Tinik of Nychtfell

gearborn to hero

Tinik’s hands deftly brushed back a smooth, metallic leaf, its thin edges emitting an eerie blue glow. Reaching deeper, nestled to the stalk of the plant was a tiny gear with fine teeth, similar to one you might find in a mechanical toy. One gear per plant. His hands moved to the next, this time the gear was larger, with coarse teeth. He stowed it in the tote slung at this side, careful not to damage it. As he moved to the next plant, a smile spread on his face as he saw a great bloom atop the highest node of leaves—in it sat a single shimmering ball, a Mother Seed. Taking a soft cloth from his bag, he gently wrapped it around the ball safely setting it in a small metal box and placing it in his tote with the harvested gears. Standing, he looked across the field, the subtle blue glow from the plants hung above the fields like an autumn fog. His fellow Gearborn were all hard at work harvesting, the clink of gears dropping into totes filling the crisp autumn air. 

The village of Nychtfell sat in a remote valley, shrouded in perpetual darkness. The mountains towered above it, ensuring that neither sun nor moon ever appeared. But the plants of the valley thrived in the lack of light, as did the Gearborn who called Nychtfell home. It was a symbiotic relationship—the Gearborn tended to the crop and the crop ensured their survival by providing gears to power them and the curious contraptions they built. Without these gears, the little mechanical people couldn’t repair themselves and their gears would wear down and them along with it.

Not only did the mountains block the light, but they also ensured visitors never found this place as the mountain pass to the valley was unmarked and treacherous. This reality fit the Gearborn well, in fact, they'd sought its seclusion out years ago in the Exodus when they'd fled their enslavement by the Grand Magus and come here. They preferred solitude and had been misunderstood outside the valley. Here they could live free, grow their crop in the valley’s fertile soils, and spend their spare time building their curiosities, experimenting with the magic of the gears—it was the way of the Gearborn. 

In the distance, the trees of the forest gently swayed in the breeze, the points of their needle-like leaves emitting a delicate green spark, highlighting the canopy but leaving the forest floor below shrouded in mystery. Glancing toward Lysa, Tinik waved her over, excited to tell her about the seed. She rose from the field, walking over to join him, the gears she’d harvested clinking in her tote. Just over her shoulder, a small Mechaflygon spread its paper-thin wings, flitting into the air and diving off toward the forest. Tinik was about to speak but paused as something in the forest drew his attention. He swore he'd seen something move, but as he pushed his goggles up and dialed in the focus of his tin-eye, whatever he thought he’d seen was gone. A moment later, several Rustbeaks flew out of the trees across the fields, squawking in their shrill manner.

“What is it?” Lysa asked, turning to where Tinik was looking. 

"It's nothing," Tinik said still looking at the forest not wanting to concern Lysa, especially given the recent talk in the village about concerning happenings. Still, something had unsettled those Rustbeaks. Turning back to Lysa, he took the seed from his tote showing it to her as it was rare to harvest a Mother Seed. "I need to get it back to the village and into the—" He paused as something again caught his attention in the woods beyond the fields.

Lysa again turned looking to the woods. "What is that?" she said taking a step forward for a better look.

"You see it too?" Tinik asked, now growing nervous.

"I see... something, but—" she cut her words off. "Let's just go check it out," she said, clearly the braver of the two as she was a member of the Nychtfell village watch, a group of self-appointed safety guards.

"I don't know," Tinik said not budging.

"Come on," she said smiling, taking his hand, and pulling him forward.

Reluctantly, he fell in step and before he knew it they were at the forest's edge and she pulled him into the veiled darkness below the shimmering green canopy, dancing in the wind before letting go of his hand.

"It was somewhere in here," she said motioning ahead and plunging forward through the glittering underbrush—the metallic leaves of the plants scrapping against her outerskyn.

"Wait for me," Tinik said, not wanting to be alone in the woods. He followed the path she'd made, coming through but there was no sight of her. "Lysa," he called out in a sort of hushed whisper not wanting to disturb anything that might be lurking in the woods.

"Down here," Lysa said from a short ridge that fell off into a small ravine. She sat at the bottom brushing herself off, clearly having tumbled down the hillside. 

"You ok?" Tinik asked.

"Yeah, but you've got to see this." She motioned somewhere deeper into the ravine as she stood checking herself for any broken parts.

Sliding down the hillside, Tinik joined her. Up ahead in the ravine sat a rock outcropping or at least it looked like a rock outcropping, but the surface of it was shimmering, waving like the surface of the lake in a light breeze. Small ripples spread out, settling and then the shimmer was gone—only rock remained. 

"We should go back to the village—tell them about this," he suggested knowing full well that Lysa would reject it, which she immediately did. Before he knew it they were in front of the rock, and then through the rock. The shimmering surface was a portal to a room filled with books and scrolls, rows of gaslamps ensconced along the walls shared a welcoming glow. 

A single desk sat in the middle of the chamber and atop it sat a strange glowing contraption like they'd never seen before. It seemed to be made of a flat glass embedded in the front of a box and on laying flat on the desk was a thin metal sheet etched with letters and numbers. Tinik approached the bookshelves, marveling at the sheer volumes of books, taking a rather large volume from the shelf, and leafing through its pages. Lysa moved toward the desk, intently focused on the strange box.

"Beep!"

