The sound of more fireworks flying in the air, busting into different colors, had become so mundane that Adrex didn't even bother to look up at it. 'Work hard, and party hard'' had become the motto of the city, and it was quite fitting.
12 hour work days was the norm here, compared to... well... everywhere else, as far as Adrex had heard. Hupperdook was the factory of the Dwendalian Empire, and for the long hours system to work, the council of the city had pushed for making it the norm to also celebrate the long days - booze was cheap, the legal drinking age was when you started working 12 hour shifts a day, and it was in no way frowned upon to still be partying at 3 in the morning. After all - the barkeepers had 12 hour too, just shifted compared to most in the city.
Another rocket went up not too far from Adrex - it took a bit longer to go off, and burst into a large, silver ring of glistening sparkles, followed by a cheer from the launchpad from where it had been shot up. Adrex looked in their direction. He had tried to send some rockets up - it wasn't expensive in Hupperdook, and they had quite an export of it to the rest of the empire. The twins made and sold fireworks, and although it was a competitive business here, they mainly focused on shipping to elsewhere - their prices were higher, along with the quality, so they didn't have to make as much of it.
They had explained that they really had to focus on two things, which they separated between them; They made fireworks that didn't blow up in your face, and they made instruction manuals that was as clear as day. Apparently they had received a lot of complains about people getting injured who where not used to handling fireworks - mostly from stupid people, they had added. Some had stood no longer than a few feet from an exploding rocket, while other had even held it in their hand, as the fuse ran its cause and the rocket started to fly away.
"It's dangerous, but we try to make it safe" one of the twins - Victoria - had said. She wrote manuals far longer than any normal person would ever need, but she and her sister - Smearchuckle - really couldn't afford more lawsuits from people who thought they knew how to use them. Adrex had to roll his eyes just thinking about it.
As he continued walking from the shop towards his home, another rocket went up with much more power than usual. Adrex turned his head as he kept walking, just to see if-
BOOOM
It went off far earlier than anticipated, and sent a shower of red, blue, and green sparkles flying around the nearby houses, some just a few feet from Adrex, to which he instinctively dropped to the ground, knees curled up to his chin, and arms protecting the rest of his head.
Common for all rocket was that they flew as long as they had powder before they went off. You could normally hear when the powder ran out, before the rest of the rocket exploded into colors in various patterns. This rocket had not used all of its powder before it blew up, and from the intense sound it gave off to start with, it had a lot to carry up, if it was not evident from the explosion he had just witnessed.
Adrex hadn't been hit, but it was damn close. As he looked up and around, he could see scorch marks on the ground near him from small burning balls the rocket had carried.
"Sweet Bahamut - thank you" Adrex mumbled under his breath as he got up, and dusted the dirt from his clothes. Doors swung up with curious, although careful, people who came to see what the huge explosion was about. It had been both loud and nearby, and if there was anything entertaining, there would be a crowd to watch. But besides the scorch marks, all the action was gone as far as Adrex could see.
A voice from one of the patrons in the nearby inn reached Adrex' ear: "Was that your doing, dragon?"
As Adrex looked in the direction, a salt-and-pepper bearded dwarf stood on the doorway with a mug spilling beer on his own shoe, a facial expression of both disgust and hatred, and a few of his buddies behind him.
Adrex ignored the question from the dwarf, continuing towards his home.
The voice went on, now louder than before: "Don't think for a sec'n, that we don't all know it was you, you overgrown iguana! But keep walking, would you! We don't want you here!"
Another of the tavern-goers chipped in: "Yeah, you tell him, Blemmy!"
I hereby relieve you of your right to existence, you racist mountain fae, Adrex thought to himself, as the shouting became less and less audible. Now in a foul mood, Adrex starting walking faster.
Why can't they just keep their face shut? he thought as he kicked the nearby pebble. Why does he even think it's OK to say that out loud? There should be a freaking law against that shit! A tour in Gearhold Prison would really serve idiots like him well - just for a few days.
Adrex kicked the pebble a bit further.
He should be target practice for rockets! Instead of up in the air, he should be strapped to an archery target, and you just fire towards h-
Adrex stopped his line of thought, before the next took over:
Shoot with a rocket? Have it fire away in the direction you point, and hit a target...
