Thump Thump Thump

The heavy footsteps of the tanks as they move forward keeps everyone on the alert. Everyone had begun to dismantle the drone brains and quickly found the transmitter and removed the head piece. Rust was going from one to another installing the transmitter and bolting on the head piece. After that those who had it on began repairing the collectors.

Me and Nova on the other hand were sitting cross legged on the wall near the entrance. As for our collectors. They were spread out skittering towards the queen.

RRRROOAAAAAAA

The behemoth spider queen opened her mandibles and showed the flames inside as she sees the large tank intruders. The roar insights the drones to attack them but because of the collectors small size it was easy to escape detection. When we are in total control of all four collectors we are in a standby mode and can only speak with text which is fine by me.

I was the first to reach the queen's first leg. I made the collector look up and look for a good foot hold and then began slowly climbing the large body. Its light body doesn’t even make sound as it inches up the humongous legs of the queen.

I make sure to keep 2 of the collectors on the ground with one watching the queen's movements and another watching the drones. The other two I make one climb near the front while the other near the back. This way if one is spotted the other will still have leeway to climb on.

Half way up Bolt finishes crushing the drones and runs towards the queen’s front left leg.

As he gets a few meters from her leg he pulls his right arm back and takes a swing putting his weight into the punch.

[Pressure Fist]

Like a true tank, the pressure fist sounded like a bomb shell was fired and then it exploded. The queens leg that received the attack was flung in a half circle braking the joint after the first leg part.

The joint couldn’t handle the damage and soon it broke off and the entire leg fell off but the tank was already moving away.

-200

(-200) 2800/3000

"Fuck this bitch has 3000 durability." Bolt shouted seeing the health bar appearing.

"The leg seems to be around 200 each." Rein said.

"That leaves around 1200 as the main body." Hub says.

"This is one hard ass spider queen" Bolt says.

While they moved about I try to keep the collectors from falling from the vibrating.

After the shaking the queen roared again making more vibrations and one of the collectors slid down the leg but caught a groove in the iron plates before falling.

That was to close for comfort! I thought really worried. “Rust how is backup coming along!” I ask.

“Slow because none...of them have...as much talent...for the tinker...skill like you. They are...slow on the...repairs” Rust explains.

I click my metaphorical tongue and turn back to climbing. With all the shaking over I being climbing and soon reach the joint connecting the first digit of the leg to the second. It’s like a bridge downwards now so I have both of them scurry over onto the main body and after a minute they finally reach it.

Like all my previous opponents my aim was crippling them as best as possible. This one is just a bit larger. Aiming for the head I was going to try and locate the motherboard and break it.

Problem is that the head itself was about 4 meters wide and 4 tall and it was tightly sealed. As I looked about with the collector Nova’s pair arrive.

“Nova search for a way into the head. Any hole big enough for the robots to get inside.” I tell her.

“Count on me Bro.” she replies with a message.

We continued looking but found nothing but as soon as we hear another explosion we turn the collectors to look at the sound and see the front right leg doing a spin like the first but this time it completed the turn and began falling on the queen.

SHIT! “Run Nova!” I warn her and start getting the collectors out of there.

We scurry away as the huge claw lands with a deafening crash on the queens head. We got to the mid body before it crashed and looked back.

After a moment we noticed it moving. The queen was moving its head and the remains of the arm and was dragging the leg off and after some time it fell down and broke off from the joint. In its place many cracks and holes were left in the crushed plating.

“Thanks whoever broke the second leg. We can now get inside the queen. Let’s go Nova” I said.

“YAY” Nova cheered.

We scurry in each on in a different opening and quickly began ripping whatever wire was in our way. The response was immediate. With a huge roar the head began shaking. Thankfully the agile legs of the collectors could handle the shaking and we moved on.

If I said that her head was like a maze on its own I wouldn’t be exaggerating. What the hell is with her head.

After 10 minutes of running inside her I turn my attention to the one that was watching her movements. I looked up to see the health.

With two legs gone and some structural damage underneath her and on the head she was down to 2086 durability. As I watch I see Rein run in and with jumping power that doesn’t fit his size he reaches the underbelly and hits it.

This isn’t getting anywhere. I think they had some level of scanner right let’s see the stats. I thought to myself.

