We followed Brukrag through a series of locked doors, all of which were made of iron instead of the wood that I had known the town to be made of. At the base of a winding staircase, we came to one last doorway which reached at least 20 feet high.

  “It’s cold down here. How deep are we exactly?” I asked as I looked around and noticed the walls were chiseled rock.

  “We are a few hundred feet below the surface,” Bruk replied as he stepped up to the massive doors which reminded me more like bulkheads on the Gray’s ship.

  He took his ax in his hand, and slotted it between the two. There was a crunching sound that reverberated against the rocks and back to my ears that made my head spin. I clasped my hands to my head to try and drown out the sound as I watched Brukrag’s ax begin to glow a neon green color. It came from the blade and wound its way around the head down the wooden shaft. Brukrag grabbed the handle and pulled the ax from the door. Each door slid open as he did so.

  Inside, there were lanterns which helped us see better. I could just make out a faint outline of something big in the distance.

  “This,” he said as he waved his arm forward and begged us to enter, “this is what we will use to fight Squish the Goblin King for his attack.”

  Paco and I walked further inside as more lanterns seemingly lit themselves with what I could only assume to be dwarven magic. Paco gasped as the lanterns behind the figure finally showed us what it was.

  It was a mech made entirely out of wood and iron. On one shoulder sat a cannon, or maybe it was a gatling gun. There were three tubes lined up next to each other. The cylinders were easily four feet wide. One of its arms had an ax for a hand, and the other was a regular arm and hand made of wood. It was compact for its height. Wider than it should have been, rather than tall and long. In the center, I could see a cockpit beyond the lone piece of glass.

  “You guys build this?” Paco screeched as he ran up to take a closer look.

  “Yes, this is my doing. This is my mech. I will sit inside and unleash the rage Lord Greatwood once brought down.”

  “I didn’t know you guys made bullets,” I said.

  “We do not. When the time comes, you will see how the gun works. In the meantime, please, take a closer look. I think you, little one, will appreciate this most of all.”

  I watched as Paco turned back to face us, nodded, and began to climb all around the wooden mech.

  “How do I get in the cockpit?” he shouted across to us.

  Brukrag didn’t answer. He walked over and pulled his ax back off his shoulders, the white pelt flowing as he did. The ax banged on the floor, and the mech knelt down in front of Brukrag. The cockpit opened, and Brukrag jumped inside. The cockpit stayed open.

  “Please, join me,” he said to Paco who was already climbing down from the gun to get a look at the controls.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I walked closer to the hulking mech as I watched Paco rummage around the cockpit as Brukrag sat in the pilot’s seat. I ran my hands over the legs. The wood was smooth. Almost like there was a varnish on it. It was almost slippery to the touch. The ax blade was cool, and its edge sliced my finger when I touched it. I sucked the blood off and pressed my finger to my pant leg to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t deep, but it didn’t stop. I looked up to the two in the cockpit.

  “How do I get up there?” I asked.

  “There’s a ladder in the back,” Bruk’s voice boomed down to me. I walked around and found an iron ladder and climbed up to find rungs going toward the gun, and another set which looped around to the front.

  I stepped inside the cockpit and found it more spacious than it seemed on the outside. There was another chair facing the rear of the mech. Against the back wall there were gauges, levers, and buttons to press.

  “What is all that?” I asked.

  “Gotta keep an eye on the engine when this thing is fully powered. Make sure nothing catches fire and pressure doesn’t build up in the skeleton.”

  “What powers it? I don’t see a furnace.” I said.

  “Dwarven magic,” Brukrag said as he lifted his ax and placed it into a slot on his left. All of these gauges lifted and a small orange light lit up the cockpit. The mech lurched and I almost lost my balance.

  “This is awesome!” Paco yelled.

  “So, you guys know magic too?”

  “We do. But it’s reserved for leaders and descendants of Lord Greatwood. We don’t often use it. It is better to fight your foes head on than a high tower. Then you can see them off to Valhalla personally.”

  “I see,” I muttered. I wondered if Brukrag saw me as a coward for choosing the Ranger class and being an archer. I figured that was why he took such a liking to Paco. He was an up close and personal fighter. Something that was honored in their culture. I tried not to dwell on it too much, but his words made me feel like an outcast even though they had treated me with nothing but hospitality.

  I stood there looking around as Brukrag showed Paco what the controls did. The mech moved forward and back. The ax swung. The fingers grabbed. I felt myself disassociate from this foreign world and long for my true home again even though it probably no longer remained. I swore I was dreaming when I came here, and now, I found, this was no longer a dream. It was my life, my nightmare, and I had to find some comfort in it knowing I’d probably never see anyone or anything from my old life except for Paco.

  “So, when are you guys going to fight this Squish guy?” I asked trying to find a way into the conversation.

  “You are coming with us. So is Paco,” Brukrag said.

  I gulped. We had barely survived the last attack by small goblins and the demon hawk. Now we were going to be a part of a war that had nothing to do with us. Or, maybe, it had everything to do with us being here. I couldn’t come to a conclusion on the matter, and didn’t want to bring it up to Brukrag.

  “When is the attack?” I asked.

  “It’ll be in two days,” Brukrag’s voice was cold.

  “Don’t you think we’re a bit under-leveled for this?” Paco asked saving me the same thought.

  “Yes. But you fared well against the demon hawk and goblins. You two will be in our backline. I will be with the vanguard leading the assault. At most, you’ll have to deal with some flyers, maybe a trebuchet or two. Don’t worry, there will be a mage with you two to cast a shield over you. Think of it as a way to farm XP and level up rather than being involved in the brutal fighting. That’s my job. Afterwards, we will celebrate as we were supposed to. This time with no distractions.” Brukrag turned to face me and Paco who had now jumped on my shoulder. His eyes were piercing and I felt a chill go down my spine.

  “Okay,” I said as me and Paco nodded. There was a nervous energy between us, but we felt slightly comforted by having protection.

  “Good,” he said as he lifted his ax from the slot and powered down the mech. “Now let’s get some rest. Tomorrow you can stock up on potions. We’ll probably have a piece of leftover armor for each of you. It’s not much, but it’ll give you a buff. Please, feel free to keep it as a token of my gratitude.”