^^ Hydraulic Screw ^^

Helen's plan for the waterfall was actually quite genius; she planned on using the frame to attach to the rock of the mountainside on either side of the waterfall, and place the fans for the generator (the turbine/crank/things,) into the water directly, instead of hanging out over it like a watermill. This would leave room for other uses for the waterfall, in the future, including an actual Watermill, because at some point we'd need to make our own bread and stuff.

My job, to prepare the waterfall for her thing she was building, was to clear the clay away so that the massive, 85 foot long, 14 foot wide frame would connect to rock, not Clay, which would not end well at all. I accomplished this by turning the clay into Golems. Big Golems.

Each one stood about four times as tall as the originals, so about 30 feet tall, and instead of roaming around, these simply sat in an unassuming jumble of 'rocks', beside the roads that approach the village, keeping watch and acting as a very nasty surprise to the rear-end of a band of bandits, as they would only activate once all the enemies had made it past them; thus blocking the retreat and causing panic and mayhem. I was quite happy with that, despite only being able to make one a day, before feeling woozy and having to go about other tasks until I rested.

One of those tasks was to get our watermill ready, so I spent my off time using the intestines of the Wyverns and a hollow tree next to the lake to construct a rudimentary collection source that dipped into the river and diverted small amounts of water into a central chamber, which was just a hollow-threaded cylinder of clay that I'd made into a golem... sorta. It was definitely animated, and it spun of its own accord, sending the water up the hydraulic screw in the center of the hollow tree; the water, moved swiftly upwards by the velocity of the turning 'screw', climbed up into the tube and was forced all the way up the slope, about 700 feet all told, into the massive water tank of the Caboose, (where almost all the showers had been,) on top of the cliff. The tube was, needless to say, hidden under a layer of clay; I didn't have a leather intestine hanging over the camp.

That project took about three days to complete, and next was the Water Heater. As happy as I was to have electricity, I knew it was probably best to have a natural solution to our need for power, so I was starting with Heated Water. The metal roof of the Caboose was exposed to the sun at all times; being metal, and specifically very shiny steel, I knew it would get very, very hot. So, using the leather of the Wyverns, I constructed a sort of Bowl, on top of the Caboose. The exposed metal of the roof was the bottom, and the leather walls rose a foot above that, creating a 85 foot long, 12 foot wide, 2 foot tall holding tank of sorts, for water. That translated to 15,260 gallons at full capacity; far more than the 500 gallon tank inside the Caboose. Another pipe was created down to the train cars on the bottom, (also Hidden,) this one simply hot water. Even as cold as it was out, the metal was warm, because of the internal heating of the Caboose, (connected to the power by now,) so we now had hot water without overburdening the generator with the water heater, which pulled an ungodly amount of electricity.

Finished with that within four days, I was once again left with little to nothing to do, other than seeing Luna and Kindle when they returned to check on us; the moneys I'd been given for subjugation of a Bandit Band was actually quite substantial, (twenty gold pieces,) plus the money she'd gotten for the Wyvern Organs that we hadn't known what to do with, equaling about twenty more gold pieces.

"Forty gold, though, in just a few days of being here? That's impressive, dear!" Kindle complimented me while lounging on my couch, studiously ignoring my raised eyebrow at her inviting herself into my room.

Luna, who had followed her in after I'd given permission, sighed from her place in the chair across from the bed. "Yes, but now people know they're here, and they have money... I hope they don't do anything Rash..."

"Eh we'll be okay. Anyway, it's been almost three weeks, but no more Frogmen... do you think someone else cleared up that Dungeon you were talking about? How's that work?" I waved off her concerns and focused on receiving new knowledge, stuff I couldn't learn on my own.

"Dungeons? You don't have those? Huh... your Young Friend Medea seemed quite knowledgeable about the subject?" She asked, seeming confused.

"Ah... we have books and things about them, but they're considered fantasy, with lots of conflicting accounts as to how they work, what they are, who made them, etcetera." I explained as best I could, making a note to ask Medea later.

