MEETUP: Science Fair!

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* A14: Artificer's Hall *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Voices and footfalls echo from the high ceilings of polished stone and artifice-metal, lending the great Artificer's Hall the same ominous acoustics as any grand cathedral. Twisting, jointed arches of metal give the hall an almost arachnid quality, as if one has somehow inadvertently wandered into the belly of some massive mechanical beast. Everything is dark and metallic, seams barely visible where pieces have been welded together. The whole building pulses every so often with a hum of energy, powered by a kind of arcane force scarcely comprehended by those other than the artificers who work here.

Stained glass windows, adding to the almost holy ambiance, display massive shadowboxes. Within these iron boxes is not a view to the outside. Instead, life-sized figures enact scenes from Alexandria's past from the Artificer's perspective--showing feats of Building, Achievement, and Experimentation. One, set aside, is an altar to Reos, the Forge of the World. It depicts what is thought to be a snapshot of the tower at the center of the World Engine, the god's planar home.

The whole of the building is as some grand museum dedicated to the works of artifice. There are also numerous displays showing fragments of ancient works, replicas, and even some original devices and schematics crafted from as long ago as the Age of Kulthos to the modern day.

Beyond the hall lie a number of buildings, including a series of dormitories and construction rooms, where artificers compare notes, ideas, and puzzle over the grand works of history. These buildings spawn from the Central Hall in an almost arachnid fashion, connected by walkways of dark steel and overseen by golem guardians.

The Artificer's Hall is buzzing with activity as the artificers, engineers, wizards and just about anyone who works with artifice has set up a table here. They are all showing off their latest and greatest inventions. There is a buzz in the air and not just from all the magical energy. Everyone seems to be happy and it's more of a good natured competition then anything. Zalara has been given one of the honorary judgeships so she's is walking around meeting and greeting with all those that have decided to setup a booth. She has a helmet on with Judge written across the top of it, more for safety incase anything explodes than anything else. She has a clipboard with her though to write down notes about everything she sees.

Three panels. Standard. Banners? Not. One of the tables (which has a small set of stairs going up one side of it) features a rather large display, over which hang several multicolored banners. In true gobber tradition, bangles hang from the banners, tassels, and decorations. The entire thing looks sort of gaudy, and even the large, practical lettering reading IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY IN ARTIFICE, adds a sort of pizzaz and color. Beneath the banners are a set of panels, covered in demonstrative illustrations, including terrible death machines, crashing airships, and random, if colorful explosions. ...sprinkled around the table are small devices. One, press a button and it simulates a miniature explosion aboard an airship's engine.

Beside the rather (large, colorful) display is an equally colorful gobber. At least, her hair is. Bright, red, and nearly as tall as she is, she stands there looking as official and studious as a gobber can, while furiously writing in her notebook.

Zalara moves over to one of the larger tables after an enthusiastic wizard was done demonstrating his no-tears automatic onion cutter. She is wiping away some tears as the wizard's invention only seemed to make the crying worse and she takes out a hanky to blow her nose. She sniffles and puts on a smile as she looks over the table number, "Hello there Miss Coppervolt. How are you doing today?" She looks all over the table, "It seems like you are demonstrating how an airship's engine works?"

The gobber looks up from her book and BEAMS. She tucks the book underneath an arm. A few pieces of notepaper escape; they're covered in doodles and drawings and hearts and ideas. "The SAFETY of an airship! Artifice in general, of course, but the airship is the more visible, powerful example of my topic. Airship failures are catastrophic, costing merchants tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands in lost profit, as well as the loss of life. What I would also draw attention to is that aside from the monetary cost, there is also a cost in RESEARCH." Sniff. She stands up straighter. "Artifice would have made greater advances were these devices made more safe in the first place."

Zalara looks over the research that was done. She takes her time examining it all very carefully, "A very worthy topic to bring up especially today. There are many who just rush blindly into their experimentation and don't consider matters of safety, some great minds have been lost because they did not take safety into consideration and were more concerned with the end result. So besides this wealthy of information and demonstration is there anything you have created to make artifice safer for the artificer?"

"It is my belief that by bringing for this topic, I will enable further, -safer- inventions," replies the gobber...so, well, no. But she also seems so firmly earnest, and there, this closer, are research papers and facts and figures scribbled all over the poster boards, often with titles labeled SAFETY in one form or the other. Her ears are decorated gobber-style in bangles and bulbs, and her hair is as tall as she is, or nearly so. Ribbons proclaim her project to be, in large letters on a multicolored banner: IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY IN ARTIFICE!

