Meltdown

This chapter is pretty neat, I'll drop by the images at the end as I have some for you all to see.

Apart from that, I hope you enjoy it.

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/Far below Philip's feet, in a laboratory wrought of iron and brass.../

/Step step step!/

'Tredis and all of the scientists ran with everything they had to the control room, following the loud sounds of emergency sirens.'

"Out of the way! Move it!"

Why is this happening?!

'With each echo of the sirens, the tighter his chest became.'

'Albeit it would be easier to fix the problem by going directly to Jamai, the one that activated the reactor and allowed it to go haywire, Tredis realized there might be something going on that he wasn't fully aware of.'

'So instead of betting everything to go there, it would be best to be in the main control room in order to lead the other researchers into mitigating this terrible situation.'

'At the same time, he already sent someone to go after the man, just in case they somehow managed to get through with him.'

/Beep/

[Emergency, emergency, emergency...]

[Reactor Core temperature has surpassed the Fractured line, initiating emergency cooling…]

"?!"

'Tredis almost came to a sudden halt, but as he processed the message, he started running even faster.'

Dammit… Dammit!

This is the first time in my life I'm complaining about the fact the reactor is located on the deepest floor!

'Albeit the entrance to the Laboratory was located in the middle section of the city, it still had many floors that went beneath it, breaching into the third and final layer of the city and even beyond, into the underground.'

'However, this meant that Tredis had to run that much more as due to the emergency alarms, most elevators were fully occupied, even then, they would take too long to reach the bottom!'

/Step step step!/

'So he jumped like a frog at the stairs, trying his best to reach the Main reactor control room.'

Shit shit shit!

If it reached the Fractured line, this means the core temperature has already gone beyond 4 thousand degrees.

(I use Celcius)

If this was a true Magmatic reactor, this wouldn't be a problem, as they were meant to withstand temperatures much higher than that…

But this is a miniature experimental model built by gathering fragmented, and melting substitute parts!

It isn't completely integral, there are many inconsistencies within its structure!

It'll start to melt down at around 6 thousand degrees!

At the very least…

[Emergency cooling has been halted by higher command]

'His face turned even redder, he was about to explode in anger.'

"BY EVERYTHING THAT WAS CREATED! JAMAI YOU SON OF %^@$^$!!!"

'As he heard the voice of the mechanical relay system, Tredis started screaming as he jumped down the shaft between the stairs, not caring anymore.'

/SLAM!/

'He crashed against the last floor doing a superhero landing, getting up slowly…'

/Crack!/

"Ah, my back! I'm too old for this…"

My expensive shoes are now ruined... Damn you!!!

/Crack!/

"AHHH! Now I fucking did it... Just a bit and..."

/Crack!/

"HUP... Haa... Haa... Alright."

'He didn't even stop to dust his clothes, rushing forward, it was also about this time some researchers started to rush down the stairs as well.'

'Perhaps they finally realized that… There was no escape.'

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

'As he ran Tredis thought:'

The main room was built to resist any mishaps from the reactor and protect the scientists.

However, given how the situation is unfolding, if the reactor keeps building heat and pressure… That layer won't hold, much less weaken the blast.

The entire laboratory was made for these kinds of situations, but there is a limit to that.

If it blows up, it'll take… A lot of the city with it.

Especially given how it's made in multiple layers isolated from each other, where each is like a chamber built atop one other.

If the lowest layer collapses, everything atop it will fall, even when there are inbuilt magic systems made to prevent such disasters.

They exist with the idea that this would never happen in the first place, they can't lift an entire city, only small sections of it at a time!

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?!" He exclaimed to the ceiling, but no one replied

Do you want to die with everyone?!

...

/RUSH!/

/Psss!/

[Identity recognized, welcome…]

"JUST OPEN!"

'Smashing his hand against the wall, the mechanical door read his key before opening, revealing a room full of controls and a few desperate scientists.'

"H-H-Head Researcher! You're…"

'A man approached him holding a pile of papers, the same pile was immediately slapped down by him...'

"SHUT UP AND GIVE ME A DEBRIEF AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!!!"

'Tredis face was red like a tomato, but his screams seemed to reassure the scientists that were desperately trying to make everything go back to normalcy.'

"It's really bad sir! Jamai stole the main control keys and sealed himself within the emergency control room before setting the machine to overdrive, the problem is, it wasn't made to withstand that!"

"Without the temperature valve, the machine can't even self-regulate as it can't determine its internal temperature, even if it decided to halt, it can't, as being a lead researcher and being in the emergency room, Jamai has full control over many of its operations!"

