Joselin looked happy as she sat between her parents, sitting to her immediate left and right. She looked down at the Crystal in her hands and waited with a slight frown crossing her features. “I wonder what's taking so long? Normally, he’s pretty quick.”
“Maybe he’s in the middle of something, Sweetie,” Mom suggested. “That wall is already rebuilt; maybe he’s doing something else?”
“Maybe,” Joselin said as she ran her thumb over Crystal's purple rectangle.
Rhamiel was not interested in talking yet. He hoped to have done something more worthwhile, and while he had been active in his approach, he felt the same helplessness. He took a moment to compose himself, gathering his thoughts, and took on his normal cheery tone as he connected to the Communication Crystal. He found that faking his real feelings was easy, probably with the help of his ‘Structured Mindset Skill.’
“Hey!” Rhamiel chirped. “Sorry about that. I was working on a few things and got a little distracted.” He then waited to see if they would say something, but after they didn’t, he began to feel the weight of the seconds passing. “So, how was the party?”
“It was good,” Joselin said. "Everyone was happy that we defeated the Werejackal that helped slaughter our Hamlet, but…” She looked to Dad, who nodded, and she sighed.
“But what?” Rhamiel asked lamely.
“But we are all certain that something was wrong with that battle,” she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in frustration. "I should not have been able to beat that Boss; it was… too easy.”
“Not exactly,” Dad corrected, shaking his head. “It was almost as if the Boss had entered the battle already damaged or hampered somehow. Even if it still took a lot of punishment, a Level Sixty Field Boss should have had a little more to show for it. More magic, Healing, or even having to fight that Slate Troll simultaneously as the Field Boss. Something.”
“It seemed like something was holding back a portion of its strength,” Mom said. “It is lucky for us it did, but that means worse things than a Field Boss of considerable might.”
“Are you saying that we will have another battle coming?” Rhamiel asked.
“Well, yeah, but that was going to happen anyway,” Dad chuckled. “I mean, the monsters were going to try to find and kill us, with or without this potential problem. But the only thing that could control a Boss in any way-”
“Is a higher-rated Boss,” Joselin finished with a finality.
Rhamiel took this information in stride and was still glad that the ‘Structured Mindset Skill’ kept him from panicking. He needed time to work, and he was beginning to doubt that he would ever have the time to build and experiment with his skills—like he needed to grow them properly.
“Well, that’s… great,” Rhamiel grumbled and released a sigh. Which, without lungs, did not alleviate any of his stress. “So what now, then?”
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about,” Mom started. We wanted to congratulate you on that massive power-up you did a few hours ago. We all felt it, and it's good to feel you growing in strength, too.”
“Thank you?” Rhamiel said, not expecting those congratulations.
“You haven’t chosen your next Perk yet, right?” Joselin asked. “I don’t think you have, but we wanted to make sure we talked about it and decided what comes next.”
Suddenly, Rhamiel felt a little defensive. It was his power, his perks, and his level-ups that had helped him gain it. If he had chosen a perk already, he could have started working towards continuing the advancement of his city. He valued their insight and help, but if all he could do for now was build and rebuild, Rhamiel wanted to keep it moving.
He knew they were just trying to help, but he also felt they were treating him like some kind of… actually, he had nothing to compare their behavior to. He was starting to feel like these people, with their biology and quirks, made it hard to think of survival.
“No, I haven’t,” Rhamiel confirmed. “I was going to look into it soon. I've just been busy keeping a few things going because some of these things can go without my direct influence.”
“Oh, good,” Joselin smiled. “What are you working on?”
“A few things,” Rhamiel said dismissively. “Nothing too interesting.”
“Were you with Karrow?” Dad asked. “Some of the workers saw him talking to himself in the caverns; it almost sounded like he was-”
“Yes, I was with him. He showed me how mining works so I can learn how to do it safely with Drones. Don’t want to cause any cave-ins or anything,” Rhamiel told them. Then decided to get a little snarky, “I also oversaw the retrieval of the Troll corpse, the initial repair of the wall, ran some of my Core Power Cables to the Architects library, learned a little more about alchemy-”
“Oh, that’s good,” Joselin interrupted, her tone strange. She raised an eyebrow at the Crystal that his voice came out of and asked, “Rhamiel, are- are you alright?”
