When Custodian woke up, Niner was standing patiently in front of the floating ball of glass. The A.I. readjusted itself as it felt dazed and disoriented viewing the memory.

“What is it?” Custodian asked once it calmed down.

“You were not responsive so I came to check on you,” Niner responded as he dropped a bag of ore onto the floor.

“I am back online. What do you require?”

“I wanted to ask if you have a better mining tool than this stave. This thing isn’t a highly effective tool,” Niner grumbled as he raised the bio-iron stave he used for mining.

“Please hold,” Custodian said as it started to process the iron ore. Once done, it started shaping the fresh iron ingot with its claws while heating it. Custodian completed the new tool by sticking it to a bio-iron handle.

“This is called a pick, or a mining pick. This should serve you better, both as a weapon and a tool,” Custodian explained as it handed the pick to Niner.

“I might not use it as a weapon, though. But this will suffice.” Niner thanked its master before leaving.

After the battle against the rat horde, Custodian immediately put all working drones to getting as much bodies as they could before they get cannibalized by other rats, or eaten by slimes and spiders.

Thanks to the sudden increase in materials, Custodian could replace all lost drones without being too stingy.

The battle taught the A.I. that its territories need to be secured if it wanted to progress any further. To do that, a lot of materials, planning, and work had to be done. Specifically, Custodian had to create a real defensive system.

Luckily for Custodian, there was a notification that was held off earlier.

[500 units of anti-mana in weight collected. Protocol 4B completed. Blueprint for Type 2 Serf Mind imprinted into databank.]

[Protocol 4C started. Collect 1500 units of anti-mana in weight to unlock new production capabilities. 33.34% completed.]

[Type 2 Serf Mind.

A more combat-oriented processor. Capable of controlling slightly bigger body frames, and have faster reaction than its predecessor. This brain still have the same dependency and automation level as the Type 1 Serf Mind.

Produced using 2 Type 1 Serf Mind processors, 5 units of anti-mana in weight.]

Despite the fact that Custodian had hoped the Type 2 Serf Mind would be able to understand two combat commands and all basic commands, this was still good enough for now.

It’s just that, if such combat drones could be made, Custodian wouldn’t need to make drones that could only either shock targets or pinch with their claws.

When Custodian tried to put two processing chips together, they both broke. Stacking two prototypes on each other also caused more problems than solutions. At one point, Custodian welded a Serf Mind drone on a Slave Mind drone, but it seemed that they both wrestled for control to the point that it started shocking itself.

For now, it would focus on creating an entirely different combat drone. A stationary drone that only needed to defend a specific area. Since it didn’t need to know basic functions such as moving its legs and not bumping into the walls, Custodian could focus more on the combat aspects.

Custodian produced a square frame, with a hollow dome at the top. Creating a rail and attaching it into the dome, the A.I. formed a turret frame. It then attached multiple small anti-manas into the main body of the turret, followed by creating a box full of bio-iron bolts.

Using shock magic, it would propel the bolt at a high velocity at any unsuspecting targets.

‘Hopefully, this would be enough,’ Custodian thought as it loaded the ammo into the turret. Drone 1 took the turret off Custodian’s hand, then went to install it just outside of the core room.

Custodian had first thought of using the sentries to hunt rats, but then they would need constant reloading, and the basket drones still had to collect the rat corpses, which needed an escort. In the end, there was still a need for a mobile, reliable, mass-reproducible rat hunter.

While it’s busy producing sentries, it might as well check on its territories. Most of the slime hunting ground had been covered with automated combat drones and basket carriers, leaving the original automatons to begin hunting rats.

Ratslayer was tasked with teaching its brethren how to properly hunt, while Drone 8 was tasked with observing the rat nest.

Speaking of which…

‘Drone 8, what is your location?’ Custodian boomed in the hivespeak.

‘My current locale is outer rat hunting ground.’

‘For what reason?’

‘Escorting Niner to a possible iron deposit,’ Drone 8 answered.

‘Return to the core room. It is possible that the deposit would yield little as usual.’

