Steel and Mana

The city of Markoth was still visible behind them, the faraway chimneys steaming, releasing thick, white clouds of smoke. They were about two kilometers out from its walls, and the city looked peaceful from where they stood right now. Of course, their goal was to keep it that way, and that's why Galahad, already used to piloting his own creation, looked just as focused as any other warrior present.

The Excalibur's six legs moved at a steady pace, pressing into the snow-packed plain they were on, crunching and compacting the white cover that kept falling from the sky nonstop for the past week or so. Perhaps it was his brain, the way he processed the inputs... but he was fine experiencing it without the usual issues he expected. He even discovered it helped him filter things out even better, causing his breathing to match the hydraulics as one leg lifted and another pressed down. Piloting the Excalibur wasn't really different from feeling as if he had become the machine itself. It was an experience only those who had the privilege to pilot one of Avalon's masterworks could understand.

But, in the Excalibur, Galahad wasn't sitting there alone as there was space for a co-pilot, thanks to the sheer size of it. Not to mention, it was the machine that carried the soldiers out here in its belly while the half-tracks running alongside it were packed with building materials.

The head unit had a central command deck featuring a segmented control station, cut into two, along with a reinforced slit with glass viewports at the front. Galahad sat in the left-side seat of the two-segment cockpit, his arms resting on the controls of the Excalibur. Under his sleeve, his blood tattoo was slowly being consumed, feeding into the mech's core systems, allowing the 'melding' he was experiencing. Without thinking about it, he flexed one hand, and the Excalibur's primary stabilizer leg rotated slightly to compensate for a patch of uneven snow below him, something that he could feel while the connection lived.

Watching him for a moment, sitting to his right, was Princess Fila. Her swiveling seat faced the core's regulation station, and being one who had her own magic, she could detect changes or activate spells faster than any other person could. Although... She sometimes wondered what she was doing out here in the cold, shivering a little, but as she turned her chair and looked at Galahad again, she felt that she was doing the right thing. While her elder brother was back home, working hard to grow into a proper Emperor, she had to do the same so that when he needed her help, she would be able to give it. And make sure that she would be taken seriously...

"How are we doing?" Galahad asked, his voice not traveling outside of the mech, making it so that only Fila could hear him, getting pulled out of her previous thoughts.

"We are doing well," She answered, turning back around, not only glancing at the dials but getting a feel of it, too. "Everything is stable despite being active for eight hours by now. Although... My bottom is starting to hurt sitting here for this long..."

"Sorry... I just... I don't want any surprises. We should be able to rest soon." He answered, suddenly feeling ashamed, he forgot about the fact that she may not be as 'comfortable' as he was.

"It's fine...." She shrugged, "It was my idea to tag along, no? I am a proper girl! I do what I promised to do..."

"I know..." Galahad replied without missing a beat. "I like that about you."

Fila rolled her eyes but smiled faintly, her eyes reddening a little, and she was glad he couldn't see her face. Despite her discomfort and the biting cold, she wasn't that uncomfortable. Just a bit grumpy, that's all. She even surprised herself with it, realizing that, just like her mother, she could be tough. She just didn't try hard enough in the past... Maybe it was Galahad's fault. Or Avalon's. Or both.

"I've got a report coming in from the engineering teams," Fila spoke up as a message arrived, deciding it early that it should be she who communicated with the troops around the Excalibur while Galahad's full attention was on piloting and scanning the land for potential dangers. "Looks like they're almost finished with Post Three."

"Acknowledged. Tell them when they are done, we will call it a day." Galahad answered while he turned his thoughts outward.

For him, the world bent and refocused as his mind scanned the whole horizon in one go, registering every little detail, allowing his mind to sort through it effortlessly, just as it did when he used to meditate. It was... so much easier when linked with the core of the Excalibur. It even made him jealous for the first time for not having access to magic... Then, he remembered it was the same with his father, so his jealousy quickly evaporated, making him smile a little.

Turning his eyes, he could make out the engineers, bundled in thick layers of furs and reinforced vests, working quickly at the base of a steel-and-wood tower, stabilizing it to the frozen ground below the snow. One of the half-trucks nearby puffed out a thick cloud of smoke as it arrived and carried another load of supplies forward so they could finish their job.

There were four of those half-trucks in all, accompanying the troops as they ferried the prefab parts between the erected posts. These were not actually manned towers but etched with a sensory-type formation, which ensured that a clear ping would be sent back to the city if any type of creature approached them after all three were linked up. Beasts may try to be sneaky, dig under the snow, or fly high; whatever it was, this chain of towers would react to the tiniest magic in its blood. It was the only warning system they needed at the moment. And in the coming days, it should be expanded until there were a few dozen of them, covering the whole eastern 'border.'

