[Mkguild] MK story - Part 2

[Christian Okane]

Here is part 2! Where things get more interesting!

Chris

***********


  The courier arrived just before noon. A fast flying condor landed in the
courtyard of the Jolly Collie inn amidst great commotion. The great bird
folded its wings and seem to collapse in on itself shifting and changing as
it did. In a moment a young man wearing thick, gray colored traveling
clothes was smiling at the half dozen guards that rushed at him. "I'm here
to speak with Misha."

   Misha laughed at the commotion the messengers arrival had made. "Leave it
to a mage to make a grand entrance." The man handed Misha a wooden box and a
letter. He opened the letter and read the message.

   "Greetings Misha,

   Included in the box is object 122457 as well as 4 other objects also
located in the same box it was found in. We have indentified  objects 122455
& 122459 as gearing. Please pay special attention to Object 122421. I do not
wish to taint your own investigations with my theories so I will not tell
you what we concluded."

   The box itself was covered with several prominent runes that would have
deadly effects if anyone but himself tried to open it. He opened the box and
was rewarded with the sight of five objects carefully packed into slots
specially cut into the wood. Each one was wrapped in wool and tied into a
bundle with gold thread. He carefully unwrapped one bundle and found himself
holding an irregularly shaped flat, metal plate. The plate flexed easily as
he wiggled his fingers. A closer examination showed that the single metal
piece was actually several dozen pieces joined together with joints so small
Misha could not see them with the naked eye.

   Misha turned to the messenger. "You'd best get a meal and a night's sleep
before heading back to the guild. I'll send my answer when it's ready. And
that might be some time. A week or more at least. If you need something just
ask Jimmy, the innkeeper."


   The man bowed deeply. "Thank you and I'll convey that answer back."

   Misha returned the part to its shipping box and then headed off to his
workshop.


***********


   Misha's reply was delivered by a courier who caught the attention of the
entire city. The object fist appeared as a small dot way up in the sky.
Slowly it grew larger and larger until sentries on the city walls could
easily see that it was some sort of large flying creature. When it was
closer they realized it was far larger than normal and had a wingspan of
over 30 feet from wingtip to wingtip. When closer still it was realized that
it was not a bird, certainly not one of the larger condors that flew over
the mountains. Many thought it was a dragon of some sort but this creature
had no tail and its head was long and thin. Soon it was over the city
itself. Making slow, lazy circles overhead. The creature was clearly some
sort of reptile but it seemed to be all wing and head and resembled no
creature anyone had seen before. Then one of the students at the mages
school recognized it as one of the long extinct species of dinosaurs.
Creatures only known from ancient bones pulled out of the ground from time
to time.

   No one was surprised when the massive creature landed on the grounds of
the mages guild. The mages seemed to delight in all manner of the unusual
and strange. Soon people were in a hot debate over whether the creature was
some pet of a mage or itself a mage trying out a new form.

   On the grounds of the Marigund mages guild hall two figures climbed down
off the dinosaur and their half human, half animal forms marked them as
coming from Metamor Keep. The first off was a tall, solidly built leopard
man, carrying a powerful bow in his hands. His chainmail armor had the dusty
and worn look of long use. The second figure was another feline but this
person had the slim wiry form of a cheetah. He was dressed in a suit of
armor made up of plates of metal, cloth and fur.

   The massive dinosaur seemed to shiver and quickly shrunk in on itself
until it had shifted down to the size of a normal person. This form was a
mix of human and reptile and Carlisle knew the Keepers called it the morph
form.

   A crowd quickly formed around the trio by the time Carlisle arrived. The
half human Keepers caused quite a commotion among all the older students. He
noted that the male leopard was the same age as the young woman who was
offering him some wine. Carlisle wondered what would the offspring of a
human and feline keeper be? Human? Feline or a mix of both? He made a note
to look into the subject later with his wife. What held his attention for
the moment was the cheetah man standing in front of him.

   The cheetah courier walked straight up to Carlisle. "Are you Carlisle
Baldren?"

   "I am Sir Carlisle Baldren," the mage answered.

   The feline nodded. "Good. I am Stealth." He pointed to the leopard. "This
is Atrit Armunson." The he pointed to the now human sized dinosaur. "At this
is Sofia LeClare."

   The mage bowed to each in turn. "Thank you for coming!"

   Stealth took a large, bulky envelop from a pouch and handed it to the
mage. "Misha said it was for your eyes only."
   
   "Is that armor Suielman?" Carlisle asked. "It looks to be from the late
empire period."

   "It is," Stealth said slowly. "Sort of." 

   "Sort if?" Carlisle examined the seal on the back of the envelope and
recognized magic symbols embossed in the wax. The letter he carried was
sealed not just with wax but with a potent security spell. The mage
hesitated a moment before opening the envelope.

