After carefully placing Esdes's personality in the spatial inventory, I frantically began to prepare the soulless homunculus body for implanting the soul of the new heroine.
Immediately, a certain dilemma arose. How could I make this soulless doll into a real Esdes without tainting her characteristics?
The thing was, the worse the homunculus resembled its original, the less its characteristics would be. Those were the rules of my abilities... and they were explained by the fact that it required 'synergy' for the soul and homunculus to merge effectively. A synergy of body and soul that depended on the quality of the doll being made.
There was one problem - the image of Esdes came from a fictional world, and now I was sort of in the real one. I needed to visualise her as she would look in the real world.
Let's start with the general characteristics that immediately caught my eye: Esdes was a tall, sophisticated, yet strong woman with long blue hair and snow-white skin.
She had an aggressive and commanding personality. A good strategic mind and strong determination. A loyal but stubborn temperament that didn't tolerate bickering. Sadism. Kindness. Eloquence. Toughness.
How could all of that be reflected in her appearance?
I gently touched the face of the homunculus and froze in indecision. This is the look she'll live with for the rest of her life, after all. I shouldn't be in a hurry.
I opened the interface and went to the 'Homunculus Creation for Dummies' tutorial to make sure I didn't make a single mistake.
So, the homunculus at the creation stage is just an empty shell. It doesn't have any external differences. It's just a dummy.
To give it external characteristics, I needed an ephemeral resource that I accumulated every second like mana. I had a limit of thirty units, which depended on my intelligence. One unit was equal to ten mana.
I required different amounts of mana to create body parts. For example, for one eye, I used up ten mana. An arm or leg required twenty mana, while a heart or liver required thirty.
Fortunately, I didn't have to copy human organics completely, but only partially imitate them, because homunculi weren't quite human. According to the catalogue of homunculus creation, I had to endow them with some of the important organs, and the rest was completed by myself with a pinch of magic.
Considering that a single mana regenerated for a minute, I was stuck here for a long time.
I could regenerate mana by eating food from the System Store, but the cheapest piece of Darnassian Blue cheese cost twenty-four coppers. With the distance markup, it was fifty. It wasn't worth twenty minutes of mana recovery, especially since my stomach was full.
I speckled dreamily over Esdes' body... cautiously picking out her eyes, in my opinion piercing and a little sharp to reflect her penetrating icy gaze. They were blue, quite large, but not too large so as not to upset the balance of the beautiful face. Perfect.
Perhaps I was in a hurry, but I proceeded to create the homunculus from my hair. They came out as blue as the sky blue, and very long, like a calm waterfall. I had to use tweezers and other tools to insert them into my head. Of course, I am not a surgeon or even a trichologist, but I was able to put hair on a bald head. The system corrected my movements and endowed me with the necessary flair, which varied from my skills as a sculptor.
Unfortunately, it was a long and painful process, and it cost a fortune - ten silver for a small mop of blue hair of the right length. Down to my thighs! No way, Esdes' hair was almost down to her calves.
Well, my dear, everything for you.
In addition to the price and hard work, I noticed with the corner of my eye how the 'Sculptor' skill, which was responsible for the efficiency of creating homunculi, was dripping.
In the system alerts, it looked like this:
'Sculptor skill pumped to 2.'
'Sculptor skill increased to 3.'
'Sculptor skill increased to 4.'
It was nice to grow on myself, of course, but it was distracting. And I didn't quite realise how much difference the skill made from one to four, but....
Gradually, I began to feel as if my fingers were obeying better, and the image of Esdes gradually began to resemble the one I wanted.
As I leaned over the soulless body with its clay-coloured skin and doll-like limbs, I sighed heavily. The face, without mouth or nose, was already covered in long blue hair that fell to the floor, and the sky-coloured eyes stared into the void without a glint of life.
I'd spent about a week on this job alone, occasionally going outside and wandering around the neighbourhood of the Elvin Forest to get some fresh air.
