It's been a week since we left the Clockwork base. At the moment Bulk, me and the forge rhino which Nova has gone and named Hino (she can’t say rhino so it ended up being named this) are walking south. As for Nova and Rust. Nove is sitting on Hino’s neck and relaxing while Rust has taken to sitting between the front and back plate that are over the legs. It makes a seat if you sit sideways.

We have covered a good 40 km in the last few days travelling. As of now we can already see the huge walls that run to the horizon.

"Well fuck. That is one big ass wall." Bulk said looking over to the massive wall.

"I must agree. And that is one big door to be able to see it from here." Rust replies in turn.

Just as Rust said, straight in front of us you can see a huge door which we can only guess to be around 10 meters each door and they look to open outwards.

"Hmm...Hey bro isn’t that smoke near the door?" Nova said tilting her head.

When we looked we could definitely see some smoke but the base of the door was blocked by a hill.

“We will see what it is soon” I told them.

Now you all must be wondering if we encountered any dangers. Of course but every km we passed we scanned again and so we knew the place were the most dangers were and just made our way around it.

Many of the autonomous we spotted were all in animal form and except for a few they had relatively newish with iron plates. We did get curious once though. We met up with a large 4 meter long autonomous Lizard and wanted to see how strong our bodies were. First Bulk went first.

We had made sure to install the pressure fist as well as the swords so he had more appropriate weapons.

Knight’s Short sword

A hidden short sword that is hidden between the elbow and wrist of a clockwork knight. These iron swords are of moderate quality and with a sharp edge that could scare any normal animal.

Durability 50/50

Attack 25-35Knights pressure fist

A weaker version of the tanks pressure fist. This is made using two glass containers to hold the pressurized steam and is made from moderately quality materials.

Attack 50-70

9% of engines steam

This is what good iron can make a clockwork do. I didn’t get to check the tanks pressure fist but considering it was able to flip the legs of the furnace queen I would say around 500-700 damage each punch.

Even Bulks fist I would have second thoughts about getting in the way.

Anyway he tried out his weapons and found them rather nice being able to dent and cut into the metal after 3 hits in the same spot.

When he used the fist...well it sent the lizard flying some 5 meters into a scrap pile with a huge dent in its side and taking a lot of mobility from it.

The lizard provided some nice plates. Unlike the drones it was much larger and with a bit of welding and cutting I was able to make a good kite shield out of it. Poorly made but still better than a lot of other stuff. The rest of the iron was stored.

We continued walking for another 3 km before we finally saw what the smoke was. At the base of the huge gates was a town. Smoke rose from many buildings and from what I could tell from scans there were living creatures there.

"Maybe the clockworks that woke around here made that town." Rust guessed.

“Nope, no clockwork signals. Different race”, I said shaking my head.

All around the town was a junk wall and for about 100 meters there was dirt all around.

When we were arriving at the 4 meter junk wall we heard a cry.

"Hault!" Someone yelled.

The yell came from a small metal guard tower next to the town gates. In it we could see a really short man. He had long bushy hair and his face was mostly covered by a large beard. Over his eyes were a pair of goggles and on his back was a steam engine. In his hand, something that looks a gun was pointed out at us.

"Dwarves." Bulk said.

“Steampunk dwarves.” I said correcting him.

"Ah you're right. Is that a gun in his hand?" Bulk said before asking.

…

”Crude built rifle” I said taking a quick scan.

"Who are you? And what are you? If you step closer I'll shoot." The dwarf yelled again

I nudge Bulk then gesture towards the dwarf. He sighed then took a step forward and probably raised the volume on his voice box.

"Hey we are clockwork. My names Bulk Steel, my companions are Techno and Nova Gear and Rust Ironhide." Bulk yelled.

"What the devil is a clockwork?!" he yelled while looking at us.

Bulk looked back he showed complete confusion on how to explain what we were but Rust hopped down and walked forward.

"Sir can we enter, that way we can explain better." Rust said in a gentleman's tone.

"No. Too many god damn bots walking about causing us trouble." The dwarf refused us with such a weak reply.