‘Eh?! Why do you sound disappointed?! Are my yields that bad?’ Niner’s complaints echoed into the hivespeak.

‘Overlook and resume task, Prospector Niner,’ Custodian replied.

‘I can’t overlook that! The iron ores aren’t that small! I swear, this next deposit-’

[Unit designated Niner muted.]

It didn’t take long for Drone 8 to arrive. Along with the automaton, there were the first two combat prototypes attached to their older kin’s torso.

“It seemed they took a liking to you,” Custodian noted.

“Not really. Since I took command of them, I’m using them to their maximum potential. For instance, if they attach themselves to me like this, they could soak up damage for me if I ever get hit!” Drone 8 proudly exclaimed.

“I see. Let us get to the reason why I called you here. It’s time to name you, Drone 8.”

Drone 8 made an electronic sounding gasp, much to Custodian’s chagrin.

“I knew I’d get a name!” Drone 8 cheered.

“Inevitably, I would have to name all of you for… undisclosed, future plans.”

“Even Drone 1?” Drone 8 pointed at their plated brother, who was busy playing around with another experimental weapon. Upon hearing its name, Drone 1’s head turned straight towards the direction of Drone 8.

“Perhaps.”

Drone 1 hunched its back in disappointment when it heard Custodian’s answer.

“So, what’s my name?” Drone 8 asked.

“You shall be designated…” Custodian thought for a moment then continued, “I don’t know. What do you want to be called?”

Custodian didn’t even know if drones could want something. It was aware that Ratslayer somewhat wanted to kill a lot of organics, but it didn’t know if it was the same as the real feeling of want.

“I want to be called Exarchi.”

‘Oh. Mystery solved,’ Custodian thought.

“Exarchi? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Drone 8 confirmed.

“Very well. You are now designated as Exarchi,” Custodian confirmed. “Have you and Prospector Niner made any progress in identifying how the rats spawn?”

“We are… working on it,” replied Exarchi.

“Is there any problems?” Custodian asked.

“We don’t think they spawn as quickly as the slimes do, but they are somehow multiplying, one way or another.”

“I see. Continue observation, and report any significant findings.”

“We’ll also try to prod the surroundings for iron deposits,” Exarchi exclaimed.

“Yes. Speaking of which…”

[Unit designated Niner unmuted.]

‘...and in conclusion, I believe that my work seems to be underappreciated!’ Niner droned on through the hivespeak.

‘Noted. Please await for Exarchi to escort you’

‘Affirmative,’ Niner replied.

At least drones automatically knew who was who, as it would be annoying to keep announcing which drone was renamed to what.

‘Why do I even call the drones here if I could just announce the name change over the hivespeak?’

For some reason, it felt that this way was better as it could better understand its drones, and to a lesser extent, itself.

‘Master Custodian, requesting permission to go on an organic hunt with Drone 7 and Drone 6,’ Ratslayer asked.

‘Where to?’ Custodian inquired.

‘Around the rat’s nest,’ came the reply.

‘Negative. Rat population is dangerously low. You have no choice but to hunt the organics identified as Spiders.’

Ratslayer turned to its brethren, and they all nodded at each other. There hadn’t been a spider hunt in a while, but the drones should have more experience dealing with organics now, especially Ratslayer.

“As a note, remember to stun the spiders with a ranged shock attack, followed by a quick stab with your spear,” Ratslayer reminded the two companions as he led the way towards the spider hunting grounds

“Yes. Easily done,” Drone 7 replied.

“The place is still unexplored, so let us try to prod as far as possible,” Ratslayer suggested.

Custodian was busy around the clock - producing prototypes, micromanaging drones, and planning for the future. So far, the entrance was paved with metal, and was defended with sentries. There were also observation drones, whose only purpose was to act as Custodian’s eyes, placed around key areas such as the rat’s nest.

Drone 1 was helping its master as usual, holding a large weapon by its stock and grip. It was a crossbow with a modified biomatter string and a bio-iron body.

The drone shot a bolt at the wall to test its new toy. It took a new bolt from a small bag slung around its thigh then loaded it onto the crossbow.

