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GENERATOR RUINS - EARLY MORNING
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Strix had heard of the accident, and had leaped into action! He wasn't worried about May, he felt sorry for her, but he was of the opinion that exploding was a key part of the engineering process, and that she was a good engineer and would naturally recover quickly. Explosion proofing was a key trait after all! However..there was no power, and that was a problem, one Strix was going to solve!
Narrator: Make no mistake, Strix wasn't terribly confident as he started welding together the large box, mostly from scraps of the original generator. Making something that was going to do a particular task on short notice was really not his forte, but May would feel bad if the town was without power for long and would blame herself. That would make a sadMay, and Strix can't have that! He quite likes the stoat, and wants a HappyMay. So, he's retrofitting one of his previous shinies, welding in the outlet wires, and checking a bunch of switches he's faaairly sure he knows what they do.
Strix crawls along the machine, running a huge wire around a spire that he's placing above the central generator, he jumps down, stopping a little off the ground thanks to his little 'de-grounder' balls breaking his fall "Okay! Strix PowerShiny!" He has a giant switch that he pulls, and when it does, a low hum starts over the area, enough to set teeth on edge, the hum builds up..and up, before there's a *CRACK* of discharge, as a bolt of lightning blasts into the room, the batteries charging up..then slowly starting to disperse into the town....then about a minute later there's another CRACK of energy down, with another lightning bolt!
Strix doesn't cackle with joy, instead he grinds his teeth unhappily, and almost goes to shut it off, before stopping himself "It..it will be good enough" He sound disgusted with himself, as he gets to making sure that his patchwork solution doesn't also blow up.
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OLDHAMMER SMITHY - MID-MORNING
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Cavro had the big doors mostly closed today, though a familiar sound was finally coming through the narrow gap, a rhythm of slow clicking-thud-pause-fast clicking and the whoosh of fire. The forge was hot. The whole damn smithy was hot. Cavro would be standing to admire the contraption running his forge if he weren't buried behind a pile of backorders. Currently, the badger was at the end of his workbench, a long piece of narrow iron bar locked in a static vice at one end and rotating vice at the other. With a bit of effort, he turns the wide wheel at his twisting vice slowly.
Nesseth makes his way towards the large double doors of the smithy and knocks on one of them as he leans through the gap. The warmth of the air in the room washes over him, leaving him feeling quite content as his body quickly warms up from the morning chill. "Ahh... Hello, Cavro? Sounds like you've gotten things up and running again in here."
Cavro leads back away from the large wheel to peek at the doorway, continuing his task. "Ah, hello Nesseth! Come in, come in, if if if you don't mind the heat!" He chuckles to himself, turning back to his task. "I just need a minute to finish this up, can't let it it it cool on me." As if in response, a blackened section cracks and flakes off the surface with a soft pop, hitting the bench below.
Nesseth laughs a bit as he steps into the room and looks around a bit. "I love the heat this early in the morning. It feels really nice after the cold that creeps in from the desert every night." He waves a hand and wanders over to an open table, where he leans lightly against the side, "And take your time, Cavro, I don't mind waiting."
Cavro grins as the bar pops more cooled flakes free. "Just around night? I find it cold all the time! Erika says I spend too too too much time in the smithy for my own good." He quietly counts the twists in the bar out, nodding to himself before locking the wheel in place to keep it from untwisting itself. He wanders over to his tool set, taking off his thick gloves and setting them on top of it. "How have things been go go going lately? I went home last night and my light wasn't working."
Nesseth chuckles at the comment from Erika and then shrugs as his expression shifts towards something a bit more grim. "It's been... going. The lack of power was due to an incident over at the town's magitech generator. Best as I can tell, the whole generator exploded, and our new mechanic is currently unconscious at Doc Plume's place."
Cavro pauses, turning to look at Nesseth. "Oh no, are they going to be alright? Did did did they get hit by any of the magic?"