The Core wondered momentarily if he might have been overreacting or overthinking the worst-case scenario. But then he felt vindicated as Joselin continued to talk.
“It’s just that you didn’t talk to us about those Attribute Points before you used them, and I thought we agreed to talk about that sort of thing. You know, to decide what’s best for the settlement,” Joselin said, trying to be diplomatic.
Rhamiel stayed quiet for a moment, processing her words for a long moment before saying anything. “I didn’t… talk about using my points?”
“Well, no, you didn’t,” Joselin said, nodding in agreement with herself. “We agreed to work together and usually talk about all these things, right? Perks, Tier Upgrades, and yeah, Attribute Points.”
The Core did not say anything. He kept his attention on the three elves, who were sure of this conversation. He kept quiet, hoping for one of them to say anything that would make this sound better than it was.
“Rhamiel?” Mom asked, concerned.
“Then I guess people being able to choose their levels was only for you then, huh?” Rhamiel asked.
“What?” Dad asked. “What are you talking about?”
“I guess I have to run everything I do by you?” Rhamiel said, his voice quiet but accusing. “Even when I can’t because you all celebrate a victory while I continue working and learning?”
“Where is this coming from?” Mom asked, looking at the Crystal in Joselin’s hand with concern. “You’ve never had a problem talking to us before.”
“That…” Rhamiel paused and took a beat to change his retaliatory answer. He considered Graham the Holy Fist. While the man had a personality that was hard to work with, his advice sounded good. He had to take some semblance of control; this was his future and power, and he only wanted to ensure they all survived. “That doesn't matter. If you want to be involved, fine.”
“O- okay,” Joselin said, unconvinced. “So… it says that you gained a Tier one, two, and three Perk Upgrade and a new Perk choice. That’s really good,” she said, voice oddly more demure. “Uh, what would you like to do first?”
“Perk,” Rhamiel answered.
And so, without waiting, Rhamiel pulled up his new Perk Choices and looked for something that would help now.
- Bibliomancy - So much knowledge has been written down for future generations to learn, and most of it has been lost in the Age of Decline. But being lost to the world differs from being lost to the System. This Perk grants you access to the Bibliomancer’s Hall Blueprint, a unique building that can access the repository where all these lost tomes, scrolls, manuscripts, and all other forms of the written word are stored. You will not get a choice of what book is summoned; generating a book will require charging the structure with Mana until a book appears. Books on subjects already familiar to you will have priority.
- Rhamiel Inquiry Hall - There is always more to learn, so why limit you or your civilization to what either can learn individually? Knowledge is power, and Research is the means to discover that power and how to apply it. This Perk grants you access to A Research Center Blueprint, a Building unique to Civilization Cores. Things such as poison improvements, building speed, new technology or spells, improved technological weapons, and even specialized buildings. With enough time, Mana, notes, and an able researcher, you can slowly unlock new opportunities for growth within your civilization.
- Rhamiel’s Claim - Having tasted victory in defense of its Domain, the Core has a taste for it and its many benefits. This lets the Core slowly expand its influence through defeated Boss-type enemies, reinforcing it against future threats and even repurposing the lingering energy of its fallen foes.>
Rhamiel looked at the choices, and all of them were tempting.
“Oh, that’s disappointing,” Dad said, shaking his head. “I was hoping for a defensive turret or perhaps some kind of special weapons hall. A shame,” he sighed.
“No, these are good choices,” Mom defended. “Not everything can be about offense or defense; something has to be about more than that. Two of these cover that part of life.” Mom said, nodding along with her own words.
As good as it sounded, Rhamiel ignored the third one, ‘Rhamiel’s Claim.’ Simply put, the central part of its power is that it expands its Domain automatically if a boss is slain in his Domain. It was good, and he could assume it had other benefits that went along with it, but he could already do the main power.
And the more he thought about it, the more obvious the choice was. Both could give him a special Blueprint tied to that Perk, but one was at least partially randomized, and the other was not. He wanted Bibliomancy for the knowledge it could give him. Still, he needed something to help him now or as soon as possible. ‘Rhamiel’s Inquiry Hall’ may require him to build it first, but some of the examples described sounded too good not to get.
