The air was thick with a pungent, adrenaline-inducing mixture: engine oil, unburnt coal dust, and cheap leather.
“I have to say, this thing is... aggressively ugly.”
Brad stood in the center of the garage, arms crossed, looking up at the behemoth before us. His sigh was one of genuine awe.
Parked in front of us was the masterpiece that Chief Goblin Engineer Sarak and I had pulled multiple all-nighters to create—the [Land Crawler Mk.I].
It possessed zero streamline design. It was a complete mockery of aerodynamics.
Its chassis came from the captured Wolf-kin siege engine. I had stripped the original wooden wheels used for ramming gates and replaced them with two rough tracks cobbled together from discarded mine cart rails and rivets. The body was welded from the first batch of black iron plates we produced; the weld seams were thick and uneven, looking like jagged scars.
At the rear, a scaled-down Aether Steam Engine was emitting a rhythmic thump-thump. Several brass exhaust pipes stood tall, spewing black smoke in time with the engine’s vibrations.
“Ugly?”
Sarak slid out from under the chassis, face covered in grease, waving a wrench in protest. “This is the aesthetic of violence! Look at these rivets! Look at this armor plating! Even if an Ogre pounded on this with a club all day, he wouldn’t leave a dent!”
“Ignore him, Sarak.”
I patted the rough hull, feeling the powerful micro-tremors transmitting through the metal against my palm. “As long as it runs, I don’t care if it looks like a dumpster.”
“This is what we’re taking to Rustwater?”
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
A voice laced with disdain cut through the noise.
Zayla walked over. For this low-profile excursion, she had swapped her iconic Queen’s leather armor for a slightly oversized, newly made grey hoodie.
Her long silver tail had been forcefully—and reluctantly—stuffed into her pants, making her gait slightly awkward. To hide those conspicuous cat ears, she had pulled the hood low, looking like a mysterious assassin in a terrible mood.
“It’s too loud.”
Zayla twitched her ears beneath the hood, frowning at the hissing exhaust pipes. “With this noise, we’ll be detected ten kilometers away.”
“That’s exactly the effect we want.”
I smiled, opening the heavy side door. “If we’re disguising ourselves as a heavy machinery caravan from the South, we need to make some noise. Besides...”
I pointed inside the cabin.
Although the exterior looked like a steel coffin, the interior had been meticulously modified.
The walls were lined with thick furs (mostly leftover Wolf-kin stock) for soundproofing and insulation. In the center of the cabin, directly above the rear engine, was a slightly raised metal platform—the steam engine’s heat dissipation zone.
I had specifically covered it with a soft wool rug brought from Earth.
“That is the warmest spot in the vehicle.”
I looked at Zayla, my tone meaningful. “Constant 40 degrees Celsius, and the vibration frequency... well, I hear it induces sleep.”
Zayla’s look of disgust instantly froze.
I saw her gaze lock onto that wool rug.
As a feline, even a Queen could not resist the triple critical hit of Enclosed Space + Constant Heat Source + Fluffy Rug.
“Since... since it is required for the disguise.”
Zayla turned her head away, a very faint cough escaping her throat, her cheeks slightly flushed. “Then this King... I mean, I, will reluctantly accept this seating arrangement.”
“Wait! Isn’t that spot for supplies?”
Lyn rushed over, carrying a pack larger than herself. The red-haired Fox-kin girl was now the veritable ‘Quartermaster’, her tail bristling like a feather duster in her agitation.
“Alex! Do you know how much coal this machine eats?”
Lyn pulled out a small notebook filled with numbers, poking it with heartache. “Three kilograms of anthracite per kilometer! Three kilos! That is money! If we don’t make ten times the profit on this trip, I will—I will bite Brad to death!”
Brad, who was trying to strap a massive spare wheel to the roof, nearly fell off. “Why bite me? I didn’t eat the coal!”
“Because you eat more than the coal!”
Lyn glared at him, then quickly scrambled into the cabin. Like a squirrel guarding its nuts, she began stuffing supplies into the hidden compartments under the seats. “Listen up! Everyone is allowed only two changes of clothes! If the overweight baggage is Brad’s dumbbells, I’m throwing them out!”
I watched this noisy, vibrant scene, the corners of my mouth lifting slightly.
This was no longer a dead ruin waiting for extinction.
“Alright, everyone.”
I climbed into the driver’s seat. The dashboard was a collection of brass pipes and pressure gauges, and the steering wheel was modified from a siege engine winch.
I pulled a finely crafted windproof lighter from my pocket—one of our most important ‘goods’ for this trip.
“Check gear. We are leaving the Rift.”
In the rearview mirror, I saw Zayla agilely dive into the cabin, immediately claiming the ‘Engine Heat VIP Seat’. She curled into a comfortable ball, her ears twitching gently under the hood.
Lyn sat in the passenger seat, clutching the map tightly.
Brad squeezed into the back, cradling a heavy crossbow modified with rebar and springs.
“Ignition.”
I pressed the start button.
BOOM—!
Accompanied by a dull roar, the body of the Land Crawler shook violently. Black smoke shot into the sky, and the treads began to turn with a tooth-aching metal grind.
The massive iron gates slowly opened before us.
Outside lay the howling wind and the boundless white wasteland. It was a vast world filled with danger, opportunity, and countless unknowns.
But in this moment, inside the warm cabin smelling of oil, amidst the roar of the steel beast, we were no longer fugitives, nor trapped animals.
We were intruders in this broken world.
“Let’s go.”
I shifted gears and pushed up my glasses.
“Let’s give this primitive world a little industrial shock.”
Land Crawler Mk.I, launch.
Question of the Day: What is the first obstacle the Land Crawler should encounter on the road to Rustwater?
(Click to choose)
?? A) A Pack of Frost-Spiders.
Result: Test the Armor. Can the treads crush chitin? Let's find out.
?? B) A Mechanical Breakdown.
Result: Test the Engineer. Something leaks. Alex has to fix it while under pressure.
?? C) A Wandering Merchant Caravan.
Result: Test the Fox. Lyn gets to haggle early. Social interaction over combat.
Follow and Rate for more industrial madness!