Nesseth nods. "Best as Doc could tell, May's got some magic burns on her from the explosion. She's recovering, but I don't know how long she'll be out for."
Cavro nods in turn, looking relieved. "That's good, so our our our new doctor is pretty good, then? I haven't taken the time to meet Plume."
Nesseth nods again, this time with a bit of a smile. "They're very good, yeah. They specialize in surgery, but they've got some good working knowledge about all sorts of injuries, including magical ones."
Cavro grins, subconsciously scratching at his arm where a spattering of fur is missing from minor burn scars. "Well that's good to know! So are you here to pick up some some some bolt tips? I have a couple regular ones, but I actually have some things I could use your your your help with, if you have a bit of time."
Nesseth hums and stands up straight again. "Yeah, I'm here to get a few more bolt tips, but sure, I've got time to help out. What do you need me to do?"
Cavro smiles, turning to the cabinet next to his toolset. "Well, I've been experimenting with twisting iron, as you can see, and I had an idea." He opens the cabinet and pulls out two small wooden crates, carrying them over to the table by Nesseth. He opens one, revealing two dozen polished iron bolt tips. "Here's your order, first off."
Nesseth smiles as he reaches into his satchel and quickly gives Cavro the payment promised for the order. "Excellent, these will last me a long time." He knocks on the side of one of the boxes with a finger, "Mind if I just leave them here while I help you with your idea?"
Cavro nods, putting the coins away in his pocket, opening the second box. It has tips as well, but they're of strange shapes. "These are my experiment. I don don don't have any bolt shafts here, or anyplace to test them, though."
Nesseth tilts his head as he leans in and examines the bolts with a curious look. After a few seconds scrutinizing the oddly shaped tips, he looks over at Cavro. "Differently-shaped crossbow bolt tips? What are they supposed to do?"
Cavro pulls two out, one which is clearly a carefully twisted piece of metal, the second is carved with a deep spiral. "I was curious how these would do in in in flight and penetration, and this one-" he picks a third out, which is completely blunt except for a channel cut into it "-is a a a surprise." He snorts a chuckle, putting it back, but offering the first two for Nesseth to examine.
Nesseth holds each bolt tip up to his eyes as he carefully examines each in close detail. He slowly turns them in his fingers as he gazes at the twists and grooves on each bolt tip. "Let's see... The twisted one might have some penetration problems, as the ridges going at an angle to the path of flight would slow down the bolt a lot faster than normal, both in the air and in the target. Might be worthwhile if overpenetration is a concern... The other one would have an easier time, but I'm not sure how the spiral would affect the bolt's flight." He tilts his head at Cavro, still eying both tips with interest, "I'm guessing you want me to help you test these out?"
Cavro grins at Nesseth, "I figured you'd have better in in insight than me on those, but yes, if you don't mind. I have to finish with that bar, could we meet at at at the target range this afternoon?"
Nesseth nods and stows the bolt tips back into the box with the rest of the strangely-shaped ones. "Sounds like a plan to me. I'll be there with some spare bolt shafts so we can fit them and fire them."
Cavro nods, closing both boxes. "Alright, thank you."
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WEST GATE TRAINING GROND - AFTERNOON
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Cavro arrives at the entrance to the training grounds, carrying a box of iron parts on his shoulder. He makes his way to a setup table, setting the box down with a clattering noise and a grunt. The thing got pretty heavy walking from his smithy in the South quarter, and he pauses for a breath before looking about to see if Nesseth beat him here.
Nesseth is already set up at a stall nearby, a spot on the line large enough to accommodate all three unsupported shooting positions plus a bench for exceptional stability. He's currently kneeling next to the bench, his crossbow propped against his shoulder as he practices. The target he's aiming at already has a nice, tight cluster of bolts sticking out of it, just around the bullseye.
Cavro spots Nesseth, but just watches as the lizard is clearly concentrates. He peers down the range at the cluster, impressed by the accurate grouping.
