creations would perform at levels not usually realized without spending billions of outside credits. Instead of using manifold-quantum processors like his father’s machines did, Cicero’s would utilize the most potent minds this world had to offer giving his creation sapience.
Such machines of war couldn’t normally be brought into the Universal Game or not found until at least several higher tiers of ascension. Still, Cicero’s brilliant mind would allow for their creation. With enough talent, something the shaman had in spades, anything seen from the civilizations across the galaxy-spanning Universal Games could be replicated, at least in a manner of speaking. His newly minted ‘War-Mech’ would have powers and abilities his late father could have only dreamed of employing. After his father passed, Cicero acquired his family’s vast fortune after ‘disposing’ of his illegitimate siblings and immediately put plans into motion to become a Hunter. He researched everything he could get his greedy hands on like he was some drug-addled manic.
Cicero was absolutely determined to create a meticulously planned race and class combo, which would allow him to do exactly what he was doing today. He simply had the misfortune of most other races lacking the same probabilities of granting him the necessary abilities, skills, and spells to see his dream realized. In the end, the decision was made. It was final and there was no sense looking back. Cicero pushed the annoyance his blasted body forced upon him in the quest for true power to the background of his mind. Then, unbidden, his attention was momentarily pulled as a notification flashed across his vision.
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Notice! The Keeper of the Cabochon Spire, Gilgamesh the Turbulent, has engaged a hostile entity.
“Imprudent elves,” Cicero scoffed as he mentally brushed the nuisance aside. “When will those fools ever learn? More meat for the grinder, I suppose.”
Under typical circumstances, such a notification regarding one of his creations wouldn’t appear, but this particular summons had a powerful connection to his spire and the Heart of the Forest being used as his personal power plant. As a result of Cicero’s tireless work, Gilgamesh was bound to his spire through an extravagant summoning circle and linked epic-tier totem. Both had come at unimaginable costs to the shaman in both time and resources but they were worth it in the end. At times, he still couldn’t believe his luck when one of his most powerful summoning spells plucked a boss-tiered Ogre from this planet''s Ascended world. Now, any intrepid adventurer careless enough to come within eyeshot of his home base would be swiftly slain by his fervent guardian.
Cicero was well aware he had lost a handful of his other summoned creations, the worst being his spider creations only beginning to nest near an elven city, but it was nothing worth placing much worry in. Whenever he lost a creation, he would be made aware via his Accelerator when its corresponding totem shattered. All could be replaced, though. All it took was time and energy. He was flush with both, after all.
Unlike his weaker creations, when it came to his Ascended Ogre, nothing short of a top-tiered Hunter or epic-leveled monster had any hope of applying significant pressure against the robust champion. Soon he would have another set of slain bodies to use in his experiments. There was always enough organic material to be found if he simply waited for them to come to him. Perhaps this was another group of elves ever attempting to retrieve his Heart. It had been a while since they made their last futile attempt, after all.
Thinking of the fanatical elves brought a sensation of glee rushing through Cicero’s chest when his thoughts invariably returned to his most prized procession: the legendary Heart of the Forest. The witless elves had used the truly remarkable jewel merely as a power source for their teleportation ring. It was such a waste, and it infuriated the mad scientist. Still, Cicero was thankful the fools granted him knowledge of its previous location, their city. It had taken months of groveling, deception, and false bravado to earn enough trust to be allowed to study the high-powered device. His struggles had been worth it in the end. With the Heart empowering his spire and his creations, Cicero’s long-term goals shifted significantly.
Before becoming aware of the existence of the legendary gem, Cicero originally planned to ascend without delay, the same as most Hunters. Yet, once he uncovered the full range the jewel afforded to his profession, his goals swiftly changed into one of domination. Cicero would, of course, ascend one day but that had been pressed many years into the future. For the time being, he would splice together an army of fabulous creatures capable of felling every elf in the vast forest to the north. Then, once that was accomplished, Cicero would translocate his tower to the exact center of the forest, further expanding the Heart’s powers.
With the number of arcane leylines converging under the High Thicket’s focal point, Cicero’s aspiring vision for the future would become a reality. In his new seat of power, he could rule this world with an iron fist. Once the world was under his command, Cicero would, mercifully, elope to a higher-tiered world. At that point, his skills, abilities, and talents will have expanded to unheard-of degrees by lesser Initiate Hunters. He was going to be magnificent. It was a shame the Heart could not go with him, bound to the forest as it was, and was one of the reasons he chose to delay his ascension. Until that glorious day, Cicero would milk the resplendent jewel for every drop of magical essence he could.
Cicero laughed every time a new band of noble elves showed up to recover his precious Heart. He would be dead before he allowed it to fall back into their feeble hands. He appreciated their tenacity, though. Each time they surfaced near his doorstep, they replenished his stores of fodder material. Cicero laughed at their incompetence.
