Chương 24: Chapter Twenty Three: An Artificer’s Prognollsis

X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X Chapter Twenty Three: An Artificer's Prognollsis X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X"Max."

"Fels." I grinned at the hooded undead at my counter, who was all but oozing disappointment–like a dad who just got a call from his kid's school. The hood tilted down, hands fell upon hips.

"Max."

"Fels!" I cheered, beaming at them. Hestia huddled behind the cash register, head bouncing back and forth as she followed the conversation, enraptured at the prime-time drama unfolding before her." Max!"

"Fel-!"

"-What. Did. You. Do!?" They oh so rudely interrupted the bit we had going, throwing up their hands in exasperation.

"Why is there a hole where West-Main and Iolcus Street used to be!?"

"Uh…" Damn, didn't think they'd trace it back to me so quickly; You'd think these guys would be used to their buildings blowing up by now." -Legally speaking, I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about?"

"Legally Spe!? -" They reared back, sputtering. If they still had eyes, then they'd be bugging out of their head.

"Max! Exactly one person has bought Kaenseki in bulk in the last five years! Over twenty million Valis worth of product was delivered to your house last. Night! Why did you blow up a street!?"

"Now, I'm not admitting to anything, without a lawyer," I mutter under my breath.

"But, hypothetically speaking, if someone were to buy a hundred pounds of explosives, mill them down into a powder, make a homemade demolition charge out of it, and then, as you so eloquently put it, 'blow up a street', how much trouble would they be in? Hypothetically speaking, of course.""'Hypothetically, naturally!" An insane peal of laughter escaped the undead, making their already haunting voice sound even more deranged.

"Well, then, I'd hypothetically bury the offender deeper than the Dungeon in fines! By all the spirits above and below, what could have possibly possessed you, and I can not believe I have to reiterate this, to blow up a street!"

"Alright, while I'm still not admitting to anything, I imagine that if someone were to have purposely detonated several pounds of high explosives in the middle of the city, then I'm sure that it was one-hundred percent an accident, and that I am very, very sorry… I mean they." The poor skeleton before me deflated, slumping down with its head cradled in its hands.

"I haven't felt the wind on my face, nor the warmth of another's gentle touch against my skin in several lifetimes, yet somehow, you've given me a splitting headache in a single conversation… Just, please, tell me why?"

"Fine," I snorted, crossing my arms.

"It was an experiment that went awry. Allegedly." I pressed on, ignoring Fels's ghostly groan.

"Whoever this mysterious bomber was, they clearly underestimated the explosive yield of refined Kaenseki. A mistake that I, I mean they, won't make again."

"But why a temple, of all places?" They didn't quite whine, bowling straight over my very reasonable explanation and offer of a nameless scapegoat.

"And why in the middle of the city?! You could have walked an hour outside the gate and experimented to your heart's content in the nearby forest! The Guild had plans for that area!" I just shrugged." Supposedly, the person who may or may not be responsible for this heinous act didn't think anyone cared about the already blasted-apart ruins. Who owned that place anyhow? Should I, I mean this mysterious bomber, be concerned about anyone coming after me?.. I mean them?" Fels sighed, deflating further.

"Other than Royman, when he hears of this? Then no, no one has laid claim to that area in a long time. It used to be one of Hera's old satellite bases, but it was derelict before Evilus had even touched it, but still– why, Max? The Guild has been fighting off a horde of concerned gods and their familia's all morning long; People worried that Evilus has returned. I need a reason to bring back to them other than 'Maedmux just got a bit curious, sorry.'"

Flinching a bit, I gave him a sheepish smile, finally realizing that I may have gone a bit overboard. Just a little.

"Fine, fine. I'll admit it, twas' I who blew up the temple–and I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you and your meddling… Guild." I finished lamely. It didn't quite have the same ring to it.

"And as to why? Well…" I was just about to admit to my discovery when I realised something. If I told them about the giant stash of adamantine under my house, then I might have to share the giant stash of adamantine under my house. And I, by my adventuring soul, am a loot whore.

