First Light of a New Age

Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Facility

1st Year of God, Friday, 1st Week, Month Of Abraham.

Following the discovery of the Dragonite crystals and the sudden appearance of a dungeon, the mining station underwent a frenzy of changes. Moreover, the military quickly dispatched a battalion of 600 soldiers to reinforce the mining station and provide security to the miners.

At the helm of this large force was Lieutenant Colonel Ciaphas Cahyono, a high-ranking officer of the military within Imperial Majahapit.

Riding in his armored vehicle, Cahyono felt the heavy rumble beneath him as it came to a stop in the parking lot. As he disembarked the vehicle, his boots slammed against the hard concrete. Immediately, he noticed several large, rocky figures pushing carts filled with soil along the tracks. The strong stench of waste assailed his nose as a breeze blew the smell over, making him wrinkle his nose.

"Hey," Cahyono called out, stopping one of the workers along the way and pointing to the strange rock figures laboring in the yard. "What are those?"

The worker looked up at him, revealing his dirt-covered face that cracked into a toothless grin. "New here? Those are Sir Odysseus’ Earth Golems!"

"Earth Golems?" Cahyono scratched his head in interest, "And who is this sir Odysseus? Is he the elf the government sent here?"

The worker nodded eagerly, “Indeed, and he is more than just that. He's even our mining community benefactor!" He pointed to the animated rock figure, "With his help, those walking stones can do the work of a dozen men, greatly helping us increase our output and easing our burden!" He said proudly.

"Hmmm," Cahyono rubbed his chin, watching the slow movements of the rock figures. He thanked the worker and walked up next to one of the working statues.

On closer view, the Earth Golem looked like a massive chunk of stone with very humanoid features chiseled out from its surface. A featureless lump served as its head, while its large broad chest and wide shoulders supported blocky arms dangled down to its stubby legs, ending at the knees area. Each hand ended in three digits that looked like a clamp.

One of the golems was unloading a cart of soil into a vat. Ignoring the stench, Cahyono stood nearby, observing as it towered over him, even taller than the four-meter-high vat, which had a platform and stairs constructed on its side for workers.

Cahyono rapped his knuckles against the golem’s stone legs. The Earth Golem paused its work, turning its featureless face toward him. For a moment, it seemed to study Cahyono before resuming its task, carefully emptying the cart of saltpeter-rich soil into the vat.

"Goddamn," Cahyono whispered in awe. These things seemed to be made of solid rock, yet they moved their arms and legs as if they weren’t bound by the limitations of solid matter. "What kind of magic is this?"

"Lieutenant Colonel?" a voice called from the processing plant. Cahyono turned to see Director Letif approaching and casually saluted him. "What brings you here, Sir?"

"Oh, I'm just here to take a look around," Cahyono replied and gestured to the stone figure working behind him. "New help?"

"Haha, you've met our automations?" Letif grinned as he led Cahyono toward the admin building. "The locals call them elementals or golems."

"Where did they come from?" Cahyono asked. "The dungeon?"

"No no, it's that elf whom the government sent over," Letif clarified. "Odysseus von Aston, he made them."