Rhamiel almost just accepted that Perk, but a thought made him pause momentarily. A moment of agitation passed through him as he held back his frustration and said, “I would like to choose the ‘Rhamiel Inquiry Hall’ Perk. Is there a reason that I shouldn’t do that?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Joselin asked. “You seem… irritated? Annoyed?”
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“Nope,” Rhamiel stated quickly. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine, Honey,” Mom said to the Crystal. “You want to talk about it?”
“Nope,” he repeated. “There is nothing to talk about. Now, again, what do you think about the ‘Rhamiel Inquiry Hall?”
“A good idea, probably the best one, in all honesty,” Mom shrugged. “Depending on how it works, a few of us could use it, especially you.”
“Y-yeah,” Joselin said a bit dower. “I think that or ‘Rhamiel’s Claim’ are the better options. But without another boss on the way, thank you, Love, I think ‘Rhamiel’s Claim’ would have been wasted in the short term. So, yeah, good choice.” she confirmed.
So, Rhamiel selected the second Perk and reviewed the new and expanded description of the ‘Rhamiel Inquiry Hall.’
This Building grants research opportunities such as poison improvements, building speed, new technology or spells, improved weapons, and specialized buildings that can be researched and unlocked in this Building. Even special requests can be researched in this Building, allowing for creative Research and abstract use of intelligence for new research options.
This Building requires several things to function correctly. Writing materials such as ink, pen, and vellum or paper, a steady stream of Mana, and 1 or more researchers able to properly study the subject being researched.
But with enough time, Mana, notes, and an able researcher, you can slowly unlock new opportunities for growth within your civilization.>
Rhamiel looked over the Building’s description and material components and found them doable. It would not be quick—at least a few days of work—but one problem belayed them at every turn.
“Iron,” Rhamiel hissed. “This will keep being an issue, won’t it?”
“No, not for long, I’m sure,” Joselin consoled him.
“Sure, sure,” Rhamiel said, thinking about addressing the issue. His only real option was to use the Citizens who had the Surveying Skill to focus on finding any metals they could find, primarily Iron. But that seemed slow since they had to rest and eat and everything else these fleshy people needed to do. Ew.
The silence followed as Rhamiel worked through the issue internally, leaving Joselin uncomfortable. So when she broke it, it was clumsy and unnatural, “So, what’s next, the Tier Upgrades, right?”
“Wha- oh yeah, right,” Rhamiel said, savoring the moment and looking over his Perks and their Tier Level.
Blueprint Manipulation Tier 0, Summon Drone Tier 2, System Guide Tier 1, Beacon of Hope Tier 0, Population Growth Tier 1, Blueprint Generation Tier 0, Mana Generator Tier 0, Aspected Analysis Tier 0, Rhamiel Inquiry Hall Tier 0.
“Hmmm,” Rhamiel hummed. He had been thinking about where to allocate these Tier Upgrades since he got them, and he had come up with a good idea. “Well, I want to put the Tier 1 Upgrade into Mana Generator.”
“What, Not Blueprint Generation?” Joselin asked, confused. “Why?”
Rhamiel pulled up the Perks description and read it out to them before giving his reasoning.
Perks with the word ‘Core’ as part of its title may be created using only Mana Processing Skill.>
“Okay,” Rhamiel started. So, using a Perk Tier Upgrade doesn’t necessarily just make a Perk stronger; it makes it more versatile. It adds more options, like when I said those upgrades to Summon Drone and the Population Growth.” Rhamiel explained with genuine enthusiasm.
The Core waited a moment to see if they understood what he did. When they did not respond, he sighed and continued. “I think the upgrade for this will help when generating blueprints from the architect’s library and picking up the speed. I can use this with more buildings when that opens up.”
“Okay, sure,” Dad nodded along. “I get your logic; I just wish you knew what would happen before you installed the upgrade. You don’t seem to get a lot of them.”
Rhamiel told himself he would get more achievements and upgrade points, so even if this one was a waste, it would be fine sooner or later. Also, this could be a sign that he should do more varied stuff.
Rhamiel installed the Tier 1 Upgrade into the ‘Mana Generator Perk’ and observed the change.
At Tier 0, the Core Generator's unique blueprint amplifies one point of Mana to count as three and allows two individual Core Power Cables to spread that power equally. Core Power Cables can safely channel ten Mana per second.
