Dexter

I sat up and stretched as the morning light finally awoke me from my slumber. I yawned as small clicks emanated from my joints. I turned and saw an Illuminate orb floating downstairs. I let out a sigh as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “Might as well give Teleport a test drive.” I cast Levitate and grabbed my glasses that were laying nearby, pulling them to me and putting them on. I mentally ran through the list of gestures and incantation before beginning, casting the spell as I swayed slightly in my hammock. I finally finished and popped into existence downstairs, the world around me briefly warping and morphing from my hammock to the view downstairs. I had half a second to appreciate the odd visual before immediately falling and landing on the floor, hard. “Fucking SHIT!” I let out a groan as I rolled over and nursed my bruised back, completely overlooking the mild nausea I was now experiencing. “Alright, maybe it's not like that teleport thing. I'm pretty sure something like that would make the world go dark. Though the throb definitely feels out of place.” I heard a small laugh as I groaned against the pain. “Apparently the spell doesn't completely consider the height of the endpoint.” Amelia chuckled.

I nodded as I crawled to my feet and stretched, pain and nausea slowly fading. “At least I only fell a few feet and not a hundred feet,” I remarked. “God would that be terrifying.”

Amelia nodded as she gestured at another table. “Anyway, the food is here. They even wrapped yours in some kind of skin.”

I nodded as I walked over and inspected the packages. They'd used some type of string to wrap the animal hide tightly around the provisions, but I could still tell what they were just from the feel of it. “More bread and meat. This should get me through the day.” I reached over and pulled out my backpack, tossing the food in with my other supplies. I pulled out the thermos and moved to fill it with water. “I'll try to be back by sun-down. There's no point searching in the dark.”

Amelia nodded as I twisted the lid closed and walked back over to the table. “Just be careful. You have no idea what's out in those woods.”

I nodded as I tossed the thermos in the pack and pulled it over my shoulders. “I'll bring my sword just in case. I'm pretty confident I won't come across another troll out there so it should be good enough.” Amelia nodded as I grabbed my sword and pulled the leather around my waist. “See you later,” I added as I started making my way towards the door.

“Good luck,” Amelia called as I pulled the door closed. I nodded and stretched as I began walking towards the gate, the morning sun warming me slightly as I went. “I'm going to need some god-like luck to find a rubber tree. I'll probably try the dandelions and hope I harvest enough to make a seal for the autoclave. Then again, they're probably not growing right now. Perhaps another plant, it'll most likely be in a field. Either way, it's going to take some time.” I let out another yawn as I waved to some nearby orcs. “Though It'll definitely be worth it once I start some actual production. A lot of shit nowadays uses rubber; either as an insulator or general cushioning. . . or rubber balls. I might have one in one of the boxes. It would be a good stress release for a long boring walk like this. Thoughts for later; right now, I have sap to find.” I looked up as I approached the previously obliterated gate. The splinters were mostly cleared, and several new logs were being hoisted back into place. Already carpenters were working on carving the raw timber into the proper shape, sitting on slings suspended from the ramparts as they scraped flecks of wood away. I took note of the line of orcs guarding the wide-open gate, checking the few people that wanted to cross the threshold. I approached as I let out one final yawn.

The guard held up a hand, signaling me to stop. “What business do you have outside of Snakhagr?” The guard asked.

I gestured towards my backpack as I replied. “I need some materials from the nearby forest. I'll try to be back before dark.”

The orc hesitated for a moment then nodded “I have heard,” He remarked. “Be wary of the wilderness. The forest holds many unchallenged dangers.”

I nodded as I tapped the hilt of my sword. “I’ll be on the lookout.” The guard nodded and waved me through. I grinned and jogged forward as I oriented myself and began making my way south. “I'll try the nearby streams first. They probably have relatively consistent temperatures. I'll have to observe some of the local fauna to see which plants they avoid. I should be able to find an adequate source within a week or two.” I let out a sigh as I stretched again, causing my joints to let out more small clicks. “Either way now's a good a time as any to practice Fireball.” I looked up as I walked and cast the spell, causing a ball of plasma to go soaring into the air.

Amelia

I stood and stretched as I finished memorizing my next spell, Spark. “Electricity out of nothing. Tesla would kill for a technique like this.” I quickly ran through the gestures and caused arcs of electricity to sprout from my fingers. I watched the charge travel up my fingers like a Jacob's ladder. I turned and reread the description of the spell. Measurements based on one mana supplied. Physical contact will cause a limb to spasm for one minute. Contacting the torso will produce body-wide spasms for one minute. Contact with the head will cause severe disorientation and possible unconsciousness for one minute. The spell may be concentrated into a bolt and fired. This will cut the duration in half. Additional mana will increase duration, but not increase the affected area. The preparation stage can be held indefinitely. I turned back to the rippling arcs as I felt myself grin. “Sounds pretty useful, like an on-demand stun gun.” I turned as a knock suddenly emanated from the barn door. I released the spell and moved to open it, revealing an orc in a fluffy shawl carrying a bin of white rocks. He gave me a once over before presenting the bin to me. “The other one requested these,” he supplied.

I nodded as I waved him in, remembering Dexter’s plan from yesterday. “Just set it on one of the tables. He's out looking for supplies right now.”

The orc nodded as he entered and placed the bin down with a sigh. He then reached into his shawl and produced a leather pouch, dropping it alongside the bin. “That is the stone he requested,” the orc explained. “Per his request, it creates a minor lightning spell that coats the stone in a shocking aura. Handle with caution.”

I nodded as I picked up the pouch and opened it. A softly glowing crystal lay within, causing tiny sparks to occasionally radiate from the slightly opaque rock. I furrowed my brow as a thought occurred to me. “Why did he ask for this?” I inquired, turning to the orc.

The orc shrugged as he gestured at the bin. “I was not informed on that matter; only told to bring this to your abode.” I looked back down at the stone and touched it lightly, causing a sudden bolt of pain to radiate up my fingers and for me to draw my finger back again, wincing. The mage nodded as he watched me cringe in pain. “I was told he was warned of that.” The orc supplied.

I nodded as I rubbed my still stinging fingers together. “If he were doing something with metal, I'd say he was trying to electroplate; but since this is quartz, I have no idea what he's trying to do.”

The orc shrugged again as he began walking towards the door. “I could not tell you if I wanted to. I merely know that I have my own studies to return to. So, I bid you a good day.” I waved his way as he turned and left me with the arcane supplies. I turned back to the bin as I let out a confused sigh. “What's he trying to do? I think I've heard of an autoclave before; something to do with pressure and acid, but there's no way adding electricity to the mix will help. If he plans to use a cauldron that'll just electroplate the inside onto the quartz.” I let out a sigh and tossed the pouch back onto the table. “I'll have to ask him later. For now, I should head down and ask the . . . Oh Shit.”

I turned and rushed out the door, leaving the bin and pouch on the table, and began chasing down the orc that had just left. “Hang on for a second,” I called, causing him to hesitate. I waved his way as I ran over, panting as I stopped beside him. I quickly came up with an excuse as I caught my breath. “huff huff Since you're here, huff could you demonstrate a spell I've been having trouble with?”

The orc tilted his head as he heard my question. “Which spell would that be?” He asked curiously. “Surely you are not attempting something advanced.”

I shook my head as I gestured back towards the barn. “I'm finding it hard to use Teleport. Could you show me what it should look like to go through it? I hope it’s not too much trouble.”

The orc was silent for another minute, then sighed. “Very well.” He growled. “A brief demonstration is simple enough. Grip my shoulder. I find the spell simpler when contact is made.” I nodded as I reached up and grabbed his shoulder. He prepared his arms as he stared forward, me standing just at his side. “I can Teleport us back to the barn. It should take but a moment.” I nodded as I watched him gesture quickly, muttering to himself slightly as he went. After a moment, the orc paused to turn to me. “How recently have you had a meal?” He asked.

I gave him a concerned expression as the question stuck out to me. “Not since last night.” I lied.

The orc nodded as he returned to his spell and caused the world to warp around us. “Just checking,” he explained. I do not wish to have my garments soiled.” I felt the usual pulse that marked our transition, this time to the barn door, and I placed my free hand on my now nauseated stomach. I couldn’t tell much of a difference between this teleport and the one I’d performed earlier. The orc, on the other hand, fell to one knee and clutched his stomach, groaning slightly as he did so. I let out a breath and closed my eyes as I tilted my head up, waiting for nausea to pass. Mostly though, I was making sure the mage wouldn’t suspect anything. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like this detail would be better kept hidden.

The mage turned his head slightly to address me. “I hope that was satisfactory.” The orc groaned, stomach letting out a groan of pain.

I nodded as I finally let go of my stomach and sighed. “Not what I expected.” I lied again. “Thank you though. I’m sure it’ll help me figure out where I’m going wrong.”

The mage nodded as he stood, marching away as he avoided my gaze. “May you find fortune in that endeavor.” He muttered as he walked away. I sighed at the mage’s wish and re-entered the barn, leaving the orc to make his way back to the Institute. I let out a breath as my stomach let out one final gurgle. “Definitely related to biology. Same spell, same castor, two different reactions. I guess humans are more durable than I thought. If it's the same for the elves it might provide a bit of an advantage, if the height difference wasn't enough.” I stretched as I let out a sigh, reminding myself of one of the things on my day’s to-do list. “Welp, either way, I have my answer. Now I can head down to Jolagh's store to see if he finished re-writing his books. I hope it wasn’t too difficult for him.” I stretched one last time and turned to exit the barn. Closing the door behind me with a soft boom.

It took me a little while to find his store, considering I'd walked into an unfamiliar part of the city, but I eventually found his little shop tucked away in one of the side streets of the northern district. It was one of the few places that had its name plastered above the door, Jolagh's Tome Emporium. I pushed open the door and stepped into the brightly lot building. The smell of fresh books and drying ink filled the air within. I grinned and breathed deeply as a sense of familiarity came to me and I looked around the small space. Shelves packed the walls, each of them filled to the brim with books of varying sizes and colors. I turned to the counter at the far end of the room as a voice called out to me. “Amelia, it is wonderful to see you again. What brings you to my shop?”

I grinned as I saw Jolagh standing behind the wooden desk. I waved at him as I walked over. “Just dropping by to say hello. There's only so much sitting around I can take. But enough about me, how have you been? Did you finish rewriting your financial books?”

Jolagh nodded as he gestured behind him. “We had nearly finished anyway. I spent the week after transcribing the final book. It did not seem like much, but it drastically aided in tracking my sales wares.”

I nodded as I glanced around at the shelves. It was relaxing to be around so many books again; especially since they were so old looking. “I'm surprised you have so many books,” I remarked. “I kind of thought it would be hard to sell them when so few people read.”

Jolagh nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I do not receive many customers. The mages come to me most often. The only other ones that enter my shop are other masters, lesser scribes, and the occasional farmer that happened to enjoy books. The only other time I take in a profit is when the merchants return from Varthurg. They are expected fairly soon. I copied a few extra books in preparation for their arrival.”

I nodded as I glanced at the books again. “Were all of these written by you?” I asked curiously.

Jolagh shook his head as he pointed behind to a door him. “I have some other scribes copying pages as we speak. They are nearly finished constructing another history tome. I might even be able to bind it in time to bring to the merchants.”

I nodded as I looked around again, recalling that humans had the exact method of knowledge tracking not even five hundred years ago. If Kagan was right, it would be in some of their lifetimes. My brow suddenly furrowed as an idea suddenly popped into my head. “How long does it usually take to make another book?” I asked curiously. “I thought those merchants would still be a ways away.”

Jolagh paused to consider the question, either out of confusion or concern I couldn’t tell. “All in all, it would take me and my scribes a month’s worth of work to properly recreate a standard tome, sometimes longer depending on how big it is. I may be able to reduce the time if I press myself and my apprentices.” I nodded as I closed my eyes and tried to visualize the design. The pieces slowly formed in my head as I recalled a diagram I’d seen so long ago. “Supports, screw, panel.” I looked up as Jolagh asked another question. “If you do not mind me asking, why are you interested?”

