Wow... good thing I haven't leveled a city with it then
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Blitukus thought... his quest has brought him artifacts both of the magic characteristic of the ancients and the technology characteristic of future civilizations... many of these artifacts were of his own making. He felt as if he could step through time at will, as if it were only yet another surface in space, a firm footing available. Perhaps, he soon would. He had tinkered with the idea of mechanical calculating machines before in his days pioneering mathematics, but never found the time or drive to bring them to fruition. Now his spirit was driven with limitless potential, and it seemed time no longer stood any opposition. A mechanical machine, the state set at the start, a result produced at the end, the mechanisms behaving based on the initial state, processing the input according to the function they were built to solve. Luckily, Blitukus' insights into the true inner workings of space and time allowed him to reduce the dimensional calculations down to a series of simpler calculations. He revived the ideas he had had those many years ago, before that dreadful night... He sighed slightly, and began designing his calculating machine. As simple calculations were combined together to solve larger problems, the complexity of the machine seemed to increase exponentially. HE found himself erasing parts of the design and redrawing them smaller in order to fit a cohesive design on the space of a page, resulting in all their complexity in a design that was rather difficult to read. Summer progressed, and fall was beginning to approach. He found his designs continued over one page, and onto the next, and onto the next. He found that although many interconnecting parts were needed, the parts needn't be large, and therefore the machine needn't be to large. He also found that many of the parts were copies of the exact same part put in other locations. It was truly a machine of an age of industry. Its parts could be readily produced en masse, and looked like despite their number, they would be easy to assemble. Its steam driven gearing would allow for calculations much faster than Blitukus would be able to do unaided. From its production to its function, it was fast, and it was en masse... it was a symbol of the pinnacle of the technological benefits he had produced. Such machines had numerous uses, from architecture to economics to scientific analysis to statistics, a multitude of fields unlisted... from the smallest, simplest addition to the vast tasks of designing monolithic, sky-piercing structures, this machine and its descendants could make civilization, the world, all much faster and more efficient. The possibilities were limitless. He grinned and laughed to himself. He was paving the way to the future, and perhaps he would journey there himself after his quest was complete, to see the large scale fruits of his labor. He had spent into the second half of late summer designing the machine, but it was finally designed. It was beautiful, but although its potential descendants would have limitless possibilities, it had only one purpose. This was all that was needed, for despite the possibilities looming ahead, Blitukus felt driven towards only one goal.
He looked at his design, and quickly multiplied and added to find out how much material would be needed. A mere 8 stacks of bronze bars, nothing more. The cassiterite needed was already stocked and ready, but he was out of malachite. He put his designs down, took up his pickaxe, then dug out the needed 4 lumps of malachite... the current malachite vein was coming towards exhaustion he noticed, he was nearing the chasm digging into it. Luckily, it would continue on the other side. Afterwards, he found it an opportune moment to take a short break to tend to himself, eating a meal then getting a drink. After that, he began bringing lumps of malachite and cassiterite back, smelting them into bronze. He smiled, and found that no longer did his smelter and forge seem old and commonplace, the sense of appreciation for his innovation and appreciation for what he had accomplished was renewed. 1085... it seemed but only a number. But, he noticed something had changed from before... in his dealings with the universe and analysis of space and time, he found he had begun to become more in tune with the ambient forces around him. He realized, he was himself simultaneously a creature of magic and a creature of technology. Perhaps Dracha would teach him to make use of his astral energies? It might come in handy... but it wasn't needed for what he wanted to accomplish at the moment. He had spent his night productively, and now it was nearing an end. Before exhaustion fully took hold, he used a bit of leftover steel to forge the moulds that would be used to cast the gears and parts that would make up the calculating machine. Then, he went back to his room, and allowed himself to fall asleep after reviewing his designs. As he slowly sank to the depths of the realm of dreams, small flakes of snow began to drift about outside.
Autumn has come.
