As Jake left Brunhold, he surveyed his handiwork. The arm was complete now, exactly how he had expected it to turn out, maybe even moreso.

He had a long walk back to Vienda, back to his home. What better way to pass the time than a little recollection of the past… my, how long had it been now? Almost two weeks, Jake thought to himself.


Jake, Benstrum, and Herrwil got started the very next day on the most important bits of the arm, specifically the motors. Benstrum and Herrwil, the only inventors in the room who didn’t have a limb that was under construction, worked on the much smaller finger motors while Jake worked on the elbow, shoulder, and wrist. As Benstrum had said before, Herrwil couldn’t work very long, but the two managed to get most of the finger motors completed before that happened. A couple days later, they moved onto the next step was stimulating the motors, with Jake sending power from different electrical sources to move the shoulder, wrist, and thumb in various directions. Jake’s reasoning behind this was that each separate source would represent a different command from the brain. He then demonstrated that by sending multiple signals at once, each motor could perform movements akin to their organic counterparts.

The next day was spent on the wiring, where Jake worked alone as Benstrum and Herrwil continued their work with the gyroscryer. He found that the amount of wire he thought he would need was more than what he ended up using, a development he was happy with. The next few days, with some help from Benstrum, were spent arranging the wires in the shoulder in such a way that they would hopefully match up with his nervous system. They also wired up the various muscle sensors that would help to improve the arm’s reaction time.

Most of his stay in Brunhold, however, was spent on the plating and shape of the arm. Many hours had been spent cutting and shaping the metal, and still more were spent lining the inside of them with rubber insulation and arranging them in the manner Jake had outlined in his blueprints. Every step of the construction took hours on end to complete, with Jake and Benstrum getting barely any sleep. By the time the arm itself was fully assembled, the three had been working on it a for a little over a week and a half. The next step was to attach the arm. Once that was done, all they needed to do was test it and do more maintenance if needed.

Benstrum’s research into possible spells that could be used to attach the arm eventually revealed that, if the wires were in fact set up properly, a healing spell would be sufficient in attaching the arm. Final preparations were made and the arm and Jake were set up for the process. Jake braced himself as Benstrum read the spell.
As most people who have been healed know, the knitting of shattered bone and restoration of circulatory integrity, as well as the reconnection of nerves and muscular tissue, is an extremely painful process. Jake now had first-hand knowledge that the fusion of metal to flesh and wires to nerves was, without a doubt, substantially more agonizing than the reconstruction of even the direst wound. As he gritted his teeth in pain, he was almost certain he would pass out.

Once the process finished, Jake panted heavily. He looked to his new left arm, hanging limp in the harness that was being used to hold it up. Jake began to fear that something had gone terribly wrong. He tried moving his shoulder, but nothing happened. He tried bending his elbow. Still nothing. He tried making a fist…

His fingers twitched, then slowly curved inward. The arm was a success.

It took Jake a while to get used to the arm. It didn’t move very fast or even very smoothly at first. However, as the rest of his body adjusted to the new limb, it eventually got to the point where he could move it just as comfortably as his organic right arm.

Few modifications needed to be made after the attachment, and testing of the arm yielded magnificent results. The increase in strength wasn’t anything to brag about, the robotic limb was only able to handle about 10 pounds more than his right arm. However, the metal plating made the arm tougher and more resilient. But what astounded them all was the accuracy. Due to the lack of biological imperfections, the arm was much steadier, more precise. When they tested the potential, they found that the arm was able to hit the bull’s-eye on a dartboard 7 out of 10 times, with the misses being very slight.

Jake stuck around Brunhold for a few more days, but realized that he eventually would need to leave. It was nice to be working with Herrwil again, but Jake knew that he enjoyed being outside the walls of Brunhold. He had no idea how he was going to pull this off.

However, when Jake entered the lab one day, he found Herrwil and Benstrum seemingly waiting for him. Herrwil asked Jake to sit down, and the two discussed Jake’s role in Brunhold and, to his surprise, his freedom. He explained to Jake that he understood his reasons for escaping when he did, that he didn’t want to see Jake a slave, and that Jake had more than earned his freedom.

Jake was touched that Herrwil was allowing him to go free, but at the same time was saddened. Herrwil had spent years looking for him, and those years had most certainly taken their toll on him. Jake felt responsible for his mentor’s condition, and every bit of him said that he should have done more, that he didn’t deserve freedom after what he put Herrwil through. Herrwil must’ve read the expression on Jake’s face, and told him that he wouldn’t argue on the matter and that Jake would be officially free the next day.

The night came and went, and Jake said his goodbyes that next morning before he walked out the door. He took note that his handwriting was significantly better with his new arm, especially now that he could write on both halves of the page. He took one look back at Brunhold as he walked through the gate.


Jake sighed. The whole situation was rather overwhelming. Not only had he been able to meet his old friend and mentor, but he finally completed and attached his arm and also gained his freedom.

His phantom limb itched. He reached over to his left arm, his fingers brushing against the cold steel. It didn’t take care of the itch, but Jake was glad that there was at least something there to touch.

He couldn’t wait to get back to Vienda and show Stu and Ginny.