Nesseth takes a few more shots before he sets his crossbow on the bench and hoists himself back up onto his feet. He notices Cavro out of the corner of his eye as he safes his crossbow, then smiles and waves at the badger. "Oh, there you are, Cavro! Got everything you wanted to test?"
Cavro grins at Nesseth, approaching with a handful of different tips. "Yes, I only brought a few along, the rest of the box is is is your purchase, with a few extra thrown in for helping me." He offers a couple of each type from earlier, with three different versions of the blunt one. "Let's try the the the twisted one first, hm?"
Nesseth nods and pulls out a little contraption from under the bench that looks like it's meant to support arrow shafts in order to be worked on. He sets it on the bench's surface and then also pulls out a small bottle of adhesive, as well as a small pack of prepared feathers for fletching. "Sure thing. I brought all of my crafting gear, so we can get it set up pretty fast."
Cavro lets Nesseth do his thing, admiring the portable setup. "How interesting! I guess it makes sense if if if you're on a long expedition, right?" He sets the experimental bolt tips down on the bench next to Nesseth's setup, shuddering for a moment from the 'cold' now that he's done excercising.
Nesseth chuckles and shakes his head as he quickly goes about getting the first bolt crafted. "I've not been on any expedition long enough that I had to make bolts on the go, thankfully. Still, having these things be easily portable means I can do repairs if necessary."
Cavro nods watching him work, soaking in the methods. "I'll bet you've had quite an an interesting life so far, hm? Erika would shoo me outside at every chance if my tools were so portable."
Nesseth laughs as he sets the entire completed bolt a little forward on the bench so the adhesive can cure in the sunlight, locking the bolt tip and fletching onto the shaft. "Not all too interesting, really. I've been here in Respite for a good chunk of my life already." He grins, "Remember? You were still apprenticing with Mr. Smithens when I arrived with the Explorers Guild. Before that, I only traveled around for a couple of years."
Cavro snorts a chuckle, stepping up to the bench to examine the finished bolt, though he knows not to touch it. "I know you're only about a a a year and some older than me, but I've only ever been as as far as Bairnell's Folly. Once." He gives a sideways glance to Nesseth with a bit of a wry grin. "And some days it feels like I I I never finished my apprenticeship."
Nesseth can't help but grin a bit. "I know what you mean. I still hear Erika grumbling about how her dad's always heading over to the smithy to help out." He shakes his head a bit as he pokes at the glue to test how cured it is, "Your craftsmanship is on par with his, though. He taught you really well."
Cavro scratches his muzzle at the compliment, chuckling his embarrassment. "Well thank you, he was a a a fantastic teacher. Still a lot of room to grow though. It it it would certainly be lonely without him or Erika coming around." He smiles softly, still rubbing a bit at his muzzle.
Nesseth nods as he starts to remove the finished bolt from the setup, though he continues to flex and test the bolt to ensure everything is attached properly, which it appears to be. "Oh yeah, there's always room to improve, and I can definitely see the benefits of having someone to help pass the time while working."
Cavro nods, then flinches away from his own hand, sucking air through his teeth. He gingerly touches the sore spot caused by his own habits as well as the way his gear rests when he's working. "Oh, you said that new doctor is is is skilled, what are they like in person though?"
Cavro: "Because Hooktail was... Intimidatingly eccentric."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully, momentarily distracted from his examination of the bolt as he thinks of Plume. "Hmm... They're very dedicated to their work, to the point that they sometimes lose sleep while tending to patients. Aside from that, they're... quiet, really kind, and just want to do well by themselves and others."
Cavro notes a bit of a change in Nesseth's focus. "Oh? You know Plume well enough to to to know their sleep habits, hm?"
Nesseth winds up blushing a bit. "Well... I've had several times where I saw them awake when they really should have been sleeping. They told me it was mostly a force of habit."
