The following actions I took were all in what I would call a logical sequence. First I went ahead and informed Dobo that Vimna had expended her mana reserves and was taking a nap in my lab with Tim. He didn’t seem all too surprised by this and helped me get her something warm to cover herself with and some fresh water. After her needs were taken care of, it was over to Hitkova’s area to ask about runes. It was no surprise to me that her workplace was all clean and tidy, but the machine set before her was barely even touched while she was idly reading something off to the side. Zero work ethic, lazy, and self-absorbed to a fault: she was the spitting image of the typical engineering student.

My announcement that I had arrived made by knocking on my slate was waved off with an idle gesture that clearly meant to tell me to leave.

“Busy Dobo, let me work in peace.”

I knocked again, this time getting her attention enough that she slowly turned in her seat to look at me.

“What do wa- oh, it’s you. Sorry, thought were Dobo here to bother me again. What is needed?”

I turned the wooden plank around for her to see what I had written as my fingers drummed on the edge of the slate.

“I need access to more runes. My ideas need to do things that I don’t have any reference points to go from, and I was wondering if an enchanter of your skill had some notes.”

I hated using flattery to get what I wanted, but my guess was that she enjoyed receiving praise for her supposed genius mind. A look of haughty and smug satisfaction wormed its way to her lips, and it took a bit of restraint to keep myself from just walking away now. Fortunately, she seemed to have some self awareness or a measure of insight into how others thought.

“Your words are pretty, but you not need my help. You’re inventor, means you having access to designs locked over there. Key keeper is a lackey named Jooper, I go get him. Go there, I meet soon.”

I remember where the design room was, it was part of my first tour around this place. Each floor had a caged off area filled with drawings of the finished machinery, but it seemed that accessing them required a level of authority that I was fortunate to have gotten as part of being an inventor. I stood by the entrance for a minute or so, long enough that I began to anxiously drum on the back of my slate, before Hitkova and a very thin kobold with scales patterned like a diamondback snake came this way.

The new kobold looked at me with wary eyes as he read over a written note he carried in his hand. As he checked his notes I looked him over and noticed that he was dressed quite differently from the usual nudeness of the normal citizen. He wore a pair of rough glasses and leather gloves, as well as a thick bandolier covered in pouches and hanging tools. There was something about the way he carried himself and kept an eye on the workshop around him that told me that he was another inventor, but there were also signs that he had some job that might be higher on the ladder than my position. One nod of confirmation towards his paper brought his attention to me.

“You’re the newest inventor. I’ll get your key. Stay here.”

Jooper tucked the note into one of his pouches whilst taking a small keyring from his hip to unlock the door. He stepped inside ahead of us and rummaged within one of the cabinets until he found a locked box, from which he produced a key identical to the one used for the room. He handed me the key as he walked by, not bothering to say anything else as he made his way back over to a work area that was constructing a massive boiler of some kind.

Hitkova scoffed as he left, waiting until he was out of earshot before saying what she had on her mind.

“Never relaxes, always working, and sometimes just leaves without talking. Don’t worry, he just weird. Rune stuff far back on the left.”

Was that a hint of a smile I saw on her face, or was it just a trick of the light? She still hadn’t looked at me since he’d left, so I just went ahead and began to dig through the mess of papers within the room. It was obvious that there was some kind of organization here, though it wasn’t numerical or alphabetical by any stretch of the imagination. Oh, I suppose since the most worn down and tattered pages are towards the bottom, it must be chronological. Perhaps this book that depicts a silver rune on the front will tell me something.

A cursory look within the pages showed me a few runic devices that combined multiple different runes in order to achieve a single effect, chief among them was a bookmarked page detailing thunder runes. The bookmark itself was a folded sheet that was an early draft of Dobo's thunder maker. Despite only being sketches without any notes I could see that he had brute forced the issue without the need for words, simply trying every combination until he got a way that worked. My respect for the man doubled after my brain processed just how much effort his achievement must have taken. I pocketed the note carefully and blew some of the dust from the pages gently before bringing the covers together once more.

I was just tucking away my prize when Hitkova spoke abruptly.

“Kayrux, I’m jealous of you.”

Excuse me? I turned to face her and saw that she was still leaning on the doorframe with her arms crossed. The look she wore was a dour one, with her eyes looking to the floor without focus.

