Stepping through the doorway of the workshop was like stepping back into a factory back on Earth, from the smell of oil and burnt metal to the sound of hammers putting pins and rivets in place. The door that I had come in from was situated on the middle layer of the chamber, with the entire floor being made from metal platforms and catwalks held aloft by pillars and cables. Above was a more barren catwalk area where different pulleys and winches were mounted, from which would hang platforms that brought projects from the floor below to the one I stood on.

The projects that I could see ongoing were something to behold. Enormous boilers piped torrents of steam into heavy duty pistons and valves, allowing entire teams of kobolds to run machines that would bend plates of metal into curved or angular pieces. Some unfinished builds were easily discerned by their obvious shapes, such as the skeleton form of a train in the far back and the disassembled pump lying on a table nearby. Others were not easily recognizable: was I looking at a partially completed waste grinder or is it the early design of an oversized potato peeler? I didn’t know, but I knew that I would after I made a name for myself.

As I wandered around the workshop aimlessly I began to notice the stares I was receiving. Some would flick their eyes on me for only a moment, while others would openly gawk at my presence. I didn’t let them interrupt me as I analyzed the different innovations being made real around the open room. Over the sound of the various laboring kobolds I heard my name being called, but from where I did not know. Something round and dense bounced off of the top of my head, and looking up I could see the sender of the falling object descending from the higher floor upon a slowly uncoiling winch.

This kobold was astonishing to look at: bright purple and silver scales, muscles defining every contour of their body, and a hefty sledgehammer slung over one shoulder. The stench of lubricant grew ever potent as the roided out lizard came closer to the catwalk floor, and the distinct pheromones of a male in his prime years. His smile was wide, and in those red eyes I could see a brilliance seldom shared. Once within safe dropping distance he let go of the hook he had arrived on, landing on his tail like a spring to toss himself back into a standing pose right before me. What a show-off.

“Watch your head, new girl. Hah! So, you’re our new inventor? Odd… you seem pretty young. Maybe the scanner went wacky again and put you in the wrong job. Ah, that’s enough fooling around. Go on, introduce yourself then.”

The odds of this lunk being able to read were slim, but if I could confound him enough he might go and get somebody who could read. I should ask first, just to be sure.

“I’m Kayrux. Can you read?”

The muscle man’s eyes looked to the slate for a brief instance before returning to my face.

“Good to meet you Kayrux. Yes, I can read. Let me guess, you’ve got something wrong with your voice? That makes you Bahruk’s kid, the same one that caused the ruckus at the altar a little while back. How are your brothers doing then? Last I heard they were pretty far from okay, but they’re some sturdy lads so they should be healed up by now. Well, if you’re anything like your father you’ll find this place can be quite welcoming to oddballs. We only got the message that we should be expecting a new inventor a minute ago, so we haven’t had the time to get you a proper place cleared. Alright girlie, follow me, we’ll get you set up on a rebuild crew to get you situated. Gotta see what those hands can do before we let you run your own show. Hah! Wouldn’t that be a mess? Oh, right, I never told you my name, it’s Vynrashu, though everyone around here just calls me “chief”. Come over here, we’ll take a ride down to the ground floor. Hand up here, foot on there. Alright, here we go!”

The words he spoke were flying out at rocket speed. Why did he have to talk so fast? I followed behind him, and the entire time he just kept on asking questions that he would either answer himself or just change topics. After an uncomfortable walk across the catwalks and ride down on a slowly descending platform we arrived at an area that had been set aside from the larger work stations for the use of tables and containers. There were a handful of people here at their own workspace taking devices apart and inspecting the internal components, then reassembling them to test them. Oh, it’s a repair shop, that makes sense.

Vynrashu stepped close to one of the kobolds, a particularly agitated looking red guy who was elbow deep in a gutted machine, then began to babble on just as quickly as before.

“Dobo, pal, how is the rebuild going? Hah! Just joking, I already know that you’re keeping things running smooth down here. So listen, this here is our new inventor Kayrux and she’s going to be lending a hand until we can get her set up. You’re alright if she works over here just for this week, right buddy?”

“Yes chief, bu-”

“Great, that’s what I knew you’d say Dobo! I’m needed by the rail-makers, so I can’t chatter too long. By the way, the inlet port on that looks corroded, so get that changed while you’re at it. Oh wait, I’m supposed to be over at the railway machine to get the boiler pinned in. That’s what a big hammer is for, after all. Hah! Oh, before I forget: Kayrux here can’t speak. Well, I better be off!”

