The Crimson Spire / Gateway to the Amber Forge

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Ilea's body slowly calmed down until she was left a quivering mass of sweat, tears, and bodily fluids. She was gasping for air and barely able to stand thanks to the vibrating muscles, but she managed to get herself cleaned back up and dressed. she even braided her hair back, though it was a haphazard job of it.

That done, she stumbled from the room and followed the lead to him that the bond gave her. She was very subdued when she moved to stand at the edge of this room, not sure what she was supposed to be doing to help him but following the silent order anyway.

She stood on unsteady legs with her hands clasped together in front of her, her mind unable to think much at all right now. But she'd learned her lesson. There would be no more questioning him.

What he'd just done to her had been pure torture instead of the stimulation she was used to. Her nerves still fired off from time to time, making her shiver where she stood, her body still in need but knowing she wasn't going to be getting any answer to that need.

One look at her now and he'd see the same woman who'd gone into the void. If she hadn't been afraid of him before, she was now.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Shale snapped out of his reverie and turned to look at Ilea when she entered the room. His eyes took in her discheveled braid and clasped hands as well as the unfocused look in her eyes. He hadn't completely restored her to normal just yet but there was one thing he still had to do before he did. Now, she was terrified of him. It was a start, but he was seeking a more wholistic respect. It would clearly take time and a slightly gentler hand. He knew that she had forgotten to eat as instructed. He also knew that it was not for lack of intent.

He extended his open hand toward her and spoke gently. "Come here."

The moment her hand touched his he did two more things through the bond. The first was to deliver the gratification that her body craved in direct proportion to the need. That would help to clear her mind, once the bliss faded. The second was to finally restore her libido completely to its normal state. He knew that these things would likely make it impossible for her to stand so he held her close to ensure that she did not fall. It was true that he could inflict tortures that even King Lareth could not imagine. But, he could also deliver rewards at equally unprecedented levels.

When she regained the strength to stand and the clarity of mind that would allow her to understand him he began to speak. "First, we will prepare you for the first trial before us. Then we will complete this place. Then we will begin to construct the true Crimson Spire. By the time it is complete I will have devised at least one way for you to continue to exist beyond King Lareth's wrath. Remember, both blood magic and necromancy are first devoted to cheating death. And sorcery, sorcery is all about gathering and wielding power effectively. I doubt that I will be able to keep you from changing, but I know that there are ways to keep you from death. While the king's' powers are great they are also limited in versatility, much as those of Goh are." Shale then released her with what might have passed for a gentle smile, in a horror show at least, and gestured to the blood crystals. "Now, stand between them and I will complete what I began with your clothes."  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Ilea's legs did give out when he worked through the bond to give her body what it needed, however artificial it was it still worked. Only his hands kept her from hitting the ground as she shivered and gasped, the nerves in her body going off like rockets.

Thankfully, he waited for her eyes to stop rolling up in her head before he said anything else to her. At least by then, she knew she could be relatively stable on her feet, taking a little bit of comfort in the smile he gave her. She did her best to listen to what he had to tell her but found herself simply filing the information away to look at when her brain was back to functioning normally again.

Instead of really responding, she gave him a small nod as he helped her to her feet, "Yes Master," she said softly, her voice actually shaking a little from everything he'd put her through so far. It might not seem like much to anyone else, but it was more than one might guess.

She kept her head down as she moved unsteadily over to the spot he'd indicated. Her body settled along the way, though she wasn't entirely fully recovered just yet. That would take sleep to accomplish. And a hot bath for the muscles.

But she set herself into place and turned to face him, her hands at her sides as she simply waited for him to do what he planned on doing, her mind and their bond completely open to him.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Shale understood what the bond told him about Ilea's condition. But, being a virgin still, he had no personal experience to draw on. He waited until she was in position and relatively stable. This part would be easy. He already knew what he was going to do. He planted the butt of his staff on the ground with a firm tap, the sound fading quickly into the very air. Then the blood crystals began to glow, shedding a ruby red light that danced over Ilea's body suit. The inside of the crystals seemed to be truly liquid, flowing and rippling against the surface. This continued for nearly a half-hour before the light faded and Shale nodded his satisfaction.

The suit was now a living golem capable of answering its mistress's needs and protecting her from common harm. If she fell, it would catch her and ensure that she did not suffer injury. If she was wounded, it would seal the injury and seek to both clean and heal it. If she was fleeing it would speed her pace and make her more difficult to see. It could also extend tendrils of itself to become tools or weapons she might need. But, most importantly, it could strike back against any other magic user that attempted to harm or manipulate either her or it with magic of its own as well as enhancing Ilea's magical power.