At Tier 1, The Core Generator Unique Blueprint now amplifies one point of Mana to count as four and for up to four individual power cables to spread that power safely. Core power cables can now safely channel fifteen Mana per second. You gained the Steam Generator Blueprint.
“Oh, okay, this is pretty good,” Rhamiel mused, thinking about the changes. Not only did it increase the amplification of Mana, but it also increased the amount of Core Power Cables that could transfer safely. And then there was that sweet, sweet blueprint, the Steam Generator Blueprint.
Reviewing it, the Core read its description and was intrigued.
As long as the minimum requirements for water and fuel are maintained for steam, this Building can generate a minimum of 5 mana per hour to a maximum of 10 mana per hour. Beware, the Demi-Structure has minimal mana storage capacity; make sure it has a place to go, or it may detonate.>
Rhamiel took a moment to tell them about the upgrades and the new blueprint, and Mom looked ecstatic. “That is amazing. Now we have a way for you to generate more Mana, which will be useful eventually, right?”
“Yes!” Rhamiel confirmed. “But I can’t build this yet, but it will be helpful as soon as we get the minerals going. Which should be soon.”
“Which means until then, you have a bomb waiting to happen,” Dad said with a heavy sigh. The man seemed tired, which Rhamiel wished he understood, but he did not sleep. “Alright then, what’s next?”
“The Tier 2 upgrade,” Rhamiel said, looking at the only three options. “Which I can only install into The System Guide Perk, The Population Growth Perk, or-”
“The Mana Generator Perk?” Joselin inserted.
Rhamiel was losing enthusiasm. “Yeah, but until we can actually create the Steam Generator, that one would be pointless to put more into. Since I would be unable to build whatever comes next, right? So, it's System Guide or Population Growth.”
With little hesitation and discussion, Rhamiel put that point into the ‘System Guide Perk.’
A System Guide is a companion, scholar, diplomat, defender, and the voice of the Civilization Core that gave it to them. This can grant them several Perks to assist them in this function, including one to allow them to see the Core’s System Screens. Choose carefully who you make your System Guide. You can get one System Guide; if they die, your soul will suffer for the loss.
At Tier 0, your System Guide gains the following Perks: Perk Spells, System Guide, and Core Guardian.
At Tier 1, Their Core Guardian Perk has upgraded to Core Sentinel.
At Tier 2, Your System Guide gains the ‘System Prescience' Perk and the ‘Slayer Rewards' Perk.>
Your System Guide is Joselin Setalla.>
“Whoa,” Joselin exclaimed as she must have just read her version of this prompt. “This is incredible; now I can help with… stuff instead of guessing. And what’s this bonus, this other Perk… Slayer Rewards. Oh my Wisdom, that's interesting, I wish we had that yesterday,” she chuckled.
“What?” Mom and Dad asked.
She read her prompts to them, and Rhamiel said nothing. She took a moment to check the description of the Mana Generators and… yup, found that it could be upgraded to Tier 1. The neat thing was that all it would take was more Mana, time, and… gold—50 grams of it—which did not sound like a lot.
So he looked towards another person in the camp he knew, who was eating a simple sandwich of bread, cheese, and some kind of meat that Rhamiel did not wish to ask about. Lamar Headley was taking one of the few breaks he had seen from the man since he had met him, and even now, he was still making notes in a book.
“Hey, Lamar,” Rhamiel asked, making the man jump in his seat.
“Whaaa!” he shouted, the sandwich jumping out of his hand. It almost fell to the floor, but Lamar managed to save the food before it was ruined in the dirt. Holding the sandwich, he brought it to his chest and breathed heavily for several long seconds before he calmed enough to speak. “Lord Rhamiel, what is going on?! Did you have to jump out of the blue like that?!”
“No, sorry, I only have a moment or two before I need to do something else. By any chance, do you have gold? I need 50 grams of it.”
“Gold?” he asked, carefully setting down the sandwich. “I can get some. Gold is useless right now, given that our administration has no money. I’m sure I could get that much; why do you need it?”
“Oh, I can upgrade my Mana Generator, but it needs 50 grams of gold to level it up.”
“Really, huh, interesting,” Lamar nodded. He took a moment to write that down and make some other notes before he looked up and said, “Okay, uh, give me a few minutes; let me see what I can find.”