Cavro: "Ah, that makes sense, your patrols are all times of of day, aren't they?" He nods mostly to himself, then his eyes go wide as he realizes what he said before. "Oh! I I I I I didn't mean to to to imply that!" Blushing in turn and scratching nervously at his muzzle.
Nesseth shrugs a bit as he moves the fletching jig away and preps his crossbow again. He laughs, however. "My patrols are whenever the guards need me to fill in. But, uh... yes, if your implication was that Plume and I are seeing each other, you'd be right."
Cavro chuckles a bit with Nesseth, letting his paws drop. "Well, at least you seem happy about it. You're lucky, too. I I I don't really get away from the forge enough to meet anybody."
Nesseth shrugs a bit as he finishes preparing his crossbow. "I wasn't aiming for it, honestly. It just... kind of happened. I don't even think you have to really get out and about to make something work, though, especially since your services let you meet a good bunch of folks anyway to talk business."
Cavro shrugs, considering his most recent customers. "Well, there was a rather imposing elephant guard that came around, but she just needed her halberd fixed. And that lady with the broken railing. But when people come by, they they they just need something done and tend to leave right away, plus they only see see see me when I'm especially sooty and unkempt."
Nesseth chuckles. "Well, then they get to see you as you are. Plume usually sees me after a patrol out in the hot sun, and they don't complain at all."
Cavro snorts. "Right but like this?" He slaps a hand to his right shoulder, and a light puff of soot falls from his shirt. "Well, that was was was less than normal, but still! The only ones I've met that don't mind are Smitty and Erika. She always seems happy to walk and talk with me without washing up first." A small smile turns his lips as he talks.
Nesseth looks at the little puff of soot that floats up off of Cavro's shoulder. "Fair enough, I guess it could be a bit hard to do much when covered in soot... But at least it doesn't stop you from spending time with others and just chatting, right?"
Cavro considers this for a moment. "That's true, but I I I think I'm a little to blame too, pushing to get back to work right away after dealing with someone at at at the smithy." He picks up the blunt bolt tip again, turning it over in his fingers and idly examining it.
Nesseth chuckles again. "Reminds me of Plume a bit. I guess you're a bit of a workaholic?" He shakes his head, smiling a bit, "It wouldn't hurt to occasionally take a bit of time for yourself. Once you catch up on orders, maybe take a short walk or something while waiting for metal to heat up, or close a little early and enjoy the evening a bit, you know?"
Cavro sets the tip back down and looks at Nesseth. "Catch up on orders after what what what just happened with the robbery? You're insane!" He snorts a chuckle, and nods. "You're not wrong though, but I spend a a a lot of that spare time with Erika when she's not off on on on an adventure. Those breaks seem to take the longest, too."
Nesseth smiles as he goes about preparing the crossbow to fire. "With Erika, eh? Maybe you're a bit luckier than you think you are."
Cavro focuses on the crossbow as Nesseth gets ready. "What do you mean?"
Nesseth hefts the crossbow and takes aim at an empty spot on the bail he's got some targets pinned to. "Things can pop up between friends pretty often, you know. It's probably easier when you've known each other for so long."
Cavro pauses for a moment, then looks at Nesseth, incredulity in his eyes. "Erika? We've been friends since I started at the the the smithy, I doubt she's interested in in in me that way." He blushes a bit. "Could she?"
Nesseth shrugs a bit as he adjusts his crossbow so it sits comfortably against his shoulder. "I dunno, maybe? I'm just taking a shot in the dark, here, so to speak." He pauses, focusing on the target, "Anyway, ready to see how this bolt fares?"
Cavro blushes deeper the more he thinks about possibilities, absently muttering "Uh-huh" to Nesseth's question as he starts to scratch at his snout.
Nesseth takes a few more moments to aim, then fires.
