Metal Mage 14

by Eric Vall

  “Who will sit beside me on my throne when I rule Cedis?” Cayla demanded. “You’re supposed to be my king!”

  “Who will protect me from the stupid elves who wish to lock me away?” Deya wailed. “I would rather die with you than let them take me!”

  “I hate crying,” Aurora belted. “How dare you make me cry on the best day of my life! The babies are probably crying, too! They already love you as much as us, and they’re heartbroken!”

  “Mason, you can’t leave us like this,” Shoshanne murmured while her chin quivered. “We love you more than life itself.”

  And that’s when the last ounce of my resolve drowned itself in the fountain.

  “Okay, I’ll think of something else,” I groaned.

  “Promise?” Deya croaked, and she crawled over while her tears continued to spill across her pink cheeks.

  The beautiful elf was trembling from how upset she’d gotten, and even though I had no idea what to do about the Stan issue, I took her in my arms and nodded in agreement to keep her from crying even more.

  “Good,” Shoshanne sniffed. “So, what is the plan?”

  I looked up as they dabbed their eyes. “Um… ”

  “We’ll wait while you figure it out,” Aurora assured me.

  Then my women came over, wove all their legs around me, and leveled me with expectant stares that had a hint of a threat behind them.

  “Right, well, here’s the problem,” I began. “We’re out of options, because my forbidden plan is actually a pretty solid one, and it’s the best I’ve come up with all week. Aside from that, we’ve got nothing. I’m the guy who knows how to track down runes, so sending anyone else in there is just a death sentence. I can’t send Pindor in my place because he’s a fucking kid, and Markus’ knowledge could redefine the future of the Oculus, so he’s out.”

  “Then we need to let Stan do his duty alone,” Cayla urged. “If he thinks he can do it, we should support him in this.”

  I furrowed my brow. “So, if the baby in your belly wants to go into an evil guy’s fortress all alone because he thinks he can do it, you’ll support that?”

  “How old is our child in this scenario?” the princess checked.

  “What?” I blurted out.

  “Mason, Stan isn’t your child,” Aurora cut in.

  “Yeah, ” I sighed. “He’s my buddy and partner in crime in one tiny and very losable package.”

  Stan nodded as I looked his way, and he patted his chest like he knew where I was coming from.

  “I hadn’t thought of him becoming stuck,” Shoshanne mumbled as she bit her lip. “He gets lost in our closet sometimes, and that’s only a pit of lingerie. If we lose Stan in the Master’s terrible fortress, I’d feel dreadful every day knowing we sent him in there so readily.”

  “Me, too,” Cayla admitted, and she sent Stan a sad smile. “He’s always been here for us whenever we needed him.”

  “Mason is right, we need to do better for him,” Deya agreed.

  “Well, let’s circle back to the mini army idea,” Aurora suggested as she turned to me. “If your hypothesis about the portals is correct, do you think you could use a channeling gem to get the small soldiers working?”

  “Okay, so, after I finished the fleet of Boms, I had two gems left,” I replied. “Since there’s more than one elemental degree I can’t identify on Stan’s rune, I thought maybe I could scrape by if I somehow figured out how to replicate just the one transportation element, and then bring the soldiers to life with a channeling gem. Both of the remaining gems were huge, though, so I figured I’d try breaking them down and use the smaller pieces on a troop as inconspicuous as Stan.”

  “Did it not work?” Shoshanne asked.

  “Not at all,” I admitted. “Apparently, shattering a channeling gem destroys its powers, so I ended up with only one gem even bigger than Stan and a thousand pieces of useless shards that do nothing. I considered using the last gem on some sort of ultra-weapon for Stan to improve his chances, but before I finished the design, the gem mysteriously ended up shattered as well.”

  I sent Stan a disapproving glower, but the little metal man threw his arms up like he was totally justified in his actions.

  “He doesn’t want a clunky weapon to haul around,” Cayla sighed. “Stan knows it could slow him down.”

