Clockwork Forest

Prologue

Now was the time of a new age of inventers and explorers, it was the age of Steam, a simple process that used both heat and water to create works of marvel, the car, the train but what is steam was the centre and life force of two rival cities that were separated by only a boarder of different coloured grass, both cities were filled with life and the sounds of moving machines and hot air balloons, the only thing these two cities shared was a single family of Inventors that help made the two cites, Nicolas was the youngest of the family a apprentice inventor and engineer, his ideas were decades ahead of those of his father and grandfather, he was well respected but his grandfather had a legendary status of Grand Engineer, his grandfather created marvels from one tract to another, his family would often travel from one to the other to either fix or work on their latest creations, Nicolas would sit at the table with his Grandfather in the Coggs inn halfway to one of the cities.

Nicolas was excited with a idea he came up with, his drinks harldy touched while his grandfather was well built with a long gray beard, he was happy to drink his pint of cool beer that was brewed by one of his own inventions using a series of taps and pumps “ok here is a idea, what if we created a machine that moved on its own?”

His granddad looked at him with a raised eyebrow after having a drink “you mean as in something that walks on two legs?”

“yes, or even a spider, maybey something that rolls on a ball or even four legs or even flew like a bird”

“ho ho my young lad, you need to think of the now not in a few decades”

Nicolas took a swig of his drink as the old beer flowed down his throat, he sighed “you keep saying that granddad but i thought that is what inventors do”

His grandfather laughed “oh dear my boy you have a lot to learn, in order to be a inventor you have to learn the mechanics to do that you have to be a engineer”

Nicolas groaned “but i have been a chief engineer for twenty six years now, i was working tin soldiers since i was five, i fixed my first car at ten and on my twenty first i created the tram system for the cities, both are different sure but the principle is the same”

His Grandfather took another few gulps of his drink before setting the flagon to one side when it was empty “look my lad, inventors are dreamers that spend most of their life wondering what if instead of doing it, your father is a inventor who spends most of his time on plans but he never seems to make any of his inventions”

Nicolas sighed “but why?”

“like i said inventors are dreamers who never do, but engineers are people who do but never seem to come up with anything new”

Nicolas looked at his grandfather with a tilted head and a curious look “can’t you be both”

Grandfather smiled “you can but it takes a long time, we would never be able to do it in our life time or even a Dragons life time”

Nicolas took another swig from his flagon and placed it back “speaking of which, how is the apprentice Dragon coming on?”

“hmmm oh you mean the Female one called Edwind, she seems ok, head strong but she knows how to use a smelter and forge, i understand that you and her have something”

Nicolas nearly choked as he took another swig from his flagon nearly spewing it back, he coughed a few times “me and her, are you crazy she must be what over three hundred years old?”

“three hundred and forty five to be exact but she is ok, plus you think i haven’t noticed or heard”

Nicolas blushed “well i err, she was oh what does it matter, sigh i guess i should just stick to being a engineer”