Salvage ~ V1: Nuts and Bolts (Steampunk/ Gaslamp Romantasy ~ FxM, MxM)

Chapter 12: The Principles of Human Motivation

By the time Neiphi returned to the laboratory Kazia had finished with the Artifact she'd been working on and brought Kelvaran's device from the storeroom. Neiphi sat in the chair she had brought for Amelys, studying the documentation packet as she watched Kazia dismantle the outer housing of the wax cylinder recorder which would act as the receiver of the sound transmission.

"Ew!" Neiphi exclaimed, peering closely at the page, "Blood of the Maker? Ew."

That would be why the Artifact had such a strong pull on Kazia.

"Alright, lesson time then," Kazia said. "You know that certain hard substances will bind magic to objects - various metals, crystals, and the like. But sometimes to make the magic move within the Artifact, we need a liquid catalyst. Some weaker catalysts are alcohol or vinegar, but they will dissipate quickly, best for temporary applications. Saltwater and quicksilver are stronger.

Your academic tutors will teach you the physical properties of catalysts used in the natural sciences, but when we are dealing with Artifacts, we are dealing with magic - and magic comes from inside a person, from the very core of them. The more personal the elements of your Artifact, the stronger it will be, and that is why blood is the strongest magical catalyst of them all.

If you use animal blood, or from a person unknown to you, that will be about the same as using quicksilver. But the strongest blood catalysts are, in order: Blood of the Maker themselves, Blood of One Who Loves the Maker, and Blood of One the Maker Loves. It is the personal connection, the sacrifice of it, the Principles of human motivation, that make it so powerful. Blood of One's Enemy is another, although... that would be outside of my comfort."

"Would I have to kill someone?" Neiphi asked, horrified.

"No!" Kazia said emphatically. "That is strictly forbidden in the practice of Alchemy, and anyone committing such dark acts is sentenced to death themselves. No, these Artifacts only require a small vial, easily taken with a syringe. Like this one."

Kazia opened a drawer in her table and produced a syringe with a long, sharp steel needle. Neiphi cringed away.

"I don't think I could do that," she said.

"You won't be doing anything of the sort for a very long time," Kazia said.

Neiphi looked relieved.

"Now," Kazia continued. "In this device, the potion ampoule will be... yes, here it is."

She pointed into the mechanism of the receiver, where a glass bottle filled with dark liquid was connected to a tubing that wound throughout the works.

"That's Lord Meratha's blood?" Neiphi asked.

"It is, along with other ingredients. Now, this Artifact is in two parts, so-" She opened the watch to expose its mechanism as well and brought her magnifying glass around. "-there should be, yes, here."

Using tweezers, Kazia pulled from the watch mechanism a tiny metal frame that held a bit of fiber.

"You would open the seal there at the top of the potion ampoule, Neiphi can you do that for me? Very, very carefully. Thank you. Then dip this cartridge into the potion, and place it back into the watch."

Neiphi looked on with amazement as Kazia did all of this, ecstatic at being asked to help. Kazia replaced the seal Neiphi had opened, then hovered her finger over the switch.

"Let's see what happens," she said, pushing the switch.

They waited a long moment.

Nothing happened.