Machinist of Mana Chapter 107 The Forgotten Maid

Kaylee

I waited in the odd, machine-filled room. Something must have gone truly wrong for lord Percival to have run off like that. After the explosion it had gotten all quiet, not that you could hear anything down here, but the silence was a bit grating. Really, I could just peek upstairs... but he must have thought there was danger, and he had kept me as safe as he could.

Lord Percival, it was so odd thinking of him as anything else even now. For years he'd been my employer, a bit odd, certainly favoring me over others. Before that an occasional playmate as little kids, but I could hardly remember it. Just mother's complaints and a few times he'd been around, kind and gentle, but always seeming so far away.

He didn't think of me like that though did he? He'd known, must have known for some time that we were kin. That was why he was as he was to me. The little wand and shield he'd given to all of us were too much for servants, valuable magical items worth quite a bit of money. He'd made them because of me though, because he wanted me safe. Was it wrong that I still saw him as anything but a brother?

Still unsure I meandered about the shop, careful not to touch anything. He didn't like it when anyone touched his stuff, even me, though honestly I doubted he'd be that mad if I did it would still be really rude. After a few moments of wandering through the place I came back to the table he'd been at, looking at the gun he'd made.

For it certainly was a gun, though a very odd looking one. I was no expert on the matter, but this was a weird looking piece, with a massive barrel and odd, blocky center. There was some kind of trigger at the back, and a hole right through the center of what had to be the main chamber. That was odd wasn't it? Did people make guns like this? Maybe something new he'd cooked up; he had after all made a few different guns.

The beside it there was a massive box full of bullets, weird ones with a copper back and some lead or steel looking front, all bound together by a chain of some kind. They were almost pretty, if I didn't know how dangerous something like this was meant to be. Percival was a bit odd, after all he had physical strength in spades, why would he want something like these?

With a sound almost like an explosion the door to the room splintered into bits. I of course stood bravely, not ducking and screaming as my half-brother flew inside, covered in blood and his sword in hand. He landed, looking winded, eyes flashing all over the room.

“We need to go now,” he said firmly, not yelling, but clearly making it an order.

“Go where!?” I asked from under the table.

“The duke's castle, and quickly.”

“What about everyone else?” I asked, there were lots of people in the house after all.

He winced, looking almost guilty.

“They already evacuated, when I realized you weren't with them I came back, hurry now.”

After a quick look back he grabbed the gun, hurriedly putting the chain into the hole in the center. There was a clever little hinge there I'd not seen that thunked into place, while the box fit on the side. He even had a strap rigged to go over his shoulder to carry the massive contraption.

“Is that really necessary?” I asked.

By way of answering he took cotton balls and shoved them in both our ears. “Are your items charged?”

“Yes, do we need them?” Panic started to creep up my spine as I saw him so serious.

“I certainly hope not.” He slipped the sword away and before I could start walking picked me up.

“What are you doing!” I shouted as he began speeding through the house, not so fast I couldn't see, but much faster than I could walk.

In a few seconds I saw the reason for his concern. There were bodies in the house, two of them, weird green looking men. I'd not seen the goblins I knew he'd fought a few times now, but these must be them, strewn about the rooms one in the sitting room and another the entry.

For a moment I bemoaned how hard it would be to get the blood out of the carpets and floors then caught myself. If there were monsters in the house that meant everyone in the whole area was in danger, how bad was it?

My answer came only moments after, when we got to the street. Dozens of the beasts were laying dead, cut, burned, ripped apart. There must have been a full scale battle here I'd missed, sitting quietly in his workroom. What could I have done here? What if he hadn't come back? My blood ran cold at the very thought; but the warm arms wrapped around me reminded me that he had, that I had a defender, unafraid even to fight our father here with me. A tear reached my eye, slowly making its way down my cheek.

As my heart thrummed my brother seemed almost to begin to glow. It was like little bubbles of light began to form across his skin, floating off. The sight was beautiful, like something from a painting. As he ran for the end of the street, carrying me in his arms they floated down the road behind us.

Then he stopped.

“What's wrong?” I asked as we skidded, quite literally, to a stop.

It didn't take long for me to see and hear it. Down the road before us spilled easily a dozen of the little green beasts, and a quick look behind confirmed more were coming from behind. They seemed different though, all these were a bit bigger, a bit brighter in the light, and far more muscular.

“Not good,” he said, as he sat me down.

“Do you have a plan?” I asked loudly, bringing up my wand and moving the bracelet to shield myself.

“I do.”

“What are you going to do then?”

“Make Mr. Browning proud,” he answered, pulling a lever on the side of his weird gun and letting it go, a weird Ca-Chunk sound echoing from it.

Who in the world was Mr. Browning?