Ale's journey: The rise of an adventurer

After leaving the tavern, Ale ventured into the twisting alleys of the slums. Though the winter sun was still visible in the sky, its rays barely managed to pierce the ever-present darkness of the streets. The buildings loomed like suffocating walls, leaning against each other, choking out any natural light. Despite the presence of daylight, the alleys remained steeped in an almost sinister gloom. The dilapidated wooden houses, their facades cracked from the cold, seemed to reflect the harshness of the season and the struggles of life in the slums.

The ground was a mixture of melted snow, mud, and dirt, forming a thick, slippery sludge. Every step Ale took sank slightly into this grayish paste, leaving behind faint footprints that quickly disappeared beneath the tracks of other passersby. Dirty, brownish puddles dotted the path, reflecting a warped, grimy version of the winter sky.

The few people walking by hurried along, clutching their worn-out coats tightly against the biting cold, their hurried steps sending mud flying in all directions. Ale treaded carefully, his boots sinking into the filthy snow, his senses on high alert.

Suddenly, a series of explosions shattered the relative calm of the winter afternoon. Ale froze, his adventurer's reflexes kicking in as his body instinctively adopted a defensive stance. Not far away, thick black smoke rose into the sky, further dimming the fading daylight. Driven by a mix of curiosity and survival instinct, he rushed towards the source of the explosion, his heart racing, ready to confront whatever awaited him in this dark, frozen corner of the slums.

When he arrived at the scene, Ale stood before a large, sinister-looking mansion. A dilapidated villa, hidden behind a high stone wall, worn down by time and the elements. The thick, solid wall, with stones once carefully carved, was now covered in moss and deep cracks, a testament to years of neglect. To reinforce this natural barrier, old rotting pieces of wood had been haphazardly nailed over the weaker sections of the wall. These wooden planks, some half torn off, lay in such a dilapidated state that they seemed ready to collapse with the slightest gust of wind.

The atmosphere around the villa was strange, almost oppressive. A heavy smell of steam mixed with that of burnt metal lingered in the air, saturating the surroundings.

The massive wooden door, as worn as the wall around it, stood slightly ajar. The rusted hinges groaned under the door's weight, as if they hadn't been opened in years. Yet, strangely, the door was not locked. Ale pushed it open without hesitation, his senses on high alert.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, a wave of suffocating heat engulfed him. The air inside was thick with steam, so dense it made every breath a struggle. The heavy mist formed a white curtain before his eyes, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few steps ahead.

As he cautiously moved forward, small red flames caught his attention. These scattered flames danced atop metal scraps strewn across the ground, flickering in the steam like rebellious spirits.

Raising his hand, Ale muttered an incantation, summoning a wind spell. A gentle but forceful breeze rose around him, sweeping away the suffocating vapor that surrounded him. Gradually, the fog lifted, revealing a chaotic landscape.

The villa, though it still retained a certain grandeur, bore the obvious marks of past explosions.

The walls, once built of regular stone, were now covered haphazardly with metal plates, mostly copper pieces, patched here and there. The roof was equally disordered: some missing tiles had been replaced with curved sheets of metal, twisted scraps hastily assembled. Skewed chimneys, patched with metal pipes and iron plates, added to the surreal appearance of the place.

As he ventured further into the courtyard, the chaos intensified. Everywhere, broken gears, pipes, and giant cogs littered the ground. Vegetation had long since taken over, with wild grasses pushing through the metallic debris, adding to the sense of controlled disorder.

In one corner of the courtyard, a once well-maintained outbuilding stood half-collapsed. The walls had been reinforced with copper plates, as though a previous explosion had nearly destroyed the structure. The shattered windows were covered with metal sheets, giving the workshop a gloomy, dark appearance.

Ale moved forward cautiously. Suddenly, a groan of frustration echoed from inside the workshop.

"Ugh, not again!" a female voice, clearly irritated, rang out.

Ale approached quietly and, through a gaping hole in the workshop's wall, he witnessed a strange scene. An enormous machine, a chaotic mass of copper, iron, and tubes, took up almost the entire room. Thick clouds of steam continued to escape from a massive copper pipe, filling the air with suffocating heat and a constant hissing sound. The machine seemed alive, on the verge of exploding at any moment, every gear and lever trembling under the immense internal pressure.

Near the machine, a young woman stood, visibly exasperated. Her attire immediately caught Ale's attention—an odd blue jumpsuit made from thick, rugged fabric, stained with black oil and soot. Unlike the usual dresses or tunics worn in Eldoria, her outfit seemed designed purely for function, with wide, bulging pockets stuffed with strange tools.