He had a feeling he was onto something here. This might be what he and Yurgunn needed for their mobile trap.
He started a fast walk home, his mind racing of what to do, what would and wouldn't work, and after thinking a bit about it, he realized he didn't know enough about rockets to actually say what would work.
We don't need a huge explosion, just a small one, but instead of fireballs it could explode with shrapnels. And perhaps we can put some feathers on it - just like an arrow - so it will fly more straight. We really need precision here.
And a short fuse for instant rocket start - yeah, that might do it. But what about the jet stream behind the rocket, which pushed it upwards? You would get burned...
It was not perfect. He had to consider how to handle this safely. Perhaps he could swing by Victoria and Smearchucle tomorrow and have a chat about it. They might be able to show him the inside of their profession.
As he went down the stairs of the Upper Tier and further away from the center of the city, the houses started to thin out, and he took a turn off the road towards an old mill. It wasn't in use anymore as a mill, but instead served as a house for a dragonborn family, who had come twenty years ago as refugees with a minimal amount of personal belongings, asking for a place to stay. Adrex was born here, and had never known his family's previous house or city, and talking about Draconia always made the mood drop a bit.
The extension to the side of the mill housed his dad's workshop, and the top of the mill was his uncle's 'sanctum', as uncle Donaar liked to call it - it wasn't that they weren't allowed up there, they were just instructed not to touch anything that was glowing - except for normal candle lights. Adrex' room was in the basement, next to his brother's room.
As he reached the door of the old building, he called out: "Mom - dad - I'm home!"
He found his key, put it in the key hole, and pushed a hidden panel at the top of the framework he and his dad had installed, to which the door clicked open, letting him in. He inhaled the welcoming smell - a mix of stew his mom was cooking, and small bits of fine sawdust which couldn't be kept out from the extension to the house.
The inside of the building was all covered in fine wooden facades his dad had made over the years, which made everything seem really nice and expensive. The kitchen and dinning room on the ground floor took up most of the space, and the spinal stair case led up to their common room, and the sleeping quarters for his parents, and for his uncle.
In the kitchen stood his mom, humming near the stove, slicing something to mix into a stewpot. Dressed in her midday-blue dress and a white apron, she turned her head slightly as she continued slicing what was in front of her, her tail tip waved a bit from side to side.
"Welcome home, dear." she replied with the soft, warm tone, as she gently eyed him. "How was your day?"
As she continued to prepare the food, Adrex brushed his feet in the door mat, and started prioritizing the day's events.
"Well..." Adrex started, dragging it a bit as the greatest impacts oddly seemed to be the most negative.
If there ever came a time when he could hide his feelings from his mother, it would be far in the future, cause she stopped her cyclic motion on the cutting board, turned her attention towards him, her head bowed a bit forward to meet his level, and with eyes that could tell what had transpired.
"Another one?" she simply asked.
Adrex bumped his head from side to side.
"Well, Yurgunn explained our new customer's actions, so it would actually be two in one day" he sighed, as he pulled a stool out and took a seat at the table, placing both of his elbows on the table, resting his face on his knuckles.
"Was he drunk?" his mother tried, which were the most common cause this conversation normally took place.
"No" Adrex replied a bit sad. Not that it would have made it that much better if he were. "The second one was though. The first one had just never seen a dragonborn before, and..."
They had had this talk over and over, and it was the same story each and every time.
His mother placed a caring hand on his right shoulder, as she moved up behind him, laying her chin to the side of his head, giving him a supporting hug.
"The eyes, the hesitance reactions, and staggering speech?" she tried categorize it to.
"Absolutely the eyes and the reaction, but..." Adrex sighed once again. "I was in the back making - oh yeah" he interrupted himself, with a more possitive note. "I finished the gear-system I've been working on for the past few weeks, and it runs like a charm!" Excitement had taken over the grim mood - he hadn't even had time to talk to Yurgunn about it.
"It's silent, takes up way less space that anything we've previously made, and everything just fits. It's..." he looked up towards the always caring mother of his, and inhaled to finish: "It's the best thing I've ever made, and worthy of my legacy."
