"And yeah, that's how ya get stupid shroom heads in yer tunnel there. Cause freaky horn-head and his bat-winged buddies shook everybody down and now he thinks he's the Boss of Bosses. Definitely NOT a gobbie, but he's too mean to be anything a moogle thought up.", Brassilox small-talked. A little gossip after all that was good for the soul, and besides that, the average moblin took her week-old stale dirt like it was fresh-fried fish with funguar fingers on the side. Comes from spending too much time with bugbears, ya know?
"You think...he's one of them Tartarus monsters?", Brikabraq gasped. "I mean, you said that all the seals came off and that sounds kind of monster-y."
"Nah, he keeps talkin' about "taking over the surface" and junk like that. Apparently it's some kinda big deal to Sombra, and the gobbies what been up there say he's right. He sent some scroungers up a tunnel "to the surface world" and they came down with a TON of good junk, scrap, and it's like the HUGEST cavern ever. I mean, he don't know a pretty mask if he put it on and wore it, but he's a Greedalox through and through. Mebbe the greediest Greedalox ever. "Crystals" here, and "magic" there, and-"
Brikabraq interrupted. "Crystals? Like, really glowy, growing veins of crystals? You have GOT to see this.", and dug a fist-sized, red-glowing prism out of a random pocket. The she-gob was unimpressed.
"Yeah, them. Hornhead likes playin' with em, but ain't nothin' a gobbie can do with those things." -and Brassilox ran a finger "accidentally" just under his glove, the bat-wing leather grazing bare skin.
"Uh-uh! Oh, can you EVER do things with these!". Brikabraq rushed to say, and started yanking bits of rock out to go with the crystal.
"Okay, ya got four hunks of copper ore and a shiny rock. Whatcha gonna do with em?"
And with that, Brikabraq picked up the crystal, hefted it carefully, and flipped it into the air. Where it stayed, floating a few inches above the ground. The stone lit up, filling the tunnel with a flaming aura that plucked the chunks of ore off the ground to orbit the burning bit of magicite. Brikabraq fixed his eyes on the crystal, clearly concentrating- and the red energy formed a globe that swallowed the ore and hissed as it digested the metal-flecked bits of rock.
With a *FWOMPH*, the globe vanished- and left behind a slightly deformed but pure ingot of copper. The moblin hefted it and grunted, then pulled a green twin to the red crystal.
"I'm pretty good with this "magic" stuff, but this one's tougher....", and let the second crystal awaken in his gloves. Where the red one had been a flaming aura, this one spread the taste of fresh air as it sent a miniature hurricane in being, one that filled a greenish globe with wind and the shape of the chunk of copper as it floated into the resulting portable storm.
The globe shattered to reveal the crumbling crystal and the ingot, which dropped back to the tunnel floor with an audible *KLONK*.
"Okay, so you can do SOMETHIN' with a crystal. Melting ore's pretty handy, yeah..."
"No, wait!" Brikabraq blurted out. "One more, really-really-one more!" as he dug a second green stone from his pack and hastily set the crystal alight. "Just got to see it, all right, okay, come ON!"
The whistling globe imploded, leaving a small shining object behind that the moblin handed over to Brassilox without delay.
"I thought you'd be the kind of gobbie girl that'd appreciate something like this."
The metal-formed image of a copper bat, wings spread wide open- with a craftsmanlike clip on the back.
"It's for your hai- I mean your mask, cause you'd look pretty with some copper to go with all that shiny brass you got going on."
Brassilox's opinion of the moblin had improved considerably inside of three crystals, two minutes, and one incredibly useful moblin trade secret.
"It ain't bad. Maybe I might wear it a little bit. T'anks!", and with that she clipped the bat onto a mask strap, where it indeed did a decent job of covering over that worn spot where the leather was starting to look a bit shabby. As the mask-pin settled, she could feel something odd...the metal conducting something that left her feeling the faintest bit lightheaded and..."open" to something else. She plunked down, trying to get a grip on the change.
Sitting there, the feeling passed in a minute as the "empty" bit filled up. Brikabraq helped the goblin back to her feet.
"Crystal-made stuff can do that, Brassilox- rings and hairpins and stuff can make you feel a little funny at first. Megomak's got every moblin learning how to do it- says it's the world blessing moblins with magic powers for being so hardworking so we can dig even further."
And with that, the tunnel opened wide into a massive cavern, mazed with platforms and metal catwalks and islands of stone. Glimmers of crystalline magic could be seen blinking on and off as moblins worked in the distance, mixed with the more conventional sparks and smoke of traditional gobbie-style alchemy and construction. Quickly, the sounds of industry filled Brassilox's earholes and she dug out her smoked lenses to pop back into place.
"YOU HAD GOOD TIMING!", Brikabraq shouted as the trio went past a bugbear pounding a metal patch plate into place. "WE'RE MOVING IN TWO DAYS TO GET NEAR A BIG LINE OF THESE CRYSTALS!". The platform ended in a gate with a hole in it that smelled slightly of burnt ash and combustion. The moblin dug out a bag full of grey-flecked granules and carefully weighed it. "Gotta have just the right bang or...", and with that, he tossed the offering into the hole. *BLAM!* went the hole as it spat out a cloud of smoke and something shifted from the blast. The gate *clicked* and slid open quietly on a pivot. "...we wouldn't get to visit."
"Um, how are we just strollin' in here? Ain't he a little worried about random moblins wandering around and maybe borrowing his stuff?"
"Well, two things on that. One, he only tells the right amount of firesand to family to open the gate. Two..."
*SNURF* "YOU BRING GOBBIE GIRL IN HOUSE AGAIN?"
"...house troll."
"Hey, what's he mean AGAIN?"
"LAST GOBBIE DUMB AND TOOK SHINY. GURDERPUR POLISH FLOOR WITH FACE. SCREAMED LIKE LITTLE GIRL."
"Yah?...oh."
"Rule number one for guests. Don't call him Derpy. He uses the ones who do for dusting the ceiling. Gurderpur, would you take Buggalump to his kennel for dinner?"
"WILL REMEMBER EXTRA LUMPY KIBBLE IF GOOD. COME, BUGGALUMP. DIN-DIN."
"Thank you, Gurderpur."
The two behemoths stomped off into a dim side tunnel and vanished. "Ready for me to introduce you to Great-Uncle Megomak, Martial Meister and Magical Materials Mechanic for Movapolos Station #4? He's been after me to find a girlfriend for months."
"WaitasechowGIRLFRIEND?"
"Well, you ARE wearing my thing. And it's family only in here." Brikabraq nodded knowingly. "I mean, if Megomak found someone who WASN'T family in here, he'd have Gurderpur use them for light caverncleaning. How good are you at polishing brassware, Brassilox? Hee, hee, hee..."
Out of the fire and into the fireworks factory...while still on fire.
"I'm ready ta be right by yer side the whole time, lil' puffball.", Brassilox surrendered.