This is where the engineer is?” I gaped up at the oversized garage door.

“It is where he has been all day,” Mia answered. “I assume he is still there. He was really into his work.”

There was a small white door to the side of the large door on the tall metal building. I walked over and tried the handle. It turned in my hand. “It’s unlocked,” I whispered to Mia.

“Be careful,” Mia whispered back.

“I stuck the respawn blade in the floor back at the hotel room,” I reassured her, but my heart was pounding. What would be on the other side of the door? How crazy was the man? Mia had explained him as eccentric. What did that mean? “If he blasts me when I go in the door you take him, bag him and bring him back ready to go out the gates before dawn.”

She narrowed her eyes at me but did not say what she was thinking. I edged open the door and peered through the crack. I could hear clanging inside. I could see flickering light inside, candlelight. I opened the door further and the room was like an airport hangar inside. The ceiling had tall arched steel trusses holding up metal panels for the roof. At my feet from the door was a row of candles on each side of my feet making a curving aisle to a massive yellow blanket laid over something as large as a house.

I stepped forward and noticed drops of blood between the candles. The blood trailed from me to the yellow blanket. I heard Mia step into the doorway. She gasped and covered her mouth. I signaled with a hand for her to stay back. Then I continued down the candle-lit path careful not to step in the drops of blood.

The room smelled of oil and metals. It was mostly cleared out except for the mysterious object at the center of the room. At the walls of the room were boxes and a table with tools set upon it. The room was dark even for my sight. The candles at my feet flickered and the silence of the room set me on pins and needles.

I followed the candles until I was standing right before the blanket and looked around. No one approached. I briefly considered taking a walk around the massive object and seeing what lay beyond it, but the curiosity was eating me alive. I looked back once again to find Mia in the doorway. I gave her a stern look and she returned it.

After I was sure I was alone in the room I reached out and grabbed the blanket with all four arms. It was a heavy coarse cloth. I lifted it. The first thing I saw was metallic legs like mechanical spider legs. A dozen of them on one side. They had hydraulic pistons at each joint. They shone in red blue and silver the way oil would catch the light and spread it into rainbows.

I knelt and plucked up a candle to investigate further. Ducking under the blanket I lifted the candle to see a skull as large as a semi staring down at me. I yelped and jumped back against the blanket.

It was the skull of a large dragon. It had horns curving back from its brow and fangs as long as I was tall. The eyes were filled with polished black stones that showed my reflection in them. Another skull was stacked on the first one. It was smaller but ever more menacing. It was an ape creature with glowing red eyes. It had a skull the size of a Volkswagen. Two tusks the size of my forearms extended up from its jaw.

I held the candle higher and saw a fat metal body bolted together behind the skulls. It was large and round with fist-sized rivets holding it together. Smaller and smaller skulls formed an external spine over the back of the large metal dome. The dozens of metal legs held the whole contraption in the air above me.

The blanket tossed up behind me and I pulled my Shade Tail free ready to strike. Mia ducked under and gaped at the monstrosity behind me. I watched her look it up and down as I had. “I told you to wait outside.”

“She never listens.” Tootsie snorted.

“I told you to wait outside too.” I scolded her.

“Well, I never listen either.” Tootsie pointed both her pointer fingers at me and shot me a smile.

I did not reciprocate.

“What is it?” Mia asked.

I turned the candlelight back to the big machine towering over us. It was then that I noticed the short hunchback man leaning against it. He was grinning like a demon. His hair was unkempt and greasy, and he had a beard that hadn’t been shaved in years but was long and stringy. I fought the urge to cringe at the sight of him. “I didn’t see you there,” I said.

“No one does.” He smirked.

He had a hunch sticking up from behind his head that eclipsed the crown of his skull. His arms were strong but ill-portioned to his large torso. Both of his knees twisted outward like he had been strapped around a barrel by his ankles. His teeth were like cemetery stones tumbling over each other. It took a conscious effort to keep the disgust from my face.

“Don’t worry,” He spoke like a gremlin, “everyone sees me the same way.” He stepped from the shadows to reveal his red-pocked face.

I was unable to speak. I could only stare at the man.

“I call her Beth.” He lifted one arm not quite to his shoulder.

“Did you build this?” Mia asked with marvel in her voice which made me wonder if she had seen the man yet. I was busy staring at his large sagging ears.

“I did. Yep. I did build her. For Lizzy.” He grinned again and I unconsciously cringed, “she told me the Rage Orc would come. So, I built her. She ain’t done but she is ready to roll.” He rasped out a laugh.

“You knew I was coming?” I blinked and looked back up at the monster machine.

“I did, Lizzy told me.” He looked under his tall brows at me.

“What did you build it for?” Mia asked.

“He gives me the willies.” Tootsie said in my ear.

“Me too,” I whispered through the side of my mouth.

“For him.” He placed a hand on his knee and struggled to kneel down.

“Stop.” I cautioned afraid he wouldn’t be able to get back up with his bowed legs. “Why did you build it for me?”

He looked puzzled and straightened back up to his hunched self. “It’s your mobile fortress.”

“My what?” I was desperately trying to catch up at this point. I had come here to kidnap this man and he was presenting me with a strange gift instead.

“Your mobile fortress. It runs on soul gems. It isn’t finished yet but it’s a good start. I have been working on it for years.” He walked over and placed a hand on the dragon skull snout. “You don’t like it?” His distorted face looked up at me pained.

I stammered and looked the machine over again. It was then that I noticed the canons on the shoulders of the metal monster. Just looking at it made my intestines twist up in my gut. “No, no, it’s….” I found myself foundering for the word to describe it or him I’m not sure which I was describing, “Awesome.” But when I said it, I meant it as in awe of something overwhelmingly terrifying not as the awesome of a fascinated teen. Every muscle in my body tensed at the sight of the machine and the man.