To be honest, wandering around the Warcraft world in its current state was not something I wanted to do. Firstly, due to my work on the homunculus, I hardly slept at all, and secondly, I was afraid that without a bodyguard, even a kobold would kill me quickly.
Anyway, not wanting to take any chances I continued to work on the Esdes homunculus. The sooner I finished it, the sooner I could visit Stormgrad and other places without fearing for my life.
I was gradually running out of money, but I didn't worry, focusing solely on the goal.
Soon the upper part of the homunculus' body was finished. I was already looking at the pale face of not a doll, but a real girl. Closing her eyes so as not to see the soulless expression, I imagined she was asleep, and now I saw a beautiful cinderella with blue hair and cold features.
Esdes, as it were, encapsulated the cold and cruel disposition I saw in her 'sleeping expression.' And her softness, which could be seen in her delicate face, expressive, refined lips and very feminine, thin eyebrows, almost perfect in length.
It was like a princess, only asleep. And for some reason I felt a paternal love for her and felt like a mad scientist working on... something very strange.
Confused by my feelings, I continued working.
Esdes' top was almost perfect, but I couldn't decide on the length of her neck or the expression on her face. I still felt like I'd made a mistake somewhere and she wasn't good enough, so I temporarily abandoned the face and started on the breasts.
Any mistake could ruin her features and weaken me. I couldn't think in the wrong place, but... I was an awkward guy with women, so I had to overcome a slight shame even in front of a doll.
And I started to remember how big Esdes' breasts were.
Despite her slim figure, Esdes had a nice bust, and a very large one. It wasn't exactly gigantic, but it was pretty impressive.
Size five, maybe something like that.
And it was impossible to miss, because nothing is more important than breasts.
First it was a flat chest like a mannequin. Exactly the same. The same rough and artificial, but then under my fingers it began to transform and become rounded, soft and even shaped.
As a man, it was hard for me not to become prejudiced and make the breasts to my liking, but... I stopped myself with the thought that I shouldn't give in to tempting desires. After all, the homunculus had to turn out just like Esdes was - exactly like her ideally, well, or at least very similar after all.
I couldn't hack away at the breasts and relax. Firstly because breasts are much easier to copy than fine facial features. Secondly because Esdes would be my first homunculus, which I have yet to walk around with for an unknown amount of time. Thirdly, she's a legendary class - ruining her characteristics because of breasts is total bullshit. And fourthly, Esdes' breasts are close to perfect as it is - so I don't mind an exact replica.
... Another heap of time flew by in a lot of hard thinking, checking and checking every inch of her breasts that didn't seem right.
I repent, I screwed up my face a couple of times in an attempt to get it perfect, and it pissed me off. Then I gave up again and went lower on her breasts, working on her waist and flat tummy.
I was stung with heartache every time I stumbled and started over.
And then the question came up, abs or no abs... No, it was a stupid question. Esdes is a warrior. Sure, she'll have abs, but I didn't remember them much in the anime.
I think we were shown a flat, beautiful tummy. Still, anime is far from realistic, that's the base.
But I decided to overcome and add to the beautiful flat tummy a nice little abs. In general, it did not spoil the picture, and even added a feminine body of confidence and strength.
Hips had to mould to my taste average in size, but still quite large and strong. Pumped up. The legs are long. Calves strong, legs and fingers also long and refined, as in the models.
And yet there was a kind of wildness and feline grace about her.
No, more roughness and femininity needed to be added... or... or... or... or....
I froze at my desk in an epiphany. I stood up and opened the system window in a jagged motion. Shop, search engine, keyboard - and my fingers played a passionate symphony.
The search threw up over a hundred options:
'A full-length image of Esdes.'
'Image of Esdes naked (erotica).'
I bought a few Esdes images for pennies and placed them on the table in front of me. Because the system couldn't create contemporary objects as photographs' I had very accurate, painterly pictures in front of me.
Now the visual image was growing stronger in me, empowering my fingers.
I was accurate in many ways, but I made some mistakes. Esdes's breasts, for example, were a little high, and I had to trim them. Putting my fingers on the delicate crumpled mass, I ran my fingers over it and with creative concentration tore it off, throwing it in the basket.
