The next morning arrived quietly, blanketing the dwarven city in soft mountain air and faint forge smoke. True to his word, Durfvn stood at the edge of his workshop yard, arms crossed and beard combed, ready to begin what would soon become a spectacle of magical engineering and comedic chaos.
Yuuna, calm and expressionless as always, held her parchment sketch in both hands. Her wand rested behind one ear, a smudge of charcoal dust under her left eye. She stood beside Durfvn, showing him the layout again. Her designs had been redrawn four times last night, twice due to fire damage, once because Sakura spilled rice on it, and once simply because Yuuna decided the symmetry wasn't satisfying.
"This wheel spacing will prevent tipping on rocky terrain," she stated.
Durfvn nodded, tracing the six-wheeled outline with his thick finger. "Aye. Good width. Might work. Might explode."
Yuuna blinked. "I accounted for that."
"Did ye account for elf chaos?" the dwarf asked, glancing sideways at the rest of the party.
Behind them, Orchid was already poking a wheel with the wrong end of a sword, and Kyle was balancing a block of lumber on his head while Sinryo watched with amused interest.
Yuuna sighed, rolled up her plans, and turned away. "No. That's unquantifiable."
By mid-morning, the construction began.
Adiw, armed with muscle and motivation, took charge of the heavy lifting. He carried lumber as if it were feather-light, stacking beams with precision only rivaled by his warzone experience. His red hair glistened under the sun, his sleeves rolled up, his muscles flexing with every movement.
"I could smash enemies with this beam," he said, placing one in position.
Fuhiken, nearby with a ladle in hand, glanced up from a steaming pot. "Please don't. It's a wheel frame."
Sakura sat next to the cooking station, already on her fourth bowl of stew. "Fuhiken's cooking is the real MVP," she declared with a full mouth. "Second only to the food itself."
---
Gigih and Yuuna stood side by side at a long wooden workbench set up under a shade tarp, away from the main construction area. The table was lined with neatly arranged fire mana stones, each one pulsing gently with a warm, ember-like glow. The surface of the stones shimmered as if breathing, red, orange, and gold hues flickering softly with contained energy. The faint warmth they emitted made the air ripple above them like heat over a forge.
Yuuna was calm and focused, her eyes scanning every minor fluctuation in the mana flow. She held a set of specialized copper tools, thin, precise rods engraved with tiny runes, that she had crafted herself to safely manipulate raw mana. With utmost care, she aligned the stones in a specific pattern: a spiral-channel layout meant to regulate energy distribution to the carriage's propulsion core.
Gigih, on the other hand, was not calm.
Beads of sweat dripped from his brow as he gripped his staff tightly, both hands trembling slightly. He was tasked with slowly infusing the fire mana stones with a stabilizing pulse, enough to prime them, but not enough to trigger ignition. The balancing act was agonizing. One breath too strong, one flicker of unstable intent, and the entire setup could detonate.
"Maintain output at fifteen percent," Yuuna instructed, eyes never leaving the glowing stones. "No spikes. Flat curve. You're fluctuating."
"I-I'm trying!" Gigih whispered, panic creeping into his voice. "They're humming weird! Are they... purring?!"
"They're resonating. That's normal," she replied. "If they meow, then worry."
Gigih blinked. "Wait, what?"
Yuuna didn't elaborate. She was busy nudging a particularly jumpy mana stone two millimeters to the left, muttering a stabilization chant under her breath. Her fingers moved with surgical precision, while Gigih channeled mana in short, measured bursts.
A loud pop sounded as one of the stones briefly overcharged and discharged a spark. Both of them jumped, Gigih nearly dropped his staff.
"Control," Yuuna said firmly, her tone flat but sharp enough to slice iron.
Gigih gulped and nodded, biting his lip. "Mana is scary."
"Mana is math," she corrected. "Scary is you."
They continued their delicate dance of adjustments, stabilization, and mana transfer, two opposite energies, one analytical and cold, the other anxious and flammable, trying to bend raw magic into something that wouldn't explode immediately.
The table trembled slightly. Another stone flickered a bit too bright.
Gigih whimpered.
