Today was the fifth day of the week, and I was nose to the grindstone to identify the other cartloads of ore the moment I entered the lab. The three crates they had come in were kept on my shelf with the lids popped off and the first one having “ZINC” written on it in bold letters. I could take the time to refine the entire crate today, but I would like to keep the refining process on hold until I had some place to put the impurities that weren't just a box in the corner. Tim seemed to really want that sulfur for some reason, but then again Tim wanted everything I touched. I had caught the little devil chomping on one of my hammers when I had my back turned, and I was honestly surprised that his little teeth could munch through refined copper like that.

Time to identify box two. The chunk was greenish-orange with a tiger pattern of copper and something else. This ore would take a few tries to figure out what it was, but thankfully the mana sensor was able to give me some properties, such as a slight magnetic reaction. That was useful to know, since I could only think of three metals that would do that. The first metal I tried to isolate was the one I wanted most: iron. After a few minutes of nothing from the filter runes I determined that this wasn’t a viable source of it, which was only a slight disappointment. Next I would try to isolate the metal I hoped it wasn’t: cobalt. Another dud, thankfully, which left me with one option to try: nickel.

Now I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this, but having a metal tougher than copper even by a small percentage was still handy. At this point it looked like I was going to be making nothing but batteries with all of this zinc and nickel. Well, if I stayed with my original idea of using magic to make Earth machines then running everything off of batteries was a decent fallback in case I couldn’t have a reliable source of electricity production. Whatever I use it for, I did like having them here and identifiable. A big “NICKEL” was written on the second crate and the sample returned for later refining.

The last box was the one I had the highest hopes for. This stuff was everywhere down in the mines, and a vast majority of the wall had at least some striations of this ore. Holding the red rock in my hand I could see the inner metal specks glitter on the surface. Alright sensor runes, tell me what you see. Non-magnetic, awful mana conduction, but the weight was lower than anticipated. Could this be what I thought it was?

I focused in on the concept of aluminum being my target and activated the filter, and after a few seconds I began to see the rock crumble to dust around the specks. Unlike the zinc, this rock was more than ready to fall apart to give me the aluminum in less than ten minutes. I noticed that running the filter afterwards caused the metal to fluctuate in color as it kept becoming oxidized only to be purified repeatedly. Fascinating, but also a waste of mana. The third crate received a simple “AL” to denote its contents, which bothered me because I hadn’t written the abbreviated form on the others. The careful application of the filter rune running on one finger worked just like an eraser, giving me three crates with a pair of letters each.

That didn’t take nearly as long as I had hoped, so I guess it was on to the next project. I had gotten a new tool for the workshop from the most unassuming place possible during my mother-daughter spa day, and all it took was me walking by one of the vents in the lover levels. This place seems to have rudimentary air filters on the ducts, and in some places the runes that pull the air down there work to powderize a lot of sand that gets sucked into the ventilation. That meant that with a sufficient setup, I could make a sand-blaster, casting sand, and a concrete mixture of my own from the very desert around me. I had no way of really testing to see if it would work well for the purposes I needed it for, but the idea was still viable given the right circumstances.

For now I just needed to test binding agents with the sand, and it turned out that the workshop had plenty of those. There were greases, oils, water, clay, powdered mushrooms, and a white dust that became a sludge when mixed with water. I would probably stick with the powders and water for now, and probably use some of the chalk that could be turned to dust that was abundant on the upper floors. I mixed up around ten piles of the potential casting sands on the table with a written content ratio on the table. My temporary assistant, Vimna, helped me to make a variety of shapes from the piles. My little sandcastles were in neat rows, and her horde of sand-persons stood in a pack ready to attack.

Goofy sand shenanigans aside, I found that four of the mixtures had properties I liked and would attempt to make molds from once I had something to cast. That could wait for tomorrow though, as it was nearing the end of shift as we placed little scales and metal shards in the hands of the new knighted sand-warriors. Vimna certainly had a way of making me get sidetracked with following along with her sporadic train of thought and wild imagination. I didn't mind playing the part of the cool big sister one bit, and I genuinely wished to encourage her imagination to grow.

I made my way home once again with Tim scurrying after me like the goober he was. Not many paid him any mind, and those that did would always remark that he was energetic for his kind. Maybe all of this strange food and exercise was making him more active than a normal bug. As long as he's happy and playful I won't stress over it.