That day, he had a rather odd dream. He found himself strolling on rough rock streets, immensely vast. The area around seemed to be filled with a sense of immense power, yet also a sense of tranquility. Dragons walked about on what seemed to be daily business, often near them mithril vehicles of sorts that levitated off of the ground, carrying cargoes on top. The establishment was as a unit vast, as far as the eye could see, but the buildings were sparse, forest between, connected solely by rough rock roads. Several tall spires pierced into the sky near the center, and at the very center, an immense mithril tower that seemed to radiate the energy that powered all of the magical wonders around. It was sunset, and a dull glow could be seen over the vast city, caused by crystal lamps. The dragons seemed to be happy, they each possessed many powers and made frequent productive use of them. They carried with miraculous devices of magic as well. Blitukus saw a construction site nearby. One dragon was using a device to lift a large mithril beam into the air that was far to heavy to manipulate with standard magic. A second dragon was using its powers to heat the bottom of the beam to glowing heat, causing it to melt slightly and fuse to the other beam it was resting on. All seemed serene and prosperous... it was a city of the ancients, indeed, it seemed that the dragons were the original plains civilization, even though many of their dwellings were technically subterranean. All of a sudden, the serenity seemed to be broken. All dragons around sensed something was very wrong, and turned to face the setting sun. Blitukus felt this as well, and looked straight into the blood red sunset. A dark, evil entity approached... it was a demon, and it glowed with infernal magic. It embodied the most twisted perversions of magic, and was intent on using them as well. The dragons immediately took flight. The demon summoned a huge ball of fire, and cast it down upon a building, causing the building to explode in a shower of debris. More demons arrived, and kept arriving. The dragons fought valiantly and proved a significant threat to the demons due to their advanced powers, but the demons kept coming, and kept coming. The dragons numbers were dwindling. The demons began casting fire down into the city, but several dragons gathered atop the mithril tower. They began reciting an incantation, and runes, shaped like shields, on the buildings around, began to glow. The lights around dimmed, and vanished, blue pulses of mana flowing down the streets toward the central tower. When all of the energy of the city had been focused, the dragons released it. The ground shook, and a vast sphere, a magical barrier, formed, enveloping the city. Flying machines, seemingly levitating, composed of mithril and crystal, zipped through the skies, firing bolts of what looked like ball lightning at the demons. This proved more powerful than unaided dragons, but the demons together blew one flying machine after another clear out of the sky. They cast fire down, but it bounced off of the citys shield. The demons then all banded together, reciting an incantation, a ball of yellow energy forming between them all. Then, a ray of yellow energy shot out from their group, piercing through the shield and striking the mithril mana tower, causing it to erupt in a fantastic explosion. The citys power source was gone. The shield vanished, and much of the city was left literally powerless. An arch demon arrived. Demons surrounded the city, and began reciting an incantation, the arch demon hovering above the middle of the city. A green glow surrounded the arch demon. The glow grew and grew until it seemed a green sun had appeared in the sky. Then the incantations stopped. The arch demon cast the energy down, and it sank into the earth. Several second of dead silence passed. Suddenly, an enormous explosion seemed to emanate from under the ground, an extreme earthquake ripping through the city. Tall buildings were toppled and reduced to rubble. The land itself seemed to fragment, then magma shot up through the fissures. The land itself seemed to be catapulted upward by a surge of magma. Vehicles and rubble were tossed about, flying through the air. The entire city was cast into the air, fragmented by the force of the magma. Blitukus was catapulted into the sky along with everything else. Below... only a scorched crater full of magma. The shredded bits of what was once a city fell into the magma, sending splashes of incinerating molten rock up. When Blitukus belly flopped into the magma, the nightmare had ended. He felt shaken and disturbed as he awoke, and sat up... it seemed eerily like the nightmare of the futures metropolis being annihilated by a demon, only with magic instead of technology.
A clever historian once said History repeats itself... when my mother is safe I will prevent it from doing so in that case. The future... my future... our future, my mother, will be safe for us to enjoy... perhaps together? Ironically, only the future will tell. This is only of concern after my current quest has been completed... and it will soon be so.