"I understand... Now... GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Tredis exclaimed as he ran to the control panel behind the scientist

'Above the panel was a long glass window showing the room where the machine was located, many red lights kept spinning around and beeping noises were everywhere as steam was released continually from the machine.'

'If it wasn't for the sound isolation, the sounds of metal creaking and sizzling would be feeling his ears.'

Shit, it's worse than I thought…

The Overdrive code was a remnant of the original system left behind by the Ancient Architects, I had barely even started tapping onto it as I was more focused on fixing the machine first.

After all, to fully bring back the Magmatic forges onto the current Dwarven Society, all of its insides must be understood, from the materials to their assembly, how, and why.

The forge system was one of the wonders of the ancient civilization, one that was lost to time.

Jamai was the head of the department in charge of researching that Ancient Language as understanding it will give us a deeper comprehension of the intent of the ancestors.

The problem with that is now… Jamai has usurped control over the machine using means I can't understand and not even my Master Key can stop it!

What a damn oversight on my part!

/SLAM!/

"FUCK!"

'He slammed his fists against the control panel, but he was surprisingly careful as to not damage anything.'

"A way… There has to be… YES!"

'Quickly thinking about it, he started to press and pull many buttons and levers in quick succession.'

"START WORKING! SINCE WE CAN'T STOP THIS DAMN MACHINE, WE'LL MAKE IT STOP ON ITS OWN!"

"The cooling mechanism has already started to malfunction so soon enough it's possible one of the reactant pipes might either burst or melt."

"We just need to prevent the reactor from reaching the critical point before that happens!"

If the temperature goes beyond 6 thousand degrees, the layers around the Core will start to strip as it melts, and this will result in the pressure inside being higher than on the outside.

Like this, the difference in pressure will kickstart a chain reaction that will make everything blow up in no time.

Worst, the fuel used to power the Magmatic forges is made with a rare alloy metal that doesn't exist anymore... Or better put, it can't be mined anymore.

Its components are a mystery in itself, and acquiring it can only be done through ruins, thankfully, it seemed they used it on mass so they can be found everywhere.

Problem is, in this state, if they destabilize, their energy will be released all at once...

It can't reach that state!

/Tap tap tap!/

"I CAN DO THIS!" He screamed to himself as he pulled the levers

'His hands turning into afterimages, he started to move...'

…

/At the same time, above…/

/Fwoosh/

'Philip materialized in the middle of the street like a gust of wind, looking around in boredom.'

'The empty streets of the middle section of the city, made him remember the downtown of a busy street back on Earth...'

'Well, if the city block was old...'

"Well… I'm here." He whispered to himself

Danger... If there is any, this place is at the top of my list of priorities.

If there is a place to check first, it's here.

"Though..."

"... It's a bit silent… Rather ominous."

'His eyes sharpened.'

I don't like this feeling.

'The hairs on his body lifted, and he felt something chilling take over his stomach.'

This is the first time I've felt like this ever since I came out of that nightmare.

It's been barely 2 and a half months, but even then...

"I really don't like this feeling."

Even if this isn't the place I need to be aware of, something is wrong regardless.

It may seem irresponsible to rely on something as sketchy as gut feeling and intuition, but right now…

I believe there is something really bad going on.

"... I am in danger." Was the conclusion Philip arrived after thinking for a moment

/Fwoosh/

'So he entered the laboratory, unaware of the chaos brewing within…'

"Haa… You're here, I was about to call you."

'... Or so he wished.'

"... ?"

'Stopping momentarily, Philip gazed at a person standing in an alley smoking something akin to a cigarette as he stepped out of the shadows.'

I thought it was just a civilian on the side, I should've been more careful.

There isn't anyone on the street, and I felt something was wrong... How could I forget about keeping tabs on someone so suspicious?

Regardless... Was this person waiting for me…?

How did it notice me? Despite me hiding?

Even if I wasn't putting in the effort…

"Huh?..."

'His string of thoughts was suddenly shattered.'

Wait a minute… I know this person.

'Wearing a long white robe that was both sleek and thick… It was a researcher.'

"You..."

His eyes are a bit cloudy… I feel something coming from him.

'It took Philip a slight moment for him to realize it, but he understood where this nostalgic feeling was coming from.'

'Like a switch being flipped, the truth came to him on its own.'

"Mental manipulation." He whispered as he looked at the man

'The man smiled.'

"Oh? So you noticed, what a bummer…"

"Or the contrary, as I'm even more curious now." The man said, his tone and way of talking changing to fit a more free and arrogant style

"I've been waiting for you, Philip Polter."

"..."

Polter, so it isn't coming due to me being a Hero, at least I have that stated.