On the table there are a few demonstrations of airship explosions (one in a bottle, where you could press a button and the airship pretends to explode).

Stirling pads over to examine things himself, a permanent scowl plasters on his face. "Hrm, singe resistant shampoo maybe?" the chrome clad Arvek offers.

Zalara is standing in front of Coppervolt's table that has been set up to bring light to the important of safety in artifice. She nods with a smile as she does go to press one of the buttons and the airship does indeed look like it was exploding. "That's very fascinating, how did you make it explode without it breaking the bottle?" She wonders and she looks over to Stirling, "That'd be something more alchemic then artifice, now a device that could style your freshly singed hair or restore it all together would be something. I think there might be one a couple aisles over."

Coppervolt clears her throat, and then leans up to whisper, "Children's party trick," she says and then adjusts the book underneath her arm. Her expression is most serious, "Sometimes the simplest solution is needed. The artifice equivalent involved a pulsating...I could not guarantee it would not explode, and when I sought consultation, there were too many variables. In one version, it turned the user's hair green." She blinks. "I do not look good in green," before looking over to see Stirling. The...notebook creeps out, sort-of of its own violation, except she already has her pen in hand. Like she's going to take notes on him. Stirling shrugs "Simple is good. Have you tried chrome plating your hair? It’s surprisingly resistant."

Zalara ahs a little bit and nods, "Yes sometimes simple is better although don't say that too loudly now, a lot of people here believe that artifice is the best no matter how complicated the solution." She shakes her head, "No I like my hair the color that it is and I use enough metal in my armor to more than make up for it."

The notebook is out. Coppervolt is scribbling in it. "I agree. The fight is important, of course, but we must choose our battlefields most carefully. In a way, arguing for SAFETY! Is almost a science in itself." She makes a few notations and then looks over at Stirling, "Does the installation of chrome involve placing fire-producing devices close to the face in order to permanently remove remaining hair?"

Stirling shakes his head "Not if done right. You’re supposed to get all the hair. Safety though... it’s good to see someone taking it seriously. More armor and better defenses are never a waste." he comments wryly, a sympathetic puff of black smoke comes from the furnace on his armor.

Wandering about the various stalls and exhibits is Jareth. It's plain to see by the plate armor, symbol of Daeus and longsword on his belt that artifice is not a part of his repertoire. Nonetheless, he looks in genuine wonder and curiosity at the achievements and innovations on display.

"Is the chrome living? How do you handle magnificent growths of hair without continued alterations?" Coppervolt inquires. The gobber's expression is most serious with the question, and her large ears flutter and bob as she scribbles across the notebook with her pen as Stirling continues to speak. The gobber, with the giant red crop of hair, stands near her own display, which is both gaudy and serious in the gobber fashion, with a banner across the top which reads: THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY IN ARTIFICE. It includes numerous papers, demonstrative objects, and one glass bottle where pressing a button simulates the crashing of an airship.

Zalara smiles, "Well I am glad to see that someone is safety conscious I must admit that the experiments that I sometimes do aren't the most safest as they could be, but sometimes you do need to take a risk to make that breakthrough, we can't be too safe." She turns to Stirling, "So are you an artificer too? Have you set up a booth?" She asks Stirling as she finds the idea of chroming hair a little out there, but hey it could be a new fashion statement for young artificers.

Klythos, the goblin artificer, shows up a bit late to the fair, carrying a steel box, about one foot by one foot. Runes carved on it look like...snowflakes. He sits the box down on an empty booth, then looks around.

Jareth is drawn to Coppervolt's display. The indicator of safety makes him purse his lips before he comments out loud, "Last time someone mentioned safety in artifice around me, it was Fizzlefuse, and I got sent back in time..."

"Safety in artifice is actually more efficient than explosions," replies the gobber, swiftly. She blinks a few times at Jareth, and fumbles for her notes before she can find a--oh! There it is! He is passed an exceedingly thick stack of papers. "Explosions and the lack of attention to appropriate safety measures actually costs us investment in SCIENCE!" 'Science' is always said that way. She can't seem to help it. "As well as increasing the cost to merchants for lost and damaged goods. ...have you ever been on a falling airship?" One well...she outright does not reply to the subject of Fizzlefuze. Some things are just lost causes.