Near the engineers stood Pion with his own squadron, overseeing and protecting the others, bringing out thirty soldiers in total. They looked small from Galahad's perspective, and sometimes he was afraid he would step on them by accident... luckily, that never happened.

"Not the best place for a city..." Fila muttered, and it was her first opinion when arriving at Markoth.

True, the last city of Markoth sat on a pretty broad, open plain. To the east, where danger could and probably would come from, perhaps four kilometers away, the terrain finally changed and shifted into a patchwork of smaller hills and a snow-covered, thick forest. That was the danger line, as Lucca named it. There was simply too much land to cover and too many unknowns to prepare a proper defensive line.

So, the thing they settled on was to create a streak of towers close to the forest that could warn them, and Avalon would have enough time to get out into a defensive position and prepare for whatever was trying to reach the city in time. Then, they could meet them halfway on the snow-covered plains.

"Weird..." Galahad murmured, making Fila perk up a little.

"You thinking about them?" she asked quietly.

"I always am," he answered, "I thought I would be afraid or overwhelmed out here... but it is... somehow different. I feel so much more... focused. Perhaps this is the responsibility Dad was talking about. He mentioned it many times, and I think I'm starting to understand what he meant.

"Maybe..." She murmured, remembering similar discussions she had back home with her mother.

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For the following minutes, she silently continued to monitor the power feeds, occasionally sending pulses through the core circuit to maintain a balanced flow of energy. Even now, she didn't look away from her readouts, but her thoughts had settled onto something else.

"You know," she said after a moment, "It is weird. I never would have thought I would be here... outside. This is dangerous... and I should be back home, reading... safely in my room."

"I know... but... It's not about feeling safe," Galahad said in a confident tone, "It's about making sure we can be safe because there is a chance that nowhere will be safe in the future. We have the skills to stop that from happening, so here we are."

She was repeating his words in her mind and was about to speak again when suddenly, a nearby thud echoed across the plain. At first, Fila thought a monster had come, but no, it was the second mech from their group that had stepped into place. Galahad pivoted the Excalibur's primary viewport, allowing her to catch sight of the Rook that was now escorting them on this mission, standing at Post Two, about four hundred meters away from them.

"Polo is in position," Fila noted as new information was coming in. "He's covering Post Two, which has been activated and is functioning as intended. The group there is ready to head back."

"Good," Galahad said. "Let him know we'll sweep forward another 200 meters while the workers pack up here and we prepare for retreat for the day. We will bring up the rear."

"Message sent!" She nodded and furrowed her brows a little, "Isn't this a little close to the edge of the forest?"

"Close enough to intercept. Far enough to respond."

"Well..." She considered, then nodded with a shrug, "Alright. But if we draw something out, don't expect me to hold the line while you go charging in! I am in the same machine as you; you must protect me, understood?!"

"Deal," Galahad answered with a smile, "We'll charge in together."

"Nonononono, protect me, not bring me into more danger!"

"We should be fine~!"

Fila muttered something under her breath about lunatics, but she reached for her thermal flask instead of arguing and took a sip. Even when she felt a bit more relaxed, her gaze never quite left the core gauges or the viewport. Then, as discussed, the Excalibur moved forward again, the snow breaking beneath its weight with every six-legged step, while the Rook did the same as the two machines were making their final round before heading back for the day.

The Excalibur had just started to rotate its body, turning to face towards the city, when something pricked Galahad's awareness. It was too faint to be a visual cue, too sudden for the sentry towers to react, as the third one was not yet even activated. It was more a kind of instinct, or maybe the machine's instincts bleeding into his own... But that couldn't be possible. Still, whatever it was, his heart did skip a beat as if preparing for an inevitable impact.

Then, the forest line exploded into motion.

They came low and fast. There were twelve shapes in total, leaping through the snow and getting into a full sprint. Each one was the size of a tiger, similar in appearance too, with lean and muscular bodies; their fur was matted in shades of white and blue, and their eyes gleamed with an intense, red light. Pure predators... running to get their dinner.

"Contact!" Galahad yelled, as by now, the further away towers also began sending out warnings; only the still-deactivated, blind Post Three remained silent. Exactly where they struck. "Fila—!"

"I see them!" she acknowledged, coming out from the initial shock, and although her hands were shaking, she found herself reacting instead of freezing up.

But it was too late for a clean angle, and most of the weapons on the back of the Excalibur were facing either on the same level as the machine's height or upwards... Not to mention, the massive frame needed room to rotate. Its legs dug in under Galahad's piloting, shifting posture, but the monsters weren't interested in fighting it. Clearly, they waited for the perfect opportunity when the machine was facing away from the forest... and away from their actual prey. So... They simply darted past it, weaving through its steps.