“Cool, thanks!” Rhamiel said, returning his perspective to Joselin.
A minute or two passed while they discussed the new abilities, and soon, they looked at the Communication Crystal and said, “Not that I am arguing with this choice, but why that?” Joselin asked.
“I do not want you to die. I was hoping it would give you a power boost,” Rhamiel answered, now wishing that he had spent the money elsewhere. It wasn’t what he wanted, and it wasn’t like he could just get a new Tier 2 upgrade.
“Aww, that's sweet,” Joselin said. “I’m glad we’re friends, Rhamiel.”
Before Rhamiel could mutter any kind of rebuttal, Dad decided to interject. “Well, what about the Tier 3?”
“With only two choices,” Rhamiel sighed. “Summon Drone.”
“Agreed,” Joselin confirmed. “Probably the best choice. More Drones and you should get some more specialty Drones. What do you think you’ll get next, Rhamiel?”She asked excitedly.
“Uh, I don’t know, maybe some warrior drones?” Rhamiel said, unsure.
“Nope, I think… you’ll get some kind of Research Drone to compliment your new research building. Or Maybe another kind of all-rounder Drone?”
While Joselin spoke, Rhamiel just put the Tier 3 upgrade in the 'Summon Drone Perk.'
At Tier 0, you could summon Basic Drones that could complete tasks requiring minimal skill and no mana. Such as Tier 1 construction projects, gathering tasks, and processing.
At Tier 1, you can summon the same Basic Drone as above, but now you can summon Builder Drones and Gatherer Drones. Builder Drones move faster when put on construction, deconstruction Tasks, or basic assembly tasks. Gatherer Drones move faster when placed on the gathering of natural resources like unprocessed wood, berries, or crop harvesting.
At Tier 2, you can now summon Basic Drones, Builder Drones, and Gatherer Drones as above, but now you can also summon Farming Drones and Mining Drones. Farming Drones can manage Farms and Vineyards as well as other similar areas. Mining Drones can mine specific areas designated by you or your Lead Miner.
AT Tier 3, you can now summon Basic Drones, Builder Drones, Gatherer Drones, Farming Drones, and Mining Drones as above. Still, now you can also summon Research Drones and Intermediate Worker Drones. Researcher Drones work in places such as schools or research labs, assisting with the learning process and acting like an extension of your mind, but independent and subservient, able to learn and help you learn with enough time. Intermediate Worker Drones are a more skilled version of your Basic Drones, able to handle more tasks than them, including being able to build up to tier 2 buildings.
If they leave your Domain, the Mana used to create them will drip away, and they will slowly fall apart.
They may last outside your Domain for four hours/ point in Core Mana Supply. If struck with enough force, they can be destroyed, and they have ten durability points per point you have in Core Structure. You can summon 5 Drones/ Core Strength.
At Tier Two, This Perk now Scales with the Tier of your Settlement. The maximum length of time outside your Domain and the Maximum Drone count is now multiplied by the Tier of your Settlement. Currently 0x15.>
“Core?” Rhamiel heard from his periphery. Looking around his Domain for the source, he found Karrow had called him.
“One minute,” Rhamiel hissed to the Miner, quickly returning to his System Guide.
“Sorry,” Rhamiel said, then read his Perk for them.
“Wow, that's great. Joselin, honey, you got it right,” Mom said with pride. “Such a good guess.”
“No, it's her new perk, System Prescience, right?” Dad confirmed. “That guess was a little too on point to be a guess.”
“I- I don’t know,” Joselin said, looking at them. “It's not like I tried to use it. It's a passive ability, so maybe it was instinct? I don’t know, but this should make our job easier, right, Rhamiel?”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” he confirmed. “So, is there anything else? I am rather busy.”
“Rhamiel, are you sure you’re okay? You sound rather… rushed,” Joselin asked, her tone concerned.
“Oh yeah, sure, I’m fine,” he said, a little snark entering his tone. “I just have a lot to do.” Releasing his tension, Rhamiel stopped and said, “I have work to do.”
“What?” Joselin got out before Rhamiel changed his perspective and met with Karrow, who showed him the black mineral.
And Rhamiel immediately got to work. The Eldritch Cathedral was beginning.