Jareth nods a little as he thumbs through the sheaf of papers, "I also recall a time distortion that brought in a massive lizard into the town square."

Stirling nods "Follow me... I call it the Turbo Cantilevered Cadaver and Corpse Fixer." He leads the gang to a stretch of lawn where an enormous cart-like device stands with a raggity tarp over it. Pulling the tarp back he reveals what looks like a wagon made if chrome pipes and tubes on steel wheels. In the middle rest two enormous leaf like blades, on one side a magazine of wooden panels and on the other side stacked tables only a few inches apart. It’s almost all chrome plated "Short name I know."

Klythos looks around for a moment, grabbing a chair and climbing in it. He takes his box, turning the snowflakes which are apparently dials. There are tiny holes in the center of each snowflake, and after a moment there is a hum from the box and the goblin sits back down. The box appears to be blowing cool air over him, he adjusts some goggles he wears so he can start peering at other peoples projects from his comfort.

"Eeeee..." It's like someone busted part of a kettle. Coppervolt blinks a few times, and nervously flips through her papers. "All the more reason for appropriate safety measures! The drive-force behind airship engines is one of the more powerful sources of energy available. If misused or not appropriately tested to the -full extent-..." She flips through a few more, and then pulls out a few more papers and passes them up to Jareth. Blink. Blink blink blink. She glances over at Stirling, and then back. "It encourages disaster and unforeseen results. For example, were his device to hit market, appropriate safety and ah...quality testing measures should probably be implemented," safety is controversial! "So that it did not adversely affect the subj--the /customer/." Ahem. Ahem-ahem.

Jareth moves over to Stirling's apparatus, looking at it closely and nodding his approval of the chrome plating, "Nice." and then quirks an eyebrow, "What...what does it do?"

Zalara smiles at Coppervolt, "Thank you for showing me your demonstration and booth. Safety is very important." She writes down a couple last things before she does indeed follow along after Stirling. She gives Klythos a wave and smiles, "I'll be right with you, don't worry." She say as she can see the steam coming from the box. She moves over to look at Stirling's artifice and she smiles, "The name sounds like it does more than just chrome hair, what exactly does it do?" She asks, "It sounds like it might bring back the dead or make them look pretty. I'm sure the morticians would love it."

Klythos just peers at people from his spot by his device. Maybe he thinks someone will steal it if he leaves it. He is instead trying to look over other peoples things without leaving his chair.

Coppervolt takes a few steadying breaths and looks down at her notebook. Whatever she sees there makes her frown, and she begins scribbling over the scribbles, quickly marking them out...using neat, efficient lines. At least, so long as everyone's watching, anyways.

Stirling clears his throat "Well Ladyhobs and Gentlehobs... and everyone else. Allow me to demonstrate." he says gruffly, seemingly ditching a prepared speech. From behind the device he produces a straw dummy and places it on a table before pulling a lever.

For a moment nothing happens and then smoke begins to billow and steam builds in a reservoir. With a bang the blades suddenly shoot down into the dirt and accompanied by a ratcheting noise it lifts a slug of dirt out of the ground. Then with a pop a wooden board is placed below the giant dirt slug and the dummy placed on it before chrome arms pull boards from the magazine to build a coffin around the faux corpse. Finally when it’s finished the machine drops the giant slug of dirt, coffin and all back down the hole leaving a small raised mound. As an extra feature excess steam is routed through brass whistles that play a funeral dirge as it operates.

Jareth rubs at his chin as he watches the demonstration and then to Stirling, "Have you shown this to the Mourners? I'm torn as to how they'd react to this."

Zalara takes a step back as she has her notepad up and ready. She smiles, "Please go on." She watches with macabre fascination as the device comes to life and starts to dig up a hole in the ground. She can see why this was placed outside as the faux corpse is put into a box, then into the ground before being covered up. Zalara starts to write down on her clipboard and she nods, "Very ingenious device, how does it work in cold weather? I know often the mourners have to wait till the spring to bury someone who wishes to be buried. Does it do cremations too?" She wonders as she looks it all over.

Coppervolt looks up with a blink. She stares at the device and the way it had so-simply plopped the faux-corpse into the ground, and begins making notes. "Interesting," she writes, and "Efficient!" ...and then she frowns, with a thoughtful look over towards the near-hiding Klythos, and begins to write out something longer and using more words. Probably necessary safety measures. "What sort of poundage do you think it -could- be capable of lifting?" she asks the hiding-man, the words speculative, an academic examining a device for future potential. Uh. Oh.

