Pip’s Perspective

  Later that evening, as the others rested, Pip was still tinkering with the mobile defense unit, her hands moving with a frenetic energy that seemed to defy exhaustion. Victor, observing her through S-01, decided to engage her in conversation. The Steam Sentinel approached quietly, its heavy footsteps softened by the hum of the dungeon’s machinery.

  “Pip,” Victor said through S-01, his voice calm but curious. “You’ve been at it for hours. Don’t you ever rest?”

  Pip looked up, her goggles reflecting the glow of the Sentinel’s eyes. She grinned, her face smudged with grease and her hair sticking out in every direction. “Rest? Who has time for rest when there’s so much to build? Besides, this thing is almost ready to go. Just a few more adjustments, and it’ll be the most advanced piece of tech in the region!”

  Victor’s core pulsed with amusement. “You’re relentless. But tell me, Pip—what drives you? You’re not like Aelin or Borin. You don’t seem to have a tragic past or a score to settle. So why do you fight?”

  Pip set down her wrench and leaned back, her expression thoughtful for once. “You’re right, I’m not like them. I didn’t lose a village or have my life torn apart by goblins. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a reason to fight.”

  She paused, her gaze drifting to the half-finished mobile defense unit. “I grew up in the city, Victor. One of the big ones, with walls and guilds and all that nonsense. My family was poor—scratching out a living in the shadow of the guilds. But my dad, he was a tinkerer. He taught me everything I know. How to take things apart, how to put them back together, how to make something out of nothing.”

  Her voice softened, a rare moment of vulnerability breaking through her usual exuberance. “He always said the world was broken, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t fix it. He believed in making things better, even if it was just one gear at a time. But the guilds… they didn’t like that. They didn’t like someone who could build things they couldn’t control. So they came for him. Took him away, along with all his inventions.”

  Victor’s core dimmed slightly. “I’m sorry, Pip. That must have been hard.”

  Pip nodded, her usual grin replaced by a somber expression. “It was. But it also taught me something important. The world’s broken, just like my dad said. But it’s not just broken because of the goblins or the guilds. It’s broken because people like my dad—people who want to fix things—get pushed down. And I’m not going to let that happen anymore.”

  She picked up her wrench again, her determination returning. “That’s why I fight, Victor. Not because I’ve got a score to settle, but because I want to build something better. A world where people like my dad can create without fear. Where we don’t have to live in the shadow of the guilds or the goblins. And if that means I’ve got to tinker my way through a hundred factories and fight off a thousand goblins, then so be it.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Victor’s core pulsed with admiration. “You’re incredible, Pip. The way you see the world—it’s inspiring. You don’t just see what’s broken; you see what it could be.”

  Pip grinned, her usual energy returning. “Well, someone’s got to dream, right? And besides, I’ve got you and the others to help me make it happen. Between your dungeon, Aelin’s arrows, Borin’s hammer, and my inventions, I’d say we’ve got a pretty good shot at fixing this mess.”

  Victor chuckled through S-01, the sound warm and resonant. “I’d say you’re right. But tell me, Pip—what’s your dream? If you could build anything, what would it be?”

  Pip’s eyes lit up, her imagination clearly running wild. “Oh, that’s easy. I’d build a city, Victor. A real city, not like the ones the guilds control. A place where anyone can come and create, where the only limit is your imagination. No walls, no guilds, no goblins—just people working together to make something amazing.”

  She gestured to the mobile defense unit. “This? This is just the beginning. One day, I’m going to build something that changes everything. And when I do, you’ll be there to see it.”

  Victor’s core glowed brightly, a sign of his excitement. “I’ll hold you to that, Pip. And I’ll do everything I can to help you get there.”

  Pip laughed, her usual exuberance fully restored. “Good! Now, hand me that spanner, will you? This thing’s not going to build itself.”

  The Mobile Defense Unit

  Hours later, Pip finally stepped back from her workbench, wiping her hands on her grease-stained overalls. Her face was a mix of exhaustion and triumph as she admired her latest creation.

  The mobile defense unit was a marvel of engineering, a compact yet formidable machine designed to protect the dungeon’s allies and repel invaders. Its body was a sleek, armored shell made of reinforced brass and steel, polished to a gleaming finish despite the chaos of the workshop. Four articulated legs, each tipped with claw-like grips, allowed it to traverse uneven terrain with ease. At its core was a glowing mana crystal, connected to a network of pipes and gears that hummed with energy.

  Mounted on its back was a rotating turret equipped with twin mana cannons, capable of firing concentrated bursts of energy at distant targets. On its sides, retractable blades extended for close-quarters combat, their edges shimmering with enchantments. A small, spherical sensor orb sat atop the unit, constantly scanning its surroundings and feeding information back to Victor’s core.

  “There,” Pip said, her voice tinged with pride. “The MDU-01. Mobile, versatile, and ready to kick some goblin butt.”

  Victor observed the unit through S-01, his core pulsing with approval. “It’s incredible, Pip. You’ve outdone yourself.”

  Pip grinned, leaning against the workbench. “Just wait until you see it in action. This little beauty can hold its own against a small army. And with a few more tweaks, it’ll be even better.”

  As Pip powered up the MDU-01, its sensor orb flickered to life, casting a soft blue glow across the workshop. The unit’s legs shifted, testing their range of motion, while the turret rotated smoothly, locking onto imaginary targets.

  Victor’s core pulsed with a sense of hope. The world was broken, yes, but with people like Pip in it, there was a chance to fix it.