We're Gonna Build this Lad a Super Suit

Now that an objective had been set, the dwarves toured Dige around the fortress to explain how the beast's contraptions worked, how they operated, and, of course, their glaring weaknesses. Whoever created a machine like this was some sick son of a bitch, Dige thought, but their inner consistencies helped him hone his mechanical mind. They were essentially inside of a giant spider, one he’d hate to meet if it were spider-sized, and the demons were its blood, and like an animal, the beast was hungry.

“I wonder what it eats?” Dige asked curiously. “I should ask the white-haired one what she thinks.”

“Please do not, young’un,” said the matriarch. “Lady Xim only allows speech when you are spoken to. She is the supreme ruler of this army.”

But Dige did so anyway, standing pretty in her ornate lair.

“Oh, the heroes’ souls," she said. “Once we have them, we’ll feed them into the circuitry to supercharge the fortress, weaving a blanket of darkness over the realm. The energy will be stored in Trinity's belly right here.”

"That's very interesting! You're very interesting. I'll be off now.”

“Are you sure? No further questions?”

“Nope. None whatsoever! Good day, lass.” He marched off with robotic rigidity.

"Yes, good day.” She waited until the dwarf left. "What a curious creature."

With the inner workings understood, Dige visited each of the weak points and tested their durability, using hammers, axes, pistols, and even his autocannon. Whenever someone came by to figure out the racket, he’d say it was maintenance work. 

“Nothing to see here, laddies,” he’d shout. “Although if you could help, try giving this lid a good smashing. To lock it in place, you see.”

The matriarch fed him more gruel after a long day. “It sounds like you need penetration.”

“So brute strength won’t win the day?” Dige sighed. “I suppose I need to build a cannon.”

“What about that fancy gun you had before?”

Dige laid out his autocannon and its belt supply for the dwarves’ review. “This here is my dragon killer. I based it on a human’s recreation. It should be plenty powerful as it is.”

However, all of them were shaking their heads. The feeding system was too rudimentary. The barrel needed the extra length, and the ammo's chemistry was subpar. Dige had no clue where they saw better munitions, but they sounded more foreboding than the shells Dige was offering. They were talking about armor penetration.

“Amazing,” Dige hummed. “This is the power of dwarves thinking together. Let’s go into the orerealm and get to work!”

But everyone was going to bed. “We still have to work. Xim will not let us leave this fortress so easily.”

This was fair, and frankly, their criticism was all he needed. The schedule was clear. 12 hours would be spent working and fulfilling his role in Xim’s dark world army. The other 12 would be him in his realm, smithing his new weapon. Food, sleep, and bathroom breaks would find their way in between. 

Weeks passed. Progress was slow. He offered his prototype for further review, but his legs heaved as it dangled in his hands. His wrists couldn’t hold the massive machine straight.

“How heavy is this thing, lad?”

“About 200 kilos,” Dige said.

“You’re gonna need some braces to keep it in your hands.”

“Maybe if it included his shoulders as well," another said.

“Or just a whole brace around the back.”

“Might as well throw some armor on him as well.”

Dige stomped. “I can’t carry all that, ya gits!”

The matriarch blinked, staring at his boots. “What's that on your feet, laddie?”

“Something an elf wrote.”

How disgusting.

“But look, it helps me fly! See-ahh!” The dwarf flew into the orerealm. It would take him ten minutes to get out. “I’m trying to get the hang of it.”

“Let us see it.” The dwarves stole his shoes and imprinted the circular runes beneath into their internal memory. It may be a torn and ragged pair of boots, but its seal was as pristine as ever. “I think we could give it a shot.”

The orerealm was emptied out, and the engine quarters became its own forge. If the monsters under Xim’s command weren’t suspicious before, the around-the-clock hammering and heated metal had them looking. Eventually, the last demon general, Maveleo, marched in with twenty demons behind him. The warrior was wolf-like with exoskeleton legs and a hole in his chest.

“Oi!” he snarled. “What do you think you’re doing!? Where did all this come from!?”

“We’re working you, git!” the matriarch spat back. “Our newest dwarf provided them. Get over here and help!”

“I’m going to tell Lady Xim about this!”

“Tell ‘er that we’re working!? She’ll skewer you, that's what she’ll do. Remember, we’re the ones actually doing her bidding. Now come over here and smelt! Smelt!”

And so the demon general smelted, reluctantly, and looking for a way to escape. A nice chap overall, aside from his pure evil.

After 15 days, the final form took shape. The autocannon was a heavy 130 kilos with 20 kilos of joints and armor and 50 kilos of ammo strapped to the back, meaning Dige was carrying over double his weight in his hands and back. 

"I think you can add more weight," the matriarch said. "This gun is nice, but for the densest pieces of machinery, we'll need an explosive, and this rune makes for a nice fuse starter."