Stirling scratches his chin "It has a 300lb load capacity and it should be able to handle frozen soil with some reinforcement to the digging spades." he says rather cold and clinical. "It currently only does corpses placed on the machine but I am working on an extension that pics them off the ground for battlefield clearing purposes." to Jareth he turns and shrugs "I hear they need help, however they have not seen it yet."

The air conditioned goblin watched the show, but snorts faintly, obviously not as impressed as everyone else. He still hasn't left his chair, nor let his box out of his reach.

Zalara nods as she continues to write down on her clipboard what it does. She smiles, 'So I take it that it doesn't chrome hair then either or is that a side benefit?" She asks and she looks it over, "What prevents it from picking up someone that's alive, or is it just if someone is laying in the target spot?"

Coppervolt scribbles a few more notes within her notebook as she listens to the demonstration. She nods a few more times, giant ears flapping...and continues to take notes. "Many oruch are over 300 lbs, as well as giantborn. How do you plan to address the too-large?" she asks, she of the too-small races.

Stirling nods to Zalara "Only what you place on it and a bigger machine is in the works with bigger corpse capacity and a corpse magazine as well so it can bury them by the dozen." he finally says to Coppervolt.

Klythos just watches quietly.

"How are you testing these devices?" The ever-important question! Coppervolt's ears twitch at their very tips (twitch-twitch) and she looks up with an earnest curiosity.

Stirling grunts "Cattle"

Zalara ahs, "Well I hope that it's only used for bury corpses, although it could be adapted to burying others things as well. Is there a way that you can delay the burying part so that it just digs up something?" She asks curiously as she continues to look over, "Plans for something bigger huh? That would be something to see."

Twitch, scribble. Twitch. "Why would you want to reverse it to UNbury corpses?" asks the red-haired gobber. She makes a few more notes, and then looks towards Zalara. "I would think by that point the corpse might be overripe, not to mention what I understand to be the negative social implications."

Stirling shrugs "Ya could make a digger but the cost of prolonged running is high, the mana furnace at this size is thirsty. Might be regular magic would serve better at that point."

Zalara looks over at Coppervolt, "Just curious if it can or not, it might not only dig up corpses it could dig up buried treasure." She suggests and then nods as she listens to Stirling, "Well thank you very much this is an amazing piece of artifice. You did a splendid job, but I have to go see to the other projects. You are welcome to come along of course." She says as she writes down a couple more things and then turns to head over towards Klythos' booth, "Hello there. Sorry to keep you waiting, what do you have to show us today? I'm Zalara by the way, Judge of the Science Fair." She has on a helmet that says Judge across the top.

Klythos grunts and points to his device, still blowing cool air towards him. "Coldbox. Make cold room. Size small, make size big too, for inn." He then turns a snowflake dial on the front, and the top clicks released. There is a small storage compartment which contains a frosted metal mug, and a piece of frozen meat on a stick. He picks up the meat, "Last long." Its then you notice the stick is a tail, and the meat is likely a frozen skinned and headless rat.

Coppervolt gives Zalara the Most Suspicious Look Ever, before going back and making More Notes! Scribble. Scribble. She's busy taking notes now, and sneaks a few feet closer to Stirling's device as attention drifts away from it...

Munch idly wanders his way into the Science Fair, idly curious. The metal man is quite confident that no local invention could possibally top the brilliance of creating himself, but as he wasn't the one who built himself, entry isn't really an option. Besides, he knows something of locals. They like to Take-Things-Apart-And-See-How-They-Work-And-Oops-I-Broke-It.

Zalara looks over the devise, "Very ingenious to make a coldbox. So it makes the whole room cold or just inside of the coldbox?" She wonders as she looks over the headless rat on a stick and isn't fazed bit it at all, "How long does it take the meat to freeze like that? Can you adjust the setting or is it just one type?" She asks as she has her clipboard out and is busy writing.

Stirling wonder over to Klythos and peers ar the box "Can I get one for my armor?"

Klythos reaches up to his shoulder, twisting a small device off and handing it to Sterling. "Armor. Make one, not hot, not cold. Both. Short time." He then looks at the judge again. "Make both. Room and box." He adjusts a dial on the side blowing the air, and the humm grows stronger, blowing colder air now. He turns and points it at you, the breeze isn't forceful, but it’s definitely cold.

