Kneeling in the snow, I gazed into the pond, watching the dozens of tadpoles swimming around in the cool water, their dark blue bodies shimmering like sapphires in the mid-morning sunlight.

The tadpoles had grown since last I visited; they were now almost fully developed and beginning to sprout legs. I could see their long tails slowly receding as they swam, giving way to a more toad-like shape. Soon these tadpoles would transform into the Glacies bufo and I could begin my research on their unique properties.

I breathed in the fresh mountain air and allowed the peace of the temple grounds to calm my mind. The last few days had been so chaotic and draining, but here I found solace. I could almost forget that the world outside of this serene haven still existed, and I felt the tension in my body start to dissipate.

I watched as a few of the tadpoles break off from the group, swimming towards a cluster of water plants. I smiled and imagined what it must be like to lead such a peaceful life, content with just the simple things that nature provides.

"If only it could always be like this," I lamented quietly, trailing my fingers through the water and making ripples that sent the tadpoles scattering away.

"High priestess! High priestess!" Called a voice from behind me, shaking me out of my reverie.

I turned around to see one of Meissa's disciples, Veritas, running towards me. "High priestess," she said, panting, “An envoy from High Priest Icarus of the temple of light has arrived. He is requesting an audience with you."

"From Icarus?” I replied, a feeling of excitement building in my chest. Could it be the items I requested?

Veritas nodded and bowed her head. "He awaits you in the hall of origin."

I quickly got to my feet and followed her, smoothing out my robes as I walked. It seemed that my peaceful morning was to be interrupted sooner than expected, but I welcomed the distraction.

As I entered the hall of origin, it was easy to identify the envoy. He was a member of the tengu race, clad in flowing white robes similar to those I had seen Icarus wear. His long black hair hung loose over his shoulders, and his wings were a speckled brown. A small wooden chest sat at his feet, confirming my suspicions that this was indeed the package I had been awaiting.

He bowed as I approached, and I gave a slight nod in response.

"High Priestess," he said in a deep voice, "I bring you this gift from High Priest Icarus. He sends his sincerest greetings and hopes that it will be of use to you."

"Please pass on my thanks to him," I said, giving him a warm smile. "I am most grateful for his generosity."

The envoy bowed once more and then turned to leave. I waited until he was out of sight before moving towards the chest and opening the inventory screen. The contents were just as I had expected; rows upon rows of Alcianite, Quorite, Galtean, Solomite and Kalitherium ore.

I closed the inventory screen and smiled. Despite the flowery words of the envoy, I knew it wasn't a gift in the traditional sense. I had asked for these materials and Icarus had been kind enough to oblige- for a price.

An unspecified favor. That was the cost of this gift, and I knew that one day I would have to pay it back. Until then, I was content with my newfound resources.

"Veritas," I called out, turning back towards the pretty dark elf who hovered nearby. "Please fetch Nadir for me, and tell him to meet me in my office."

Veritas nodded and immediately moved off, her long legs taking her quickly out of sight. I watched her go, my mind already filled with thoughts of the task ahead. Then, I picked up the small wooden chest and made my way to the stairs that would take me up to my private office.

The chest was surprisingly intricate and I could feel the delicate engravings on its surface as I carried it up the stairs. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, obviously made from the finest materials. It weighed almost nothing in my hands, despite holding hundreds of kilos of rock and ore within.

Noctus will want to examine this, I mused to myself as I opened the door to my office. The vampire was currently only able to enchant bags that could hold a maximum of two hundred kilos - yet this chest has the capacity to hold much more.

I placed the chest gently on my desk before taking a seat and shuffling through the various documents that had piled up, sorting through the various notes to locate the ones pertaining to my golem research.

Nadir knocked on the door just as I found what I was looking for, and I quickly ushered him in. "Nadir," I said, gesturing towards the chest on my desk. "Our supplies have arrived."

"May I see?" he asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up as soon as he spotted the chest.

I nodded, and he immediately moved towards it, examining the intricate engravings on its surface before opening the lid to access the inventory. "This is more than we had anticipated."

I smiled. "Yes, it appears Icarus went above and beyond when fulfilling my request."

"High priestess- er, Kadia" Nadir corrected himself, when I gave him a scolding look. "Will we be working in your lab or the tower?"

"Neither. I have something else in mind," I said, gathering my notes and the book Dummies for Dummies from the desk. "We're going to be working in the caverns beneath the temple."

Nadir raised an eyebrow, obviously puzzled by my decision. "The ones with the spiders?"

