05 — The Land of Makers and Inventors

05 — The Land of Makers and Inventors

The refuge of world-class crafters that Dhoran had praised to high heaven turned out to be a pretty cozy town. I’d anticipated something a little stiffer and more imposing. The city was waiting for us at the very end of the road, nestled snugly in a cradle of surrounding mountains. One thing that stood out to me was the distinct lack of a visible road to the Kingdom of Dwarves.

“You know, I was expecting a place called Rockford to be a little more rough and tumble,” I said. “This place looks exceedingly normal.”

With Forêt and the other horses in the hermit key’s space and the carriage in the magic bag, we strolled through on foot, taking in the townscape. All the buildings and houses were constructed from either brick or stone, with no timber whatsoever. The strange thing was the lack of any...well, artisan-y landmarks. There were no forges or workshops from what I could see.

I looked around, and the uncomfortable feeling in my gut suddenly made more sense. “Wait, where is everyone?”

Dhoran smirked. “This town’s all smoke and mirrors. There’s nothin’ here to pilfer either, so thugs and bandits steer clear.”

I examined the area more carefully and noticed that many of the houses were dilapidated. The place was completely empty.

Pola scurried in front and took the lead. “This way.”

We followed her to the cliff face of one of the mountains. She continued to walk straight towards it, her head facing back towards us, and was about to slam into the wall—

“Hey, whoa!” Just as I reached out to stop her, she slipped right into the stone. “Uh, what? How? Is the wall an illusion?”

“Aye. The work of a device that bends light to hide the entrance from folks we don’t want comin’ in,” Dhoran explained. “You can imagine the sorta misfits that get together in a place like this, and it’s not rare for a lad to have a few enemies on his tail.”

“Wow,” Ketty gasped.

“I see now why the empire failed in their conquest of this place time and again,” Lionel remarked.

It was a good thing he hadn’t been part of any raiding parties or this ghost town probably would’ve been turned into a ghost ruin.

Dhoran guffawed. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

Someone sure seemed excited to be home. He led us to the wall and through the magic, fantasy-style projection map thing. I couldn’t hide my amazement. It was seriously impossible to tell there was anything but a wall there, and if this was just the beginning, I could see why they called Rockford a dreamland for crafters.

“The sky’s the limit with this sort of technology,” I muttered to no one.

On the other side of the wall we found no welcoming party. Only giant golems, over a dozen of them lining the hallway on each side, leading to a door at the end.

“No one better tell me we’ve got to fight all these things if we want in,” I griped.

“They’d re-form as soon as you broke one, so you’d be fighting forever,” Pola replied simply.

Well, that didn’t sound very fun. Scratch that—Lionel looked like he could barely contain himself.

I still hadn’t gotten over how weird it was to see Pola taking so much initiative. She stopped in front of one of the golems and waved us over excitedly, like a kid itching to show off how cool her house was.

“Hurry.”

“Pola,” Lycian groaned, “you’re our guide. We’ve never been here before.”

We proceeded, and when we arrived, the golem suddenly spoke. “TO THE ONE WHO SEEKS ENTRY, ANSWER ME THIS QUESTION, PRITHEE.” A riddle? I could feel myself getting hyped up already. “TO GRAB THE OPPONENT BY THE WAIST FROM BEHIND, THEN FOLD BACKWARDS AND BRIDGE THEM INTO THE GROUND. WHAT IS THIS TECHNIQUE CALLED?”

And there went the hype.

“A German suplex,” Pola answered.

“YOU MAY PROCEED.”

“What kind of question was that?” What in the world (literally) was pro wrestling trivia doing here?

“Fella who made this place set it up so you have to answer all sorts o’ questions from different categories, but a lot of it’s nonsense ta me,” Dhoran said. “Golems’ll attack you if you try to force your way through.”

“And what category was that just now?”

“Somethin’ called ‘pro wrestling,’ I think. Some kinda hand-to-hand combat style. Pola always loved playin’ with golems, so I bet she picked it up.”

Who would’ve thought pro wrestling would be the concept to cross world barriers. Unless it was some reincarnated guy who’d passed the knowledge on... But Brod hadn’t taught me any techniques like that during my training, so it was probably pretty obscure, especially given this world had magic and swords.

