Crumblecity Tales

                “WHAT??”

The taller, thinner Drakken shouted, hopelessly. The shorter, rounder Drakken mouthed something inaudible before shrugging and giving up.

The two stood awkwardly, their slick, gray suits whipping wildly in the wind, as they watched the mechanics, engineers and dock workers run about with purpose and direction. The air rippled in a deafening, reverberating drumbeat as the massive blades, five times taller than even the two men standing atop each other’s shoulders, spun at a blistering pace, far too close for either of them to be comfortable. The two were waiting for the blades to cease, but eventually grew bored, and the taller Drakken pointed with a light-green scaled hand to the only building on the docks, more of a tent, really. The other shrugged his portly shoulders, gleaming red scales catching the evening sun, and wordlessly followed.

At the far end of the air docks, the slowing steel fan was only slightly deafening.

“Is the engine ready, then, Engineer McCreed?” the shorter drake asked, as they entered the tent, a nearby guard dressed in sharp company greens pulling aside the flap.

Inside the tent already was a thin, roughly dressed Drakken, wearing engineer overalls, with Company 2 tags, and another with “McReed”. Glenn McCreed was busy, however, attempting to massage his tired eyes as he poured over a series of complex, light-blue design sheets filled with scribbles, calculations and graphs. The two well-dressed drakes glanced at it briefly before ignoring it entirely.

The taller gentledrake coughed lightly.

“What do you- Oh! Oh, it’s you. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” Glenn quickly cleared what was left of his dinner and three coffee cups off his table, organizing the papers slightly. “My sincerest apologies, sir, er, sirs. Director… Carhn? And Director Orynn, if my memory serves me.” Director Carhn, the taller, green drake, nodded congenially, pretending to look through the documentation scattered across the desk. Director Orynn was busy frowning at the leftover steak from the mess hall below. “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

“Is the engine ready, Glenn?” Director Orynn asked again, dropping the formality.

Glenn winced at the jab but just continued. “Well… in accordance with what we have from the schematics. It works, that much is certain- and it’s absolutely a major improvement over our current engine designs. You see, even Class 4a Freighters don’t have the pull of this new design! We believe it has an upper capacity almost 238% greater than-“

“Oh, good, good,” Director Orynn said, putting his claws over the schematics. “But is it ready.” He looked pointedly at Glenn, who had paused with his mouth open.

“I… er… well…” Glenn started, and Director Orynn just sighed.
                “It’s very impressive work, so far. I can see our investment has, well, showed some fruit…” Director Carhn started, spreading his hands wide. He left the end off, the quiet threat, and Glenn adjusted his collar, feeling suddenly warm.

“We’re still have mana conservation issues,” Glenn explained, pointing to a complex series of diagrams on his schematics. “We know full-well what is intended to go here- it’s just an Elemental Mana Battery, same as we use on all of our designs, but even with our current, highest quality batteries- er, provided by yours truly of course, we’re truly grateful for all your-“

Director Carhn waved for him to continue. “Er, well, you provided us two S-class batteries, with near 98% cross conduit capabilities and the largest capacity on the market, and they’re still unable to keep this unusual engine design running for more than… well…” he waved outside, the thudding of the engine had died down, no more than ten minutes after it began. “The only hint we have is that somehow these designs were based on a new energy source, something… not different, but somehow more capable or powerful than what we have currently. The ship design seems centered on that, I’m afraid…” Glenn grew quiet as his thoughts trailed off.

Director Orynn had long-since lost interest, so he tossed out an “Ah” to help the uncomfortable silence. He had already known this artifact or whatnot was not something they had.

Director Carhn, as the head for Research and Development, however, filled the gaps. “So, it is all about this missing relic, the one described in the documentation, correct?” Glenn nodded his head rapidly, pointing to the same spot. “You are certain, Engineer McReed, that the Enoír manor was fully scoured?”

Glenn nodded again. “I have requested the reconnaissance unit scan the entire perimeter multiple times. Only the room behind the first-floor stairs contained any documentation or reference to these designs. They’re still not sure why the room was unlocked, however… It’s possible the assassins, or even a thief later found the item in question. Why they wouldn’t have taken any of these schematics, though…”

Placing his clawtips together, Director Carhn tried hard to swallow his disappointment. “Unfortunately, not every thief may care about some papers, however complex. We were fortunate to recover any of the Enoír estate designs before the other companies, especially an as-yet tested engine. The board is well aware of the potential for-“

“Sorry, Glenn, I tried the new modulation for the batteries, but Elio doesn’t think-“ the tent flaps paused, open, letting in a cooling, salty, and thankfully quiet breeze, as a shorter Drakken stood in the door, frozen. He looked nervously between Glenn and the two other men, noting their grey suits and lack of company décor, before licking his lips. “Ah… am I… er…”

“Please, come in, Engineer Enno. We were just discussing the mi-er, new… battery.” Glenn said, casting a nervous glance outside of the tent. With the door open the sound wards wouldn’t function, so he shooed the Drakken in. Director Orynn stared at him appraisingly- it wasn’t often a blue-scaled drake joined one of the engineer units, much less as an Engineer.

Once the flapped had closed, the four men shuffled to make space, the tent barely being large enough for all four. “Ah, you were saying, Engineer Enno, about the battery. Any further luck on the new configurations?” Glenn said pointedly to the new drake, trying to stop him from looking so nervously at the other two men.

