Next thing I knew, a massive mechanical golem like thing came charging down the main steps. It stopped in the centre of the courtyard, facing the main gate. It had a load of cogs and mechanisms on its back, as well as one of Wynrun’s magical batteries… which was glowing.

  As it arrived in its position, the gate gave way. Hordes of enemies came charging through. Mostly goblins and kobolds… and more bloody imps… and a few creatures that I do not know the names of, but they looked like large unpleasant insects.

  The mechanical golem thing raised its right arm; its hand folded back and it started to shake and glow. It placed its left hand on its right arm to steady it. Then… what looked like small stones started to materialise in front of the hand. The stones jetted forwards at great speed. Piercing the creatures’ flesh. The stones were flying as fast as they were created… getting steadily faster and faster. The horde was getting torn to shreds.

  Wynrun: “Fear the power of science!”

  I could hear Wynrun laughing maniacally. The laughter was coming from the golem. I turned to Charlie in utter confusion.

  Dwynfel: “Wynrun is in that thing? What the hell?”

  Charlie: “Yeah… he’s been working on that for ages. Long before I started working with him. It’s his pride and joy. He calls it his mech. He’s been desperate for a chance to use it. There’s a compartment in the front that he climbs into. The limbs are connected to his so it moves as he would.”

  Dwynfel: “And the weird mouse golems?”

  Charlie: “He calls them his Mouseketeers.”

  Kiyui: “I get the mouse part, but not the rest.”

  Charlie: “The weapons that they wield are called muskets.”

  Kiyui: “Right, gotcha. Did he style them on mice just for that terrible joke?”

  Charlie: “Probably, but seriously, the guy’s a genius when it comes to this stuff. I mean… did you see my cool new arm?”

  He started waving his mechanical arm around at everyone again.

  Giles: “Excuse me… might I suggest we proceed with the evacuation.”

  Charlie: “Yes, that, good shout. Rosario and Wynrun are supposed to be acting as our distraction.”

  Gentle: “Oh, how dare you speak so informally of the prince!”

  Charlie ignored her and turned to Giles.

  Charlie: “Lead the way.”

  Giles started towards the other side of the bridge. Gentle barged past him, almost knocking Rose off his back. She truly is a vile woman.

  In that moment the ground started to shake. And not a little “Oh… what was that?” kind of shake… I mean a massive, “grab something to steady yourself, we’re all going to die”, kind of a shake.

  The ground beneath the bridge began to collapse. Most of us were still close to the manor and dived back towards it for safety. An acid wyrm burst through the bottom of the bridge, destroying it. As it did, one of the pustules on its side burst, spraying acid down on us from above. Charlie raised his hand up in the air and a strange bubble of light formed around us, protecting us from the rain of acid.

  The Wyrm then collapsed to the ground to the west. Falling into the house’s garden. Dust and rubble were everywhere. When the dust cleared the Wyrm could be seen tearing through the garden, smashing up pretty much everything. It was also apparent that not everybody had made it off the bridge safely.

  Gentle, Giles, and Rose had been much closer to the south side of the bridge and attempted to make it there instead. Gentle had been successful. Giles however was hanging from the edge of the crumbled bridge, Rose still clinging to his back.

  Giles: “Lady Bushel… please… assist the young lady Rose.”

  Gentle looked over the edge of the broken bridge and saw the Wyrm writhing all over the place. She then took several steps back.

  Gentle: “Oh, I don’t think that would be wise. If I were to perish here then society would simply crumble. I wish you the best of luck though. Ta-ta.”

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  She then proceeded to run away in the direction of the watchtower. I just stared at her in disbelief.

  Thomas: “Help them, you selfish bitch!”

  She did not respond. She just kept running and soon disappeared into the watchtower.

  Charlie: “Bollocks to her.”

  Charlie took several steps back, as though he were about to take a running jump. I grabbed his arm.

  Dwynfel: “What are you doing? You’re fit, but you aren’t that fit.”

  Charlie: “Trust me. I’ve got a boost.”