“What happens if you answer wrong?” I asked.

“Nothin’.”

“Nothing?”

“You’ll understand once we keep goin’.”

“What other kinds of questions are there?”

“Some science ones like the boilin’ point o’ water or defining words like ‘phreatic eruption.’ What sorts o’ minerals you can get in the mines and some math problems, but those’re hell. You can get some cryptic formulas.”

“So I’m guessing a certain someone founded Rockford, didn’t he?”

“Lord Reinstar himself. Guy lived here doin’ research for a few years. Didn’t leave much behind, but what he did made a mark, I’ll tell you that.”

Then it was possible I could find things related to Earth here. And it wasn’t like Reinstar could have been the only reincarnated person to ever set foot in the city.

“So some of what he invented is still here?”

Dhoran grunted in affirmation. “The name ‘Rockford’ is one, but that’s a different story. See, Lord Reinstar found himself stuck on a problem that not even his skills were enough to crack, so his pals—researchers and bright minds from all over the world—gathered, and when they came together, like one big rock, they solved it. So the town became Rockford. That’s how the story goes.”

“The guy was popular, that’s for sure. Almost to an insane degree.”

Heck, I could see this being where Neldahl had been made.

“Y’know, lad, I’ve been thinkin’ you and him have a lot in common.” He grinned. “In fact, I’ve got a feeling you’ll turn out even greater.”

“I’m not so sure about that, but maybe I’ll have you guys make me something to disguise my identity so I can run away, hide, and never come back out. Just in case.”

That sounded like a solid plan to me. With renewed confidence, I proceeded down the hall.

Past the golems lay a great door, but off to the right was a more humble one. Pola ignored the larger of the two and turned towards the side door, placing her hand on the wall. A bright light shone, and the wall crumbled away.

“What’s that all about?” I asked.

“Mana authentication,” Dhoran answered. “Gettin’ registered makes things a lot easier. Won’t be getting to Rockford very easily without it.”

I was already impressed and now there was more? I had to wonder how Dhoran had ended up being enslaved with all these protections in place. The people who took him would have had to have been allowed into Rockford.

“Hey, can I ask how you became a slave?”

“Ah, now that’s a story,” he sighed. “It all started with a job I took from the king of the dwarves, underground, in our homeland, but I’d really rather not get into the details.”

“I understand. The Kingdom of Dwarves is underground?” I could certainly see that. We’d created something similar in Yenice, after all.

“Story goes that when the dwarves heard the elves had their own country, their pride turned ’em to the earth, where they’d make their own.”

“Wow. Oh, we should get going.”

Quickly passing through the opening Pola had created, we emerged into a vast, open area, a platform of some kind resting on a hillside with a beautiful view of the town below. This one appeared genuine, complete with districts and order.

“Forges, farms, pastures, and there’s even a sun,” I marveled.

I figured after the basements in Yenice, nothing could surprise me anymore, but boy was I wrong. This made the fields under the Healer’s Guild look amateurish in comparison. Still, the fact that Dhoran and Pola could replicate it at all was amazing.

“The best of the best live here,” Dhoran said. “Just about everyone’s got workshops ’n such on the outside too.”

“That doesn’t surprise me, but why are there farms?”

“We gotta eat to live, lad. Most have servants or slaves do the tillin’ though.”

“Is that self-sustaining?”

“The Adventurer’s Guild brings in monster meat once a week or so and we share what we have when we gotta. And it’s not like we live our whole lives here. We go out huntin’ for apprentices or to take jobs. It’s not bad livin’.”

“Home is where you make it, huh?”

“One rule, though. Can’t build a workshop without an apprenticeship.” Dhoran gave a weak smile, but there was purpose in his eyes.

A flight of stairs connected the platform to the town. As we descended, I looked out across the streets of Rockford. At the bottom, we continued along a road that stretched towards a central building. The artificial sun warmed our cheeks, and the false wind felt relaxing, like we were strolling through a cozy countryside town. There were even people here, but they were less relaxing.

“Dhoran?!” they started to cry.

“It’s Pola!”

“Dhoran’s got arms!”

“Is he back in the forge?”

But the dwarf ignored the onlookers’ surprised exclamations...until he spied someone just up ahead.