"Hmm... Alright, well, Dungeons are what happens when Mana accrues in a single area, then crystallizes; the crystal sinks into the ground, and breaks pieces of itself off to protect itself from attackers, like a natural defensive talent. It copies the monsters that are near it, and then they dig out a cave or a tunnel system, and the longer it's sits there the stronger it gets and the more intricate it gets, the more monsters, so on and so forth." She kicked her feet up on the side of the chair, and grinned. "I like this chair... I'll have my cousin make one, I think."

"First off, don't do that; everything here is ours, and if we're going to survive here, having a stream of income would be incredibly helpful. Second: so how do you destroy the dungeon? You just remove all the magic crystals, find the big one, take that one too, and it's done?" I asked, glancing at Kindle.

"Basically, yes. But, Sometimes people get into a Dungeon, and get to the bottom, and then find out they're just normal monsters, not Dungeon Monsters." She hummed.

"How the fuck do you miss the fact that they don't turn to liquid when they die?" I asked archly, confused and irritated by the concept of people being just as stupid here as anywhere else.

She chuckled. "People are stupid sometimes? Some are stupid all the time?"

"Hmph..." I shook my head disappointedly.

"Wait, So, I should ask my cousin to come here and make the chairs with you? I'm sorry to stick to this, you're clearly fishing for information, but... you have quite a few things here that many people would love to own, like those 'Sex Toys' of yours, those are marvelous!" Luna sighed dreamily.

"We'll talk about that more, my dear, once we get ourselves settled. There's only nine of us, trying to survive as a Village, do remember that... but in regards to money, take 30 of those gold pieces, please, and if you can buy us some proper weapons and armor, -nothing fancy, just some spears, shields, and leather armor,- and enough vegetables to begin a garden, along with a cart full of good black dirt, proper planting-dirt, and whatever's left you can get creative with. And I don't know proper monies here, so however much you want for that service is yours, I don't care." I tossed the small sack of gold to Kindle, who caught it without looking.

"Thirty Gold? For some basic supplies? Honey, I don't even need fifty silver for all that you just asked for, except the weapons and armor, which will be about... hmm... five sets, spears and shields and light leather, two sets of Heavy Armor, a Battle-Axe and a Halberd... that'll be about ten gold pieces, if you want the really good shit." She snorted softly.

"No, we don't need fancy stuff, that's just more reason for bandits to attack us... then what about buying this mountain? The land? Someone owns it, right?" I asked the both of them, hoping it would deplete most of the money; I really didn't need more issues than I already had.

"No one... owns the mountains? How does one Own a mountain?" Luna asked, sounding entirely and utterly confused.

"Huh... So, how do you sort out Property? Nation's territory?" I asked, now just as confused.

"Nations... you don't understand, maybe: Clans and Kingdoms rule either groups of people or cities or both... but they don't Own the Land. That's ridiculous." Kindle shook her head slowly.

"I agree, I suppose... alright, then what would it cost me to get enough vegetables and fruits to feed us until spring?" I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"Maybe fifty silver? So, total of 11 gold for fancy weapons and food stuff and a whole mess of dirt? Preferably in a cart, with shovels?" She hummed, counting the coins.

"No, average weapons, nothing more fancy than your spear; simple Steel or Bronze. And some Bows and Arrows, for hunting. Crossbows if you have them." I nodded to her spear, which leaned against the wall next to her, as a measure of quality.

"So 3 gold pieces total? Alright, I'll keep the change." She pulled out three gold pieces, and set the sack on my dresser. "Oh... and for reference? If you buy an apple in the Capital? It'd cost you about 1 copper piece, which is 1/100th of a silver, and that's 1/100th of a gold... 1 gold coin will buy you 10,000 apples." She laughed at my stricken expression, and threw up a hood I'd just noticed, becoming invisible and then teleporting away.

"Huh... were the bandits we caught particularly famous? Or is it like a Status Quo thing, like, one Rogue Bandit Band a month should pay your Collective Taxes, because you're clearly doing your part to keep the peace?" I raised an eyebrow at Luna, who looked suddenly pensive.