Then again, it may simply be his subconscious chewing on what Dracha had said, a mere coincidence that his dreams before were so similar. It was merely a possibility in an infinite pool of other possibilities. Such was the future... but the situation at hand was solid and observable. He had a quest to complete. He melted the bronze bars down, and poured the molten metal into the moulds, quickly producing many exact copies of the same part. He did this to specification until he had all of the needed parts, then poured the rest of the bronze back into bars. But, before the bars could cool completely, he forged them into the plating and supports that would hold up the mechanisms within. He moved the parts and lay them scattered on the nearby floor.
He walked back to his work room, and retrieved the designs he had made. Then, he assembled the frame of the machine, riveting it together. Carefully following the designs, he then placed the various dials, meters, sprockets, and other mechanisms within their designated spot. Finally, he linked the piston that would drive the machine, part of the frame, actually, to the boiler, installing a valve, then linked the clockwork control output to the buttons of the control panel. He looked around the room, and smiled. The calculating machine was the missing piece from his dream, and now his machine was truly complete. It was a relatively small addition, but it just might make all the difference as far as results.
Perhaps, my mother, we will be together again... although, as long as you are safe again, and as long as I get to speak with you once more... to finally speak my last words to you and hear your last words to me, my quest will be complete.
It was now time to test. Blitukus decided to set the portal to appear in front of and to the right of the portal, 3 minutes back in time. It was a smidgen of what he truly wanted, but if it worked... it would prove that the entire machine, in unison, truly worked. Blitukus pressed the inlet levers forward, allowing the channels to fill, and the steam to rise. He started the dynamos, and began charging the capacitors. He was now about to make use of a machine that was the worlds most powerful machine, the worlds smartest machine, and the worlds oddest machine, all in one... perhaps save for the relics from the cat civilization, but those were far beyond his current technological understanding. Blitukus snickered a bit, but felt his heart heavy with remembrance.
If you had had the chance to speak your last words to me... perhaps my heart wouldn't be in such pain, and this quest would have never begun. My love of you has made those words rise to such value as to make adamantine look like common scrap. Our time together, even though it was cut short... you, and our love, had and still have a value of infinite scale. Time... it is insignificant compared to this.
Blitukus made the observations and calculations needed to state the initial conditions of the portal. Again, knowing his 11-dimensional position reduced this from days of work to minutes of work, as many variables became constants. Blitukus entered in the initial conditions into the first input rollers of the calculating machine, then entered the standard 4 dimensional delta into the second input rollers. Blitukus then opened the steam valve leading to the piston on the calculating machine. The piston extended, and there was a 'kclunk' as the gears all meshed. The gears within the machine began moving, the result rollers slowly rolling new numbers, diverging from what was once all-zeros. The machine sped up until the piston was cycling several times a second, the gears within the machine rotating with quite a speed. The machine operated from the starting conditions, processing the information into an answer at a rate that was laughably slow compared to any suitably advanced version of the theoretical electronic calculating machine, but was still blazingly fast compared to paper and pencil. With a clunk, the first coordinate of 11 locked into a definite answer... then the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth... Several minutes passed. When the capacitor had charged, he switched the power to the portal ring. The seventh coordinate locked in... as higher dimensions were calculated, it proceeded at a slower rate. The eighth, ninth, tenth... a few minutes passed... eleventh answer was determined. It had taken a bit of waiting for the machine to calculate the answer... but it had calculated in less than a half hour what had previously taken Blitukus over a week to do. Blitukus pulled up the control releases on the clockwork output, then let them rest upon the machine-determined latches. The portal ring was getting close to getting up to speed. He decided to leave his timepiece on the bridge as a reference. But, before he could move to place it, he noticed space distorting, in front of and to the right of the portal ring. A portal opened... on the other side, his own cavern... ever so slightly in the future. A kobold approached, then stepped through. It was his future self. His future self grinned and laughed, "Deja Vu!" Blitukus and his future self approached one another, and then hugged. Before it had even happened, he had proof that it worked... now all that mattered was to form the portal himself and become this future self. Blitukus spoke to his future self, "Congratulations." His future self nodded with a smile, "Thank you, my former self... this is kind of strange in a way." Blitukus laughed and nodded in agreement. His future self spoke, "Now it is my turn to wait and watch." Blitukus and his future self walked back to the console. The portal ring was slowly reaching top speed. His future self stood nearby, watching as Blitukus checked the machine. The portal ring had gotten up to speed and was ready to recieve the particle beam. The machine was ready...
