I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*

M for mature topics. No children allowed. *

The Broken Boosted Gear

By Try Another Time

150 years ago, within Nidavellir.

Two young dwarves sat across the desk of a much older dwarf. One of the two youngsters had bright blonde hair and eyes filled with wonder, while the other had black hair, matching the dwarf across the desk.

His eyes showed worry and concern as he waited to hear why they were called here.

"Tursten, Torskael, my children, I called you here because of a concern of mine. As you know, Rasfalt, our bright sage of metal, is getting worse with each passing year. The core that he created is growing restless, and if things don't change, he might make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our realm. Rasfalt possesses lots of knowledge from the past of our people and the era of the Gogmagogs. Such knowledge is forbidden… but I see the need to keep it alive within our family. I want you two to learn from him and obtain such knowledge in case our people ever needed it." The father said as he faced his boys with a serious expression.

"Father, you can't be serious about this. The Gogmagogs are forbidden for a reason. Such knowledge should disappear with time. Those weapons put our realm at risk. I read the reports; many realms hold us accountable for creating such destructive weapons. The lives that they took, the places they destroyed, and the underworld weren't the only places such weapons reached. We shouldn't increase the tensions that our realm has with other places. It is best that we don't put our people in danger." Tursten said as he feared for the future of his realm and people.

To him, the realm's safety came before any other thing. As the older brother he looked at the past with concern as he walked forwards while seeking to secure the safety of his people above all else.

The other dwarf sitting by his side shakes his head in disappointment. "Brother, you're still an antiquated mess who can't see the opportunity before us. We shouldn't fear the creations of our ancestors. The Gogmagogs might be weapons, but we're the ones who made them. The power is in our hands. Why should we worry about other realms? We're not sending the Gogmagogs after them unless they push us to use them. We have the potential to be more than mere allies of Asgard. We could be much more, Tursten. The Gogmagogs were just the beginning. If we use what we learned, we could…. Become an empire that could challenge even Asgard."

Tursten turned his face in complete shock as he heard what his brother had said. "You better not be serious about that last statement. Challenging Asgard will be the worst mistake our people could ever make. If you want Odin to behead you, go ahead and do it on your own, but don't you ever dare to involve our people in your insane fantasies, Torskael. I will surrender you to the Asgardian forces at once if you ever dare to cross that line."

Torskael seemed unaffected by the words of his brother as he showed a calm, smiling face. "It was a joke. Don't take it too seriously, but Father is right about the Gogmagogs. We need to pass that knowledge on in case they were ever needed. War is part of Asgard's nature. They might be preparing themselves for the next campaign, and we're bound to be involved. Never forget that Odin and his forces asked our people to create the Gogmagogs. The responsibility for their creation lies on Asgard as much as on us."

The sibling's father nods with his head after hearing the words of his younger son. "Torskael is right about this, Tursten. We need to be ready in case the Gogmagogs become necessary. We should be the ones who hold the key to their secrets. We should be able to create them and take them down if they ever fall into the hands of the enemies of Asgard and our realm. Now, get ready and depart for Rasfalt's home. He should be waiting for you."

Torskael seemed happy and very excited about the opportunity, while the older brother feared the possibility of his younger sibling ever getting his hands on such knowledge.

Tursten doesn't move while his brother walks away. The dwarf remains silent as he remains seated.

"..." The older dwarf wanted his son to move along, but as the chief, he saw the need to hear him out. "Say what you want to say."

"... He's dangerous. He's bright and talented, but he doesn't know when to stop. His ambitions could put our entire realm at risk, Father. Giving him access to the Gogmagogs is a choice that could spell our doom." Tursten argued.

"Tursten, son, he's your brother, not some kind of monster." The chief argues.

"Madness can be born from anywhere, father, and if you can't acknowledge that, I will act when the time comes. I will put him down if he ever threatens the safety of our realm, regardless of the blood that we share. I care for Nidavellir and its people. I don't want our people to suffer because of a problem that we could stop now. The Gogmagogs were a mistake, and you're allowing him to get access to them." Tursten stands up.

"Son-"

"Don't…. I know that you see him as the future of our realm, but I don't let his smiling face blind me to the truth. If he ever goes too far, I will put him down. I will learn the secrets of the Gogmagogs just to ensure that I can stop him and nothing else." Tursten departs without saying another word as he sees the danger his younger brother represents for the realm and its people.

Later that night.

Tursten sat inside his forge with his tools and personal items already packed into a traveling backpack made from reptilian scales.

"Tursten? Are you there, my son?" A feminine voice called out, followed by several knocks upon his door.

"... I'm here, Mom. Come in." Tursten said after he recognized his mother's voice.

A woman, late in her years, opens the door to the forge. Her black hair has mostly disappeared as white strands of hair take over. Her face smiled, but one could tell that she was drained and very close to the end of her life. "There you are, my little hammer maniac."

Tursten moves to offer his chair to her. "Take a seat, your highness."