Shale walked forward, took hold of her hand, pulled her against him, placed his staff between the blood crystals, and then picked Ilea up. He turned away from the crystals as they and his staff began to glow with rhythmic ripples of shifting colored light. The staff would naturally become attuned to the Amber Forge and he would be able to access any completed part of it through the staff from anywhere within the forge once it was complete. That process did not require observation. However, on the other hand, Ilea was wobbly enough that she probably would suffer some injury if she even tried to bathe herself. So he carried her, without a word, all the way back to the healing bath. The only order he gave her was silent, through the bond. "Allow me."

Once there he did not take any clothes off but rather lowered her into the water still wearing her new golem servant. Then, he sent an order to the golem and it flowed off of Ilea and took the form of a water snake. It stayed nearby but slid around the pool, keeping most of its length just under the surface. Then, Shale, Ilea's master, began to actually use his hands to gently work the muscles of her upper back, shoulders, neck, her face and her scalp. At the same time, the hot water of the healing bath began to shape currents around the rest of her body to address the muscle strain there as well as any other problems. The one thing it did not do was undo fatigue. She would still need sleep. But, so would Shale. He had not completely recovered from the last major spell and he had shaped a master class golem outfit as well as using magic without his staff to guide the healing bath and giving a massage as well. He too needed sleep. But, Shale took care of those things that were his. It was simply who he was. And, right now, everything else was expendable. Ilea was not.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Ilea was swaying on her feet by the time he'd finished the working on her suit and barely made a sound as he scooped her up into his arms, her head falling back at first before she could right it again. She barely noticed the trip to the healing pool and simply obeyed everything he told her to do.

Until he started massaging her. That brought her to a slightly more alert status with a frown even as her body relaxed under his skilled hands and the healing sensations of the water.

This, she wasn't used to. She'd never had a massage in her entire long life. But, even as exhausted as she was, her body still reacted to the fact that his hands were on her bare skin. Something she couldn't have controlled even if she'd wanted to. Her body was already prepped to respond to his touch thanks to his torture and the bond ensured that she'd respond to his touch no matter what.

She shivered under his touch as he finished up the massage and her bodysuit golem returned to her and formed around her. She gave a half-sleepy and half-reaction moan as he pulled her from the pool, her body nearly boneless by now and dried the rest of her off.

She tried to focus on his face with a small frown over his taking care of her like this, unable to understand any of it. She simply wasn't used to this kind of care and it showed on her face and in her mind as she tried to figure out how to ask him why he was doing this without actually asking a question. But it seemed like too much work for her to try to work it out so she remained silent as the bodysuit finished drying off the important parts of her and shifted into something that would, at the very least, keep her on her feet for the moment.

She truly wasn't used to this. No one had ever taken care of her before. After any form of torture, Ilea either had to make her way to her room to clean herself up and rest or simply lay where she was left until she had the energy to move. Healing bath's were something new to her as well. She was used to hot baths with plenty of salts in them to ease soreness and seal wounds. Tight or pulled muscles were simply dealt with.

After all, whoever her master was could simply heal her with a thought. Though Goh had implied that it could only be done through a means much more pleasurable to his senses and exhausting to her body.

In any other situation, she'd be considered to be a badly abused female. In this one, it was simply what she knew.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Would you care to time-skip about eight hours?

Shale was aware of her confusion as he finished his ministrations. But, it was too fundamental for him to simply explain. He continued to support Ilea's mostly relaxed form and ensured that she was safely laid on the bed. Then he walked away, heading back to the workshop, with a gentle silent order left humming in the bond for her to sleep. Shale walked back to assess the progress of his staff. After several minutes of watching it he came to the conclusion that it would be aclimated after about ten more hours. He wanted to sigh with fatigue and frustration. Managing someone else was not something that came easily to him. As torture and dependance were normal to Ilea, solitude and self-reliance were to Shale.

Until his staff was aclimated he would not be able to do anything significant with any of his projects. He walked part of the way back to the sleeping chamber and leaned against the wall of the passageway. Staying asleep for ten hours would be hard for him; but what else could he do? Well, there was the garden. He pushed off the wall and softly walked the rest of the way back to the bed. He would sleep as long as he could and then inspect what he had already done in person whether Ilea was ready to help or not. He could at least plan the next phase of construction. He unclasped his cloak and hung it on a suitable part of portruding amber bedpost then removed his boots and left them beneath the cloak. He was about to crawl onto the bed when he suddenly paused when he felt a twinge.