"Legacy?" his mother said in an amused and questioning tone, as she stood up, and went back towards the stove. "Sweet, sweet child of mine - you are almost 20 years old, and creates something new each moon cycle. If this is to be your legacy, what will you spend the rest of your time doing?" She picked up the spoon, and stirred in the stewpot.
"Well, one of my achievements then" Adrex corrected himself. "But we got this new client today, and he didn't want something we normally create. He wants a mobile trap."
Adrex waited for his mother to ask for details, just as his father walked into the room.
"A mobile trap, hm? He wants to carry a plate around with him, which has a crossbow pointing towards itself?" He greeted his son with a double tap on the shoulder, as he continued towards his wife, kissing her at her cheek, while Adrex' eye rolled a round for the dump dad-joke. His dad put his head towards the stewpot, and took a deep breath through his nose.
"Smell like a lovely wife, and a lovely dinner" he said, as he placed both of his hands at her hips, moving them from side to side in a small dance. "What are we having tonight?"
Adrex rolled his eyes another round. Yes, that is somehow cute, but please, dad - every night? But apparently his mother loved it.
"It's juniper stew, and I've added some rosary peas for flavor - just like old times" she said with a small chuckle.
His dad made a noise, that sounded almost like a purr from a cat.
"Ahh - spicy. I love it!"
"How was your day, dad?" Adrex asked.
Nadraa turned around, and pulled a stool out. "Not too bad, I should say. Warden Poppin Drokrusher came by for his desk, saw it, and ordered both a new chair, and a new cane."
His low voice changed to a higher registry. "The handle must be exact", he said, imitating the grumpy, old gnome taking care of Gearhold Prison.
Adrex couldn't help but chuckle a bit. That gnome had had the most ridicules requirements for the table - all sorts of finesses and details had to be engraved into it. And although Nadraa had written each of them down, handed the notes to the gnome to review, the gnome had still repeated each of the lines, ending each of them with "and do so properly". They all knew why he had emphasized it, but they had also learned to turn the rough to the smooth. Besides, there were no customers if you always yelled at them, and most of them actually came back because they had good a experience doing business.
"Did he go over everything again this time?" Adrex asked a bit tired, though hoping for a laugh.
His dad gave a slight chuckle. "For the chair, he just looked over the list, back at me, back to the list, and nodded while mumbling it." His dad loved to tell these kind of stories.
"For the cane however, he kept saying 'but it must fit my hand', and of cause it should. So I took out some clay, made him squeeze it - haha."
Clay? Adrex thought to himself.
"He wasn't exactly pleased, but when I told him I now had a mold for his exact hand, he started looking frantically at the notes for the chair, to which I had to reassure him he didn't have to sit in clay."
Adrex laughed just imagining the look on the gnome's face.
"So, will you just carve from a huge block and then get the handle right afterwards?" Adrex asked.
Nadraa shuck with his shoulders. "I don't think I can water bend it. The handle won't be able to... handle... it" he said, winking his right eye.
Adrex shut his eyes. "Dad - please, I-I'm..." He had a bit of trouble saying it. It was actually a little funny. "... I'm trying to help you here."
Nadraa placed an elbow on the table, resting his head in his hand. "Go on then. Lets see if I can get a... grip... on it." he said, putting a smirk on his face.
There are no end to these silly jokes, Adrex thought to himself, as he pulled up the notebook he always carried in his satchel along with a pen. As he placed it on the table, he started explaining with a few drawings on an empty page;
"Let's say you have the handle here" Adrex said, drawing a rectangle in the book. "If you drill a hole from the bottom of the handle and up, you should be able to attach a stick to it."
Adrex turned the book around, and pushed it towards his father.
"This way you'll save a lot of wood" he added.
As his dad looked at it, he said "yes, but then the stick would fall out, right?" not exactly impressed.
"Right..." Adrex said, pulling the book back, tapping the back of his pen a few times at the page. "Then you could place the stick in the hole, drill another hole through the side of the handle and the stick, and place a pin in it" he said, drawing a small circle in the middle of the stick.
