Arthur's Point of View

Pendragon Estate

Digging around in a bag, he replied. “You bet your sweet bippy we do.” That amused me, but he started mumbling in frustration as he continued to poke through his belongings. “Where the fuck is it!?”

My attention quickly shifted to Allen. “Finally made it back, I see.”

He laughed at that. “Not everyone can portal around the world like some others.”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

“It was. We were left behind without any explanation.” I actually felt bad about that because I had completely forgotten about them. “Don’t worry. We ran into General Kheri who quickly informed us of what had happened.”

“Kheri seemed quick to-“

“There it is!” The Dwarf said triumphantly before tossing me something. “As we agreed.” He stated.

I looked down at the stuffed cloth with a curious expression. “A handkerchief. Thanks?”

The Dwarf huffed. “Are you stupid? Unwrap it!”

My brow quirked as my eyes met his. “I’m surprised you’re being so forward.”

“You want praise?” He asked back, but I didn’t get a chance to answer as he quickly continued. “Find someone else to kiss your ass.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Allen frowned at that, but I merely chuckled. “Noted.”

Ty looked at the mystery gift in my hands. “Are you going to unwrap that or are you going to tease the Dwarf some more?”

“Maybe I’m still deciding.”

Rolling his eyes, he looked to the Dwarf. “I’m sorry about him.”

The Dwarf huffed. “Meh. He technically saved my life, and our people, so I won’t hold him being an ass over his head. Met people with bigger heads than him, that’s for sure.” Turning to me, the Dwarven shopkeeper just gestured to the wrappings, annoyed. “Do you not know how to open gifts? Does no one do anything nice for you because of your personality?”

“That feels a little personal.” I commented.

“Not sure you know what personal is if this is how you act.” He chimed back.

“Easy, Dwarf.” Allen warned him.

I held up a hand again, and smirked. “It’s fine, Allen. Really.” Unwrapping the cloth revealed a familiar mechanical elephant. “Oh!” My surprise made the Dwarf smirk.

Putting his hands on his hips, he gestured to me. “We didn’t actually agree on the deal, but after what you did, I figured I should at least honor it. You seemed rather interested in it after all.”

Examining the gift, my eyes eventually snapped back to the Dwarf. “While this is a nice surprise, I can’t imagine you came all this way to give me this gift.” He took on a more serious expression. “So, why did you come here?”

“Frankly, I don’t believe you’re a god, and I don’t give a shit if you are. All the others may think that, but I’m here for my own reasons. I think you’re going to change this world…” He paused for a moment before he gestured to himself. “And I want to be a part of it.”

“So, you’re looking for a job?” I inquired.

“I’m offering my services if you’ll have me. A master craftsman of all kinds would certainly be of use.” He then tapped the side of his head. “I don’t need no gold or silver. Just knowing that I helped put a boot in the ass of those Demons is good enough for me.”

My hands dropped slightly while I kept the gift in my grasp. “Then we’re back to revenge… If you came seeking-“

He quickly held up his hands to stop me. “This don’t got anything to do with revenge. It’s about doing what I believe is right. Far as I’m concerned, I got my revenge when you killed that Wraith and all who followed it.” Reaching to a hammer on his side, he patted it. “My fighting days are mostly behind me. I could still rumble with the best of them, but I’m past my prime. All I ask, is to help serve for a cause worth serving.” Ty and Allen watched in surprise as the Dwarf took a knee. “Is your cause worth serving?” He asked as he cranked his head to look up at me.

My head tilted as I studied the Dwarf. “Well, it just so happens that I need an engineer of sorts. As well as a crew.” I said directed at Allen. “Allen has had time to think of my offer, but not what it entails, so let me enlighten you two on what it is we face.”

“What we face?” Allen repeated confused.

I nodded. “We face greatness.” My words left the three confused. “As we go forward, we come to two paths. Greatness is the first path. Many of you will likely go down in history, but those who make history, are likely to die doing so.” Not the best explanation, yet it had them interested. “I plan on paving a path to a world beyond imagination. There’s a project I have in mind that I’m going to be starting soon. You are both welcome to join.”

The Dwarf looked at Ty. “Is he always like this?”

My student answered. “Arthur has a very ‘make it or break it’ mentality. You either succeed or you fail. Normally when you fail, it’s more of a ‘you have failed me’ kind of mindset. It’s a little annoying, but you get used to it.”

“Ignore the smartass. We’ve got a working train, which means we can hopefully launch this world into the future by a few centuries.”