The heat billowed out of the many furnaces of the dwarves as workers smelted and worked with the metals for their various projects. Steam and smoke rose out the tops and were collected by mana powered fans that sucked up the pollutants. In one corner of the massive factory area, an older dwarf was working with his two assistants.

The pair sweated as they worked next to the fire. They both wore large padded vests and gloves to handle the hot material. The pair also wore simple masks and goggles for the steam. They routinely put pressure on the large bellows on either side of an even larger metal container. The older dwarf signaled for them to continue pumping oxygen into the fire. The fires grew in size and were glowing and sparking as the large pieces of wood cracked and burned. The older dwarf stirred the mixture once more before telling them to stop.

Before the fire could die down he pulled at a thick rope attached to the metal vat. The container creaked as hinges moved and it tipped. The assistants quickly moved to help him and the three of them moved the container into position.

The thick liquid poured out and into the mold prepared in advance. The mold itself was also partially warmed by the fire which made it easier for Torg to spread the mixture evenly across the mold. Toward the end of the process, both of his assistants began scraping the last of the molten metal into the mold while he took out five small jars.

Each jar contained a different powdered substance with each a distinct color. He poured each out in turn evenly across the mold. First, he poured red, then green. Next was blue, then brown, before adding purple. The powders sparked as they entered the molten metal before they dissolved with the heat.

Torg signaled the two assistants once more as they stepped away and activated another device with a secondary rope. Above the mold, a metal plate began lowering. The assistants worked together to pull it into the correct place before it locked into place. Soon after a boulder rolled from above and locked into place on top putting pressure on the rest of the contraption. The two metal plates for the molding ground together as they were sealed shut.

Torg sighed a sigh of relief after it was complete. His assistants worked with the fire for a short while longer before forcing it to cool quickly. The metal mold encasing the creation glowed with the heat before returning to its normal state. Torg began signing to his assistants to communicate over the sounds of the rest of the machinery in progress.

“I am going to take a break and get a drink. Make sure to be back here in an hour and on time for the factory lead to receive the stuff we made. He is mad enough as it is about the delays and production issues.”

“We will make sure there are no issues, sir,” said the first assistant in response.

“Good. Now go rehydrate yourselves. I’m exhausted.”

-------

Torg found himself in one of the nearby taverns that were never too far from any one place. After ordering his drink he sat himself down amongst the crowd of other dwarves.

“Hey, Torg, how is the project coming along?” asked a nearby dwarf.

“Yeah you’ve been up all week fabricating parts,” said another dwarf. “I tried asking what it was for, but details are sparse.”

“That’s the point. The good thing is I will be officially finished with it tonight. I got an overtime project request from the head production designer for a military project that I can’t say much more about.”

“Oh wow. You are moving up in the world my friend. You have to get me in on the next prototype stages of one of these projects. Not only do they pay well, but they can bring inspiration on a younger dwarf such as myself,” said the first dwarf before taking another swig of his drink.

“I can’t say the project paid me much more than usual, but I was able to perform several tests with elemental dust which will be useful on other projects.”

“You got to get me in on your next project. I’ve only gotten to work with the fire dust for a flaming axe once. Please. You are already set to be the next head production designer. I need my shot too..”

“Anyways,” said the second dwarf. “Congrats on completing that big project. Hopefully, you don’t have to be part of the team that is in charge of repairing that experimental tech. I’m going to get this guy out of here. He has already had a bit too much to drink.”

“Bye then. I’ll see you around.”

“Bye Torg.”

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The assistants rested and recovered from the process of crafting returned to the factory floor. The sounds of the factory continued around them. At their workplace area, the half-finished project still sat.

Taking ahold of ropes attached to the rock the two of them returned it into its place. Once it was safely attached to the ceiling they began opening the mold. With enchanted picks, they began to chip away at the metal box containing their hard-earned creation.

They had chosen this material for the mold because of its heavy resistance to heat and low durability. These traits contrasted well with the lower heat resistance and higher direct hit resistance of the alloy of their creation. From previous tests and the creation of other pieces to this set, they had learned how best to work with the material. The pickaxes had been specifically enchanted and chosen to be strong enough to break apart the mold, but not do any damage to the creation itself.

Over the course of an hour, the metal chest piece revealed itself. It shone with a silver sheen and looked pristine in the dirtier factory. The elemental dust added at the end by Torg presented itself beautifully and gave it a sparkling effect when one looked at it.

The chest piece was not fit for a dwarf despite them making it. It was not for any of the humanoid races but was instead the last piece needed for the construction of the new golem prototype. The golem itself was far from complete, but the last of its parts needed to be made in the factory had now been finished. Based on the blueprint's previous test versions the proportions would be much closer to that of a man or orc with the chest being quite wide and the full assembly standing at just under two meters tall.

The rest of the pieces were already finished and had already been boxed up for the head production designer to inspect and certify. As the removal of the mold continued one of them began sweeping and moving the chunks of metal away from their workstation. The broken pieces of metal were then lifted into a minecart where other workers also dumped their scraps. These scraps would later be processed back into useable material for other projects by other workers.

The process of unveiling the chest piece took nearly an hour. As time went on both assistants took turns moving the scraps away for convenience. Most of the other workers were busy with their individual projects, but they continued to watch as the masterpiece was being completed.

“There it is finally out. Go get me the diagnostic tools. If one thing is off about this item we are both going to be dead and if we lie on the report they will make it much slower,” said the first assistant.

“I’ll get it right away.” The second assistant scurried off to find the tools needed. The golem chest sat atop the workbench and was now being cleaned up by the first dwarf of the dirt that had accumulated while chipping away at the mold.

The first assistant brought out a metal wand with a gem inlaid on the top along with a leather-bound book. The first thing he did with the wand was tap the chest plate. This causes the gem to glow faintly. With the second assistant helping hold the book open and flipping the pages occasionally, they begin performing some informational spells on the armor.

Each time as the incantation finished the wand produced a distinctive colored spark and sound. The two of them then marked the results in a chart that had been brought with the book. This continued only for a few minutes before all of the tests were completed.

“Good there was no warping during the cooling process and the alloy composition was perfect. Go take this to the office,” said the first assistant. “I’m going to begin boxing this up.”

While the second assistant sent the paperwork into the factory’s office the other dwarf began preparing the chest piece for shipping. The first thing to do was begin tying up the armor with ropes as it was too heavy to be lifted on its own and needed to be hoisted into the air and then lowered into its container.

As the first dwarf tied up the armor for carrying the other returned and began preparing the wooden container. The box was already preassembled and only needed the top to have its lid hammered in after the armor and packing material were in place. The second dwarf moved the box into place using some attached wheels on the bottom and waited for the first to finish.

Next, the two of them worked together with the use of some pulleys to lift the armor into position before carefully lowing it into position. They also took this time to wrap some furs around it to prevent the metal from scraping too much against the wood and breaking the box. Finally, they were able to hammer in the final nails needed before pushing the box out of the factory.

----

The armor stayed in the box for a few hours before an inspection was performed by the head production designer. It was his job to validate the quality of all items priced over a certain amount. The dwarven people were proud of their work so all items sold to outsiders were required to meet a certain standard. Though oftentimes the best pieces made by their people were kept internally as symbols of a particular craftsman’s ability.

Torg met with the production designer and delivered the product personally to the man. He examined the pieces and put his stamp of approval on them.

With the final quality checks in place, the armor among many other goods would be shipped to other parts of the world along with many other dwarven goods. The ship that held the golem chest piece was headed to the elven nations where the final assembly of the dwarven war golem was set to begin.