Clank Goes the Iron Heart

The story begins with Xiaotian, an engineer, discovering the remains of his suburban neighborhood after nuclear war has ravaged the nation. Together with his wife, Mai, a schoolteacher, they build a community using the few resources they gather, slowly restoring trust between other survivors as they work to make a home for their newborn son in the aftermath of war. 276 years later, a Golem is borne from the ruins of modern civilization. Led by Rosie and Key, they venture out into a dystopian land to help it discover its purpose, and stumble upon a sect that causes the golem to question the true meaning of happiness. Taking place in Ferria, the Wasteland's sole metropolis and the city they are bound for, ethical issues arise for Jacques, a young physician whose father is an evil trade baron. Teaming up with Arbor, a demolitions expert, and Ashley, a little girl who has learned too much about explosives, the two cross paths when the Temple's view on civil liberties clash with its citizens' basic rights, forming a conflict at their intersection when the golem is hailed as Ferria's savior. Meanwhile, an elusive fusion core entices Trayne, a tracker, and his partner Brand, a bounty hunter, to fight in an underground tournament, moving up from the Arena battles where he had sought his match. Seeking the fusion core, deemed as a holy relic of the past, Arbor and Jacques manage to convince Brand to fight for them, after an argument with Trayne severs their partnership. With their romance only budding, Rosie and Key become marked as enemies of the state for withholding the priceless artifact their mentor had created for them. While the three are being pursued, a battle among the strongest combatants occurs in the Crossroads encampment, and ends in an upset that shakes the underworld. However, once the fusion core is awarded to the victor, the Temple secures the relic as its own, and libels Arbor and his group under the pretense of disloyalty. They soon band together with Rosie and Key, acquaintances from a prior time, to form an unlikely crew on the run from the law. Along with its friends and the creator that inspired it, the golem joins their journey, an automaton with no objectives aside from aiding them. Taking place in both past and present, what follows in their wake is a tale of man and machine, structured as a collection of stories narrated between multiple characters. To him, it is a testament to its existence, none of which its predecessors could have predicted, risen over the ashes with heroes and villains alike. With the hardships they endure, a fellowship is forged among its companions, creating an unbreakable bond with each lesson learned in humanity, tearing down the walls he was destined to break.