Her gaze followed a group of knights walking through the streets. They had the body of a machina resting upon a simple wooden cart, pulling it deeper into the city to be broken down for parts. It was amazing to Emilia how slight differences in circumstance had spiralling effects. The quality of equipment of knights in the city was much worse than those of the Towers. They lacked the tiny machina that tower knights used to collect components, limiting them to recovering parts from creatures small enough to drag back.
That was something that the company would need to correct eventually. They lacked the know-how to create armour form machina parts, the suits worn by staff when needed nothing more than costumes in reality. Some of the players were beginning to complain about the lack of progression, a common statement in busy bars was that there was no real endgame.
Emilia lifted her head, looking up from the streets below and at the rising sun dancing across the building before her, thick plant growth covering the concrete. A tree had taken root inside, pushing its way through the gap where a window had used to be and stretching out over the street. Emilia thought it was oddly beautiful.
***
The wheels on the wagon sunk slightly into the wet mud as it rolled onto the swamp proper. The party had taken their time climbing down the rocky path moving the wagons one at a time. Now they had reached the moment of truth, slowly moving the first in the line onto the treacherous ground. It seemed to hold the weight, for now. It would only become more perilous as they moved further in.
“Ok, bring it forward, slowly,” Cassius said. He was standing in front of the wagon, beckoning with his hand. The machina pulling the wagon let out a moan that sounded like a foghorn, soliciting some laughter from the other knights.
“I think he knows,” Casey said. She was driving the wagon, holding tight to the machina’s reins. “Are we looking good?”
“For the moment,” Simian said. He was walking alongside the wagon, inspecting the wheels to make sure they weren’t getting stuck. “It looked like this bit of ground runs up to the caves from the cliff face. It’s lifts and walkways, right? The big new lakes block the way across, but the water level is down elsewhere. It might be easier to skirt along the edges anyway.”
“Lifts and walkways?” Alex said. He was following just behind the wagon. Once this first one had gone far enough to ensure it was safe, the plan was to bring the others down and hook the machina back up to the train.
“Yeah, you know, if you can’t go up, you go across. It’s still all travelling.”
“I suppose…” Alex wasn’t sure he understood what Simian was getting at, the idiom unfamiliar.
Carefully, they brought the rest of the wagons down, the caravan starting the slowly trudge through the swamp. A foul smell permeated the air, more pungent than the last time. As the Deus had crossed it had crushed several of the giant mushrooms, and the dead fungi had begun to rot. Hundreds of smaller mushrooms had already begun to sprout from the mess, life continuing despite the destruction.
The path was meandering, growing worryingly narrow in places. It looped around, coming up against the cliffs at the edge of the swamps before sweeping around back towards the centre. It was frustrating, to be doubling back on themselves, but it was better than risking sinking into the mire.
“Woah, slow up,” Cassius said. He sitting next to Casey on the front wagon, taking the opportunity to reinforce her lessons. “There’s something up ahead.”
The wagons came to a stop, gently and slowly to avoid slipping in the mud. Directly ahead was a pile of machina corpses, the shattered remains of several muckgrinders and a duolisk. The smaller monsters weren’t native to the swamps, pushed here by the destruction of the forest.
“Is that a pile of bodies?” Casey said as she brought the train to a halt.
Cassius grabbed his cannon from behind him, tossing the strap over his shoulder and jumping down from the wagon. “Yeah, it is. That’s weird.” He began to walk towards the roughly stacked bodies.
“What’s going on?” Alex said, climbing down from the wagon immediately behind. Simian did the same, and the two men walked to the front to the caravan.
“Well just, look. You ever seen something like this, Simian?” Cassius said. He might not like the older man, but he still respected his depth of knowledge.
“Never. It's not unusual to find a machina body in the wilds. Core part my business, after all, even two isn't unheard of when some machina injure each other in a fight, but I've never seen this many so close together.” Simian stepped towards the pile, poking the nearest body with his foot. “It’s almost like someone did this on purpose.”