"Clockworks are autonomous robots with conscience like you." Rust said after sighing.

...

He paused for a moment trying to think of something.

"No lies! Bots can’t think on their own." He protested.

"Then let us in so we can prove it." Rust said.

As good as any politician, Rust caught the dwarf by his stumpy legs in a spot he couldn’t escape.

We hear him yell for someone. Moments later another dwarf climbed onto the tower and looked out

"I hear you folks say your self-thinking bots. Prove it!" The new dwarf shouted.

"Can we move closer we are too far." Rust asks them.

"Get any closer than 10 meter from the gate and we will blast you.’ he said threatening us.

With permission we moved to up to 15 m away which let them get a good look at us.

"How do we prove it?" Bulk askes us.

“Well someone has to show them their gears. No better proof than someone showing machine parts.” I say

"Okay then." Bulk says.

Bulk walked up until he was 11 m away. The guards lifted their guns but he stopped and with a thought his left arm began opening up showing all the gears inside.

"Enough proof?" Bulk asked them.

"No anyone can take the scrap bots a make a suit." The second dwarf said.

"Then someone come out here. I’m not about to open the chest area and show my engine to everyone." Bulk said irritated.

There was some talk amongst them and the gate opened a bit and an old dwarf wearing an old looking metal suit walked out holding a metal rod as a cane. He walked up to me.

"Okay boy, if you want to prove it then show me the engine." The elder dwarf said.

Bulk turned to the side so he would be sideways to the gate and opened the chest revealing the engine for a moment before closing it.

"Good enough?" He asks.

"Yes of course. Boy’s they are bots but from the looks they ain't dangerous." The elder shouts back.

The dwarves relaxed a bit and the gates opened slightly and more dwarves, younger this time, walked out with guns raised as the old man walked back in.

The second dwarf we saw came out and walked towards us as we came close.

"Sorry about the caution but as you can tell this isn’t the nicest place and we have a bit of bad luck with the bots around here attacking." The dwarf explained.

"What kind of bad luck?" Rust asked worried.

"The bots around this place attack whatever is in their territory and it just so happens that this town is in the middle of two of them. At the edge but they still attack every so often. The first days we only got a few hits and were able to get a few of the engines to make a makeshift forge? After that it got worse and we were forced to make those walls?" He explained.

"By first days what do you mean?" Bulk asked.

"We all woke up in the middle of a collapsed mine shaft outside the walls. Problem is the monsters outside in the mountains. Fucking beasts near level 70 and can kill us with ease. Anyway let's head in we can talk inside. Oh and I’m Victor Belkon one of the heads hear." He said.

"One of?" Rust asked.

"Yep there are other awaken that are making groups of their own and sticking to each other." Victor replied.

"Awaken? What’s that?" Bulk asked.

"The term we use for those who appear from the mine shafts and aren’t born in the towns or what left of em. I’m one as well." Victor said.

"Oh I…" bulk started but I pat him on the shoulder and stop him.

We enter the town. If I had to describe it I would say something similar to a town found in some old cowboy movie but with a steampunk touch to it.

Many scrap houses that are 2 floors tall. Lots of pipes all over the buildings letting smoke rise but that feel of an old west town was there.

"Wow this town looks cool. So many cool machines and stuff." Nova said looking around excited.

"Why does she sound like a little kid?" Victor asked.

"She…" Bulk began to say.

"Mind your own business." I cut him off and glare at the dwarf who looks back wide eyed and shrugs.

"Fine you problems anyway this way." he says and shrugged before pointing towards a building

He leads us to what looks like a tavern. As you might have already though me and Bulk had no way of getting in.

The door was at one and a half meters tall. It was enough for a dwarf with their suits but it didn’t even get close to what we needed.

Only Nova and Rust could get in with their entire bodies but again the collectors save the day. We all had some and we all take one out and hand it to Rust. I wasn’t going to let Nova inside their without me so Rust would go and I would talk through him or if there was one a monitor.

With the three collectors on his shoulder I kept one outside to keep watch and deactivated Hino so I could focus on the one inside.