Her short, disheveled brown hair bore clear signs of recent burns, further adding to her unique appearance. Her face was smudged with soot, half-hidden behind large, round goggles smeared with vapor and smoke. Her eyes, filled with frustration, were locked on the massive machine in front of her, which continued to spew steam and smoke at an alarming rate.

Hanging from her belt were bizarre contraptions. One looked like a long metal clamp with two articulated arms, apparently designed for grabbing and twisting objects. Another even stranger tool had a wooden handle attached to a metal rod twisted into a complex spiral, resembling an endless screw. Everything about her exuded mystery and oddity, as if she hailed from another world altogether.

The young woman, clearly agitated, was gripping her "metal clamp" tightly, violently banging it against the machine, trying to fix it more out of frustration than any actual method. Behind her, two other women, who appeared to be servants, watched with palpable concern. The elder of the two, dressed in traditional garb, futilely tried to pull the young woman by the sleeve.

"Miss, it's too dangerous here! We need to leave now!" the servant pleaded, her voice quivering with panic.

The younger servant, clutching a shield tightly in her hands, seemed ready to protect herself from any potential explosion. She watched the machine anxiously, casting nervous glances between it and her mistress.

"Stupid machine! It just won't stop!" the young woman growled, continuing to strike a stubborn lever with her clamp, desperately trying to regain control.

Ale, quickly realizing the escalating danger, understood that the situation was on the verge of catastrophe. The machine kept overheating, and the large central cylinder—likely the heart of the device—was starting to warp under the pressure, emitting ominous creaks. Small bursts of flame were escaping regularly, signaling that an explosion was imminent.

Without hesitation, Ale rushed forward and cast a wind spell, "Ventus Murus," creating three air barriers around the machine to contain the imminent blast. No sooner had he finished the incantation than a muffled thud, dampened by the wind walls, echoed through the room.

"Boom."

The explosion was contained within the magical barriers, preventing the machine from scattering debris across the room. Silence suddenly settled, abruptly cutting off the chaos that had ruled moments before.

"I... I'm not dead?" the young woman murmured, stunned.

The older servant crossed herself, wide-eyed. "It's a miracle!"

"No, it was him who saved us," the younger servant pointed toward Ale.

"Who are you? This is private property, you have no right to enter without permission!" the young woman exclaimed, abruptly turning toward Ale, her soot-covered goggles fogging up in the steam.

"Miss, you should say thank you," the younger servant gently intervened. She approached her mistress, carefully removing the goggles before wiping them clean with a pristine handkerchief. Bowing respectfully, she added, "Miss, and we, thank you sincerely for saving our lives."

The older servant stepped forward as well, moving with a practiced elegance despite the chaotic situation. With a gentle yet firm gesture, she pushed the young woman's head slightly, encouraging her to bow in gratitude. The young woman, still somewhat dazed from the explosion, seemed to regain her senses. Her tense expression softened, and in a calmer, less aggressive tone, she murmured, "I'm sorry... and thank you for your help."

Ale, somewhat amused by the excess of formalities, shrugged with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's nothing, I'm just glad I was here in time."

The young woman put her now-cleaned goggles back on, her eyes widening as she noticed the still-intact air barriers surrounding the machine. These ethereal walls floated with a supernatural grace, and she stared in awe.

"Did you do that?!" she exclaimed, clearly astonished.

Ale, slightly embarrassed by her sudden enthusiasm, simply nodded.

"Yes, that was me."

"I've never seen anything so... impressive! The explosion barely caused any damage thanks to your magic!" She seemed genuinely amazed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Ale offered a modest smile before snapping his fingers. The air barriers collapsed in a soft shimmer, dispersing into a gentle breeze that cleared away the remaining steam.

"It's incredible..." murmured Ale, gazing more closely at the machine as the debris and steam slowly dissipated. What he saw was an imposing mass of metal, copper, and iron, filled with gears, pistons, and twisted pipes. At the heart of this strange structure burned dozens of enchanted firestones, stacked together, their vivid flames dancing inside a central cylinder. The fire was drawn through conduits and pushed through a series of valves, powering a complex network of mechanisms.

Spiral pipes extended in all directions, carrying heat and steam to different compartments of the machine. A massive metal flywheel was still turning weakly, a testament to the energy that had been produced before the explosion. Around this flywheel, a series of pistons continued to move, as if the machine was still trying to operate despite the damage. Magical stones of other elements, linked to water and air, seemed to be embedded in auxiliary chambers, likely meant to cool or stabilize the entire setup. A sharp hissing sound escaped from one of the openings, sending thick steam into the air.

Ale looked on in awe, the complexity of the device surpassing anything he had seen in this world.