Yuuna sighed. "Don't inhale too fast."
"I can't help breathing!"
"Then breathe quieter."
It was going to be a long hour.
Meanwhile, Yetsan was deep in his own world of precision. Wearing his full armor, and triple-layer gloves for cleanliness, he worked tirelessly on the axle joints. Each measurement was triple-checked, each bolt turned exactly as instructed. When a tiny speck of grease landed on his boot, he nearly fainted.
"This is fine. It's... barely touching the sole," he whispered to himself, wiping it with obsessive care.
Across the yard, chaos brewed.
Kyle and Orchid had been deemed "hazards" within the first ten minutes of work. Orchid had accidentally hammered a nail into her own scabbard, and Kyle had "accidentally" turned a gear assembly into a slingshot. Gabyola sighed and took matters into her own hands. With a rope borrowed from Durfvn's forge, she calmly approached the duo.
"Stand still," she said, tone ice-cold.
Kyle blinked. "Uh-oh."
Before either could react, Gabyola tied the two together back-to-back and walked them to the nearest wall. She tethered them like oversized sacks of sugar and stepped back with satisfaction.
"Prisoners until further notice," she announced. "No objections will be heard."
"But I just..." Kyle began.
"No," Gabyola said.
"I was only testing..."
"No."
They sulked. With most of the heavy work handled by Adiw and the fine detail by Yetsan, the frame of the carriage came together in record time. The six-wheel system was massive, wider than expected, towering taller than any ox-drawn cart. And yet, it had a sleek, arcane design that shimmered with embedded rune etchings and metallic trims.
---
By the end of the second day, Durfvn whistled as he stepped back and folded his arms.
"Well, slap me beard and call it polished. That's one fine piece o' craftsmanship."
Fuhiken wiped sweat from his brow and smiled. "That was fast."
"It was thanks to Adiw's brute strength," Gabyola added.
Adiw touched the bridge of his nose with a single finger, then tilted his head back slightly, a confident grin spreading across his face. His eyes gleamed with pride as he stood tall, muscles still tense from the day's labor.
"I don't just carry lumber," he said, voice rich with satisfaction. "I carry this whole team."
"And also because I tied Kyle and Orchid to a wall," Gabyola continued, deadpan.
Orchid mumbled, "I wanted to help..."
"No," came multiple voices in unison.
---
As the sun dipped behind the ridgeline, painting the sky in molten orange, the party moved the finished carriage out through the city gates. Yuuna insisted on testing it far away from dwarven property.
"I don't want this city to explode," she said flatly.
"No offense taken," Durfvn muttered under his breath.
They eventually located a wide, open field at the base of a jagged cliffside, its ground uneven with scattered rocks and patches of dry grass. The location was far enough from the dwarven city to avoid collateral damage, should anything go terribly wrong, which, based on their track record, was almost guaranteed. It wasn't the safest spot in the world, but compared to the alternative of testing in a densely populated forge district, it was the lesser risk. The field stretched just far enough for a full-speed trial and wide enough to accommodate multiple emergency escape routes… not that anyone had rehearsed those.. Gigih stood nearby, looking pale.
Yuuna tapped a fire mana stone, adjusting the stabilizer array. "Magic Carriage I. Initial test."
Everyone held their breath, the air growing still as the final rune on the carriage lit up with a low, ominous hum. Gigih, hands shaking and sweat pouring down his face, tried to steady his mana flow into the central channel, but a flicker of panic surged through him at the worst possible moment. His concentration slipped, just slightly, and the energy spiked far beyond the safety threshold. The runes flared bright red. A sharp whine pierced the air. And then ...
BOOOOOOM!
... the front half of the carriage erupted in a brilliant explosion of fire and smoke, launching a wheel skyward like a spinning plate, while a nearby rock was instantly vaporized. Dust and mana residue rained down as the party ducked for cover, coughing and squinting through the aftermath. The test had begun… and ended… in under five seconds.
"Too much mana. Need new throttle."