"So what did you come here for." he asked curiously.

"To get out of the scrap yard." Rust replied

"You don’t want to. Like I said the monsters outside are far beyond our level. We are just now beginning to manage to fight back the growing number of bots." He said.

"Why not repair the clockwork. All the scraps around here are pretty much another one." Rust said.

"We don’t have any idea how they are built. We did find a few intact but a few parts are broken." He explained.

“We all have basic knowledge of how to take care of our bodies. If we have one arm with a tool gear we can get ourselves up and running if the damage isn't too extensive and the motherboard is intact. Just turn them on." Rust told him.

“The people here don’t really trust bots much.’

“Hey Rust tells him this, “Aren’t dwarves the greatest blacksmiths. To be afraid to build and turn on a robot is such a waste and shames the race” I tell Rust to say.

From the collectors view I could see the instant Rust said that his face turned read.

“Even if you say that we only have makeshift forge engines that eat up our fuel just to make a few low quality weapons.” He yells our way.

“Have you collected the fuel from the clockwork scraps around here. Most have a bit of fuel and water to run their engines.” Bulk said which Rust passed on.

“Of course we have. How do you think we run so many engines at once.” He replied still very irritated.

“Hey mister what are these things.” Nova said.

Nova had entered the building and was looking at the guns. What held her stare was something similar to a minigun and it was attached to a really bulky arm.

“Hey bro look, this looks like it would fit you or Bulk.” Nova said as she points to the huge minigun.

I looked from the corner and to look better I sent a collector in. She was right, the huge arm was like a huge minigun arm but it was dismantled.

“That? We found it stuck to some large inactive bot in the scraps.” Victor said nonchalantly while looking at it.

“I think it's broken...Ah here there are a few gears missing.” Nova says and quickly points out the faults in the weapon.

Nova jumped over the counter and pulled her gear box out and removed a few gears and began to put them in place and then she sent a few collectors into the arm and began a mass repair of the arm.

“Hey stop messing with that. It doesn’t work but I want to keep it as a trophy.” Victor said angry as Nova messed with the arm.

She completely ignored him and continued for 5 whole minutes before storing her stuff.

“Where is the rest?” She asked really serious.

“What?” Victor said in turn.

“The body, where is the rest?” She asked getting real close to his face.

“Um...to...the east of here. We cleared a spot before finding them but they were to heavy and were bolted down to good and we only got that old broken arm from it.” He says under the pressure.

“Hey bro can you carry this. I want that thing.” Nova says pointing to the arm.

Victor blinked a few times dumbfounded.

“Can you bring it out here?” I ask her.

She looked a bit before trying to take it and was able to lift it and brought it out. I took it from her and sized it up. It was a bit bigger then my arm.

“Hell! it's bigger! Must be one big ass clockwork!” Bulk said examining the arm.

“Bro take me there I want that toy.” Nova says while shaking my leg like a child.

“Hahaha I'm hearing things right. She called it a toy.” Bulk said as he started to laugh.

“She’s 8 give her a break.” I said but i couldn’t help but think the same.

I stand up with the arm hanging from my shoulder.

“Hey that is theft give it back!” He shouted.

“We will bring it back but with it the entire body. Want to come along and see.” Bulk said.

“I doubt you can make them work. We tried it has no power.” Victor said.

Bulk and Rust chuckled a bit thinking of how the jump start was done to the tanks. If this was the same I'm sure this guy would die laughing.

“We can guarantee we can get them running. It’s a clockwork so we have at least some understanding.” Bulk said suppressing his laughter.

Rust came out pushing him.

We started walking towards the gate and the dwarf behind us.

“Find I’ll go but at least give me a lift.” He said giving up.

I turned back and grab him by the engine on his back and toss him onto Hino and we get going.

He tells the guards to open up and we leave and head to the east for about two thirds of a kilometer before we found them. They were definitely different from Tanks.

It had something like a birds feet which were thin and had two large toes and up at the first joint is another support that works like a back toe. Above that it gets larger and packs heavier armor but still sleek. It stood only at 2 meters since it was crouching over which seems to be its natural pose.

