On the fourteenth floor, people were also busy. An arctic environment poses a significant challenge for adventurers. No one was really prepared for such severe conditions. A little snow, something around early winter, yes, they have the necessary clothes or could easily acquire them. But this floor was much harsher.

  On the second expedition, Crall and his men went out on a few-day scouting mission.

  They return on the third day.

  “How was it?” Nurmela asked Crall.

  “That depends.” He answered, warming his hands from the cup with hot soup. “For us Northerners, it could be doable. We will need good sleds and some extra stuff, but anyone who lives in the far north will know what to do. But for you southerners? It will be hard. And it’s not just marching, but also fighting. There are numerous and different golems there, and you don’t know what you will stumble upon.”

  “I really hoped for some good news.”

  “They are.” He smiled. “The road is always forward, marked with nice stone towers with some fabric. There are also caves with hidden treasures.” He patted his purse, which jingled as if it contained a lot of coins.

  “Nice, but we need to get there without freezing. I hope Aseza will figure out how to move those golem elephants.”

  “Who?”

  “He is one of the adventurers who arrived a few months ago. Quite good, I admit. But he is also a naga.”

  “Then he is screwed.” Crall laughed. “No one knows how to make shoes for naga.”

  “Well, Dungeon Mistress almost did it.” Nurmela pointed out.

  “Right, I heard the story too. Dungeon Mistress makes a diving suit for the naga adventurer. It worked, but was hard to use. People are saying that she was almost prostrating before him and apologizing that he wasn’t able to enjoy himself fully.”

  “Yeah. And a week later, she presented those masks. Now we can choose to walk and stay dry or swim and get wet.”

  “Yes. No one back then knew what to do with all of that. It was like the king was begging you for forgiveness because of some minor thing.”

  “True. Hopefully, we won’t have a repeat of that. Aseza is learning how to use the golems, so if he gets lucky, everything ends without some additional Dungeon Mistress craziness.”

  Almost as if the adventurer in question heard them, he shouted from the golem that he and the dwarven paladin, who was also a master blacksmith, decided that they knew how to operate the golem.

  “Everyone move out! We are opening the gate! ” The paladin officer who was standing on the ground shouted. Everyone who was standing nearby or didn't want to deal with the cold air outside left the place. Next to the gates were two four-person capstans. They were used to move massive wooden gates. Both halves hide in the wall instead of swinging outside on the hinges. Although they were half a meter thick, moving them was relatively easy. Naomi made sure they were well-balanced.

  “Master Brounzig, the gates are open,” Aseza told the dwarf watching the boiler on the back of the golem.

  “The pressure gauge on the tank is on the green field and stable. I will be pushing the lever only to the first cut.” The dwarven master observed the arrays on a spherical tank in which water was boiling, and a strange device that somehow indicated the pressure of the steam inside. It was just a bent, crashed metal tube. While he was making boiling water, this tube slowly started straightening itself, and the tip moved along painted markings. Dungeon Mistress even added simple but somewhat scary descriptions, especially on the red section. One was: ‘run screaming’ and the final was described as ‘kabom!’.

  The pistons moved slowly, and the golem raised his leg and started walking.

  “I think we should try to push the lever a little more. Otherwise, it will take forever to move outside.” Aseza observed that after three agonizing, slow steps, they barely moved forward.

  “Understood. I’m pushing to the second cut. We should be moving at half the speed.” The dwarf answered.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  The move indeed became much smoother and faster, something like a leisurely walk.

  “I’m turning the steering wheel to the right. We'll see if we can get back to the fort.” Naga adventurer informed the paladin.

  “Boiler looks good. Whatever you are doing, try not to kill us.”

  The whole trip takes half an hour. After the golem was secured, both of them became the center of attention. Aseza went with adventurers to celebrate his achievement, while the dwarven paladin went to write a lengthy letter to the general Serator.