The world exploded, dark mud and water filling the air as something burst from beneath the surface. Wood shattered and canopy tore as it crashed through the caravan, snatching up one of the packhooves in its jaws and landing back into the water with a splash.
Alex landed flat of his front, mud splattering across his armour. He had been knocked to his feet by the exploding wagon, a fragment of wood striking him from behind. His health bar was unmoved, the impact not enough to chip away at his ward. His fingers sunk into the dirt as he pushed himself to his feet.
He looked around, checking on the others with quick glances. Cassius and Simian had been far enough away to avoid the shrapnel and had opened up with their ranged weapons. Shots were hitting the surface of the water, the machina that had snatched the packhoove spinning around quickly in the murk as it tore into the smaller beast.
“Where’s Casey?” Alex said. “Does anyone see her?”
The front wagon had been flipped, tugged over by the attacking machina as it had smashed through the still attached wagon behind it. It began to rock, the bottom of it splintering as something pounded from within. Casey emerged a few moments later, smashing her way through the wagon with her strength.
“I’m fine.” She reached towards the air before her, a motion familiar to Alex. A potion appeared in her hand, and Casey popped off the lid with her thumb. “Took a little bit of damage, but otherwise ok.” She flipped up her veil, knocking back the glowing green liquid in a single gulp.
Alex saw Casey’s health bar restore itself in the side of his vision. Erwin’s was still there just below it, though all colour had faded from it. Alex assumed that the distance between them was interfering with the party function.
“What is that thing?” Cassius said, his cannon booming with every shot. “I’ve never seen a machina like it.”
The creature had stopped its death roll, the packhoove shredded to its liking. It had a long snout, jagged fangs covered in vibrant orange fluid from its prey. Armour covered its back, heavy plates protecting it from the shots crashing against it.
“You know what that is,” Alex said, drawing his blade and readying his shield. The machina had turned in the water, its attention swapping to the humans firing at it. “That’s Rory.”
Chapter Nine
Crocodile Rock
Mud sprayed into the air as the machina thundered across the ground, the beast fast despite its great bulk. It trampled through a tipped wagon, wood crunching under its legs as it destroyed another of the precious transports. Water sloughed from the creature as it moved, escaping from orifices across the monster’s body. It snapped its jaws at Alex, the knight rolling out of the way as the machina crunched.
“A snawpjaw? You knew this was here and didn't mention it?” Cassius's body shook as he unleashed a blast from his cannon, the recoil pushing him back slightly in the soft mud. “Would have been a nice warning!”
“I don’t even know what a snapjaw is!” Alex stepped to the side, avoiding another bite. He swung his blade, sparks flying into the air as its aether edge struck metal. Alex felt a thud, the machina slamming its long snout into his side. A small section of his health bar went red and he stumbled backwards for a few steps.
“It’s one of these!” Another boom erupted from Cassius’s cannon, the shot crashing into the side of the snapjaw and explod
ing in a burst of aether.
“I gathered!” Alex raised his shield, the faint pink glimmer of its perfect guard appearing for a brief moment. The snapjaw’s follow up attack hit the light, the energy absorbing the impact. Alex moved quickly, pivoting on his heel and slashing with his sword in a wide arc. It found a gap between the machina's armour plates, metal cutting at the soft cables that served as its flesh.
The beast roared, a deafening peel that sounded like microphone feedback. Its armour seemed to ripple as its body undulated, the monster crouching close to the ground. It was building up pressure in its limbs, ready to release it in a dangerous burst.
Alex saw the motion, the low crouch. It looked like a cat ready to pounce, or at least it would if the machina wasn't crocodilian in shape. It was strange how easy it came to Alex now. He had never battled this species of machina before, but there was a commonality to their behaviours. Alex twisted his sword about in his hands, adjusting his grip. This would be their chance, machina always left themselves open after big attacks.
