Machinist

  of

  Mana

  ✶ Book 2 ✶

  Wandering Agent

  To Sue

  Who always showed me the way

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from Podium Publishing.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2026 by Michael Robert Taylor

  Cover design by Yanhong Lu

  ISBN: 979-8-89539-873-9

  Published in 2026 by Podium Publishing

  www.podiumentertainment.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Change of Plans

  Chapter 2: Paperwork and Encouragement

  Chapter 3: Not My Fault

  Chapter 4: A Proposition

  Chapter 5: Prepping for Work

  Chapter 6: Magical Item Creation

  Chapter 7: Date

  Chapter 8: Days of Peace

  Chapter 9: Season Approaches

  Chapter 10: Tests

  Chapter 11: Meeting on the Road

  Chapter 12: Coming Home

  Chapter 13: Stressed

  Chapter 14: A Good Day

  Chapter 15: Grounded

  Chapter 16: Desires of Life

  Chapter 17: Sewer Sights

  Chapter 18: Grandmother’s Demand

  Chapter 19: Meeting Priscilla

  Chapter 20: Masquerade

  Chapter 21: Trounced

  Chapter 22: Investigators

  Chapter 23: Targets and Advancements

  Chapter 24: Trinkets

  Chapter 25: Games Girls Play

  Chapter 26: Auntie’s Party

  Chapter 27: New Schedule

  Chapter 28: Magical Resistance

  Chapter 29: Exhaustion Among Friends

  Chapter 30: Slow Starts

  Chapter 31: Testing My Resistance

  Chapter 32: Gratification

  Chapter 33: Joy and Tears

  Chapter 34: Confrontation

  Chapter 35: Between Siblings

  Chapter 36: Unhappy Housekeeper

  Chapter 37: Arthur

  Chapter 38: Distractions

  Chapter 39: Wrong

  Chapter 40: End of Year

  Chapter 41: Invasion

  Chapter 42: The Forgotten Maid

  Chapter 43: The Man I Should’ve Been

  Chapter 44: Arthur’s End

  Chapter 45: Turncoats

  Chapter 46: Delivering the News

  Chapter 47: Portals

  Chapter 48: Big Reveal

  Chapter 49: Emergency Takeoff

  Chapter 50: Exiting Exion

  Chapter 51: Rescue Begins

  Chapter 52: Children at War

  Chapter 53: To Finish It

  Chapter 54: An Offer

  Chapter 55: Epilogue

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  ✶

  Change of Plans

  Ipassed along the halls of my school, an academy for young knights. Outside young men sparred in one of the fields, others studied on the grass in the summer sun. Now well into my second year of school, I had today off, and it was time to relax and kick back.

  Months had passed since our last encounter, and still my green-skinned enemies hadn’t made themselves known again. Some things of minor note happened, of course, but nothing as serious as they could have been. That was good. My teachers were still none too pleased with me finding trouble while away from school.

  At one point there was a request from the local authorities that I consult with them on some firearm designs I’d provided. That was easy enough, and I quickly found solutions to the problems they were having. It was clear that they didn’t have the right experts for the adjustments they were trying to make to my designs, so I was just the person they needed, even if I was an amateur by my own estimation. A few notes here and there about adjusting size, pressure, and general layout and they quickly had something they could use. I still tried to push for everything to be massively overbuilt, because if a gun was too thick in certain areas, it would be heavy, but too thin and it could result in catastrophic failure.

  Overall, things were going well. In fact, the only thing at all that was going wrong was the letter I’d received just this morning. My parents had written me a letter, in a flowery explanation that really could have been summed up in two sentences, and had told me that they would not be coming to the city during the winter this year. Instead, I was left to my own devices. That meant I would need to take over management of the house and staff; though the staff did most of that on their own.

  On a happy note, this meant that I could check on my younger half-sister with impunity. My father has hidden her existence, and basically everyone thought I should have nothing to do with “servants” other than purely professional things. Even the few who knew of my father’s indiscretion with one of our maids wanted me to stay at arm’s length. I had other plans though. After all, it was a big brother’s job to keep an eye out for his siblings, and one I wouldn’t shirk.

  “Oh, there you are,” said Lucas, approaching me at speed.

  I ducked under my best friend’s arm. He’d attempted to pull me into a headlock. He was a good guy, but a bit of a fanatic about training.

  “Good morning, Lucas,” I said without missing a beat. “How are things?”

  “Excellent! The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, and it’s time to train!”

  “Don’t you get enough from the headmaster? He has me doing session after session now, and I know you’re on a similar schedule.”

  “Never enough, my friend, never enough. So, you, me, arena.”

  “Can’t right now, unfortunately. I’ve got business in the city.” I passed him the note, earning a frown.

  “Are they even letting you into the city on off days?”

  “Eh, it’s been long enough since the last incident that they’re loosening the restrictions, and it’s not like I’ll be alone.”