"I was testing a new device to be used for mining, you see-" I was interrupted by a gloved hand.

"Please, Max, there's only so much I can take in one day. The thought of you branching out into manufacturing explosives at an industrial scale in the center of Orario is going to be the second death of me. Just please refrain from blowing up even more of our fine city; she has already been through enough. I must return to the Guild with my findings, along with the name of the culprit who blew up a temple Tenkai-high. Royman will be in contact with you soon to discuss reparations."

Their piece said, they glided out of the room and down the stairs all creepy-like, like oil flowing freely across the ground. Turning about, I found Hestia glaring a hole into the side of my head.

"What were they talking about when they said you blew up a street!?" Ruh-roh. X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X The three of us surrounded the hole in my basement. Hestia, Snarf, and I all had our heads poking up over the rim, staring down into its inky depths.

"Max?"

"Yes, Hestia?"

"Why do you have a hole in the middle of your cellar?"

"I wanted a secret lair." We share a brief, disbelieving look before turning back into the pit.

"How far does that wall extend out?" She asked, leaning in to get a better look at the problem.

"And how deep?" I just shrugged.

"Dunno. I was hoping to blast my way in, but uh–I don't quite have the recipe down yet. I do know that it at least goes all the way out to under the street." Her head snapped up to me, eyes wide.

"Really!? I can't even imagine how much this all cost… Do you think Hephaestus had anything to do with it?" Shaking my head, I said, "I doubt she even knew it was here. If she did, she wouldn't have just given the place up." I gave her another look.

"So you have no idea what this is either? I can't believe Someone somehow managed to bury a nation's treasury worth of metal under both the Guild's and Hephaestus's noses–All without anyone even noticing?"

"That… does have some disturbing implications." She muttered, pewtering out into a momentary lapse as she weighed her words.

"We should probably tell the Guild about it, don't you think?" I immediately shake my head.

"Absolutely not, not until I find out what's inside, at least. I think I'm on the right track in terms of my ratios of explosive to inert material, but I might try to throw in phlegmatizers into the mix, slow down the reaction, make it a nice and quick burn, rather than a fast and dirty bang. Maybe beeswax would work as a stand-in for paraffin…" I trail off, wondering if it would be worth it to track down a source of crude oil for my own needs.

Even if I don't end up needing paraffin wax for this job, it would be nice to have access to things like plastic in the near future.

"Wait." She growls, turning towards me with teeth bared.

"Are you telling me that you were planning on planting a bomb RIGHT BELOW WHERE I WORKED!?" X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X The next day found myself in Loki's backyard, my new and improved Compound-K in paw. The Mark II recipe was more or less the same base as before, Kaenseki mixed into a plaster poured over fabric. Though this time, instead of using a roll, like a bandage, it was a whole bolt of linen; something that would be used as part of a sail.

Most of the Kaenseki powder was focused around the rim of the charge, with a small brick placed in the dead center–my imitation of a thermite breaching charge that could be folded up like a map. The end result was stiff and unwieldy, requiring quite a bit of elbow grease to deploy it fully. When I finally got it open, I gave the back a big old lick to wet the mucilage glue I had painted on, then pressed it flat against my target–a wide, five-inch thick panel of steel that Betty helped me hammer out earlier today.

Grabbing the spool of det cord hanging out the bottom, I turned and walked back towards the crowd of curious spectators. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. Out and in front was Loki herself, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"Ya' know, Max, when I said you could come by and visit whenever you wanted, I wasn't really talking about taking over my training grounds and using it as your own personal playground…"

"Sorry to drop in on you, but you're the only person I know who has the space. I promise to clean up after myself."

"Uh-huh," She drawled, a sly grin sliding over her lips.

"And this has nothing to do with one of Hera's old temples going up in smoke, would it?" Her eyes flick towards the Comp-K and back to me.

"Is that something I need to be concerned about?" I waved her concerns away with a scoff.