"Yes," I said with a nod. "However, despite the rumors, they're harmless. They may be large, but Arachnia is bound. Her offspring will not bother us and we'll have the peace and quiet necessary to focus on our work."

"Arachnia? You mean the Spider Queen?" Nadir asked.

I nodded again and smiled. "That's right. She is bound to Priestess Meissa and as long as she is here, we will have nothing to worry about."

I wasn't fond of the spiders either, but I had to admit that Meissa's affinity with them was impressive. She'd offered to bond with the spider queen, using the spiders to weave spider silk cloth which contained properties that made them ideal for creating magical talismans and scrolls.

Nadir looked a little uneasy, but he didn't say anything else.

I smiled, understanding his apprehension. "Come on, it won't be as bad as you're imagining," I said and grabbed the chest of supplies, motioning for him to follow me out of the room.

The scent of damp, dirt, and moss was heavy in the air as we walked through the caverns, and I paused to take a moment to inspect the plant life that clung to the walls. Moss covered the walls, the different varieties separated by stone dividers, and various kinds of fungi grew in dozens of planter boxes.

Bypassing the first cavern, which also served as an underground garden, I entered a second tunnel. The walls of the tunnel were covered in veins of crystal that lit up the gloom with a faint blue light; I trailed my fingers over one of the veins, feeling the thrumming pulse of power under my fingertips. The temptation to grab a pick and mine out some of the arcanium crystals niggled at the back of my mind, but I shoved the thought aside, not wishing to allow myself to become distracted by the shiny stones.

At the end of the tunnel which exited from the left of the main caravan, lay a smaller cavern without any plant life. I paused for a moment to take in the sight before us; it was spacious enough to be used as a laboratory, though we'd need to take some time to clean up the stagnant pools of water that had collected in the corners.

I smiled and stepped forward, feeling the thrum of energy in the air. "This cavern is perfect for our needs," I declared, my voice echoing off the walls. "There is a strong mana flow here and some arcanium crystal deposits in the walls." I told Nadir, who still looked a little uneasy.

"I don't see why we can't work in the lab," he replied, his gaze darting around the walls.

"Trust me, this will be a better option." I said confidently. "Stop looking for spiders, they are contained in a different cavern. They can't get through the door."

Nadir sighed, but he nodded and followed me further into the cavern. After taking a light potion lantern from my bag, we began the task of setting up our laboratory. With a few hours of hard work, we managed to transform the cavern into a functional work space, complete with benches, shelves and storage areas.

"Should we crush all of the stone, or just some?" Nadir asked me as I started to take out the alcianite, quorite, galtean, solomite and kalitherium ore.

"We don't need to crush them all," I replied as I began to sort the stones into the storage bins we'd constructed, "let's start with some of each and leave the rest whole."

Nadir nodded and set to work helping me, and soon enough we had our supplies sorted. We then used transmutation to pulverize equal amounts of each stone into fine powder, which we stored in the newly designed stone storage bins. Finally, Nadir shaped some of the stone from the cavern walls into scoops to use for measuring out the powdered stone.

I smiled and inspected the room with a satisfied nod. "This will do nicely."

"Yeah, it will." Nadir agreed, looking around the laboratory with a proud smile. "Now the question is, do we attempt to create the Kalitherium alloy first or the clay?" He asked me.

I thought for a moment before replying, "Let's start with the alloy as it will require more precision." I replied. "The clay appears to be simple enough, whereas the alloy requires a mixture of Kalitherium ore and Arcanium crystal."

"Good point." Nadir replied, then gave me a side glance. "Er- how do we make an alloy? I spent my time practicing the arrays and-"

I chuckled and leaned against the side of a nearby bench. "I guess it's a good thing my brother is a blacksmith, then." I replied. "I was able to contact him through a disciple who-" I froze then, memories trickling to the forefront of my mind.

Nadir looked at me with a raised brow. "A disciple who?" He asked, curiosity plain on his face as I burst out laughing.

"Ah-" I cleared my throat, wondering if I should tell Nadir about Corvus. "Tell me, Nadir, during your time in the dungeon near Hathus, did you get killed by a Lion Bakeneko from the Eternia guild?"

Nadir's eyes widened, "Yes! I did. How did you-?"

I laughed again and shook my head. "Long story, for another time." I replied with a grin. "Remind me to return your notebook when we're done here."

"You have my notebook?!" Nadir exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise. "I tried to track the man who killed me to buy it back, but he refused."

