Tecnomagic Engineer

- "...Please, Dravyn… As soon as you return, I want you to remove the tips of my two horns, as well as the tips of my claws and two of my teeth, to later make four necklaces, one for each of the hatchlings that will be born… I know it seems very strange, but I also know that my body will not remain intact for long in the physical world… I want them to have something of mine, something they can look at and always remember that their parents love them, even if they are not there with them. As strange as it may seem, this is a dragon tradition, made as a last request for those who will soon no longer be here." Said Elyndra, while crying.

At that time, during my dream, this had been Elyndra's request. A last request from a mother who would never see her hatchlings while they were still alive. At the time of the request, perhaps due to being impressed, I didn't feel the weight of it, but when I had to make the necklaces, I understood what it truly meant. Even though she couldn't be here when they were born, she wanted to at least give them something as their first and last gift from a mother. That brought an enormous ache to my chest once again, and while removing the items Elyndra had asked for to make the necklaces, I couldn't be strong enough to stop the tears from falling down my face. It didn't offer any physical pain, yet it continued to be painful in its own way, something a mother should never have to experience, much less her hatchlings.

- "...Damn… This should never have happened… If it weren't for those bastards, she could still..." I said, as a great mix of sadness and anger took over me.

To drive away that terrible feeling, I quickly finished the extraction work. It wasn't physically difficult, and as soon as I finished, I took some cords I had made and produced the necklaces, tying the items. However, for me, that was still too little, and I could do more. I decided that, once I had the necessary materials, I would produce a much better chain than those I had made there.

After finishing the necklaces, I stored them in a special place so I wouldn't lose them or let them spoil, and I went to check the condition of the dragon eggs, humidifying them from time to time with a small container of water and keeping them safe.

- "As long as I exist in this world, I promise I will never let you get hurt, little ones..." I said, while looking at the dragon eggs, smiling.

With that done, I began to prepare a way to cremate the corpses that were there as quickly as possible, as I hated the idea of them starting to rot. Besides, the cremation should be done inside the cave since I still didn't have the strength to remove the human corpses from there. In that case, obviously, I couldn't remove Elyndra's body either, which was many times heavier than those people. Finally, the cremation had to be different: while for Elyndra I wanted to do an honorable cremation, saving her ashes for posterity, for the people, I just wanted to cremate them so they wouldn't rot, bringing a horrible smell or even diseases. Burying them as they were was out of the question since I couldn't carry them due to their weight, and besides, I felt sorry for doing something so terrible to the land of Élaris, returning such disgusting beings as those to it. So, I began to think about what to do and how to proceed.

A Strange Stone with Strange Properties

For much of that morning, I thought of ways to cremate them inside the cave without causing any problems in the process. After all, the smoke from the cremation needed to escape somehow; otherwise, it could harm the dragon eggs and me. However, no matter how much I thought, no solution emerged. In truth, I could simply remove the eggs from the cave, cremate the bodies, wait for the smoke to dissipate, and then return them. However, I didn't feel safe exposing the dragon eggs so easily to the outside, fearing someone might be watching from a distance. So, I decided to leave them where they were and seek another solution.

- "How could I do this? Well, I could remove the dragon eggs from the cave temporarily, cremate the bodies in a large bonfire, wait for the smoke to dissipate, and then return them... But... It wouldn't be wise to remove them like that. The risk of being observed is high, and I would hate that idea."

Estalyrion was already shining intensely in the sky, marking something close to noon. By then, I was starving, having eaten nothing the night before and that morning. I decided to fish in the nearby lake, a great place that allowed me to watch the cave entrance while fishing. Before leaving, I checked the dragon eggs once more. Seeing that they were in perfect condition, I headed to the lake.

Already on the shore, with the hook in the water, I waited for a fish to bite the bait. In that interval, I continued reflecting on how to solve the problem of the bodies. I knew at least 12 hours had passed since those deaths, and based on my knowledge, the bodies would begin the decomposition process between 12 and 24 hours. During that period, the smell would become increasingly unbearable. However, at that moment, there was nothing I could do, and I would have to endure it until I found a solution to cremate them. Then, something caught my attention: at the bottom of the lake, an element that could be the key to solving this situation.

