Cenotaph of Bones: Chapter 38 (Patreon)

Chapter 38: Construction

As we went deeper, the air only got more stale and the stink of sulfur permeated everything.  It was also warmer than the higher levels, but thankfully wasn’t as hot as the oven chamber.  The density of dark and metal qi finally started to give way to some earth and fire qi, but it was more of an increase of the latter than a reduction of the former.  It was still a pervasive and cloying feeling the moment I started to pull in the energy, and maintaining the balance in my cores caused them to ache with the strain.  That internal clock warning me that time was running out kept ticking away, making me feel more anxious than I had in a century.  I mentally asked the gods to knock it off, but I got no reply, and the clock didn’t stop.  As we came to the next chamber, I called a halt.

“Okay, I think this is as good a place as any to stop and make the Battle Wagon.”  I stopped and looked around.  This chamber had a narrow path running past a trio of buildings shaped in a triangle, a low wall surrounding them on two sides, with the back of the cavern serving as the rear wall.  They were only a single story tall, and they looked extra thick.  It was probably the guard station for those that protected the food production.  I pulled out all the chunks of expanding patch wood I had, and piled them in front of me.  “This looks like another guard outpost or something, so we can eat some hot food and get some rest before we make the final run.”  The clock ticked, and I shook my head.  “Not too long though.  Something is telling me we need to get down there soon.”

“What do we need to do first?”  Donny picked up a rectangular block of wood the size of his palm and slowly started expanding it with qi until it had reached the size of a barrel.  “Just expand all of these to see what we are working with?”

“That’s a start, but I would rather you work on the plates that will attach to the outside.”  I pointed at the oversized grains of wood, and the formations that already existed that allowed it to expand.  “Carving into this will weaken it even more, and foreign mana running through it will risk ruining the runes already there.  Even though the wood is meant to be cut and shaped to patch holes in ships, it isn’t meant to be a permanent fix.  It’s already weaker than normal wood.  That’s why we need to mount the plates.”  I pulled a few examples of what I wanted out of my belt.  “We need mostly shield plates, about twenty would be good, and I think five or six wind plates to freshen the air would be good.  Especially if it gets worse as we go deeper.”  After a few seconds of thought, I pulled out a blank plate and carved a quick formation that combined air, water, fire, and wood qi runes.  There were twice as many air and water runes, which would combine to create a cool mist that sprayed over us.  The fire would keep it from turning to ice, and the wood would ensure they didn’t react strongly enough to make steam.  The lack of control runes would keep it from forming anything beyond a condensed aura of the elements we wanted.  “Make three of these, one for the front and one for each side.  The combination should allow us to maintain a constant temperature around us, so that way we don’t overheat again.  We will have to power them with the condensed liquid qi, considering the lack of everything but fire in the area.”

“Got it.”  Donny took them from me, and walked over to where Chu was setting up his cooking stone again.  “I’ll make several of them, in case some burn out.”

“What about us?”  Jamila walked over from getting the horses settled in one of the buildings.  “Do we get to help build this crazy wagon?”

“Sure.  Let me draw out a better image of what we need, and then we can build it.”  I pulled out my carving stiletto and scratched what I wanted right into the floor.  “Imagine a long rectangle, with a hollow center.  We will build two harnesses into the center, side-by-side, and that’s where the horses will be.  For them, it’s like pulling a wagon, but it is around them instead of behind them.”  I outlined two divots, front and back, where someone could sit on the top, with a hatch that opened up to the inside of the hollow box.  “We have a front and rear guard, who will fight off anything that attacks.”  On the rear wall of the large box, I drew two shelves that would serve as bunks.  “This is where the replacement guards rest and cultivate so they can swap out.”  The front area had enough space for someone to walk, and I drew a horizontal slit that ran the length of the wall.  A circular bracket was mounted to the right, with a groove that ran the whole circumference of the box in a slight spiral to give it a downhill slope.  “This is where we will place the barrel of liquid qi, and the person steering the horses will be responsible for pouring it in this groove so it powers the formation plates we will place around the outside.  Once the plates start to dim, they can add more as needed.”

“Basically, we are making a box with wheels.”  Valerie wiped away the dust over the part where it allowed the guards to swap out.  She had walked up while I was finishing the explanation.  “Do you think the horses will cooperate?  I can’t imagine them wanting to walk without seeing where they are going.”

“It will take some practice, but I think we will be okay.”  I pointed at the slit in the front.  “If it becomes a problem, we can widen the view port so they can see out as well.  I just don’t want to leave a big gap if we don’t have to.”

“Why are we doing this again?”  Jamila eyed the narrow shelves, where we would be resting in shifts.  She obviously didn’t think much of the design.  “I mean, why can’t we just walk down there like we have been doing?”

“Yeah, and what happens if we get to a tunnel where the wagon doesn’t fit?”  Valerie motioned back to where we had expanded the hole that led deeper underground.  “Remember the pain it was to get down here?”

“That’s the genius of using these.”  I picked up a square piece of wood and expanded it to twice its size.  “If the tunnel gets too tight, we just shrink it.”  I set it on the ground before answering Jamila.  “As for why we are building it in the first place…”  I thought for a moment.  “We need something that will let us punch through the army of undead the necromancer has, without risking getting separated.  I think we could do it without the Battle Wagon, but not as one group.  This gives us the best chance.”  I took a deep breath, and winced at the smell.  “Plus, it would be nice to not worry about fresh air, or what temperature it is.”

“Okay, but I’m still not happy about being trapped inside with the horses for long periods of time.”  Jamila pointed at the shelves in the back.  “And I am telling you right now, I am going to complain about sleeping on those.”

“Fair enough.”  We all laughed, and then I picked up a wooden rod that was meant to replace a spar on a ship.  “I will start with the axles and wheels.  How about you guys work on the walls and roof?”

After everyone had their tasks, the wagon came together rather quickly.  The part that took the longest was figuring out how to get the harness for the horses in place.  Donny mounted the formation plates to the sides after we figured it out, and tossed a few spares of each kind into a crate he nailed in place opposite the barrel of liquid qi.  The whole thing looked like it would fall apart if it got hit with a stiff breeze, and we ended up not making the hatches for the front and rear guards because there weren’t any hinges available.  They would have to crawl along the roof and drop through a hole we made on the top.  It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was what we had to work with.  The single line of formation plates ran in a slanted line along the outside, making the whole thing look like it was tilting.  Maybe it was tilting.

“Does it look crooked to you?”  Chu handed out plates with an assortment of dumplings to everyone while eyeballing the wooden hulk.  “I think it’s leaning to the left a bit.”

“Nah, that’s just the optical illusion of the formation plate line not being straight.”  Donny walked over and pushed against the side.  “See?  Steady as a rock.”  We all nodded in agreement, collectively agreeing to completely ignore the concerning sway it had produced.

“It only has to get us to the necromancer.”  I looked over at Jamila and Valerie.  “Why don’t we get the horses hooked up, and then we can start moving.”

Donny shrank the rear wall so the horses could walk in and get fastened into place, while Chu and I got in position on the roof.  We would be taking the first shift, with a rotating change every four hours to keep us fresh.  I felt the wagon lurch as the horses got settled, and after a few thumps and shouts from below, we got underway.