Summoning Kobolds At Midnight: A Tale of Suburbia & Sorcery.

Tortle Enclave.

They were in very big trouble, Dylan thought as he nervously peeked around the large shell of a tortle that found the gnome amusing for some reason. He was honestly a little surprised the tortles seemed to not find his presence bothersome. Yet. But there was still time, he thought as he didn't see their pursuers coming down the length of dirt track that led back to the halfling colony.

He sighed in relief and leaned his back against the shell and slid down, his bottom hitting the damp cold ground.

"How long do you think before it is safe to go back, Alban?"

The dwarf grunted and shrugged his shoulders in response as he tinkered with the little mechanical toys he's been selling to the humans of late. He's actually managed to gain a nice bit of this world's currency from the feel of the stack of green paper he had in his satchel.

He wondered if it would be enough to purchase some goods and resources, the mute dwarf thought as Dylan mumbled and muttered.

"I did not think they would be so angry. Well, I did. Just not to that degree. Well... okay I knew that too, I just thought that maybe it would take them longer to find out. Besides, not like we did anything wrong... or permanent."

Alban grunted as a little tortling waddled up and ooh'd and aw'd as it watched Alban tinker and work. A small group of the little tortles seemed just as amused as the larger ones to follow Dylan as the gnome paced back and forth, seeming oblivious to the small group of aquatic reptiles shuffling after him this way and that.

"I mean, I know we probably should not have opened up that metal casing. But when something has a big skull on it and painted in red and yellow with the words 'DANGER, HIGH VOLTAGE!', how are we supposed to take that as anything but an invitation to investigate and tinker?!"

Alban grunted again as he went over to the lake and twisted the knob on the back of the toy he had finished and placed it in the water, he and the tortling watched as the little mechanical tinker toy floated and slowly pushed itself across the water. Much to the amusement of the tortling, and the pride and satisfaction of Alban.

"I will admit that perhaps when the casing started to smoke, we should have stopped. We also probably should have stopped when it started sparking like a smiths forge. And we most definitely should have stopped when it caught on fire."

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Alban grunted as the tortling dived into the freezing water without any hesitation or concern and swam over and started playing with the toy in the water.

"But we tried to put it out and fix it! Well... tried to."

"Aw, to be young and curious again. I miss those days." The tortle replied.

"Exactly! Especially in this new world where everything is just so... fascinating!"

"Indeed, child of stone and lightning. But you need to know one thing."

"What?"

"It will be there tomorrow as well. And the day after. And the day after that." The tortle replied sagely.

"But how do you know!?! According to the halflings and even humans this lake wasn't here a few months ago!"

"Ah! But that's where you're wrong little gnome! This lake WAS here! It was here even when those above had forgotten it existed. But it was still here non the less."

"But what about tomorrow?! Just because it was here yesterday and today does not mean it will be tomorrow! It disappeared once already! Who is to say it will not do it again?!"

The tortle shrugged it's scaled shoulders with a carefree smile.

"I don't know. That's the fun of it!"

Dylan's eye twitched as the tortle cackled and smacked it's scaled knee with its clawed hand.

"But you do not understand! I am trying to make people's lives better! Easier! What I know today will be something I can make tomorrow! What I make tomorrow will save someone pain, suffering, and hardship the next!"

The tortle merely shrugged at his outburst though.

"That is life. To fight it is to fight the tide. You can try, but it's futile. The tide will come no matter how hard you fight it."

"But why?! Why should we be at the mercy of a world so cruel and unfair?! Why should we just accept that?!"

The tortle shrugged once more with the same contented smile.

"I don't know."

"That is maddeningly unhelpful." Dylan replied as he took off his goggles and rubbed his face.

He wouldn't, couldn't, accept that idea, that mentality. To just roll over and accept whatever fate whatever world had in store for them. He refused. As scattered and chaotic as his thoughts could be most of the time, that was one thing that was constant. He wouldn't stop, wouldn't merely accept that the best he and others could do was survive whatever life threw at them! He wanted to THRIVE! To not feel like everything was one random bit of fate away from ending.

With a drive and focus that Alban had rarely seen from his adopted brother, Dylan huffed to himself and started marching down the track, back towards their workshop, probably to get started on whatever invention had captured his attention this second.

Alban grunted and nodded goodbye to the tortling before beginning to follow after him, only to almost run into him as the gnome hurried quickly back behind the large tortle!

"Maybe later. Or tomorrow. Give the halflings, and humans, but mostly the halflings, time to calm down."

Alban rolled his eyes and exhaled through his nose before heading back and beginning to tinker with the mechanicals some more, leaving Dylan to once more get into a rather one-sided argument with the tortle. At least the snow and lake were pretty, Alban thought as he wound another toy and sent it paddling over the water.

He wondered if this world had ships that propelled themselves, he thought as he watched the mechanical paddle boat toy lazily cross the water. He grunted amusingly. He doubt it. As amazing as this world was, he couldn't imagine what could possibly replace sails. He looked up towards the horizon as he spotted the strange flying thing the humans in green called a "helli-copper" or something like that.

Alban exhaled through his nose as he looked up at the sky. Every now and then he could see the stars through cracks in the clouds. He wondered how different these stars were to the ones back on their world. Were they the same? Different? He wasn't sure. He never really looked above them before.

Maybe one day they'll invent something to let them see or even visit the stars. Maybe even their old world, he thought before grunting. Like that'll ever happen. Who'd even be mad enough to test something that could travel across worlds? He paused his tinkering and glanced at Dylan as he continued to argue with the tortle, rather unsuccessfully.

Good thing something like that didn't exist.