His dad started nodding a bit.
"That... could save me a lot of wood. And the stick could be replaced, should it break, right?" realizing what this could lead to.
"Yeah, or if the warden wants another type of wood, he can still keep the handle. Or if he wants to be fancy, he can replace the handle, and keep the sticks!"
Nadraa sat there for a short moment of time with a smile on his face. "Where do you get all these ideas from, son?"
"If he gets them from food, we might have a few more this evening" his mother injected, as she placed the steaming pot on the middle of the table.
"Could you get the plates, dear?" she said to Adrex.
A simple nod, and he stood up to get the four plates, cups, and cutlery. Muscle memory however always counted five of everything, but since his brother, Ildrex, left the house, it was only his parents and uncle who were to be served.
As he turned around to set the table, a small bump could be heard upstairs from his uncle's room, along with some creaking floors having a lot of weight pushed down on them.
His mother glanced up, as she walked to her seat. "Donaar has an excellent sense of timing, I must say" she said with a smile on her face.
New creaking from above told them, that Donaar had arrived - or at least someone had - but what sealed the deal was the sudden outcry he made.
"IDIOTS - ALL OF THEM!"
All though slightly muffled, the voice most certainly belonged to his uncle Donaar, and the outcries was like the 'I am home'-call Adrex gave when he entered the mill. Sometimes Donaar would spice the line up with new phrases, that would empty Adrex' mouth for any food or drink in a spray in front of him.
As the footsteps continued down the stairs, Adrex started putting the plates on the table. But it always felt... wrong, somehow. There were four plates, and not five, which left the pentagon shaped table Nadraa had crafted for the family with an empty slot.
Adrex paused as he put down the last plate, and stood still for a moment. The house hadn't been the same since Ildrex left two years ago. There was something missing, and it was not being replaced, changed, or even addressed.
As Donaar entered the kitchen, he - too - stood still, but for a very different reason, as he closed his eyes, inhaled, and spoke: "Is this the house of reason and common sense? For I have yearned for such a place all day."
As he opened his eyes and continued towards the table where the others had just taking their seats, he padded Adrex on the shoulders as a greeting, before his snout turned its attention towards the pot in the middle of the table, and sat down with a loud sigh.
Sora had started to pour stew into each plate, as she said: "It sounds like you have had a long day too, dear."
Adrex couldn't tell if it had been physically draining on his uncle's body, or it was more of an act, but Donaar looked like most of his energy and will had been sucked out of him.
"It's like a kindergarten" he started, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "The day starts with good conversations, but at the end of the day they sit on their own small thrones, and wants to dictate what should happen - and none of them wants the same."
This was clearly the nice way of putting it, Adrex thought to himself, only based on complaints his uncle had uttered other days, before he continued:
"And when they can't get their will, they just repeat themselves with a raised voice, as if that would raise their arguments as well", he said before he turned the gaze to his sister-in-law, and the plate she was handing him with steaming stew.
A smile curled up on his face. "Yes - a very long day, indeed" he finished, as he accepted the plate with both hands.
There was a moment of almost silent, as they each enjoyed a spoon of Sora's famous (at least in this household) stew, as the tickling at the throat required a full lung's breath, before one got used to the spicy food.
As the stew found its way, Donaar broke the silence: "This is indeed reason to come home".
Adrex had a hard time focusing on the food though. His eyes were fixated on the side where his brother used to sit, but now just left an empty space between his mother and uncle. It had been a nasty breakup to say the least. The one broken panel in the wall had been replaced, after Ildrex had let his anger strike that, instead of their father, as Nadraa had tried to calm him. There had been a lot of shouting back and forth, but Ildrex had left in the end, taking only what a backpack could carry, and set out to wherever the road would take him.
Adrex' train of thought were disrupted as his father poked his spoon on Adrex' hand. "You look like you wandered off, son. What's the matter?"
Adrex gave a look towards his father, as he started to nod slowly. "Yeah, that... that's a good reason to come home" he said without putting any enthusiasm into the line.
It didn't miss anyone what Adrex was thinking. Everyone glanced in the direction of Ildrex' seat for a quiet moment, before Nadraa broke the silence.