There, now it's perfect. They are literally fragrant on a delicate feminine body. Firm and soft to the touch. And nice nipples.
And yet there's something missing.
Oh... right...
I looked down between her legs and wondered. The small hollow between her legs was embarrassing, and I'd have to get between her firm thighs and spread her legs.
I don't have any information on her crotch. I'm not a gynaecologist. And anyway, erotic comics with Esdes might not show the real crotch of the General of the Empire.
After hanging like that for a minute or two, I had to resign myself to further work, and I got down to kneading the clay.
It was a savoury and difficult task, simply because I could never imagine myself as a creator in such a way. Apparently out of habit, because one did not usually create one's own kind.
All the time I felt like I was doing something out of the ordinary, but my hands kept working with unyielding precision.
I won't tell anyone what labia I chose for her and why... because that would be weird, but in a nutshell, they turned out attractively-normal. I had this obsessive feeling that the prettier I made her, the stronger Esdes would become. And I couldn't fight it, I couldn't fight it, but I was afraid I'd ruin it. It took a while to finish the clitoris, and it didn't feel right. That's all for now, for I don't need to go inside - the system will complete the inside on its own.
My resources were slowly disappearing, spent on the case. I spent ephemeral material to create and adjust the body, and then again, and again, and sometimes the money flew away simply because I screwed up somewhere.
But I was close to my goal.
Eventually, I got so discouraged that I gave myself a week off.
For a whole week, I couldn't even look at my Creature. To me, she wasn't a girl, she was a life's work that I was starting to go crazy about.
As ironic as it sounds, I felt like I was going to hate Esdes when she woke up.
I stared tiredly at the ceiling, lying on my mattress within the four walls of the workshop, and I couldn't take it anymore. I set off to wander through Elwyn Forest, going further than usual until I came across the river separating the golden farm fields and the picturesque woods.
I recognised those fields. It was the next Alliance location where out of control wheat harvesting machines roamed. It was also where dangerous predatory animals, bandits and morlocks roamed.
I wasn't going to go there, of course, but I suddenly thought how much I'd like to be on that beach far beyond those golden fields.
I ordered a bottle of wine from the System Store and drained it completely, and when it was gone, I was alone again, entranced by the beautiful views of Azeroth.
I learnt how to hide from the not-so-smart gnolls and even escaped from the wolves a couple of times with the help of a portal. They didn't realise what was going on, but I hadn't met any murlocs yet. God knows what kind of spell they would hit me with.
Anyway, everything was leaning towards the fact that I urgently needed a homunculus.
Still, I didn't deny myself the pleasure of admiring Stormgrad, the fragrant capital of the people, which, by the way, was very noisy. I could hear the wailing screech of hippogriffs from afar and the unceasing voices of the humans behind the white, high walls of the gates. They seemed so large that the sky itself disappeared in front of them.
All I could see was that wall and the great white bridge over the water. And the guards who stood silently in front of it day and night, guarding the peace of the citizens.
And everything about it inspired me to new feats, but as soon as I was fooled into taking a step toward them, darkness flashed before my eyes. I froze and blinked, feeling a cold swarm of goosebumps run through my body.
What is this...? Why did my eyes go dark? I recoiled and shook my head, looking around. There, now I could see again, and I saw other heroes before me go in there, passing through the gates and.... darkness fell.
Why?
As I stepped further away, I regained my sight. Why was this happening?
Countless heroes before me who had entered Stormgrad had disappeared without a trace.
***
I left Stormgrad and headed towards the settlement, which was very close by. As I walked, I pondered the darkness that had enveloped my eyes as I tried to approach the Alliance Capital.
My predecessors would walk in there, and then I would stop seeing their future. I didn't know what this had to do with, but what was happening was giving me unpleasant thoughts.
Usually my Fate Reading allowed me to see how the heroes met their deaths, but this time my eyes were dark, as if I was going through the same thing they were and didn't have time to understand.