Unless it's a trick to make me think that... But I won't overthink.

Is this the danger? I don't feel much from him.

Instead, below...

"Silent now? That would be boring." The mysterious person said as he scratched his chin

/Snap!/

'Snapping his fingers, the doors to the laboratory opened, inviting him in.'

"Let us play a simple game of catch, I've planned quite the board for us."

"Inside you'll…"

/Fwoosh/

"?!"

'But before he could continue, Philip vanished, grasping the man's forehead with his right hand as he infused mental power into his mind, dispelling any foreign control immediately.'

'He didn't care about what he was going to say, because he already understood that the situation was dire.'

'As the man spoke, he focused his senses within, noticing the frantic looks and actions of the researchers below as they ran and screamed.'

'There was no need to wait any longer, he had to get inside and resolve everything.'

'As for the mental power controlling the scientist… Child's play.'

'It was a bit weird, however, it lacked in volume, Philip easily overwhelmed it and usurped control before cleansing it.'

'However, it did make him feel terrible, like an adult that kicked a beach ball out of a child's foot just because he could.'

'He felt he lacked the finesse someone with his Title and power should have, obviously, a consequence of his lack of training.'

...

"Now, time to..."

/Sha!/

"Hm?"

'But as he crouched near the fallen man, a wisp of serpentine energy flowed from the ground into his head!'

'Even though he tried to evade it, the string of energy followed his movements with incredible speed and precision, as if it didn't matter how much he moved, its speed would always keep up.'

'Some sort of strange ability he had never heard off!'

"...?"

I see... Whatever.

'As he closed his eyes and focused inwards, he soon lost interest as he understood what was going to happen to the energy…'

'Meanwhile, he raised his hand…'

/SLAP!/

'And slapped the face of the scientist, jolting him awake.'

"HA?! WHE…"

"Shh… The situation is dire, talk fast, simple words, and don't overcomplicate."

"Wh…?"

'The scientist was confused, but as he looked around and the memories returned to his head, he understood something was wrong, so he opened his mouth to speak…'

…

/Meanwhile, inside Philip's mind…/

'The strange wisp of energy drilled its way into a large open patch of space within a white world…'

/Form…/

'Its form changed, transforming into a humanoid shape.'

"No patience, a man of action, impressive, but reckless." He said as he looked around

Is that how you're going to move? I wonder then, can you finish the game I set for you without the rules?

No, this may be the correct way to play it!

'He soon noticed a strange construction in the distance, a large circular wall.'

'Atop this wall was a massive circular disk spinning in the sky.'

'Inside this disk, a tall tower rose into the skies beyond.'

'Something seemed to shine within the disk, like a massive star…'

"A materialized mental world?... No, not quite, albeit it's still tangible."

Just a step away from becoming real...

"His mental power is incredible, it's suffocating me."

"This is absolutely..." He said in awe

As I thought, he is the one we were meant to find...

The pieces fall together, he is the player on the board of that Demon.

"Philip…"

/FWOOOOOSH!/

"?!?!"

/SHAAA!/

/CLANG!/

'Out of nowhere from the space behind him, a sword cleaved down, and he barely avoided it.'

/BOOOM!/

'The sword crashed against the ground, shaking the entire space.'

'It held enough power to both end and breathe life into this world.'

'Because it carried the very thing that made it.'

"Oi oi, what is that?"

A mental construct of some sort? He isn't controlling it...

Neither is this an autonomous personality.

How curious.

/Shaa…/

'Dragging his sword on the ground, the Mind Paladin took a step forward, the eye sockets of its helmet shone in eery gray light as it stared at the humanoid figure.'

/FWOOOSH!/

"No words huh?!"

/CLANG!/

"?!"

SHIT!

'A single collision was all it took for the figure to realize it was far from being a match to this mental construct.'

"This is beyond crazy."

My mental force is shaking, I didn't even know that was possible.

The difference is so overwhelming that I'm being compressed into a tangible state, one more strike and I'll vanish!

/Tremble!/

'The entire world shook as the knight raised its hand, gathering an incredibly massive amount of mental power.'

"..."

By the...

'The figure raised its head as the thunderstorm of mental energy materialized atop its head.'

/Laugh.../

"Such a violent reaction… Am I a rat to you?..." He said amidst several chuckles

If I take that hit there's a chance I may receive some real damage…

Not really within my book of plans, but how can something planned beforehand be interesting?!

'It may seem like he made a loss… Yet he was smiling widely.'

"This is absolutely perfect! I thought you were only interesting, but you're a damn monster trying to play in the mud!"

It is true that to get the biggest of fish you need to go to the most dangerous of places!

