"Can I speak to whoever is in charge of this?" I asked the human behind the counter. And while I utterly despised it, it was far more tolerable as of late. The gazes and the stares. But, that was inevitable given how often it happened.
"And for what purpose?" she asked me slowly as she started to get visibly nervous.
"Because I would like to take part in it." I told her with a loud huff of air. Getting everyone else to finally back down with the advice took longer than I thought it would. I made many arguments for it, from a practical sense and emotional one... But, they were dug in and entrenched when it came to their positions.
"R-Right..." the human let out before she suddenly rushed off into another room. And, when the sound of her movement disappeared, a blast of voices came my way.
"Student Liadanann!? Are you sure!?" one of the humans that came rushing out asked me. Yet, I did not give any answers until I had put some space between me and them. To have so many humans just rush out at once...
"I am, I would like it to be done." I said with as much authority I could muster. If I chose my words carefully, they would perhaps relent with their needless caution?
"I-I'm sorry, but, we must urge you to reconsider!"
"Yes! A chance of death does exist in the event despite our precautions!"
"We simply cannot condone this choice!"
"Your words will not sway me. Now, do as I have told." I said with a forming snarl as dealing with this stuff all over again was anger-inducing. I could keep my cool with Nin because I cared for him. But, these were humans! There would be no cooled tempers!
"Your magic isn't even strong enough for us to consider such an action!" one of them pointed out. And I could only click my tongue as the others made a point of showing off. They made sure their magic swelled over me and tried to intimidate me out of it. I, however, would not be swayed by such displays of might.
I had the blessing of the Lord! The might and power of the God of all Ddrai'och! The talisman I wore was proof of it! No feeble spell these humans could throw would scare me or kill me!
"Alright then, how about this? You provide me the means to prove you wrong, and you back down and do what I want?" I offered up to them as maybe a bet would appeal to their curious sides. They have hounded me with questions whenever they could. So maybe this would make them fold on the issue?
"We can't possibly display such professional lacking!" one huffed with an expression that felt hollow. It was clear they said it merely to keep up appearences.
"Well, think about it like this, human," I tell them as I start to gain some confidence which helped me approach them, "this talisman, gifted to me by Iderim-Ovi himself, blessed be His holy name. A power you have no way of knowing about. Give me the means to work it into something and you'll be able to see its power. As well, how my people do things."
"Now that is a very, very tempting offer, Student Liadanann." the human male in charge of the House I somehow was a part of said. And, with each sharp-sounding step he took, his curiosity became more visible. It was unsettling for me because I have seen that gaze from humans many times.
The kind of humans I hated the most with an indescribable fury...
"Then, will you take me up on it?" I asked him as I grew protective of my talisman. It was a holy item, sure, but, it was still a necklace at the end of it all... I worried that it might be simply snatched from me with a sudden tug and pull...
"Is Mechanical House's Head here?" he then asked as his attention moved to the other humans.
"I am." answered someone sat down, a stone tablet in their hands.
"Well, how about it then? Shall we share what our Houses can provide?" the human asked with a smile while the other stayed in his seat. But, when he sat up, his formerly flabby body seemed to tighten up. And, when he stood up fully, I was face-to-face with a bulky human male that was almost my height.
He was probably stronger than me, regardless, but, having them match your height made it scarier. And, I found myself moving away from him as he moved closer to me. His gaze was unlike the others, in fact, it reminded me of my home. When I was working around the clock, I often saw that gaze.
It was the gaze of an engineer at work, but, how he had a gaze like that here...
"Very well, Student Liadanann, if you'd follow me." he ordered before I found myself following him unintentionally. However, as I inspected the man further, I began to reconsider my worries regarding him. It might have been more due to his present and pridefully displayed dedication to a certain god... It was unsettling to be so close to such items.
Thankfully, however, the vast expanse that was his domain was calming. I could tear my attention from him and enjoy the sights of industry instead. This place was so much greater than the workshops my home had... And this was just a school!
My home had everything it could be useful. There was little in the way of recreation. It was a vehicle made only for survival and the continuation of my people. But, this place, it was made for industry alone!
Technology covered in magic and surging with arcane power was all about me. Humans at work swarmed the place and machinery thundered throughout the area. In fact, I could have sworn the place got louder when we walked through the main gates... But, I suppose it did not matter.