Autonomous collector

A small spider drone used for collecting metal to feed the queen to make new units. They are equipped with the most basic transmitter, a tiny engine that powers them indefinitely through mechanical energy, and a small basic scanner to locate metals.

Durability 28/60

Ok they have them I cheered to myself. ”Nova use the scanners to find your way around” I told Nova who was having trouble like me.

“The toys have them?...Ok then” She said.

I look through the options on each of them and choose the two inside and activate the scanner. It’s able to show me part of the brain but it was enough for me to move about.

“A few of...the others are...ready. They have...two each but...it's enough of...a start.” Rust tells us.

Finally I thought bitterly at the slow players. “Then get them climbing already” I told him.

As I move about and crash many of the parts I encounter. Though it may cost me later since these could have been salvaged it's best to get this thing killed before we worry about that.

Every so often I use the scanner to map the route of the brain.

I have yet to find the motherboard but with all the damage I am causing the queen seems to be entering critical condition even if her current life after an hour of getting beaten around is 1467.

I watched the fight from outside and up until now it’s been going well but I can’t help feel that there is something off. The queen has moved its legs to stomp but I’m sure it has an attack or two.

As if on cue it happened.

GGGRRRRAAA~~

It lifted itself up and roared. The smoke bellowed from its pipes and from its abdomen many openings appeared and new pipes stuck out.

"Fire Hell. RUN!!" Hub shouts

The three tanks began running with all they had. I kept watching. From the new pipes after some shaking and pointing the abdomen forward from between its legs. A huge inferno of flame came out. Reaching almost to the door, everything the flames neared was melted.

"Fuck this is why we need ranged fully armed tanks to fight his these bitches." Rein complained as he looked into the room full of flames.

"Ahh~~! That almost got me." Bolt sighed in relief.

"Hey workers we need fuel and water. We are near overheat." Bolt said towards the others.

Since they all had only two collectors ready to leave they weren’t on standby like me and Nova, or were.

Damn, the two outside were melted I cursed in my head. “good news the collectors inside the head are still working. They survived but to the queen’s own protection. I said.

A few people breathed deeply a sigh of relief that they still had something to fight with.

Everyone works quickly to refill the water tank which begins to cool their body and build steam. A few other repairs are done to a few gears in the legs and arms but most minor stuff.

For me and Nova we continued taking down the brain while looking for the motherboard. I was hopeful.

After 3 whole minutes the queen finally ran out of fire and the huge engine stopped spewing flames. In the wake of the flames was a large pool of molten iron which was quickly hardening after losing its flame. The three tanks went in again.

With steam pumping again they had their main weapon back online.

In the brain I finally connect the two paths that my collectors took. When they both arrive at the connection I couldn’t help but feel happy at what I saw.

Sticking out in the middle was something akin to a large computer and around it were several transmitters most likely this was either a better transmitter or the motherboard. Not caring much, ok I did care, I had the collectors carefully remove the central piece. Pulling it up from its place I saw that it had several wires attached.

It was annoying but I began having the connectors claw at the wires. As soon as I cut the first wire all hell broke loose.

The queen roared with all her power and began shaking about violently. The two collectors had their claws deep into the wires so they took minimal damage but I can’t say the same for Nova’s.

"Wahhh my toys were destroyed." I heard Nova cry since her spiders got destroyed.

I looked at Nova and crouched down and hugged her to keep her quiet. I stood up with her in my arms while I controlled the collectors. She didn’t look like she would give up so with all they had I made them claw with one claw and slowly clip each wire one copper wire at a time.

When I clipped the fourth wire her right legs lost power and stopped supporting her weight and with her thrashing about she tipped her body over.

The crash was violent and only one collector survived but with her pinned I was able to slowly cut the remaining ones.

You have removed the main processor of the Furnace great queen.

You had a great level of contribution to the success of this conquest.

+10 levels

I dropped to the ground at that moment.

“She’s dead” I said

At that moment the cheers came from everyone. The tanks sat down and sighed deeply

"Is it over?" Nova asked.

"Yes...We beat...it." I said patting her head.

I did a scan of Nova and saw she gained 6 levels and was level 9 now. I was 13.

Guess killing gave more bonus but she got lots as well.

I stood up and walked to the queen. With my control of collector I had it lift the main processor and start on the way back.

"You guys did...it." Rust said.

"I wonder what killed it?" Rein asked.