I was back in the hobby room drafting up another design when Mibata slunk into the room to take a seat in the corner pit. He and Tim had gotten along quite well, though I suspect it was more of a mutual trade of resources between them. Mibata would experiment with his transmutation magic with Tim's shell as a reference, and Tim would get scratches for being a good boy. How does something with metal for a shell even feel when it's being touched? I'm a mechanic with a preference for physical sciences, not a biologist.

I was just putting the finer details on a prototype weapon design when Mibata let out a surprised gasp.

"Kayrux, could I borrow your attention for a minute?"

I made my way over quickly, unsure if I was supposed to read his tone as excited or afraid. He had cradled in his lap by one arm the ball form of Tim, and with his free hand he was tapping his index claw against the shell. The light tapping sound was noticeably different from normal claws tapping on metal. I looked closely at the brown claw now held still for me to see, noting that the claw began to shift into a gray gradient halfway down until the very tip where it turned to a completely metallic point. I couldn't contain my overwhelming joy that he had finally figured out his magic. Goodness me, he's been writing messages with me every night to talk about our work days, and he's been trying to make a breakthrough non-stop ever since Tuleni's visit with the wand.

"I have finally made progress, meager though it is. I can attribute a fair portion of the credit to the wonderful creature I hold now. Without his marvelous shell as my muse I would not have made such a discovery."

I nudged his arm gently while shaking my head, but my meaning wasn't understood. With a roll of my eyes and a message on the slate I got it through to him.

"That's not true! You would have found a way forward eventually, and the progress you've made is only going to get better from here on out. Today it's a single claw, tomorrow it will be your whole arm. I believe in you!"

His eyes quickly drifted to the floor as he hugged Tim close to to hide his smile. Aw, don't be like that! Sliding down into the space next to him I put my arm around him for a sideways hug. Words could never explain just how proud I was of him.

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Thinking of his magic usage I wondered how much power he had in reserve. I could scan him to learn what his maximum mana capacity was and see just how large his mana lines were. Hold on now, that's a clear violation of his privacy if I analyze him without asking! I wiped my slate clean so I could ask for permission, though I was sure to explain exactly what I intended to do.

"Hey Mibata, I have a request. One of my runes allows me to gather information about mana and it's flow when I touch something, and I was wondering if you would maybe allow me to use it on you. I've never scanned another person before, and the only living thing I've used it on was Tim. It could feel invasive and it might tell me more information than I intend it to, so if you don't want me to scan you I won't."

He read the message slowly, his chocolate eyes latching onto certain words after rereading it twice. He gently rolled Tim from his lap and turned himself to face me.

"If it might help me understand why my magic is resisting my attempts to control it, I would readily accept. I trust you and your abilities, Kayrux, and I am certain that you will not cause me any harm."

Alright, just for that I'm putting triple safety limiters on each scanner array. The excessively bulky set of runes made the mana line feel stiff and ached as though I were pinching a nerve, but the health of my brother was more important than my own comfort. The runes lit up after being drip fed their needed mana, and all that was left was for me to put my hand over his source. I double checked with him via locked eyes to confirm that he was ready, and after his nod of affirmation I set my hand over his heart.

Pieces of information passed through my sensors, which took more than a few seconds for my mind to process into usable knowledge.

Mibata was his name.

He had 25 mana points in his source with a maximum of 30.

Transmutation magic was his specialty, and a lingering spell was still in effect on his finger for the next hour.

Mana resistance, spell power, and source growth rate were all displayed in numerical single digits.

His ailment was caused by a scar that had formed along his source, the likely cause being the immense strain that he had put on his magic subconsciously before having Tuleni guide him on disabling it.

Ugh, now the information is beginning to get all muddled and if I push the sensors any harder they'll start changing like the wind rune. I pulled my hand back and went over the information I had gained with Mibata. Our review left him surprisingly calm despite me telling him that his mana source was stunted.

"That does explain the challenge I had experienced in reaching this point. Yes, it is disappointing to learn that my own misuse was the cause of my difficulties, but knowing it now will allow me to make progress towards repairing the damage done. Wisdom is the key to advancement, and your assistance has made me wiser. Thank you."

Feeling disappointed that I couldn't do more, I slumped to the side next to little Tim and ran a finger over the grooves in his shell. Mibata reached down and scratched the space between my right side horns, which I had learned was a uniquely kobold way of saying "Don't feel bad" to someone. He left the room a moment later to respond to a call from our father, then not long after I heard my own name from Humey for dinner. Eat now and brood later you mopey sack of scales.

