The new electric lights buzzed softly in Taylor's office. It was 2:00 AM, and for the first time since arriving in this world, she could read a blueprint without squinting at a candle.
"Civilization," Taylor whispered, sipping a cup of hot water (she was still trying to invent tea bags). "It tastes like voltage."
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
Something was tapping on the new glass window.
Taylor froze. She looked at the window.
Stuck to the outside of the glass, defying gravity, was a small mechanical bird made of brass. It was pecking the pane with a metal beak.
"Ren!" Taylor whispered. "Intruder!"
Ren burst out of the broom closet (where he had been sleeping). He drew his sword.
"I am here!" Ren shouted. "Where is the assassin?"
"The window," Taylor pointed.
Ren looked at the small brass bird.
"A beast of metal," Ren gasped. "It has no soul! I shall cut it!"
"No! Open the window! Carefully!"
***
[The Delivery]
Ren opened the window. The bird hopped inside. It looked at Taylor with gemstone eyes, whirred, and then... fell apart.
*Clatter.*
The bird disintegrated into a pile of gears and springs. Sitting in the middle of the wreckage was a small, black velvet box and a letter.
Taylor picked up the letter. It smelled like old books and ozone.
> To the Engineer,
>
> I saw your 'Electric Sun'. Crude. Garish. Lacks elegance. But effective.
>
> I hear you are fighting the Flower Man. Valerius is a bore, isn't he? He thinks nature is perfect. He forgets that nature is also poison, rot, and decay.
>
> You are building a kingdom of grey stone. He is building a kingdom of green vines. If you want to win, you don't need more concrete. You need Chemistry.
>
> Inside the box is a sample. Do not drink it. Do not let the Chef cook with it. And for the love of science, do not let your sister touch it.
>
> Make it interesting.
>
> — The Professor
[System Message: The Professor? That drama queen? He probably sent you a glitter bomb. Open it. I want to see you sparkle.]
"He's not a prankster," Taylor muttered. "He's a thief. He steals value."
She opened the black box.
Inside was a single glass vial containing a swirling, silver liquid. It glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[Item Appraised: Mercury Fulminate (Stabilized?)]
[Rarity: Epic]
[Effect: Highly Explosive Primary Explosive. Used in blasting caps. Or... to start a very big fire.]
"Fulminate?" Taylor paled. "He sent me a bomb trigger?"
***
[The Suspicion]
"It is pretty," Violet said, appearing over Taylor's shoulder. Her eyes reflected the silver glow. "It looks like liquid soul."
She reached out a pale hand.
"Don't touch it!" Taylor slapped Violet's hand away. "This is a high-grade explosive! If you drop this, the West Wing becomes a crater!"
"Explosive?" Ria walked in, wiping flour from her apron. "Like spicy food?"
"No, Ria. Like death."
Taylor held the vial up to the electric light.
"Valerius uses plants," she murmured. "Plants are organic. They burn. But magical plants... they fight back. They regenerate."
She looked at the mercury.
"But if I use this to create a **Shockwave**, I can rupture their cell walls. I can turn his giant vines into mush instantly."
She grinned. A terrifying, mad-scientist grin.
"The Professor just gave me the detonator. Now I just need the dynamite."
***
[The Strategy]
Taylor placed the vial in a padded safe (which was just a metal box filled with wool socks).
"Ren," she ordered. "Tomorrow, we go mining."
"Mining?" Ren asked. "For gold?"
"No," Taylor said. "For **Saltpeter**. We have charcoal. We have sulfur. Now we have a primer."
She turned to the window, looking out at the dark forest where Valerius's castle stood.
"He wants a Garden Party? I'm going to bring fireworks."
[Ding!]
[Quest Updated: The War of Aesthetics]
[New Tool Acquired: The Alchemist's Primer]
[Objective: Build a Bomb (But make it look 'Artistic')]
Violet stared at the safe where the vial was hidden. She licked her lips.
"I like fireworks," she whispered. "They scream when they die."
---