Artificers Guild.
Dylan and Alban went about their tasks back at the guild as they had always done. Sorting and cataloguing parts and schematics of future projects they hadn't yet the time to experiment with, or of failed projects that they may want to revisit at a future date.
Not that they had much else to do with Clive away. Dylan wanted to wait a little longer. It was Clive's knowledge that led to their current breakthrough and it didn't feel right to get started without him so soon.
"What do you think is keeping him, Alban?" Dylan asked as he adjusted his overly large spectacles and peered at the clock mounted on the wall. Then to a clockwork timepiece in his pocket since the one on the wall had appeared to have stopped on account of all the explosions from their experimentation.
Alban grunted and shrugged his shoulders while he continued to move and haul boxes of scraps and parts. Dylan continued to watch the timepiece for a little while longer. They should wait for Clive. But then again, there wasn't any harm in getting things set up and started was there? Closing the timepiece and stuffing into a pocket stained with leaking grease and filled with screws and scraps, Dylan began to drag out the mana capacitor.
Alban grunted as he watched Dylan drag out the device. Dylan wiped a grease covered hand across his head as he got it into place before responding.
"There's no harm in starting Alban. Besides, this way we will save a few minutes in preparations when he gets here."
Alban rumbled but went over and aided his adopted brother in getting everything set up. Fastening the canister with metal clamps to get it secure and steady. Alban finishing adjusting the improved suction system inscribed with the enchantments and runes they used that would allow the machine to pull the mana out of the air at a decreased, yet steady, speed to lower the volatility of the motes. Then finally hooking the canister to the suction mechanism proper.
Dylan and Alban took a step back and peered at the contraption to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything important. Then Dylan dug through his pocket and produced the timepiece once more and looked at the door. He still hasn't arrived yet, Dylan thought as the minutes ticked away. But progress waited for no-one, Dylan thought as he sat aside the timepiece and moved to turn the machine on. Something that Alban grunted worryingly and disapprovingly about.
"It will be fine, Alban. Just a brief test run to make sure things are working as they should! Nothing more!" Dylan stated as he moved to the side of the machine that held the various buttons and switches, half of which didn't actually do anything at the moment.
Alban grunted again before taking a step back and closer to the metal shield they had bolted to the floor. Dylan pressed one of the buttons that DID work before slamming a switch. Then the air was filled with the suction sound of the machine working, not unlike a forge bellow, Dylan thought as he took a few cautious steps back from the machine.
He and Alban watched as the seconds passed by and into minutes. Slowly but surely the canister was filling with blueish mana tinged with streaks of blackness within. Dylan flipped some lenses on his spectacles to get a better look at the blackness. He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed to agitate the mana, causing the motes to speed around faster and faster within the confined space. Even at the slow speed they were going it was assured that it would meet the same fate as the rest of their canisters. But at least this time they wont run the risk of blowing the place up. Much.
The gnomish artificer was startled as the door opened to their workshop. He turned with a smile as he expected Clive to finally have arrived. Only for it to drop when he saw the form of a dwarf. Aerin stood in the doorway as he peered around the organized mess that was the Artificers Guild/Workshop.
"How are things comin' along, Diomede?" The dwarf asked impatiently as he walked closer to the two and the device.
Dylan perked up and shuffled nervously.
"They are coming along sir! We are making steady progress towards an acceptable solution that Clan Ulrin will find most-"
"Where is Clive?" The dwarf interrupted as he looked about the workshop.
"He hasn't arrived yet." Dylan said as Aerin stepped closer to the machine that was beginning to vibrate.
"Is this the capacitor? Why is it goin' so slow?" He asked as he squinted at the canister and the blueish mist.
"Yes! We lowered the speed and volume of the suction process and were going to work on ways to filter out the volatile impurities that were causing the mana to become unstable." Dylan explained as Aerin took a wary step away from the increasingly unstable canister.
"And have you?" Aerin asked as he eyed the canister and the metal shield warily.
"Well, no. Clive and we were supposed to be figuring out-" Dylan was interrupted yet again as Alban grabbed him and pulled him behind the safety of the shield, Aerin following not far behind.
The air was filled with the sound of hissing for a moment before the telltale pop of the canister signaled that the experiment was once again a failure. Something Aerin didn't like by the look he cast at the artificers.
"Clive is supposed ta be here ta watch you and make sure that things like this DON'T happen!"
Aerin went over to the remains of the machine and gestured to it.
"No more artificery! Not until Clive returns ta keep an eye on you!"
"But-!" Dylan squeaked.
"None! The last thing we need is you to go experimentin' unsupervised! Work on yer tinker toys in the meantime until we can find Clive, at least they are less likely to explode!" Aerin ordered as he left the workshop grumbling.