Sitting on the edge of the bed for the time being, Shale removed his body suit. He hadn't intended to sleep uncovered; he wasn't used to it. But, he had not felt anything from that scar for almost three hundred and fifty years. He looked down and traced the scar with a finger. The tissue was different from all his other scars. It was blue and webbed with black as though infected with some kind of magical fungus. This was the scar from the day he stopped really feeling like a demon. It had been plain and unmarred before, not webbed. He extended his senses, trying to determine what had happened. That injury had involved powerful magic and he had not been able to even sense the place where his other form slept since it had been inflicted. Eventually, he decided that it was not a problem for now. It might finally be starting to heal or it might simply be agitated by the magic he had been using. There were just too many possibilities. Magic couldn't heal this injury and time certainly hadn't. In any case, he was too tired and would have needed his staff in any case. So, he laid himself down with part of a blanket covering him from the waist down and went to sleep.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Works for me.

Ilea did sleep off her exhaustion as ordered but woke up to find herself laying on her side facing Shale. She sat up slowly and looked him over in silence. Well, what she could see of him. She tilted her head slightly and tried to assess what she felt about him but found that impossible to determine right now.

She shook the thoughts from her head and considered what she could do since she was awake but found that leaving this set of rooms without him would be impossible. That meant she was stuck in here until he woke up. With nothing to do but think.

Well, she could look through the rest of the chambers in this part of the building, where she was allowed to be. But that would mean getting out of the bed and she didn't want to disturb his sleep, knowing that he needed it.

She finally gave a soft sigh and simply shifted back down on the bed and closed her eyes, sending herself into sleep even though she didn't really need it at this point. She did it anyway.

But, in her sleep, she somehow found herself curled up at his side again, this time facing him with herself tucked up under one of his arms without actually touching him. That was how she wound up sleeping the most peacefully, actually not dreaming any nightmares this time...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Shale awoke slowly from the first dream he had experienced in a very long time. He had been suffused and surrounded by blue, azure and aquamarine. It had been peaceful. Then he realized that he had moved in his sleep enough to dislodge what little modesty he had maintained. He also realized that Ilea was close beside him again.

His pale face had a slightly more healthy warmth to it as he dressed quickly in his body suit and boots. He almost reached for his cloak but stopped when he realized that he had no need for it. The temperature was perfect and he had no need of its defensive properties in this place. Once he was dressed he took a moment to think. He felt that no more than eight hours had passed. It would be two more hours before he could undertake anything of significance.

He turned to look at Ilea. He was no longer flushed at all. She seemed peaceful. It was a new sight. She also seemed to be waking up with his movement. She certainly was a light sleeper. The fingers of his left hand twitched when he saw a particular hair that had wandered out of her braid to lay across her face. He resisted the urge to move it. Even with her body recovered there would be after effects from the method that he used on her before. And, right after sleeping naked next to her just didn't feel like the right time to restart that kind of stimulous.

He waited for her to wake up completely before leading the way to the kitchen. The food from before had already been disposed of and a lighter meal with hot beverages and unfamiliar fruits sat waiting. Shale motioned for Ilea to sit and eat as he did the same. He knew that she was mostly sustained by magic from the bond but the foods from this place were also born of magic. They would likely prove more than merely nourishing. When he had finished eating he leaned back in his chair in thought for a moment before speaking.

"It will be another hour at least before my staff is ready for the next major step." He paused. "In the meantime, there is something a little more mundane that needs to be done. There is a garden on the level above us. This garden is the place where the cores of golems are grown. We will go there and I will show you which ones we will need for the next stages. Once you know enough about them, you will be able to fetch whatever cores that the work requires." He paused again, staring into her eyes, deepest night into vibrant red. "Any golem crafted without these cores, or with inferior or immature cores, will lack the power or the intellect to even slow down an opponent like Goh. How to select the best ones will be a critical skill for you to master. While I attend to the larger spells I will be setting you to the task of producing the numerous golems required for the trap. I will teach you to craft the types of golem and which cores are required but golems of this power require personal attention to be properly created so the process cannot be automated as I did with the ravens."  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Ilea had simply followed him, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she ate as she was told to do. The meal was good, if a bit strange for her. But she found the coffee to be much better. Alot more pleasurable to drink than the stuff she'd had back at Goh's castle, admittedly.

Then he was speaking to her and she did pay close attention to him, her mind filing the information away. When he finished, she gave him a simple nod and looked down into her cup, "I will learn all you wish to teach me," she told him softly then finished her cup off, ignoring the heat that threatened to burn her tongue.

She set the cup down then waited to see if he had anything else to say. When he didn't at first, she thought over his instructions so far again and found a few similarities to what she already knew.

