Iron Man

Inspired by the song Iron Man by Black Sabbath

Outside the shack on the war wagon prep deck were cylinders of the various gases used in welding, and from inside the wall cracks you could see the source of a shower of sparks falling all over them. Grimpaw Grindgear stood inside next to a giant vise holding a 3 foot caterpillar track link, visor on and dripping with sweat.

He turned off the torch and removed the visor, then stepped outside the door with a rag to rub his head dry, squinting at the sun. ‘Grimpaw!’ Vesta Fuseheart called and waved him over. He walked over to the Iron Legion commander in charge next to a war wagon on the prep deck. ‘What’s the word? she asked.

‘It looks good. Tough to weld something as many times as it has been, though. It’s not good for field duty, might as well put it on something for target practice.’ Vesta nodded and muttered ‘Dammit. Alright, tell Wrathclaw I’ll find him another one.’ Grimpaw was already turning to walk away, waved and said ‘Will do!’

Walking through the Hero’s Canton across from the prep deck he saw the cub Rafka Firemane leaping and throwing her axe at a target. How that little cub could throw something nearly as big as herself with ease he couldn’t figure.

‘Hiya little one,’ he said as he ruffled her head fur walking by. ‘Hi Grimpaw, the Centurion and Legionnaire Wrathclaw are inside,’ she told him, trying to fix her hair. ‘Thank you Rafka,’ he said walking into the canteen.

Grimpaw Grindgear, discussing the caterpillar track he repaired with the Iron Legion rep. Vesta Fuseheart

Grimpaw walked to the bar and purchased three ales, and brought them over to the Centurion and Legionnaire’s table. ‘That piece of track was welded so many times it was almost remade. I did as well as anyone could, and it’s useable, but so brittle I wouldn’t trust it in the field, sir.’ he told Wrathclaw.

‘Thank you, soldier.’ Grimcrotch said, then turned to the Legionnaire, ‘Put in an order for a half dozen more with Seath Hammerstrike near the scrapyard. Tell her within the month, that’s two weeks no excuses. We need those wagons in working order, all of our reserves have one thing or another wrong with them and having my own battalion hamstrung is not acceptable.’

Wrathclaw nodded, then looked over at Grimpaw who moved to leave, ‘I’ll get right on it, sir.’ The Centurion waved him back, ‘Finish your ale, Grimpaw, you earned it. I appreciate your work.’ The engineer drew on his mug, then explained how he didn’t think it would happen within the time period without outside ‘influence’.

‘If they feed you those lines I want you to take charge of it personally and make it so. Tell them if they have a problem with anything you say they are to speak to me. And take Legionnaire Dinky with you,’ Grimcrotch said. Grimpaw downed his ale, saluted and left the canteen, pausing to hand Rafka a pawful of almonds.

——

‘I can’t give you six track links in two weeks. Do you realize how much work will be backed up if I do? My Legionnaire will drown me.’ Seath Hammerstrike crossed her arms looking stern. ‘Then tell him to complain to Centurion Grimcrotch. After that go tell your people to finish up what they’re doing, we have a different order to fill and I’m taking command.’

Grimpaw walked through the junkyard to the Great Imperial Smelter to get things in order. It would take five days to wrap up the ongoing projects, three to break down then set up molds, three for hot working and three for cold working. Time was tight but it could be done.

Grimpaw Grindgear inspecting the Great Imperial Smelter before beginning work

For two weeks, working twenty two hours a day each, Dinky and Grimpaw were down in the furnace with their charr, wrapping up the other jobs then beginning the backbreaking work of setting up new molds. Everything about this work was hell; it even looked the part being surrounded by molten iron. They never stopped sweating buckets, and lost several pounds as well.

From one part of the furnace to the other the two were working it at every stage, from smelting to pouring to trimming. Near the end with six hours to spare, a seventh and eighth link were removed from the last molds and were trimmed and made ready to go, resting in the finish area.

Grimpaw and Dinky sat and rested; Grimpaw fell asleep on a pile of iron beams, Dinky sent a runner for the Centurion to inspect them, then had Seath Hammerstrike restart the previous held up projects. While he was out the Legionnaire found a daisy flower from a vendor, went back to the sleeping Grimpaw and placed it under his ear, getting a round of laughter from all the nearby ironworkers.

Lessons Learned

After a few weeks of practice throwing a hatchet, Grim changed Rafka’s stance to the Asura ranger technique of leaping and throwing sideways. It seemed to work well for the strange little humanoids, and she was even better at that being small like them, the depth of the blade entering the targets was nearly to the handle; time to switch to an axe already.

Day after day Grimcrotch went to Hero’s Canton to keep up on Rafka’s progress. Crowds had begun to grow around the practice dummies when she was there, encouraging the cub and breaking into cheers when she leaped and threw. Many of the other cubs gathered to watch the Centurion’s protege, mostly girls cheering her while boys complained of her attention.

The soldier he assigned to stay with her had healed enough and no longer had to wear a bandage on his snout; many times after he arrived he added little tweaks to the wrist or stances for Rafka, and actually seemed to enjoy helping the cub. Grim decided to let him off the hook the previous week since he had become so supportive, but he kept coming back.

In addition to the weapon training, Grim had been schooling the cub on different life scenarios such as being confronted by a bully with no weapon. Except for beasts, you don’t pull your weapon on an unarmed target he told her, you use those you already have on the end of your paws. A week after that lesson she was put to the test by a jealous cub in the Canton.

Rafka was done practicing and began walking toward the canteen to see Grim inside, but the same male cub that she pinned down in a previous argument when the Centurion was visiting the fahrar, shoved her down and said, ‘What makes you so special, girl?’ With a sneer he pronounced girl as a condescension. ‘Nothing,’ she said as she rolled onto her stomach and leaped at him, leaving her hatchet on the ground.

Retaking a tower WvW

As the two rolled around hissing, clawing, growling and biting at each other and kicking up a dust cloud, a few charr began to come by and watch. Someone in the canteen mentioned a cub fight out front, so Grim walked out the door and saw his protege and another cub in full no holds barred battle. An armored charr walked toward them, ‘Break it up you cubs before I tan your hides!’

Grimcrotch took a few steps toward the group, still about twenty feet away, held his paw up and said ‘Stand down, soldier. Let them finish.’ The charr saluted and stepped back looking at Grim, then went back to watching the fight. After a few more seconds the boy finally pinned Rafka’s arms next to her by sitting on top of her; she flailed harmlessly.

He pushed his snout in her face. ‘What are you gonna do now, girl?’ he said as a snide remark with a grin. ‘This,’ she said at the same time she slammed her forehead into his snout. As he fell backward his eyes rolled back into his head; out cold. Rafka pushed him off of her, got up and brushed herself off, walked over to pick up the hatchet and turned to look at Grimcrotch, who saluted her with a big grin.

She saluted back and walked up to him, breathing heavily and massaging her forehead, as he looked to the boy cub, then leaned down toward her and said ‘You might have knocked him out, Rafka.’ Grim tried to keep a stern face while controlling the urge to burst out laughing.

‘I don’t think he will mess with me any more, Centurion,’ she said as she watched the soldier who spoke up bring the cub back to consciousness, then help him to walk away still woozy. ‘I think you’re right, Little Fighter.’ Grim said as he patted her on the shoulder.