Chapter 1: A Girl And Her Dog
It was night when the young woman and her pet papilllon entered the Eerie Echo. Most of the patrons in this small tavern were Vanquishers—soldiers of the Empire, instantly recognisable by their vermillion-coloured, steel-shod tunics. The atmosphere was decidedly sombre. The woman strode down the middle of the room, her high boots clacking on the cobblestone floor. She was followed closely at the heel by her brown-and-white pet.
"Greetings everyone," she said cheerily, "My name is Felixa Fixit. I'm an Imperially-certified Engineer, currently looking for work."
Three loud barks punctuated the end of that sentence.
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce my assistant, Trubble. It's a he." She pointed downwards. The dog called Trubble sat down on its haunches, puffing up its small, white chest proudly.
But no-one seemed to pay any attention to this girl in the brown overalls, with her bunched-up black hair, and a formidable-looking Railman Wrench over one shoulder. The Wrench was almost as long as she was high but she appeared to have no trouble hefting it.
"I can fix anything," she added, taking the weight of the Wrench off her back and letting its massive head fall to the floor with an audible THUNK. At the sound, some of them begin at last to stir.
"The Alchemist went rogue. Torchlight...gone. The Estherians are next. Fix that!" snapped a visibly-tipsy Vanquisher by the counter.
The Engineer placed her one free hand on her hip and gazed down at her furry companion. "Well, well, what do you say to that, Trubble?" she asked. The dog stood up on its hind legs and eagerly patted her with its front paws, the way some dogs do when they're excited about something.
Turning back to the Vanquisher, she said, "I think he said deal!"