“Brother Grand,” he gasped.

“Long time no see, Dhoran. And didn’t I tell ya ta knock it off with that? You’re the younger apprentice, but ya beat me in years. Got me feelin’ all weird with names like that.”

Pola flew over to Grand and clung to him with tears in her eyes. Noticing the rest of us standing around staring, he gently pulled her off and approached us.

“Luciel. Ya have my thanks for rescuing these two.”

“You don’t need to bow,” I insisted. “I found them purely by coincidence and only bought them because they seemed talented. You don’t have to thank me.”

“Well, I’m gonna. I’d never have seen ’em again without you.”

“They’ve been a great help to me. Maybe this finally repays a bit of what I owe you for making the Illusion Staff for me.”

Grand patted my shoulder with a smile. His masterpiece was what had gotten me through the fight with the red dragon. I didn’t think I’d have made it out in one piece without its magic cost reduction abilities. How many people could make something like that, let alone craft at all with dragon parts? And I’d gotten it practically for free. I was seriously indebted to him.

“I’m glad I could deliver,” he said.

“My body is too.”

“Say, I wanna show ’em what we got waitin’. Mind if I do the honors?”

“Lead the way.”

“Dhoran, Pola, follow me.”

As we trailed behind Grand, I noticed Dhoran frowning and Pola dragging her feet. They knew their forge was this way, and it was likely dredging up bad memories. But their expressions changed in an instant when they laid eyes on it. They sprinted ahead.

“That’s it, huh? Good as new?” I asked.

“Better,” Grand replied. “Added a room for the elf girl and made it bigger. Only kept the location and exterior the same.”

“Perfect. How much will it be?”

“Keep your coin. I’m partly ta blame for Dhoran gettin’ enslaved. I wasn’t there for ’im.”

From what little of the story I’d heard, Dhoran had been tasked with forging a ceremonial blade for the king, and his failure was what had led to his unfortunate fate. The damage was heavy, considering he’d wasted exceptionally precious minerals, but I still found the whole thing cruel. It wasn’t my place to stick my nose into cultures I didn’t understand, though.

“I’m the one who commissioned the work, and they’re my subordinates. I’ll pay.”

I’d reported to Her Holiness about Dhoran and Pola on numerous occasions, until one day Grand had sent me a letter expressing gratitude for saving them. Once I learned that they were from Rockford, I’d asked him to rebuild their forge. I wanted them to have a place to go home to.

“Since when’d you grow a spine?”

“How about a compromise, then? See, I’m expecting great things from my new research and development team, including a good bit of profit.”

“Now, that’s got my attention.”

“Get the rest from Dhoran. So, how much?”

“Eight platinum. You got that kinda change? I know ya don’t exactly make a killing off healin’.”

“Let’s just say my portfolio’s diverse and I’ve got money to spend.” I produced eight coins and handed them over with a grin.

“I’m not sayin’ you’ve got bad business sense or nothin’, but...”

“This is a necessary expense. Oh, also, I wanted to ask you to do some maintenance on my Holy Dragon spear and the Illusion Sword while we’re here.”

“You’re priority client number one, pal. Whadda you say we catch up with those two?”

“Good plan.”

We headed over to Dhoran and Pola’s renewed workshop.

Dhoran seemed to be acting strange when we caught up with him. Pola had gone inside already, but her grandfather froze when he tried to step forward. After some time, he simply put his hand to the door and plopped onto the ground.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just thinkin,” he said. “I don’t know how I’m ever gonna repay you or Brother Grand for this.” There was a spark in his eyes. It appeared that the surprise had worked. Grand beamed at him.

“All I need from you is to turn my crazy ideas into reality,” I said.

“I was already planning on doin’ that, but this...” He could no longer hide the tears in his eyes. “This is just playin’ with my heart, lad.”

“Luciel told me you were still kickin’,” Grand interjected. “I knew it’d only be a matter o’ time before ya came crawlin’ back. Brothers-in-steel have each other’s backs. Aye?”

“Brother Grand!”

The dwarves embraced each other. They didn’t let go until Grand finally realized that they were drawing others’ gazes.

“Go on in, Dhoran,” I said once the emotions were out. “Lycian’s going to be living here too, but she can’t go inside until you do.”

