Chapter 2

As the door shut behind him, Xander let out a long breath and let his shoulders slump, taking a few quick moments to stop his head spinning, and start refocusing, just as he felt he could continue he was reminded he hadn't left the audience hall alone.

"What did you do to aggrevate uncle Bevelgear enough to saddle me with you?"

Xander span around on the spot, coming to a rather uncoordinated stop, his eyes focused on the black haired gnome.

"That's the sort of reaction I expect from those like him, but isn't it me saddled with you?"

As he said this Xander examined the young woman in front of him, she stood about five feet tall which would have made Xander question her gnomish heretige, if not for the childlike phsyique that seemed universal to them, her outfit screamed mechanic or maybe blacksmith, a leather apron with a toolbelt attached round the waist, over a close fitted hardy outfit all covered in soot and oil, including, what Xander now realized was her red hair, the colour seeming to glow through the soot as if burning through.

"That depends on how much you aggrevate me, so lets find out, what's the first job?"

"If you're going to be assisting me, introductions should by first, introductions and food."

As Xander's stomach gave an audible growl and he winced.

"Great. Let's go pester Ol' Sid."

Befoe she finished talking the gnome was already opening the door back to the rest of the city, leaving Xander to chase after her.

As they went the gnome started talking rapidly.

"Right, so name's Maisie, mum died five years ago, dad's not here, if you ask anyone important they'll tell you I'm a cursed perfectionist, what they won't tell you is that they need me, anything more complicated than a basic rune fizzling out and it's me that fixes it."

Xander thought over her rather terse introduction and prepared some questions to ask over food before giving an introduction he thought would appeal to her.

"Well Maisie, I am Xander, and oddly enough my mother also passed on five years ago and my father is thankfully not here, I am what I think you would call a Gizmologist, who due to a certain idiot found myself flung far from home, with no obvious way back, which I think is just as bizarre as someones talent going unrecognized, so I am honored to meet you bizarre as it maybe."

Xander gave a bow as he said this and stumbling slightly to keep up. As he righted himself he looked around and saw that they had already reached the market from earlier which was packed with gnomes, if it weren't for the majority of them doing whatever they could to avoid the pair, Xander didn't think they'd be able to get through.

"How did we get here so quickly, it was a half hour walk on the way to the audience chamber?"

Maisie almost burst out laughing, taking a moment to get her breathing under control she responded.

"The guards are under orders to waste the time of "problematic" guests, combine that with the maze of corridors, to reach the audience hall and Uncle's chambers beyond, the can take as long as they want, but half an hour, next you'll tell me you spent just as long in the ante-chamber as well"

Xander went to respond only for Maisie to cut him off.

"This way."

Grabbing Xander by the wrist she pulled him down a series of narrow passages to a square barely a tenth the size of the market, with open sky above and a large tree growing in the center, around the edge were various small stores and the entrances to what Xander assumed were homes, as he took in his surroundings Maisie continued to drag him towards a door with a sign written in the same language as the door to the audience hall, declaring "Welcome to the Socketed Pinion", before Xander could ask what a socketed pinion was, Maisie had pulled him right in to the building.

As he took in the large room Xander noted the large casks covering the back wall, the sturdy stone tables, and the ornate weapons and armours that were almost exact matches to the envoys from the audience chamber.

"Pick a table, I'll be right back with food and more importantly drink."

As Maisie disappeared through a gap in the casks, Xander picked a nice shadowed corner and sat down, taking a second, to admire the almost overwhelming level of craftsmanship, before once again retrieving his @Neural pad from its pouch and got to work. First Xander decided he needed to find out if any of the tech that had appeared here was still working, mentally sifting through menus he found what he needed and triggered the network ping, barely three seconds passed before he got a response.

"Fou-three devices detected in range, attempting connection..., error all devices locked until current emergency is resolved."