Blitukus pulled the discharge lever, and the particle beam fired. After a second of immense, brilliant discharge, the beam ceased. Blitukus pressed down on the output lever of the calculating machine. With speed and machine precision, the machine tugged at its connections to the buttons, 'typing' out the pulses that would steer the portal. The silver spheres fired their arcs in a beautiful array, timed with true precision. When the portal opened, and was observed, it latched to its destination solidly, forming a stable connection. The portal glew a strong and healthy blue. Blitukus stepped out from behind the console, and approached the portal. On the other side, a kobold, behind the console... as if it were a mirror of his cavern, peering into the past. He stepped through, and as he did so, for a moment saw himself among the realm of the smallest possible again, his form twisted about across the levels of the higher dimensions. As he emerged, he found himself perfectly solid, and intact... he had just traveled into the past. He spotted his past self, grinned, then laughed, "Deja Vu!" He and his past self approached one another, and then hugged. He had now fulfilled the requirements of time and space... the loop was closed. Yet he felt kind of odd interacting with himself in such a manner... it made him feel slightly insane for a moment, but just for a moment, outweighed by the feelings that this success brought him. His past self spoke, "Congratulations." Blitukus nodded with a smile, "Thank you, my former self... this is kind of strange in a way." His past self laughed and nodded in agreement. Blitukus spoke, "Now it is my turn to wait and watch." He walked back to the console with his past self. The portal ring of this time was slowly reaching top speed. He stood nearby, watching as his past self checked the machine. The portal ring had gotten up to speed and was ready to receive the particle beam. The machine was ready... and now he was here to watch what happened after the matter.
His former self pulled the discharge lever, and the particle beam fired. After another second of immense, brilliant discharge, the beam ceased. His former self pressed down on the output lever of the calculating machine. With speed and machine precision, the machine tugged at its connections to the buttons, 'typing' out the pulses that would steer the portal. The silver spheres fired their arcs in a beautiful array, timed with true precision, a perfect repeat of what Blitukus had seen as his former self. When the portal opened, and was observed, it latched to its destination solidly, forming a stable connection. The portal glew a strong and healthy blue. Blitukus watched as his past self stepped out from behind the console, approached the portal, and stepped through. He looked through the portal from a distance, and watched his two now-past selves interacting, this time as a third party observer. Eventually, his more-distant past self passed through the portal of the past, exactly 3 minutes after he had entered the portal, leaving him looking at his 3-minutes-ago self. The portal stayed open for several minuted longer... Blitukus noticed that as the portal began to become unstable, it induced currents in the silver spheres. Unlike when pure probability had been in control, the more unstable the portal gets, the larger the induced current is, which in turn nudges the portal back into a stable position. Just by being there, the silver spheres kept the portal stable. After several minutes more, the fundamental-level chaotic actions of space won out, and the portal pinched off from its destination, the rift vanishing. It had been open for enough time to safely allow for a two-way trip. Blitukus walked to the console and powered down the portal ring. He looked into the water and magma, steam drifting slowly as wisps about the portal. It all seemed rather crazy... yet it all made perfect sense to him. All of the previous experiences, the years of tireless labor and dedication, of innovation and exploration, all paid off. It worked. If 3 minutes worked... the next step would be a bit larger. 5 years, and a sizable jump through space. It was finally time for Blitukus to return to that place and time in which he was nearly assassinated... but instead, he would be the one assassinating the assassins. The barrier of time no longer stood in his way... and soon enough, neither will the barrier of death itself.
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I have my fingers crossed that I didn't break anything fundamental here. I did my best to close the loop.
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Topic: A Kobold's Quest II (Read 76149 times)