"You know... that might actually be the case? Huh. Well, I'll have a talk with Clark about the prices he should charge for Healing various wounds and sicknesses before I leave for the Challenge... I imagine it won't be long until people come here for Healing. That's how it is anytime a Blessed Healer appears." She stood with a sigh, and blew me a tired kiss before leaving the room.

"Hmm... now what?" I sighed, looking at the journal I'd been writing full of plans and schematics for various devices and Golems I could build. Then what she'd said clicked, and I sprinted out after her. "Whoa hey Whoa, what Challenge? Luna?" I called down the hallway, looking for her. When there was no answer, I grabbed my coat and rushed out and up the slope, to the Caboose, where Clark spent most of his time. He liked the view, which I understood entirely.

Luna looked up at me in surprise, as I threw open the door and glared at her. "What's wrong, Theo?" She asked concernedly.

"What Challenge? Are you going to war or something?" I demanded breathlessly.

"Oh... that. I was worried for a moment! Yes, it'll be a quick one; they only have three hundred total, with fifty of those as mercenaries, so it'll be a pretty solid smackdown, most likely. The Collective hasn't even called the banners, but everyone is very angry about the attack, so they're already gathering like wolves to a downed deer." She grinned savagely at the thought.

"And you don't think it's odd that a group of Warriors specifically targeted a group of Blessed Artists and then claimed responsibility for it? And is now simply demurely awaiting the battle?!?" I growled.

"No, not at all? They got into a Dispute, and dueled in front of the gates; the guards and several civilians nearby saw it all, firsthand accounts are aplenty, and all say generally the same thing: Argument, challenge, fight, dead artist, times 8. Two Healers were there as well, and lost their cools, then fought the duels as well; 8 enemies fell, and 10 allies, leaving only two enemies alive at the end, and they hobbled back to their Clan, who received the challenge from the Collective promptly. They were charged with challenging Blessed Artists and Healers to Duels, which is generally forbidden by the Collective's Code of Discourse, outside of various circumstances." She shrugged.

"I thought the Collective was Anti-War?" I shook my head, confused.

"They are? A Challenge between Clans isn't a War, it's a... I don't know how to explain. It's like a Duel, but instead of one versus one, it's your warriors versus theirs, with no need for individual challenges to fight people. It's quite chaotic, but it'll be fine. I'm a Healer, so I won't be directly in the fight, and though Kindle will be, I'm more worried that she'll traumatize the Enemy, rather than fearing for her safety." She explained casually, leaning back in her chair.

"So it's a Battle. Between 300 of them and... 300 of you?" I asked, just to be sure.

"No, it's all of us against all 300 of them... there's around Thirty White Clans in the Collective, and Twenty Red Bands, each about 4-6,000 strong apiece, with about 2,000 warriors in each Red Clan. -Generally, 1/3rd or 1/4th of a Red Band is Combative.- They are so hopelessly outmatched I almost feel bad for them." She shrugged.

"Hmm... are we a White Clan, then? If we joined your Collective, what would be the benefits versus the requirements?" I sat down, calming myself as I realized just how badly those guys were about to get their asses kicked.

She set down the bowl of soup that Clark or maybe Cassidy had handed her, and set her chin on her hand pensively. "Well... it's easier to do business in the city and join a Guild... but not impossible, it's like a Letter of Recommendation; it makes you more trustworthy, I suppose, but that's it... it would make it so people couldn't challenge you without provocation, and if they did, they'd face serious repercussions, as you can see is happening now. But you'd need to pay five gold pieces a month in taxes, so... it's up to you, really."

"Would the collective give us some guards, if we joined up? Or maybe a clan that is looking for a place to be, they could camp out here? Johann and I are the only guards here, and even we are more just very strong people with some knowledge of brawling, not actual warriors." I explained to her confused look, and she nodded.