"What was that?" Tinik said turning around and seeing Lysa standing sheepishly by the glowing box on the desk, her hands behind her back.

"Did you touch it?" Tinik asked, his eyes wide as he stepped toward the desk still holding the book.

"Maybe?"

"Maybe, or you did?"

"Ok, yes—"

"Beep!"

Tinik looked at the glowing box and words started to materialize out of nowhere on the glass surface, letter by letter.

Thank you for confirming your location.

Processing...

The words on the glass surface shifted and changed before their eyes until an image materialized on the glass showing Nychtfells location on a map of Aetherion, the realm beyond the mountains where they'd lived before. They both stood mesmerized by the map, searching for its meaning.

The map disappeared and slowly, more letters burned into the screen until the meaning was clear.

Thank you. The Grand Magus is coming.

"What does it mean, The Grand Magus is coming?" Tinik shrieked, knowing the history of the Gearborn, recalling the Exodus. A sudden rumble shook the room. The shelves of books began to sway, and the gaslamps flickered erratically.

"What was that," Lysa whispered, her voice now timid and resigned.

"I don't know," Tinik said, "but we need to warn everyone." 

It was Tinik who now took Lysa's hand pulling her from her haze and out of the hidden chamber, crashing through the underbrush. The rumbling thundered again in the distance, the entire horizon ablaze in a copper hue. Coming out of the forest, Lysa crumbled to her knees in tears. 

The fields of crops stood ablaze in an unnatural orange fire, the plants melting in a spectral magefire. Looking past it to the village, a gleaming portal ringed with white fire stood open in the town center, the Grand Magus lording in front of it flanked by the Nine from the Order of Hyuian. Memories flushed back into Tinik's mind as he watched his fellow Gearborn struggle for survival, the anger of the Grand Magus clearly having grown into madness over the years since the Exodus.

"Perhaps he will listen to me," Tinik said lifting Lysa to her feet, wiping the tears from her face. "I have to try."

"Why would he listen to you? You're the one who betrayed him last time—before the Exodus. If there's anyone he's out to destroy, it's you," she said.

"Exactly," Tinik said with a smug grin. "That's what I'm counting on. And while I'm doing that, you collect as many Gearborn as you can and head to our house. Get everyone inside and pull the lever hidden under the loose floorboard next to the stove. I'll join you as soon as I can," he spoke the words even though he knew them to be a lie. The fact that his life with her would end on a lie was devastating, but he also knew that with time she'd forgive him.

But she was not so dense to be fooled by him, not after all these years together. "No, I'll not let you do this alone. I'm going with you," she shot back.

"We do not have time for this, Lysa. Take my tote and go. Now!" He leaned in kissing her, pushing her toward home. For a moment he stood watching her walk away gathering the scattered Gearborn along the way. Then he turned back toward the village, back toward the Grand Magus. Tinik set his shoulders and walked to the village square, positioning himself between the Grand Magus and the Vault where the Mother Seeds were stored. "Leave us be," Tinik said in as strong of a voice as his little body could muster. 

The Grand Magus spun around, his eyes blazing. "Tinik, how wonderful to see you. I only wish the circumstances were different."

"You've already destroyed the crops, you have weakened us. You don't have to sign our death sentence as well," Tinik yelled, tensing up, preparing for what was to come.

"No. You did that years ago. I told you before, and I'm here to tell you again—you cannot keep my magic," the Grand Magus sneered. A flash of light shot out of the Grand Magus' hand slamming into Tinik sending him smashing into the building behind him before tumbling to the ground. 

"Get the seeds," the Grand Magus yelled to the Nine who immediately dispersed heading into the Vault.

Tinik struggled to a knee, trying to summon the power to stop them, but he was too weak. Looking at the distant horizon he saw dim lights of the mighty Zepplin he'd spent the past years since the Exodus meticulously constructing. He knew the Grand Magus would eventually find them, so like before Tinik ensured that his people would not only escape but would survive and thrive—out of the reach of the Grand Magus. Rising to his feet in defiance, his gears dripping oil, Tinik laughed. "You're too late old man."

---

Lysa looked out the window of the Zepplin. What remained of Nycthfell sat smoldering in the distance. Once she'd pulled the lever, she knew that Tinik was not coming to join them. The great balloons inflated quickly, lifting their house into the sky. The gearing he'd built into it set them on a course over the mountains. Looking into the tote he'd given her, she quickly recalled that it contained the salvation of the Gearborn—a Mother Seed that Tinik had harvested earlier that evening. That at least gave the Gearborn a chance at survival. 

Dropping the tote to the ground, it made a loud thump. Curiously, she looked deeper inside to see the book he'd taken from the mysterious cave with the strange glass cube. A page was dog-eared and she flipped to it studying the words. It seemed that the Grand Magus was not the only magical purveyor in Aetherion. It told of another faction of magus in the realm. A faction that was benevolent and welcomed the outcasts and battered of the Grand Magus. Lysa walked to the panel that controlled the gears of the great airship, holding the book open she made a few adjustments to their course and direction. If this other faction existed, then Tinik had saved the Gearborn, again, and perhaps forever freed them of the Grand Magus' relentless pursuit. 

She smiled, lifting his tote from the ground and resting it on her lap. She already missed him and wished he were by her side, but that was not meant to be.

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