Vynrashu was understandably shaken after what must have equated to being thrown head-first into the brick wall that was modern tools. I’m not ashamed to admit that seeing him reeling from the shock brought me some sick satisfaction, and watching his lizard brain do cartwheels as he tried to understand it all made me giggle inside. His facade of confidence and assuredness had completely crumbled, leaving only a lost expression on his face. Leaning back on the workshop stool he reared his head back and groaned in exasperation.
“Kid, I think we may have had one too many misunderstandings between us. Ehehe, you see, I cannot keep up with this speed you’re going at in a physical aspect. The norm is that inventors make one or two machines per year, and are paid a sum by their boss for the completion of the project while their pay gets an increase from the selling of their creation. This way the workshop keeps an uphill money situation and the inventor is rewarded. The problem comes from production: I don’t have enough people to make more of these tools you’ve shown. Maybe if I took a few workers with smaller hands from the big projects over there, then maybe I can start making some of these to sell. All four? No way, but maybe just one of them to help offset some of the workload these can replace, then we can move more workers around after and do it all over again.”
Okay, that made sense. Manpower was his limiting factor, and if I wanted to change things up around here I would need to reduce the required manpower per task. I chalked up the question of which tool he wanted me to give him, which he pondered for a moment.
“Hmm. I would like the drill schematics. As I said before, hole punchers are dangerous and use a lot of steam to operate, but if we can switch to something that does the same task without ripping off limbs when it misfires I will take it without delay.”
Dobo was right about this guy when he said that he values his crew. Dang it, now I’m starting to feel bad for spooking him. I went over to my table where I had the schematic breakdown of the magic power drill laid out, but a sudden spark of realization hit me. I grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment and began to make notes on both the old and new schematic I was making while Vynrashu perused my workshop. The clatter of rocks from behind me followed by a chunk of unprocessed aluminum being laid next to my inkpot drew my attention.
“I hate to be nosy, but were you planning on refining ores in my workshop?”
I glanced up at him to see his concerned face had returned. I quickly scrawled out a new message before returning to my drawing.
“Yes. Copper is the main resource available to me, and it doesn’t meet my needs. I was going to make alloys from some of the overlooked metals I had purchased from the mines, which will exceed the copper tools considerably.”
A pair of elbows thumped into the table next to me as my boss let out yet another tired sound. Unexpectedly he leaned in close and spoke in a slightly hushed voice.
“I may have made a mistake in letting you take this spot down here, but I’m glad you did. You see, better materials and tools are kept up on the top floor for use by the veteran inventors, but they’re not the sharing type. They have things like iron, brass, bronze, and some even specially requested materials like gems and glassworks. Now I can already see that you’re going to figure out how to make your own stuff down here, which I approve of, but I know you don’t have the materials needed for it. I can’t move the resources up there or divert any of our funds down here, but I can get you in touch with some of the material suppliers. Spent wisely, your pay could get you the same if not better materials.”
I glanced around the empty workshop wondering who he was trying to keep out of earshot, but as far as my eyes, ears, nose, and magic detecting ability could tell we were alone. Why was he being so helpful yet also secretive whenever trying to help me? I tried to take my slate back, but his arm jerked back to keep it from me.
“Before you get too excited, I would like to set a few small rules to keep us from having any further incidents, alright? I’m not enjoying the back talk I’m getting from the upper level teams. They have their claws over the money and are very unhappy with your repeated bonus earnings. To keep this from becoming a repeat issue I want you to keep your inventing to a slow pace or at the very least a secret from them. Next I want you to keep your purchases coming into the shop in that same level of secrecy or moderation to keep them from sniffing around down here. Lastly, you have to keep your area locked up at any time you aren’t here. I’ll put a lock on it once you’re out of here tonight and pass you the key the week after. Are we clear on these rules?”
I nod* my head to confirm, but really I had no idea what he was on about. Why was there so much tension in the upper ranks around here, and why of all people was the boss man himself trying to get me on his side of it? Wait, his dad is one of the elders, maybe that means that he’s caught up in the same political tar pit that I’ve been subject to. This meant that he was either on the same side as me, or he was in league with that gray-scaled bastard.
“Good. Now, we better wrap things up in here while there’s nobody watching. Are you almost done with those schematics?”
I looked over them one more time to ensure that all of the necessary details were correct, then passed him the two sheets. He looked them over and read the notes I had made on each as his face went from a serious glare to a surprised look of awe.