Xander cursed under his breath as he rapidly flicked through menus both mentally and on the tablet, fully absorbed in finding what could possibly be triggering a full lockdown, even assuming that other devices he'd attempted to transport to his new base had also ended up here, none of them should have the capability to cause such a serious issue. As Xander came to the conclusion that he needed access to the destroyed "gizmatics chambers" to get any useful information, he was brought out of his focus as a bowl and tankard were almost dropped on to the table in front of him. Looking up Xander saw Maisie sit across from him as a grumpy man with a long immaculately styled beard, a barrel like figure, and a look that seemed to say "I don't want to like you" glared briefly at Xander before disappearing off towards the gap in the casks.

"Don't mind Ol' Sid, he's just annoyed I had him water down your drink, anyway, eat up and, since you're technically a guest of uncle Bolt, and Set rules require him to cover all your expenses, eat well"

She started wolfing down her large bowl of what looked like mushroom stew, as he picked up a fork and spoon from the small pot in the middle of the table Xander tried to keep the conversation going.

"Well that's certainly relieving, what did you get me that required watering it down?"

With a look that Xander could only find pitying Maisie shook her head and gestured around her.

"Dwarven inn, anything I got you to drink would need watering down. How is that not obvious?"

Xander who having tried a small piece of the oddly metallic looking mushroom from the stew had been devouring it, stopped and while waving his mushroom adorned fork for emphasis tried to explain.

"I mentioned that I am here from far away, but I don't think you comprehend how far, gnomes and dwarves are just fiction where I'm from, honestly if it weren't for my brief look into multiversal travel, a couple years ago I'd be almost certain I died this morning, honestly I probably am dead, but that changes nothing, dead or not, I have promises to keep and people to save, so lets get down to the important issues, I need a few parts to get things started, first we need a private laboratory, sorry gizmatics chamber, second these materials," Tapping at the @Neural pad on the table with his free hand it printed out a list he had put together while waiting for Bevelgear and slid it across the table.

"and thi..."

Before Xander could continue Maisie interrupted him.

"That's a load of slag, if you're going to lie to me don't hand me a list perfect Gnomish."

She glared at Xander with enough intensity that he found himself leaning away as he tried to work out what was happening.

"That's interesting, let me try something."

Xander tapped away on the neural pad again, this time printing out a newspaper article that could hopefully prove what he said, and pushed it over to her.

"Can you read that?"

Maisie glanced at the article before blinking repeatedly and focusing on it.

"Yeah I can, though no idea how seeing as I've never seen this language"

Xander sighed not wanting to do what was necessary.

"Please read it out for me and tell me if any words don't make sense."

After giving him a confused look Maisie complied with the request.

"One assumed dead and two injured after failed... heest?"

"Heist, basically big planned theft. Continue."

"During Count Xendrix's most recent heist an explosion occurred that according to Ultimax was a result of "Xendrix's always terrible contraptions". One person was killed and two severely injured, due to heavy burns and the continued unconsciousness of the survivors their identities have yet to be verified..."

Xander sighed

"Do you believe me now"

"Not entirely, but I'll work with you, on one condition, tell me, was it your fault?"

Xander winced.

"No but I should have been able to prevent it, I'm just thankful it wasn't worse."

Maisie gave a sad smile.

"I'll accept that."

Picking the list back up she looked it over.

"Should be easy enough to get these, and the chamber should be possible, there was more?"

Xander put down his fork and spoon before continuing.

"Yes, I need my equipment, from your gizmatics chambers."

Tapping at the neural pad he printed off an image of his crest, the stylized X being located on all his creations, even the neural pad showed it when restarted.

Maisie picked up the image and winced.

"I'll see what I can manage, do you see that suit of armour?"

She pointed over at the corner of the room behind Xander, looking over his shoulder he wondered why such perfectly made armour was hidden in the darkest corner of the room. He heard a noise as Maisie continued talking.

"Dad gave it to Ol' Sid as payment, for the finest ale he'd ever drank, so drink up."

Xander chuckled as he turned back to the table and picked up his drink.

"I'll apologise to Ol' Sid for needing it watered down"

Then Xander downed his drink. As he felt himself lose awareness a single thought passed through his head, great twice in one day.