(Guns.... Honestly speaking, they are worst then my crossbows and I already know why.) – thought Thauma as it was inspecting several pistole type guns that layer on the table inside of his smith workshop.

(To use these guns not only you need "bullets" but you also need "gunpowder".)

(And the gunpowder is expendable.)

(Unlike crossbow bolts or bow arrows, which you can later on pick up and use again, the guns uses gunpowder to be fired.)

(It can be in either two forms used.)

(In its rough form, where the powder is poured in.)

(Or the gunpowder in inside of constructed bullet, a case.)

(These bullets are divided into several parts and they are definitely much harder to make compare to the gunpowder pouring method, but it is much more effective in combat after noticing how fast I can reload them.)

(But still, gunpowder is a one use.)

(I had managed to acquire specific amount of gunpowder from that man who had two guns on himself.)

(I’ve also obtained some guns from these black soldiers, but not all of them were carrying them.)

(Not only that, those guns aren’t really as powerful.... They are a complex bullet type guns.)

(Still, I can see reason why they didn’t use them against my golems.)

(When it comes to performance, the guns fire off a small projectile called "bullet".)

(it may not look like much, but it is deadly.)

(It has power to rip apart the flesh, bones and what not.)

(A deadly projectile that can either inflict a mortal wound that can make somebody bleed to death, or if they land a hit on the brain or heart, it is pretty much just death.)

(However, my golems’ armor is quiet thick, since they ARE the armor.)

(Not only that, they don’t have any organs nor blood.)

(The only thing they want to destroy are the cores. However, I made sure that each of the cores have additional layer of protection.)

(So, these regular guns won’t do much, since even if they pierce the outer body, it won’t do much to the inside, since it isn’t a flesh but instead something tougher.)

(However, this one? The one with active type skill?)

(If they were equipped with those kind of guns.... They could cause massive amount of damage.)

(....But still, these guns were stronger than the weak gun that man was using.) – thought Thauma as it picked up few guns it managed to steal from the Crow Watchers.

(Not only that, I cannot forget those explosions that were caused by adventurers back during my counterattack.)

(The enemy used explosives... I think they were caused by the gunpowder.)

(Hm....)

(The enemy could either mass produce these enchanted guns OR produce these bombs... And they use the blow-up tactic on me this time... Which won’t be good for me one bit.)

(And again, if they mass produce these enchanted guns.... Yeah. It will be problem.)

(Then again, there is also good chance that they could replace parts with different materials... And even ammunition......)

(...)

(Guns works via small detonation of gunpowder, right?)

(Then can it also work with magic?)

(If that is the case... Then maybe...)

(...)

(But still, can’t forget that the guns have both ups and downs.)

(A good gun can pierce through the armor and land a solid blow on the enemy.... But the armor that was worn by the black knights is extremely tough... Average gun may not do much damage.)

(Not only that, I cannot forget the fact that they are vampires.)

(Vampires have much more blood inside of their bodies compare to the humans AND they have regenerative ability, which they can boost further by using their own blood OR devouring a blood of another being.)

(There were non vampires mixed into the army... They could feast on them.)

(But then again, the vampires needs a lot of blood to function at top power according to Ariava notes.)

(So, if I somehow make a weapon that could make them bleed a lot, they would grow extremely weaken and fragile.)

(OR!)

(They could go in frenzy as they lust and hunger for blood takes over their sense.....)

(But can I even make that short of weapon?)>

(Honestly speaking, I DO see the strong points of the gun.)

(But again, the whole ammunition problem... THIS is the main reason why I don’t want to research guns.)

(What if I somehow make a lot of good guns that will be able to destroy an army, but that would be one time trick as the whole ammunition was used up? It is same with the bomb hounds. If I’m not careful with it, I will just use it up completely.)

(AND there is major difference between bomb that can either deal massive amount of damage and possible kill several enemies.)

(Compare to the bullet that may not necessarily kill the enemy on first, second, third and so hit.)

(The "AMMUNITION" is the main problem with the guns...... Honestly speaking here.)