"They're not attacking us," Fila realized, her voice tense. "They're going for the engineers!"

Recognizing the same thing, Galahad snarled and shoved his right control bracer forward, using the mech's momentum to stomp like an angry elephant.

A shockwave cracked through the snow as the Excalibur's foremost left leg came down like a metal hammer. One of the beasts, rushing through them, vanished underfoot with a bloody crunch. But the rest of the pack didn't stop. Another darted right, only to be caught by the Excalibur's back knee as it rotated and flung sideways into the snow, kicking the creature and blowing it into a cloud of gore and blood. Apparently, they were squishier than the big ones.

Still, the rest got through.

Post Three was about to be finished and activated when the engineers noticed the attack in mid-packup, with the half-trucks being loaded and hanging wide open, defenseless. Yet, there was no panic or rushing, only a trained and organized retreat the moment the monsters came into view.

Because there were others to deal with them as the soldiers reacted, Pion's orders echoing in their helmets.

"Split up, boys; I want two-man groups! Take up a half-circle around the engineers, and don't let them pass through us!"

Then, just as he finished, the first weapon flared to life. It was a polearm; its edge became shrouded in bright, orange flames as it swung, causing one of the monsters to jerk to the left instinctively... Just so, another weapon, coated with lightning, arcing along its length, cut its head off.

"It has been some time since I saw these types of beasts..." one of the soldiers murmured into their comms, as creatures like these were usually the type to attack the Pass.

Back then, they were a deadly enemy, dangerous, and they came in multiple waves... But now? It looked trivial, especially after getting used to facing beasts twenty or even forty meters tall. By the time the soldier finished speaking, two more were pierced clean through by two spears, glowing with an acid-green color, their wounds smoking as they burned the flesh and fur away.

There was another one that tried to slip by entirely, realizing these were dangerous prey, and it switched to aim for a young-looking engineer scrambling behind a supply crate. But it was just a fleeting thought as a soldier intercepted it with his own body, slamming into it from the side. The sheer power of their contact sent both of them flying, but the soldier's partner was already upon the knocked-down beast, driving the sword in his hand into the monster's spine, twisting it until it stopped struggling.

By then, Galahad finally brought the Excalibur to face forward, too late to assist but not too late to witness their complete victory.

In under thirty seconds, it was over.

Steam was rising into the air from the split guts and severed limbs lying around, oozing blood everywhere. One monster, which was still twitching, tried to crawl back to a standing position, only for Pion to step forward and stomp onto its head, crushing it wide open with the sheer force behind his boots.

"Clear," came his calm voice through the open channel.

Hearing him, Galahad exhaled, the tension he felt finally escaping his lungs, and his pulse finally began to slow down.

"Everyone accounted for?" he asked.

"Engineers unharmed," Pion replied, "No casualties."

Hearing it was another significant relief, making Galahad lean back in his seat and blink away the sudden tears that had welled up in his eyes from nowhere. And although he couldn't see it in his current position, he could feel them.

"That... could've been bad," Fila murmured quietly.

"Yeah... We have a big blind spot..."

"We do. They waited until we turned... and even if we didn't, they were small and fast enough that we couldn't do anything."

"We forgot to think about these types of monsters," Galahad muttered. "A big oversight on my part..."

"No, it isn't." Echoed a new voice, coming through the mech's speakers, belonging to Polo. "Everything worked out as it should."

"Ah...?" Galahad flinched a little.

"I experienced battles more than you two." He continued, and he wasn't arrogant quite the opposite; he wanted to show them what happened so they wouldn't blame themselves for something that wasn't even an issue. "That is why my weapons remained silent, too. Although nice job with stomping on them! That was a quick reaction!"

"T-thank you..." Galahad mumbled, suddenly replaying the event and starting to see it... But Polo continued to explain.

"We came with the ground soldiers for this exact reason. Our job as Knights is to fight our opponents. The small ones are for the ground troops to deal with. No machine can do everything, Lord Galahad." He spoke with confidence, "Wasn't the Excalibur designed to protect and lead the troops? Then, it means it fights with them."

"Y-yes..." Galahad murmured, blushing, realizing that he panicked when the monsters appeared, and he wanted to do everything by himself. It was the worst possible choice... luckily, others were here to salvage the situation for him.

"Don't worry, Lord Galahad," Polo continued, "Experience is the best teacher... And in Avalon, we can trust each other! Even if we make a mistake, our brothers will have our backs and pick us up!"