I looked at the elf girl, and she blushed awkwardly.

“Right,” Dhoran replied. “In we go.”

With that, we invited ourselves into their new home and workplace.

The main floor of their workshop was the living space, while the basement consisted of three workshops.

“The upstairs was fine and all, but what’s going on down here?” I muttered in surprise. Not just because the basement was twice the size of the underground workshops in Yenice. Oh no, that part was trivial. It was because the place was made with a strange, semitransparent material engraved with all sorts of magic runes.

“Complete with sound dampening, vibration reduction, anti-dust, anti-corrosion, and flame retardant runes, enchanted right inta diamond and adamantite walls. Won’t be blowin’ this forge ta hell,” Grand said proudly. It looked absurdly expensive. He’d definitely undercharged me with that eight platinum. “No earthquake’s shakin’ this place. Floor’s nice and firm.”

Grand had really gone all out. The quake that had caused their former workplace to go up in smoke had informed most of the construction this time around. Pola and Lycian’s sections were situated ideally for the two rivals to shoot peeks and glares at each other. I thought they’d have an issue with this, but the two locked eyes in some kind of new partnership.

“Mister Luciel,” Lionel said, having been silent for the majority of our tour, “I’d like to request equipment from these master craftsmen, with your permission.”

“I know we’re slaves and all,” Ketty added. “But we still wanted to ask.”

It sounded like they knew of Grand. His fame must have extended all the way to Illumasia. Considering I needed gear for Estia too, I decided to give them the green light.

“Correction: you’re self-proclaimed slaves. You’re free to be free whenever you like, as far as I’m concerned,” I replied. “Grand, can you add four sets of equipment to that commission?”

“Wait, that includes me?” Kefin asked, perplexed.

“And, um, me?” Estia inquired similarly.

“Well, you’re not just going to be sitting around, are you?”

That was especially true of Kefin, since he knew how to fight. As for Estia...well, she had been dispatched by the pope herself, so it went without saying.

“I’ll accept anythin’ you wanna throw at me,” Grand replied. “But you won’t be gettin’ any discounts, and you’ve got a queue now. Let’s see about that maintenance first.”

“Thanks. I’ll pay whatever you need.”

“You in, Dhoran?”

“Am I in? Ha!” he hollered. “You and me, Grand. I’m gonna need your help.”

“You’ve got it.”

It seemed the pact was made. Until...

“So, what’ve you got to get started?” Grand continued. “Monster parts? Mithril? Adamantite? Orichalcum?”

“What do you have in stock?” I asked.

Grand shot me an utterly flabbergasted look. “We don’t.”

Awkward silence fell. I took it to mean that we were supposed to go lug our own rocks straight from the mine, but I wasn’t about to go putting my life on the line for some new duds.

Lionel, seemingly sensing my hesitation, gripped my shoulder. “Mister Luciel, pray indulge us. To the mines we go!”

Ketty grabbed my other shoulder. “C’mon, Chief. Promise we’ll be good.”

I grinned. “Ha ha! No.” Why? So I could somehow wind up in a mine-themed dungeon and have a lovely chat with the local Earth Dragon? Not happening. Absolutely, positively not. Someone had to be the voice of reason here. “Would the same dragon scales and bones I gave you last time for the Illusion Staff work?” I asked Grand.

“Perfectly. It’d be an honor to work with material like that again,” he replied. “Ya sure, though? Stuff’s awfully rare.”

Jackpot. “As long as I don’t have to take a trip to the mines. How long should it take?”

“For four people? Least four months. Maybe half a year.”

The four in question looked shocked by my proposed materials, but the stuff was just taking up space in the magic bag, and I figured it should be used. Plus, it came with no mortal cost to my life. The time frame was no surprise either. I was expecting it to take a while.

“That works. Mind if we make a trip to the Holy City and Merratoni once my weapon maintenance is done and you finish taking measurements?”

If we had to wait half a year, I preferred to spend the time seeing my master and the gang again. Lionel could keep him occupied while I quietly trained in a corner. I just wanted some peace and quiet. Was that so much to ask for?

“Not a problem. Now, forget all that; tonight we celebrate Dhoran and Pola comin’ home! We’ve got some drinkin’ to do, and you’re joinin’ us,” Grand announced.

