Tunnel Rat-Chapter 389: No One Home

Master Clawhammer looked at his assembled crew and pointed to a large stack of books and tools. "And this is why you always clean out a furnace before smelting a new batch of metal. You never know what might be inside, leftover from the last batch. And I'd say that, based on the evidence, that is especially true if dwarves were the last to use it. Time to check out the rest of this place and see if we turn up anything else."

The ratkin nodded at the obviousness of that rule. As they swarmed around and inside the blast furnace, examining and cleaning every surface, they were surprised to find it had been used as a hiding place for tools and a stack of books. A treasure hunt now ensued, looking in every part of the foundry. In three other smelters, they found more books. Some were in dialects of Dwarvish, but most used the language common to most underground races. Instruction manuals for cleaning and repairing each smelter, operation manuals, and books on the history of metalworking in the dwarven realms. There were also large history books, one for each of the seven clans.

Along with the books were specialized tools for operating the blast furnace. Made from hard, heat-resistant ceramic, they could handle the terrible heat of the blast furnace without melting or taking damage. Their ten-foot-long handles would let someone work from a distance when moving molten metal along the channels to the molds. Several bulky suits were also found, made of some protective material. The ratkin could use them, but they were obviously made for a race with more bulk. Armed with the operations manuals, the apprentices returned to their work, knowing exactly the settings for each of the exhaust valves, how to input materials, and all the other small details of operating the dwarven blast furnace to process the ore from the vein into Deep Steel ingots and rails. Each setting was checked by another ratkin, and finally, the Master Crafter.

Senior Engineer Tallsqueak returned and joined Master Clawhammer in going through the books. He'd found what he thought was an ancient dwarven city, deserted except for thousands of tombs. The crafting Master was reminded of the story Bleusnout had told about Tallsqueak reading and memorizing It Takes a Village to Make the Cheese. Watching Tallsqueak devour the books as he flipped through the pages was disconcerting, at best.

It was the Clan Books that caught the Master Scouts' attention.

"If you didn't know dwarves, you'd think they were bragging about their accomplishments. But I think these double as claims to who owns certain processes or rights to produce them in the city."

Clawhammer agreed with him as he slowly read the first part of each book, "Seems a little odd at first. Why not share that knowledge with everyone? But these folk build big cities, not small Hollows where everyone counts on each other. And, come to think of it, we have our own types of competition and a few secrets. The duels between the students in the Tower of Strife, or the silly games the Shadowskulkers play. Do these dwarven clans even still exist?"

"Some do, up in Shadowport. Maybe all of them? I'm not sure. The Engineers might know more. For sure the Shadowforge Clan is still around. Junior Engineer Shift-Stick told me Clan Shadowforge has been searching for the lost secrets to harden Dark Steel parts since the cataclysm that destroyed the old city. This book shows the secrets of a secondary process using high heat, carbon powder, and quenching in a liquid called Clam Oil. The Deeprock Engineers can accomplish the same hardness but with a more complex method."

"Clam oil. Damn, I wonder if there's a flooded cavern nearby where they found a colony or Rock Clams? Haven't been to a good clam fry in years. They do them in Gouda Hollow every year when the big Clams migrate onto dry land to hunt and bring back food for the young ones. It's tricky ambushing them. Hard shells to break through, you have to finish them quickly so you don't get swarmed by the rest of the hunting pod. But it's worth it. So tasty when cooked up and the oil is top-notch. Keep your eye out for wet caverns, and don't turn your back on the water. Clams can be sneaky."

Milo nodded, adding the warning to a long list of rules to follow that helped him survive when exploring. Clams had not been on his list.

Clawhammer was looking at a large green book embossed with several bottles and beer steins. "So a bunch of ancient dwarven crafting secrets?"

"Sort of. Clan Rolling Rock was known for its brewing expertise and recipes. But someone must have survived who knew how to brew their family's traditional beer. It's popular with the Scavenger Clans. I've never heard of Clan Deep Delver. Their book is full of maps leading everywhere in every direction. But with how many caverns were destroyed in the cataclysm, I'm not sure if the routes are good anymore. Brutus will know more. Clan Stoneshield has recipes for making tough, ceramic shields that resist first, the special tools, and a lot more things. Even a mention of animated 'Furnace Tenders'. Clan Silvertone lay claim to the first marching band in the city, and Stormhammer was experimenting with electrically powered battle hammers."

"Heh, Arlothe will want to look at those plans. He goes crazy over any applied uses of Storm Mana. What about the last one, Clan Bronzebeard?"

Milo grinned. "They made special alchemical concoctions that made beards and mustaches grow bushier, as well as special dyes for adding highlights. Very popular with the dwarven clans. If any of these books will cause trouble, this is the one. One dwarf's choice of mustache wax is another's heresy."

Clawhammer laughed, "Always funny to see the little quirks in other cultures."

Brutus said from a few feet away where he was sharpening his daughters' picks, "Yeah, I've seen a lot of odd stuff traveling around. Humans can come to blows over the darndest things. You don't see that happening in the Hollow where we all agree that an aged cheddar is the best cheese."