(I don’t have enough gunpowder for the dungeon to absorb and do lesser research... BUT I could at least give it some direction with the amount of gunpowder I have on hand.) (Obviously it will mean that the dungeon research will happened either way... But this one will at least consume bit less DP and the chances of obtaining gunpowder dungeon production method will increase....)

(....)

(But again, there is always the same problem.)

(Time.)

(I can probably do single quick research right now.)

(And if I screw it up, my chances at survival will remain the same... Which is something I cannot allow at any cost.)

(....)

(....)

(....)

(No.)

(Magic and gun research combination won’t do.)

(Or more specifically, researching them will take too long.)

(But still, it is worth taking into consideration later on.)

(But!)

(Should I research guns anyway?)

(At least to give SOME new weapons to the golems AND for myself?)

(I know the ammunition is a problem... But maybe that weapon will buy me some time AND it will catch the enemy off guard?)

(Maybe with IT I will be able to buy myself enough time to do some longer research?) – thought Thauma as it looked at the pieces of paper laying on the table behind the golem, a papers that were filled with countless thoughts and projects that the golem is eager to conduct.

"..."

(No.... Not this one... Neither this one will work right now....) – thought Thauma as it was looking through its options regarding the project.

(God dammit!)

(Each of these projects DOES sound good and can help me improve the dungeon.... But again! The freaking time!)

(Why I never have it when I need it in the darkest times!?)

"..."

<<Guns were the only options I had left.>>

<<I knew that there will be a lot of problems and what not.... But they could possibly buy me time AND result in me getting a lot of miasma in turn...>>

<<But obviously I can’t focus on guns alone.>>

<<I’ve focused on also researching the black iron, since I need to empower myself. My combat body to be specific.>>>

<<Since I will be the last line of the defense in case all the other defenses end up being destroyed.>>

<<Still.... Again. I’m scared.>>

<<Since I don’t know what is going on outside.>>

[Few days later: Knight captain tent.]

"So... Was the evacuation successful?" – asked the knight captain.

"Yes sir. The adventurers just reported in and they had managed to escort everybody to safety before the golems could arrive."

"Oh thank fucking god." – said the knight captain as he laid back on his chair.

"..."

"Still... This isn’t looking good." – said the knight captain as he gazed at the map that was laying on the table, which had several small red wooden figures standing on the marked locations.

"How.... How many losses are we looking here?"

"..."

"A lot... Sir." – replied the dwarven knight.

"The enemy.... This is no longer a theory."

"The enemy is fully aware of each village location."

"That is the only explanation behind their movement and speed."

"..."

"And the city?" – asked the knight captain.

"So far? No news." – replied the dwarven knight.

"The golems’ presence was left behind in some villages that were near the city.... But nothing came directly AT the city."

"It may be possible that the enemy isn’t aiming for the city.... But still, there is also good chance that they are also fully aware of the city’s location."

"...."

"Welp.... Shit." – replied the knight captain.

(This isn’t good.... This isn’t good at all.) – thought the knight captain as he stared at the map.

(We are at least doing something with some effect, compare to the start... But still, the enemy way of doing things had completely caught us off guard.)

(A monster stampede....)

(And not just some mindless one.)

(This is organized and precise attacks... Which are straight up "fucking" us.)

(We are trying to rescue as many people as possible by using riders... But evacuating whole villages is beyond problematic.)

(The riders are our best bet.... But the problem is that the golems are everywhere.)

(If anybody tries to take the quickest route, they could end up being spotted by the golems and then hunted.)

(The enemy have several fast-moving golem... And unlike horses, that can get tired... These things can apparently run at full speed nonstop.)

(Outrunning them is one thing.... But another is leading the golems straight into the village while they are giving chase.)

(Not only that.... There is problem with WHERE we are evacuating the villages.)

(We can’t just have them leave their homes and be in the middle of nowhere.)

(The golems are reported to "search" around.... So even if we move the villages away from their respective village, there is still chance that they will be found.)

(We are trying to move the villages as far as possible, but preparing spaces for them on the spot isn’t easy.)

(Not only that, people are still stressed out by the whole wyvern attack, the news regarding the attack spread far and wide.... So, the villages are already "scared".)

"..."

"I want an honest answer right now." – said the knight captain.

"Do we have NOW enough information to start moving?"

"..."