“Get ready.” Alex knew he didn't need to say it. His party weren't fresh recruits. There were years of experience with Cassius and Simian alone. It felt right to say it, the others looked to Alex as a leader, following his suggestions and commands without question. He could feel the weight of their expectations upon him, but Alex had no intention to let them down.
The machina lived up to the name Ewin had given it, letting out another long roar as it charged forwards, jaws snapping in rapid succession. Its prey had expected the charge, splitting up and scattering in opposite directions. The snapjaw didn’t stop its thundering stampede, choosing to crash into the water. It flicked its tail, spinning about deftly in the mire, dark water splashing over the dirt like waves crashing onto the beach. It burst back out of the water, keeping its momentum as it charged at the knights a second time.
Alex was ready for it. He had held his shield aloft as the monster had turned, eyes locked on the beast as it charged. He slammed it into the ground, aether releasing from the metal and into the earth. A shockwave rushed forward; energy transferred by Alex’s groundshaker skill. The quake struck the charging monster, causing it to slip on the vibrating mud and crash headfirst into the dirt.
The knights took advantage of the monster’s temporary plight. Cassius launched cannon shots as fast as he could, the recoil shaking his body. Simian fired shot after shot from his rifle into the machina’s exposed cabling, whilst Alex and Casey both slashed away at the monster as best they could.
It was a mistake. The snapjaw didn’t stand. Not immediately. As the knights attacked the beast, its armour sprung up, revealing more of the metal rings that had released water when it had first risen from the swamp. Jets sprayed forth, powerful blasts of water blasting in every direction. Alex and Casey took the brunt of it, the pressurised water strong enough to cut metal, their lives spared by the energy field of their wards. They flew backwards, knocked off their feet from the force.
Alex wiped the mud off his visor. His side hurt and he dreaded to think what the pain would have been like without the ward to absorb the impact. Alex's health bar had dropped below the halfway point, there was none of the usual red that would regenerate over time. The blow had been hard enough to remove the health entirely. He would need to eat or drink a potion to restore it.
“Casey, you alright?” Alex knew that Casey’s lighter armour didn’t provide as much protection. He could see her health, there was only a tiny sliver remaining of green visible.
“That hurt like hell. But I’m alive.” Casey clambered to her feet, using her scabbard to support her weight as she stood up. She began to back away, trying to get space between her and the machina. Casey slid her sword back into her scabbard and began to reach for her item quick bar.
The snapjaw turned to face her, sensing that Casey was weakened. It scraped its back leg, readying to charge at the knight. The armour on the machina’s back laid flat once again, covering the jets that had caused so much carnage.
“Duck!” Simian shouted as he tossed something overarm.
Alex did as the older man had suggested, crouching as an object sailed over his head. He watched it fly, a small silver orb that exploded in a burst of blue light as it struck the snapjaw. The machina convulsed, arcs of electricity coursing through its mechanical body.
It was a smart move. The stun bombs were useful to inflict damage onto machina, but the brief window was exactly what they needed to recover. Alex sheathed his sword and then snatched a potion from his quick item bar, downing the liquid and tossing the glass bottle aside. He drank another, and a glance at Casey's health bar told him she was doing the same.
With a shake of its massive bulk, the snapjaw broke free of the effects of the sun bomb, the arcing energy subsiding. It let out a roar as a cannon shot hit its side, the energy scorching the white of its armour. The creature shrugged it off. It was unphased by the damage it had taken, simply readying itself to continue the fight.
***
Anaya watched the battle from her vantage point tucked between two large mushrooms. The massive machina had been attracted by the pile of bodies that had blocked the path of her quarry. She hadn't done it, and Anaya couldn't see why one of the heretics would do it to their number. That meant there had to be some other agency at work. A survivor from her people perhaps. She didn't have time to go looking for them. They wouldn't want to see her anyway, Anaya had been cast out, and most of her people would be too proud to accept help from an exile.
