Trials of the Inventor Hero

The soft brush glided across Aniphrae's lips. Her steady hands painted her lips a dark red, and she smiled at her reflection in the golden mirror her maid held up. All that was left was the light dusting of rouge to her cheeks and liner around her eyes.

"Perfect." She smiled victoriously.

"Do you think it'll work?" She glanced over at Pomran leaning leisurely against the carriage wall.

"I have stiff competition, dear brother." Aniphrae chuckled as she set her tools away. "What I lack anatomically, I must make up for in beauty. It's important that find a way to stand out from the others."

"I wish you luck. You're going to need it." She found his smirk infuriating.

"How much longer to Treante?"

"Not much longer now ma'am." Her maid replied.

"Thank you Lei'lorai. Can you pass the records please?"

Lei'lorai bent over to pick up the leather satchel on the floor. From the corner of her vision, Aniphrae could see her brother leer at her maid's pleasing figure. Lei's long, thin fingers leafed through the parchments, her sharp nails dug into the paper as she pulled them out.

"Here you are ma'am."

Pomran peaked over her shoulder. "What are you planning, dear sister?"

"Proving my usefulness to my future husband." She smirked. "According to father, Treante is a small logging village with a handful of communal plots managed by a few farmers. It has no real significant value to the kingdom save for the dungeon. However, it won't remain that way for long." She handed him one of the papers.

Pomran's eyes quickly scanned the document. "The Guild's relocated several of their members to Rumand. So, they're planning to move them to Treante?"

"Yes, but they're still in the selection process." Aniphrae replied, pulling out a map of the village. "I plan to get ahead of them. The village has plenty of room for expansion, so I'll ask Nathaniel to sell more of the land to the villagers so they can open new shops. Then, I'll offer up slave contracts to the villagers to man them. This keeps the Guild out of Treante on top of a new host of customers for us."

"Doesn't that violate their contract with the kingdom? What's stopping the Guild from suing?"

"I've asked father to help from the capital by selling Nathaniel's wares. It's important to establish Nathaniel's wares as the superior product, and at a more affordable price. We'll force the Guild to play on our terms through the market." Aniphrae's smile faded slightly. "As for the nobles, I'll rely on Lady VuRant to steer them in the right direction."

"The question is: will Nathaniel play along?" Pomran chuckled deviously. "Your fiancé is straighter than a dwarven arrow."

"It's expected of a hero." Aniphrae said, "Leave the underhanded tactics to thieves, spies, and merchants."

"Pardon me, but we're approaching Treante." The driver called out. "Where would you like me to park?"

"Pull over next to the first person you see." Pomran replied lazily.

"What about a dark elf?"

Pomran sat up. "Yes, she's the best person to ask." He said, giving his sister a mischievous grin.

"Sir… she's running away."

"What? Why is Bella running away?" Pomran leaned out the window. Aniphrae smiled at the foolish expression on his face. "That's not Bella! Who is that?"

"I don't know sir." The driver replied, "We appear to be approaching a tavern. Should I stop there?"

"Yes! I need to know what's going on." The carriage came to a stop and Pomran threw open the door. "Are you coming sister?"

"Yes. It'd be good to get to know the locals."

They stepped out of the warm carriage and stared at the quaint two-storied building. Inside, a few of the local townspeople gathered around the tables enjoying the spare time winter gave them, but their eyes were drawn to the group hanging around the bar. The hard glares stopped them at the door.

"I didn't think you had any other dark elves." Aniphrae whispered.

"I didn't." Pomran replied, "And they're not slaves." As she looked closer, she noticed that none of the elves had collars on.

"Pardon me." A short, young woman approached. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, we're here to visit Nathaniel, but we don't know where he lives." Aniphrae smiled politely at her.

"What do you want with Nathaniel?"

"We're here on business." Pomran replied simply.

"And pleasure." Aniphrae chuckled. "I'm his fiancée." The crowd fell silent and gawked at her.

"I see." The girl gave them a feigned smile. "I can show you where he lives, if you don't mind."

"Thank you. I'd like to see him as soon as possible."

Nathaniel held out his hand. "Wrench."

"Wrench!" Hope called out, slapping the tool into his hand.