Dylan sighed as he and Alban worked to clear away the capacitor. The wreckage was still mostly intact thanks to Clive's ideas and suggestions so at least they wouldn't have to beg the dwarves for more resources. Aside from replacing the glass that is.
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Before long the only thing that was left of their experiment was the scorch marks that stained the floor where their previous experiments had met fiery ends. Then he turned to the various boxes and crates of clockwork parts and scraps.
"At least it isn't stationary, right Alban?"
The dwarf grunted as he and Dylan began to withdraw various pieces and a few schematics. Just because they couldn't work on the capacitor didn't mean they couldn't still experiment, Dylan thought as he unrolled several sheaves of yellowed and stained paper with diagrams on them.
Some were simple things like mechanized mine carts. While the clan was receptive and even excited at the idea of self propelled mine carts, the implementation of it was less exciting and more terrifying. Especially when their volunteer was rammed straight into a wall. To which he survived! Mostly. But the idea was scrapped until they could better guarantee miners safety. Which they couldn't. So it was relegated to a box and covered in dust.
Then he had plans for steam powered hammers, axes, and even picks! All of which met the same fate. Good in idea, bad in practice. A steam powered hammer sounded good until the wielder found themselves being the unwitting nail instead.
The only thing that had any sort of promise was a play on the Dwarven Golem. But while theirs was made of stone and ran on their runes, his was made of metal and ran on the mana canisters. Well, WOULD run on the canisters. If he was able to get them to work as they used to and then try and petition the dwarves to let him experiment with the idea WITHOUT the dwarven runepriests calling for him to be executed for something akin to blasphemy.
Not like constructs were a dwarven only creation. In fact they were regularly used for sources of labor in low populated and dangerous areas or as simple guards meant to keep people out of certain places. Of course his WAS inspired by the golems and that was readily apparent in the design of it and that would be enough for the runepriests to convince the clan to either execute him or force him into hard labor until he died owing to some sort of legal clause in his agreement with the dwarves. A fate that was rather common to those that sought to try and get out of their obligations to the dwarves. They honored their word and expected those that worked for them to do the same.
"Perhaps the dwarves will be more receptive given the state of things?" Dylan asked Alban as he fiddled with the artificer golem plans.
Alban grunted before they both heard a commotion outside. Dylan quickly hid the golem plans and the two made to see what it was about. They stood just outside the door and looked over to where a human family of three wavered under the stony gaze of Ulrin.
"Please Master Ulrin! If you would just find it in your heart to have mercy!"
"I have no mercy for debtors too cowardly to pay what they owe! Me and mah clan have been kind and generous to you and yers for many years now have we not?! Yet here you stand seekin' to take advantage of our generosity and flee?!"
"No! We merely ask that you forgive our debts to the clan! We are in dire straits and-"
"We all are! Look around manlin'! Does it look like mah clan has the vast wealth we used to?! Does it look like we are feastin' on fine meats and meads?!"
"No, but surely you can-"
"I WILL NOT!" The dwarf rumbled.
He pointed a finger down to the family of three.
"You are a coward! Not only do you seek to flee the debt you owe but you drag yer own family before me! Did you think that their sullen tearful eyes will sway me?! Like some sort of emotional blackmail?!"
"No Master Ulrin! I merely thought that-"
"ENOUGH!" The dwarf boomed in a loud voice that seemed to echo around.
Dylan saw Ulrin's personal gnomish assistant shuffle over to the dwarven clan patriarch and hand him a rolled up piece of parchment. Ulrin unrolled it and turned it towards the family and the nearby onlookers.
"Is this not the contract YOU signed with mah clan? Is this not YER signature?"
"Well... yes, but-"
"Then for yer actions today I invoke the Fair Labor Clause written within! As you have sought to flee from yer obligations to me, you will work until such obligations are paid in full! Guards!"
Several dwarven guards clanked as they went up to the man and clamped him in chains before dragging him away screaming.
"Wait! Please! My family!"
"Right, I almost forgot. Guards! The family as well!"
The man's cries joined those of his wife and daughter as they too were clamped in irons and forced towards separate worksites.
"YOU MONSTER!!!"
"A monster am I?! It was YOU that made them accomplices to yer cowardice act and thus subject to the clause as well! And you should thank me! With them your debt will be paid sooner than if you labored alone!" Ulrin boomed before returning to the office.
Dylan and Alban watched the family be pulled apart. The little girl was crying as she was forced over to the watering station where she would be tasked with hauling buckets of water to the workers, the mother would be assigned to patch up clothes and linens while the father will be breaking stone and chopping wood.
The two artificers went back inside and Dylan made over to the box that held the golem plans.
