Eleuthero

Eleuthero Inventor & Technician

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Magnetite Minerals & Ores The engineers of Tempest Spire loathe this mineral. 48

A Shocking Revelation Written by FourLeaf

Thunder rumbled over the canyon as the sky darkened with clouds. Lightning flickered briefly through the air, illuminating the odd structures clinging to the rocks below. A lone Spiral flittered frantically between the structures, a messy assortment of loose materials flying in every direction as he hurried to finish his work before the storm. This would be it. The final experiment. He couldn't wait.

Like all hatchlings in his birthclan, Eleuthero had been taught in the ways of lightning: how to attract it with certain metals, how it could be used to power electronic golems as well as a wide array of technological gadgets. He'd even learned how to summon a few sparks of his own, a useful skill for the "mages" in the clan, if they could even be called that.

But he'd long suspected that there was more to Lightning than just electronic uses. And from the moment he'd come of age, he left the clan to experiment with the idea. And now he'd finally get the answer.

He twisted the last screw into place, then sat back to look at his work for a moment. Metal pedestals and tall poles dotted every available surface, connected by twisted messes of copper wiring and topped with glass domes. A superheated fragment of magnetite had been secured within the center of each structure, surrounded by varying coils of metal. It had taken years to gather the materials and set everything up; and if his plan worked, it would attract and capture the lightning. He pulled his leather coat close to his body, scales tingling with excitement. If this worked, he'd be able to use his own abilities to relocate the lightning into the smaller structures on the coat, which he could then use to amplify his own magical abilities, which he could use to collect even more lightning....

The sky rumbled softly with thunder from the incoming storm, catching his attention before slowly falling away into the familiar quiet before the storm. And then it happened. Static filled the air, then a loud CRACK! shattered the silence as a brilliant bolt of lightning reached down from the clouds, searching for the nearest conductive object it could touch. Eleuthero yelled happily as the bolt found one of his structures and electricity began pulsing through the wires.

One by one, the glass domes lit up with fragments of the lightning, held captive by the magnetite. It was working! The engineers back in his birthclan were wrong — magnetite was great for electricity!

... or, at least it was for a few minutes. Something was off, he could sense it. But he wasn't quite sure what. A faulty wire? A broken dome? It seemed almost as if the lightning could sense it too. As if it knew there was a way out, and was searching for it.

He leaned toward the nearest dome, his swirling eyes narrowing at the base of the contraption. Fulgurite was beginning to spread across the sand surrounding the small reactor, a dark filigree against the pale earth. That's not good, he realized. Fulgurite only forms when —

A soft hissing noise filled the air before he could finish the thought, followed by the sharp scent of burning metal.

"Oh, no," he said to nobody in particular. "Oh, no no no nO NO!"

The hissing had grown into a louder sizzle, and he could feel heat radiating from the reactor. This wasn't good. He jumped into the air, flapping in frantic circles around the dome in an attempt to cool it off, but it was no use. It was too late for this one, but maybe he could still save the others.

He darted back to the ground, digging for the wires. The wind had picked up now, blowing sand in his face and threatening to blind him as he worked. He scratched helplessly at the ground for a moment, then his claws scraped against an odd object — a wire, finally! He'd have to break the connection now. The Spiral dug his claws into the sand and tried to pull it, but the wire was too strong.

Think, Eleuthero, think! He glared at the wire in frustration, clenching his jaw. Wait — that's it! He threw his head forward, grabbing the wire between his teeth and biting down as hard as he could. The wire sparked.

"AAGH!" He quickly pulled his head away, flinching from the pain in his freshly-shocked jaw. Of course he forgot the first thing all young hatchlings were taught: never chew on a live wire.

This was perfect. Just perfect. The Spiral sat back, watching with wide eyes as his reactors exploded one by one, twisted metal and sparks flying through the air. There was nothing he could do. Years of work had been destroyed within a matter of seconds.

A sizzling hot fragment of magnetite flew past his head, narrowly missing the dragon. It wasn't safe out here. Eleuthero scampered across the sand, trying to gather his scattered tools and avoid being hit by debris. If he could just get everything inside....

The air around him began to feel odd, and a tingling sensation started creeping up his tail. He knew what that meant. Lightning was about to strike, and its target was the ground below his feet. He reached out, grabbing the last gear. Then he darted toward a small crevice in the canyon wall as a bright bolt reached down from the sky.

Rain fell on the dry desert, illuminated by fierce flashes of lightning as the storm raged on. A dark shape lay curled in a small cavern, cursing the storm that had destroyed his work and soaked his scales.

Why hadn't the Stormcatcher helped him? Eleuthero didn't expect the royal treatment from the deity; simply holding the storm off for a few extra seconds would have been good. Destroying everything he'd worked for was most certainly not the way to inspire him to "get back to work", as the Stormcatcher constantly reminded the world from his high perch in the Tempest Spire. He'd make sure the deity heard of this.

The Spiral let out a frustrated sigh as he dried his scales. Everything was ruined. This must be how the deities felt, he realized. Emerging from the Pillar, only to see the destruction the Arcanist had caused. They had to rebuild everything....

And then it hit him. The deities had to rebuild the world after all the Great Pink Monster had done. If he could destroy the world using lightning, then could he not rebuild it with lightning? Maybe the Stormcatcher hadn't been trying to destroy his work; maybe the deity was attempting to give him the answer he'd been looking for all along.

He didn't need to change or control the universe at all. He just had to destroy it, and rebuild it. And he could do all of that with lightning. The universe wouldn't be able to hide secrets from him any longer. He'd be as powerful as a deity!

Such endeavors would have to wait, however. He'd join a clan first, and slowly win them over. He'd convince them to rebuild his reactors, but larger and more powerful this time. And then, when the time was right, he'd power up the reactors, and rebuild the universe to be exactly as he wanted it to be.

As for the clan he joined.... well, they'd never suspect a thing.