Accompanied by Stefan, Dellen had made his way to Northcote Industries early in the morning. As the man responsible for the livelihoods of hundreds of families in the city, Dellen's visit was necessary, a fact he was only beginning to understand now that he stood within the building and saw the way people’s eyes followed him.

Dellen made his way through the foundry; the cacophony of clanging metal and the steady hum of the machines created an industrial symphony around him. Amid the organized chaos, a figure caught his eye. The man was middle-aged, his face weathered from years of manual labor. His eyes, however, held a flicker of worry.

Approaching him, Dellen extended a hand, which the worker took hesitantly.

“How can I help you, my lord?”

“What’s your name?”

“Tom Brindle.”

“I’m here to help you, Tom. Times are uncertain, and change can be intimidating. But I assure you, Northcote Industries will not leave its family behind."

Tom nodded, a mixture of relief and gratitude washing over his features. "Thank you, Lord Northcote. We're all just worried about…” He trailed off.

"I understand, Tom," Dellen cut in gently, “And I promise you, I will do everything I can to ensure this company thrives. And that includes securing your jobs. You have my word." He meant it. He would see his family’s legacy thrive.

Relief seemed to visibly sag from Tom's shoulders at Dellen's assurance, a genuine smile crossing his face. "Thank you, Lord Northcote," he said, "That means a lot."

Dellen continued his tour of the foundry but stopped when he saw metals being smelted. “Who is that woman?” He asked Stefan while pointing at a woman nearby, wearing safety goggles.

“That is Julia, one of our metallurgists.”

"Julia," he greeted, walking up to her. "I have a question about our alloys."

Julia pulled her goggles to her forehead, her eyebrows raised in intrigue. "Of course, Lord Northcote. What would you like to know?"

"I'm looking for an alloy suitable for Aetherforging," Dellen said. "Specifically, an Iron Copper blend. Do we have something like that?"

Julia looked him up and down; her face relaxed in a position of somewhat begrudging respect. “I wasn’t aware that you had forged yourself.” She belatedly added a slightly respectful, “My lord.”

“It’s a relatively recent interest,” Dellen said, gesturing at himself, “But as you can see, I have met with success.”

Julia pondered his question, biting her lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know about Aetherforging, but, an iron-copper blend would be quite common. Although, we could create a new alloy if you needed something specific. Are there any other alloys you're considering?"

Dellen felt a wave of inwardly focused irritation roll over him. Before his accidents below the city, he hadn’t even considered using metals other than iron. “I’m not sure; it can be difficult to find information on the subject from the libraries in the city.”

“Have you considered zinc, my lord?”

Iron, copper, and zinc, he wondered if he could manage to integrate two or three ores into his body in a single session of forging and whether it would be a good idea.

“As it happens, I had not. Why do you think it would be useful?”

Julia replied with a slight shrug, “We add zinc to alloys to reduce rusting; perhaps that would help an Aetherforged.”

“If it isn’t suitable, your body will try to reject it,” Gilgamesh said, “If it does work, you’ll reach First Trinity.”

First Trinity.

It was as though a locked door opened in his mind. First Trinity was one of the lowest tiers of the aetherforged. It was a harmonious balance of three metals laced into the body. Steelskin would take on a more metallic sheen, Cores would strengthen, and Aether would flow more easily. He’d not seen a single person in the city who had reached that tier, not even Thaddeus. “It’s worth considering,” Dellen said.

“Though having an inimical gaseous metal travel into and through your body is likely incredibly painful.” Gilgamesh sounded thoughtful rather than concerned.

Dellen was able to refrain from rolling his eyes, but barely. It seemed there was always a new source of pain. “How long would it take you to create such an alloy?”

Julia shook her head from side to side, “Perhaps a few hours.”

“Could you make me an iron copper alloy and an iron copper zinc alloy?”

“I could, but we have ingots upon ingots of copper-iron alloys. It’s your foundry; you can take one or a dozen with you.”

Dellen heard the eye roll that she was just managing to keep to herself. “Thank you, Julia, I will do that. Could you direct me to where I could find said ingots? Also, further to my question, can you make me a few alloys that I could experiment with for forging?”

A ghost of a smile played over her lips. “Certainly, come back for them tomorrow, and I will have an option prepared for you. Your ingots are this way.”

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Dellen followed her to a storeroom with clearly labeled raw materials, and his copper-iron ingots.

“How much do you need?” She said.

He looked at the wealth of materials and realized he could have come to the foundry when he’d tried to work with Harlan, but kept the flitting realization to himself. Instead, he picked up an ingot. It was light in his hand, perhaps a pound. “I believe ten of these will more than suit my purposes.”

“You’ll need a bag.” She said, and passed him a leather satchel from the wall, “This would be uncomfortable for most, but the way you carry yourself, you look like you’re forged from head to toe.” Her voice was tinged with grudging admiration, “Will you even notice a small weight like this?”

Dellen took the satchel and placed ten ingots within, then tested its weight over his shoulder, “No, I don’t feel a particular discomfort.”

“Remarkable,” she said, “Perhaps you could help some of our workers forge themselves.”

“You forget yourself,” said a previously silent Stefan.

Dellen held up a hand, “No, unfortunately, my knowledge is limited entirely to Electrical Aether, but if anyone at Northcote Industries wants to discuss Aetherforging my door is open.” He realized he didn’t keep an office there, “Metaphorically speaking. If word is sent to me, I will make time to help.”

“What about for those who do not have an affinity for Electrical Aether?”

Dellen gave the matter some thought. “I will see whether there are any aetherforged of different affinities who would be willing to assist.”

“There may be a few,” Stefan said, “For a price.”

