"True, true,” Krelk said, leaning forward to peer over the castle wall. “Just thought we might have to, seeing as we have the human here and he’s still ig’rant.” Krelk forced a smile in the trainee’s direction, “Ah no disrespect mister…”

“Finch. And none taken.”  He peered over the castle wall himself at the trouble below.  “Will the Machina really take care of a group that size?”  Living within the thick castle walls all his life, Finch had never seen one Goblin or Orc, let alone the group below that had to contain at least thirty of each.

Thwark stroked his thick white beard. “Of course it will.  But more come to attack it every day.  Bunch a dumb animals is all they are, right Krelk?”

“Ain’t too positive they’re even smart as that.  Got me a mule that can out think three goblins sunrise to sunset.”

Thwark emitted a huge belly laugh, “I’m going to tell your wife you were talking about her again.”
As Thwark and Krelk laughed, Finch watched silently as the horror below began.  Arrows began launching automatically from the castle gates.  Large circular saw pieces began moving up and down the walkway.  Those that reached the portcullis found it electric to the touch and fell backward back into the mayhem.

Finch turned away, unable to watch.

“Don’t be losing your breakfast, I’ll owe Thwark here three copper if you do.”

“How can you guys stand it?”

“Aw, you get used to it, right Thwark?”

“Aye, and you’re lucky now, back when the two of us started, it was a different world.”

“Different ain’t the word for it, it was quite kreldig, if you don’t mind my Goblin.”

“Kreldig?”

“Krelk likes to use obscure curses from extinct dwarven languages.”

“What’s it mean?”

Krelk and Thwark exchanged embarrassed looks.  “Just trust us, it’s bad,” Thwark said.

“Right, what was I saying?”

“That it use to be kreldig,” Finch said, “back when the two of you started.”

“Oh, right.” The Dwarf leaned back in his chair, brought out his pipe, and lit it.  When he began speaking again he raised his voice to ensure he was heard over the mayhem below.  “As I was saying, it was a different world back then.  We had the strongest army in history, ain’t been a stronger one since.”

“Ain’t never will be either.”

“Right you are, Krelk, there ain’t never will be.  But back then there was no Machina.  Every boy had to be a part of the army, no questions asked, and we had bases of operations all over the place, so we could monitor and make preemptive strikes.  Me and Krelk were first placed in our base in the Elven forests.”

“Remember that elven maiden?  What was her name?  Gwendalick?  Gendelk?”

“It was Gwendolyn, you ashtag, and I’ll never forget her.  I see her in my dreams.”
Two Goblins below managed to break through and lift a ladder up against the castle wall.  Before they could even step on the first rung a spinning saw emerged and slid downward, slicing each rung in two.  The ladder fell in two pieces.

“See, after Machina there was no use for any of that anymore.  Can you imagine all the gold pieces we spent operating all over the place, sending scouts and messengers every which way?  Plus Machina powers our whole city now.  Back in my day, if you wanted light after dark you had to light a candle; now you can have it at a press of a button.  I even heard a man down yonder was figuring a way to save his voice so he could hear himself talking, not a lot a good that will do, but it’s still impressive. Not to mention ain’t been a dwarf or a human killed by one of them animals down there for over thirty years now.”

“Maybe an elf,” Krelk said.

“Maybe all the elves, and good riddance to ‘em.  They should have joined us behind the castle walls while they had the chance.  I hope their precious forest was worth it.”
 Finch sighed looking at the scene below.  He didn’t think he’d ever get use to it.  “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Observe and report.”

“And if they break past the Machina?”

“Impossible, it will never happen.”

“But what if it does?”

“Then you’d report obviously.”

Finch sighed.  He looked at how out of shape his dwarven companions were.  He thought back to all the times he’d seen the large soldiers waddling about town, their large forms barely contained in the armor.  Sure, they may have once had the strongest army, but it was far from true now.
A large figure emerged from the trees in the distance, lumbering back and forth with earth shaking steps.  As it grew closer, Finch thought he recognized it from stories as a troll, but something was quite peculiar.  Five Goblins rode on its shoulder, trying to hold on for their lives, and something strange and large was strapped to his back.

“See many trolls siege the wall?”

“Not usually, Krelk said, “But it does happen from time to time.”

The troll pressed on, emitting a roar as each arrow hit him, but never faltering.  A lucky shot caught one of the goblins, and he slipped head first off the back of the trolls shoulder.  A rotating saw sliced into the troll, but he trudged ever forward.  A few more arrows and saw slices later the troll was staggering.  Two Goblins almost fell off due to lack of balance. The creature fell forward, landing face first just inches from the wall, revealing in full the apparatus on his back.

“See, what did I tell you?”  Krelk said, “Machina can take care of anything.  To think they tried to try to ride a troll up here.”

“I don’t think they were trying that,” Finch said, “I think they landed exactly where they wanted to.”

The Goblins that rode the troll scurried up its back.  Three of the goblins found hand cranks, that they began spinning them as quickly as possible.  The fourth climbed into the center of the apparatus, his hands at the ready for some sort of debauchery.  As the cranks turned, the apparatus started to groan at a higher and higher pitch.  Little lightning bolts began shooting out.  One of the Goblins said something, and the middle one flipped the switch.
There was a large popping noise.

And then there was silence.

The Machina stood still.

The Goblin pulled a horn out of his bag and produced a loud bellow call.

“Oh no,” Thwark said.  “We’re all going to die.”

Thousands began emerging from the surrounding forests, charging at full speed with a direct path to the castles gates.

Finch removed his sword from the scabbard.  He could barely lift it, he had been given no training, and he had barely ever used one before.

And sadly, he was pretty sure he was one of the best prepared. 

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~~~~~ <~
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