"Don't worry, this is a much smaller charge–if anything, I'm actually worried it's too weak, so I wanted to test it against something cheap before I try it against its true target. And I don't want to make the Guild even more mad at me, so I decided to crash your place. You certainly have the space for it." Her eyes flashed at the tidbit I accidently leaked.

"'True target', huh? Mind sharing with the class?"

"Nope," I smirk, popping the 'p' in a particularly annoying way, just to see her scowl.

"It's classified, top secret, hush-hush needs-to-know only kinda stuff." I lean in, looming over her with a shit-eating grin.

"And you don't need to know." Her scowl eased into a grin that flashed too many teeth to be taken as genuine "I could kick you out, ya' know, make you find someone else to bum their yard from."

"You wouldn't do that," I say, turning back to my work, cutting the det cord from its spool with a flash of my claw.

"And, pray tell, why wouldn't I?" She grumples, watching me with a critical eye. I tilt my head just enough to see her from the corner of my eye, letting her see the unhinged, fanged smile splitting my muzzle.

"Because then you'd miss the fireworks. FIRE IN THE HOLE!" The det cord is ignited with a flash of Prestidigitation, the small spark races across the ground along the rope, straight into the bottom of the Comp-K charge. There was a single, pregnant pause–The steel panel vanished in a fiery puff of smoke. The blastwave hit us a half-second later, knocking me back a step and plastering my fur flat to my skin.

Unlike the last test, the explosion this time around was a lot more tame and far better controlled thanks to the beeswax. As the wind carried away the smoke, I approached the steaming metal plate. I waved away the last lingering clouds to find a near-perfectly cut square slicing straight through, the edges still hot to the touch. Through the hole and far down the range, I could see the swirls of dust rising up and away into the air from where the shrapnel struck the ground.

My slasher smile dipped down into merely a pleased one–looks like I have my breaching charge. X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X A few days later, I was back in my basement with enough breaching charges to cut through damn near anything. Over the intervening days, and in between my usual work for the shop, I had put a lot of thought into what this thing might be to begin with.

My first theory was that it could be some secret smuggling tunnel, used to sneak illicit goods like Monster Stones out of the city, either for monetary or legal reasons. But that idea was quickly discarded, based purely on what was used to make the tunnel. You don't need nigh-indestructible metal walls just to dodge the taxman. My second guess, I feel, was much more likely to be on the money. It had always been a mystery how Evilus got around the city with impunity.

Even after they were all dead and gone, no one was able to find any secret tunnels or safe houses… Well, I think that I'm looking at the answer. Secret, reinforced bunkers–mirroring the streets from below and reinforced to protect themselves from the destructive force of their own bombs. Where they got the time, money, or resources to build something like this in total secrecy was anyone's guess. My only concern right now was whether these tunnels were still occupied. Because if they weren't?

Then I just stumbled across more adamantine than I could use in a hundred lifetimes. Tanks, mechs, airships, fucking spaceships! I could build it all, without ever once worrying about the cost! A small chuckle quickly blew up into an ear-piercing cackle that bounced off the walls, echoing over and over itself until there was a whole chorus of gnolls laughing at what the future held!

That laugh died off quickly when I remembered I'd still need to deal with all the traps they no doubt left behind, and any critters that might have snuck down and made their home here. Good thing I've gotten so much practice at dealing with Evilus bombs now. I found a bunch more while cleaning out the new buildings I bought. Though I've yet to learn anything worthwhile from dissecting the devices.

My plan going in was just to do some light scouting, maybe find some solid chokepoints that I could reinforce and build up a sorta' forward operating base I could conduct expeditions out of. Finishing my work of lathering up the back of a breaching charge with fresh glue, I hopped back into the hole, sliding down the sides with my claws before jumping off and dropping the last few feet. I placed the charge and firmly pressed it down.