"I won't forget your name anytime soon, Philip… ?!"

'Just the moment the figure was about to leave, a strange intangible string of energy enveloped the figure's body.'

"What is this?!"

'It looked around frantically, but it was clear, this wasn't mental power.'

'What was this then?'

"Huh?!"

'It was only for a moment, but up above near the center of the ring where the white sphere was located, it saw a strange red dot flare.'

"!"

/TEAR!/

'Before it had time to process, the Mind Paladin slashed through its body with a powerful cut, cleaving it in half.'

'The strange energy that constituted the figure's body floated to the red dot before being absorbed by it.'

[***** Has recovered an insignificantly small portion of its Core energy]

[***** Goes back into hibernation]

…

/Back in reality…/

'Philip ran through the corridors and stairs of the laboratory as he made his way to the bottom floor as fast as he could.'

'The world around him was still as if time had stopped.'

'His body vanished and transformed as he turned into smoke, getting into the crevices of the elevators before jumping down all floors.'

/Fwoosh…/

'No one noticed as he rushed through, they kept screaming and running frequently… As if nothing had happened, even then, he went past and beyond them within a single moment.'

'The total time it took for him to go from the top floor to this one was barely enough time for a man to fall a third of the way to the ground due to him slipping on a pen…'

"I'm here."

'Though finally, standing in front of a metallic door, the world resumed its speed slightly.'

I can hear them on the other side, this should be the center of this complex.

'Philip could feel many things on the other side.'

'Heat, the uncoordinated beating of everyone's hearts, their rapid breathing, the tapping and pulling of many buttons and levers…'

'And as he thought, the system also scanned him, though it took a while for it to do so, as Philip's thought process was faster than its processing speed.'

/BEEP!/

[Identity not recognized, alerting security…] The machine voice proclaimed as Philip stood in front of the door

"Hm?..."

'He rolled his eyes.'

"Once this is over, I'll get myself verified."

But since I don't have the time to wait for someone to come…

/CRANK!/

'His two hands dug into the crevices of the door, bending it heavily as he applied force.'

/CREAKK!/

'The metal screamed as he easily pushed the two doors aside, but as he did so…'

[ALERT! Unnotarized breach!]

/Crack clank clunk!/

'Several machine sounds echoed as Philip saw in slow motion many metal plates and locks slowly fall into position, likely intending to seal the passage completely.'

I knew this place was secure, but I underestimate how much it was.

'Chuckling to himself, he stepped over the door calmly.'

'Even if the door closed on him, it would at most scrape his skin, even then, Philip couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling of crossing it.'

'Due to the many movies and documentaries he saw back on Earth, he always had a strange feeling whenever he walked close to moving machines.'

'The fear of losing a finger or two was kind of engraved in him.'

'Also, even if he was stronger, don't underestimate the amount of force some of these machines can output into a small point.'

'He may be strong, but if a hydraulic press were to be put on his hand, it would eventually crush it... If the metal did not bend first'

'It was only a matter of how much force he could take.'

'Philip wasn't impervious to them yet, and maybe, he never will.'

/CLANG!/

'The door closed heavily behind him, sealing his way out.'

"?!"

'Many of the scientists turned their heads to look at him, but they quickly went back to what they were doing as they had something else to focus on.'

'As long as Philip was quiet, they had no reason to pay attention to him, even if they realized their way out was sealed.'

'They were professionals, and they more than anyone else understood the repercussions of what would happen if they failed on their tasks.'

"Things look pretty bad…" He mumbled as he approached the Dwarf

'Directly opposite to the door was a Dwarf atop a small box pressing and pulling many mechanisms with a focused gaze.'

/TAP TAP TAP TAP!/

'Though his hand was very very heavy...'

Won't he break the machine by slamming the buttons like that?

'Approaching the Dwarf, Philip opened his mouth to ask:'

"Need some help?"

"HUH?! WHO IS… YOU?! I mean…"

'Philip raised his hand.'

"Keep it down and explain it to me, preferably as you work."

"I…"

'The gears in his head seemed to crank as he started to think.'

/Cough!/

'He quickly cleared his throat and turned to look at the machine, pressing many buttons as he moved.'

"So…"

[Reactor Core temperature has surpassed 5 thousand degrees, emergency Solid fuel removal is recommended…]

"WHAT?! HOW IS IT SO DAMN…"

"..."

'Seeing the Dwarf's extreme reaction, Philip immediately understood things were way worse than he thought, and given he needed time to formulate a plan, he touched the back of the Dwarf's head when he least expected it.'

/Flash!/

'And his vision was taken over by white.'

...

"What!?"