In necromancy, at least what she'd been taught of it, one had to have the right bodies to use or the magic generally failed. In her case, she could raise skeletons, zombies, or the freshly dead; she could also isolate souls, manipulate them, then bind them to whatever body she'd created for them. It was something Goh had been enraged over at first, thinking she'd been getting instruction from someone else when she was simply trying to do something to please him.

She shook the thoughts from her head and concentrated on her new master and the tasks he had planned for her.

If she'd noticed any awkwardness when she'd woken, she'd ignored it. But, she'd actually not noticed any on his part; had, in fact, been focused on the fact that she hadn't dreamed at all for the first time in her life. But she shrugged it off to her exhaustion, having not even noticed that Shale's proximity to her as she'd slept had prevented any dreams from forming.

But that left her with trying to focus on everything he told her now, not wanting to make any mistakes. Mistakes, to her, meant pain of the bad kind...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Whew, bunch of stuff.

Shale set down his own cup and stood. Ilea's response had been no surprise. Her attention would be focused on the task at hand and that was exactly what he needed. It was time to get to work.

"Walk with me." With that simple order he turned and walked to the door, opening it with a touch of his hand. "These doors recognize me and you. They will also acknowledge any golem we craft." He continued, walking down the passageway to the right, pointing out the subject of his explanation as each came into easy reach. "The blood flame clouds that provide us with light also negate shadows directly. Shadow magic cannot function here. When I wrote the Laws of this Realm I also made it impossible for any kind of spirit to move without a body. I also made teleportation and portals similarly impossible. So, having a workforce of golems will be essencial to maintaining a satisfactory pace on this... project."

A doorway with a styalized "A" woven into the top part of its amber frame came up on their right and Shale indicated it with a wave as he turned toward it. "There are four levels to the structure as it now exists. The top two are devoted to storage and material sources. The lower two are dedicated to processing facilities and testing. We are currently on the Facilities Level." He walked through the doorway and began to walk up a long, straight ramp. "We are going to the Core Garden which is a part of the Materials floor. The cores we are seeking will be mostly unsuitable for battle golems. We need labor golems first. Also, we will need mount golems."

By this time they had been walking for nearly a mile. "I have only shaped about one sixth of the Amber Forge. Efficient travel will require transport." The end of the ramp finally came into sight. As they emerged through the archway the space opened up dramatically. Rows of hedges stretched into the distance to the right and left. The hedges were short, only a few feet tall, but covered in blooms of every conceivable color. Beside the arch sat a stack of baskets that looked like they had been woven but were made of a material very similar to obsidian.

"This is the Core Garden." Shale said, knowingly stating the obvious. He had pushed Ilea pretty hard already and was trying to be a bit easier on her for awhile, though for how long remained to be seen. He picked up a basket and walked into one of the rows. "For now, your task is to observe and learn. Ask any questions that occur to you and do not distract yourself with attempting to help me."

He moved down the row. Some of the flowers were wide open, open so wide that their petals bent down to touch their stems. Others had crystals and shapely gems in their centers and petals that were more tightly arranged. A few had large crystals or gems and the petals were clenched tightly shut as though to hold the stone in place. But, many of these had flaws. Shale passed them all by until he finally stopped to touch a pale green emerald that was held so rigidly that the flower didn't even move at his touch. The stone had no flaws and was as clear as glass. He gripped the stone firmly and pulled gently away from the flower. The bloom relaxed slightly as the stone slid out into his hand and then began to relax back until its petals touched its stem.

The stone was nearly nine inches long and an inch thick with six long facets that tapered to points at each end. "This is a flawless, greater core." Shale explained, holding it up for Ilea to see. "The appearance indicates several things. Clarity indicates intelligence. Lightness or darkness indicates how fast or sturdy the golem will be. The color reveals the associated elements. This core is highly intelligent and speed focused with a light frame and both life and wind elements. Its natural tendency will be toward an animal based form made of living materials. The number of primary facets indicates the balance between will and obedience. The higher the number, the more willful and independant the golem will be." He placed the core in the basket. "Six is fine for a steed. A battle golem requires greater capacity for independant action. Probably around sixteen or eighteen at least for that." He stopped and looked back at Ilea. By this point he was sure that she would probably have at least a couple questions.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

We can timeskip some of the explanation stuff if you want to. Would make posting a great deal easier...

Ilea simply gave him a nod as her mind processed the information then looked from the core to the rest of the flowers as she put the information together with what she was seeing. Thanks to Goh's training, she had finally figured out how to learn fast and accurately. In fact, she still bore a few scars from those lessons that ached from time to time.