“You smart, kind, and friendly. Nothing like me. Been here for barely more than a moon-phase and won the love of the crew. Dobo and family, Zokkos, even Stecks all like you. How long till everyone your friend…”

She looked out across the workshop towards where a large group of kobolds were heaving a large panel across the workshop towards the enormous boiler. Though I couldn’t see her eyes, I knew that she was tracking a particular person in that group that was leading the pack from beneath the huge metal plate. She let out a sigh and shifted her weight back onto her feet before turning her entire body away from me. Her voice was barely audible over the sound of drills and shouts from all around us.

“I don’t hate you yet, so don’t take away my dream.”

With that she sauntered off, though I could feel the weight of her thought weighing her down from here. I went to the same spot she had stood and watched as two heavy chains lifted the copper plate high above the army of workers, and one specific diamond scaled kobold stood out as their leader atop the heavy metal frame. I didn’t know what to make of that side of her, the side that was vulnerable with her feelings, but perhaps she now saw me as a threat. You’re off the mark Hitkova, I don’t play that kind of game with hearts on the line.

I made sure to lock up the design room before going back to my own lab, inside which I found Vimna still dozing off with the iron bug at her side. Good, the more rest she gets the better and I’d be wise not to do anything that would wake her. I didn’t want to practice any more spells right now anyway, especially after learning of a potential misunderstanding that was brewing between me and a colleague. I could just go and explain that I’m not that kind of person to her, but ultimately it would be up to her whether she listened or not. She didn’t strike me as much of an understanding lady, so perhaps just letting her use that supposed intellect of hers to see the truth might be best.

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I’ll just keep my distance from the rest of the ground crew and stick to my lab. It’s not like I want to be anywhere else anyways, since this area would be the place where a gateway to the future would be built. Alright Kayrux, let’s stop fantasizing about delusions of grandeur and actually learn some more rune theory from this archaic tome.

…

I was back home shortly after leaving work, but everything from when I opened the book to when I plopped face first into the dorm room sleeping pit was a haze. The words that were used in that book were so superfluous that it actually gave me a migraine trying to understand what all was said. Honestly, just how many times can one write the words ‘aether forces’ before their little lizard brain figures out that it's just magic. I let out an involuntary ‘blegh’ just as Mibata entered the room, though my intent was not to insult him. He sat down opposite me and just resumed eating his salad unperturbed.

“Is something bothering you?”

I shook my head and gave him a thumbs down before giving him a few signs.

“Tired. Sleepy. Want none.”

He nodded in understanding as he shoveled another few purple leaves into his mouth. He did mind his manners and finished chewing before trying to speak.

“My situation shares similar sentiments. Today’s assignment was merely a patrol route that took me and my superior on a twelve hour walk from the highest point of the city all the way down to the mine entrances. If I were to speak as candidly as Tokols, I’d say that my feet were killing me.”

Oh boy, nothing compares to the excitement of descending over two hundred floors worth of stairs. I wasn’t sure how well kobolds would feel about shoes, but since even Yabtin the surface adjusted individual went barefoot everywhere I could assume that they weren’t a popular piece of attire. Still, the red skin peeking out from between his scales didn’t look to be comfortable in the slightest.

“Sorry. Need medicine?”

He finished the last scraps of his food by dumping the plate directly into his maw, then stretched listlessly.

“No, I only want to sleep. Mind if I rest here for tonight? I overheard that the weather tends to get colder as the rain season gives way to the cold months, but the frost will be coming soon this year. You are free to remain here with me, if you do not mind the possibility of my horns poking you.”

I was quite glad that sharing a bed was not taboo in kobold culture. If we were humans there would be some kind of awkwardness about a brother and sister sharing a bed, but to us it was somewhat of a necessity to remain warm when the tunnels got cold. Well, unless you were Juaki or Humey: those two had internal fire that they could adjust to keep themselves warmed perfectly even if they were sleeping on the ground uncovered. I shrugged and waved him over while lifting up a blanket for him to wrap himself in. He got himself bundled up next to me only to find himself the new bed of our isopod pet, which didn’t seem to bother him at all.

I knocked on the edge of the sleeping pit, and to my delight I heard a reply from his side of the bowl.