“Did you just make this variant design during our chat? I’m amazed! You have a magic version as well as a steam powered one, each with details explaining the metals that would work best for each part. What are these measurements you have here, Otes? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Oh boy, how do I explain that mana as he knows it is made of much smaller dots of energy that range in the millions and billions? No way other than a written explanation, which I just so happen to have on the table alongside the physical reference cubes. I handed him the whole set of blocks and their reference material, and once more he cycled the entire emotional spectrum.
“I don’t believe it. You… how did you even manage such a thing?”
Snatching my writing board from the table in front of him I jotted down a simple explanation that my magic was unique and could detect magic in its smallest size, and with practice I could measure distance by chaining it together. I even demonstrated it by making a thread of mana between my thumb and index, but it was obvious that he couldn’t see it with his own senses.
“I’ll take your word for it, but apart from you there isn’t anyone able to confirm these numbers or theories of mana. Gods, I’ve never heard of anything larger than millions, yet you tell of millions of millions. My head pulses trying to imagine such a number. I will omit the measurements you have left and replace them with equal lengths using the system of marks, not because they couldn’t use your numbers but because it will go faster if they used something they were familiar with. I hope this doesn't upset you.”
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You don’t need to ask my permission to use whatever tactic gets the job done right, nor would it make me angry that you did what was necessary. Vynrashu accepted my courteous nod as a sign of acceptance, as I hoped he would.
“Oh, could I also ask to borrow your prototype drill? I have a pal of mine who can get me some tough bits made of iron like how you noted here, and if I turn the drill over to him he can fine-tune the drill for use. You’ll get it back, and I’ll throw in a couple “drill bits” as you call them for free.”
This was another one of his strangely generous offers, but unlike last time he was speaking to me in a completely serious tone devoid of his posturing or false grins. I held out my hand for a handshake, and after a few seconds he grasped the concept as well as my hand.
“Thanks ki- Kayrux. Sorry, I should probably be more respectful of you now that you’re officially working with me as an inventor out of training. Oh boy, look at the time: we’ve been yapping over here way too long! Let’s get you paid and on your way home before somebody gets the wrong idea about either of us. Hah! Sorry, bad habit of mine. Come on, let’s move our tails before we start growing mushrooms.”
…
Vynrashu. What an odd guy. I still couldn’t trust him until I knew whose son he was, but from his actions and way of behaving I could predict that he would prioritize his people before selfish gain. Maybe if he turns out to be on my side I could trust him with some of my more aggressive designs to pitch to his squads of loyal crafters, or even get his help on assembling some larger machines. If he wasn’t on my side, perhaps I could persuade him to switch sides for the sake of his people. I wish I didn’t have to think of everything as if it were a war, but to me it was a war between me and the unknown motives of the elders.
I looked down at the blank parchment of my hobby room work table, unsure of what I wanted to draw. All of the creative ideas and Earth-born devices I knew of were hidden behind a fog of doubt and insecurities in my head. I crossed my arms over themselves and hung my head low with my snout pressed into my collar bone so as to not bump the table. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Was this how things were always going to be?
The stress was piling up in the back of my mind, and my emotions were spiking into the range of reckless agitation. Urgh, I just wanted to hit something or someone, to punch the world and make it simple once and for all. Why was I thinking like this? It wasn’t going to solve anything. It only made me angry.
A warm presence came to rest on my bicep with a gentle squeeze, and from the corner of my eye I could see the red scales of Humey’s hand.
“Hey Kay, you alright? You’ve been in here a long while, is everything okay?”
Everything is not okay Humey, though I really wish it was. I didn’t feel like myself in a mental sense, my head was hurting again, and everything I had made could be stolen while I was away. No way could I just dump all of that on him, he had his own job and worries to deal with. I jotted down a simple “I’m fine” only to return to my depressive slump. My brother, it seems, did not want to allow this.
“If you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s fine. Would ya want to hear about what’s on my mind? It’s nothing serious, just a different thing to talk about.”
Sure, I could use a little distraction from my mental prison. I finally peeked up at him to see his face, and in the light of the glowing rocks in the wall I could see those red specks in his otherwise black eyes glitter like miniature stars. I gestured for him to take a seat next to me atop Tokols’ chair. He checked over his shoulder at the door before accepting my offer, and almost immediately after sitting down he began to talk.