He chuckled as he tightened the bolts that secured the large gear to the massive rotor. Nearly two dozen bundles of copper wires encapsulated the metallic rod. On the other end of the machine sat a copper plate that glimmered with the teal hue of arcanum. A rune depicting a lightning bolt with a positive sign marked one end with the other having a bolt with a negative.

"That should do it." Nathaniel wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"It's great!" Hope joyfully jumped around. "What is it?"

"It's clearly a weapon." Ralia huffed.

Bella looked skeptically at her. "I don't think so."

"It's an electric motor." Nathaniel replied happily. "If I can get this to work, then this opens up all sorts of possibilities."

"Like what?" Hope stared at the machine in confusion.

"Pumps, fans, winches, cars."

"Those are the horseless carriages, correct?" Bella asked.

"What about those mechanical horses?" Ralia's tail thumped against the ground. "The ones with the loud roar."

"You mean a motorcycle?"

"Yes!" Her eyes sparkled. "Imagine the countless numbers of enemies I could run down with my spear if I had one."

Nathaniel let out a soft chuckle. "I'm not sure about that, but I'll consider making you one."

"Master, forgive my intrusion, but there is a carriage approaching. It looks like its from the Quarmane family." Seneschal's monotonous voice echoed through the room. "Should I show them in?"

"Yes, have a drone bring them to the motor pool."

The doors to the garage opened, allowing a cold blast of air to nip at their skin. Clopping hooves drew their attention as the painted carriage moved down the road towards them. Nathaniel stood in shock as four people stepped out of it

"Long time no see, darling." The beautiful Aniphrae smiled brightly.

"It's good to see you too, miss Aniphrae, but what are you doing here?"

"Father asked Anie and I to pick the location for the warehouse and manor." Pomran replied with a smirk. "By the way, what's with all the dark elves?"

"That's a long story, but the gist is that I took Bella's grove under my protection." Nathaniel said with a stern glance. "They're new citizens that immigrated to my domain."

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"Bold move my friend, but do you think the others will recognize them?"

Nathaniel glared at him. "I skimmed through the laws. If they're registered and paying taxes, then I have every right to recognize anyone as a citizen regardless of their race." His glare intensified. "And I've taken precautions to keep others from enslaving them." Pomran held his hands up.

"Don't antagonize him brother." Aniphrae huffed. She pulled out a silver coin and handed it to Sierra. "Thank you for showing us here."

Sierra took the coin with shaky hands. "It was my pleasure." She glanced at Nathaniel with a half-smile. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back." She quickly left them behind.

Aniphrae glanced between the girl and Nathaniel. "I take it you two are close?"

"Yes, she's like family to me."

The young woman chewed on her cheek. "I see." Her eyes fell onto the large motor. "Are you working on something new?"

"Do you want to see it?"

"Yes!" Her eyes sparkled as she took his arm.

Fascination painted Aniphrae's face as they approached the machine. Her eyes glided over each piece as she muttered under her breath.

"It's made of copper, iron and steel, and I don't see any arcane metal save for the plates. What is it for?"

"I'll show you." Nathaniel gestured at one of the large robots.

It towered over them and it's two large claws grabbed the motor by both ends. Its heavy steps filled the room as it walked over to the skeletal, metal frame, and it sat the motor gently into a cradle. Maintenance bots connected the motor gear to a flywheel and axle rod. Two wooden wheels hung off the ground by the axles. Two cables were locked to the arcane plates on the other end.

Nathaniel led the group to a console and handed each of them a pair of goggles. "Safety first." He smiled, putting the glasses on. Aniphrae watched as the others slipped the glasses on before putting on her own. "I'm going to start this off slow." Nathaniel pushed the large lever forward.

Everyone reached for their ears as an severe buzzing filled the room. When the lever was about a third of the way up, the buzzing was drowned out by grinding metal. The wooden wheels slowly rotated in midair.

"Amazing!" Aniphrae's voice was barely audible. Nathaniel shut down the console. "Darling, how does it work?"

"Well, it's designed to take the magical energy of a power core and converts it into electricity. That energy then powers the motor which then turns the wheels."

"And what was the inspiration for this machine?" Pomran eyed the machine in thought.

"These motors are common back in my old world. All I had to do was find a way to build it with what I had."

"What are you going to make with them?" Aniphrae asked with a sweet smile.

"That's a secret." Nathaniel chuckled as he stepped away.