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Silence ensued, except for a few gasps and hisses. Brutus grinned, "But I could be wrong. I'll have to taste every type to be sure."

Fists unclenched, and a few people began laughing in agreement with the Caravan Master's revised statement. He spun one of the shiny new picks in the air. "The edge on these now will have to do. All I did was ruin a good Dark Steel file. Not that they aren't sharp enough already to carve rock like butter." Milo had used ingots of the new alloy to hammer out two pickaxes for the girls, wanting to test the alloy. It had been a long chore, taking nearly an hour to heat each ingot before smithing and many returns to the forge for reheating. The metal became malleable when white hot but absorbed heat quickly. Surprisingly, he'd also seen a slow trickle of his mana as he hammered away on the anvil. He'd eventually finished the first and changed tactics, working to add mana to the ingot as he worked at shaping it. Shaping went faster, but he used over two thousand mana on the task. He theorized there were traces of the mana-absorbing metal he'd found before. The shining silver pickaxes delighted the girls, and he mounted them on Dark Steel handles, their strength being too much for any wood.

Over the next few hours, the first batch of ore was processed, and a thorough cleanup put the shop in order with cooling metal and racks of tools ready to begin again. It was decided that everyone would accompany Tallsqueak to look at what he had found. He explained very carefully, and several times, about the tombs in the walls and the dire consequences that might ensue if they were disturbed. No one wanted to face an angry undead dwarf by accident, or worse, insult the Deep Rock Engineers who might arrive soon. The entrance Milo had created with the eye was expanded and reinforced.

Beyond was a large cave filled with statues carved from hard rock. Pathways meandered through them, with the main road down the center. Each was an amazing work of art, capturing the likeness and spirit of the original. The bases were carved with letters telling about each dwarven hero, and reading them was a miniature history lesson. Large blocks of cut stone stood in some places, perhaps intended for statues that were never made. A hundred yards later, the main road went under a beautifully carved archway, and they entered the city proper. It was a half mile across with large buildings around the edges and smaller homes in the center. The most central area held a park with no living plants. Planters filled with carved stone trees and stone flowers filled the beds. A fountain in the center threw water into the air that drained to several still pools, inhabited by carved stone fish. A rough stone figure stood in the fountain, ten feet tall. The head was immaculately carved to look like a dwarf with a braided stone beard, while the rest of the statue was roughly humanoid but with little detail. If the statue had any thoughts as the water poured over it and down onto the unmoving fish, it kept them to itself.

This area presented puzzles to Milo: An unfinished statue and odd stacks of mundane items placed artistically around the fountain. A pyramid of stoneware dishes, a thousand spoons laid out in a geometric pattern. They had two choices: Turning left and crossing the bulk of the city would let them follow a main road to a pair of closed double doors. Going straight would let them continue in the direction of the drills cutting through the rock from the Engineering Station. Brutus pushed for straight. "Finish one job before we get in trouble."

Milo was looking at a pile of seventeen barrels of dwarven whiskey. If he was correct on the dates, they ranged from one thousand to two thousand years old. A pyramid of stone mugs was handily placed nearby. Off to the side was a smaller barrel, called a pony keg by the dwarves. It was a different style from the others and showed damage where the lettering on one side was scraped away. The unknown artist had put it to the side with an assortment of other damaged items from broken plates to bent spoons.

Milo felt a chill. "There are no living dwarves in this city." He gestured to the whiskey. "They would never leave something valuable like this out in the open."

Brutus agreed, "No, not unless they were far different from the dwarves I've met. Another reason to hook up with the Deep Rock Engineers. Dwarven legacies may need dwarves to solve them. Are any of the engineers from these clans?"

Milo couldn't remember any of the older Engineers mentioning a clan. But he did know of one. "Slipstick is from the surviving branch of the Shadow Forge clan. Maybe he'll have some clues?"

"Well, let's give them a little something to welcome them to the city." He picked up the discarded small keg and took it with him.

They trudged on through the silent city, coming to another tunnel and going in the direction they wanted. It lined up perfectly with the one they had entered from. This one was rougher, like the mining tunnels. Milo's stone sense could feel no presence of tombs. This tunnel ended abruptly in a sheer wall of hard stone. As with the vein of Deep Iron, the dwarves had tunneled along it to either side, along with a stairway leading down and a mineshaft up. All showed an unbroken wall of the ultra-hard, Tier Four Gneiss stone.

Clawhammer swung his pick experimentally, denting the tip and not leaving a mark. "We may have to wait for those fancy drill machines to get here."

Milo looked at Buttercup and Rosie. "Maybe not. I've got a few ideas that give us options. Let's give the girls some room and see how they do at breaking the rock with their new picks while you and I work on creating a machine I've been testing." Clawhammer looked on, extremely curious as he watched Tallsqueak unfold his Engineers Workbench and begin to bring out spools of copper wire and magi-tech components.