The buff-bold wasted no time in swaggering away before anyone could contest his manners. His attitude, way of thoughtlessly speaking, and lack of any regard for what others had to say was grinding at something in the back of my mind, something I recognized from my human life: entitlement. That guy didn’t work to earn his status, he was handed it on a silver platter. The fact that he was so verbose and capable of reading meant that he was educated, which from what I’d been told was a sign of higher standing. The fact that being considerate enough to explain my situation came as an afterthought for him further cemented my opinion of him at a low level.

The kobold who was still up to his biceps in the guts of the unknown machine let out a tired sigh.

“Greetings newcomer. Me Dobo, rebuild captain. Would shake hands, but took two hours getting parts lined up. Can’t move or they fall out. Waiting for helper, supposed to be getting fixing pins from smith. Still waiting, probably.”

His head drooped until he was looking at the floor. His arms were pinched where they were at, and the scales in the area were scuffed from the friction. I couldn’t just leave him like this for however long it would take for his helper to come back.

There was a substantial crowd outside the doors to the forge, so it’s likely that his assistant got caught up in all that fuss. That put him in a tight spot, since something beyond his control was happening that could possibly set him back all that time. I’ve been in the same situation before, and I knew how awful it felt when your boss gave you hell for it. Well, I technically was asked to “lend a hand”, so let’s see if I can free up two of them.

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Before I went and stuck my fingers where they might get harmed, I had to figure out what exactly this thing was. It had one large intake on the top, which as mentioned before was corroded from exposure to steam, and an outlet vent on the back for the same high temperature gasses. Looking into the vent and intake respectively, I was able to see that the inner workings were all attached to a horizontal drive shaft, on which was a bladed wheel that looked somewhat like a water wheel. The other parts were held by pulleys and gears that connected to a copper coil at the bottom. A pair of hands were wrapped around the mounting structure for the main drive, holding the metal wheel above the delicate coil. It couldn’t be…

Speculate later, assistance first. My eyes flicked between all of the tools laid out across the table, looking for something I could use to hold things in place. Just then I noticed that a bin under the table was full of rubbish, and specifically a frayed length of wiring. Taking the wire from the bin and a bar from off of the floor, I reached into the intake and began to run the wire in long loops on each side of the shaft until there was no more length. Holding the makeshift suspension device out of the port I put the metal bar across the hole and tightened the line until it was taut. Not my best work, but this makeshift sling would allow my new comrade to get his arms free.

I tapped on the kobold’s shoulder, then made a motion of pulling my arms toward myself.

“What? But it’ll… wait one bit, you tied it?”

Carefully, the arms of the repairman slid free of the narrow window he had been working from, and to his relief there was no sound of anything being moved within. Pushing himself up onto the table, he began to eye my improvised solution carefully. A smirk came to his features as he hopped down and extended his hand to me in an offered greeting. We shook, and I could feel the firm grip was one born of respect and thanks.

“You clever lass, even Dobo not think that. Chief say your name Kayrux, our new inventor. Bright mind like yours needed here, though I need ask how you talk. Hope not mind magic, icky stuff.”

I smiled and nodded in agreement. I don’t like having anyone else in my skull either. I wrote my reply and turned it towards him, but to my dismay he seemed to be lost.

“Um… Dobo not reader. Sorry. How about use thumb sign: up for yes, down for no, that work?”

Thumbs up from me.

“Alright! So, since Dobo no longer stuck, let's show the shop. Best start where Dobo work. This table for thunder chargers, Dobo own design, Dobo fix them, wish had better metal every day. Kayrux know thunder charger?”

Thumbs down, sorry pal.

“Oh! Dobo need zap power for new machine, but only thunder magic make zap power. Dobo discover way of making thunder magic from spin things. Use steam make flap wheel spin for turning special metals inside. Special metals make thunder, which makes zap power follow wires.”

That’s exactly what I thought it was. Dobo is on the right track towards making a fully functioning steam generator, albeit an inefficient one. House the generator separately from the turbine and do away with the unnecessary pulleys, and you’d have a much higher output. Damn, if this guy was able to read some of the things I wrote about electronics, he could very well turn this steampunk sweatshop into a true machine shop. I could do it myself, but i’m a mechanical sorta gal and stealing this guy’s thunder, figurative or literal, was not what I wanted to do. I’m sure I can point him in the right direction though.