  He shook his arm loose and ran towards the broken bridge. He positioned his metal arm behind him with the palm facing behind him and lowered slightly. The hand started to glow and a split second after he jumped it let out a small directed explosion that propelled him forwards. If anything, he overshot the jump and had to quickly rush back towards the edge in order to assist Giles and Rose.

  Charlie: “You’re alright, Rose. I got ya.”

  Giles: “You have my thanks, young Charlie.”

  Kiyui: “Hurry! The Wyrm is heading back this way!”

  Kiyui’s shouts got Rosario’s attention. He turned and saw his daughter in imminent danger. He left the imps and flew towards Rose as quickly as possible.

  Charlie had almost lifted Rose onto the walkway when the wyrm started for the bridge once more… or more accurately, where the bridge once was. It lifted itself and flopped through the gap where the bridge used to be. Charlie just managed to pull Rose up before the wyrm crashed through the gap. Charlie and Rose fell back. The wyrm had taken even more of the walkway as it went… and Giles along with it.

  As it flopped to the ground it let loose a spray of acid. The acid covered the south-eastern side of the courtyard. Rosario almost managed to dodge out of the way, but his right wing was coated in acid. He could no longer fly. As he started to plummet to the ground, he attempted to damage the wyrm as much as possible. He fired one strong beam from his horn that tore into the side of the wyrm.

  Rosario was travelling with a lot of momentum when he started to fall… as he hit the ground, he bounced and rolled for quite some distance before hitting a large piece of rubble. He wasn’t moving. Unlike the wyrm that was flailing in agony. Clearly Rosario’s ray had penetrated deep into the wyrm’s flesh.

  After making sure that Rose was okay, Charlie rushed to the edge of the walkway and looked below.

  Charlie: “Giles! Giles!”

  As the wyrm continued to move forwards and into the courtyard Giles’ body was revealed. I say body… is really did not resemble a body anymore. He had been crushed beyond recognition. Rose went to look over the edge, but Charlie grabbed her and stopped her.

  Thomas: “Take her and go! If you wait for us, you’ll just be putting her in more danger!”

  Charlie: “But what about you guys?”

  Gladys: “We’ll be fine! Anythin’ gets close, I’ll cut ‘em!”

  Gladys waved her meat cleaver in the air with a psychotic glint in her eye. She looks really desperate to use that thing. I admire her enthusiasm, but I question how skilled she will actually be in a fight.

  Rose: “Papa. I want papa!”

  Charlie: “Papa will be fine. Wynrun will look after him. But they can’t fight properly if they are worrying about us. So, we need to leave… now.”

  Rose looked terrified. But she nodded and agreed to go. Charlie lifted her onto his back and started to run. Unfortunately, Rosario had not been able to take out all of the imps in the air. And Wynrun was distracted by having to deal with the main horde. As they ran towards the watchtower, a group of imps started making their way towards them.

  Charlie: “Rose, close your eyes.”

  Rose did as instructed. Charlie looked determined and wasn’t fazed by the imps in the slightest. Which probably isn’t surprising. The kid took on a crocodile when he was freezing, naked, and missing an arm. I imagine a few imps are scarcely as imposing.

  He raised his mechanical arm in their direction and let loose a series of fireballs out of it. Most of the imps managed to dodge them but he did manage to take out two. The remaining three imps clearly decided that they were at a disadvantage in the air because they had no cover to hide behind and landed on the walkway and attempted to block his path more directly.

  Again… Charlie wasn’t having any of it. He pounded his metal fist into the ground which caused a shockwave to shoot forwards. Knocking them all off their feet. He continued advancing without any hesitation. He shot a fireball at one. Grabbed the skull of the second, did that weird hand explosion thing, and its head was no more. He grabbed the spear that the second one was wielding and stabbed it right through the chest of the third one.

  He reached the steps of the watchtower and disappeared inside. I have to admit… that kid is impressive… and that arm of his… just bloody hell. I knew Wynrun was smart, but just… bloody hell.

  Knight 3: “Right, everyone. Through the manor!”