"Yes, that was Corvus." I replied with a nod. "He's a fellow member of the Eternia guild and he gave me the notebook." I paused, then added with a smirk. "He also gave me your transmutation packets and stones. They came in handy."

Nadir chuckled and shook his head, "Were you even able to read it? The notebook was from the academy and protected by enchantments."

"No, I wasn't able to," I replied with a sigh, shaking my head with a wry smile. "This was all before I even became the high priestess and I had planned on having someone break the enchantments for me, but truthfully, I had forgotten about it until now."

"Ah, I see." Nadir said with a nod. He grinned then and clapped his hands together. "I will be glad to get that notebook back."

"I used all the transmutation packets and stones, but I'll happily return your notebook." I said with a chuckle. "Now, enough reminiscing, we have an alloy to create."

Nadir nodded, his expression turning serious again. "How does a blacksmith refine ore into an alloy? If we know the process a blacksmith uses, then we can use the same steps with transmutation."

"Exactly!" I said, glad we were on the same mental page. "The process of refining ore into an alloy is not as complicated. It starts with the ore being smelted in a furnace, which breaks down the ore into its base components. Then, those components are mixed with other metals in a crucible to form an alloy."

"If that is the case," Nadir replied with a nod as he began pacing the room. "Would we be better off creating a batch using the blacksmithing method?"

"Perhaps," I replied, my gaze trailing after him as he paced. "Transmutation is powerful, but it can be unpredictable and prone to errors if we lose focus. It might be better to use the blacksmith's method."

Nadir nodded in agreement, then glanced over at me. "Are there any blacksmiths among the guild staying here at the moment? The process might be easier if we have assistance from a professional."

"No, unfortunately not. The smiths left with Darius." I said with a sigh. "But we do have access to the supplies necessary for the process and I have some Arcanium crystal that has been drained of mana."

"Then we'll just have to make do with what we have," Nadir replied, his eyes determined as he headed for the furnace we'd built earlier.

"We need a crucible," I said, as I moved to follow him. "Markion said for Kalitherium ore, he uses a steel crucible since Kalitherium has a high melting point. He also suggested that we break up the ore into smaller pieces so that it heats more evenly."

"Do we have a steel crucible?" Nadir asked, his expression thoughtful.

"Not quite," I said with a smile. "I have a steel cauldron which we can use in its place, since it has a similar shape. Markion said it should be sufficient."

"Ah, that makes sense." Nadir replied with a nod as he began pulling out the pieces of ore from the storage bin. "Let's start by breaking the ore down into smaller pieces."

We worked together, breaking down the ore into smaller pieces and then loading them into the steel cauldron. Next, we added in what Markion had called flux - a combination of charcoal, bone ash and salt - to help the ore melt evenly. We then placed the cauldron within our furnace and lit the two fire stones Markion said would be needed to reach the required heat.

When heated sufficiently, we added in the Arcanium crystal which had been drained of mana, stirring until both components were completely melted together.

Sweat dripped down our faces from the heat as we worked and after what felt like hours, we finally had the alloy ready and poured it into a mold to cool.

"Now what?," Nadir asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Now," I hesitated for a second, my mind stuttered for a brief moment as I searched for the answer. "We wait for it to cool."

Nadir gave me a weary smile and nodded, the two of us admiring the alloy we had created as it slowly cooled. It was a simple process, but one that gave me an immense feeling of accomplishment.

"Master Brodel said the alloy will be difficult to transmute," Nadir said, his gaze fixated on the metal.

"He did," I replied, nodding. "But it's not impossible." I brushed my hands over the skirt of my robes, adjusting it and straightening it out before continuing. "Do you want to practice with alloy before we proceed with creating the clay?"

"I am curious," Nadir said ponderously. "The arrays need to be formed out of the alloy, but does it need to be formed using transmutation?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, cocking my head in confusion.

"The book does not specify how the rings need to be made, it shows the arrays that are inscribed onto them and specifies that they are formed from the Arcanium Kalitherium alloy, but it does not specify the method." Nadir pointed out. "Could we not pour the alloy into a mold with the array and craft it that way?"

I smiled, impressed by his insight. "It is an interesting idea," I said, considering it. "It may be worth a try."

Nadir nodded, evidently pleased with himself. "I have already been practicing creating the rings in stone and other materials," he said. "If I use one of those to create a mold for the alloy, I think it would work."

"We won't know until we test it, but it's worth a try," I said, nodding. "Why don't you work on the molds for each ring, while I work on creating the clay for the golems body?"