"You can confide in me." She replied, twirling her hair. "We're to be married after all."

"Does that mean I should add the young misses as an administrator?" Seneschal interrupted them.

"What's that?" Aniphrae said looking for the speaker.

"We can discuss that later." Nathaniel said quickly. "Where are you two staying?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd have a spare room for us." Aniphrae said calmly as her eyes glanced to the other women. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course not." Bella smiled politely. "We have rooms available for you and master Pomran."

"Are you sure Bella?" Nathaniel flinched at the whine in his voice.

"Don't be like that, master." Bella leaned in his ear. "You should use this time to earn her trust. She may be of use to you."

"Very well, then can you get rooms ready for them."

"You too." Aniphrae nodded to her maid. She turned back to Nathaniel with a warm smile. "Do you mind showing us around?"

"Sure." Aniphrae latched onto his arm. Nathaniel gestured to the open room. "This is the garage. Once I develop the appropriate technology, I plan to use this space to construct vehicles."

"Vehicles? You plan on constructing carriages here?" Pomran chuckled.

"Something like that." Nathaniel replied, "But I'm focused on urban development now."

Nathaniel led them down the winding corridors. A door opened, and an Extractor appeared. Its basket was filled with stone, metals, and gems.

"This is an elevator." Nathaniel gestured to the small room. "It leads to the upper and lower floors of the dungeon."

"Are you trying to mine the mountain for everything its worth?" Aniphrae's eyes sparkled at the treasure.

"Not really. The dungeon grows by converting matter into energy. From what I've seen, the more valuable the material, the greater the growth. Also, I plan on making this my very own fortress, so I need to excavate new rooms to expand the dungeon's facilities."

"Making a castle out of a mountain? A wise decision." Aniphrae smirked. "If that's the case, then why have a house in the village?"

"For normalcy. I may be the lord, but that doesn't mean I want to live away from everyone."

"Darling, that's a naïve way of thinking." She sighed deeply. "It's important to establish your authority, or the people may not respect you."

"I feel that the people respect me already."

"And what about those that haven't known you for two years?" Nathaniel grumbled, and she patted his arm. "Don't worry, we'll get through this together. Now come, I want to see more of your dungeon."

"Why are we doing this?" Ralia growled as she slapped the duvet. Dust flew into her face making her cough.

"We are getting the rooms ready for our visitors." Bella replied, hanging the sheets on the line. "We don't want to make the master look bad, especially for someone he'll marry." Her fingers gripped the cloth tightly.

"Pardon me." Ralia growled as that woman's maid approached. "I'm preparing a kettle for tea, and wondered if you two wanted some?"

"I'd love some, thank you." Bella smiled at her.

"I'm fine." Ralia said with embers escaping from her lips. The maid nodded as she headed back inside.

"I need to get started on dinner." Bella sighed, placing a hand on Ralia's shoulder. "Make the beds once you're done." Ralia nodded, and a small snarl escaped her lips as she continued beating the sheet.

Whack!

"Why did he agree to marry her?" She imagined Nathaniel and that woman sharing a bed. Her heart burned deeply.

Whack!

"Aren't we enough for him?" The image of that woman with a swollen stomach came to mind.

Whack!

"Am I not enough for him?" The laughter of children grated against her ears, and she felt a stabbing pain in her heart.

Whack!

Rip!

The baton tore open the duvet, spilling the fleece onto the ground.

"Dammit!" Ralia threw the baton away. It broke as it struck the cold ground. "Why is this happening?" she roared, shooting flames into the air. The heat evaporated the tears from her eyes. She gently ran her fingers along her abdomen. "Why?"

Her head fell, and she stared at the torn cloth. The tear silently mocked her. Another sign of her ineptitude to add to all the others. After living in the village, she was aware of what human males desired in partners, and she was far from it.

The men spoke highly of the household skills of their women, and the young men sought out women with similar skills. She didn't have those skills. Her cooking was tasteless and charred, and she often damaged the house when cleaning. A fact that the torn sheet taunted her with. What's worse, is that human males preferred their women to be dainty and delicate. She was anything but delicate.

Ralia sighed in defeat as she pulled the duvet from the line. Once again, she'd need Bella to fix her mess. The rage burning within her made her stop.

"There must be something?" She whispered, staring at the sheet.