"Student Liadanann, in order to make sure you fulfil your craftsman's challenge to the best standard, I will relinquish my workshop to you between now and the start of the Inter-House Talent Display." he told me before he smacked his hand on something. And, within moments, the vast and grand chamber dedicated to engineering and manufacturing came to life. Forges roared to life and material came swivelling in on carts and hangers.
"T-This is..." I began to say at first, my awe indescribable as I saw so much I was unfamiliar with. But, at the centre of this vast place was a shrine dedicated to Ancient Thunder. The first-born god had a presence in this otherwise to die for place. It was very unsettling, to say the least.
"Pardon my curiosity, but, why do you fear the god whom your profession is tied to?" the human asked me as he rummaged about for tools and boxes.
"My craft is not dedicated to him!" I spat out in answer.
"All who make, honour Thurnmourer." he reminds me. Which while truthful, is not something I have ever done. I could only spit on the god who tried to kill mine.
"Then I'll make sure to make him something that will dishonour him and enrage him." I snapped as I began to stroll through the vast chamber this man called a workshop.
"An impossible goal. But, I have given you this space not so you can toil pointlessly, but so you can achieve a very reachable goal." he tells me, which, makes me come to a halt.
"You think I can do it? Harness the power of a holy talisman?" I ask him as I let out some of my uncertainty. It might seem simple in my head, but, the reality was probably harsher.
"I have never seen such a thing happen. But, my curiosity fuels an optimistic fire. Let's hope you can indeed match your words." he says to me before he leaves me alone in the vast workshop. Then, when the doors closed behind him, I rushed about looking for blankets. And, once I had found enough of them, I covered up the shrine and snorted at it.
"You stay out of this." I growled to the God of Thunder if he was listening in on our conversation. But, I had no time to waste. So, I turned my attention to the greater workshop and I looked for clothes to wear. As much as I loved the comfort Nin's old clothes provided...
I needed something better than a pair of straps over my shoulders. I needed overalls and I needed steel caps and I needed... Yet, then, I came to realise something, none of the protective equipment was made for my form. It was a frustrating thing that made me growl.
"Unless..." I quietly muttered when I took the talisman into my palms. Maybe I would not need protective clothing if I learned to control this better? I could learn quite a bit about it if I learned how to use it with vastly greater skill. To say nothing of the knowledge such skill came along with.
But, to learn such skill, I had to find something to test my current knowledge on. So I started to rush about the workshop looking for blueprint paper. And, when I found some, I took the talisman off and carefully inspected it. Then, I measured it and wrote it all down before I put it back on.
"I do know you can protect a vast area around me. But, can you protect only me as if you were a second skin?" I asked the holy relic before I looked around once again. I needed something that I could safely mess around with. Perhaps a simple metal hammer or wooden mallet would do? Or, I could heat up some water and dip my hand into it?
The number of tests I could perform was staggering and it intimidated me into a state of silence. At least, until I had carefully gathered up all I would need for simple tests. But, before I did that, I let out the magic from the talisman and inspected it. If I wanted it to, it would stop in the air.
It was quite amazing how in-tune it was with my thoughts. So, maybe, all I had to do was think of it as providing me with a second skin? Yet, despite how hard I tried, I could not envision a perfect frame around my body. And, most annoyingly of all, I could not figure out if the problem was my mind on its own or my ignorance of the arcane.
Yet, it did not make me want to give up, as, I knew how I could solve that problem. I had learned it a long time ago, but, I displayed it on the airship. I knew how to make pathways for magic to follow. If I could not cast it how I wanted, then I would have something else do the telling.
"Maybe I should find that human and bring him back..." I then said with slight embarrassment as I was unfamiliar with a lot of this tech. Unlike the airship we were on, this place had a lot more because of its size. It was not bound by the constraints of its static size. Or, I could use this as an opportunity to learn...
To revisit the brief joy I had when I was younger. Seeing and being able to use new tools was always so fun! But, it was also that drilled a certain behaviour into my head... Resources were not to be wasted by the unskilled.
"Yet, this is all the makings of humans. I don't have to worry about wasting a single bit of swarf!" I tell myself with an eager, toothy smile. And, like that, child-like glee filled me before I rushed off to the fanciest machine. But, like a child, I kept getting distracted.