'Tredis looked around as he saw himself in a white world… It was so pure and peaceful…'

'The true image of an eternal heaven...'

"NO! Did I fail?!?!"

MY FAMILY MY DREAMS?!

What about…

"Calm down, you are very much alive, so stop screaming, I can hear them pretty loudly." Philip replied as he walked next to him

He's pretty dramatic, why is the first thing he thinks of heaven? Was he expecting to die that much?

'The Dwarf, noticing who he was, immediately ran to hold his shirt with desperation brimming in his eyes.'

"Mr Philip?! T-Tell me where… No! Put me back into position!"

'But he didn't budge.'

"Sigh, I told you to calm down first."

'Pointing at the air, Philip spun the Dwarf in place as if he was a child, showing him a large window floating in the air.'

"What is… That?... Ouch!"

My head!!

'In the air, he saw his back, making him confused.'

'The world had completely stopped, and all of a sudden, he felt a stinging pain on the back of his head.'

'It was at this time Philip started to say:'

"In order to give us some time, I pulled your conscience into my own."

"As you can see, the world is almost stopped to a complete halt, well, not entirely."

"In here, each second equals around 0.001 seconds in real-time."

"However, even though I can tolerate this speed for some time, your mind can't, so you'll slowly deteriorate, that's why you're feeling a stinging pain in your head."

"Time has slowed down, but I'm already moving my body to put some countermeasures to protect you, even then, we don't have much time."

I would say a few hours in here at most, but I better not say that to him.

'Locking his eyes with the Dwarf's he asked:'

"Find a solution, and tell me what to do to make it happen, I'll do anything."

It's the only way, from the looks of it, someone has acted against this place due to me, so it's partially my fault, even then, I have business with everyone here, and I can't let this place turn to cinders.

I'm not versed in the structure of this place, much less in his research.

But I'm aware that this situation is much more dangerous than I expected.

"..."

"O-Okay!"

'His eyes went from confusion to determination as the Dwarf focused on the window.'

"It's a bit strange to see myself from another perspective, but I can marvel about that later."

"First, I need a full view of the control table, I didn't finish what I was doing!"

If I have more time to think, I can more properly evaluate the situation and create a countermeasure.

'As he said that, Philip's body started to move very slowly as his mind flashed white…'

"It's slow…" The Dwarf said with a grunt

'Philip's eyelids twitched.'

"I'm doing my best here, my body is already moving incredibly fast, if I were to rush forward, I might turn your body into mush unless you don't care about that?"

"I uh... P-Please be careful with my body…" The Dwarf said meekly as he watched Philip push him to the side brutally

ARG! This isn't good...

'At these speeds, he knew his body would be crashing at the side wall at a massive speed, but he could only hope his organs hadn't burst already…'

'To go from 0 to 100 km an hour, Philip's light push might as well be a full-blow impact... In normal circumstances.'

"Don't worry about you, I have taken enough precautions, you won't get hurt at all unless you stay here for too long, so start talking and tell me what to do!"

He might have some aching, but even if all of his bones break, it can be fixed.

His mind however, isn't that easy to remedy...

'Understanding the situation fully now, he started to relay his orders:'

"Something happened to one of my coworkers and he set the machine onto the path of self-destruction."

"As we speak, the temperature on the main Core is increasing, and once it surpasses a certain stage, everything within a Km radius will turn to ash, and this is a conservative estimate."

"This city is like a box, it'll augment the explosion to an incredible degree, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone, even the people living at the edges were to be cooked alive within moments."

"Worse, all kinds of things would happen from there as the city itself would start to collapse..."

"So, I imagine we need to cool it all down?" Philip asked as he moved his body into position

Is this what happened in the future? Thousands of such ancient forges self-destructing?...

Well... This seems like a problem that can be resolved by taking out the perpetrator, but I'm unsure of his position and reasoning.

Considering the person I met before... This might be the game he was talking about.

A game of catch huh... How maniacal.

"It isn't as simple as that, all meaningful controls were taken over by him, I can't stop the machine through this panel…"

Even if we are super fast... We'll at most overwhelm him, he'll still force his orders over ours, and in the end, we'll only be able to pray on chance.

"So what do we do?"

"We have to stop it manually for good… But that's impossible, so I opted with playing a resistance game..."

/Shake/

'Philip shook the Dwarf's shoulders.'

"There's no time or space for that, tell me why is it impossible to do it manually?"

"B-Because you would have to enter the main Core room."

"The temperature surrounding the immediate confines of the core can go as high as a thousand degrees, even then, you would have to get really close to the machine."

'It could get as high as 2 thousand on its metallic surface shell, and if you were unlucky to get blasted by the steam…"

Not counting everything else...