Dige cocked his eyebrow. "But me hands will be full. What, will I squat one over and poop one out?"

Exactly. In fact, this opened up new avenues of sabotage. The dwarves couldn't take up weapons per se, but putting bundles of gunpowder and nitroglycerin in irresponsible places didn't set off any alarm bells. If Dige caused a major distraction over the course of a half hour or so, the charges could be planted without anyone noticing. Simple, yet effective.

The issue, though, was that they needed another rune, one that would allow remote detonation from afar after planting. That concept was outside of Dige's scope.

Nonetheless, the main issue overall was weight, 250 kilos worth, and that’s why the rest of the suit was made. Suspension was added to take recoil and distribute the weight from his arms. His gauntlet had locks to hold them into place, taking most of the stress from his wrists, and could be detached with a lever near his left thumb. The suit had joints layered through its innards, allowing for easier movement, and to tie it all in, the flying incantation circles were replicated and applied to his ammo pack, boots, and a tiny one for his bomb droppings.

“You won’t be able to walk or run easily in this thing,” the dwarves explained. “But if you fly, you’ll be able to adjust your heading with your feet and neck. Takes the load off your body while giving you the speed to maneuver quickly.”

“Interesting, but one issue,” Dige said. “I can’t fly.”

“Sure, you can.”

“I have not been able to control my magic flow this entire time.”

“Then learn.”

“But where?”

“This giant storage area?”

“But I-.”

“Listen young’un! We just spent weeks making dwarven-grade armor for ya! At least learn how to use it before we smash ya!”

Dige complied and spent the next day or so practicing with his boots. The hours went far into the night, and despite his exhaustion, he always seemed to have enough mana to keep trying. The elf would’ve been proud. He had more reserves in him than she imagined.

He wondered how she was doing. Last he heard, she was in a coma, and that Shige abandoned her. They all did, if he remembered right. He had been locked in this fortress so long that he was already forgetting the outside world, returning to his old habits in the dark underground. He hoped she was alright. Elf or not, he cared about her. Did she care about him? 

Who did? Khylee seemed not to mind him. Shame about her sisters, though. Lupa, he always had a good feeling about, but he knew of her fate. Artemis. That guilt still lingered. Fuuma. Mars.

During a late-night rest, Dige felt his soul leave his body for a bit while in the orerealm, and he flew away into some strange dimensions in the Astral Plane. A lot of labyrinths and doors. Probably a dream, but he did find someone familiar.

"Ah, elf lass," Dige said.

"Oh, you're here?" Vel asked. She had no idea who she was referring to. "Are you searching as well?"

"Actually, I was looking for you. I'm learning how to fly, lass! I hope you're happy about that."

"You're learning?" But he was flying right now, or was he? "Well, I'm very proud of you?"

"But wait! I need a new rune, something that talks to other runes to do things at the same time. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think? Let me show you." The elf traced from memory the proper symbols to make a copy spell. That was what she assumed the entity was asking. "Will this work?"

"Of course!" He had no idea. "Thank you, Vel." The dwarf was about to continue with his dream when he turned around. "Actually, one more question."

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

Who is me? "No!"

"No!?"

But then she thought about it. That question rang a bell, and suddenly, it clicked. "Well, if you are who I think you are, I like you. I hope to spend more time with you soon. I think...I think we'll be great friends, Dige."

Something twitched in his gut that stopped his magic flow. That was the trigger, the gas pedal for his mana. He had to remember this feeling and squeeze it to pilot the suit.

"Thank you, lass," Dige smiled. "Please wake up soon."

"Wake up?" And like that, she disappeared to gods know where.

The finishing touches on the armor were coming along nicely when the ground shook beneath them. The vibrations were so intense that the dwarf felt like his brain was getting liquified. He couldn’t stay on his feet to save his life, until finally the ground stabilized and then slowly gyrated up and down in a circular motion. The dwarf could hear gears whirring in the distance.

“Dige, my boy,” the matriarch hobbled forward. “The time has come. Our fortress is on the move.”

“Ay, I feel it,” Dige nodded. “I don’t think the suit is ready, though. Perhaps we could-.”

“Sorry, we have to get ye airborne now.”

“We’re not in a hurry, are we?”

“Ehhh, I think we are.”

“But don’t you think-.”

The dwarfess patted the boy’s red hair. She understood him completely.

“But I just met ye all,” Dige whimpered. “I thought we’d have more time.”

“I thought so too, but I’m glad to see another of us as healthy as you.” Her words were warm and motherly. “But I’m sure there are other dwarves out there like you. You can find them, yes?”

“If they’re in between the light and the dark?" Dige’s head shook. He feared what he was about to say. "Mum, I'm going to try and become human. I don’t know if I can, or if it'll make me happy, but I've already made up my mind. My future belongs in the light world.”

The matriarch smiled. They all did. “Lads, suit this boy up!”