"Hello team," April greeted us as we arrived outside the College in a barren field. It made sense that the College wouldn't allow a weapon's test from the large war mech. The war mech stood around 8 meters tall, the height of four people.
It was humanoid-shaped with two legs and two arms; however it was very squat. The legs were fairly short, and the arms weren't much better. The main torso could only be described as thick. There was an armored head on top. I noted a large mace on the war mech's back and two dwarven weapons on the side of its torso ready to be grabbed by its hands.
"This is a ten-thousand-kilogram armored war mech, using the latest Mana-infused alloys from dwarven foundries. Operating on a yellow internal implosion engine to power Mana through the core, the frame, and into the weapons," April explained as we all walked over to inspect.
"It is big. Will it be able to move around the dungeon?" Harren asked.
"The top of Balde's Maw will be tricky. But I should be able to manage. It can go horizontal, and wheels extend from its arms and legs to roll along the tunnels connecting various caverns. We have made mock tunnels and passages to ensure they will fit through. The main issue is clearing up the openings since the war mech will be vulnerable during such transitions."
"Things open up on the 11th layer. If the war mech is going to be used, it will have to be there," Stormy said.
"It's a shame that casters can't ride it," I said.
"That would be highly unsafe. While it can't move fast, it can initiate rapid dodges and has close-range defense systems that target indiscriminately," April explained. Harren had gone over and was looking closely at the metal.
"Platinum alloy mix?" he asked.
"Yes. It isn't cheap, and the exact formula is proprietary, but I can make field repairs," April said.
"Yellow rated Mana Implosion Engine. That is quite a high grade. We would need to be targeting monsters on the 15th layer for this war mech to fuel itself. And Champion monsters at that."
"I have a Mana Fuel Converter that operates at 82.3% efficiency. The best one out there. I can use the lesser Mana cores to make a higher-grade fuel."
"How far does it go?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Up to yellow, that's it. Any higher, and the losses are too great. And once it touches at indigo, it is basically at 0%," she explained. A shame, but things would never be that simple in learning what was beyond violet.
"Can it even move?" Sam asked. He clearly forgot that it was equipped with a lift engine.
"Yes. That is why there is a lift engine built next to the core to reduce the weight, like the College. It just can't move fast. The fuel tank has been filled up and everything has been triple checked," April said. I noted that there were several dwarves and professors from the College that had gathered to watch the war mech be turned on.
"That seems reasonable, since Justin and I should be able to handle a Champion on the 6th layer," he said, and I nodded at this.
"That is fine. I just look at that war mech and can't help but see a giant money pit. One mistake and it is lost in the dungeon."
"It is indeed an enormous investment. You could easily equip a small elite force with all that metal. The Wither Corporation is going all out on this," Harren replied.
"I am more curious about its weapons. If it is as cutting edge as the war mech itself, then I am sure we will be in for a surprise."
"The status page of the war mech would probably be interesting as well. But it is layered with counter-scanning measures," I added.
"Of course. I would do the same myself. Don't want people to learn things they shouldn't."
"Illusions could work well against it. The pilot is in the war mech, so their Mana can't expand outward. They will count on the warmech to relay information to them. I doubt it will be used for such things like a monster. It will get easily confused," Sam said thoughtfully.
"Maybe. But I think that the fact that it will have a status will change things in its favor. It might struggle at first, but there is synergy if the pilot and war mech can complement each other," I said. Ozy lifted his head off my shoulder and nodded.
"If anyone would speak fondly of a pet, it would be you. This is just a giant metal pet one can ride around in. I think it will have too many problems to be useful. Maybe after it becomes strong enough and on a low enough layer, it could do something. Maybe. There just seems to be too many ways to exploit it," Harren replied.
"It depends on its weapons. Excellent weapons will make all the difference," Stormy said.
Sam gave his opinion on the most crucial aspect of the war mech. "Sensory abilities and how they communicate with their pilot."
"I would say overall ability. It isn't about being perfect in any one area but about avoiding any critical weaknesses and lasting long enough to correct them. I see potential, but only in time," I replied.
"Well, when it breaks down, I will just laugh and tell you all I was right," Harren said.
"We will see. If it does poorly, we will kick April and the war mech off the team," Stormy said. We didn't have a team leader, but Stormy had brought everyone together. That didn't give her any authority, but she normally arranged any team meetings and discussions.
"What if it goes rogue? I mean, pets can turn on their masters if you treat them badly enough. Does it need enough oil or fuel, or will it go berserk?"
"They probably have safeguards to stop that from happening, but we should ask."
We all waited as various dwarves scurried about, and everyone continued watching. April came out in a custom piece of clothing from a tent that left little to the imagination.
"Heat management is my guess," I said.
"Well, it clearly isn't for protection," Harren replied.
"Don't be so hasty. They are using metal threading in that outfit. High Mana conductivity," Stormy added.
"Could they be trying to blend Mana? That's…perilous," I said. Mana was basically the building block of the soul, skills, and everything about a person. Blending Mana was beyond risky. That was why people couldn't give each other Mana. I couldn't even get Mana directly from Ozy.
Alchemists had to process potions to remove all the unwanted and lingering side effects.
"I don't think so. Not Mana blending, but a more sensitive kind of interface with the war mech," Sam said.
"Well, we could be seeing a completely new class of skills. War mech skills," I said.
"Possibly, but that is doubtful, and new skills are always questionable," Harren replied.
"Oh, you are looking into that?" I asked him.
"For axe skills to get more versatility. But skill creation has issues in that you create something that isn't well thought out. I know April has a lot of support skills prepared from her time at the College, but creating an entirely new set of war mech skills is a bit much," Harren said as April climbed up the step ladder that had folded out of the back of the war mech. She then brought the stepladder back up and closed up the back.
"The seams are tight. If the chassis is deformed there will be problems with how everything fits together. The actual test will be when it takes a couple of hard impacts," Harren said.
"You seem to know a lot about machines."
"It is like fighting gigantic monsters. You impact them hard, and they go off balance, and their body doesn't work right." I nodded at this explanation. Harren was skilled in one-on-one battles. What he lost in versatility he made up for in power and aggression.
"Well, it looks intimidating," Sam said, and he was right. The head had multiple glowing red orbs that could represent eyes.
"I wonder what material the eyes are. Some kind of crystal?" I guessed.
"Yes, viewing crystals. Used for keeping track of entrances at secure buildings normally. Normally, someone is watching through them at a distance. They went with high-end ones," Sam said.
"I haven't seen them around," I replied.
"They aren't common. The cost is quite high. Normally, it is cheaper for a guard or to put a locked door instead, rather than viewing crystals," Sam answered.
"ACTIVATING PRIMARY ENGINE!" The air shook as the voice boomed out. I winced at the volume and rejected a Sonic Resistance skill in taking hold on my soul.
"The voice itself is a weapon," Harren said loudly. I had lost a couple of points healing my ears just from the shout, and Ozy was unhappy with the loud noise. The war mech began to hum and vibrate slightly. I felt a slight bit of danger. Time to see what it could do and if it was worth our effort bringing it along with a dungeon descent.