   "Dear Carlisle,"

   "I have indentified object 122457. The reason for the unusual spacing of
the teeth is due to it being intended to interlock with 7 different quarter
gears. I have also found a preservation and a strengthening spell on it.
Indeed all the pieces have them. Object 122421 is the armored skin off an
automaton. I have found three spells on it that are clearly Automata in
origin. All five parts are clearly part of an automaton. I think they are
part of one automaton as it is clear that the spells were cast by the same
person and roughly at the same time. I am including a spell that should be
helpful. It is a detection spell attuned solely to Automata."

   Carlisle folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. "You'll be
my guest for tonight," he said.


**************


   "I hope you don't mind Sandy's presence," Gina said cheerfully. "He is
still recuperating after a confrontation with a mountain bear." Everyone was
gathered around a large oak table in the dining room of the Baldren home.
Gina herself was a woman of medium height and build. Her hair was a reddish
brown and allowed to flow down to her shoulders.

   Besides Gina and Carlisle seated at the table were all five of their
children and the three Keepers. In one corner of the room a mountain lion
lay curled up on a small mattress. The feline was examining the home's new
guests with a calm detachment. He was clearly interested but was in no hurry
to get too close to the strangers.

   Stealth shook his head. "I don't. It reminds me of back at the Keep."

   "We're all used to seeing Keepers in animal form wandering about," Atrit
explained.

   "Even the true animals," Sofia added. The reptile had shifted to a
smaller form, one that had true arms and hands instead of hands stretched
out as wings.

   "How do true animals treat keepers?" Gina woman asked. "I've been curious
to find out."

   "Confused," Stealth answered as he sipped a glass of water. "But after a
little while they settle down."

   "They sense the difference between a feral form Keeper and a real
animal?" Carlisle queried.

   "Yes," came the answer from the leopard morph. "It's mostly in how we
act. In full form I may look like a leopard but I still act like a human."

   "That makes sense," Gina responded. "It takes time to learn the
intricacies of feline behavior."

   "How long will you be here?" Carlisle asked.

   "Until we have the reply to Misha's message," Stealth explained.

   "Which will be ready in a few days," Carlisle said. "What will you do
till then?"

   "I was hoping to explore the city a little," the cheetah keeper
commented. "Where could I go?"

   "Well," Carlisle said and sipped his wine. "I do suggest you stay in
certain areas. The Grand Plaza, the Promenade and the Gold Quarter are all
places you can see. And of course the Upper market."

   "And Guild hall," Gina added. "They have a fine little museum I think
you'll enjoy. And the gardens are always nice this time of year."

   "But beware our other visitors might think you're one of the staff,"
Carlisle joked and smiled, then his face grew more serious. "Has Misha
informed you of the matter of religion here in Marigund?"

   "Yes he has," Atrit answered. "No discussion of religion."

   "You have any questions or issues with those rules?" The woman asked
earnestly.

   Stealth shook his head. "No."

   The humans relaxed noticeably. "Good. Some visitors have a hard time
understanding our rather unusual rules."

   "Unusual?" Sofia said. "My friends are a cheetah and a leopard and I'm a
species that's been extinct for over a million years. So what is unusual?"


**************


   "Misha confirmed my conclusions that we have the parts of  least one
automaton here." Carlisle said slowly. "We need to widen the search and
examine the entire collection." The man was standing in front of all the
members of the entire Automata department; all twelve of them.

   "Not just the collection," a young woman interjected. "The entire
Menomenta Gul." She was tall and had dull red hair that told of Centli
heritage. Her green eyes sparked with excitement.

   The man next to her shook his head. "Search the entire Guild hall
property? That's not possible Idette. It's over 4 square acres of ground."

   "This is not an option. We need to find a way," Carlisle said harshly.

   The ever present and long suffering staff of the guild provided the
answer. These craftsmen and servants worked in the background cleaning and
maintaining the Guild's vast complex of buildings. Some of them were from
families that had worked for the guild since its founding. The man in front
of Carlisle was someone he had seen countless times in the hall but never
really talked to, till now.

   Standing next to the man was someone he did know. The young woman was
wearing a wool dress common to most young women in the city. The low cut
front accented her cleavage nicely even if her breasts were covered with the
tan colored and black spotted fur of a leopard. Indeed her whole body was
covered with the same fur. Instead of her normal human head she had the head
of a leopard which matched the long feline tail that twitched behind her.

   "Good morning Beatrice," the mage said calmly.

   Beatrice was in her final year of schooling and would soon gain her gown
and sash, marking her as a full mage. To gain a better grasp on
transformation all final year students were forced to spend one full month
in another form. In the past most students tried the opposite gender or a
different race or as an animal. Wolves were always popular. Carlisle himself
had spent his time as a saber-cat. The long extinct saber-toothed feline had
been a favorite of his at the time. Would this half human/half animal form
be the new rage? Like many of the residents of Metamor Keep, Carlisle blamed
the strange curse for all sorts of odd changes. This time social.

   "This is my father Alton," Beatrice said pointing to the man next to her.

   Aldred gave a short bow. "Sir, I've heard that you are looking for some
mechanical parts."

   The mage laughed. "In the Automata department we're always looking for
mechanical parts."

   "This piece is a metal leg a little shorter than my own," the worker said
calmly. "And at least 900 years old."