Zalara shivers a bit as she feels the breeze and she brrs a bit, "It certainly is cold, your invention will be very popular in the city during the summer. Does it take a lot of energy to get it so cold?" She asks as she moves out of the direct line of the cold air and she rubs her exposed arms a bit to warm them up.

Munch wanders towards the current showpiece, eyeing the ColdBox. "Interesting, but not sure I see the point." Coming from someone who thinks cooking ruins the flavor, and walks around naked in the winter.

The goblin turns the dial back down, lowering the cold a bit. He nods, "Power depend how cold. Low cold, days. High cold, hours." He turns off the box now. "Demonstration. Less power, make one room, one food. Not same."

A few more pages and notes later, and Coppervolt is still scribbling furiously. She has a few notes now on the burial device (along with a list of safety-related questions), and is making her way now to examine the box. Of course, most everyone is taller. She sort of peers around Munch's uh. Leg...partial-metallic support systems.

Zalara writes down some notes on her clip board and she nods to Klythos, "Well thank you so much for demonstrating that coldbox for us. I'm sure a lot of people in Alexandria will be wanting to talk to you about installing it in their homes." She gives Klythos a smile and she looks to the others, "There are some tables set up for some refreshments if you'd like to go check them out."

Coppervolt looks up from the pages in her book, and then tucks the notebook awa--she blinks as she recognizes something attached to Munch's...leg.

She backs away. Quickly.

And then scurries over towards the table with an, "Excuse me, excuse me. I need to do an analysis on the ah. Appetizers!"

Munch waits quietly for others to choose a table. He's had issues with picking out which are the refreshments, and which are the biology samples.

Zalara smiles as she heads along with the others and she does stop a couple times to write down some notes in her clip board. There are all sorts of artifice going around, a vast majority of them are harmless seemingly over complicated ways to do something simple, like a broom that can sweep itself and put itself away, an artifice machine that will wash and count your coins for you. Even some of the food is being provided by some of the projects. A gnome comes buy with a tray full of strangely shaped cookies, "Hot off the Cookie Extrudier 5000."

Coppervolt pauses in her rush to peruse the Cookie Extruder. "Chocolate chips, or raisins?" she inquires. The notebook is out again, and she surreptitiously looks where Munch has gotten off to. She -really- didn't want to recognize the whatever-it-was stuck to his leg. ...!

Munch is, for the moment at least, oblivious. There's food to be had, and wary looks from random people is nothing unusual. He does sort of hope the Cookie Extruder uses chocolate chips. Nobody actually prefers raisins. Nobody normal.

Zalara catches up with the others as the gnome sets the tray down, "On the left and middle are chocolate chip cookies and on the right are oatmeal raisin cookies. Enjoy them." He says as he heads back to his table and he's making up another batch of cookies. He's using a lot of chocolate for his batch. Zalara comes over and she picks up a couple oatmeal raisin cookies to eat, "Mmm these are very good."

Stirling walks over to the tray and starts eating cookies with gusto, for every one he eats two get put in a belt pouch. Seems he takes advantage whenever he can.

Munch blinks with a soft click, and straightens up. Something's wrong. The metal man isn't exactly the most self-aware being, but the occasional internal diagnostic is pretty much required when most of you interior counts as 'weapon grade'. "....the heck?"

Zalara looks over at Munch, "Are you all right?" She asks as she takes a bit out of her cookie and she goes to get something to drink. She moves over, "Probably not the best time to break down. I'm sure you'll have a glut of helpers."

Munch peers down at his leg, and tsks mildly. "Nah, one's enough. Do wonder when I picked that up." Hanging from the golem's calf is a first sized lump of pulsing, oozing flesh, a mix of oily black, blood red, and toxic green, slightly oblong in shape. Think 'demonic leech' and.... well, you'll pretty much be on the mark, really.

Zalara hmms as she pulls down her goggles to take a look at what is hanging from the golem's leg, "Well it looks like you've got some kind of leech on your leg. Have you been in some swamp lately?"

Stirling takes a fuel tank from his pocket and slots it to an opening in the top of his titanfist. "We can burn it off, no problem."