I looked up at the high walls of Stormgrad peering out from behind the thick foliage of the trees, and an unfriendly, cool breeze blew across my face.
Only now did I look closer at the frowning clouds that curled over the city, and I sensed the hidden threat that had been harboured before me until now. Someone or something was lurking in the Kingdom, and it was waiting for me to come.
***
Goldland was the largest city in Elwyns Forest. It was located at the crossroads of the Kingdom's main tracts and was a popular trading city through which supplies to Stormgrad passed.
In a nutshell, it was the perfect place to start getting to grips with the new world.
I repent, I had been overly cautious all this time, but by the third month I was starting to have serious problems with loneliness.
After all, humans are social creatures, and all I did was work on the Esdes homunculus.
The main houses in Goldenland were the Lion's Pride tavern and the forge, where a great blacksmith and a couple of workers sat. There were also guards walking around the place day and night because the townsfolk had a constant problem with kobolds and wolves. In addition to these creatures, there were morlocks, gnolls and brigands living somewhere nearby.
However, despite these kinds of difficulties, people walked around the city calmly and seemed to be used to these kinds of dangers.
Entering the city and getting to know the people here was not as scary as it might have seemed at first. To the guards, I introduced myself as a traveller from faraway lands, and they took it for granted without too many questions. Apparently because of the mentality of the local people, who were too busy to suspect each other with the constant fight against the Brotherhood and all sorts of mischief.
The first thing I did was to go into the tavern and meet Farley, the innkeeper, whose motto was:
'Rest and rest for all the weary and shivering!'
It wasn't exactly cold in the Elwyn Forest, but it could get a little chilly at night, so almost every traveller stopped here and warmed themselves by the fireplace.
With Farley I discussed a couple of things that interested me. Firstly, I ordered food and had a bite to eat, comparing the price and quality of the chowder served. It turned out that the quality and price were identical when I was near Farley and when I was about twenty metres away from him, the price increased by a couple of coppers.
But the most interesting thing was that the food I bought at the System smelled just like food prepared by Farley or his wife.
It turned out that the System did not sell unique items in its shop, but reproduced existing items in Azeroth. In fact, any item could be found in all of Kalimdor or any other continent in Azeroth.
I don't know why, but a couple of thoughts ran through my mind: for example, it was a way to protect the world from breaking the laws of reality. I took only existing materials, and whatever I did, I could always say I'd taken it from a vendor or traded it on another continent. And could never question the truth.
How does that work in practice? Watch this.
- Hey, Farley, can I have some more of your chowder and puffed bread, mate?
- Sure! Right away, mate!
Now voila...I bought Farley's chowder and bread from the System shop, after which I discreetly placed them on the table. After just a couple of minutes, Farley came out of the kitchen and froze in surprise at my table.
- Oh... I didn't bring you food, did I?
- But here it is? Didn't you make it? - I asked.
Farley suspiciously put his chowder and bread on the opposite table. He walked over to the copies I had bought of his own food from the System shop, and froze in thought.
- Hmm... am I imagining things? It smells exactly like my wife's chowder!
- I don't mind if you try it,' I said with growing curiosity.
- Well, if you don't mind.
Farley took the spoon and scooped up the broth, then put it in his mouth and tasted it.
- I swear! I don't remember bringing you this broth, but by a thousand wolves, it's my wife's broth! It's marvellous.
- Tell me about it.
I spent almost one silver on this test, but I don't regret it. The result is amazing! My theory was absolutely and precisely justified.
I could buy everything that existed in the world of Warcraft.
The only problem was the price... just thinking about the cost of Frostmourne sent a chill down my spine.
I had the impression that it would be easier to snatch this blade from Arthas' hands than to buy it through the System's shop. I wasn't that interested in it, though, because I didn't want to give my soul to the Lich King after all.
Well, well... we've had our fun and that's enough. With a sense of accomplishment and after a long-awaited dialogue with people, I went back to the Elvin forest, where I opened a portal to the Creator's Space and returned to you....
... Oh my sweet Esdes.