  “Well, he needs something,” I argued. “If I had the mini army, everything would be simplified. They could fan out, tackle the fortress undetected, and help each other if they got stuck. But one tiny metal man running at his pace is working with terrible odds, and it could mean our troops are stuck in those foothills for hours with whatever the Master sends out at us. Given the likelihood of how huge the remaining beasts are, I can’t take that risk.”

  “A tiny army would move at Stan’s same pace, though,” Cayla offered.

  “I know,” I muttered as I rifled my hair. “It was my best option at the time.”

  “Why can you not simply summon Nemris and tell her we need another rune like Stan’s?” Shoshanne asked.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve done everything I can to try and get her down here, but she hasn’t appeared. Which is fair, honestly. She did save my life in the mountains, and that’s more than enough cheats for one goddess to shell out.”

  “It’s not a cheat,” Deya mumbled as she squeezed me closer to her. “It’s the most wonderful thing anyone could ever do for us.”

  My women nodded in agreement as just the thought of me dying made their eyebrows all crinkle sadly, and I managed a half-hearted smile.

  “I know, but you see my point at least,” I replied. “A mortal can only ask so much of a goddess after a save like that, and she gave us Stan knowing full well what his rune carried with it. It’s up to me to work with what I’ve got.”

  “What about sending Big Guy along?” Aurora asked, but then she quickly realized the predicament. “Never mind, the minions would catch on within minutes.”

  I nodded. “Exactly. The last thing we need is the Master realizing we’ve got someone on the inside. For all we know, he could triple his defenses by the time Stan gets through half of them.”

  “He would have noticed you in there, too,” Aurora grumbled.

  “Not with Deya’s necklace on,” I countered. “It would be the simplest solution if you’d just consider--”

  “Not happening,” the princess interrupted, and her icy gaze clamped my mouth shut.

  “Then I have a solution,” Deya announced. “In my experience, battle dragons fix everything, so we will send Stan behind enemy lines with his trusty steed to assist him.”

  “Solana?” I asked.

  “Of course!” Aurora gasped. “Stan can’t fall into any deep dark pits if he’s flying, and his dragon has gotten incredibly fast lately. She can keep him from being captured, and the defenses will be destroyed quicker with the two of them working together to find them.”

  “But Solana gets spooked by everything,” I pointed out. “You saw her on the train, and the people screaming at the stations weren’t even ravenous beasts. I’m not sure she’s got it in her.”

  “What do you think, Stan?” the princess asked. “You know Solana better than any of us.”

  Stan didn’t look too sure, but he coaxed his skeletal dragon out of her scrap metal pile, and then he sent me a nod of approval.

  “It does sound like our best option,” I admitted.

  “If your hypothesis about the portals is correct,” Cayla added.

  “Only one way to find out,” I decided, but when I tried to stand up, my women’s thighs clenched around me to keep me stuck in place. “Um… can I get out of the fountain now? It’ll be dark soon, and I’d rather get this all settled before bed.”

  “On one condition,” Aurora replied.

  “I already promised you I’d find a solution, and I’m trying to do that,” I sighed.

  “Yes, and we’re all grateful,” the half-elf assured me. “However, we need your wo
rd that you will not let your curiosity get the better of you and use this as an opportunity to test if Stan can take you through the portals.”

  “Wha… seriously?” I scoffed. “The lack of trust here is astound--”

  Aurora narrowed her eyes, and I felt myself blush under her knowing glare. How the hell she’d sensed the miniscule flicker of my curiosity, I had no idea, but apparently just entertaining the thought had alerted her mommy demon to my ploy.

  “Godsdamnit,” I muttered. “I only wanted to get a look. One look, that’s all.”

  “Stan,” Cayla called, and her commanding tone brought the little man to strict attention. “I forbid you to allow Mason to follow you into that portal. Only the dragon goes, understood? If you fail at this task, all of us will be deeply disappointed in you.”

  Stan clutched his helmet at her words, and then he diligently snapped a salute in the affirmative.

  I sighed with defeat as my women finally released me from their thigh locks, but once I got my clothes on again, I leveled them all with a stern finger.