The heretics were doing their best, but it was obvious they were outmatched. The machina had ignored their blows and they had been forced to stun the creature to catch their breaths. Anaya had watched them drinking from glowing vials and assumed it was a healing tincture of some description. It was still staggering to see the heretics take direct blows from a machina and survive.
She reached up to her chest, putting her hand over the crystal hidden beneath the armour. Emilia had given it to Anaya when she had provided the Chosen with equipment. According to her patron, the gemstone was what allowed heretic warriors to take such ferocious damage, but Anaya wasn’t sure she trusted that was true. She had no intention of being hit to find out.
The heretics had adopted a new tactic. The one with the longsword, Alex she recalled, was trying to keep the machina on the backfoot by launching shockwaves from his shield. The two with the ranged weapons were pounding the monster as it stumbled. They weren’t getting far; Anaya could tell that the machina was becoming enraged. A frenzied beast was drastically more dangerous, often releasing strange new abilities.
Driller whined, cowering behind Anaya. The pile of corpses had set it on edge, several of them had been the same species as them. It was an understandable emotion, even if it was from a mechanical being. A gentle hand atop Driller’s hand quieted the noise, Anaya reassuring the nervous monster.
“Stay here,” Anaya said, gesturing towards the ground. “I’m supposed to find out what they’re doing, and I can’t do that if they’re dead.” She allowed herself a long sigh. Helping heretics wasn’t something she had been planning on.
Carefully, and quietly, Anaya stepped out from her hideaway. She closed the visor on her helmet, the metal locking into place with a click. She didn’t know if the heretics would recognise her, but it didn’t matter. Anaya’s machina eyes would give her away immediately. Privately she wondered how the heretics could see anything through the small slit in the visor, her eyes allowing her to see completely through thin sheets of metal. Anaya’s mask had been lost when her equipment had been confiscated, and she missed it terribly. The visor was a poor substitute.
The heretics were getting desperate now. The female with the elegant sword was dashing back and forth with frightening speed, cutting at the machina as she passed. Each leap locked in her motion for a handful of moments, openings that the beast would eventually take advantage of. Anaya could tell they needed help, to keep the monster occupied long enough for them to
wound it.
“I hate having to do this,” she said as she began to run.
***
Horton drummed his hands on the railing of The Wayward Moon. He had watched the caravan meander through the scorched landscape for as long as he could until it finally vanished into the distance. It was intriguing to him, how Alex had interpreted Horton’s suggestion. He had expected the knight and his friends to strike out to the north, but instead, they had gone in a different direction. He trusted that they had a good reason for it. Alex and Casey had proven capable in the past.
Going behind the council's back wasn't something that Horton liked doing. It jeopardised his position as guild master, and without the resources of the guild, his research would be impossible. He relied on the regular supply of new materials and machina components to propel his understanding of the aether forward. He was so tantalisingly close now.
“The last party is away, guild master,” said one of the clerks.
Horton looked at the wyldkin girl. He searched his mind for her name. “Thank you, Emira. You don’t need to keep me updated. I trust you and the captain to run things efficiently.” It had taken Horton some time to learn to tell the sisters apart. There were several of them on the ship, the Moon acting as a mobile guild hall as it floated above what used to be the forest.
“The captain said it was only polite, sir.”
“I suppose she did. It’s not necessary.”
“Understood, guild master.” Emira bowed slightly, then walked off across the deck. A desk had been bolted to the deck, using the metal plates where a ballista would normally be. The clerks had been using it to issue expeditions to returning knights. They had even gone as far as giving them out on chunks of wood to prevent the slips being blown away by the wind.
Adaption. It was the key to how the Towers had survived its long millennia. Now it was no longer alone in the world, Horton knew they would adapt again. He just wished that change hadn't taken the form of the militia. He didn't trust Emilia and worried about the direction she was dragging the Towers now she had the ear of the council. Horton had never felt so restricted, not since he had first appeared in the aether lands.
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