"No.... Sir...." – replied the dwarven knight.

"The amount of territory we have to cover is straight up too large."

"We can definitely cover these areas close to us." – said the dwarven knight as he circled with his finger on the map, area between the forest and city.

"We can definitely go there and the extermination forces ARE already working there."

"But again, we lack too much information."

"Gathering information while avoiding the head on confrontation now is taking too much time!"

"AND I FUCKING KNOW THAT ALREADY!" – shouted the knight captain.

"I FUCKING WANTED TO DO THE HEAD ON FIGHT MYSELF!"

"..."

"But now?"

"The adventurers were right."

"Moving into the golems’ line of sight is beyond risky."

"Especially with boss monsters involved."

"If these were pigmen, goblins or any other demi-human race of monsters, we would know that the communication would get cut off if we were to get rid of the enemies... But what about the golems? Is the dungeon master somehow still ’controlling’ them?"

"Not only that, the enemy attacks are what is worrying me."

"Look at the report here."

"The reports here tells about a bunch of fast-moving golems, including new golems that weren’t seen before."

"While this one talks about a bunch of slow-moving golems."

"At first it doesn’t look much.... Until I looked at the map."

"The distance between each village from the forest!"

"This ain’t some random attacks!"

"These are precise attacks with the specific troops!"

"..."

"This is my order."

"DON’T fucking fight head one!"

"Focus only on evacuation!"

"But what if the golems would expand their search further?" – asked the worried guard.

"Then it will give us a moment to strike." – replied the knight captain.

"The enemy by the looks of things split up their forces AND if they wish to expand their hunt further, they will have to spread out further, thinning out their forces further, which it turn will give us a moment to strike them down easily while minimizing the casualties."

"..."

"Then again, we can’t wait."

"The golems are on the move nonstop without rest."

(After we moved our camp, we had the knights and the city guards also join the sabotage of the enemy forces.... But their patrols are annoying.) – thought the knight captain.

(Our efforts ARE working and they are giving people time while we are also able to hunt some of the golems.... But then again, the boss monsters are annoyance.)

(I fought one of them.)

(The one with four arms.)

(Not only the bastard was using several weapons, but even when I landed an attack, he could easily take it.)

(And then there was also that giant centaur wanabe fucker.)

(If I didn’t had smoke bombs and what not for our escape, then we would really be in trouble.)

"..."

"The golems were ALL seen going to the forest, after they looted each village. Correct?" – asked the knight captain.

"Yes. The adventurers who managed to tail the golems while remaining unnoticed had confirmed that after each raid, the golems would bring and all loot they had obtained, back to the golem forest."

"Tch." – the knight captain looked extremely annoyed upon receiving these news.

(Things are getting freaking complicated nonstop.... Why the hell they couldn’t allow the emergency system yet?)

{{Info: Adventurer’s Guild Contact System – It is a special system that uses familiars or communication devices to communicate between adventurer guild.}}

{{Many nations allows it, but some don’t. Reason? War or hostile factions – Somebody may try to use this information network to use gathered information for malicious purposes.}}

{{Main uses: Monster information sharing / Special messenger – a request for specific adventurer or maybe warning about some sort of emergency.}}

(I get that we don’t trust....No. It maybe good idea that it isn’t working. We still don’t have any idea what the hell was with those wyverns and where they came from.)

(There is good chance that maybe our neighbors did it.... And sharing information with them about our situation is extremely bad for us.)

(And there are also these fucking Crow Watchers... The fuck does Vincet means by the "extremely dangerous" situation!?)

(Is there more shit going on here?!)

"Oh my fucking lord...." – said the knight captain as he leaned back on his chair.

The lord Vincent’s private army and adventurer’s guilds tried their best at making sure that the casualties are kept to the minimum.... But things were not doing so great to them.

As the knight captain mentioned, the riders needed to take a long way around in order to reach the small settlements and warn them about incoming attacks.

But because of that "going around", they were often too late.

Most of the villages that were closer to the city were somewhat safety evacuated, even when the conflict with golems DID occurred.

However, the villages that were furthest away from the city? The villages that had the golem forest between THEM and the city?

Their fate was pretty much already sealed no matter if the messenger arrived there or not.