The engine is on the back and it looks to be made for speed because it has exhausts that look like they would shoot either fire or steam to increase that.

The head was humans sized and in the crouching position would line up with where the stomach would be.

The arms like we mentioned are both long reaching down near the knees and both had minigun attachments to them, and it had five fingers that when the guns are out seem to enter the hand making flat fists.

“That looks like one hell of a dangerous robot.” Bulk said walking around it to scan it completely.

We find the one that is missing an arm and Nova cheerfully jumps off Hino and releases all 25 of her collectors and controls a few to go examine the body. I go up to it and remove the faceless headpiece and remove the memory chips. I have them installed into an empty spot on my and I examine what is in it.

“This thing is called a Protector, it's a kind of stealth unit which relies heavily on speed to get in close and bombard the opponent with a close range burst with the miniguns.” I tell them.

“Well that is one amazing clockwork.” Rust say.

“Nope it’s a drone class robot. It has a complex brain because of the systems employed but it’s not a clockwork.” I explain to them

“Hey bro does that mean I can have it as my own?” She asks looking up at me.

“Yep just don’t hurt others with it.” I tell her.

She jumps around and the collectors imitate her actions.

“You have yet to activate it so I'm waiting?” Victor says just watching.

“He needs to be fixed before I can wake him up. Bro can you put that box thing you put in my head. I can’t connect to him.” Nova says.

I nod and take out a simple transmitter and attach it to the Protectors head and then remove the memory chips and return it to its place before bolting the head piece back on.

The repairs took pretty long but Nova did it while cheerfully playing about with her tools.

When the insides are fixed as best as she can get them to I take the arm and attach it again.

I go and press the on switch to leave it on the on position and before I can find it Nova was already behind it.

“He is just like the big guys from before.” Nova says

The welder was already out and she just plugged it in which makes the engine come to life and the gears start to spin.

Bulk fell over laughing.

“I can’t believe all of them are like this” He says while rolling around.

He yelled before sitting up. Rust was chuckling as well while Victor just sat there dumbfounded.

The happiest was Nova as she jumped about. The protector tried to copy but the old rusted limbs couldn’t follow the movements so I had to stop her.

I instructed her to do simple motions and to learn how it worked and slowly the guns return into the body and the fingers of the robot break out of its prison a start to move.

“Bro can you help me make him new later.” Nova asked.

”Some other time. I tell her

“Kay~!!” She happily cheers.

I brought Nova back and sat her on Hino with Victor.

“So do all the clockwork turn on like that?” Victor asked conflicted as he watched Nova.

“I think most of the big ones have the plug there. It’s mostly a quick jump start plug that we use the tool gear welder to power” Bulk said while chuckling.

“Worker class ones like these on the ground can turn on as long as you fill its fuel and water tanks and press the on button near the base of the head on the inside.” Rust explained.

“So that means we can have tons of works gathering iron.” Victor said.

“Please remember that we aren’t just robots to be exploited. We think for ourselves as well.” Rust says making his intent clear.

“Oh right, you're right, shame we don’t have a furnace or forge to make good quality metal, that's what we need now.” He said sulking.

I sent a message to Rust for him to tell the dwarf.

“This is a message from Techno, ”Haven’t you tried to kill one of the boss class machines yet, their bodies hold huge furnaces. Rust says passing my message on.

“If it was so easy you think we wouldn’t do it.” He says.

“We were able to do it with the help of some old clockwork that were revived. Did you find any dwarven warriors around?” Rust asks him.

“Dwarf warriors are few because the number decreased tremendously over the century before we appeared.” He says.

”This is too pathetic to watch, guys let’s get back to town. Rust tell the dwarf that once we are back to town he will show me the best blacksmith and the guy will teach us smithing. We need guns so let’s make them. We will get rid of a boss by ourselves if needed.” I tell him.

Rust passes the message as we head back to town. I already had a few plans for weapons I was going to make. I grabbed and stored dozens of scraps along the way to use as materials for what I was going to build.