"What is the highest temperature I would have to withstand if I were to do it manually?" Philip asked seriously

"You aren't considering doing it…"

"It's either that or nothing."

Now that I'm here, looking at the situation, there is no way to save everyone.

If I run with everything I have, I can save myself by making my way to the teleporters, but others are impossible.

I can't run with someone in my arms, they would die before I reach my destination, the time I would take to prepare so they wouldn't die would be enough for this place to blow up...

Teleportation is possible, but setting up a portal for others to cross takes time, my mind flows fast, but my body does not.

Everything I own, everyone I care about will turn to cinders.

Viera and the others might survive the blast due to the distance, she might notice something is wrong and immediately cast high Tier defensive Spells, but I'm unsure if they'll survive the rest.

It's impossible for me to stop now, I have to move, even if it means throwing myself into a damn volcano.

Besides... That's my purpose, isn't it?

To burn myself now... So I can burn the world later!

"Speak now, make it fast, your mind won't last much longer."

"Mr. Philip… Okay."

'He turned to the window, seeing the world through Philip's eyes.'

"First, press that and that button… Push this lever… Hold this switch…"

...

'A long list of orders were issued before he said:'

"This is enough… And just in time."

"?"

'Because it was slowed down, it was impossible to pinpoint what he was talking about.'

'From the perspective of the scientists, Philip suddenly vanished followed by an explosion of sounds and an announcement:'

[Emergency Hyper coolant is being unleashed]

…

/Back inside his mind/

"You need to enter the reactor room before the coolant is released." Tredis said with some concern

"If we let it be, the coolant will only diverge onto less important areas, we need it to cool down the Core, even if that may compromise the other sections beyond saving... Even if the Core was to be unusable after this."

We can rebuild, but for that, we need to be alive.

"How do I do that?"

"There is an entrance door on the Lab, but you would have to leave the room and…"

"How far is it?"

"At least 15 minutes on foot due to the many security measures installed along the way…"

'Meaning that it was difficult to say how fast Philip could arrive.'

'It might be one full second, it might be 10 whole seconds... Time they didn't have.'

'Tredis wiped his forehead even though there was no sweat in it, mostly out of habit.'

'It had already been around an 'hour' since he was sent here, a total of 3600 seconds had passed.'

'To put it in perspective, that was a measly 3.6 seconds in real-time, that was how fast they were moving, Philip had to try really hard to not break any of the components he was handling, with his speed, a slight tap could send a switch flying across the room.'

'Philip himself never pushed his mind so much before, his headache was increasing by the minute...'

'And if he felt like that, much less the poor Dwarf engineer...'

"Are there any small entrances? It doesn't matter how small it is…"

'Tredis shook his head.'

"None, this room and the reactor room are completely isolated from each other under many layers."

"Albeit a few of the tubes do pass in between rooms... The last thing I recommend is damaging the machine's integrity even further..."

"... What about this glass then?"

"Huh? The glass? It's a few meters thick… D-Don't tell me! You can't! This is a specially insulated glass, if you break it, everyone in the room is going to get baked in no time!"

"Who told you I was going to break it?"

"Not going to break it… Then, is it magic?! No! You mustn't! The room's isolation extends much further than that, it'll disrupt any sort of precise magic transportation, even if conducted by experienced wizards!"

Such insulation is necessary in order to maintain the precision of our machines, a normal forge doesn't need such protection as its very stable on its own, but I need precise and resolute readings to properly conduct research...

'In the first place, the kind of magic being thought out by the Dwarf was already something not even Viera could even imagine conceiving.'

'He didn't want to underestimate his newest investor and savior, but he didn't look like an Archmage to him!'

"..."

'Philip remained silent, his body raised its right hand as it pointed at the glass…'

'It flashed for a single moment, and in the next one…'

"We're inside, easy peasy."

Teleportation in itself isn't hard if it's over short distances... Though I prefer portals.

'He started to sweat.'

It's visibly hotter, my clothes are already catching on fire.

Even this far, it's already hotter than the flames of a campfire.

(N1)

'Due to their speed, it was possible to see the slow process of his shirt getting black and then igniting, though it seemed it would take a while for it to burn.'

"You really did it… Alright!"

'Motivated beyond 100%, the Dwarf pointed forward at a series of tubes.'

"First! We… Wait, I didn't ask…"

"It's okay, don't worry about my body." Philip reassured him

I would like to say I can do everything, but… The temperature he mentioned... The one inside of the Core is way beyond what I can take.

I have many means to enhance my defenses but don't misunderstand, they don't stack like in a videogame or a cultivation manga.

