Bab 12: Chapter 12
Once I'd finished making them all worshippers it was time to make them useful. I started with the basic ones since the first composites had deeper irregularities I needed to even out and that would cost more mana. I also wanted to try my hand at making one of the brain-crystallization mana-cores rather than my brain-crushing mana-cores. It would be my first composite rune, so I'd need a couple trial runs. That would cost yet more mana. At least I wouldn't have to learn more runes, so that would make it much faster.
Since I had to go one-by-one, it took a while to finish giving all of the basic creatures improved versions of Nagt's mana-core circuits and even out the flow of mana in their bodies. With mana accumulation taken care of, I could start experimenting on the first composites.
I started with a random one since I wasn't sure if I'd be successful. First I needed to break the forming circuits already in its brain, which was easy. I simply crushed the circuits, ready to build better ones. It immediately dying wasn't expected. Well, I have four more to test with. Eating the will of others was also the fastest way for me to regain it after it was depleted. It wasn't a particularly urgent need to accumulate my will, but it made everything easier to have more on hand.
I fed the rest of it to my other constructs, taking the opportunity to complete my splooge construct. Since the maturation process would require mana I didn't start that bit, but now it was ready. I turned my attention back to the remaining first composites. None of them were nervous, perks of being worshippers.
Since the brain circuits were tied to their life, I started trying to modify the shape of the other circles in this one's body before the brain circuits. It was, surprisingly, easier than I'd thought it would be. I wasn't altering anything about the content of the circuit, just the shape of the circle, so it worked out wonderfully. The creature immediately stopped leaking mana once I'd finished reshaping the circles. I met a problem when I tried to reshape one of the few second circles in the creature, though. The circle started leaking more instead of less. It needed a different shape than the first.
That was interesting. So what shape would be appropriate? I thought to the shape of my true circuit and considered the implications of the faces of the circle matching the faces of the rune below. Would that be true for outside runes as well? It would mess up the shape beyond repair, but it would make sense. It would make each circle after the first more difficult than the last to form in a stable fashion, but that was fine.
So all I needed to do was form the second in accordance to the runes in the first. The shape was weird and misshapen, but it didn't leak. I evened out the flow of mana throughout the body and that was it. Finished. Given the shape, I wasn't sure how much growth these creatures could actually experience. I put that out of my mind as I turned my attention to the brain.
After all the effort I put into its body…the risk of it dying was suddenly much more pressing. I gave it the same mana-core circuit I'd given the basic ones and turned to the next. I was much more careful this time. Instead of crushing the circuits I tried to incorporate them into a larger circuit. The shape required was so complicated that I had to expand it outside of the head in a few places, but there should be enough mana to maintain it once the accumulation started. When it activated, the creature's head exploded. Crushing was a no-go. Incorporation was also a no-go. What options were left? I'd have to alter the nature of the growth-type circuits themselves. That wouldn't work since I didn't know what their final stage would be. If it grew after I'd altered it…I couldn't imagine that going any better than the other two.
It was a difficult problem. I absently moved on to Mgrt as I considered the issue. Looking for inspiration, I let my will ripple outward to see what was happening elsewhere. I didn't have a lot of will to spare, so I didn't go very far. Interestingly, I felt a spike of nervousness go through Trgl. That was unexpected. I hadn't thought they could be nervous about my actions once they worshipped me. Then I put that together with the defensiveness I'd felt from it at the beginning and it made sense. Trgl wasn't nervous because of what I was doing, it was because of who I was doing it to.
At that point it clicked for me. All I needed to do was alter the growth-type circuits into my circuits. It would cost a lot more mana, but many of the basic creatures were now second composites and had a lot of excess mana. It made sense that their third composite didn't form because of the inefficiency of their circuits, but that meant a lot of mana was being wasted.
Once I had a direction, it was easy enough to alter Mgrt's circuits to suit my preferences. Their bodies may max out at third composite, but their cores wouldn't. After that I fixed the rest of its circuits and moved on to Trgl, which I replicated the process on. Then I went around to all the others, fixing all of their circuits. That took a long time. By that time, many had started to feel the pressure of their mana-cores pressing on their brains. Without all the leaking, not only were they now starting to form their third composites but their mana-cores were also growing much faster.
Once that point had been reached, I needed to start solidifying their will-cores. The issue with that was apparent in Nagt and Glrt still fucking. I didn't think they'd even paused this whole time. This time I'd need more control from them. But…with my splooge construct I could have an infinite number of them. I'd give control-based circuits to the ones I'd harvest the anti-splooge from as they didn't produce more so it'd be pointless to have them continue being ruled by lust. The rest could work as splooge farms just fine.
A few more ideas popped into my mind, but I ignored them to build their will circuits before they died. Without their core runes being intent-related it would make sure they had limited use…but it was less limited than lust-based creatures. The only ones I didn't form were Mgrt and Trgl. They were the only ones that weren't about to die, so it made sense. I could take my time with them.
As I was saving their lives, I had my splooge construct…no it was more than that now…my brood construct collect the anti-splooge. The first few were surprised when my construct entered them. It probably would have been better if my brood construct was faster, but it was very viscous. It took me a while to navigate in deep enough to collect the anti-splooge, but they didn't seem to find it uncomfortable. After I finished with the first few, the rest were expectant.
In the process I discovered an interesting effect that could be realized when the traits of the splooge and anti-splooge were combined. Using the splooge I could invade the mana of the recipient, taking some of it for myself. With the anti-splooge I could make it mine. What a useful function! It was even more useful to me at the moment than the brood function. I didn't know the runes to replicate the effect without the inherent properties of the brood construct, but now that I had the idea I definitely would be able to make them.
Once I'd finished giving all those that were about to die will circuits, I turned the lusty ones attention from the non-lusty toward my brood construct. It now served many purposes; it stole the mana from the mana-cores that were killing them faster than they could solidify their will-cores, it satisfied the lust-centric, it allowed my brood construct to grow, and it channeled a ton of mana into me that allowed my true circuit to mature much faster. I had to keep using it on the harvested ones to make sure they didn't die, but none of them seemed to be whining. The lust may not control them, but it was still their strongest intent.
Spreading my brood construct wide enough to be useful to all of my worshippers apart from the four that didn't need it was stretching how much of it there was, but the lust-centric were working hard to make it easier for me. The best part was that at the speed I was harvesting mana from them it wouldn't be long before my true circuit was finished. Their accumulation speed may be slower than my primary body by a little bit, but they more than made up for it with numbers.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone