He and Tazo left the shop in the care of Ashfall and Birb, knowing he'd fall behind on production and the two of them would have to focus on ordinary smithing. He at least had proof of progress: the first new engine, and a water pump. The System labeled it as [Fair quality], a step above a rickety prototype.

Polestar had chosen to stay behind to help with the shop and see about getting a house. Vonn had suggested coming along to meet the famous wizard, but he insisted he didn't have enough magic to benefit. Not even singing at him about the Wizard of Oz helped.

Vonn called upon the Baron across the river and showed the gadget off. Where Bogstep had been dismissive of Vonn's early pinball machine, sending it to the nearest tavern for his workers to enjoy, he put more effort into studying the boxy iron device in his sturdy magic workshop. The engine sat on a table, chugging and whirring. It sucked water up from a bucket through an oilcloth hose and dumped it into another bucket up on a high shelf.

The Centaur noble paced around it, squinting at the firey red and icy blue crystals that made it go. "So it just does this constantly? On its own?"

"Yes, my lord. You can put it somewhere dry above your swampland and dump the water where you want it. Or lift water from your mines. Or dump it into a purifying system."

Tazo reminded them all, "There's a height limit. We're showing you this without the boost from Crystal Integration, which can increase that somewhat."

Bogstep frowned. "But why would it only lift water so much, when you used an engine like this to fly into the air?"

Vonn said, "All the machine really does is turn a rod, and whatever is attached to the rod. Whatever you can get that turning force to accomplish, it can do. This same machine can turn a propeller on a boat or airplane, or the wheels of a cart. It so happens that lifting a heavy mass of water this way needs more power than the specific technique for pushing a vehicle forward. You might think of it as rowing through water instead of air; it's thicker."

Brightstep put in, "Father, it's like enchantment versus casting a spell immediately. There's a different amount of effort needed for different tasks and methods."

The Baron didn't seem to get it, but he shrugged. "So, practically, I can use this thing in the mine? And you can build more of these quickly?"

Vonn nodded. "Yes. We have the tools and plans to make more like it, now."

Tazo warned, "It might still be buggy." When the nobles looked confused she said, "Not completely reliable, as though there are bugs to pluck off of it. Anyway we now need people to test it in the field and let us know what breaks and what annoys them."

"And by 'in the field' she means --"

"I get it," the Baron said. "Bad enough having to learn magic jargon but now there's a whole other set." He patted his son's upper shoulder.

Brightstep said, "I'm coming along with you. I don't want to miss a chance to visit Master Ralator."

Bogstep looked skeptically at all of them. "You're taking another trip east? Vonn, when are you going to build me this next set of engines?"

"We'll only be gone for days. Speaking with the magic expert can help us work enchantment into our devices, and we'll consult about the Kolm's Fell situation."

"I'll allow it. But I'm not paying you to be on vacation. And considering what happened last time, you're taking a guard."

#

They made plans to leave tomorrow morning. That left them time to study enchantment with Brightstep. In the same bare, sturdy room where they'd demonstrated the engine, he brought out a table and a few magicite shards. "Did you try practicing enchantment on your ammunition yet?"

Vonn had hardly found the time, but he demonstrated what little he'd done. "So far it's not much different from the Freezing Strike ability I already had." He took out a few lead pellets from his pockets and held one in his hands, willing himself to see magic in it. As with his intuitive sense of how to shape and fit parts as an Engineer, his magical skill now let him mentally zoom in on threads of energy he could twist and color at will. He wove them into the ball, creating a tight knot of sound-themed power.

Brightstep was leaning close. "All right, you have a spell tied up there. Tazo, what is he doing wrong?"

"Uh... there's no trigger to set it off."

"Demonstrate that."

Tazo did the work more carefully. "In this case you want the effect to release when the ball hits something solid. It's a single-use effect. So, see what I'm doing, adding a link to physical force? The spell will sense force, then act."

Vonn concentrated on the design, flicking his tail in thought. "But an enchantment needs a living person to activate."

"In this case the fact that you handled it within a few minutes is enough. You could also design it to sit there for a longer time, until it hits a person and not an object. But hopefully you wouldn't be shooting people."

"Well great. This skill makes my Freezing Strike obsolete."

Brightstep asked, "Did you have any idea how it worked?"

"No."

"Then you're learning the method behind what you do, which should give the power more flexibility. Practice using both this method and your old one, and compare. For now, I want you two to build a wand. Fetch the one over there."

Atop a storage chest sat a simple rod of wood, with a crystal lashed to its tip with cords. Brightstep demonstrated how to highlight the pattern woven into it. Vonn asked, "Something like a geomancy effect?"