Nadir glanced over at the stone storage bins. "Should we use normal clay for the molds? Or should I use the clay we're using for the golems?"

"Normal clay should be fine," I said, planting my hand on my hip as I thought it over. "Though in saying that, it might be worth testing the Arcanium Kalitherium alloy with our golem clay too. It may enhance the durability of the molds."

Nadir nodded and we set to work. I spent the rest of the day working on crafting the golem clay, while he experimented with using different molds to craft the alloy rings. The first clay molds didn't work out as well as we had hoped, but the second set of molds made with the golem clay yielded better results.

We worked through the night, pausing only when we needed to rest or grab some food, and by morning we had made significant progress. We were finally ready to put it all together and build the golem.

Together Nadir and I worked to shape the clay into a human-shaped indentation in the stone bench. Nadir had been the model for the indention, as I wanted a golem that had a more muscular and athletic build than my figure. Once we filled part of the mold, it was time to add the transmutation rings. We carefully placed the rings around the indention, making sure to follow the patterns in the book exactly.

"Are you sure the core is going to be strong enough?" Nadir asked as I placed the mana core in the center of the golem.

"I think so." I replied, staring at the core I had chosen. "This core is from a Pyrthirío, and it should be strong enough for what we need."

Nadir nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "It doesn't really specify the effects of different cores," he commented.

"No, it doesn't," I agreed. "But it does state the core is one of the most important parts of the golem. Its strength will determine how powerful and durable it is."

Nadir nodded again, "I am curious if the element of the core's origin will affect the golem," he said.

"That is something we will have to ponder and explore." I replied as we piled more clay around the core.

We worked carefully and diligently, our hands moving with almost mechanical precision as we put the golem together piece by piece, smoothing the clay and inscribing the corresponding transmutation arrays into the outer layer.

"Er- we appear to have miscalculated," Nadir said after a few hours of work. I looked up at him, confused and a little concerned.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"How are we going to move it into the kiln?" he asked, gesturing to the golem and to the kiln at the far side of the cavern. "We can't scoop it out of the mold without damaging it, and we need the kiln to finish the process."

"Oh," I said, glancing down at the workbench the golem was molded into. "That is a problem." I thought for a few minutes, fingers tapping on the table as I considered our options.

We looked at each other for a few moments before bursting into laughter. We had been working so hard on trying to form the golem into a proper human shape, we hadn't thought about the logistics of actually moving our creation.

"I guess we're building a new kiln around it." I said, my voice still filled with laughter.

Nadir nodded. "Let's make it large enough that we can fit inside," he said, gesturing around the table. "Then we can create the golems inside and close the kiln as needed."

I smiled at his suggestion. "Perfect," I said, clapping my hands together. "Let's get to work."

And so, after another hour of hard labor and careful calculations, the kiln was complete. Once we were sure that everything was in place, Nadir lit the firestones under the kiln and I sealed it closed.

While we waited, Nadir and I discussed the plans for the golems while cleaning our workspace.

The basic golem couldn't perform any complex tasks, but it would be able to walk on a set path if programmed correctly. In order to achieve the illusion of guards patrolling the walls, we would need to link a number of transmutation circles together to create a track of sorts. The golem would then be able to follow the track, walking the same path over and over again.

Depending on how long we needed to maintain the ruse, it could be an expensive endeavor. In order to power the circles, we would need mana crystals as a source of energy which would keep the golem following the same path until it ran out of power.

"Looks like it’s time to open the kiln," Nadir said, indicating the hourglass on the table.

After extinguishing the firestone, we opened the kiln and stepped back as a blast of hot air hit us. I peered inside and looked at the golem which lay in the center of the kiln. It didn't appear to have cracked or warped, so I was hopeful we’d succeeded.

"I guess we have to wait for it to cool down before we can test it," I said, my tails swishing in anticipation.

Nadir nodded and we stepped back to wait, trying to distract ourselves by working on the plans for the arrays which would power the golems patrolling the walls.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, the kiln cooled enough for us to comfortably enter and inspect the golem.

I moved around the golem, examining it from every angle. The clay was not as solid as I expected it to be after being fired in a kiln. It was still malleable, but it had a unique kind of hardness to it that reminded me of a hard rubber.

"It looks better than I expected," Nadir said, his voice filled with awe as he poked and prodded the golem.

"Yes," I agreed, "we could have done a better job shaping the body, but I'm not a sculptor."

"Me neither," Nadir said, smiling, "but it looks decent for a first try. We should make a better mold if we're going to be mass-producing the golems."