  My reputation for chaos had spread, much to my chagrin. None of it was my fault, of course, or at least most of it wasn’t. The simple fact of the matter was that the city’s goblin problem was still in full swing, even if they’d failed to find the little buggers. There weren’t even any actual reports of them, so I could tell they weren’t meeting with success in dislodging the green menace beneath the streets.

  Honestly, I didn’t know if the local authorities could handle the goblins, and I couldn’t do too much to help them. The fact was that their leader was a centuries-old biomancing madman from my former world, and this led to some significant issues for anyone trying to dislodge them. Even if I could tell the local leaders, which I couldn’t, and they believed me, which they wouldn’t, I’m not sure it would’ve helped much.

  “However are you going to catch up to me then? You know I’m beating you more and more by the week.”

  “Don’t know that I will, Lucas, and that’s all right,” I said. “You’ll never be the shot or machine worker I am.”

  He looked at me almost pained, but what was there to do? I liked the fencing matches we had, to be sure, but I wasn’t obsessed like he was. He was well on his way to becoming a master of the art, while I fell behind constantly. Originally, he and I had been evenly matched; but he was right. He was pulling ahead slowly but steadily.

  “You could,” he countered. “You’ve got a gift for it.”

  “No, I trained all through childhood. Heck, I’m still training far more than nearly anyone except you now, but …” I wasn’t having the same improvements. Progress, sure, but not like he was having.

  “Fine, but you’d better be putting your all into your weapons.”

  I simply smiled. Perhaps I didn’t have either his gift or drive for swordplay, but when it came to other things I was progressing nicely. Hidden amongst my papers and things were blueprints, and the beginning parts of some truly amazing weapons, ones that suited me far better than blades, and would work for others too. Soon, so very soon, we’d have a new era in this world, one in which I’d be at the forefront. I had things to do today, I slipped into a carriage and soon found myself traveling in a familiar direction. Trees and fields gave way in short order to walls of stone and brick, the roads shrinking to fit between the rising buildings. Street by street we moved until a house I’d come and gone from for most of my life rose before me once more.

  Departing from my conveyance, I strolled up to the front door and opened it. Unlike the normal homecoming my family had once a year, the staff were not lined up and ready to greet me. In fact, I was alone in the entry, looking around with a light smile at the decorations. I never did tire of the stylistic art mother had hung here.

  While I was staring at one particularly lovely painting of a sunrise over a snowy mountain, I heard a call from behind me.

  “Excuse me, sir,” the maid who’d stumbled upon me began. “What exactly …” She was clearly displeased someone had just waltzed right into the house without so much as knocking. When she saw my face she snapped back. “Apologies, m’lord. I didn’t know you were coming by today. Can I be of
any assistance?”

  Sadly, I’d scared the poor girl. She’d thought I was some intruder to be chased off, and had even begun to raise her voice, which was good. However, with the distinctions in society and the strict discipline some people kept, she might well expect to be punished for doing so to a member of the family she worked for. There were people like that, but not being a complete bastard, I wasn’t one of them.

  “Ah, my apologies for that,” I said in a soft, relaxed tone. “I didn’t quite have time to send word ahead. Would you be so kind as to find Mrs. Rider and let her know I’d like a word?” I asked in a soft, relaxed tone.

  “Of-of course, right away.” She turned on her heel and fled.

  Was I really that intimidating? I tried my best to be a decent man to everyone I met, but then again, I supposed the house staff didn’t interact with me all that much. Shaking my head, I went back to my contemplation, this time on a cityscape of somewhere I’d never been.

  Chapter 2

  ✶

  Paperwork and

  Encouragement

  Idid not aim to cause the staff stress, but I did so with aplomb. Mrs. Rider, the housekeeper for this particular home, soon found me where the maid had. She looked a bit surprised but was well composed. She looked at me, and at the small bag the coach had left, before speaking.

  “Lord Percival, I wasn’t expecting you at all. Was there some issue?” she asked with a rush.

  “Not a particular one,” I replied. “Did you get a letter from my parents?”

  “No, I can’t say I’ve had one in the last few days, but that’s hardly odd.”

  Luckily, I’d brought the one they’d sent to me, which I handed over to her. Her brow creased a bit as she read it, sighing when she reached the end.

  “Indeed. While I’m not in a rush today, I was hoping you might be able to go over the expenses with me early. I imagine it will be a tribulation based on how Mother regards them and would prefer to get started early.”

  My mother might not manage the day-to-day functions, but the expenditures were ultimately part of her responsibilities. Unlike my father, who would work with those outside the home to bring in money, she made sure it was all going where it was supposed to—checking finances, receipts, and the like to see that we weren’t being swindled and that everything was in its place. I knew she received monthly reports from the city house, but she went into much more detail for several days every winter to check the books.