Enno started, before collecting his thoughts. “I… We tested the new configurations, though we’re approaching modifications that may… impact the capabilities of the Mana Crystals, and…” Enno glanced at Director Carhn, who was listening intently, while Director Orynn had already become enamored with the tools lining the wall. “And… we will not be doing anything that might impact the crystal’s integrity, of course.” Enno finished, looking askance at Glenn.

“Ah, wonderful- well, may I introduce you to Director Carhn and Director Orynn,” Glenn introduced the tall and short drakes in order, which Enno grasped claws with briefly each. “They are here to determine our current success… I believe? And this is my current assistant and apprentice, Engineer Enno. Just the one name- you know blue drake families. He passed the Academy with high honors, a directive in Elemental Bindings, and assisted greatly in decoding the Enoír estate documents, having of located them in the manor himself.”

The directors asked him for some updates, and Enno answered automatically, but for some reason that brought him briefly back to a year prior. The empty manor, the stains on the mahogany floors both upstairs and down. Though when he arrived the bodies had been cleared, but he remembered following the bloody footprints, saw the small handprint on the wall, just below a small nook at the bottom of the stairs. Inside the secret door, Enno had found the documentation he knew Lead Engineer Glenn had been searching for, and the small, bloody pawprint, scraped and sliding on the corner of the desk. Right where some small item could have been sitting…

“Yes, despite the best efforts of my current bindings, we are unable to find a mana-lattice configuration that functions similarly to what is missing…” Enno found himself explaining, coming up from the memory.

Director Carhn had been nodding his head the entire time, though seemed distracted by thought. “Well,” he said, straightening his coat and standing upright. “It seems we find ourselves at an impasse. However, I have some fortunate news for you, gentleman,” the Director said, drawing a small envelope from his jacket. It was sealed with a red mark, his own, personal mark. “I came personally to deliver this new information that may assist you. A… most unusual mana spike within the confines of Delatryss- a city not 20 miles from the Enoír estate, you may recall. Our Reconnaissance team retrieved the information yesterday, and stated you may find it of interest.”

Engineer Glenn cracked the seal, making a sharp pop in the small tent, and read through it quickly, his claws beginning to tremble as his eyes shifted to the bottom of the page. “Is this… is this true? These numbers are… correct?” Director Carhn spread his claws and shrugged, while Director Orynn picked at his with a screwdriver. “This is… these numbers don’t…” he passed the paper to Enno, who felt his heart racing as he saw the estimated values at the bottom.

“There’s… there’s no way, this is purely theoretical, or a catastrophe…” Enno jabbered excitedly. “But, no, we’d have heard if an entire city exploded… 1850%… that’s over ten times higher than fire-attuned…” as he talked, a small, purple light glimmered over his shoulder, quaking and shimmering in tent, which was now only lit by a single lamp hanging from a hook. The light shot forward, rapidly tapping the paper as Enno yelped. “Elio NO!” he yelled, making Director Orynn jump, cutting himself lightly on the screwdriver.

The purple creature was living lightning, and did what lightning does. It struck the paper as it went up in a flash of fire and light, falling to the floor as it burned. The creature wriggled in the air happily as Enno failed to grab it. “Stupid elemental, stupid lightning beast!”

“Well, I think we’ve seen enough,” Director Orynn said, sucking on his sliced finger. He waved away Glenn trying to get him bandages. “We expect a report within two weeks hearing your success in capturing the source of that mana.”

Glenn paused, digging through his supply bags for a bandage. “Two weeks? Us? But we’re… I…”

“You are the High Engineer of Company 2,” the squat director said irritably. “One we have invested far too much money and interest in, if my opinion stands. You were promoted due to finding and deciphering these wishful dreams”, he said, waving towards the scattered papers. “The Board agreed to give this endeavor a try, and so it’s just that. Your endeavor, Engineer.” He glanced between the stricken Glenn and Enno still struggling to keep the Lightning Elemental bound. “You have, as I said, two weeks to prove to us this investment was not wasted, beyond some over-sized fan. Now, we’ll take our leave.”

He stormed out of the tent, still nursing his scratched hand, despite the lack of bleeding. Director Carhn paused as the guard held the tent flap open, seeming to have a thought, then shook his head and departed silently.

As the two Directors strolled across the massive, wood and steel dock, the overly large engine prototype a shadow at its end, they both heard the noise and shouting from the tent, despite its A-class privacy bindings.

“I am confident that these stories are related, aren’t you?” Director Carhn asked quietly, but Director Orynn just grunted. “Do you believe they’ll manage to find the source of that mana-burst? I believe they’re related, or so Director Lorrna does.” Director Carhn glanced sideways at his companion, who said nothing, ambling forward.

Carhn looked out to the horizon, and breathed deep of the ocean air, the docks they walked extending out over the waves over 200 feet below. From this height, he could see various airships arriving and departing from the nearby city of Lo’Vignette – a respectable distance from Company 2’s Engineering Dock. He knew there was already rumor spreading about the massive engine they were constructing, it was easy to see from even the city, however… he wanted them to see it. The world to see it.

Carhn remembered the meeting, convincing the Board, to give him a chance. “An engine that could probably even pass through the Storm of the Thorns…” that’s what Engineer McCreed had said. The tall, green drake’s mind was awhirl with the thought, the ancient mysteries, the value.

As Director Orynn complained about the long, metal stairwell winding up the cliff-face back to the upper airship landing, for the first time since arriving in this gods-forsaken continent, Carhn let a sharp smile slip onto his face.