Clutching it tightly, she ran down the street. Her eyes fixed on the two-storied building at the far end of the village square. It tore at her pride, but Ralia could only think of one person to help her.

She tore open the door. "Sierra, are you here?" She sighed in relief when the little woman stepped from the kitchen.

"What's wrong Ralia?" Sierra said, eyeing her with concern.

"I need your help." Ralia held the duvet up, trying to hide her blushed face. "Could you show me how to sew, please?"

"S-sure." She looked confused as she turned to the bar. "Pa, I'll be busy for a while! Let's go to my room." Ralia quietly followed her.

Sierra's room consisted of a small, cramped space. It was big enough for a single bed, small storage trunk, and a small desk that held a myriad of items. Fortunately, a small sewing kit was among them.

"Let me see the sheet." Sierra sat at the desk. She glanced at the torn cloth, then cut it off with a pair of scissors.

"What are you doing?" Ralia shouted, her tail striking the ground hard.

"There's no saving that patch." Sierra said, stuffing the duvet with more fleece. "We'll need to find another piece to patch it up." She pulled out several pieces of square cloth and laid them on the desk. "I don't think I have anything that matches the rest of the blanket. I'll have to make do with these."

"Then the master will know I messed up again!"

"Why would Nathaniel care about that?"

"Because he may see it as a burden!" Ralia snarled as she paced around the room. "He may have bought me for my combat abilities, but does he truly need me now that he has his armor. I need to prove that I have more uses than combat." Tears started forming in her eyes again. "I can't clean, cook, or perform any other tasks that human males desire in partners, unlike Bella. I can't even bear him children! What good am I?" She fell onto the bed with her head in her hands.

Ralia felt something settled in her lap. Sierra sat next to her holding the kit with a dark blue patch.

"I'll show you how to sew." Sierra said calmly. "We'll use this patch to fix the blanket since it matches the color of your scales."

"But…"

"This will make the blanket special." Sierra smiled as she threaded the needle. "Because it'll have a small piece of you apart of it." She started the first stitch then handed the needle over. "You'll need to be gentle, otherwise you'll tear the new cloth."

Ralia's hands shook as she worked. She had seen both Nathaniel and Bella sew but never thought anything of it. To her, it was a simple task. She was wrong. It took all her concentration not too pull the thread to tightly. Thankfully, Sierra helped her fix the mistakes she made and get her back on track. After the final stitch, Sierra cut the thread.

"What do you think?" Ralia said nervously as she stared at the blanket.

"It looks good. Now you need to show it to Nathaniel."

"What a quaint home." Pomran smirked as he eyed the place. "Enough space for your happy little family?"

Nathaniel tried to keep his smile cordial. "It is now. We had to remodel after it was destroyed in the attack."

"That's enough brother." Aniphrae said sternly.

"Dear sister, I'm simply looking out for your best interest." Pomran snickered as his eyes turned to Bella. "There needs to be plenty of room for the little tykes, right."

"That discussion doesn't involve you." Aniphrae's smile disappeared into a scowl. "I think it would be best for us to get settled in. Please excuse us." She tightly grabbed Pomran's arms and dragged him upstairs. Nathaniel sighed, thankful to have them out of his hair.

"Master, Ralia's gone missing." Bella whispered.

"Where'd she go?" Before she could answer, a cold breeze blew in from behind him.

Ralia stood in the doorway, clutching tightly to a blanket. Most of her face was hidden, but he could make out the rosy tint to her cheeks and nose. She would glance at him then quickly look away.

"Ralia, are you alright?" Nathaniel grabbed her, looking her over. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry master." She stuttered holding out the blanket. "I broke it."

"Is… that all." Nathaniel said quietly. Ralia nodded, hiding behind the blanket, and she let out a gasp when he embraced her. "Don't scare me like that."

"I was afraid you'd get rid of me." She whispered.

He leaned in, gently kissing her. "I'm never getting rid of you, understand? Now let's see this blanket."

He opened the sheet and quietly inspected it. A large dark blue patch with thick white stitching sat at the top of the blanket. It was a repair performed by an amateur.

"Did you fix this?"

"Yes… with Sierra's help."

Nathaniel chuckled and whispered into her ear. "Why don't we try it out tonight?" He enjoyed seeing her fidget nervously.

"I'd like that."