"Yes, that would be a good idea," I said, nodding. "It will make things much easier in the long run. We should try making some in different sizes, if every guard is the same build and size they won't look very realistic."

"Agreed," Nadir said. "Should we put the mana crystal in place and see if we can awaken it?"

I nodded and moved to the metal ring on the chest, placing the mana crystal in position. We both stepped back and waited as a slow hum started to build from within the golem. The mana crystal glowed a bright blue and then suddenly it shattered and a burst of energy poured out.

"Er- that's not supposed to happen," Nadir said, eyes widening.

I stepped forward and examined the golem. "It appears that the mana crystal overloaded," I said, frowning. "Perhaps we made a mistake somewhere in the arrays."

"Should we try and extract the metal rings? Maybe we can figure out where the error is," Nadir suggested. "If the rings aren't the issue, we can reuse them."

"Good idea," I said, and we both set to work extracting the rings. After half an hour of careful work, we had removed all the rings from the golem and laid them out on a table. We carefully examined each one, looking for any signs of damage or imperfections.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of searching, we found the culprit; a misaligned ring which had one small imperfection.

"Let's try again," I said, staring down at the remains of the golem.

Nadir nodded, and we both set to work building our second golem. This time, when we placed the mana crystal in position, there was no loud explosion. Instead, a soft light glowed from within the golem and spread across the arrays inscribed into the outer body.

We both stepped back and watched as I directed the golem to rise to its feet, its movements slow but sure. The light emanating from the mana crystal pulsed and glowed, powering the golem's movements as I guided it through a few stumbling steps.

"Success," I said with a satisfied smile, my tails swishing as I guided the golem over to where we'd created a basic square track.

Nadir followed, helping me align the golem onto the first array. Once the golem was in place, I activated the transmutation circle and the golem started walking along its assigned path. It moved with slow, unbalanced clunky strides but it moved nonetheless.

"That's going to be a problem," I said, frowning.

"It looks off balance," Nadir commented. "Maybe an issue with the clay?"

"Hmm, it could be," I said. "Or the overall build- the left leg looks bigger than the right. I think if we can get the proportions right, it will look much more realistic."

We watched the golem move around the track a few more times, trying to diagnose what was causing the strange movements. "Let's try refining the mold, and reworking the clay," I suggested.

"Alright, let's do it," Nadir said.

We both set to work, reshaping and refining the mold. After a few hours of hard work, we had created a much more realistic-looking golem.

This time Nadir placed the mana crystal in position and activated the transmutation circle.

I stood off to the side, watching as the golem stepped forward looking much more steady. Its movements were still slightly clunky, but it was a vast improvement over our last attempt.

"Much better," I said, a satisfied smile on my face as Nadir directed it towards the track.

Nadir nodded in agreement before turning to me with a grin and pointing to our first working golem that stood motionless in the corner. "Want to fight? We need to test their durability after all.”

I couldn't help but laugh at the suggestion, before agreeing. "Let's do it."

We set our golems to face each other and the fight began, the clunky movements of our creations a stark contrast to their purpose of destruction. After a few minutes, my golem lost to Nadir's improved model, its body collapsing into a pile of lifeless clay.

"Well, I guess that's it," I said with a laugh. "It didn't hold up very well, did it?"

Nadir shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter if we aren't actually planning to use them for a fight. They're just a visual deterrent, right?"

I nodded in agreement before looking back at the remains of our first golem. "For now," I said with a smile, "but in time, I'm sure we can create something much more intimidating."

Nadir grinned. "Did you see the Automatons towards the back of the book? They look like they could be really powerful."

I laughed. "And require a lot of materials, most of which I've never even heard of. We'll have to work on that before we can even think about creating them."

Nadir nodded, and I could tell he was already dreaming of the possibilities.

"For now let's focus on improving the basic golems and work our way up from there," I said, walking over and patting the animated clay sculpture fondly. "With the right models, we should be able to make these into something that looks much more intimidating."

"Sounds like a plan," Nadir agreed. "I don't think either of us could be classified as intimidating."

I laughed, tossing a smirk over my shoulder as I walked out of the cavern, "Speak for yourself."

Nadir laughed and followed me out, "Oh, I'm sure you can be intimidating when you want to be, High Priestess Kadia." He teased.

My smile slipped at the reminder of my title and I sighed, shaking my head. "Perhaps," I said, my voice softer than before.

Nadir didn't comment on my sudden change in mood, instead, he just stayed silent as we made our way back up to the surface.