While Margrave Gharmal’s betrayal had been astounding in itself, it still bothered Rathan that so many of his brothers and sisters in arms went along with it.
The Maldraxxi were supposed to be the protectors of the Shadowlands, not its butchers.
There should have been more constructs to have stood up against their margrave. They should have known that attacking Bastion, home of their master’s sister, would go against everything they stood for. And truthfully, most of them did. They knew better, and they went with it anyway. Some because they wanted the power promised, but many simply did it because they were told to. The cowards.
The stitchmasters could build spines of steel, but that did nothing to strength of character, apparently.
It was disappointing, to be sure, but Rathan tried not to dwell on it.
As soon as he could, he had headed to the Seat of the Primus, with Emeni in tow, to see what could be done for the constructs who were loyal to their purpose. And he was glad that he had made that call, glad that Emeni had come with him, and glad that the Maw Walker had taken up their cause.
As it was, the Butcher Block wasn’t nearly as impressive as the sprawling stitchworks in the House of Constructs, but it was more than enough for Rathan to work with. And it was good to be back at work, crafting and mending. So many looked at Maldraxxus as a place that destroyed—there were entire books in Revendreth complaining about their methods of defense—but the truth was that Maldraxxus was so very creative, perhaps more so than the other realms.
After all, where else could one get a body made from scratch, exactly to their specifications, with as many eyes, teeth, arms as wanted? The possibilities were endless.
Rathan was currently mending a few tears to Chordy’s body—the lithe creature was particularly good at running up ledges and then falling back down them, and his initial body had been… Well. It was the first that Rathan had made essentially on his own, and the parts that the Maw Walker had brought were…not the best, to put it nicely. Since Chordy’s new body’s creation, the Maw Walker had learned a lot about the sorts of things that worked better for construct bodies, and Rathan had been meaning to upgrade Chordy accordingly, when there was time.
Like now.
Chordy hovered nearby, chattering to Mama Tomalin about his latest adventures with the Maw Walker.
Despite the multitude of constructs hanging around the Butcher Block—all works that Rathan found himself quite proud of—the Maw Walker seemed to favor Chordy above the rest, often taking him out with them on adventures, even when Chordy had no set goal in mind.
Of all the constructs, Mama Tomalin seemed the most willing to listen to Chordy’s tales, likely because she didn’t head out herself very often, so she didn’t see Chordy’s favored status as a snub like some of the other constructs.
It helped that Chordy helped her with her cooking, too.
Rathan tuned out the latest tale of finding shinies in Bastion to focus on his stitch work. He would need to do some tune ups on the other earlier constructs soon, too. The parts were coming in, and he wanted to make sure that they were as formidable as possible. While yes, he did want to prove that the loyal constructs could be just as formidable as the ones who had betrayed the Shadowlands, this current endeavor was more about a pride in his work.
Because he did take pride in it.
Rathan had studied for eons, learning how to piece bodies together and how to keep them from falling apart too quickly or bleeding out from wounds gained in battle. He had learned when bones should be chosen over steel and vice versa. When small stitches would do and when the larger ones were necessary. He’d learned how to make the stitches themselves add to the intimidating nature of the constructs he made, and how to make fall seams for enemies to attack, thinking they could take apart the monstrosity before them only to go for the wrong spot and wind up gutted or worse for all their endeavors.
Anyone could slap together some parts, but it took skill to be a stitchmaster.
The other houses understood this, but at the same time, they really didn’t. It was the same with everyone, to some extent, Rathan supposed. For example, the plagues and slimes that Marileth created. Rathan knew it was likely a difficult task to make them, but he figured he couldn’t be truly impressed with just how much effort went into them without making them himself. Or at least trying.
And he had no interest in that, so he would never know just what it actually took. The details were lost to him, as his details were lost to most others.
He did wish a few more people at the Seat of the Primus were interested in stitchwork, though. It would make the monumental task of redeeming the constructs in the eyes of the Shadowlands a bit less daunting.
Not that he couldn’t handle the manufacturing of bodies himself, though.
And the more he worked at it, the more likely it would be that someone else would be inspired enough to come join him. With a few more people on board, things could really get going.
“How’s it going?”
Rathan had just pulled the thread through its latest loop and paused before checking to see how the stitching was holding up, turning to see the Maw Walker approaching. They had a few large sacks that were lumpy enough that they definitely had some interesting parts in them.
Before Rathan can say anything, Chordy is telling the Maw Walker all about his upcoming upgrades. Granted it’s mostly just more durable flesh and some adjustments to joints, but the way Chordy tells it, one would think that Rathan is making him an entirely new construct.
If the Maw Walker is confused or insulted that their initial work wasn’t good enough, they don’t show it, instead fondly listening to Chordy as he chatters on, resting the bags of parts on the ground at their feet.
Rathan smiles as Roseboil wanders over, offering to help sort through what’s been brought in. Already, other constructs are taking note and gathering for inspection. No doubt at least a few will find things they want for themselves, and Rathan looks forward to the challenge of upgrading them.
Indeed, they are lucky to have the Maw Walker, and Rathan is lucky to have so many good souls to keep him company and his skills sharp.
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