“So in case you haven’t heard, Tok and I just graduated our training courses for the city guardians, him being a scout and me the explorer, and our first task is gonna be something called a rookie delve. Apparently they’re gonna take all of us rookie guardians from all of the different roles along with a bunch of veterans into the depths. Mom’s gonna be there along with the vice-captain of the guard and half of the other elites to make sure nobody gets killed. Mom says it's gonna be safe, but she’s also daring us to go and outshine all the other recruits because of our high test scores. Apparently I’m a frontier explorer and Tokols got bumped up to recon specialist or something, which mom says means we’ve got to do tougher jobs than regular. The mission should give us a whole week of time to make her proud.”
Overthinking the matter, it sounded a lot like someone was pulling the strings from behind to make sure they were isolated in their respective roles. Perhaps there was someone behind the curtain in league with the leaders making an attempt to sabotage their careers. In a less paranoid line of thinking, it was nice to see their innate talents recognized. Humey’s natural curiosity and steady caution would make him the best field researcher possible, and Tokols had both a magical and natural means of making himself harder to detect on top of his craftiness to back that up. If I were to pick the best candidates for the job, then those two were a sure-pick.
Naturally my second train of thought was attempting to start the worry routine, but logic managed to shut it down. My brothers would be escorted by two of the most terrifying warriors I had ever seen, and both of them had training and equipment to support themselves on their own. I trusted my mother’s assessment wholeheartedly, though I could only pray that if something did happen she would keep her cool and not fly off the handle in a blind rage. Despite my lingering doubts, I still believed in them to come home safe.
I tapped away on my wooden board to to ask him about his other job that he was returning to next week. Something I hadn’t expected to cross his face was a blush and nervous glace towards the door again.
“I, uh, things are good. Lots of nice people down there, even the mine director is kind when he’s not busy. I run my own cart train alone pushing four or five full buckets at a time. It’s tough, but I’ve learned from some of the others how to set a limit on myself and not wear myself out. Any time I have a problem or question, all I gotta do is find somebody and ask.”
I can feel a contradicting statement looming on the horizon. Spill it brother, you can be honest with me. My attempt to coax him into continuing by cocking my head to the side was a success.
“Yeah, there is one thing that bothers me. There’s this other kobold who’s around my size and just as strong. Her name is Duryofe, and she’s kinda like the reliable one the teams all relied on before I came around. Before I came along she was the only one down there who was strong enough to push a cart train on her own.”
Oh no, don’t tell me that she’s the jealous type that hates having her special spot contested. Ugh, I can’t stand people like that. Humey caught my scowl and put his hands up in a defensive wall.
“No, it’s not anything bad, she just doesn’t talk to me is all. I’ve tried being nice to her and introducing myself, but she just walks away every time. I’ve seen her whenever I’m not around and she’s always so happy and nice with the rest of the crew, but I try and get close and she’s gone before I can speak. None of the others have any idea why she’s acting like that. I dunno, it just seems weird is all.”
Huh, I don’t know either. If she were giving him the cold shoulder I’d say it was something like anger or spite, but just fleeing without a word was something weirdly different. What was this nagging feeling in the back of my mind, like I’m skipping over something important? I have no clue, but maybe it’ll make more sense to Juaki. I asked him by slate if he’s talked about it with anyone else yet.
“Naw, it’s not important enough for that. She might just be scared of me, I mean, just look at my eyes. Sometimes I see myself reflected off the pans or water barrel and I get scared of them. I’ll keep my distance from her so she can get used to me being around, and maybe once she starts getting a little comfortable being close by I’ll try talking to her again. What do you think?”
I wrote exactly what I thought at that moment.
“Be yourself Humey. You’re a sweet and honest guy, and given enough time anyone would be able to see that. Prioritize getting to know the rest of the crew and build up a reputation as someone dependable like her. Even if she never warms up to you, which I doubt will happen, don’t take it personally and just keep being you.”
That amazing smile of his made the lights of the room look dim by comparison. I ducked my head as his wide arm wrapped around me and held me in a half hug against his hot scales. There was a spring in his step as he turned out the door to go prepare a supper unlike any other. If only I could shine that brightly.
No sense staring at blank pages all night. I grabbed my book on rune machines and went back to the dorm to read in relative peace for a while, but even reading wasn’t doing it for me. I turned in for the night as soon as I had eaten, and hoped for a dreamless night once again.