amongst themselves excitedly, gesturing against the calming storm and pointing behind us at the machine.
"Delightful!" an old man's voice said above me, "Tell me it still works."
"It still works, my lord," I said, staring down at a pair of felt shoes, "We found it in the ground, in that hole-"
"Just a minute, son," another of the masters said turning and shouting behind him, "Alright! That's enough! Honestly!" The minstrels fell silent in mid note, shrugging to one another and leaning heavily on their instruments. I noticed that one of them was playing an enormous violin.
"Go on," another of the elders said, "And please do rise."
Freezy quickly wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me up on my one good leg. I positioned the crutches beneath my arms and turned partially toward the sleeping drill,
"It was underground. It had drilled a whole city's worth of tunnels under there. Unfortunately, as it left, the whole thing filled with oil. If you had a way of pumping the oil out, you could refine it and use it, but the drilling machine could be used for other things as well."
"Yes," I heard one of the hooded men behind me say, conspiratorially leaning toward another, "Other things."
"It's a little dirty, but you've done well," the tallest one said, his face obscured by the hood around his head, "But before we take it up onto the city for study, please demonstrate that it works."
"I'm not sure how it works," I said, "I was only sent here to get it."
"Ebon told me," Freezy said, "While you were out we took to studying it."
"Where is Ebon?" I asked no one in particular, staring back up at his camp, "Just a minute, lords."
Navigating to the machine, Breezy and I looked at the side of it, where Breezy opened a small sliding metal door and revealed a small green button. She read aloud the words painted above it,
"Deploy Drilling Rig."
I pressed the button, and the machine whirred to life. Behind us, the masters applauded. I pressed the button again and the machine turned off.
"The specifics we can figure out later," one of the masters said, "You've upheld your part of the bargain."
"Yes," said another, "And now it's time for us to uphold ours."
He snapped his fingers and one of the soldiers strode forward, moving toward us with his ventilator gusting erratically. He pulled from his coat pocket a fist-sized cloth sack and knelt, holding it out to me. I took it from him, opening the top of the bag. It was heavy, stuffed to the top with gold. There had to be at least a dozen lifetimes worth of gold in that bag. More than I had ever seen. I grinned, lowering it beneath Freezy's face so she could see it,
"More than you'll ever need. My dear, your problems are over."
She clapped, jumping up and down excitedly.
"We're through here," one of the masters said returning to their plate, "Alright, orchestra. Play us up."
"Good work, Adon Still," another of the robed figures called down as the weight of the steel platform began to pull upward, "Expect us all to be at your wedding!" With music swelling behind them, the plate rose slowly, stoically.
A massive chain descended with a plate technician riding the hook beneath. He dragged it with the assistance of two of the soldiers and they attached it to the front of the drilling machine. With a loud beep from above, the drill began to tip upward. A sound was mingling with the orchestra as its front started to rise. Familiar, chaotic. It was strange erratic digital music, much like I had heard before, emanating from the machine's underside. Numbers turned to sound.
"Alright, we'd better catch Ebon," Freezy said mounting her horse, "They're not liable to stick around here all day. You want a leg up?"
"Oh that's a good one," I said gripping her hand as I hopped and scrambled onto the horse's back, "But let's make it quick. There's a woman for me on that boat."
The chain holding the drill was sagging heavily, and it
"Delightful!" an old man's voice said above me, "Tell me it still works."
"It still works, my lord," I said, staring down at a pair of felt shoes, "We found it in the ground, in that hole-"
"Just a minute, son," another of the masters said turning and shouting behind him, "Alright! That's enough! Honestly!" The minstrels fell silent in mid note, shrugging to one another and leaning heavily on their instruments. I noticed that one of them was playing an enormous violin.
"Go on," another of the elders said, "And please do rise."
Freezy quickly wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me up on my one good leg. I positioned the crutches beneath my arms and turned partially toward the sleeping drill,
"It was underground. It had drilled a whole city's worth of tunnels under there. Unfortunately, as it left, the whole thing filled with oil. If you had a way of pumping the oil out, you could refine it and use it, but the drilling machine could be used for other things as well."
"Yes," I heard one of the hooded men behind me say, conspiratorially leaning toward another, "Other things."
"It's a little dirty, but you've done well," the tallest one said, his face obscured by the hood around his head, "But before we take it up onto the city for study, please demonstrate that it works."
"I'm not sure how it works," I said, "I was only sent here to get it."
"Ebon told me," Freezy said, "While you were out we took to studying it."
"Where is Ebon?" I asked no one in particular, staring back up at his camp, "Just a minute, lords."
Navigating to the machine, Breezy and I looked at the side of it, where Breezy opened a small sliding metal door and revealed a small green button. She read aloud the words painted above it,
"Deploy Drilling Rig."
I pressed the button, and the machine whirred to life. Behind us, the masters applauded. I pressed the button again and the machine turned off.
"The specifics we can figure out later," one of the masters said, "You've upheld your part of the bargain."
"Yes," said another, "And now it's time for us to uphold ours."
He snapped his fingers and one of the soldiers strode forward, moving toward us with his ventilator gusting erratically. He pulled from his coat pocket a fist-sized cloth sack and knelt, holding it out to me. I took it from him, opening the top of the bag. It was heavy, stuffed to the top with gold. There had to be at least a dozen lifetimes worth of gold in that bag. More than I had ever seen. I grinned, lowering it beneath Freezy's face so she could see it,
"More than you'll ever need. My dear, your problems are over."
She clapped, jumping up and down excitedly.
"We're through here," one of the masters said returning to their plate, "Alright, orchestra. Play us up."
"Good work, Adon Still," another of the robed figures called down as the weight of the steel platform began to pull upward, "Expect us all to be at your wedding!" With music swelling behind them, the plate rose slowly, stoically.
A massive chain descended with a plate technician riding the hook beneath. He dragged it with the assistance of two of the soldiers and they attached it to the front of the drilling machine. With a loud beep from above, the drill began to tip upward. A sound was mingling with the orchestra as its front started to rise. Familiar, chaotic. It was strange erratic digital music, much like I had heard before, emanating from the machine's underside. Numbers turned to sound.
"Alright, we'd better catch Ebon," Freezy said mounting her horse, "They're not liable to stick around here all day. You want a leg up?"
"Oh that's a good one," I said gripping her hand as I hopped and scrambled onto the horse's back, "But let's make it quick. There's a woman for me on that boat."
The chain holding the drill was sagging heavily, and it
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