.16 Chapter 16

As you may recall there is no mounts or vehicles on Arenus. However the materials to build a working vehicle do exist and I've decided to build a robotic horse that I can ride around on. Gathering all the Titaninite, circuitry and leather that I ordered from Johann I began to shape the legs and the small joints that'll allow the legs to move exactly like a real horse only a lot faster. Banging the general shape of the legs out I start smoothing it out with a grinder and then do some vine inlay for style simply because why not? Laying the four legs aside I build the hooves and insert the speed modules into them before wiring them together. Walking back into the house I fry some chicken breasts with mashed potatoes and a hearty gravy. "Kovu lunch time buddy" Sitting down his plate I happily eat my fried chicken,using the mashed potatoes and gravy as a dipping sauce. After I clean the dishes its back to the horse and now I need to shape the body and form a tail. The tail I use some scrap pieces and spiral them out to look like hair then shape the body and form a hatch on the side so I can access the engine and internal components. Welding and wiring the legs to the body I put a small solar powered generator into the body and attach all the necessary wiring and the horses voice box. The voice box may not be necessary but I like for it to have some character ya know? now to attach the tail and make the head piece. The tail attachment is simple just a small weld and some coolant so it'll stay.After about two hours the head is shaped and the horses brain is wired to the body. All in all it has an engine, a voice box, a basic AI computer and the ability to scan the surroundings and save anything important that it 'sees'.

Next I take some stuffing from an old couch and stitch together a super comfortable seat and add some leatherwork to the sides so my armor doesn't clank against the metal body. The final touch is a solar powered fan that goes inside the body cavity to keep the robot cool because overheating and exploding would be very unfortunate to say the least.Then, just to show off a little bit, I add a folding step stool to the underside of the horse that can unfold with a verbal command. "step up boy" The stool unfolds and I step up tossing my leg over the horse and getting comfortable. "I'm up" And it folds away haha it works! I mean of course it works I built it.

Pushing the power button the horse raises up a few inches as the all terrain wheels slide out from underneath the hooves and engage. Grabbing the steel 'reins' I head the horse into town and out onto the open road so I can see just how fast he can go. Now of course I don't actually need a horse per se but I would rather not have to carry everything around all the time just because I have a higher than normal running speed. Even my waraxe has a slot beside the saddle where it sits within arms reach in case I need it.Plus since the horse is a robot when I leave this planet I can bring it with me to use on other planets. Pushing the reins forward the horse begins to speed up gradually. "This gives me an idea, Come on Kovu keep up!" Shoving them forwards completely the horse takes off and much to my surprise Kovu is running right alongside us with no problem, his wings tucked tight to his body as every muscle in his body contracts and expands like a spring.

Turning a quick 180 I shoot back towards town and Kovu opens his wings with a snap and spins around to chase me back home. I'll definitely need to keep him exercised and well fed at this rate he's going to be huge and honestly I don't know how big a tigergon gets at full size or even how long they can take to fully mature. he's less than a month old and already he's the size of a husky and he's getting a little longer and buffer every day.

Arriving back at home I dismount and turn the horse off before reactivating the security system without the dome and let all my generators charge a little longer. Heading inside I set my waraxe on the counter when I hear Kovu snarling and a loud gasp. Snatching up my axe i run into the living room and see an absolutely terrified young woman standing frozen by the door. "M..mister Johann sent me sir I'm sorry for not knocking please don't let me get eaten" Sighing I set my waraxe down "Kovu come here boy this little lady doesn't exactly count as a terrifying enemy ya silly tigergon" Petting him I ask quite seriously "how long have you been here?" She relaxes just a little bit and says shakily "about ten minutes master excer" Good then she was here before my defense system turned on otherwise i would be seriously annoyed. "You said Johann sent you is there a problem?" She nods and starts messing with her ring slowly "A local thug has started forcing Johann to pay him a 'protection fee' basically if he doesn't pay the man will smash up his shop and maybe even attack him" She sighs softly " Mister Johann hopes maybe you'll be willing to help since he's done so much business with you and you always seemed so kind. the thug will be there in about twenty minutes to collect this weeks payment.." Growling I grab my waraxe "Kovu watch the girl I'll be right back" Kicking my boots into high gear I fly out the door and leap over the wall of my estate zooming into town at almost 100mph. I slide into Johann's shop and crouch down beside all the heavy furniture which conveniently manages to conceal me nicely. Holding up a shh finger at Johann I wait the ten remaining minutes until a tall white man with dirty brown hair and a face like a rat walks into the store holding a small pistol. "You got my money Johann?" Standing up I knock him out into the street and sneer "No but I have the payment people like you deserve " Spinning my waraxe so the hammer side faces him I smash the hammer down on the mans testicles crushing them to a pulp before breaking both his legs in 4 different places. "Tell your friends this is what becomes of people who mess with Excer's friends"

Leaving the poor bastard on the ground I walk back inside and hang a sign on Johann's door 'Guarded by The dragon' "Have a nice day Johann I'll see you soon" Heading home I send the girl on her way and close up the dome for the night. I make Kovu and I a quick dinner and take a nice hot shower before climbing into bed. This time Kovu climbs up beside me and I decide to let him because again why not?

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To be continued