I grinned as I considered the impact of mass-produced information. “Because I think I might be able to help you, a lot.”

I spent the next few hours explaining the printing press to Jolagh and his apprentices. The one I had in mind wasn’t complex, just a stand-alone frame with a screw with would press a sheet of paper onto a stencil after it had been soaked with a sponge of ink. It was most effective at making posters, but I imagine it would still be useful for making pages. I used the Illusion spell to help illustrate the design and assure myself that it should work with a little tinkering. We were in the back room where Jolagh and his apprentices copied text from existing books to make new ones. They were highly intrigued by the simplicity of the machine, given the intricate nature of their work. “You speak as if this device should be common knowledge.” One of the apprentices remarked. “Are you certain this device is possible?”

I nodded I gestured with my hands again, signaling the illusion to go through the cycle of stamping a blank page. “It basically presses the paper . . . parchment, onto a form saturated with ink. There are sometimes errors, but for the most part, it recreates the paper perfectly every time. It's not terribly complicated, the only thing you would need to do is build it and design the forms. You could even make posters for your store using these.”

Jolagh rubbed his head as he looked at the desks of books and parchment around the room. The four scribes that were there sat silently as they stretched their strained digits. “Can that really aid in producing books?” Jolagh asked. “If we must design a form for every page, would it not take more time than if we wrote it directly?”

I tilted my hand back and forth in response, considering the question. “It's a little better with mass-producing the same page, but that can easily be extended to making many books at one time. You could probably make ten of them in a month. If it’s a book you need a lot of you can keep stencils for later use. You’d just need enough letters to replace the ones you use.”

The apprentices turned to look at Jolagh as he seemed to heavily consider the idea. “And you are able to produce this machine?” He asked.

I nodded as I pointed to a corner of the room. There was a stack of books there at the moment, but it seemed like the perfect place. “We can build it over there, out of the way of the shelves. It might take a while to get the design right, but after that, it's only a matter of making another machine exactly like it.”

Jolagh paused then sighed as he glanced at the corner. “If you truly believe in its benefits, then we may as well attempt it.” He admitted. “Gods know it would do us well to learn more of your strange outsider habits.”

I grinned as I glanced at the corner. “Excellent. I can come back tomorrow with a rough design. For now, just know that I'll need some wood, some rods of metal, and the tools to hold the thing together. We can ask Shurkul to help make the pieces of the form.”

Jolagh nodded as he reached into his shawl and pulled out a leather pouch. “I will have Naghat purchase the material.” He began counting coins from the pouch. He then turned to one of the apprentices and held out his filled hand. “Ensure it can be built large enough, preferably enough to make a page or two at a time.” The orc nodded as he took the coins and left the room. Jolagh then turned back to me. “I trust that you know what you are doing.”

I nodded as I stretched slightly. “It's just a matter of replicating past inventions. We could probably have it built in a few days and fully operational within a week or two.”

Jolagh nodded as he glanced at the desks again. “I look forward to seeing just how successful this device can be. It would certainly ease my worries if texts can be replicated so easily.”

I nodded as I started making my way towards the door. “I'll see you guys tomorrow then.” Jolagh and the others waved as I left his Jolagh's Emporium and began making my way back towards the barn. “A printing press is simple enough. I can teach them how to build it and make books a lot easier to come by. Hell, if Dexter has decided to stay here we might as well improve the literacy rate. I can only imagine what they could do if more of them knew how to read.”

I made my way back to the barn and continued what I’d started that morning. I studied the spellbook as I carefully memorized another incantation, Move Earth. I'd already washed the pile of clothes that once graced the chair next to me, hanging them to dry in a corner of the barn once I'd finished blasting them with Water Jet. I looked up as the door was pulled open and Dexter entered with a sigh. “Any luck?” I asked.