Magic Carriage II came together faster than expected, using the same sturdy base but enhanced with improved glyphs for better mana regulation and movement control, or so Yuuna claimed with careful confidence. When activated, the carriage hummed to life with a smooth, steady motion, its six wheels rolling in perfect synchronization. For a brief, glorious moment, everything worked flawlessly. It glided across the field with eerie silence, almost too silent, like a predator waiting to strike. Then, without warning, the front axle twitched. The carriage made a subtle turn. That turn became a circle. The circle became a spiral. The spiral became a vortex. Within seconds, the whole vehicle was spinning, slowly at first, but then gaining alarming speed, whirling like a drunken top performing a chaotic dance of doom. Dust whirled into a tornado around it as the party watched in stunned silence, unsure whether to intervene or run for cover.
Yuuna squinted. "It's... spinning like a Beyblade."
"What's a Beyblade?" Fuhiken asked.
Yuuna didn't answer. She was busy trying not to get dizzy watching. The carriage whirled like a tornado, creating a mini wind vortex before exploding into wood splinters and iron shrapnel.
---
Magic Carriage III. Simple design. Fewer enchantments. Stronger frame. It sat calmly at the edge of the field.
Kyle, now untied but still under Gabyola's supervision, picked up a rock. "What happens if I throw this at it?"
Yuuna was far away, working on a chart. "Don't."
Kyle, despite multiple warnings and several disapproving stares, especially from Gabyola, grinned mischievously and hurled the rock with all the confidence of someone who had learned absolutely nothing from the previous explosions. The small stone flew through the air in a perfect arc and struck the side of Magic Carriage III with a dull thunk, bouncing harmlessly off the reinforced plating. For a brief moment, there was only silence. No sparks. No sounds. Just the unsettling calm that usually comes before disaster. Everyone exhaled. Then...
BOOOOOOM!
A sudden, delayed explosion erupted from within the chassis, sending steam, sparks, and a wheel fragment flying into the sky. The upper shell of the carriage shuddered violently before crumpling inward, folding in on itself with surprising grace, like a badly made flan giving up under its own weight. A muffled puff of smoke burst from a side panel, and the contraption let out one last sad creak as it collapsed into an unrecognizable pile of charred metal and regrets.
Yuuna scribbled more notes. "Do not allow Kyle within fifty meters."
---
Magic Carriage IV. It had stabilizer runes, rune-cushioned seats, a pressure-equalizer valve, and a tempered core mana conductor. It was the best design yet.
"Perfect," Yuuna said. "We just need test subjects."
Kyle raised his hand. "Me! Me! I volunteer!"
Gigih trembled. "Wait, what?"
Yuuna smiled. "Perfect sacrifices, I mean, volunteers."
Gigih looked for an exit. There was none.
Yuuna guided them into the carriage, sealed the hatch with a rune-lock, and backed away. "It will be fine."
"Are you sure?" Gigih asked through the window.
Sakura stood beside the carriage, nibbling a biscuit. "Nobody is permitted to go to the afterlife today," she declared seriously.
That wasn't exactly reassuring. The carriage trembled. Mana lights flickered. The ground shook slightly. Sparks flew. Everyone braced.
Then... nothing.
Just a light pop. No explosion. Yuuna blinked.
"...It didn't explode?"
Kyle poked his head out, grinning. "It works! Kind of bumpy but cool!"
Gigih nearly fainted. They brought the carriage back to town, slowly. Carefully. Yuuna kept her wand pointed at it the entire time.
---
That evening, as the sun kissed the horizon with gold and scarlet light, the carriage stood outside the inn, casting a long shadow over the cobblestone. Its polished frame shimmered. Its six wheels glowed with dormant runes. Twelve elf children stood in a half-circle around it, tired, sore, soot-stained, but proud.
"Well," Fuhiken said. "That only took four explosions."
"Progress," Yuuna noted.
Adiw clapped Kyle on the back. "Next time, don't throw rocks."
Kyle grinned. "No promises."
Sakura hugged her magic bag, now filled with leftover lunch. "Dinner time?"
Gabyola rolled her eyes. "Always."
Above them, the stars began to emerge, one by one, like sparks from a calm forge. And beside the inn, under the falling light, the first ever elf-built automagic carriage gleamed, waiting for the next journey... and possibly the next explosion.
---