Cavro watches the action of the crossbow as if in slow motion, then suddenly it's over. The bolt flew a few feet, the shape causing it to start spinning as intended, the it takes a wild dive into the dirt ten feet short of the bale. "Huh... What happened? Oh... You were right! Well that's okay... Um..." He scratches around his little ears, trying to focus himself back on the present. "Um... Let's do the blunt one next..."
Nesseth hums softly, his brow furrowed as he thinks. He sets the crossbow down and starts to work ont he next bolt. "Those ridges might be messing with the bolt's aerodynamics..."
Cavro nods, finally gathering himself enough. "Yeah, you've got it. Guess I I I shouldn't have thought to mess with perfection, but that one is something different, doesn't need to to to be accurate to do what I hope it will."
Nesseth shrugs as he quickly gets the bolt built and lets the glue cure in the sun again. "I dunno about 'perfection', since I'm sure there's always room for improvement, but that one shape definitely doesn't work as intended. Maybe the grooved one will work better, but we'll see what this one does first."
Cavro chuckles with a snort. "Well, I might have figured that a twisted bolt might be as improved as a a a twisted nail. The others are a little more deliberate."
Nesseth tests the glue after a minute or so, then starts to get the bolt readied to fire once he's satisfied the glue has cured enough. "So, out of curiosity, what were you hoping for this one to do?"
Cavro grins. "Scream!"
Nesseth blinks and tilts his head. "Scream...?"
Cavro nods. "Mhm, I was hoping it would cut the air in... Well, just just just fire it and we'll see if it even works."
Nesseth nods and gets himself set up again. After several seconds of prep, he aims, then fires.
Cavro watches excitedly, and the result is immediately noticeable as the bolt whistles through the air with a high pitched 'thwee'. It drifts off target, but only goes silent once it hits the edge of the bail. He looks toward Nesseth with a sparkle in his eye.
Nesseth blinks and raises an eyebrow after he's had a moment to process the sound coming off of the bolt. He looks over at Cavro with surprise. "That was a pretty unique sound."
Cavro grins, nodding happily. "Yep! I was hoping it would do that, like a a a signal you can use in an emergency. Shoot it straight up and it should sing all the way back down. I think... Might be too dangerous to try that without a reason though..."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully and nods as he considers. "Yeah, I could see that being helpful. How much effort does it take to craft one of these over a standard bolt tip?"
Cavro shrugs. "I only made a a a couple slightly different ones, so it took a bit, but since it doesn't have to be perfect like Eri... your regular order." He blushes deeply, turning away to fiddle pointlessly with the box he'd brought along.
Nesseth 's mouth curls up into a bit of a smirk at the corners, then goes back to setting up the fletching jig again to preserve some of Cavro's dignity. "So, any other bolt tips you want me to try and fire?"
Cavro turns back after a moment, scratching at his snout nervously. "No, no... Well there's that carved spiral, but I can't imagine it would fare better than the the the first one."
Nesseth hums and nods. "Maybe; maybe not. I can still try and fire it if you want, though."
Cavro shakes his head, having a hard time calming back down this time. "That that's alright, you can keep it or try it... The forge has been without me for for too long already, I should head back."
Nesseth nods as he starts to pack up his fletching equipment again. "Alright, I'll let you know how it goes once I get a chance to fire it, but I think I'm going to pack it up for the day. I still have a few things I need to take care of elsewhere in town."
Cavro nods, wringing his hands. "Thank you for taking the time for me, Nesseth. Try not to lose those tips too fast, I I I need the extra time for other work, okay?" He chuckles a bit, though there's definitely truth behind the joke.
Nesseth grins. "Don't worry. I don't lose bolts too often, so you can bet that these will last for a good amount of time. I just like having spares on hand, just in case." He gives the badger a small salute, "I'll let you get back to the forge, though. Have a good afternoon, Cavro!"
Cavro nods raising a hand in a half wave. "You too, Nesseth. Take care!" He turns to the exit, heading out of the training grounds with a whole new set of thoughts to distract him from work, not that he minds this time.