It was common knowledge that clay has many uses — from crafting to building structures like houses. However, more relevant still, clay could also be used to produce furnaces capable of withstanding high temperatures. That was perfect! Combining this material with my knowledge, I could build a furnace inside the cave and create a clay piping system to conduct the smoke outside. Even if it took some time, it was the best solution at the moment.

- "Hmm... Argh... How can I solve this more quickly?" I asked myself, forcing my mind to find an answer.

- "Wait... Clay? That's it! I can build a clay furnace. It doesn't need to be very big, just enough to cremate parts of the human bodies first. As for Elyndra's carcass, which takes much longer to decompose, I'll build a larger furnace later. Yes, this is, for now, the only viable idea that comes to mind." I said, while observing the clay at the bottom of the lake.

With a plan in mind, I needed to decide how to transport the necessary amount of clay to the cave, but at that moment, the hook showed signs that something had bitten the bait. So, at that moment, I resolved to prioritize my meal and leave the logistics for later.

Early in the afternoon, after eating, I checked the dragon eggs again, humidifying them with the water container. Satisfied that everything was in order, I left the cave determined to transport the clay. During my meal, I concluded that the most efficient way would be to use a sieve made of Talbûren and Thalvarýn threads. The clay wouldn't escape through the gaps, and I could carry a good amount, considering my size and physical strength.

As I headed towards the forest to gather the materials, I encountered those white rocks again that I had seen upon arriving at the place, while fleeing from the Elymvaran forest, or, living trees. The first time, those stones seemed like simple crystals protruding from the ground. Now, however, I could feel something coming from them, something I couldn't explain.

The sensation made me interrupt my path to the forest and follow the rocks, moving as if hypnotized. As I got closer, the feeling intensified, shifting from something purely mental to physical. When my hand got close to one of the rocks, the mark on my chest, left by Ignarion, began to burn, changing from a light tone to a glowing red, as if it were really on fire.

- "Arghh... Damn, what's happening?" I exclaimed, feeling the mark burn more intensely.

When, amidst that sensation, I finally touched the rock with my hand, a loud buzzing added to the confusion. At that moment, I covered my ears, trying to block out the buzzing, while the mark on my chest burned even more. Finally, my vision began to darken, and my head hurt more and more, and suddenly, a large amount of information bombarded my mind, as if it had just been placed there. They were all information regarding that stone and its properties.

…Buzzing intensifying…

- "..A-AARRGHH… BUT… WHAT'S… HAPPENING…ARGHH" I said, while covering my ears, trying to stop the sound from growing louder.

When it finally ended, I collapsed to the ground, mentally and physically exhausted, without even taking a step. At that moment, my brain already had the basic knowledge about that stone and its properties. When I finally caught my breath and got up, I no longer saw that stone as before but rather as something entirely different.

- "huff…huff…huff… w-what the hell was that…huff…huff" I said while sitting on the ground, trying to understand what had happened.

- "...I just got close to this Vothrial and… Wait... Vothrial? …but how? ..Just a few minutes ago, I couldn't even differentiate the most basic magical stone, and now, thinking more clearly… I understand the basic concepts of this stone…" I said to myself, while looking again at that white stone.

- "B-but where did this come from?... It was like information was placed directly into my memory… Thinking about it now, it was almost the same feeling I had when I was younger, at home… But… this time, I felt much more than before… Especially the mark, which seemed to burn even more… Ignarion… Could this... be your doing?.." I wondered, while touching the mark and this time, looking at the clouds.

As I had never read books about magical minerals, I could never differentiate or understand their properties. However, at that moment, the knowledge I had obtained about that stone made me see it with different eyes, curious about it and its more advanced properties. That stone was called Vothrial, and it was a common stone in certain regions but rare in others. It was mainly used by charlatan seers, as it could read minds and reproduce what they think or see. Thus, it was extremely easy to deceive clients with an excellent thought, while saying that thought represented their future. I, who was very curious about the properties of that stone, took a small chip to do some tests and stored it, heading towards the forest to gather the items I needed to make the sieve.