  “Help Deya load up these crates and rifles,” I ordered. “They need to be at House Quyn in the next half hour, and as soon as Deya’s back, you’re all going straight to the dwarves’ shop and getting fitted for armor. Tell them to double the thickness of your plackarts and faulds, and Aurora, have them alter yours to match. I expect all of you to be done and waiting in my bed by the time I get back.”

  “Okay!” Deya agreed.

  “I’m first tonight, though,” Aurora announced, but when I settled my gaze on her, she blushed as a submissive glint came to her eyes. “Anything you like, Mason.”

  I smirked before I grabbed Stan and his dragon, and I had one foot out the front door when I heard Aurora let out a shaky breath she’d been holding.

  “Just wait until he looks at you like that while he’s throbbing inside you,” Deya muttered to the half-elf. “I get chills every time I think about it.”

  My women moaned impatiently as I chuckled and closed the door, and Stan held up his hand for a high-five while we passed my fifty-Bom fleet.

  “I could definitely get used to this,” I agreed as I tapped the little metal man’s hand. “I can’t believe you’d take their orders over mine, though. Some regiments would consider that treason.”

  Stan pointed at the mansion before he clutched his head, and I laughed as I sensed his predicament.

  “Yeah, it’s only gonna get more interesting with them,” I sighed, “but damn am I into it. Did I tell you what happened when they chained me down a few nights ago?”

  The little metal man shook his head before he laid himself on his belly to listen with his hands propped under his chin.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been so unnerved and turned on at the same time,” I admitted. “My women just kept fucking me like a pack of succubi. I mean, there was no end to the lust, Stan, and the shit they said to me would make their fathers tear their ears off. They didn’t even have the patience to tease me, either. It was like they tied me down just so they could devour me, and every time I told them I might need a break, they decided I needed someone to sit on my face while they sucked me off for a while instead. Then Cayla made me spank them all repeatedly, and she wouldn’t let me go to sleep until I did it hard enough. The whole evening was… confusing, but fantastic.”

  Stan nodded in awe as we reached the tree line, and I summoned my powers to scan the terrain ahead. Then we slipped into the darkened woods as the dusky purple sky disappeared from view, and Solana was already shaking in my vest pocket after one twig snapped under my boots.

  I shook my head to myself as the dragon’s skeletal frame continued to rattle for the next twenty minutes, and when we reached the portal I had in mind, Solana clamped her teeth in the leather so I couldn’t get her out.

  “Stan, we need to talk,” I informed the metal man. “If Solana’s too afraid to leave my pocket, the chances of this working are slim to none. I want you to know, this isn’t something I take lightly, but … do I have your permission to alter her gem?”

  Stan abruptly removed his helmet, and he clutched his heart with indignation as he did his signature gesture for Big Guy.

  “I understand your concerns, buddy,” I said more gently, “and I would obviously never alter any of your brothers’ gems unless it was absolutely necessary. Thankfully, they’ve been ideal in every way for their duties so far. I get that Solana is perfect in your eyes, and I love her, too, but this is war, Stan. She has to be able to cope with the challenges, or you’ll both end up cowering in some corner of the fortress for the rest of time.”

  Solana’s bones rattled even louder in my pocket, but when Stan and I felt how terrified she was at the idea, the little metal man nervously shifted his weight.

  “I won’t change who she is,” I assured him. “She’ll be the same Solana she is around the house, just a little braver outside her bubble. She’ll live up to her name a bit more. I’m thinking a good blend of cautious but bold.”

  It took a few more minutes of coaxing, but eventually, Stan agreed to let me give it a go, and I summoned my powers as I connected with the tiny channeling gem embedded in Solana’s framework.

  I couldn’t help smiling as I sensed how sweet her personality was, and I immediately picked up on the bond she’d formed with the little metal man. She was genuinely devoted to him, and I made sure to leave her gentle spirit alone for the little guy.