  “That’s no problem, but I’m afraid we don’t have any of the upstairs offices open right now. Would it be acceptable to use mine?”

  “Certainly.”

  Mrs. Rider’s office was a small room near the female staff’s dormitories. There were a number of the more expensive supplies for the house as well as bookcases of paperwork everywhere. With only a pair of seats to be had, she tried to let me use the one behind her desk, but I insisted on a smaller stool instead. After all, I was the guest here.

  For most of the first day I worked alone, the housekeeper having other things to do. Even during downtime she still had over a dozen staff to manage and a house to run. I bent over the books, checking receipts and records.

  “I think the butcher is overcharging,” I told her when she finally returned. It wasn’t much, but the costs were above what they ought to be. Only a few months into this year’s work, and I could see that already.

  “Oh, I agree, and I have told your mother as much, but she wants to keep with him. There’ve been reports of a few of the others in town serving less than stellar meats, sometimes even different animals than they’ve advertised.”

  “That’s fair.” If they both knew, then I’d leave it to them. “How about the staff? How are they doing?”

  “Well enough. We’ve hired a new boy to help with the coaches, as the old one is now being trained as a footman. He’s not up to snuff yet, but should be by the time winter rolls around.” I appreciated her candor. Training was important, and while he needed to be ready for winter, if he wasn’t, he simply wasn’t.

  “Good, and the maids?” I asked, hoping to get some news on my little sister.

  “Doing well, anything in particular you’re worried about?”

  “No, but I’d like to have a word with the staff at some point individually if that’s well and good. See if there are any concerns they have that I need to address.”

  Mrs. Rider gave me a kindly smile, seemingly pleased that I was so interested in the well-being of the people working for me. In this world such concern was not a given; though, on Earth many managers hadn’t cared for their workers either. However, I felt that it was important to know such things, and to fix them before they became problems. Though, honestly, I really was mostly concerned about one maid in particular.

  “I’ll see to it,” she said, nodding happily.

  Satisfied that I’d gotten at least some of the housework done, I retired to my private workshop. There was dust everywhere, as it wasn’t somewhere I wanted any of the staff to go, but I had a few things I wanted placed here. My previous weapon had been an oversized revolver, but my next one, oh it would be something a bit more energetic.

  In my absence the materials and machines I’d received from the duke had been delivered, mostly piled beside the door. These I quickly moved to the places I thought they’d fit best and began working.

  My first attempt at making a piece of brass was lackluster, taking longer than I’d like and the dimensions were slightly off. For some applications that would be fine, but not for this one. I scrapped it and began again. Soon I’d found a rhythm, and it wasn’t until a knock came from behind me that I looked away from my labors.

  “Lord Percival, will you be staying for dinner?” It was Kaylee who’d been sent to check on me, and she stood there in the doorway, looking inside.

  “Hmm? Oh, hello there, Kaylee,” I replied. “Ah, no, but it is getting late, isn’t it? Thank you for letting me know.” I smiled a bit despite myself. She was still the same cute little sister she’d always been.

  “Of course, sir. Do you need anything else?”

  “No, no I’m quite well. How are you, by the way? It’s been some time since we’ve spoken.”

  “I’m well, sir, quite well.” I had to restrain myself from telling her not to be so formal.

  “Excellent, and your magic? Still practicing?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes; though I can’t do much more than make a small fire. Mrs. Rider is happy to let me use it to light the fireplaces and the ovens in the morning. So I’m getting some use of it at least.”

  “Well, keep at it, and I’m sure things will improve for you. And, if you ever want to charge some items, let me know. I’m sure I can find something for you,” I said, knowing that I could give her a better rate than anyone else would.

  “Thank you, my lord,” she answered with a shy smile.

  “Look at the time. I must be off if I’m to return to the school before curfew. My thanks again for stirring me, and do be well.”

  As I rushed off to return to school I wondered what she’d been thinking. Did she know what I knew? Or did she think I was some odd rich boy, or perhaps inappropriately interested in her, or that perhaps it was just our shared connection to her mother and my childhood nanny? At some point I’d have to find a way to tell her the truth, but I knew neither how nor when would be the right time to do such a thing.

  Chapter 3

  ✶

  Not My Fault

  School was, well, school, even if a number of the subjects were different in this life, it remained much the same as my previous life. Sure, there were no computers to type up our reports and essays, and sure, we had much more gym, and it was significantly more violent, but boys were boys regardless of the time period or place. The administration was always trying, and failing, to enforce discipline, the students always determined to get into any manner of trouble.

  While I had been involved in a minor rebellion on my first day of school, it wasn’t my turn today; it was Simon’s. One of my closer friends in this institution of education, the boy had been caught in some shenanigans, and for some reason I’d been brought in with him. There was a message for me at lunch informing me I was to come to the headmaster’s office, nothing more.