…

Something smelled of flowing mana and for once it wasn’t me. I pried my eyes open to look around for the source as I awoke, my senses guiding me to look at the prone form of my slumbering brother. His mana had engulfed his fingers entirely as the transmutation magic was turning his claws into metal. I reached a hand out and shook him, causing his eyes to snap open. He sat upright in an alarmingly rapid motion and looked our surroundings over before looking at me.

“I’m awake, what’s the problem?”

I pointed to his hand which was now clenched into a fist around his blanket. His gaze followed where I was pointing until he saw what he was doing, then released his grip so he could shake his hand as if trying to dry his hand from an unseen liquid. Somehow this worked, as the condensed mana that had accumulated in his digits began to flow back towards his source to rejoin the thin veil of swirling mana.

“My apologies, that has not happened before. I was having a disturbing dream before waking which must have been the cause of this. I suggest we overlook this incident for now.”

Before he could brush the issue aside I grabbed his arm gently while tilting my head slightly. I reached over with the other hand and got my slate from the rim of the indented bed and wrote him something to ease his worries.

“You can tell me about it. In my old life it was thought that dreams are linked to a part of your mind that you have no direct control over, so perhaps there’s an issue we can find a solution to if you tell me. I’m no brain healer, but I can give you my thoughts on the matter.”

Mibata rubbed at the tiredness still lingering in his eyes before he caved in to my words.

“Alright, I will tell you. I had a dream that you and Humey were being attacked by shadows, and every time I tried to get close to you I was pulled back by a chain tied around my legs and tail. When I finally got free you two had vanished, and instead I was being attacked by one of those things that had come from the depths. When you woke me I was in the middle of scratching at its eyes, so I guess that the me from my dreams had been trying to use magic to even the odds.”

He looked to me with pleading eyes as though his retelling would give me some spark of insight into his troubled thoughts. Maybe it was just how I was reading it, but I gave him the condensed version of my thoughts in writing.

“It sounds like you might be worrying about the people in your family that you perceive to be most vulnerable. You told me yourself that you thought of me as a non-combatant, and perhaps the lack of any real battles has led some subconscious part of you to think of Humey the same way. The chains might be some metaphor for your damaged source holding you back from saving us, and the shadows are probably the unseen threats we are actually facing through the elders. As for the second part of the dream about the tunnel monster, I think you might just be afraid of them as they are. We can confirm that with a drawn picture of one, if you would like.”

His face twisted into a foul glowering stare as he read the last sentence.

“No thank you, I can tell you myself that they do indeed haunt my nightmares. Their physical appearance is terrifying, since they have too much of everything: too many eyes, too many legs, and too many teeth. What you said regarding the other part of the dream is also very close to reality. I do perceive you and Humey as the most vulnerable members of our family, and my lingering self-doubt in regards to my magical growth being stunted still drags on. I can perhaps remedy the first issue once our brothers come back alive and well and you display some measure of combat magic, but the second issue is one that I must suffer through slowly. I made a mistake, and now I am paying the price.”

That was an awful way of looking at it. You didn’t do anything wrong, you were just another victim of that tragic night. Damn, if only there was some way I could help him out of this mess and put his worries at ease. Think dummy, there’s got to be something at your disposal that can change this situation. Wait a minute Kayrux, think before you act and collect data first. Ask him if you can do a scan to see where he’s at right now, then move ahead with whatever scheme comes to mind.

“Can I scan you again? I’d like to see how far you’ve progressed.”

He nodded for me to go ahead, but with my new picture scanner it was not as drawn out of a process as it was before. He blinked a few times after I poked him on the sternum, unable to comprehend what I just did.

“Was that all? Have you really gotten so skilled that just a touch can give you my readings?”

I gave him a sly smile and a wink, to which he returned the smile and shook his head.

While my sensor rune processes his information, I want to head into the hobby room and make an accurate recording on parchment for him to read. It was no use getting a full scan if I didn’t write it down and catalog my findings. I went ahead and wrote a sheet that said what his old readings were and the issues he had around fourteen days ago. He took up a seat beside me so he could read over my latest report, and after getting a thumbs up from him I wrote the start of a new sheet. The scan results would be ready in just a moment, and I was curious to see what he had managed to accomplish in that time.