My magic can resist up to a certain extent, I can use it now to make me feel refreshed, but later on, it won't do much apart from either helping me cool down a little or being one extra thing to get in my way.

Armament can cover my body and protect me, but I never tested how much it can do.

This might be that opportunity to test its limits, however, I would've liked it if the conditions were a bit more… Safe.

I have my Skills such as Mind, Spiritual, and Magic control.

I don't know how much they can help, but if I offset them to act as a shield, they should at least filter some of the heat blasting onto my face, or at least reduce it.

Heat can reduce greatly in a matter of a few inches, the further away I am from the source of it all, the better my chances of getting out of here without severe burns...

At least with my life.

Though, I'm more than ready to get myself roasted in this place.

I could also heal myself from the burns in real time to offset the damage, however, even though my mind and body can move fast, it doesn't mean my casting speed and regeneration can keep up.

My previous use of magic was a result of many Skill levels inside my head, a casting speed so damn fast it would put many wizards to shame.

Though to be honest, casting speed can be related to a series of factors...

Worst comes to worst, I'll use all of my Skills at the same time to increase my body's resistance and speed so I can work fast even as my body burns down.

It'll be painful, but better than death… Most of the time.

I can also Shout, albeit it's dangerous.

The last thing I want is to scream in pain, lose my composure and blast the reactor… Or some important component away.

It is an option nonetheless.

'As he thought in silence, his body finally arrived in front of the tubes.'

"You told me you can do anything, so you'll have to do something impossible for me."

"See those tubes, break those ones, and connect them with those other ones over there, and you have to be fast."

"Because, since the cooling mechanism of the machine is being tampered with, we'll have to force it down the path we need it to go."

"While at the same time, we'll need to seal all of the liquid fuel tubes."

/TSSS!/

'As he moved to touch the tubes, hot steam blew onto his face, burning his eyebrows.'

"Shit, my eyes are super dry now." Philip complained as he blinked

I'm getting angry...

/Crack!/

'There was no way he could heat the tube and melt it down, so brute forcing was the only way…'

/Creak creak creak…/

"URG! This shit is damn tough…"

"Of course it is, I'm already impressed you can even bend it…"

"URG!"

'After breathing in, Philip managed to rip the tube apart from its spot together with a few other things he threw aside…'

/SHAAAAAAAA!/

'A powerful jet of hot steam blasted him on the face, and this time, he was ready, albeit annoyed nonetheless.'

"As expected, the coolant completely vaporized." Tredis mumbled as he crossed his arms

"Does it happen frequently?"

"Not at all, we change the coolant multiple times depending on the nature of the operation at hand, in between tests, we keep a special type inside the tubes as it's the most stable and leaves behind the least amount of detriments."

"Easy to wash and clean, cheap to replace and use, cost-effective..."

"Unfortunately, it's not nearly enough… Had it been the Extreme Coolant from the get-go, we wouldn't be in this situation, or at least, we would have more than enough time to blast Jamai out of his shell, given your strength and my authority."

"The problem is that now, we don't have enough time to go after him, we first need to stabilize this, once we're done, we can go there and take him out of his damn shell and deactivate the machine for good."

'With a plan already forming, Philip proceeded to remove the next tube and rearrange them.'

"Do you have anything to seal the tubes? The less coolant we lose the better…"

"... I have."

I hope it works.

/Crunch!…/

'He pressed the tubes against the entrances while also using magic to expand them from within… It did a good job of sealing them, though their pressure resistance was doubtful.'

"This is the best I can do, I could try to manipulate the metal, but I never worked with it before."

This metal is also too strong, I can't weld it together... Even then, I doubt a simple weld would do the trick.

"It'll do, now, our time is running out, the coolant should be dropping by soon, we still need to change another pair of tubes and move on."

"There's more?"

"These tubes we'll only do so much, to make sure there aren't any problems, we'll need to… Forcibly remove the Solid fuel from the reactor."

"Without the fuel, the machine will only operate with what it already gathered, though by now, I still calculated that it's more than enough for it to blast itself apart..."

"Even then, by removing it, we set a limit as to how much we need to work instead of having no baseline."

"Shit…" Philip mumbled as he proceeded to do as he was tasked

He's much calmer now...

Though I can't tell if that's good or not.

…

/At the same time outside…/

"COUGH!"

"Pfft… I got quite the hit…"

'Inside a small room somewhere in the city of freedom, a man opened his eyes tiredly as he cleared some blood from his nostrils, getting up from a chair with a trembling body.'

I feel as if my brain is about to melt… Arg, the pain!

"Breath in… Breath out…"

/Silence…/

'However, inside this dark room, the man started to laugh.'

