The fortress of Sanctuary stood silent and empty. A ghost castle in a valley of fire. It had walls. It had a core. It lacked a heart though.
"We have the shell," Sebastian said. His voice echoing in the empty throne room of the main keep. "Now we need the teeth."
"We can buy weapons," Valerie suggested. Looking around the dark, gothic architecture with a mix of awe and unease. "The auction house..."
"The auction house sells toothpicks," Sebastian cut her off. "I need artillery. I need siege breakers. I need weapons that can hurt a god."
He opened a portal menu. As the Guild Master, he could teleport from his base to any major city instantly.
"Ironhold," he selected. "The Slums."
"Why the slums?" Valerie asked as the blue light engulfed them. "The best blacksmiths are in the Artisan District."
"The best obedient blacksmiths are in the Artisan District," Sebastian corrected. "I don't need obedience. I need genius. Genius usually comes at the bottom of a bottle."
The teleportation took them to a dirty, narrow alley in the lowest sector of Ironhold. The air here was thick with coal smoke. The smell of unwashed bodies. Beggars lined the streets. The sound of drunken brawls echoed from the taverns.
Sebastian walked with purpose. Ignoring the thieves who eyed his [Ring of Space] with hunger. He stopped in front of a shack that looked like it was held together by rust and prayers. A sign hung crookedly above the door: Galleon's Scrap & Repair.
He kicked the door open.
Inside, it was a hoarders' nightmare. Piles of scrap metal. Broken gears. Empty ale barrels filled the room. In the center, slumped over an anvil, was a Dwarf.
He was a mess. His beard was singed. Matted with oil. His clothes were stained rags. He was snoring loudly. Clutching a bottle of cheap swill like a lover.
[NPC: Galleon (Blacksmith/Engineer)]
[Level: 5]
[Status: Drunk, Despair]
"That's him?" Valerie whispered. Wrinkling her nose. "He looks like a corpse."
"He's the greatest weaponsmith this server will ever see," Sebastian said. "He just doesn't know it yet."
Sebastian walked over to a bucket of dirty water. Used for quenching hot steel. He picked it up. Dumped the entire contents over the Dwarf's head.
SPLASH.
"GAAH! BLUB! I'M DROWNING!" Galleon sputtered. Flailing his arms. Falling off his stool. He landed in a heap of scrap metal with a loud crash. He shook his head. Water dripping from his beard. Glared at Sebastian with bleary, bloodshot eyes.
"Who in the darkest pit are you?!" Galleon roared. Grabbing a hammer. "I paid the guild tax! I gave you the money last week!"
"I'm not with the guild," Sebastian said calmly. "And I'm not here for tax."
"Then get out!" Galleon spat. "I'm closed. Forever."
"I heard you designed the [Mana-Conducting Railgun]," Sebastian said.
The silence that followed was heavy. Galleon froze. The anger in his eyes was replaced by a flash of fear. Then deep, crushing sorrow. He lowered the hammer.
"That... that is a myth," Galleon muttered. Turning away to find his bottle. "A fairy tale. You can't stabilize mana in a compression chamber. It explodes. I killed my brother trying to prove it. Now leave me to rot."
"It exploded because you used Ironwood for the barrel," Sebastian stated. His voice cutting through the Dwarf's self-pity like a knife. "Ironwood has a mana conductivity of 40%. The feedback loop shattered the casing."
Galleon stopped. He turned around slowly. "How... how do you know that?"
"You need [Star-Metal]," Sebastian continued. "You need a cooling system based on [Frost Core] liquid. Not water. Most importantly, you need a power source that isn't stable. You need a chaotic source. Filtered through a Void lens."
Galleon's mouth hung open. He looked at Sebastian as if he were seeing a ghost. These were theories he'd written in journals he'd burned years ago. Theories he'd never spoken aloud.
"Who are you?" Galleon whispered.
"I am the man who is going to build it," Sebastian said. He reached into his inventory. He didn't pull out gold. He pulled out a scroll. It was a blueprint he'd drafted himself using his Engineering skill. Combined with his future knowledge.
He slammed the blueprint onto the anvil.
"I have the design. I have the Star-Metal. I have the Frost Cores. I have the base."
Sebastian leaned in. His eyes burning with intensity.
"I don't need a blacksmith, Galleon. I can buy a blacksmith. I need a visionary. I need someone crazy enough to build a gun that shoots stars. Are you that Dwarf? Or are you just a drunk waiting to die in a pile of rust?"
Galleon looked at the blueprint. His trembling hands reached out. Tracing the lines. His eyes widened. He saw the cooling system. He saw the Void lens integration. It wasn't just a theory. It was a solution. The impossible equation that had ruined his life was solved right there on the paper.
The shaking in his hands stopped. The dull glaze in his eyes vanished. Replaced by a spark of manic, creative fire.
"Star-Metal..." Galleon muttered. His voice gaining strength. "If we use Star-Metal, the chamber won't burst. But the recoil... we'd need a dampener made of... of Dragon Bone."
"I can get Dragon Bone," Sebastian promised.
Galleon looked up. He grinned. Revealing missing teeth. It was a savage, hungry grin.
"You got ale?"
"I have a wine cellar in my fortress filled with Elven Nectar," Sebastian lied effortlessly.
Galleon slammed his fist onto the anvil.
"You're hired, you crazy bastard. When do we start?"