She reached up to push a loose lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear as her mind worked. While he'd told her to ask questions, she still wasn't comfortable doing so. She'd learned that questions earned her pain of the bad kind. But she did her best.

"Which cores are for the labor golems?" she asked the question hesitantly, still unsure of asking him anything. The fact that she'd done so at all showed that she was trying to obey his orders to her so she wouldn't invite another punishment like yesterdays.

She was still a bit subdued from that punishment and didn't want to invite another like it. While he'd given her body what it had 'needed', it still wasn't the same as the real thing, so she'd inwardly classified that one as a punishment to avoid at all costs.

And right now her bodysuit was showing the effects of her mental state. It had wrapped around her body protectively to soften any blows he gave her but found that protection from what she now feared was impossible and couldn't figure out what protection would be the right one...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Shale could understand the reason for the twisted appearance of Ilea's golem but chose to ignore it in favor of paying attention to the excellent question that she had posed. There were likely other things that she didn't understand but lacked the courage to ask about.

"These ones." He said as he reached down and pulled the blooms aside to reveal that their stems had small clusters of white crystals with gray streaks through them that ran the length of the stems. They were only a couple inches long and had only four primary facets. They were also mostly opaque. Clearly, not much was expected of the laborer golems.

Now, Shale handed the basket to Ilea. "Fill this basket with labor cores and then wait by the arch. I have something to find before we go back." He turned and walked away toward the entrance that they had arrived through without another word. He walked on past it, only stopping long enough to collect another basket before heading toward the farthest part of the garden where jagged spires of stone could be faintly seen.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Ilea gave him another nod and kept her gaze lowered as he moved past her. Then she got to work, carefully checking and collecting each core she'd been told was needed. Once she'd filled the basket, she double then triple checked each core, making sure of their quality, the number of facets, the color, everything.

Only when she was certain about each core did she move to wait at the arch as she'd been told.

While she'd worked, her bodysuit had 'stabilized' itself as her mind had calmed. So now it simply wrapped around her calmly as she waited patiently for Shale to return.

She considered when she first arrived and rebraided her hair so that it didn't hang so raggedly and rested smoothly down her back.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

And, montage magic!

Shale returned after Ilea had been waiting for about a half-hour. His basket was full of angular shards of blue-gray stone. But, he had a pair of long crystals in his other hand. They were clear and brilliant with ten primary facets on each. They were also the most gloriously red rubies that can be imagined. He looked at the basket that Ilea had filled and nodded in approval with a small smile. He also noticed her much more tidy braid and calmer appearance.

"Good, you have done well. But, now the real work begins." He said before proceeding to the Facilities level again.

The next ten hours proved that Shale was a self-motivated, completionist with a tendency toward excessive concentration. He handled every step of the process for every one of the fifteen labor golems that he crafted with Ilea watching every step. Then he watched and advised while she shaped the next twenty. The stone shards had been ore seeds that were paired with the cores and grown into golems. Handling the ore was harder than the cores by far since there was very little similar between the ore and any living thing. But, every error was answered with a gentle correction and further clarification of the nature of the process that caused the trouble.

There had been two small figurines of living wood and another emerald core hidden under the ore in Shale's basket. These, along with the first emerald core and the two ruby cores were the sole focus of his attention while he had Ilea construct another ten labor golems without supervision. They were simple creations that looked a lot like the three way love child of an ox, a mine cart, and something with six arms. They were mentally simple as well and several of them were already put to work gathering more ore and laborer cores by the time Shale completed their mounts.

Ilea's mount was a black horse with green eyes. At least it looked like one. But, its coat was thick enough to conceal a layer of natural armor similar to chain mail with barbed needles that could be sprayed in every direction to protect its rider. It also had the disturbing tendency to not move at all and then leap to a gallop faster than the fastest horse in the world. It stopped with the same suddenness. But, it was smart enough to learn. Shale told Ilea that time and training could improve golems of this caliber.

Shale's mount was a giant wolf with a coat that seemed to constantly change what shade of red it was and eyes of purest white. It stood nearly six feet high at the shoulder and moved without sound. What it could do remained a mystery as its master moved on to the next task before explaining it to Ilea.

So, after fifteen hours of unceasing work, there were fourty-five labor golems busy gathering simple materials, their knowledge of the task copied from Ilea's and Shale's own methods. There were two strong and swift mounts that hadn't learned much other than moving and stopping. The staff was completely aclimated. Another large portion of the Forge itself had been shaped, totalling a full third completed now. And, both Shale and Ilea were looking a little the worse for wear.