- "...Sigh… But regardless of what happened… Knowledge is always welcome… And taking a closer look at this rock now… Its properties are very interesting… but… I can't think about that now, I have to finish what I came here to do before anything else..." I said as I turned to continue my main mission, trying to resist the urge to stay and experiment with that rock to see what it was capable of.

- "...B-but, it wouldn't be a problem if I took a small sample and brought it with me to do some experiments later…" I said, allowing myself to take a piece of that rock, visibly intrigued.

When I finally finished making my sieve, two days had already passed, and during that time, I only left the cave to fish and fetch water for myself and to keep the dragon eggs moist. With the sieve ready, I then went to the lake to start carrying the clay into the cave. Inside, the smell was horrible, as the bodies had already begun to decompose rapidly.

- "D-damn… this smell… urghh… c-calm down, Dravyn… no vomiting… let's finish this quickly and get out of here..." I said, struggling with the terrible odor.

- "Lucky for you guys, you can't smell this," I said as I placed the clay on the ground and looked at the dragon eggs.

To at least organize the place, a few days earlier, I had gathered all those people and various body parts, along with several war weapons, into a single corner so I wouldn't keep stumbling over decomposing bodies. However, this made the stench in that area utterly unbearable.

So the day passed like this: going to the lake, fetching clay, bringing it back into the cave, and starting to shape what would eventually become the complete furnace. At a certain point, already exhausted from this work, I returned to the cave with yet another sieve full of clay. However, since I hadn't stopped for a while, I ended up sitting on the ground to rest. At that moment, while trying to catch my breath, the Vothrial stone in my pocket fell to the ground.

...Sound of the small rock hitting the ground...

- "..h-huh? ..w-what was that? … The stone? … Oh, right… I completely forgot about you… damn… I wish I could try to understand you better, but these past few days I didn't have much time… You see, I even started forgetting you existed…" I said, holding the stone aloft, its surface reflecting the light entering the cave at that moment.

- "..ha... The truth is, I'm tired of making this furnace… but I can't stop now; it's something I wouldn't forgive myself for doing… after all, Elyndra's body still deserves something worthy…" I said, lowering the stone and closing my eyes.

- "But… I won't lie, it would be really cool if I could just point you at this pile of clay, and a furnace would be made… Just as I imagined it…" I said, closing my eyes and pointing the stone at the pile of clay.

- "Hahaha… but that's impossible..." I said, laughing, still with my eyes closed, pointing the stone at the clay.

However, at that moment, when I opened my eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The clay, unlike how it had been when I arrived, had now changed shape. That deeply startled me and made me quickly look around, afraid that someone might be there and had done that while my eyes were closed. But after calming down a bit from the scare, I began to think about it and realized it was impossible for someone to have crafted something so well-formed so quickly. That's when I looked at the stone in my hand.

- "...sigh… well… let's get back to wo-..." I said, interrupting myself due to the shock.

- "...W-WHAAARGH… DAMN… WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? DAMN IT, IS SOMEONE HERE?" I shouted, quickly drawing my dagger, which I carried with me everywhere, and looking around to see if anyone else was there.

...Sound of heavy breathing and silence…

...Some minutes later…

- "...Think carefully, Dravyn… this doesn't seem like something someone could have done in such a short time as while my eyes were closed… Besides, I would've heard if someone were really here at this moment..." I said to myself, trying to calm down.

- "...So, what could it be?…" I wondered as I sheathed my dagger again.

- "...C-could it be… the stone?…" I asked myself, realizing that was the only possible explanation at that moment.

- "N-no… it can't be… i-it only reads thoughts... and shows it" I said, refusing to believe it could have been responsible.

- "D-damn… but there's no other explanation..." I muttered.

At that moment, I was still reluctant to believe that all of that had been the work of the stone. What I had said had been a joke, even though I genuinely wished it were real. But seeing it actually happen was something terrifying and something I wasn't mentally prepared for. However, above all else, at that moment, I needed to discover the cause of what had happened — whether it was the stone or not. Because if the answer were negative, something very serious could be happening there, something that could even put the dragon eggs at risk. Therefore, I had to find out what had happened as quickly as possible.