Jason summoned one of his automatons from his workshop. It was equipped with a spinning blade that allowed it to lift into the air and hover. He had sharpened the edges, being careful to maintain the proper shape, so that, when the automaton rose into the branches of the bare tree near the walls of the vampire’s estate, it cut through the dense canopy.
“That’s an impressive piece of machinery you have there,” Hazel said from Jason’s side. “Is it something that all artificers from the University can make?”
“No. This particular automaton is of my own devising. I got the idea one day when I was watching seeds spin down from a maple tree on my family’s estate. They seemed to float so delicately in the wind, I wondered if I could replicate that in a way that would allow me to lift something into the air.”
“And this is what you came up with?”
Jason nodded. “It took a lot of experimenting and studying the mechanics of flight. The library at the University held scarce little information beyond the construction of wing structures in various insects, birds, and bats. None of which, you’ll notice, fly by spinning their wings.”
“So, you had to resort to studying the shape and mechanics of the seeds you had watched.”
Jason nodded. He picked up a branch and held it out for Hazel to see. “Almost all plant structures are made of different variations on the same substance. Alchemists call it florinate because they first found it in the flower of plants. When they found it in other structures as well, they stuck with the same name.”
Hazel nodded. He held back the number of questions he wanted to ask, suspecting many of them would be answered by the time the wizard was done.
“The seeds are made up of the same substance as is this wooden branch. The question then becomes…”
“Why does the seed float and the wood fall easily to the ground?”
Jason nodded. “It had to be more than weight. Seeds smaller than the ones I studied fall to the ground easier. I realized the shape had to be the key. The seed was weighted on one side, and had a thin layer of florinate extending out from that weight. When the wind catches this makeshift wing, it causes the seed to rotate.”
“And this rotation generates the force needed to fly?”
Jason shook his head. “Not fly exactly. It just slows the seed’s descent. But I knew if I could build something that captured that force more efficiently, there was a chance I could produce enough of it to counteract gravity.”
The automaton floated gently back into Jason’s hand. The spinning blades slowed to a gentle halt and the pair move to a different section of the canopy. “I haven’t been able to work in a system to generate forward movement, so right now these things can only go up and down.”
“That’s still quite the accomplishment. Up is the most difficult direction to work out if history is any guide. I dare say you are the first person to create something that can fly on its own.”
“I’m not sure if I’m the first person to have ever accomplished this. Maple trees have existed for a long time, and I can’t be the only person to have studied them in such great detail. Still, having virtually no other work to draw from did make this design something to be celebrated.”
“Now there’s just the question of, if you can create something like that, is it possible to make one large enough to hold a person?”
“I doubt it. There’s a reason that most things that fly are small. With the exception of dragons and a few supernatural creatures like wind spirits, almost anything that can fly under its own power is smaller than a person. I suspect dragons might have access to some kind of magic that makes them weigh less.”
“You don’t think this design is scalable?”
Jason shook his head. He touched one of the blades of his automaton, being careful not to cut himself. “The square-cube ration is the biggest problem. Things get heavier a lot faster than they get bigger. As part of my studies, I realized the total area the blades cover was a direct impact on the amount of force they generate. To make one large enough to hold a man, you would need several blades the size of claymores. At that point, their own centripetal force would probably tear them apart.”
“What if you made the blades out of something lighter than steel?”
“Most materials that are lighter than steel will also be weaker as a result. Unless you have access to a mithril mine, steel is the best material we have access to, which limits scalability.”
Hazel nodded. Jason was clever and a good problem solver, there was no denying that. There was just one last question he needed answered. “Arcane magic users draw their power from physical energies, right?”
Jason nodded.
“And you need an energy source to keep your automaton running?”
Another nod.
“Where you do get the energy? I didn’t see you cast any spells when you activated your… what do you call the ones that fly?”
“I don’t call any of them anything. Maya like to call these one’s thopters because of the sound they make. I think calling them anything other than automatons makes people think they are more than just machines built to do tasks.
As for your question of power, it’s a good one, and not one I’m used to most people thinking to ask. Many artificers create a small container filled with a volatile compound that releases energy as it degrades. Others etch runes into their creations to draw heat from the air. I find these methods to be unsatisfactory.
The first means having to constantly replenish the supply of the compound as it degrades. The second ensures that your creations only work under largely ideal circumstances. During my studies there was only one source of power I could think of that a wizard always has at their disposal and, given proper time, is self-replenishing.”
Jason clicked a latch and a small vial of crimson liquid popped out. He held it up for Hazel to see. Hazel went a bit pale when he realized what it was.
“That’s blood.”
“It’s my blood. I’m not harvesting energy from poor serf who doesn’t know what’s happening to him. I only ever use my own blood, so that way I am the only one who experiences the side effects.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? You’re drawing heat from your own body and risking hypothermia.”
“It’s only dangerous if you aren’t careful. And I am always careful.”