"If food could cut it-" he started, before Sora dropped her spoon onto the plate, stood up, turned around, and fled the room.
Nadraa gave a sigh, as he tapped the spoon twice at the plate, closed his eyes briefly, and followed after his wife to comfort her. Adrex sat there, looking after his parents in silence, not quite comprehending how they have gotten to the taboo of the family. It wasn't until his uncle started slurping some of the food, that Adrex realized he wasn't along in the room.
Donaar broke the silence: "I am sorry for placing the words in your mouth, Adrex" he started. "Those were a poor choise of words on my behalf."
Adrex didn't have a lot of words in him right now. He had a lot of unanswered questions, but he could only utter one heartbroken word:
"Why?"
His uncle gave a heavy sigh, as he placed the spoon next to the plate, and folded his finger with the elbows on the table.
"Do you remember when you and Ildrex were young - when you played together outside?"
Adrex sure did. "Yeah, we used to fight with sticks as swords, and play hide and seek."
Donaar nodded his head, as he continued: "Yes, you spent quite a lot of time doing that. You were better at the latter, if I recall correctly. You could always find a place to squeeze into, and you stopped that game at some point?"
"Well, yeah..." Adrex had to contemplate why that was exactly. He had been good at finding hiding spots... or at least better than his one head taller brother had.
"Guess he wasn't as good at it - I don't know?" Was he supposed to feel guilty about it?
"Mhm" his uncle nodded. "And you fought with ehh... your swords, right. How long did that last?"
It wasn't judgmental, but his uncle was clearly putting out some breadcrumbs for Adrex to follow.
"Ehm, not that long. He was way better at it than I were, so..."
His uncle cut in: "Yes, but you found a solution to come around that, right?"
"Yeah, well I started using artillery to counter him. The slingshot, the bow I made, and the crossbow that followed that one?" Adrex said, slightly confused to where this was going.
"Yes, it became a bit violent at that point, and thank Bahamut you didn't keep fighting each other, but made a dummy to practice on. But it was at that time you met your current employer, right?"
Adrex simply nodded. It was one of his fondest memories. Yurgunn had been out, when Adrex and Ildrex had come running with the home-build crossbow... loaded. She had stopped the two dragonborns who were both two feet taller than her, and said such things were not toys, and asked where they had the weapon from. As Adrex had explained he made it himself, she had asked if she could watch it in action, and the boys were happy to show.
At this point, Ildrex were better at shooting with it, but Adrex kept writing improvements down in a notebook every time Ildrex shot with it. This led Yurgunn to come with further suggestions, slowly reeling him into the real world of engineering. Since Adrex had so many questions for Yurgunn about all kinds of contraptions he wanted to make, she one day offered him a job with her, so he could build some of these things, and they could sell them.
Bought and sold, Adrex were. When he had first told his parents about this, there had been a lot of debate in the house between the elders of whether to allow it or not. It hadn't been for long, but since Adrex wasn't more than 13 at the time, his parents and uncle had some concerns about everything.
"But since I've met Yurgunn, I didn't have much time for all of that" Adrex responded.
"No, you haven't" his uncle said shaking his head ever so slightly. "And I can't think you would have been happier, if you hadn't."
He took a breath before he continued.
"However, Ildrex didn't get the same opportunity as you did, Adrex. And he had lost his playmate to a dwarf he couldn't play with. So, he tried to do what you two had been doing before - he trained with his sword, and with your bow, and your crossbow. And he became quite good at it, I must admit".
Adrex still wasn't quite sure how this resulted in what it did.
"That doesn't sound like a bad thing?"
His uncle had a serious look in his eyes, although he was looking at the plates Nadraa and Sora had left.
"It's not, if you know when to use it" he then said.
Adrex felt a shiver go through his spine, and his guts started twirling. Had Ildrex... no, he wouldn't!
Donaar saw the expression on Adrex, and hastily continued: "Don't misunderstand me, Adrex. Ildrex didn't do anything to anyone."
He slowed the pace again, before he continued: "But at the time he was 16 years, more than twice the size of almost everyone he was near, and some of the narrow-minded individuals thought it was a good idea to 'poke the bear', as they say."