Munch ehs, ripping his axe free from his back. "Troll Leech. They eat trolls. Well, troll blood. Had them before, but no, no clue where this one is from. They're kinda harmless, unless you get a lot, then you die from blood loss. Will drop off on its own, eventually. They aren't dangerous, unless you try to remove them wrong. They're full of acid, so popping them splatters. And squeezing them not only shoves acid into you, but the numbing agent can stop your heart. If you've got a biological heart." He glances towards Stirling. "Not with any sort of mortal flame you can't. Sorta immune. Or at least really resistant."

Coppervolt tucks the book aside for a moment, and reaches up to grasp one of the cookies, then freezes, the treat halfway to her wide-sized gobber-mouth.

She drops it.

And flees the room!

Zalara wrinkles her nose as she listens to Munch, "They must be if they feed on trolls, trolls can regenerate." She hmms, "Well I do have some magical fire of one of my contraptions, but if you know of a better way to get it off I'm all ears."

Munch makes his way over to the ColdBox, pops open the door, bends down a little, braces himself... and slices off a chunk of his leg with his adamantine axe. Specifically, the chunk with the leech on it. Gingering picking up the lump, the golem flicks it into the ColdBox, shuts the door, and cranks it up. Or at least turns the little dial until it stops. Munch is pretty sure that means 'more cold'. Then he sets about patching the rather nasty gash on his leg. "Priests. They don't like holy magic. No clue how they react the cold. Guess we'll find out in a bit. I usually just pop 'em. Bit of acid ain't special. But figure this is a learning sorta event, might as well find something new out."

Stirling shrugs and sighs "It could have done it. No matter, I have get the digger ready for another presentation.“ He mentions as he makes way with his pilfered cookies.

Zalara watches as Munch makes his way over to the Coldbox and she winces as she sees him just slice off a chunk and put it into the box, "I guess so. Well if they are resistant to fire then they probably don't like the cold, although maybe you should try salt next time, regular slugs don't like it. Maybe these leeches don't like it either."

Munch blinks with a soft click, and ponders. "Salt... sorta hope there never is a next time, but is something to consider. I kinda doubt it'll work, but I've been surprised before."

Zalara nods, 'Well you should make sure that you got them all if there was one there then they might be all over especially where you can't see. Like having a tick on your back or behind your ear."

Munch says, "....I don't have ears. But was low fluid levels from just the one location."

Zalara nods, "Well do try to be careful." She says as the Science Fair for the artificers is in full swing. There are demonstrations of the latest and greatest artifice inventions going on. There is a loud boom and Zalara winces, "Uh oh I better go find out what's going on." She says as she hurries down the rows and there is a small cloud of smoke coming up. A goblin and gnome come wandering out, "Well there goes our entry." The gnome says. The goblin shrugs, "AH we'll build the next Advanced Automatic Pot Scrubber and Kettle Washer."

"Behold!"

Boshter shouts as he runs into the immediate area. "It is I, Steel Von... no, wait. That's not. Behold! It is I! Boshter, of Blar!" Boshter is here now, much to the dread of all around. Probably.

Munch has just finished patching up a nasty gash on his leg. It was self-inflicted, but to be fair, it also served to cut off a Troll Leech. A nasty sort of parasite that, as the name suggests, feeds on trolls. And golems, apparently. The offending vermin has been tossed into a ColdBox on demonstration, mostly to see what happens. Science! "Hello Boshter!" Munch waves, limping only a little.

Zalara waves her hand to clear the smoke, "Is everything okay?" She asks as she hears Boshter and she gives him a wave, "Hello there." She winces as she looks at the blackened and broken artifice, "Sorry about your artifice, it looked like quite an invention."

When he notices that Munch is limping, Boshter says, "What happened to you, Munch?! Did something hurt you? Does that something need PUNCHED? I there science that I must punch very hard?" He looks excited by this possibility.

Munch buzzes in quiet amusement. "No, it's all taken care of. Punching, in this case, would have made it worse. They're full of acid, and splatter when punched. But thank for the offer."

Zalara gets the artificers back on track, "It's okay. Nothing is burning anymore." She moves towards the others, "Hello again Boshter, what are you trying to punch now?"

"I am here to punch nothing! Unless it needs punching. In which case, I shall punci it very hard! Is there something that needs punching?" He looks back and forth. Hopefully.

Zalara shakes her head, "No. Nothing here needs to be punched everything here is non-combat, it's part of the rules. There is food to eat if you want and plenty of artifice inventions to see."