BUT STILL!

The things weren’t exactly as in the start.

The soldiers, guards, knights and adventurers were now able to somewhat FIGHT BACK, after obtaining some information about their enemies AND how their operate.

The first days of the invasion done by the golems was completely one sided, as the villages were just being disassemble and the people living inside of them were hunted down, to a point where no survivor was even able to escape.

However, with each passing day, the territory lord’s faction was able to obtain the necessary information to counterattack the golem invasion in several places.

Sabotages and evacuations started now having a proper effect.

Days went by.

Thauma, not knowing when the next attack would come, just focused on researching the guns.

But the lord’s faction?

They were changing things.

They were slowly gaining favor in the whole conflict.

It was no longer one sided beatdown, even though the territory lord’s faction was fully focused on only defense and rescue.

They were saving lives. That was their goal AND it also hindered Thauma’s goal who wanted to kill and sacrifice the helpless villages to the dungeon.

But still.

Thauma noticed the change instantly.

Not only less golems have been returning, meaning that they had been probably slain.

And the amount of sacrifices brought to the dungeon had also noticeable decreased.

And as the days went by, the difference in surviving golems and sacrifices would keep changing

"..."

(Well... I was expecting that.) – thought Thauma as it was inspecting the spoils that the golems had brough to the dungeon.

(Or more exactly, I was expecting this to happened much earlier, at least few days ago.... But either way, what I was worried about is happening now.) – thought Thauma as it was now checking the map which had marked locations of each settlements in area.

(....There are still few.... Places.... That I can launch my golems at.)

"..."

(But I don’t need to?) - thought Thauma as it watched at the massive amount of miasma it had obtained.

[Meanwhile: Knight Captain.]

"....What.... What do you mean the village has already been destroyed?" – asked the knight captain as he was leading his soldiers through the grass field.

"What about the extermination squad!? Shouldn’t they be the ones helping out in the evacuation!? Even if the golems gotten there, they shouldn’t-"

"The golems gotten there before adventurers did!" – replied the knight before the captain could finish.

"The.... Fuck... We were just too late."

"...."

"FUCK!" – shouted the knight captain.

Thauma was.... Well, it was more than confused.

Why?

Because its losses were happening way later than it had thought?

Well... Yes.

And that is the massive problem.

Why?

Because the golems managed to already accumulate more than enough sacrifices.

From Thauma’s perspective, it seems.... Completely stupid and unreal.

Just... Pure confusion.

The situation needs to be more than enough clarified from Thauma’s point of view and trains of thoughts.

Thauma knew that the raid will last several days, even weeks.

It was fully aware of that.

BUT!

Thauma thought that after first few days, it would then see some negative changes, like a noticeable amount of golems going missing and what not.

Thauma was expecting extremely heavy losses after the initial first few days of the "ambushes" phase passes.

However! This "ambush" was far more effective as it was discussed before.

The information flow, panic, fear, confusion and what not.

It all ended up catching territory lord’s faction off guard, resulting in the "ambush phase" lasting way longer than Thauma had predicted, resulting in not only the golems managed to obtain more sacrifices while also staying somewhat completely undamaged.

This process was already explained before.

And now the territory lord’s faction was somehow able to change situation after calming down a bit and managing to obtain the information.

This was also explained.

...

But was the "going around" part as well.

In order to safely evacuate and rescue anybody, the lord’s faction needed to minimize fighting as much as possible, which did not involve the rescue operation.

But the villages that had golem forest between them and the city? Just death.

They soldiers/adventurers needed to take extremely long way around in order to reach them.... And the result would be obvious as they would had reached those villages.

Death.

They would find the villages already destroyed or even if they would arrive, they would not get there fast enough for the evacuation to go on a full swing as the golems would already start arriving, as they would start evacuating.

And this what just happened.

The knight captain and his squad tried reaching one of those villages that were furthers away from the city... But before anybody could had arrived.

Death and destruction.

The knights could do straight up do NOTHING.

....

...

So.... What does that mean exactly with all that information combined on top of each other?

Like all the facts, all the information and all the points of view?

In the nutshell?

They were too late.

The territory lord’s faction was too late.

They were making changes.