When I was confident it was sitting flush with the adamantine, I dug my claws into the wall, clambering my way back out. Without pomp or ceremony, I lit the fuse and took several big steps back. The ground shook underfoot from the blast–a cloud of smoke shot up from the hole like gunfire escaping a barrel, choking out the room with dust and ash. A second later, another huge boom rattles the building. Aftershocks? Or did something just fall? Coughing deeply from all the dust, I creep back towards the rim.

There, I see a clean-cut hole at the bottom–with a warm light shining up from within, illuminating yet more adamantine bricks far below, along with the top half of the section that just got blasted free. Meaning that the tunnel I was looking into was made entirely out of the priceless material. X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X The rope digs into my paw pads, sliding together with the raspy whine of leather on leather. I kick off from the wall and let myself drop down another few feet.

Repeating the process, I rappel my way down and into the belly of the beast. And what I find is a huge, featureless room, almost as large as my entire workshop and solely made up of adamantine. Every few feet along the walls was a sconce containing a low-tier monster crystal–each one bathing the room in the gold-orange glow. I step off the shattered slab of adamantine, and not a second later, Snarf leaps down from above, slamming into where I had been standing and pouncing off to explore, an eager wag in his tail.

My paw remains firmly planted on Boom Stick's grip as I look around. Though, I soon find myself beginning to relax as it becomes clear that the room is a dead end, with only one door leading out. Said door was an imposing thing, a black monolith the color of lava-scorched basalt; carved with intricate designs that could graciously be compared to fern leaves… but I'm pretty sure the author was aiming more for rib cages and bones.

The door had been flanked by gargoyles and a sorta' serpentine bull thing on top, but the explosion knocked them free, their remains carelessly scattered across the floor. Whoops. I made my way towards the door, only to freeze up in shock as I got a better look at what it was made of. Sprinting forward, I slapped a paw on it and slowly dragged a claw down its surface, tracing one of the ribs etched upon it. No, there was no mistaking it. It was entirely made of Orichalcum.

I staggered back, eyes wide and heart thumping against my chest. There was more Orichalcum here than I thought there was in the entirety of Hephaestus's familia, maybe in all of Orario! A slow, sly grin slid over my face as I took in the find of a lifetime. Unconsciously, a string of drool slipped from my lips and down my chin, which I made no effort to wipe away. I… I could take on the whole damn world with half as much of this impossible material before me. I could do whatever the fuck I wanted now!

I'd never have to worry about material constraints or anything else if I sold even a small chunk of this thing and kept the rest all for myself! My decision to cut everyone else out of this find had never felt more justified. With my grin growing wide enough to stretch ear-to-ear, I placed a paw against the door and pushed inwards. And it didn't even so much as budge. A small, confused frown replaced my smile, and I tried again, this time with both paws. Same result.

Now full-on scowling, I braced myself and pushed with all my might! My claws dug jagged lines through the dust covering the ground, and I shoved my shoulder up against the door, the veins lining my neck straining against my fur. Nothing. Falling back with a gasp, I slump down, paws on my knees, panting to catch my breath. With an annoyed snort, I glared up at the immovable, uncaring door.

I swear to you, come hell or high water, I was going to pry you off your hinges, melt you down for scrap metal, and find out exactly what kinds of treasures you are shielding from my grasping paws! You may be an unmovable object, but I am an unstoppable force. X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X A few more days later, the first snowfall took the city by surprise. It was just an innocent dusting, a mere prelude to the harsher winter months approaching–something that, by any other metric, would be nothing to worry about.

But I was a gnoll, made to hunt the plains and to conquer the savannas. I was certainly not made for cold weather. I waddled my way downtown, so bundled up in furs and leather jackets that I was wider than I was tall, stoically ignoring the snickers and giggles that followed me like a bad smell. And while I may be a majestic gnoll, proud of my peoples–I was not proud enough to shed some layers. I may look ridiculous, but more importantly than racial or personal pride, I was warm.

The mantra of: 'I will not snap at the people laughing' echoed over and over in my head, an anchor keeping steady and sane in a turbulent sea of red-hot humiliation. I finally arrived at my destination, Gobannus's Foundry–the same place I've been buying all my mundane crafting materials from for the past couple of months.

