Dr. Gynoid, Chapters 8 and 9 (Patreon)

[It's been a while so I've posted a double release this time~]

Chapter 8

The caves are dark, but the torchlight illuminates the area enough for me to see, though the shadows are long and deep as they dance along with the flame.

“So it's this way.” I peer at a chalk mark outside a tunnel. “The telescope golemites did well to find the path deeper so quickly.”

Motion. Not in the tunnel or within the shadows. No, it's somewhere closer. Much closer.

Specifically, my shoulder.

I turn my face and see a familiar sight, the body of a golemite waving his small arms about.

“Ah, that's right. I forgot you were riding my shoulder. Your weight upon me had become familiar, like that of my destiny as the world's greatest inventor.”

Artillery stands proud, ready to serve. It seems his recent adventure into the city has given him a boost of courage.

“It's too late to turn back, so let's go together. But if you're coming along, then I should at least give you something that you can use to defend yourself. The caves are still wild, after all.”

Opening Artillery’s tech tree, I look around at the limited options I have available for upgrades.

“Hmm. When did you gain access to these abilities?”

Artillery forms into a ball and propels himself into the air, landing back onto my shoulder with a thud a few seconds later. It hurt just a bit.

“From being launched by the mangonel? I see. So we can gain new upgrades that way, too.”

The ability in question is called [Launch], which launches his stone body at the enemy. Considering how tough the little golemite has become after his previous upgrades, I can imagine it would hurt.

“No, there's no need to imagine it.” I stare at my shoulder, which still hurts a little. “This was your destiny from the beginning.”

I select the upgrade and unlock it, giving Artillery the ability to use it. Since it's classified as an attack skill, he should be able to defend himself in a pinch.

“Upgrading individual golemites is rather cheap, but…” I look at my GP. “I don't earn many points, either.”

GP, otherwise known as Golem Points, is the resource I need to upgrade my golemites, like Artillery, and the gynoids such as Miss Smith.

I receive a certain amount of GP per day, which rises with my level. But since I've only gained a few levels so far, the rate I acquire them is still too low.

“There are too many interesting skills to unlock to splurge on each and every golemite. But I suppose there will be times when I will need to make an exception.”

Having spent points on Artillery twice today, my remaining GP has nearly been cut in half. And with the cost of some of the more eye-catching skills, I'll need to level up a lot more if I ever hope to unlock them.

“For now…” I raise my shotgun and face the dark tunnel. “Let's get rid of the nuisances down there.”

The path slopes downward, taking me further into the depths of this cave system.

“Be ready, Artillery. The monsters down here are no mere goblins.”

He does another little dance on my shoulder, showing his readiness for whatever appears.

The walls and ceiling look identical, but with how far I've walked down the tunnel, I'm likely several stories further underground than my current base.

It's here that the path levels out and opens up, revealing a large cavern with too many branching tunnels to count at a glance. And with the torch unable to fully defeat the darkness, counting them would be futile anyway.

“There, Artillery.” I use the shotgun to point to a giant bat hanging from the ceiling. “They shall be the first within the depths to succumb.”

The ceiling in this cavern stretches so far that in some places, it fades into complete darkness. But near the entrance I used to get here, it's low enough for me to see it clearly.

And that's precisely where the giant bat is hanging.

I raise my shotgun, using the top of the barrel as a primitive sighting mechanism. “Become experience so that I may gain the GP I need.”

I pull the trigger, and a loud bang fills the formerly silent cavern. The noise echoes time and again, making it seem like distant shotguns are being fired in quick succession.

My ears aren't the only casualty though, as the giant bat hits the ground in a thud. Or what's left of it.

Skill Acquired: [Unknown] 5

For discovering a new skill, you may name it and gain 2 bonus ranks. For exceeding the damage record of any physical, non-magically enhanced ranged weapon in existence, you gain 2 bonus ranks.

I name it [Overkill] as I lower my gun.

“Excellent.” I look to my shotgun. “This new weapon will do me well as I explore these depths.”

The echoes eventually fade, and my hearing returns to normal. Even though I've only attained a few levels, my recovery speed has noticeably increased, making me wonder just how much I will grow as I level.

“An easy victory.” I pump the shotgun, sending the next shell into the firing chamber. “This cave is as good as dominated now that I have–”

Screeching interrupts my victory speech. Lots of screeching.

“More giant bats?” I ready the shotgun. “Perhaps I should ask Miss Smith to add a noise reduction feature.”

The screeching and flapping of wings grows louder as the giant bats appear from the darkness of the cavern's ceiling.

“Four? That's a fortunate number.”

My shotgun is a 4+1, meaning it holds four in the magazine and one in the chamber. But since I just used one shell, I only have four remaining. It’s the perfect amount for the group of giant bats descending on me.

As long as I don't miss.