"It's an electricity generator!" the young woman exclaimed proudly, her face glowing despite the smudges of soot. She wiped her oil-stained forearm across her cheek without even noticing. "Well... it doesn't really have an official name yet. But in simple terms, it generates electricity!"

Ale furrowed his brow, utterly lost at these words. "Electricity? Generator?"

"Yes, electricity! It's a form of energy! And this generator is the machine that produces it!" she explained eagerly, as if these terms should be obvious to anyone.

Ale, however, remained perplexed. "Engine? Energy?" Each new word sounded like another puzzle piece that didn't fit, deepening his confusion.

"Ugh, it's so hard to explain this to people from the Middle Ages!" the young woman grumbled, more to herself than to anyone else.

"I'm only 16 years old, I'm not a middle-aged man," Ale responded, bewildered.

"No, that's not what I meant..." the young woman stammered before one of her maids cut in.

"Forgive her, sir. The lady is an in... in..." "Inventor!" the younger maid interjected.

"Yes, that's it! I create new things, inventions that will be useful to everyone!" the young woman declared proudly.

Ale nodded, trying to follow. "So... this machine, or rather, the energy it produces—what's it supposed to do?"

A mischievous smile spread across the young woman's face. "Electricity can do a lot of things! It can light up a house, heat water, cook food, and power electronic devices..."

"Electronic... what?" Ale tried to keep up, but some of the words still escaped him.

"Electronic devices... or electromagic devices in this world, of course!" she continued, her eyes lighting up as she spoke. "They’re tools that can perform incredible tasks using electricity. Like..." She paused for a moment, realizing that Ale probably had no idea what she was talking about.

"Uh... like turning on a lamp without fire, or making objects move without touching them!" she added, trying to come up with examples that were more relatable to this world.

Ale, a bit more intrigued but still puzzled, tried to understand. "But... aren’t there already enchanted stones that do those things? Like heating water or lighting up a room..."

The young woman frowned, looking a bit annoyed. "Yes, but electricity can do it all so much more... efficiently! And most importantly, without relying on magic!"

Ale narrowed his eyes, trying to grasp the concept. "More efficient than magic?"

She nodded enthusiastically, her excitement growing. "Yes, exactly! Imagine an entire city illuminated without anyone needing to cast a single spell! Or machines that operate on their own, without the need for mages or magical stones. That's the future, I'm telling you!"

Ale couldn’t help but be impressed by the passion of this "inventor," even if he only half-understood the implications of what she was saying. "That's... incredible," he finally murmured, unable to say anything else in the face of a vision of the future he couldn’t yet imagine.

The young woman, clearly pleased by his reaction, gave a wide grin.

"Exactly! And you know what? If you want, you could help me with my experiments. With your talent for magic, you could be useful for... well, preventing things from exploding like they did earlier!"

Ale, still a bit bewildered by the strangeness of it all, paused to think.

Before he could even respond, she added, "I'll pay you 20 silver coins per session."

Ale thought for a moment. He wasn’t too worried about the money, but his last job had nearly cost him his life. However, as he glanced around, his eyes landed on the still-smoldering debris. He couldn't help but think that these explosions could become dangerous not just for this strange inventor but also for the other residents of the slums. That thought finally swayed his decision.

"I'm not sure... It’s a generous offer," he began, still hesitating a bit, "but I can't guarantee that I'll always be available."

Ale hesitated for a moment longer. She didn't seem dishonest, and neither did her servants. Besides, that kind of money could really help him. Just as he was about to decide, the young woman reached into her pocket and tossed something at him. He caught a gold coin effortlessly.

"I'm advancing you 100 lunaris *(1 lunaris = 1 silver coin)", she said with a confident smile, handing a small pouch to Ale. "Come back in a week; I'll be restarting my experiment then."

Ale, surprised by her sudden generosity, took the pouch, still unsure what to make of it. Where was all this money coming from? A wealthy young lady hidden away in a dilapidated villa at the heart of the slums, surrounded by mystery and strange inventions? The mystery only served to pique his curiosity even more.

"That works out well," he replied after a moment's thought, "I won't be available until next Thursday anyway."

After a final moment of hesitation, he ultimately accepted her offer, telling himself that helping to prevent future explosions was probably the best course of action. "I'm Ale," he added, looking at the young woman with a slight smile.

"And I'm Selene," she said with a grin. "But you can also call me by my nickname: 'The Slum Inventor.'"

As Ale left the villa, he couldn't stop thinking about that strange encounter. Selene, her bizarre inventions, her unknown tools, and that complex machine that defied the logic of his world. The words he had heard—electricity, energy—echoed in his mind, even though they remained a mystery.

Tomorrow, he would seek out Chance to ask him what he knew about this peculiar young woman. Maybe his old informant had some insights into "The Inventor of the Villa."