The workers toiling in the yard, moving pallets of ingots around, loading them on wagons, the usual, barely gave me a glance at this point, as they were well used to my presence–beyond a few giggles at how I had to turn sideways to walk through the gate. The foreman, a curt weretiger more shredded than a bodybuilder influencer secretly hardlining Gear off-camera, turned at my approach, his severe frown easing into mere neutrality as he recognized one of his best customers.

"Max, welcome back. You here for the usual?"

"Not this time, Dario." I shook my head, inadvertently knocking my furred hood down, causing a full-body shiver to run down my spine as the biting cold nipped at my ears.

"I actually wanted to ask if it would be possible to secure a steady source of a special resource, one that you wouldn't have on hand right now?"

"Then you'd best go and talk to the big man himself." He grunted, already turning away, going back to directing the chaotic symphony of the yard like a masterful conductor.

"Just head on into the main building, the guards will show you in." Thanking him, I picked my way across the compound, skirting around mountains of metal and other goods awaiting transport, until I stood on the steps leading up to the main building. Unlike the other homes of the gods that I have visited, this was no gaudy mansion or opulent temple, but instead a squat and kinda ugly longhouse, nearly indistinguishable from the various warehouses surrounding it.

One of the spear-wielding guards flanking the doors gave me a nod and waved me up. Returning the nod, I let myself in to find, surprisingly enough, a tastefully decorated interior, full of wooden furnishings and warm light cast by crystal lamps. Directly before the door was a secretary's desk, manned by a sharply-dressed sheep-shifter. The woman's curled horns framed her woolly bob of hair, and her squared-framed glasses caught the light as she looked up at my entrance.

To her credit, she quickly caught the snort that escaped her before quickly smothering her amusement under a veneer of professional courtesy.

"Ah, Mister Maddic! Welcome, is there anything I can do to help you today?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to talk to Lord Gobannus about a special order." She pursed her lips, opening up a notebook and flipping through the pages.

"Unfortunately, Lord Gobannus will be busy for the foreseeable future with negotiations with the Sultan of Israfan. Please forgive the inconvenience." She briefly bowed her head.

"However, if you are just seeking to create a special order, then one of our procurement officers would be more than capable of helping you. Would you like me to see if one is available now?" I quickly agreed, and not five minutes later, I was seated in another richly furnished office, this time before a full-blooded elf. She was looking at me with an aristocratically raised eyebrow.

"You wish to buy petroleum on a recurring basis?" I nodded.

"Yes, money is no object, I just need about a thousand gallons delivered on a bi-annual basis, though that may increase based on my needs. Now her other eyebrow shot up to join its twin. She stared at me with wide eyes, before lightly scoffing.

"Two thousand gallons a year, well, I have no idea why anyone would need such a supply, but who am I to deny a customer?" She pulled out an abacus from behind her desk and pulled a ream of paper closer. Clicks and clacks filled the room as she furiously crunched the numbers.

"The supply will have to come from Kaios, as they are the only ones who gather the stuff in any appreciable quantities…" She trailed off, still writing out sums. The lapse was broken as the final wooden bead clicked into place, and the last number was scratched on the bottom line. She shuffled the papers together and held them up, examining them for any faults in her math. Slightly nodding to herself, she held out the paper to me.

"The final price is twenty million Valis per delivery, with half paid upfront. This is not open to negotiation, as we will have to establish the industry and supporting trade routes ourselves. Is this agreeable to you?" So about twenty thousand Valis per gallon, or a hundred and twenty bucks or so. Very expensive, but in a world without a solid industrial base? It was probably as good a deal as I was going to get. I stared at her silently for a moment before an oily smile slid over my teeth.

"More than agreeable. Do you want that in cash or credit?" Plastics, acetylene, and jet fuel, here I come! The elf's countenance turned sallow as a haunting, echoing laugh filled the room.