“I've had far too much practice shooting skeet to miss such a large target moving so predictably.”

A flash of light penetrates the darkness as the muzzle of my shotgun breathes fire in the form of 12-gauge pellets. Once again, the echo ricochets back to me, mimicking my weapon with its own phantom version.

But this time, that echo is accompanied by another pull of the trigger as I take a second giant bat out of the air.

Pump, shoot. A third falls.

“You're lucky.” I eye the final monster. “You got to leave a few seconds longer than the others.”

Without even aiming, I pull the trigger. After the final blast, I get the satisfaction of seeing the last threat eliminated.

“Hmm?” I rub my ears, which are protesting from the constant shots. “I can still hear wings?”

Turning, I catch sight of a giant bat that was coming from my blind spot.

“Another one!?” I raise my empty shotgun, the monster too close for me to load a bullet in time.

All I can do is meet the giant bat’s attack with the metal barrel and hope I don't take too much damage.

At least, that was the plan. But it doesn’t quite go as I expected.

The now familiar weight on my shoulder vanishes, just as a flying stone blurs across my vision.

Artillery's [Launch] hits his target dead center, the giant bat releasing a screech of pain this time, rather than anger.

The impact knocks the monster off course, the sharp claws just missing me as the bat's body passes by.

Looking at the ground, I see the giant bat’s last moments in this world before fully succumbing to Artillery's strike.

“Fantastic job, Artillery! Quite a bit more reliable than the final creation I made back on Earth!”

Artillery tries to wave around his stubby little arms like usual, but the attack must have made him dizzy because he ends up falling over instead.

Reaching down, I pick him up and place him back onto my shoulder. “Ride proud, Artillery! The hunt continues! But first…”

With the giant bats defeated, I finally acquire the item I came seeking. Namely, a monster core.

“My goals grow closer to completion!” I examine the core. “Hmm. Though it seems this particular monster isn't quite up to the standards I desire. Regardless! Progress is progress! And with my new weapon, anything that crosses my path will meet the same fate as these giant bats!”

With Artillery on one shoulder and the barrel of my shotgun resting on the other, I pick a nearby tunnel and truly begin the exploration of the cavern's depths.

Chapter 9

Brushing off a bit of dust from my shoulder, I emerge from the depths of the cave and step back into my conquered domain.

Slung over my shoulder is a sack full of gathered materials and monster cores, ready to be put to use to further solidify my growing power in my new world.

On my other shoulder is Artillery, the little golemite having proven himself quite useful in our explorations. Bringing him completely on purpose was a brilliant idea, as expected.

Now that I've gained a few more levels, my daily GP will increase.

Perhaps I should consider evolving Artillery further, if he's going to be coming with me in the future.

Various sounds are coming from the smithery, warehouse, and refinery as Miss Smith and the golemites work hard for the sake of our domain.

Because my workforce is still so limited, I've spread the golemites thin amongst the tasks that need to be completed. That means the large cavern we’ve begun to settle has still yet to be fully cleaned of boulders, protrusions, and debris.

That’s not even mentioning all the expanding we need to do by digging out the cave walls to give us more room to build. It's because of the limited space that the warehouse and refinery are actually a single building divided in half. But that will change once we have more room.

A nearby crew of golemites is hard at work clearing out the cavern, making a noticeable amount of noise in the process. A very large amount of noise, indeed.

With a rumble, a boulder every bit as tall as me rolls by. Standing on top of that boulder is Stubby, the runt golemite I created from a cracked core.

Though standing isn't quite the right word. The little guy is moving his legs as fast as his stubby little limbs will allow, as if on a treadmill that's set at a speed a notch too high.

Chasing that boulder is the clearing crew, a group of golemites responsible for removing said boulder. They're waving their arms in desperation as the boulder rolls faster and faster thanks to Stubby’s treadmilling, but they're not getting any closer to catching up to it.

The boulder and crew pass by, heading towards the still empty section of the cavern.

“Things sure have gotten lively.” I continue on without pause.

But before I can take two steps, something else comes rolling in front of me.

“Tally-ho!” A young woman's voice echoes off the cavernous walls. “To battle we go!”

The girl who followed me here sits on a palanquin, a riding crop in her hand that she's using to point toward the direction the boulder had rolled.

Since palanquins don't have wheels, a group of golemites has been conscripted to carry it. And by extension, the girl atop it.

Those golemites use their short legs to rush the palanquin by me, following the girl's direction.

“Hmmm, that girl. That girl. That girl…” I put one hand under my chin. “What was her name again?”

Artillery begins flailing his arms around frantically.

“Ah, that's right. Ryza. Who was she again? No, it doesn't matter.”

I continue onward, putting Ryza out of my mind. It's a bit difficult with her continued shouting echoing off the cavernous walls.