  Then I brought Aurora to mind, and I transferred a subtle dose of her best qualities into the dragon. Only the most crucial ones for the task, though, like her unwavering determination and her fearlessness, but as a last moment decision, I gave her a tiny dash of my half-elf’s stubbornness just to get back at Stan for obeying Cayla’s order.

  “Let’s see how she does,” I muttered as I broke the connection, and Stan and I looked down at my pocket while we waited.

  I jumped a bit when Solana’s demonic skull suddenly popped up, and she considered the shadowy forest for a few seconds before she bravely climbed out. Then the little metal dragon marched her way down my arm to join Stan in my palm, and after she nuzzled his stomach like a puppy with her snout, she promptly booted him up into the air.

  Stan flailed like a dying bird before he landed splat on her back, and I grinned as Solana sent him a curt nod over her shoulder.

  “Perfect,” I chuckled, “but for the sake of this test, let’s have you both walk side by side at first so we’re sure we know what kind of limitations we’re dealing with.”

  I could hardly believe it when I saw the light of Solana’s eyes roll the tiniest bit, but she crouched so Stan could climb down anyway, and then she snuggled her snout under his arm.

  “Thank you,” I said with a nod. “Now, ground rules are as follows. Number one, no lingering. You’re unarmed, and we have no idea where this portal lets out, so get in and get out quickly, Stan, that’s an order. This is by no means a scouting mission, it’s a test run.”

  Solana nodded for the both of them, and Stan patted her shoulder with pleasant surprise.

  “Number two,” I continued, “don’t break rule number one. That’s very important, because my palms are already sweating. Number three, if for any reason the two of you are separated, do not panic. Stick to the shadows, and Solana, focus on your gem. Stan is your master, and you are to follow his orders explicitly. I expect you back on this side of the portal in under one minute. Understood?”

  The metal figures nodded in unison, and I took a deep breath as I lowered the pair of them toward the base of a gnarled oak.

  “Test one,” I announced as I gave them the all-clear, and Stan tightened his helmet before he walked forward with Solana at his side.

  Then they jumped toward the elemental marking, and while Stan vanished, Solana collided with the bark. The metal dragon immediately began clawing like mad to get inside, but only five seconds later Stan reappeared, and he was shaking like a leaf as I caught him and summoned Solana back to my pa
lm.

  “You okay, buddy?” I checked, and the metal man nodded while he clung to his dragon. “Alright, now we know a no-contact approach doesn’t work. Let’s hope we’ll see different results for the next test. Stan, mount up when you’re ready.”

  After a few laps around my palm and a couple stretches, Stan climbed up onto Solana’s back, and my heart thrummed with anticipation as the dragon took flight. The closer they got to the portal, the shallower my breaths became, but when both of them suddenly vanished, I jumped up into the air for a hearty fist pump.

  Relief coursed through me all at once, and as a dozen of my concerns vanished, I quickly began replacing them with solid plans, because if Stan could fly, Stan could make it through the fortress alive.

  Our siege preparations were finally ready to move forward at full speed ahead, and I didn’t even have to break my promise to my women to manage it.

  But my relief started to dwindle when Stan and Solana didn’t reappear, and the muscles in my jaw ached with tension as the seconds continued to tick by. Then the seconds turned into minutes, and I stared so hard at the elemental marking that my vision tunneled as my sanity threatened to unravel. I counted every second as I realized a minion could have seen Stan arrive on his own before, and the thought of him and his dragon flying right into a trap made my stomach hollow out.

  He’d be engraved with the Master’s mark within the hour, and if anyone could divulge all of my intentions and designs, it was him. Stan would become the Master’s right-hand man instead, and our plans would be tarnished before we even got them fully into place. Gods knew, we’d never have another opening like this to get behind the impenetrable walls of the Master’s headquarters, but with a mini accomplice like Stan on his side, our own defenses would be practically impossible to uphold.

  “Come on, buddy,” I breathed as I hit the five-minute mark, and I tried not to imagine what the Master’s new automatons would be capable of once Stan showed him how to create one.

  Forty-two seconds later, though, Solana came soaring straight at my face with Stan clinging to her neck for dear life, and I let out a harried sigh.