  The general was pleased with this development. While he will never doubt the Dungeon Mistress's words, he wasn’t sure if his men had the required skills to use those golem elephants. Now, there is only a matter of rebuilding them outside the dungeon. According to Master Brounzig, many parts can be acquired directly from the dungeon, but it will be at best one intact golem. In the general opinion, sending one will be meaningless and potentially dangerous. The two golems, or even better, a team of three, will be a much safer option. That will mean the Grand Forge Master will need to copy all parts a few times.

  He recently got some news that potentially resolved the issue with the lack of manpower necessary for building golem elephants. To the oasis was sent a special chapter of paladins concentrated around the castle building. They will be needed to rebuild all the damage done by the cultists. Most of them were masons and carpenters, but blacksmiths were also present. Someone needed to repair broken tools or make hinges and fittings. While they weren't as knowledgeable about golems as the blacksmiths and artisans present in the oasis, all of them were at least on a master level. Understanding how to build giant golems shouldn't be a problem.

  The castle builders' company arrived a month after the first balloon flight.

  “I think I finally see the towers of the oasis.” The commander of the almost three hundred paladins said, squinting his eyes. He was a dwarf and also the grand priest of the Smith.

  “Yes, commander. We are close enough to see the towers of the dungeon.” Arthuros, the leader of the caravan, and the guide answered. “However, we will still need a few hours to reach it. Those towers are so big that they can be seen from afar.”

  “Yes, I read descriptions. I also heard stories about this place. Can you tell me how exaggerated they were?”

  “Most of them actually don’t tell the full truth. Some things are too outlandish for anyone to believe. Others can contain some profound, deep knowledge, maybe even coming directly from the gods. And only priests and scholars can grasp the true meaning of those events. Either way, you, commander, and your men soon will see them for your own eyes.”

  Grand Priest wasn’t able to answer because he was interrupted by a bird-like screech, and he saw an enormous creature that flew above them.

  “What was that!” He shouted in alarm, and his men started preparing to battle.

  “Calm down. It was just the sun elf scout. They are checking who we are.” Arthuros answered.

  “There was a rider on the back of that beast!”

  “Like I said, it was a sun elf scout. And those birds live on the fifth floor of the dungeon. It was a matter of time until one of their warriors would find a way to tame it.” He shrugged.

  When they reached the oasis, they were greeted by General Serator personally. He brought extra guards with him to speed up the screening of everyone in the caravan. He also wanted to talk with the commander of the paladins as soon as possible.

  I took some time before they could finally talk.

  “I must say, General, that this is a place full of surprises.” The dwarf said.

  “Yes indeed.” Serator nodded. “I guess I get used to them and treat them as a normal thing.”

  “That often happens when someone works around the dungeon.”

  “Grand Master. Can you tell me what your orders are?”

  “I need to wait and get prepared. For now, the fights continue, and we are also in the middle of winter. We probably will march north when spring begins. Why do you ask general?”

  “I need some extra manpower for building a special golem. It could help with repelling cultists. And because we have a few months before you will be required to follow your orders, I request your help.”

  “I will gladly see what my men and I can do. Any idea that will help kill a few cultists more is a good idea.”

  “Then, Commander, please come with me. My men prepared a place for building it. We gathered some parts from the dungeon, and a lot of drawings on how to build it.”

  They went to a nearby place, where there was a structure made of thick wooden beams. The roof and walls were made of fabric to protect the people inside from the sun and sand. The whole building was twenty meters long, ten wide, and three stories high. Inside, the general showed the commander a stack of scrolls and drawings of an elephant golem.

  “General, with all respect, but building it is impossible.” The dwarf shook his head when he realized the scope of the plans.

  “It’s an ambitious project, but according to the Dungeon Mistress and the Grand Forge Master, nothing beyond our skills and knowledge. I only lack people who know how to work with metal.”

  “Even with my help, building enough of them to fight any undead army will take a year or two.”

  “That's why I wanted to build three, preferably four of them, just to break through enemy lines to the besieged citadel or town. They will carry mostly food and medical supplies to the defenders.”

  “And scaring shitless necromancers in the process.” Commander grind. “I still have doubts, but I don’t back down from my words, and this will be a great challenge for all my people to hone their skills.”

  “Thank you, Commander. With your help, I’m sure we will succeed.”