"Oh, thank you, my child. Makes me proud to know that you haven't forgotten your manners…. Now, if only you found someone to marry. I want to see a grandchild before my time runs out. Rykel is your age, and he got married not long ago." The older dwarf says as she smiles at her son.

Tursten shakes his head. "You know what I think….I have yet to meet someone whom I can connect with. I'll let you know when it happens; just wait a bit longer."

Tursten's mother sighs as she accepts her son's decision, who seemed not willing to bend the knee so easily to her wishes. "Alright, but when you do find that person, do bring her to visit my grave if I'm not around. I want you to be happy above anything else."

"I know, Mom….. I also know that you gave up on Torskael. It would be much easier for him to get married and give you a grandchild. Females across the capital find him far more appealing to the eye than I do. The number of times others have asked me if he has anyone is getting ridiculous." Tursten admits.

His mother cracks a laugh. "He might be good-looking, but I know him…. Your brother won't marry. His eyes always look somewhere else but at the present. His machines and creations seemed far more appealing than his bonds to his fellow people. If anyone is going to continue our bloodline, it is you. Your father might see him as the future leader, but I see you as a more adequate candidate for the position. Now, let's talk about something you said to him today. I know things haven't been the best between you two, but…. I don't want things to end up in bloodshed. I ask you to think it well before making such a choice."

"...Mom, I can't just ignore it. He's dangerous and might do something horrible if he's not stopped." Tursten argues.

His mother nods. "And that's why you need to stop him without killing him. As the older sibling, you need to act as the adult. Imprison him if necessary, I know his ambition could be detrimental to our future, but there's no need for any bloodshed. Be the bigger person."

Tursten remained silent as he wondered what to say. "... I'll try not to choose that route, but if things go beyond a certain line, I won't doubt. The elders know me, and they understand my views. I will do anything to protect this realm and its people if it doesn't go against my principles."

The old woman caresses his face. "That's enough for me, Tursten. I know you'll protect this realm."

80 years later.

Tursten walked across the ruins of an entire settlement, which was mostly in flames due to the actions of one person. His face was injured due to severe burns alongside the rest of his body, but he pushed on, as the pain couldn't stop him, as he sought the person responsible for all of this.

A tall, mechanical beast moved by his side as its eyes scanned the area for survivors. Its body seemed to be comparable to the most advanced of creations within the realm, as nothing besides a Gogmagog could compare to its structure and power.

"I have detected one more survivor besides the target, master." The mechanical beast informed while it continued to follow its creator.

Tursten said nothing as he continued to push forward until his ears heard the diminutive cries of a baby. The dwarf turned his head towards the direction of the cries. He knew his primary mission, but his heart told him he would regret it if he didn't search for the source of the cries.

As he approached the source, his eyes found a pair of corpses that rested against the walls of a destroyed house. Their bodies seemed to have succumbed to multiple projectiles, which had cleanly pierced their bodies.

His eyes recognized the identities of the deceased as he got closer, which made him angrier. "Rykel…. Miriel….." Yet he had to put his anger aside as his eyes turned towards the thing they tried to protect with their bodies.

The bed sheets were covered in blood, but none of it belonged to the tiny baby who cried out within the embrace of her parents' corpses.

Tursten's hands reached out to grab the baby before he did his best to calm it down until the baby finally stopped crying. "...Rykel, Miriel…. You risked everything to protect Iri….."

"Master, the target might try to run away. We must catch him before he gets away." The mechanical beast said as its sensors tracked its target's location.

Tursten approaches the beast before carefully climbing on its back while carrying Iri. The back of the mechanical beast changes to accommodate its owner and the child as it rearranges itself to form a seat for the pair. "Let's go. Don't let him get away, D-7."

"As you order, Master." The beast wastes no time as it sprints while chasing after the location of its target.

Its speed allowed it to finally catch up with a panicky dwarven male who seemed to walk back and forth before a large humanoid mechanical atrocity whose chest cavity had a massive hole. Its shape was different from the original design in some ways, but one could clearly see that it was a Gogmagog, a bit smaller but still the same weapon of war that was infamous for the destruction that it caused.

The core of the Gogmagog seemed to be destroyed beyond repair after a single shot from a devastating weapon.

"Tursten?" Torskael stopped moving as soon as D-7 stopped before him. His eyes couldn't believe what he saw, as if he expected his brother to be long dead.

"Are you happy? Is this what you wanted?" Tursten asks as he steps down from his creation, leaving the baby in its back seat. "You couldn't stop yourself, but put everyone at risk. An entire town destroyed in minutes with no survivors besides a single child."

Torskael gulps as it steps back. "It was a mistake. It…. wasn't part of the plan. I meant to show them-"

"Show them what? The destruction that your creation was capable of? The damage that it could do? I told you a million times that the Gogmagogs were a bad idea. Trying to replicate anything that Rasfalt did was a bad choice. But you didn't hear me. You ignore my words at each turn since the beginning!" Tursten wastes no time before he punches Torskael with all his strength, which causes his younger brother to lose a few teeth before he falls to the ground.