"They still do" injected Adrex with a hard tone. "As soon as they get drunk, they think they can say whatever they like!"
The gaze of Donaar was stern, as he looked his nephew in the eyes. "They don't need to be intoxicated by alcohol to say that. They can be intoxicate on power as well. Trust me - I know."
He rubbed his nose before he continued in a softer tone: "And your parents and I have tried to teach you, that not everyone are nice people. We tend to remember the bad people more than the good ones. Integrating into society is the best way to overcome this, cause people fear what they don't understand."
Adrex didn't know what to say. That his uncle dealt with this everyday was not something he had expected.
"The difference between you and your brother though, was that you had one of the respected locals taking your part, while Ildrex didn't have anyone. And it left him... " Donaar was picking his word carefully. "... exposed" he finished.
Adrex looked down at his stew before he asked: "Because he was alone?"
Donaar didn't respond immediately, but his answer was as Adrex had expected: "Yes, because he was alone. It's easier to pick on one, than it is to pick on two, I guess."
Adrex started spinning his spoon in his food, before he followed up: "So because I left him..." but was interrupted.
"No, please don't think that, Adrex" his uncle said with an almost sad tone. "It's... What you have now, is what we all dreamed for you to have. You are part of the city, and part of its business. You have friends among the locals, and you are not a stranger to them. They know what you can do for them."
He held a small pause before he continued: "But the locals didn't know your brother, and he was frustrated he couldn't get a chance like yours."
Donaar exhaled, as he finished: "Well, that frustration turned to arguments with your parents about whether this town was any good for him, and..." he nodded to the replaced panel at the wall. "You know how that went. But please don't blame yourself."
Adrex wasn't home to hear those arguments, but he started to understand why his brother had left it all behind him. As he looked up to his uncle, he had only one concern.
"Where is he now?"
Donaar turned his eyes from Adrex towards the entrance to the kitchen where his parents just had come back. He let his tongue run over his teeth before he answered: "Well, lets find out after we have finished dinner, shall we?"
They sat in silence as they finished their meal. It somehow helped on the spirit, and as they finished and cleaned the table, Donaar stood up, and walked to the wall in the entrance which had a mirror hanging on it. He picked it off the wall, and went back to kitchen table, where he laid it down.
"Let's see, if I can get a read on him" he said as he started to mumble some incantations, while the others finished cleaning the dishes.
They all gathered around the table, as the mirror slowly started to waver, and an image of their mill showed itself on its surface. The image turned towards south-east, and started shooting with great speed, rushing faster than anything could move, over mountains, past forests, lakes, and hills, before it slowly descended over a rocky path with a two travelers walking side by side. As the focus came down to head height, it started to spin around the two in a slow pace, showing Ildrex walking next to a half-orc. Both were carrying backpacks, with small pouches hanging from their belts. Ildrex had an odd-looking sword hanging at his side, and shoulder pads made of leather, while the half-orc wore a robe and were only identified by the two tusks in her mouth - the rest of the face covered under a hood. They were both laughing, and Ildrex looked happy in the moment. Suddenly the half-orc stopped, look around until it seemed like she was looking directly at the family, as she made some gestures with her fingers towards them.
Donaar started to breath heavily, and had to let go of the scrying spell, before he collapsed into his chair, as the image turned back into and ordinary mirror.
"Well-" he started gasped from his chair. "It looks like he has found a travel companion."
That was a reassurance to everyone. Adrex got up from his chair.
"I'll be downstairs if you need me" he said.
His guts were turning - both of relief, but also of worry for his brother. He had so many questions for him - where he had been, if he were ever to come back, what he had seen, and who he had met. He missed Ildrex - badly.
As he walked down the stairs to his room, he couldn't stop pondering what would happen if he, too, were out there. It only took a few seconds to realize, that it was properly a bad idea. He had absolutely no idea of how he would survive in the wild.
As he entered his room, his old designs greeted him from the walls with their features and flaws. He pulled out his chair, and started writing questions he needed to ask Victoria and Smearchuckle the following day, as he also noted the ideas he had had for the mobile trap.