Dexter shook his head and let the pack drop from his back, tossing it onto an open chair as he replied. “It's nothing but oak and pines for miles. I doubt the conditions are anywhere near-optimal for a rubber tree. I've been searching clearings for the last few hours, hoping to find some dandelion or something.” Dexter sighed again as he sat down and began removing his shoes. “Surprisingly, no such luck. I'd try and watch what the deers do and do not eat, but I have yet to find any.” He began massaging his feet as he looked around the barn. “I'm going to have to see if I have a book that can tell me which plants deers tend to avoid. The latex sap is supposed to be a deer deterrent so if I find an equivalent here, I might be able to harvest the sap.” Dexter paused as he noticed the bin of quartz. “Did they drop everything off already?” He asked, turning to me.

I shook my head as I glanced at the pouch beside it. “Just the quartz and the manastone. Speaking of, what exactly is your plan for that?”

Dexter stood and walked over to the bin as he replied. “Like I said yesterday, grow my own quartz crystals using an autoclave. The pressure and heat should liquefy the natural crystals and collect the minerals on the seed. All that I need now is the cauldron, the acid, the stove, and the rubber.”

I nodded as I stood and walked over. “And what does the manastone have to play in this?” I asked curiously.

Dexter looked down and picked up the pouch, massaging it as he replied. “From what I remember of what Damon said, I can aid the growth of crystals by passing some electrons through the medium. The stone is the easiest way to do that. We don’t exactly have a generator handy.”

I nodded as I watched him open the pouch and examine the softly glowing crystal. “So kind of like the principle of electroplating?” I probed, trying to not be confrontational about what he was doing.

Dexter paused then grinned and nodded as he looked at me. “Exactly like electroplating. Only, in this case, it'll help the crystals grow faster. I just need to set up the apparatus correctly.”

I nodded and pursed my lips as Dexter tossed the pouch back onto the table. “Out of curiosity, what is the cauldron made of?” I asked, trying to lead him to the conclusion.

Dexter looked at me, confused. “I'd imagine it's made of iron.” He replied. “It could be made of copper, that would help distribute the heat, but from what I've seen the Institute uses iron.”

I nodded as I pointed at the pouch. “Either way, it's metallic. And what happens when you pass a charge through an acidic medium with metallic nodes?”

Dexter paused as he glanced at the pouch. “The anode material electroplates onto the cathode material. What do you-” He suddenly stopped, and I could tell he just had an aha moment. He then scrunched up his face and let out a groan as his palm slapped his forehead. “I'm a fucking dumbass.” He moaned. “I should have known that could be possible.” He cursed under his breath. “Of all the dangerous ways to fuck something up, this has to be the absolute dumbest.” He leaned over and rested his elbows on the table as his hands furiously rubbed his head. “A broken cauldron would be the least of our fucking worries if I’d gone through with the fucking plan.”

I grinned sadly as I gently stroked his back. “At least you know what could have happened,” I said encouragingly. “It just took a bit of thought.”

Dexter growled as his fists clenched in frustration. “I shouldn't have made the mistake in the first place.” He groaned, slapping the table angrily. “It could, would, have sprayed boiling acid all over the place. I should have thought of the ways the autoclave would fail with my design. Not to mention realize just how little I remembered of that conversation. I mean come on. Where did the memory get so messed up that it would think that would work?”

I nodded as Dexter let out another groan. “Still, you didn't follow through with the mistake. You realize what stone would have done to the cauldron and the danger is presented.”

Dexter paused, then finally let out a sigh as he straightened up. “I guess you're right, but it's still aggravating that I didn't think about what was wrong to begin with. All because Damion started with that electroplating analogy. I should've thought it through a bit more.”

I nodded as I picked up one of the crystals in the bin and examined it. “At least now you know what to do. Plus, I doubt many people would've realized where the plan would go wrong.”

Dexter sighed again as he nodded. “I'll have to try and stay on top of everything that could happen with what I make.” He muttered, not happy with the idea. “I don't want to have the final product suddenly fail and kill everyone in the immediate vicinity. Who knows who could get hurt if I’m not precise about all this.”

I nodded as I tossed the crystal back in with the rest. “Well, we can worry about that later. Right now, we should focus on what each of us needs to build.”

Dexter suddenly turned and gave me a curious look. “What do you mean each of us?”

I grinned as I gestured with my hands again, pressing them together, as if it were imprinting ink onto a page. “I'm going to help Jolagh build a printing press.”