“The main processor was removed. Hey guys get moving and start stripping the spider." I ordered those who were to slow to help much.

"Techno is right...We will put...the furnace in...the back of...the room. You...six go to...the base and...have everyone gather...everything this will...be the new...base." Rust says ordering a few people.

“You know we are leaving soon” I tell him.

“Yes I know...but that thing...won’t be leaving...anything soon because...of the size. So let’s use...what we have.” He replies.

I shrug and pull out the tool gear and use the cutter and from the holes I open up the head and start moving and breaking apart parts until I finally found the collector. With him the processor.

He was badly damaged but was able to work enough to drag the processor so it was still useful. I scan the processor to see what it really was.

Queens transmitter

A special transmitter that also works as the main processor of the furnace queen. It isn’t a sentient creature and didn’t have a true motherboard but it converted a transmitter into a processor and gained higher level of complexity.

If installed into any machine it will gain the ability to control drones.

Controls 5 complex robots or 25 drones or 50 collectors

Well isn’t this one OP piece of tech. I thought grinning to myself.

I quickly store it before someone sees and start looking through more of the head. I take unbroken parts that survived our onslaught. When I finished and appeared again I saw they were cutting the abdomen off the spider.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

"The furnace is...in the abdomen. Once it's off...the tanks will...push it near...the back and...then we will...scan it and...get it working." Rust replies.

“How long until then?” I asked curious.

"Hmm...2 days maybe up to 4." Rust said.

…

I walk to Nova and pick her up.

“I’m going to look around. If there are tanks, there may be more models and tools I can find” I say.

"...Ok and good...job killing it." Rust said

Mission: Moving Furnace

With your help you have taken down the Furnace great queen and secured the Furnace and the future of the Clockwork.

Reward +3 levels

Clockwork has been permanently opened as a starting race.

The Spider dungeon is now cleared. It has been converted into the Clockwork base. Clockworks will begin near the base as a scraped clockwork.

I leave after closing the window and hear the cheers from the others at level 17 I might have one of the highest levels and I want to keep that a secret for a while.

Jeopardy PoV

What is this. It's been a week since I began living here and we made a base but when we reached the so called threat we got a mission to kill a giant boss monster.

The constructs are magic puppets but we are made like androids so we need a forge. What stands in front of all of us is a huge robot. A Clockwork colossus. In its chest is what we need. A Powerful steam engine that works as a forge but that's it. We can’t get close to this guy and we can barely use magic. Most of us are trashed constructs so our cores are weak and we have rusted parts.

This sucks, karma is getting back at me and is taking all these others with me. Wait it’s a robot. Don’t tell me he has an one switch... We all have been fighting it for the last hour without much success.

Well maybe the brain can be destroyed.

The robot itself is bulking but has many plates that don’t fit correctly leaving entrances into its body.

Seeing this I became curious and circle around. When I look inside I see huge gears turning. Most are old. An idea suddenly comes to mind and I run at its blind slot and jump into one of the openings in its legs.

Inside there are hundreds of gears slowly turning.

"This might be the only god sent thing I can have but it will take all my mana." I said talking to myself.

I put my hands together. In my chest a small green crystal begins shining. It’s called an air crystal and holds mana of the air system and lets me do magic from it. You might think air against metal I can’t win but it's not air that I am using. It’s a subcategory I had just gotten into. Yep lightning.

I spread my hands and bolts of lightning bridge the gap. I quickly touch a large gear and the energy quickly transfers and goes straight up. It rises straight through burning and melting all the wires and goes into the brain and burns all the circuits. The price is my arms which are burned and 90% of my mana leaving me standing by dizzy.

If clockworks are robots and run on electricity then constructs are beings that run on mana. If we use to much we turn off for a period of time to recharge.

I pull myself out and look up. The lights in the eyes of the giant turned off and the engine turned off and the fired was dying down and steam was being released and loosing pressure.

"So...easily and...it took so...long. I even...got 10 levels for...killing it like that." I said while stumbling.

Mission: Moving Furnace

You have helped your race secure the most essential tool for rebuilding, a furnace. With it your race can begin rebuilding.

+5 levels

Constructs has been permanently opened as a starting race.

"15 levels like that...now I’m level 19. I wonder how killing this thing will make this scrap yard change." I say sighing.

I fall on my knees and then fall on my face before going to sleep as my mana was low.