“Perhaps we should encourage that,” Dellen said, wondering if Stefan had anyone in mind or if he was just speaking to appease Julia.

“My lord?”

“Never mind, just an errant thought. Please let us continue the tour.”

They kept walking, bringing Julia along with them, and discussed everything from ore procurement to alloy formulation, their words echoing through the cavernous interiors of the smelters and forges.

Julia provided invaluable guidance. She explained the intricacies of the operations, detailing the processes involved in alloy production on an industrial level. The methodology of separating out different kinds of scrap before it was melted into new ingots.

As they concluded their tour, Dellen stood before the assembled workers in the main foundry. His voice rang out clearly over the roar of the furnaces.

"Northcote Industries has always been at the heart of Copperopolis," he said, his gaze sweeping over the sea of faces. "It has been so under my father and will continue to be so under me. I am here today to assure you that we will continue to strive, to innovate, and to prosper. Together, we will uphold the legacy of Northcote Industries.” His words were met with more clapping and approbation than expected.

“Bafflingly, you’re not the only one who likes the sound of your voice,” Gilgamesh noted.

Dellen let the applause die down. “Thank you, all of you, for your hard work. If you have questions or concerns, please seek me out.”

“Nicely done, my lord,” said Stefan, “This will, at the very least, alleviate the concerns of many.”

“That was my intent.” Dellen said, “Unfortunately, I have a schedule to keep. At the gala last night, Lady Lockridge bade me visit her again today to go over the possibilities of a business venture.”

Stefan’s aspect brightened further, “Marvelous news, my lord, simply marvelous.”

Dellen nodded at him, “We’ll make Northcote Industries thrive again.”

Stefan smiled at Dellen and nodded with more approval than Dellen had seen from him since he’d found himself on the balcony outside his father’s study for the first time. “Yes, we will, my lord. Good luck with Lady Lockridge.”

Dellen inclined his head and left the foundry for the Lockridge Estates. His carriage touched down perhaps half an hour later.

He walked up to the doors with much less trepidation than on his first visit with Eliza. He stood before the crest of a lion rearing up on its hind legs and knocked on the door.

Moments after the knock echoed through the entrance hall, the door was opened by a well-dressed servant who regarded him with polite curiosity.

Dellen stepped forward, a polite smile playing on his lips as he addressed the servant. “Good morning, I have come at the request of Lady Victoria.”

The servant, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and sharp eyes, looked them both up and down before nodding. “What is your name, sir?”

“Lord Dellen Northcote.”

“Excellent,” he said while nodding, “Lady Lockridge is expecting you. Please follow me.”

The butler led Dellen through the estate and brought him to the room where he’d first met Lady Victoria.

Lady Victoria looked up, “Lord Northcote, thank you for joining me. Biscuits? Tea?”

Dellen sat and took the biscuit, “This might be the most civilized moment I’ve had since all of this started.”

A clicking door announced the exit of Lady Victoria’s butler. “And Gilgamesh, how are you today?”

“Fine, thank you,” Gilgamesh said, but he still sounded excited to be talking to anyone who was not Dellen.

“I beg your pardon,” Lady Victoria said in a tone of light indignation, “I thought my gala was a beacon of refinement in the city.”

“I agree,” Dellen said, “I also found that it reminded me of tangling with a school of steam squid.”

Lady Victoria sipped her tea, “You are, perhaps, not entirely incorrect.”

“Can you tell me about how you forged yourself?” Dellen asked.

“Well, well, well, dispensing with small talk already.” Lady Victoria said, leaning back in her seat. “It was a long time ago; you know how forging slows the aging process?” She asked, waiting for his small nod of confirmation before continuing, “I’ve looked like this for quite some time, but it, aetherforging, wasn’t common, even when I was a girl. I had brothers, and I needed a way to keep up with them. There is no equalizer like forging.” She gestured at herself, “Look at me. I’m not a tall woman or a large woman, but I could overpower any unforged citizen in Copperopolis.” A bittersweet smirk played over her features, “Including my brothers when they were alive.”

For the first time, Dellen contemplated what his future might look like; he’d already forged himself; if he ever escaped the time loop, he’d have to watch the unforged wither. “There should be an easier way for more people to do as we’ve done.”

“Well, not what you’ve done.” Gilgamesh said, “Again, no-one should learn by dying like you do.”

“Enough,” Dellen said without looking at him. “You were perhaps telling me how you forged yourself.”

“Ah yes, I understand it’s simpler for those of you with Electrical Aether. Strap into place. Then you’re pumped full of Electrical Aether. Kinematic Aether is more difficult. You need to collect it.” Her gaze turned inward, “They strapped me to a spinning dynamo that pulled Kinematic Aether out of the air, condensed it, and sent it coursing through me. In its raw state, Aether is similar to electricity, at least in some ways.”

“Go on.”

“We did it again and again as I learned to adjust to the influx, and then one day, I was able to pull metals into my body.” She shuddered a little.

Dellen leaned forward, “What metals did you use?”

“Mostly iron.”

“Mostly, or entirely? I have used copper, though at the moment, it’s entirely iron.”

“There were traces of copper in the ingots we used, mostly impurities.”

“She’s lucky,” Gilgamesh said, “The wrong impurities can be painful.”

Gilgamesh had mentioned that before, making Dellen a bit more hesitant to try the zinc alloy.

“Enough chatter about my past,” she said, “I want to talk about this afternoon. I have arranged to meet with this Captain Thatch and see if we can dissuade her from her course of action.”

“And until then?” Dellen asked, curious.

“You’ve indicated that we met in one of your previous loops; if we don’t succeed this time, I’m hoping I’ll remember you a bit more if we spend a few hours together. Tell me about yourself.”