After he had gotten through explaining his creation, and a quick hydration break, he took me on a tour of the area he was in charge of. Under his command were five kobolds of various specializations, each assigned their own table and repair job. There were all kinds of things they had going on, such as water boilers and ventilation systems, a disassembled winch, and one was even taking apart an enchanted machine that would convert mana into water. So many of the machines around here finally explained how a society tunneled miles deep into a mountain was able to keep the place habitable, while also revealing just how difficult it was to maintain such a huge population with substandard materials. If these machine freaks had access to steel, they’d surely be moving ahead with new projects on a weekly basis.

Dobo was kind enough to introduce me to his crew, who were all very kind to me and were understanding of my nonverbal nature. The first he introduced was his younger sister Gerch, who shared his bright red color with orange spots, as well as a passion for electrical devices. The other three were Hitkova the enchanter with navy blue with black eyes, Zokkos the plumber who had a kind of chimerism giving them a forest green left half with a stony gray right side, and Stecks the riveter wearing the shiniest coat of black and yellow scales like a poison dart frog. Dobo had quite the colorful crew, and all of them were eager to see what I could do.

For the next few hours I would be shown around the workshop, familiarized with where all of the tools and parts were kept, and shown where the designs were kept in a locked room. As we went between all of the areas I was absently running the numbers in my head, while also keeping up with what Dobo was showing me. This place had some decent tools and facilities, and could be improved just like the thunder charger. I might be a bit presumptuous, but I saw so many ways that this workshop could be streamlined to the benefit of the people working here.

The two of us were back at his work table, where he was explaining how he had tried using thunder runes to make his early prototypes, when a young kobold ran in with a small crate held in their arms. They were short, and had tears in their eyes that rolled down their bright red scales. Those emerald green eyes were the same as Dobo’s, though instead of pride they were tinged with worry.

“Da, I back. My sorry, was lotta peopo. Told me wait, so waited. No wanna make da mad, told me wait long.”

Dobo’s face went from mild irritation to the look of a tired father.

“Oh, sweetest girl, you didn’t make Dobo mad. Here, give me those, you sit there. Zokkos! Give us some water.”

In short order there was a cup of water brought over to the sniffling girl, who greedily drank the contents. From the way that the others asked from their stations about her wellbeing I could tell that she was a part of the crew, though probably not an actual worker. Her emerald eyes were locked onto me, and like a cautious cat I could see her tail lashing to and fro behind her. Dobo returned, which set off the girl’s curiosity.

“Da, who is? New fren?”

Her father chuckled and gave her a pat on the head.

“Yes, sweetest. Her name Kayrux, she works here now. She very smart, but no voice. Be nice, say hello.”

The girl said nothing, though she offered me a small wave that I returned with enthusiasm and a smile. I thought about how I was just as little as her two Earth months ago, and how she will probably begin learning and growing at a terrifying pace someday soon. Still, it was nice to see that child-rearing was just as important for others as it was for my folks.

For a short while it was just the people around me that registered. The crew would entertain the girl’s rampant curiosity or give her simple tasks. She seemed so eager to help, even if all she was doing was holding a tool for them. Dobo had left the pins on the table, so I once again lent a hand and put the metal pieces into place to hold the generator together. A hand prodded at my ribs as I fiddled with the fittings, drawing my attention to Dobo and his daughter holding hands.

“Alright Kayrux, shift almost over. Should take little Vimna back in den. I thank you tomorrow, unstuck arms save Dobo tail scales.Don’t work too hard, newcomer. Say bye sweetest.”

“Bah!”

“We work that later. Good sleep, Kayrux.”

For the next hour, until all of the other workers had left the hazy workshop, I toiled on fixing the machine left behind while making notes on how it was constructed. Soon enough I heard someone calling my name, and was elated to see my trio of brothers standing up on the catwalk by the door. None of the lifts were running, so it was up the stairs hidden by the far wall and across the full length of the workshop instead. They looked worn out, but all limbs and scales were intact, so I suppose they must have had busy days of their own. I couldn’t wait to get home so we could share our stories.