"Perhaps another day when things aren't so tense."
Alban grunted affirmatively as he helped Dylan hide and secure the project away before moving onto other prospective projects. A walking blasting charge that could be used in places too tight to reach perhaps? Then again, he doubt the dwarves will part with the scarce stores of powder they have and the short amount they are able to produce from their refinement of some of the stone nearby.
It couldn't be a grand project since hopefully Clive will return and they can resume work on the mana capacitor. But at the same time he wanted to work on something he can show to the dwarves that will hopefully prevent them from being thrown out, or pressed into debt slavery.
Not that Dylan had much to worry about, the dwarves wouldn't press HIM into hard labor. Not unless you counted straining your eyes over poor lighting while writing thousands of words worth of accounting and other such bookkeeping as hard labor. Even Alban had little risk of being forced into labor. A clanless dwarf he may be but he was still a dwarf and would more than likely face a light judgement because of it.
But neither were going to chance it and so got to work going over plans for other such things that might interest the dwarven clan in the mean time. A mechanical flying machine, while interesting, had little value to the landbound dwarves. Perhaps he could experiment with something like the horseless carriages in town? Clive has one, perhaps he would let him tinker with it when he arrives, Dylan thought as he pushed that idea to the side as he and Alban continued to go through plans.
Eventually he came up with an idea that might interest the dwarves, a mechanical messenger bird! Most people, the dwarves included, relied on simple postmen to deliver their mail. Utilizing a series of teleportation runes or related magic if they had the know-how or skills and magic to do so if you could. But the mechanical messenger bird could easily do something so simple and easy, Dylan thought as the plans and parts began to put themselves together in his head.
He told Alban of the idea and the two got to work with the clockwork messenger bird.
"I don't know why we never thought of this before Alban!"
But then they ran into a problem that made such an idea rather difficult to implement. Making the bird light enough and actually able to fly. Flesh and blood birds relied on wind and their hollow bones to fly, but a mechanical bird had to be built different.
"Perhaps a lighter metal?" Dylan asked aloud to both himself and Alban.
The only thing that might work was either brass or copper. Something light enough to allow flight but strong enough to allow it to carry letters and small packages, Dylan thought as he drafted up plans for their creation.
Then came the problem of how it would function. While he could do a windup mechanism, it would be rather pointless if it ran out of charge halfway to its destination. Mana powered was out at the moment because of their current issues with the capacitor as well as downsizing it to fit within the frame of a bird. Which also would add problems having to do with balancing weight.
They could try runic magic or enchantments. But enchantments aren't as reliable as they used to be and it will be a cold day in every hell there is that the runepriests would offer them their knowledge of rune crafting needed for such fine precision work.
The more he thought about it the more problems stacked up and the more he realized there was a reason they never thought of it. Too many problems, not enough solutions. Eventually he set aside the partially finished plans and drummed his small fingers on the table as he tried to come up with something new that was far more likely to work.
An idea for clockwork soldiers and laborers came to him. But he quickly had to discard that idea for the same reasons he had to hide the plans for his golem. Too similar to the dwarvish design that risked the ire of the runepriests and not enough ways to power them in this world. If he or Alban were better with enchantments then maybe they could work with the idea a little more. But they weren't and their own enchantments barely lasted long enough for the mana capacitors to blow up let alone last long enough to march into battle or mine rock.
"Yet another idea relegated to the box Alban." Dylan murmured.
Making tinker's toys were simple and easy and didn't require much. However, making some of them into full sized and fully functional things that did more than walk back and forth on a wound charge was harder and more complex. He could make a mechanical bird that chirped and hopped easy. But making it bigger and able to fly so it could deliver messages? Not so easy?
Dylan groaned into his grease covered hands.
"Why is it so hard Alban?"
Alban grunted and patted his brother on the back. The two were quickly surprised as a boom sounded out and the room shook and it wasn't because of them! At least they didn't think it was them! The two went to the door and peered out just as a cloud of white dust filled the air near the other side of the hub.
"It seems they've begun blasting into the mountain." Dylan stated as he watched dwarves and humans moving crates labeled TNT over to where the explosion had come from before.
Hopefully that will keep them distracted and keep them off their backs enough so they could come up with something. Either that or Clive comes back and they can resume progress on the mana capacitors.
With the dwarven settlement to the north of the hub nearing something akin to completion, as barebones as it was, the dwarves had started progress on completing what the old owner had started. A tunnel through the mountains and to the other side where they would be able to do business towards the eastern coast of the landmass they found themselves on. At least the people won't be mad at them for all the explosions anymore, Dylan thought as they retreated into their workshop to go over yet more plans in the meantime.