"I didn't want this-" Another punch stops him.

"Our mother, the elders, everyone in this town besides a child is dead because of you and that damn thing! What were you hoping to achieve? Gain the support of the elders to start a war campaign against other realms? The elves? Asgard? Was your ambition more important than our people!?" Tursten asks as he continues to punch the living lights out of his brother, who's incapable of fighting back.

A few minutes go by until a voice finally stops the beating as a voice calls out.

"Tursten! Son, stop this." The dwarven chief calls out as he rushes to pull his son away from his younger brother.

Tursten pulls himself free before he turns around and punches his father in the face. "This is all of your fault. You gave this bastard the freedom to do as he pleased, the tools and resources to achieve his goals, and look at what he did? Look at how many lives he ended with his actions. Mom is dead because of him!"

Tursten's father doesn't retaliate as he endures the firsts of his son until he tires himself out. The older dwarf knew that he was to blame for the tragedy. His wife, an entire town, the elders, all of it gone because of his son's ambitions.

The guards and people who came alongside the chief weren't brave enough to interfere as Tursten made a bloody mess out of his father and brother until he couldn't throw another punch.

"D-7, eliminate that bastard. Make sure he can't walk away from this place." Tursten orders as he stands on top of his father, who cannot fight back.

Torskael reacts to the order by squirming and trying to crawl away from facing his well-deserved judgment. "No, no, no, don't do this!"

D-7 opens its mouth before a large barrel appears, which starts to charge to accumulate its energy before erasing its target from the face of the realm.

"Don't do this… Tursten…. He's your-" The chief is interrupted.

"A brother wouldn't do all of this. A brother wouldn't put his entire home at risk. You're asking for something I won't do. He's a threat to our people and this realm. A menace that should be put down before it gets another chance. D-7, open fire!" Tursten screams as his eyes are filled with uncontrollable anger.

D-7 continues to charge its attack as it acknowledges the order of its creator.

Panic settles in the faces of everyone who stands back without moving a finger to stop what is about to take place.

"Son, please. For the sake of your mother's memory, don't do this. Siblings shouldn't kill each other….. I promise I'll take full responsibility for it. Let him live; he won't ever make another Gogmagog or become the next chief. I'll give you anything you want, but don't kill him. I don't want to bury one of my sons and my wife on the same day. It won't happen again. I'll keep him on a leash, I promise…. But if he ever does something to anger you, I won't object, but I ask for your mercy for this once." The chief asked as he grasped the leg of his older son with his trembling hand.

"..." Tursten says nothing.

D-7 continues to change its attack while Torskael tries its best to get away, although it is useless.

"Tusten, please!" The chief screams one last time.

The attack is almost ready. The same power that stopped the Gogmagog that went on a rampage was now seconds away from eliminating the one responsible for the entire tragedy.

"..." Tursten remains silent until he recalls his last promise to his mother. "D-7…. ignore the last order…."

The beast changes its target before it fires its attack against the head of Torskael's creation. The power of the shot is so devastating that nothing remains of the head after the dust settles. "... Acknowledge, master."

Everyone is amazed at Tursten's creation's power, although its body is small compared to the Gogmagog.

"You got your wish, I'll let him live today, but know this, I won't offer mercy a second time. I'll also finish the job if you dare to make him the next chief. Get another wife and have another child if you want, but he won't become chief as long as I'm alive. If he tries anything, I'll finish the job. Am I understood?" Tursten asks.

"Understood s-"

"You're not my father, and he's not my brother anymore. You showed me exactly what I always feared. He's your golden child; because of it, you'll overlook anything as long as he's alive. Your wife died because of him, and you couldn't help but plead for his life. You don't care about anyone but him... maybe he's not even my mother's child... what child would do all of this?" Tursten begins to walk away while D-7 follows after him.

Tursten holds his tears back as he wouldn't allow anyone to see him cry.

On that tragic day, many lives were lost and a family was broken beyond fixing, but above all else, a single mistake was made.

Torskael POV.

He tasted the blood in his mouth as he tried to bring his breathing back under control. His face ached so much after so many punches received that he could barely see. His anger increased as he turned his eyes towards Tursten, who walked away without another word. "... I hate you…. I hate you so much….. How dare you!? Why was your creation more powerful than mine… You... were supposed to die..."

To Torskael, the deaths that he caused didn't matter as much. To him, it was always about standing taller than his brother, and the mere fact that a tiny beast could take his goliath down was unacceptable.

Tursten had always been right about Torskael; sadly, his father couldn't see it like the elders. The child's twisted mind couldn't accept his brother or his existence, as he saw him as someone he needed to crush.

Now the elders were gone alongside the mother, who had always supported Tursten.

Maybe the entire tragedy wasn't all that it seemed, but nobody could see the real intentions behind the mad creator who dwelt amongst them.