The air within the Obsidian Heart Fortress—the newly claimed Ancient Obsidian Mine—hummed with subdued energy. The fifty-odd Goblins, their fear of Orc Chieftain Grag (now Grave, the Orc Warlord) instantly replaced by absolute awe of the Core, worked with a terrified efficiency.
Grave was a revelation. His new title and the [Battle Commander's Roar] skill turned the ragged, whimpering laborers into a surprisingly competent workforce. He moved among them, directing the quarrying of deep obsidian with a single-minded focus that only the Core's magic could instill.
"Faster, runts! The Obsidian Heart needs a throne! The Core commands perfection!" Grave's voice, though still gravelly, carried a sharp, authoritative edge.
The Core, having used its [Self-Propulsion: Basic] skill to move onto a high, polished slab of obsidian—its temporary throne—watched the operations. My focus was purely internal, processing the sheer volume of data I had accumulated.
— CORE SIMULATION: AETHER POWER GENERATION —
INPUT: Obsidian Conduction (High Purity) + Subterranean Veil Ambient Aether.
FORMULA: [Miniaturized Aether Reactor Design] Blueprint + [Aether Conversion Efficiency].
OUTPUT: The Aether Furnace. Stable, near-infinite Aether source for the territory.
I need a power grid. Reliance on ambient Aether is unsustainable for rapid evolution, I decided. The Obsidian is the key.
The Obsidian of the mine was not merely black rock; it was a powerful, latent Aether Conductor. The Ironwall Empire's technology used small, inefficient, metallic reactors. I would use the entire cavern as my reactor.
"Grave," I projected. "Stop the current work. You will now excavate a massive cylindrical chamber in the deepest mine shaft. The obsidian must be perfectly smooth. It will be the Furnace Chamber."
Grave, his massive frame radiating focus, simply knelt, "It will be done, My Lord."
Fusion: The Concealment Barrier
While Grave oversaw the construction of the heart of the new capital, I began experimenting with skill fusion. I had two defensive skills: [Aura Dampening Field] (from the drone) and the blueprint for the [Shadow Speed] skill (from the Hounds).
The Dampening Field protected against magic by diluting the ambient aura. The Shadow Speed allowed for movement by temporarily merging the user with ambient shadow/aura. Logically, fusing them should create an improved form of stealth—a barrier that dampens both incoming magic and sight.
I dedicated 50 AP to the difficult, multi-faceted mental calculation required for the fusion.
— SYSTEM ALERT: SKILL FUSION PROTOCOL INITIATED —
INGREDIENTS:
[Aura Dampening Field] (Unique/Tech-derived)
[Shadow Speed] (Unique/Racial Blueprint)
FUSION SUCCESSFUL! The skills have been consumed and merged.
NEW UNIQUE SKILL ACQUIRED: [Static Concealment Barrier] (Tier 2: Can project a field of 50m radius that absorbs and neutralizes ambient light/magic signatures. Cost: 5 AP/minute.)
The result was instantly noticeable. I tested the skill. The temporary throne room, filled with torchlight and fungal glow, momentarily dimmed. The field did not create darkness; it created nothingness—it looked like the light had been gently vacuumed away. This was a perfect stealth mechanism for my entire fortress, making it invisible to remote Human scouting magi.
The Aether Furnace: Power Ascendant
For three days, Grave directed the labor. The Goblins, driven by fear of Grave but sustained by the unexpected nourishment the Core insisted upon (they were now eating small, local lizards instead of just fungal scraps), completed the Furnace Chamber.
It was a perfectly smooth, obsidian cylinder, thirty meters deep.
I had Ranga carry me to the base of the cylinder. This was the most crucial moment of the entire nation-building exercise. I had to permanently dedicate a large portion of my hard-won AP to seed the reactor.
I channeled the remainder of my power—a monumental 900 AP—into the geometric center of the Chamber, pouring the energy directly into the obsidian structure along with the complex blueprint data.
— CORE POWER DRAIN: 900 AP —
INITIATING AETHER FURNACE STABILIZATION…
SUCCESS! The Ancient Obsidian Mine has been repurposed into a permanent Aether Generator Node.
AETHER CORE STATUS UPDATE:
AETHER POWER: 15 / 10,000 (Critical. Massive power drain.)
PERMANENT TERRITORY EFFECT: [Mana-Flux Resonance] (Aether regeneration speed for all inhabitants within the Fortress is permanently quadrupled.)
I was once again nearly depleted, but the reward was staggering. The entire Fortress lit up, not with visible fire, but with a deep, throbbing blue light emanating from the obsidian walls. The air was thick, heavy, and delicious with pure Aether. My own regeneration immediately surged. I was now generating hundreds of AP per hour passively, just by existing in my own territory.
The First Sentry
The fortress now had power, but the Ironwall Empire drone would inevitably be missed. We needed eyes above ground.
I summoned Shade, the Shadow Hound Alpha, who knelt respectfully. I still needed the raw, high Aura of the Hounds for speed, but I also needed them to function as remote scouts.
I poured 100 AP into Shade, focusing the [Miniaturized Aether Reactor Design] blueprint with the hound's natural [Stealth Movement].
"Shade, you will not simply run; you will transmit. You will be my eyes."
— AETHER CORE POWER DRAIN: 100 AP —
TARGET: Shade, the Shadow Hound Alpha
INITIATING CORE UPGRADE: AETHER SENTRY PROTOCOL…
EVOLUTION SUCCESSFUL!
SHADE STATUS UPDATE:
RACE: Evolved to Shadow Sentry (Elite Reconnaissance Unit)
AURA POWER: 550
UNIQUE SKILL: [Aether-Enhanced Pacing] (Evolved to [Phantom Glide] – Near-zero friction movement.)
NEW UNIQUE SKILL ACQUIRED: [Remote Scrying Link] (Can mentally transmit detailed visual and Aura data directly back to the Core over a range of 20 kilometers.)
NEW ROLE: First Sentry of the Obsidian Heart.
Shade's shadowy coat deepened into an abyssal black, and twin, high-speed Aether vents formed subtly near his hind legs, giving his movements a smooth, ghostly flow.
He let out a silent, sharp bark and looked up at the ceiling of the cavern, his eyes burning with the information I had given him. He was ready to breach the surface.
"Shade, go. Find the boundaries of the Veil. Do not engage. Do not be seen. Bring back data on the Verdant League and the extent of the Ironwall Empire's patrols."
Shade gave a low, dedicated bow and, with a silent surge of [Phantom Glide], disappeared into the tunnels leading to the upper strata.
The Core settled on its obsidian slab, now basking in the soft blue glow of its own Aether Furnace. With my AP rising rapidly, my first General (Grave) organizing the labor, and my first Spy (Shade) heading out, the Core was no longer just a sentient rock. It was the heart of a functioning, rapidly evolving nation.
The Core now has a massive advantage in resource generation and information gathering!