“Simple, practical, and effective. This will be phased into the drones’ equipments, and hopefully future combat drones could use this as well,” Custodian talked to itself. “Ah, but then, it would require complex instructions. Hopefully Protocol 4 isn’t too harsh on me.”

‘Master Custodian!’

Custodian turned its attention to the high pitched voice communicating over the hivespeak.

‘What is it?’ Custodian asked.

‘I… I found something amazing!’ Niner proclaimed.

Custodian immediately routed its main concentration to Niner’s vision. He was standing inside a massive dome-like passage in the cavern. Along the walls were huge deposits of iron, which would take weeks, or even months to mine out.

‘I told you I would find a deposit such as this!’ Niner proudly exclaimed.

Noting Niner’s location, Custodian found out that its prospector was at the outer rat hunting ground, within an unexplored passage.

‘I was tracking down the occurrence of the iron ore until it led me to this beautiful treasure cove! It’s also far from the rat hunting nest, so we shouldn’t worry about any organics, I think…’ Niner explained.

‘I will prioritize setting up a mining operation there. Iron must be acquired to further our needs,’ Custodian said. Besides, if the tools used iron instead of bio-iron, they would be stronger and much more durable. The bio-iron could then be used to other manufacturing purposes.

No…

In fact, with these much iron, it might be able to take material manufacturing once step further.

Custodian created a few basket drones, then started constructing a new type of drone. Using the spider-crab frame of the combat drones, the A.I. formed a frame which also used the Type 2 Serf Mind albeit not for combat purposes.

The prototype body had pick-like claws, used for mining into the ore deposits. The legs were also modified to allow it to climb walls.

After inserting a Type 2 Serf Mind into the body, the mining drone was completed, but Custodian wasn’t done yet.

It created a batch of mining drones until it was nearly out of resources, then it was satisfied.

“Drone 1, escort these workers to Niner’s position,” Custodian ordered.

“Affirmative,” replied the plated automaton.

With too little resources to produce anything meaningful, Custodian went back to micromanaging the workers to squeeze as much matter as it could.

Meanwhile, Niner had been busy scouting out the new deposit while waiting for the mining drones.

“With all these iron, do you think we’ll get new tools?” Exarchi asked Niner.

“Of course. Master Custodian wouldn’t be so stingy to not provide his first ten automatons with the best equipment,” Niner replied as he ran his hand through the rocky wall.

“What are you doing anyway?” Exarchi inquired.

“Checking how far this deposit stretches to, and to check for webs,” Niner answered.

“Webs?”

“Our battle-hungry brother Ratslayer had passed information that webs are a first sign of the presence of spiders.”

“I must’ve been busy when he passed that information along.” Exarchi shrugged.

“Well, now you know. But I’m wondering, where does this passage lead to?” Niner mused.

“The spider hunting ground?”

“Negative. Things simply do not connect as easy as that. Many pathways have yet to be explored because Master Custodian is wary of organics that would be too much for us to handle,” Niner explained.

“And?” Exarchi interjected.

“That means that these pathways could lead to anything - from another slime hunting ground to a territory that belongs to an unidentified organic,” Niner continued.

“If we do encounter an unidentified organic, I do hope they won’t maul us on first contact.” Exarchi muttered.

“Like I said, we could encounter anything,” Niner placed his hands on against the cavern walls. His hand ran through the rough surface, occasionally stopping to feel some iron ore stuck against the wall. He stopped his hand, and slapped the wall with his hand. “For example, what if we encounter a being we don’t know how to handle?”

The wall shook, agitating the prospector. Both drones took a few steps back from the apparent moving section of the wall, which slowly ejected itself. The section of the wall slowly broke apart to form a shape - a humanoid shape.

Its body was uneven all around, with one arm larger than the other, its head massively smaller than its torso. Its two feet were simply two slabs of iron ores, barely able to balance the massive monster. The entire monster was made out of iron ore, much to Niner’s and Exarchi’s surprise.

“I’ll… uh… inform Master Custodian,” Niner whimpered.