Part 25: Golem Go Make 'em

While wandering in the Junkyard, I ran into a guy who called himself Professor Bomb. He wanted me to find some piece of junk that ran away. I tracked it down, uncovered its plot for world domination, subdued it, and returned it to Bomb. In the end, everything turned out fine.



Indeed. I'll tell you another story from my adventures once something interesting happens. Until then!





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You know, I don't feel like going out today. Maybe I should spend today figuring out how to temper my armor. Make myself indestructible. That would be ni-



Ack!



You...what?

I'm sure golems you make here won't go on violent killing sprees! Let me give you a tour! Walk this way!!



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Wow! This place certainly looks like a laboratory.

Welcome to the Golem Laboratory! I've brought everything I need from my own laboratory.





I'm scared.



Those are lifeballs and logic blocks. And I won't just give 'em to you! I'm gonna test you to see if you've got what it takes, kid!

I...guess that's understandable. You wouldn't want someone uninformed making golems, after all. Then they'd try to take over the...

Uh-oh.



Have you ever read it?
Can't say that I have. I don't even know what it is.
Of course you don't know! I haven't published it yet!

Gee, I wonder why nobody would publish the works of the brilliant Professor Bomb...

A while back, a traveling merchant came and begged me to publish it... He made me buy an old pen and some writing paper for a ridiculous amount! So I decided to put my thoughts on paper! But the merchant never came back for the manuscript!



Small world, huh...



Well, here it is, so read up! When you're finished, I'll come back, and we'll start the test!

Considering how much time I've spent reading, this shouldn't be too difficult.



Pretty short book, too. Heck, I've written longer books than this.

Oh, speaking of my writings...



Again, creative liberties and all that.

Anyway, maybe I should actually focus on what's going on and read the blasted book.



The logic blocks serve as a sort of artificial intelligence for the creature. They're the brain to the metal body. Both work together to create a powerful creature.



Makes sense. Stronger equipment leads to a stronger body. Wouldn't be wise to make a golem out of felt, after all.



I don't see anything about the power of the equipment affecting logic blocks, or even the material, but I'd assume they're important to the effectiveness of the logic blocks.



Makes sense.



I'd assume weapons would lead to more offensive-oriented logic blocks, and the same with armor and defense. Anything else would require much experimentation, which I may work on once I get bored helping rabbits scam people or saving petrified penguins.

So probably not for awhile.



Only eleven shapes, huh? I imagine the materials used are more important for the block's shape than the weapons or armor they're shaped into, based on admittedly what little knowledge I have about the properties of combined materials.



It makes sense when you think about it. A golem can't really attack from afar with a sword or axe, after all.



Another no brainer. Stronger equipment leads to a stronger golem.



If it has more armor to fall back on, then the malfunction rate is lowered. So between that and increasing its logic grid, there's no reason to not use three pieces of armor for a golem, even if the other two are sub-par. They're rather essential for keeping the thing running efficiently.



I assume this basic functionality is established within the lifeballs themselves. This is the very basis for a golem's intelligence, as it'll choose its attacks based upon its distance from an enemy. What it'll do close to an enemy will be different from what it does far away, and it'll be up to me to design those functions.

Alright, I think I've processed everything.



Ready!
Fine! Fine! Now for the test!




Why, a body and a block, of course.
That's right! Question, question!



You need one weapon and one to three pieces of armor.
That's right! Question, question!



I believe musical instruments would work as well. Basically anything made from basic materials.
That's right!




Pretty simple so far.

Question, question!



The number of armor pieces. The more armor, the larger the grid.
That's right! Question, question!



The weapons and armor used to create it.
That's right! Not bad at all! Here's another lifeball!



Question, question!



The materials influence the shape of the logic blocks to be used in the golem.
That's right! Question, question!



The weapon equipped to the golem influences how it attacks.
That's right! Not bad at all! Here's the last lifeball!



Lifeballs are globular crystals of pure mana, needed for making golems! Ya can't make a golem body without one! And you can't activate the golem without a logic block!

I see. The mana is what powers the golems and gives them the capacity for basic intelligence. I imagine the mana also executes the installed logic blocks based on the limited criteria set within the logic grid.

Let's get on with the test! Question, question!




Why, the defensive properties of the armor used to build the body!
That's right! Question, question!



The number of pieces of armor used to create the golem body.
That's right! Question, question!




It lets the lifeball select the logic block to use based on the golem's distance to the enemy.
That's right!



That was a breeze! Give me something harder next time.




You can make logic blocks by putting weapons, armor, and instruments inside! You can't activate golems without a logic block, so use this jar well! And I'll give you this!




So now I have everything I need to create my own golems. This should be fun.

So where do I start...



When making a body, talk to one of the three pedestals! Talk to the jar to make a logic block! Also talk to the jar to organize or throw away your blocks!



I've had enough of it, and it takes a lot of cash! Fine! Fine! To create and activate a golem, you'll need some money! To make a body, you'll need at least one weapon and three pieces of armor! You need 16 weapons/armor/instruments to make 6 blocks! Preparing the materials takes a lot of time!

Money and time, eh... I don't know if I can afford it right now. I'm finding surprisingly few opportunities to gather Lucre.



Try hard--you'll see that making golems is a lot of fun!



Thanks for stinking up my wonderful new lab.



But to help you get started, I want you to have this.





Granz Steel, huh? I could use this to make some wonderful things.




Whew. That was a lot to process, but this sounds like a fun way to invest my time and money. You know, once I have plenty of both. They may prove to be worthy traveling companions and effective combatants.

I guess it depends on how I make them.