117
Fedwina stumbled out of the library.
As she took her first step into the Workshop, she tripped over her feet, and blueprints tumbled from her hands.
“Eep!”
Milo watched them roll away from her and didn’t even shake his head. Or snap. Or scream. Or groan. Or even roll his eyes.
He was proud of that.
Instead, he reached down and helped her climb back onto her feet. “Are you alright?”
“Dandy,” Fedwina said, looking down at herself. She was wearing only the white coat and a pair of white lacy panties. Her breasts were bare. “At least, I think I am. What do you think, Milo? Am I dandy?”
“Sure,” he said, bending to pick up one of the blueprints. He thought of a way to motivate her and smiled. “If you can manage not to step on them while picking them up, I’ll even show you how dandy I think you are.”
“Hey!” She took a slight step back and covered her breasts with one hand. “I’m pretty sure that’s workplace sexual harassment, buster!”
“What’s that?”
She paused.
She fluttered her eyes as though trying to come up with an explanation.
Then she shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Can I have more of it, though?”
“Don’t break anything, and we’ll see.”
“Alright!” She did a delicate turn to be sure there was nothing under or close to her feet, then started to scoop up the scattered blueprints one by one.
Carefully.
Deciding it’d be better to help her, Milo managed to scoop up half of the blueprints and they took them into the Security Room. He began to lay them out before thumbing through them.
Fedwina had managed to find some helpful blueprints, including one which might really help Tania. It worked by using something the dwarves called sonic waves. The technique was usually given to mining golems to help them move through layers of stone in search of ore.
That was also the next thing on the list Fedwina had made for him.
Get the mines back up and running so a steady supply of metals could be brought up. While the warehouse in the Workshop had plenty of components, they weren’t all useful. For example, he had no more struts suitable for a humanoid golem’s thigh. And only two skulls left.
While he’d sourced some material from Spragg, it wasn’t enough to keep the Manufacturing Stations working. Most had stopped again.
The mines were vital.
But going through the blueprints meant he could upgrade his golems before going down below the lower levels to find out what was wrong.
It would also help let them continue to blend in with the mages.
No matter what happened, Milo knew he couldn’t reveal the truth of what they were. Because even if the Mage Court accepted help from him now, they’d turn on him tomorrow.
He had to plan a way to help without revealing his secrets.
And that meant getting the mines active again.
The Headmaster had suspended dungeon testing for now, so Milo had to use this time well.
“Are they helpful, Milo?”
He lifted his head and grinned at her. “More than helpful, Fedwina,” he said. “Like you, they’re absolutely perfect.”
The last part felt awkward as it skipped over his tongue. But he was trying his best to compliment them where he could. To try and let a bit more of his feelings for them show.
They’d flirted with him all this time and he hadn’t done much back.
As her cheeks turned red, he realized it was the right thing to do.
She giggled shyly, pushing her hair out of her face. Which didn’t stop it falling back.
“Ah, look at ya,” Tania said, striding into the room. The other two were behind her, looking suspiciously calm. “Saying sweet nothings like a pair of cute little lovebirds. Do it again, Milo. Do it for me.”
She leaned in and puckered her lips.
So he kissed her. “Don’t you think you were a bit hard on Ket?”
“That old tin can?” Tania pouted, drawing back. “If anything, I went easy on her. Left her sunny side up when I could’ve flipped her over and burned both sides.”
He shook his head. Some things wouldn’t change.
Whatever her grudge, it was deep enough that even the other golems didn’t seem to think Tania was being overly harsh.
So, he dropped it.
“I want to head down to the mines in a few days,” he said. “So, we’ll need to pack for it.”
“Mila, that’s your job,” Tania said through the side of her mouth.
“Right.” Then, after a pause; “All of us?”
“Except Fedwina.”
Fedwina nodded, looking serious. “I’m dainty.”
“Ain’t quite the word I’d use.” Tania grinned, then patted her cheek. “But I get what ya mean.”
“I should say we don’t know what to expect,” he continued. “It’s not going to be like the dungeons. We can’t predict anything. And I can’t exactly make things easier for us.”
“It’ll be like old times,” Selma said with a smile.
“I’ll be spending the next few days giving you some upgrades.”
“Even better than old times, then.”
Selma and Mila looked happy, but Tania’s expression was indifferent.
He picked up one of the blueprints and handed it to her. “What do you think of this?”
She looked down.
She looked back up. “Milo, I can’t read this chickenscratch. You know that. It’s all just lines to me.”
He took it back and put it down. Again, he didn’t sigh or roll his eyes.
“It’s a sonic emitter,” he said. “It’ll rattle stone a lot. And other things.”
“Oh?”
“Geomancy does the same kind of thing…”
“Wait! That’s for me?”
“Yeah,” he said. He gave her a dry smile. “It should let you make the very ground tremble under you when you walk if you want.”
Tania was staring at him like he’d just done something incredible. Her bottom lip trembled.
“Hey,” he said, feeling his face get hot, “I haven’t upgraded you yet. Let’s wait until it works.”
But Tania let out a happy squeal and leapt on him, her legs whipping up to wrap around his hips as he staggered in an effort to keep his balance. Thankfully, Selma reached out and steadied him with one hand.
He caught her wink and smiled back. “Thanks.”
“I think she’s happy,” Selma said as Tania sobbed into his shoulder.
“Really?” He patted Tania’s back. “I can’t tell.”
“I am,” Tania mewed. “So happy. I kept thinking this ditz was gonna get all the fun toys and I was gonna get nothing.”
“I told you I’d find a way.” He gave her a squeeze. “I want everyone to be able to take care of themselves. I’m also going to upgrade the Clicks and Clacks with something defensive. Just in case.”
Tania nodded into the crook of his neck and kissed his skin, making goosepimples ripple. “I love ya, Milo.”
“I love you, too.”
“Yeah, but I love ya lots.”
He felt a warm pressure in his chest and swallowed hard before emotion could overwhelm him. “I know.”
Sliding off him, she smoothed the short robe she was wearing and gave him a happy contented smile, though her eyes looked a little red.
It still amazed him how realistic the dwarves had made them.
Sure, he had built them.
But they were, ultimately, dwarven creations still.
Their perfectionism was extraordinary.
“Are you okay?”
Tania wiped at her eyes and nodded. “I’m just happy.”
Mila put up her hand. “Can I just say that I’m happy, too?”
“Me too, sister,” Selma said, grinning widely. For some reason, the smile on her face looked nothing like the normal goofy smile she wore.
This one looked wider.
Sharper.
Her teeth glinted brightly.
She looked like a predator who’d just spotted prey. And her gaze was fixed to him.
“Right,” he said. “Well, I’ll just finish going through these, and pick out what I think I can make. Then I’ll give them to you to decide which ones you want.”
“Aww,” Selma said, her expression not changing. “He’s so sweet. Isn’t he sweet?”
“Very sweet,” Mila said.
“So sweet,” Tania purred.
“He’s the sweetest of the sweet.” Fedwina took a step towards him. And promptly stubbed her toe. She then stumbled into him, pushing him down onto the chair. “Owwies!”
He grabbed her elbow to stop her falling onto her knees. “Be careful,” he warned.
“I am being careful,” she said, reaching out to start plucking at the buttons on his shirt.
He reached up and grabbed her fingers. “What’re you doing?”
He heard a soft sound and turned his head.
Tania was taking off her robes.
Selma was tugging at her mesh bikini.
And Mila was trying not to blush too hard while nervously picking at her own buttons.
“Ah,” he said, letting Fedwina continue. “I get it now.”
Tania threw her robe to the ground and took a hungry step closer.
“Took ya long enough,” she said.