"Haha… I found you…"

It all makes sense, he is the reason we're here, he is the reason I was called!

But… I don't really remember much as the connection was forcibly severed… Sections of my memories were cut and dispersed... DAMMIT.

His mental power is gigantic, enough to drown me...

I can't face him like this, if I stay he'll come after me as well.

"Even if not, the city will explode soon regardless." He said with an evil smile

"It's a shame, but I'll have to…"

/SLAM!/

'Someone suddenly slammed the door to his room open.'

"We've finally found you, shithead!"

"Why make it so troublesome for us?"

'Two girls, clearly very displeased with him entered the room as if they owned the place…'

'Hearing their voices, the man laughed drily.'

"I was just having some fun…"

/GRAB!/

'One of the ladies, one with purple eyes, grabbed his shirt and lifted him up with great physical power, making him gasp for air momentarily as his legs wiggled in the air.'

"Arg! Be a bit more careful brute woman." He said as he assessed his surroundings

What timing, they surely make this easy for me, tche!

Though... Convincing them to follow me will be a problem, I can't return alone.

"Oh yeah? Say that one more time and I'll show you what's brutal!"

"Tsk, can't even have a proper talk with a fellow member of my species." He said disdainfully

"I would've preferred that we weren't!" The girl said as she bared her teeth like a beast

"Guys… That's enough… Now, explain to us… Just what are you doing?" The other girl asked with a small smile... Albeit a very scary one

"Hehe… How does it matter to you two? Since when does what I do in my free time matters?"

'The second girl, the calmer one frowned, trying to reply cohesively:'

"It matters because…"

/THUD!/

"BECAUSE I FUCKING ASKED FOR IT CROOKED EARS!" The first one said as she threw the man onto the bed violently

/Tremble…/

'The elven woman's scream shook the room slightly.'

"Ouch my ears, are you a megaph…"

"One more word and I'll pull one of yours out."

"..."

'The Elf man immediately went silent, he knew she wasn't kidding, and in his state, he has no way of defending himself.'

He truly made this situation terrible for me.

"Good, now, start talking!"

'Even then, he smiled mysteriously, mocking them in a sense.'

"Haven't you wondered why we're here?..."

…

/At the same time, below…/

"That's it, now, open the reactor lid!" Tredis said as he pushed Philip's mental form forward

"Holy shit, I already opened 12 protective covers… Also, pushing me won't do anything!" He said with a frustrated expression

This is just a mental figure of me... It's getting difficult for me to focus.

"That's normal, each layer is meant to protect against something… It pains me to see you opening it so roughly and without proper hygiene, but we don't have many options!"

"..."

Who cares about hygiene?!

/TSS!/

"?!"

ARG!

'The temperature around the last lid was so hot Philip's hand immediately started to sizzle as he touched it.'

"Let me ask it again, I just need to take out some rods?" He asked with a pained expression as he let go of the damn lid

It's heavy too, this metal is so damn dense...

This will leave a scar.

"Yes, the Solid fuel is controlled by specialized rods that are deposited into the furnace on command, it's a design I made to improve efficiency."

"The liquid fuel also being one of my additions, meant to improve the stability and efficiency of the forge."

"The Ancient Dwarves deposited the Solid fuel by hand… Don't ask me, I still don't know how, Ancient Dwarven engineering was... Rough, and questionably dangerous, yet it worked somehow."

"I imagine they did it when the reactor cooled down in its lower cycles, just a theory..."

"Anyway, well, remember what I said before, this isn't a proper Magmatic Forge, but a scaled-down version made with fragments and…"

/TSSS!/

"I already understand! Just fucki... f-focus on the task!" He said with a frustrated gaze as he grabbed the lid once more

I need to be fast, even with my regeneration, my hands won't last long!

Without my muscles, no matter how much power of friendship and will I have, my tendons can't do the work alone!

/Open…/

"?!"

SHIT...

/BLAST!/

…

.

.

.

Notes

N1

Internal Temperature: A campfire can reach internal temperatures of 1650°F (900°C) in the flames, known as the continuous flame region.

Cooking Temperature: Above the flames (called the thermal plume region) where no flames are visible, you can expect temperatures of about 600°F (320°C).

Anyway, I wanted to make this chapter bigger as I felt we just rushed through some things, and at the end, this just became some sort of race.

Regardless, I am pleased with this end, and now, I have some images.

(HERE)

Next chapter we'll end this and after that, time skip.

Bye!

For the next chapter, I'll try to make images for Philip and the Dwarf, what do you all think?

If you have a specific character you would like to see, tell me, I'm in need of some inspiration.