A smile broached his cruel lips when he mentally pulled up his Reputation interface. The Heart had turned Cicero into something of a galaxy-wide celebrity. With each new creation, manifestations often seen for the first time in the Game, he earned new followers, achievements, and awards to continue his mastery of his profession. Yes, he would continue to grow blissfully in the years to come.
Approaching the completion of his grand work, Cicero’s newest creation would surely rival even the Ascended Ogre. Lovingly eyeing the metallic framework with jet-black quicksilver skin potent enough to turn aside most attacks, his mind flitted back to his first summoned creature. Sindair, a Bombardment Hawk created via the skillful melding of a Blitz Hawk and a Barrage Imp, was still with him. The hawk sat atop Cicero’s shoulder and was peering down as the final touches were put into place on the hulking golem. While incalculably weaker compared to the war machine, the hawk familiar enabled Cicero to gain a foothold those many years ago as an inspiring Hunter. The tiny fire orbs Sindair could send streaking from his beak like a living machine gun had been some of the aspirations for the war golem’s weaponry.
Compared to War-Mech, Sindair was akin to a salamander fluttering next to an ancient dragon. Another boisterous laugh echoed across his workshop at the thought. Cicero couldn’t wait to see his masterpiece in action. It was going to be delectable. The never-before-seen creature was equal parts brawn, battle tank, and brains. All seamlessly integrated into the perfect killing machine. Even should the worst happen, and Cicero was somehow slain, any aspirant challenger would share the exact same fate. While in his spire, if Cicero ever perished, the shining spire would pull every drop of mana held in the reserves of the emerald structure to disastrous effect. At the moment of detonation, everything within a ten-mile radius would instantly be turned to ash. It was such a potent punitive measure that Cicero might as well be considered immortal. No one was foolish enough to slay him at the seat of his power.
Calling upon his talent once more, Cicero began the painstaking process of sealing his golem’s skull. With the mind firmly entrenched and awakening, he was less than an hour away before the creature stirred. Its outer flesh, if you could even call it that, was more akin to enchanted plate mail than skin. While Cicero experienced setbacks and failures with some of his summons, this creature was destined to live up to its full potential. It would be leaps and bounds over anything he previously created and would likely remain the best until far into the next world Cicero would conquer.
Another notification blinked away at the corner of his vision, and after glancing at it, Cicero discovered it wasn’t one he expected. Usually, his Accelerator would have voiced the potential concern, but he had long muted the small device. Cicero preferred not to have his hand held by some piddling artificial intelligence. If he could, he would have thrown the little creature to the wayside, but it was needed to complete his grand work.
Mentally opening the message, his head rocked back in surprise. His spire guardian had sustained damage. That was a first and shouldn’t be achievable without a true powerhouse like a city elder on the battlefield. Gilgamesh was instructed to focus his aggression on backline casters, where the most powerful usually stood, so for it to have been injured was a striking anomaly.
Sighing in frustration, Cicero paused his work and walked over to his workshop''s overhanding dormer. It contained a single pane of enchanted glass that could be turned and magnified at will to peer across his domain. Adjusting the image, Cicero brought into view the nuisance which had drawn the ire of his guardian. From the look of it, Gilgamesh was engaged by less than a half dozen combatants.
That couldn’t be right, Cicero thought.
The elves would need to present a small army to stand any chance against the creature. Sure, they likely had some skilled individuals among their ranks to be able to damage the boss, but thankfully, killing an Ascended boss-tiered Ogre was something altogether different. Cicero doubted even Duke would fare well against such overwhelming force. Not that the Nemesis Hunter would bother with such an endeavor, of course. Duke had learned long ago that any attempt to usurp Cicero would only end in his own destruction. Not only that, but Cicero wasn’t a threat to Duke. They both knew that. So, Cicero was left to his own devices and he did the same with the Nemesis Hunter.
The group dancing around like fairies around the Behemoth Ogre might contain a different Hunter among their ranks, but the thought was quickly dismissed as improbable. Cicero was well aware of the handful of Hunters based within a hundred miles of his spire, and the arrival of a new Hunter would have created enough of a disturbance to be noticed in time. Then, Cicero would have plenty of time to discover their strengths and, more importantly, their weaknesses. In his time as a Hunter, Cicero had skillfully defeated several of his kind. Well, not directly, but through the power of his many summons. As long as he had those, Cicero was untouchable.
Cicero shook his head before returning to his work, dispelling the notification with a lazy swat of his hand. He had better things to contemplate, and even if the spire were penetrated, he would have ample time to dispel anyone foolish enough to attempt it. Cicero smiled to himself and once again admired his panicle creation. Oh, how this day was about to become glorious!