"Yes, I suppose that could be arranged; you're only an hour or so from the capital, so there's always a Clan that wants to spread out a bit. A crafting clan would love to work with you, like my clan? That's what I wanted to ask, earlier, if you wanted a Branch of my clan to come here and work with you to make your products?" She tilted her head a bit, and some hair fell across her face, until she drew it back behind her ear.

I shook my head, looking away from the distracting sight. "I suppose I'll have to talk to someone about that, then. We have enough gold for seven months' taxes, so I'll ask the others and take a vote, see how they feel about it... any drawbacks?"

"The only one is that you have to pay the tax? You aren't very well established, and if you can't pay, they'll incur a debt, and those are a bitch and a half to pay off, because it keeps growing, adding five more every month. Very difficult to catch up, once you miss a payment." She explained honestly, not seeming to care if she dissuaded me.

"That's fine, I'll talk to the others, like I said, and depending on their answer, I might be going with you to talk to your people... how about you guys? Your opinion, before I go talk to the others?" I glanced at the others gathered around the little fire and pot of soup, and Clark hummed softly, answering first.

"Well... you aptly described it as a Workers Union, and if we're trying to be a Crafting Clan, -seeing as there's no way to get home currently, that seems the best plan we have,- I say that the Benefits outweigh any Costs. I vote yes." He nodded.

"Same. And make sure we can buy their alcohol, I want to get back to brewing soon!" Sam grinned happily.

"I-I'd like some new vegetables? I don't know how long I can eat only potatoes." Cassidy muttered.

"Some vegetables would not be amiss, yes, and I need soap for a proper bath before I lose my patience." Rhea nodded calmly, helping Nick sit up.

"Alright, I'll be back in a bit, sorry to... interrupt." I quickly stepped back and waved to Luna, then headed down the slope to talk to the others.

Helen glanced at me as I approached her work-site, which was a large circus-tent-like situation that she'd set up with the Hides and bones of the Wyverns, which kept the wind away from her work. "You need something to do, Theo? Finish your Water-Tower already?"

"Yeah, just this morning, actually, all hooked up and ready to rock, tested it out; Sam says the kitchen and refrigerators are already running much better with the water heaters turned off. You want me to work and talk? Serious decision needs everyone's vote, so you're next on the list." I stood next to her and took the piece of metal she handed to me instantly.

"Mm. Go ahead. Turn that?" She directed me to hold it still, threading copper wire through the head and creating a coil, slowly but surely.

"Luna says we can join this Collective as a Crafting Clan, instead of a Red Band; main differences being only a quarter of the tax, and we aren't expected to join in any fighting that happens. We can also have a branch of her clan come live here, because we're so close to the capital, and they'd provide security and also help us make stuff to sell, providing financial security." I explained, turning the piece as she worked to thread the wire.

"Mm... and tax is 5 gold pieces... 1 gold piece is 10,000 apples... so that's $50,000 a month, give or take?" She hummed.

"If an apple is a dollar, which I doubt, given how plentiful the soil is, here. I think it's something closer to a copper is a Dime, not a Dollar. $5,000 a month, I'm thinking." I shrugged.

"Mm, true, their economy hasn't been attacked by inflation... I'd need other reference-points other than apples... but still, even for Rent for this mountain, 5,000 wouldn't be very bad at all. Set that aside, it's finished. Last one?" She handed me another magnet disk, and started the process again.

"I agree, and the pay for the Security is included, it seems, so all in all, very cheap." I glanced up at James and Johann, working nearby and clearly listening to us, though keeping to themselves. James has translated a few words, which caught my ear. "You boys want to weigh in? Everyone's opinion matters."

"Sounds good to me? Work to raise 5,000 bucks a month, and we get to stay here, have some security, and work with other people to get acquainted with this place amongst like-minded craftsman-types? Sign me up!" James grinned casually, and Johann nodded along, apparently agreeing.

"Alright, and you, Helen? That's a clear majority, but I'd like unanimity?" I asked the stern woman carefully.

"Sounds good to me. Turn that?" She spoke sternly, getting back to work as matters were handled to her satisfaction.