“Of course,” I answered. “It’s not very strong liquor, but I have some mead. You’re free to share.”

“Alcohol’s alcohol! It tastin’ good’s only a bonus. The hard stuff never gets old, but I’m all for somethin’ new.”

“Great. One other thing: I’d like to use this opportunity to release these two from their slave pacts. Is that all right?”

“Be my guest.”

“Wait,” Dhoran cut in, “if the kingdom gets wind o’ me they’ll—”

“They’ll nothin’,” Grand declared. “I’ve already had a chat with the king. It’s all in the past. His Majesty feels awful about eggin’ you on, makin’ you swear to forge the greatest sword ever made or be enslaved. We’ve all had one too many before, but that was no excuse.”

“I don’t go back on my word. I just never expected Pola to go with me.”

“Maybe keep your damn words to yourself this time, eh?”

“You’re right, brother. From now on, my hammer’s for forgin’ Luciel’s world and nothin’ else!”

“Shrink that head a little and make some room for me, why don’tcha?”

“So tonight, we free you,” I reiterated.

“Aye.” Dhoran lowered his head.

Crafters and artificers alike were gathered in the city’s plaza after work that evening, the fake sun low in the sky, perfectly mirroring a real sunset.

“Thank ya all for comin’,” Grand said. “We’re here to celebrate the homecoming of our favorite blacksmith and his golem-loving granddaughter.”

Cheers rose as friends shouted warm welcomes to the two.

“I’m now going to release them from their slave pact,” I announced. I cast Dispel without further ado. “With this, you’re no longer my slaves.”

Grand gave a firm nod. “This lad here is Luciel, who worked his way up to S-rank healer when he was just twenty. He’s the one who bought those two and he’s treated ’em well ever since.”

The people looked a little conflicted upon hearing the part about me buying slaves.

“He was a good master. Never once asked the impossible of or raised a hand against any of us. Wouldn’t even lay a finger on Pola. A dwarf’s gotta wonder where his stones are!”

Pola whacked her grandfather’s head with a nearby jug like some kind of comedy act. I let out a little chuckle while the rest of the crowd busted a gut. It clearly hadn’t been their first performance.

“I’m back,” Pola said simply. “There’s still lots I wanna learn. I hope you’ll all teach me again.”

She offered a cute bow, to raucous applause and cheers, almost like she was a local idol. This was her home. She’d grown up here. Doubtless the people had a lot of love for her.

“Sorry we worried ya all,” Dhoran said. “But we’re here to stay this time.”

Humble applause followed.

“It’s a good day, lads and lasses!” Grand cheered. “Drink till ya drop! With Luciel here, no one’s gettin’ a hangover tonight!” The crowd hollered. “To Dhoran! To Pola! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” everyone cried.

“I can’t tell ya how sad I was ta hear what happened ta them two,” Grand slurred between sips. “Dhoran? Pola? Slaves? I cursed the gods, I did. Cursed His Majesty too! Not as much as he cursed himself, though, I bet. But why didn’tcha ask me for help, ya ass?”

“I didn’t mean bad by it,” Dhoran said, gulping his own drink.

“I searched ’n searched, but the only thing I found was a whole heap o’ wasted time. That’s when I gotcher letter, Luciel. When I found out he bought you both and was takin’ care o’ you. Told me you’d got your arms back, asked me ta build ya a home again. Can ya reckon how over the moon I was? Ya can’t!”

“Thanks, Uncle Grand,” Pola said.

“D’aww, you can’t do no wrong, ya goof!” Grand cooed like a doting parent, giving her head a firm pat before turning his ire back on Dhoran. “Luciel asked me to keep hush about it all. Got some weird looks from folks who saw me takin’ trips to your old workshop. It cut me deep!”

So much for being a heavyweight, I thought. The collateral damage of his drunken stupor was surely only just beginning.

Dhoran faced Grand directly and bowed. “I appreciate ya, brother.”

“Aw, ta hell with it! You’re off the hook for now, but you ain’t leavin’ till one of us drops!”

“I think that’s about to be you, but don’t worry. You’re in good hands.”

“Them’s fightin’ words!”

So began their dwarven drinking contest. The party went on well into the night.