   "Show me this leg!" The wizard ordered.

   The worker took a step out of the office and a moment later came back
carrying a long bundle wrapped in a dirty oilskin. He placed the object on
the desk and unwrapped the bundle. The last piece of cloth fell away
revealing a thick and powerful looking limb that was a foot and a half long.
The paw on the end was as big as his own hand with the fingers out
stretched. All of this was covered with highly polished brass but with large
spots of silver and electrum. The leg had been cleaned and polished to a
fine gloss. It was hard to believe it was over a millennia old.

   "It's made of Alusier, Vansir and turalite along with a half dozen other
metals," the craftsman said simply.

   "How do you know of those metals?" Carlisle asked suspiciously.

   "I am the Guild metal smith and it's my job to repair anything made of
metal." Alton shot back. "What you fool mages break I have to fix."

   Carlisle laughed and smiled. "I try not to break too many things."

   "You're a mage and mages seem to be good at breaking things that are hard
to fix," Alton commented dryly.

   Carlisle smiled. "Just the young ones. We older mages know better. At
least some of us do. This leg is in fine shape," the mage said changing the
subject.

   "Thank you," Alton responded. "You should have seen it before I cleaned
it up."

   The craftsman nodded. "It looked pretty bad so I fixed the worst damage
and gave it a good cleaning."

   Carlisle touched the paw and lightly pushed on it. The whole leg flexed
easily and smoothly. "You cleaned and fixed this?" he asked more than a
little surprised.

   "Like I said," Alton replied. "I'm a Guild metal smith. Just like my
father and grandfather before me."

   "And just like my brother is too," Beatrice said proudly.

   The man smiled and nodded his head. "Follow me. I have something
important to show you."

   Carlisle took the two through a door and into a large workshop.
Workbenches lined the walls on either side and at the far end filling one
whole wall were four furnaces of differing sizes. Bins and racks hung over
each bench containing a wide array of tools. In the center of the room were
two benches larger than the others. He stopped at one of those center
workbenches. "This needs to remain a secret," the mage said seriously. "We
only just got it here from Delavia and installed in the workshop."

   Laying on the bench was a lion. It's head resting on its front paws and
it's eyes closed. They walked around the table revealing that this feline
was artificial. Where there had been skin and fur on the left side, the
right side had only metal skin and only in a few places. The rest of the
body consisted of bare metal framework behind which was a complex set of
gears and mechanisms. Spread out on the table around the figure was several
thousand parts all arranged neatly by shape, size and the material they were
made of. 

"The physical workmanship is good but the magic in it is mediocre at best,"
Carlisle commented.

   The metal worker bent over and examined the parts without touching
anything. "Nicely made. I've seen better but I've seen worse too."

   "Feel free to touch everything. It's all been carefully examined and
there are no traps," the wizard commented.

   "Where did you get this?" Beatrice asked.

   "From a collector's horde along with twelve thousand other items,"
Baldren explained. "It seems he was interested in automatons but had no
skill in it himself. We found several books on automata as well."

   Alton traced his hand along the unfinished flank of the lion. "It looks
like at least 4 people made the parts. Shame they're all made of brass and
bronze. They should have used more durable metal alloys like aluminal."

   "We're considering recasting some of the parts in aluminal," Baldren
commented. "And reinforcing them with magic."

   The craftsman peered at the right hindquarters of the metal lion which
was a complex series of gears, rods and a ball joint. The leg itself was not
attached and lay in pieces on the table. "No wonder they never got the leg
attached. That ball joint isn't true. You need to take it out and bore out
the cup. Might have to recast the part."

   Carlisle pointed to the unfinished leg. "Assemble that please."

   "All right!" the old craftsman said and proceeded to do just that.

   Carlisle watched the man move about the parts and tool with the ease and
skill of an expert craftsman. The mage laughed and shook his head. "I've
spent a decade looking all over the Midlands for skilled automata craftsmen
and the finest was right here."

   "The higher up in the air you are, the harder it is to see the ground,"
Beatrice commented.

   The man laughed and nodded in agreement. "All too true." He pointed to
her feline ears. "You got the idea for this from the Metamor messengers?"

   She nodded vigorously. "Yes. It's different from the usual aelves, lions
and wolves."

   "What did you think of the Keepers?" he asked, eager for her opinions.

   "I think Atrit was cute and exciting," she said cheerfully as her tail
whipped back and forth.

   "Atrit?" Carlisle asked.

   "The leopard." Alton without looking up from his work. "My grandchildren
are going to be born with spots and a tail."

   She hugged her father. "And you'd love them anyway."

   The craftsman stopped and kissed the feline on the muzzle. "Of course.
Besides, he's not as hairy as the girl your brother is seeing."

   "Father!" Beatrice scolded. "Breena is a fine woman and will make William
a good wife."

   The man nodded. "A fine wife and a good mother," he paused for a moment.
"Of ugly children."

   She opened her mouth to speak but her father winked at her and smiled
broadly.

   Beatrice wagged a clawed finger at him. "Behave Papa or I'll tell Mama."


End part 2


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