They were turning situation around slowly.

But they were too slow.

If Thauma would had been slower.

If its attacks were way less precise.

If the lord knew about the attacks before they even happened in the first place.

If their attacks were just weaker and in lesser numbers, the defenders would had been able to rescue more people.

But obviously, their foe, Thauma, it had made its attacks way too perfect.

Thauma managed to murder way more people that it had thought to be possible.

It destroyed countless number of villages and completely plundered them.

The lord’s faction managed to rescue good amount of people.... But unfortunately for them, Thauma managed to murder way more people than they had rescued.

The surprise attack.

The precise attack.

The calculated attack.

It all played the role in this.

Thauma thought that the whole "massive losses" will occur later on, that it will be delayed and it will happened no matter what.

That was Thauma thought... But in reality?

But NOPE.

Thauma did lost a good number of golems, BUT! It was expecting to lose far more golems.

Thauma was fully certain than in the end of that invasion, about around half of its golems it currently has would end up being destroyed. This was the massive lose that Thauma was expecting and it thought it would happen no matter what.

But reality tells a different tale.

A tale of victory.

Thauma expectation and predictions were completely wrong.

Thauma had obtained an overwhelming victory.

And with it.

It had obtained all the miasma it had wanted.

It wasn’t luck or anything. There was no such thing involved in this.

Heck.

Thauma itself think that it may had gotten lucky, but in reality, there was no luck.

It was just pure showcase of power and talent that the dungeon master had.

But in Thauma’s eyes?

It couldn’t understand the situation one bit.

"..."

(What in the bloody hell is going on?) – thought Thauma.

(Why.... Just.... WHY?!)

(SHOULDN’T I SUFFER SOME HEAVY DAMAGE?!)

(WHERE IS THE ATTACK?!)

(WHY MOST OF MY GOLEMS ARE STILL ALIVE?!)

(WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!)

Thauma was looking too much on itself.

Thauma constantly lived in fear and panic.

It was always scared of the "future".

And this kind of "victory"?

A victory that was easily won, with minimal casualties while also obtaining "riches"?

It is something the golem never expected in its life to ever occur.

It tried to think "logically" about the situation.

But it lacked information.

It couldn’t just ask its golems for the info, since they are just tools.

(Did.... Did I gotten extremely luck?) – thought the golem, who tired theorizing why it had won so "easily".

(There is no other explanation in this situation.... Right?)

(I mean, I would get if the whole me losing half of my golems bit would end up being delayed or not.... But this isn’t normal!)

(Does.... No! I’ve confirmed with the prisoners that the city has its defenses and soldiers, there are also adventurers out there!)

(And if there is not enough, they can request more.... But what.... WHY!?)

"..."

(This raid wasn’t going on for just few days.... WEEKS!)

(My golems had been on the loose for weeks!)

(So why.... I just.... What?) – Thauma still couldn’t comprehend the situation, even after inspecting its golems and loot.

(Is this.... I mean.... Enemy plan?)

(I don’t get it.... Did they tried something but failed?)

(I mean! This shouldn’t be possible!)

(Or it should?!)

(Just... WHY?!)

(The enemy isn’t WEAK!)

(Or.... Did they never found out about the raids? But how?! There is no way they didn’t! I’ve lost some golems! Including boss types!)

(I’m really getting scared here!)

(This.... THIS DOESN’T MAKE ANY LOGICAL SENSE!)

(Is this my paranoia?!)

(No! This ain’t paranoia!)

(Then what?!)

"..."

"..."

"..."

(Okay... I can’t calm down.)

(I really have no idea what is going on right now.)

(But.... If the enemy is really planning something right now... Something massive behind this lack of "injury"... Then I’m no longer risking it.)

(If their plan can somehow exterminate not just half of my golems, but ALL of them, then the risk is way too high right now.)

(Yes.... Yes! It must be it! It must be the reason why they are not doing nearly enough to stop my golems!)

(It is a trap!)

(Are they baiting me?)

(Is that false sense of security a trap?)

(Maybe they want me to get greedy?)

"..."

"..."

(No.... I’m not going to risk it now.)

(The danger right now is beyond high.)

(It is time to order my golems to return back to the forest.)