The warehouse draws near, where I can finally set down this heavy sack. It's not as heavy as I would have expected thanks to my continued leveling, but carrying it is still a chore.

Sure, I could place it in my Inventory. But if I’m going to come back from the depths, I’m going to do it while carrying my most impressive loot in hand.

“And with these new materials, I can finally make some more advanced constructions.” I pat the bag slung over my shoulder. “A haul worthy of remembering.”

An explosion erupts from a nearby building. The smithery, to be exact.

But I don't even turn to look, as that kind of thing has become common around here.

“Testing breaking points again, huh?” I set the sack down as I speak.

The golemites at the warehouse immediately begin sorting the materials, but they don't take it away to storage quite yet.

“Listen well.” I point to the sorted items. “Within the depths are some crucial materials that will help us reach the next tier of growth in my domain. Search the tunnels I've cleared, and bring as much of them back as you can. Specifically, the four I need most are coal, silver, flame iron, and impure mythril. Prioritize those over all others.”

The golemites give salutes, then get to work bringing my haul to the storage area.

Even though only a few of my creations were in earshot of my commands, the rest heard them just as clearly. All it takes is one golemite, and all information is spread between them in an instant.

Even as these ones begin sorting, others are forming an expedition party to scour the deeper caves that I cleared of monsters and other dangers.

“That takes care of that.” I leave the warehouse, stepping back into the cavern outside. “Now, let's visit Miss Smith.”

The walk between the warehouse and smithery is a short one. But there's enough time for that same boulder to come rolling by again.

Stubby's not treadmilling on top of it anymore. Somehow, the golemite workforce has taken his place, with several short pairs of legs moving frantically to keep from being thrown off.

Unfortunately for Stubby, he's been demoted from treadmilling to Montana Jones, with the boulder chasing him across the cavern as his tiny legs move at speeds only possible when one's very existence is in danger.

“Don't give up!” Ryza’s voice echoes again. “Fight! Give it your all!”

Her palanquin goes rushing by, following the boulder's trail.

“They sure are having fun.”

With that, I step into the smithery. Not only is Miss Smith inside, but so is Miss Secretary. Both of them are covered in the residue of whatever exploded, though their goggles at least shielded their eyes.

“Welcome back, Master.” Miss Secretary raises her goggles, revealing two clean circles surrounded by a face covered in residue. “I heard you managed to find some valuable materials.”

Being my creations, Miss Secretary and Miss Smith both have the same connections to the golemites.

“I have indeed.” I place a second, smaller bag onto the table. “With these, our power will grow a thousand-fold.”

I empty the bag onto a table, letting the coal, silver, flame iron, and impure mythril spill out.

Miss Smith grabs a piece of impure mythril and brings it up to her goggles, which have a magnifier monocle attached. “Some of the worst mythril you can get your hands on. As it is, it's barely better than silver for mana conductivity, so we'll need a lot of it if you have any grand plans for its usage.”

“Hmm. How unfortunate. But now that the golemites can start gathering it for us, we should eventually get our hands on enough to be useful. As for the other materials, I assume there's no issue?”

Miss Smith puts down a chunk of flame iron. “Not bad. We can refine it, but the refinery can't output too much at its size, so we'll have to be selective of what we process.”

“Yes, I was just thinking it's time for an upgrade. There's still a lot of debris around, but the golemites have cleared out enough space for a new building. We'll construct a new refinery, several times larger than the one attached to the warehouse.”

“That should do it. You going to convert the old one into storage?”

“We'll keep it divided from the main warehouse and use the old refinery to store refined materials that are ready to use. I want to be prepared for anything.”

“In that case, you should go get us some more wood. It's more useful than you'd think.”

“Another trip outside, is it? I suppose it's warranted. But I have a few things to do here first. Speaking of…” I lift my shotgun and place it on the table. “An excellent weapon, as expected of you. But with our new materials, there are several upgrades to be made.”

Miss Smith takes it from the table. “I've already got them in mind.”

“Good, good. Then, I have one more request.”

I give Miss Smith a second task, one that's nearly identical to the revision on my shotgun. Since she wants nothing more than to craft items here in the smithery, I don't hear a single complaint from her.

After giving Miss Smith a few more jobs after the main two, I leave her shop. Miss Secretary accompanies me, her hand moving along the clipboard she always carries with her.

“Core tasks are nearly complete,” she says. “There’s only one more before we can move on to today's auxiliary tasks.”

“Yes, and I'm about to complete the final core task right now.” I take out yet another bag, though this one is more of a pouch. “With these monster cores, I can create even more golemites. And with them, more gathering, clearing, expanding, and…”

I watch on as that same boulder rolls by, this time with Stubby, the golemite cleaning crew, and Ryza all getting chased by it, palanquin included.

“All forces!” Ryza shouts as she passes by. “The battle is lost! Retreat!”

“...And other things, I suppose.”