…

Work was boring today. All of the casting sand had crumbled save for one hardy sand warrior, and I didn't have the heart to slay such a valiant knight. Vimna had no such hesitation when I said that she could take all of the sand for herself, prompting her to scoop it all into a bucket and make off with Tim to the back wall. You two have fun, I'm just going to be making more tools.

The copper saw blade and drill bit I had weren't very durable, but they were easily replaced due to the abundance of copper pins and sheets that could be worked into shape. Besides, once I was able to make one of each they could be used to make their own replacements, and using the replacements I was able to make parts for other machines. This eventually led to me having enough backups that I felt comfortable making two new motors in an altered configuration than the original tube shape. One was a round device that simply rotated its topmost plate at a slow speed even when not actively powered almost akin to a pottery wheel. When powered it would act as a disc sander, using a series of runes that would act a capacitors and small batteries to run it longer without touching it. The other was a more compact version of the drill, this one made to prioritize reaching a high rotation speed to function as a magic rotary tool.

The end of the day came as I was cleaning the grease from between my scales, making me follow the line of paycheck-receiving kobolds while still furiously scrubbing at the grime. I was always last in line due to being at the far back of the shop, so I didn't worry about being caught off guard by Vynrashu. That is what I thought, until he was looming over my shoulder. I slowly turned my head to meet his eyes, all while holding back the surprised reaction I wanted to release.

"Heya kid, I thought I'd come and talk to you personally while one of my boys handles the pay situation. Show me to you lab, would you?"

I couldn't really say no, he was my boss after all. I cautiously nodded along and went back into the caged off area, where he began to look around in awe.

"I love what you've done with the place. Drawings, schematics, gizmos and ores: this is a real inventor's domain. By the way, why is there sand all over the floor, and who is this little fella eating a hammer?"

Oh, I forgot that Tim was here and hadn't officially met my boss. I passed him my writing board to explain.

"His name is Tim, he is my pet. He's gentle and doesn't cause any problems, but I can't get him to stop following me. The sand was part of an experiment. I can clean it up if you would like."

The cocky supervisor just shrugged as he passed that plank back to me.

"It's your area, so you get to say how much sand you want on the floor and how many cavern cleaners you keep. So long as it stays in these walls, it's your show. Speaking of shows, I'm here to see how much progress you've made. I have to pay you for your work, but I don't know what it is you've been making in here. Sure, I could just come down here and find out myself, but where would the fun be in that? Hah!"

Huh, I hadn't considered how this arrangement would work out when it came to earning money. Perhaps he wanted a demonstration of what I've crafted? Yeah, he definitely wants a live fire test. I grabbed a plate of copper from the rack and propped it up against the wall before handing him a written breakdown of how a power drill worked. As he read I exchanged the regular bit for one I had tipped with just a little piece of Iron I had gotten from my broken pick, which I knew would have vastly more impressive results than the original copper bit.

He watched as I revved the machine to life and began shaving my way through the inch thick panel. The bit barely held on long enough to reach the other side, allowing me to hook a finger through the plate and hand it to Vynrashu. He looked the breach over and nodded in approval.

"I like it. We've been having to use steam punchers to make holes in plates, but those things border on being death machines half the time. This looks a lot safer, even if it is slower. This is good work, and deserves-"

The show isn't over yet bucko, I still have more to show! I snatched the slate from him and made another detailed explanation of my next machine, the saw, and readied it against a copper pipe bridging the gap between the tables. He watched in silence as I tore through it at full speed, then followed the clatter of metal on the floor with applause.

"Wow, you have been busy! Two inventions in one week is really-"

No commentary until the end, please. Next I explained the rotary tool on the board, and before he even had time to finish reading I was already carving a smiley face into a big rock Vimna had left on the floor. He seemed perplexed by the object, but was even more confused when I sat it atop the spinning platform on the table. He stepped close to inspect it and accidentally touched the silver piece, causing the rock to slide off the fast spinning plate to clatter on the table.

What's the matter boss, you look a little pale. He was chewing on his thumb claw absently as he tried to gather his thoughts. A short while later he took a deep breath, then put both hands together in a praying pose over his mouth.

"You know how I said you were going to change things around here? Yeah… I meant that you would do so over your entire career here, not in the first month. I’m speechless. Just…how? Why? You can’t keep doing things like this."

Point taken. Counterpoint: I'm just getting started, and this is just the beginning. His look of concern only deepened as I felt my smile twisted into a devious grin.