Steel and Mana

The wind at the base of the Wall was probably the coldest, making me shiver while I was crouching before one of the bug-like corpses, examining it. It didn't have a core, but it was... interesting. The bones it had were surprisingly thin, with all of them having one matching rune formed on their backs and nowhere else. Just that one. As far as Sasha guessed, they were probably for some kind of control, coordinating their hive. It may also be how the flying bastards worked together when we saw the massive, hole-filled variant.

Which would mean... Was there a 'mother' creature out there? Or were they simply like this and searching for food? Food for themselves or for their 'host.' Haaaah... we know too little about the monsters, really.

"Sovereign, the Khan is approaching," Pion warned me, standing close by with more of his men, guarding me and Sasha while the rest stayed aboard the Camelot, floating right above us.

"I don't think he will mind it," I answered, finally standing up and wiping my hands with a towel. "Sasha?"

"We can take back a few, less mangled corpses." She nodded, doing the same as I was, "I can send the data to Merlin back home, and he can also take a look."

It was amidst that the supposed 99th son of the God of War had arrived, watching us.

Well, glancing back at him, he looked exactly as I expected. Broad-shouldered, armored, wearing a heavy fur cloak. What I was also expecting was for him to wear the famous Gauntlets, but they were hanging on his belt instead, and his hands remained naked. Probably a kind of show of respect or something... I guess. When our eyes met, I saw him finishing examining me the same way, probably drawing his own conclusions. As for what those were... judging by the light, they weren't bad. Or at least, they weren't disappointing him.

"Sovereign of Avalon," he said first, keeping his voice neutral, "I see you kept your promise. I appreciate it."

"Of course, Tula-Khan Rhanak," I replied, stepping forward without hesitation. "I don't make promises or suggest alliances without backing them up. Otherwise, I wouldn't have unified the western part of the continent."

"I heard that," He gave the slightest nod, as if weighing my statement, deciding if I was boasting or threatening him.

It was the former... Sorry Khan, I can't help it. Looking over his shoulder, I saw a few of his generals lingering, way too obvious they were here as protection, their bodies stiff with discipline, just like my soldiers. Heh. Aren't we going to be allies? Huh... Some of them still looked at me with a hint of caution, while others watched Sasha or Pion with a bit of apprehension. I couldn't blame them, our Avalonian tech and equipment weren't subtle at all, and the way we stormed in was... Not what they expected of us. I guess... I just can't help it. Well, just as I finished looking, Rhanak's gaze also flicked past me, toward Pion and his armor, before looking up at the belly of the Camelot.

"That vessel," he said, "It is... not a thing of this world..."

"Oh, it is," I disagreed, following his eyes. "All the materials are made from resources we mined and obtained. It is something that couldn't be more from this world, believe me. If you want to talk about out-of-this-world treasures, you have one hanging on your waist."

For a moment, the Khan remained silent, and then he turned and motioned for us to walk with him. We followed as he led us back up and along the Wall, passing soldiers who straightened instinctively as he passed, regardless of whether they were injured or in the midst of checking damages on their equipment. By now, the corpses had mainly been cleared off the wall, and I could see how the fires burned in newly dug pits, sending the fallen off.

"You fight with strange machines," he said, "Your warrior... the woman in pink. That thing I am told is controlled by a human...?"

"Yuri," I confirmed, "My third wife, mother of my Lancelot, whom you have already met. And yeah, it is controlled by her and she is not even a shaman, if you want to know."

"I see..." He muttered to himself, shaking his head in the end, "She made a strong impression, just like her son."

"I doubt she'd settle for anything less." I chuckled, "She is a wild card."

"..." He let out a faint breath at that, not quite a chuckle, but close enough. "How many of those can you command?"

"Hm." I considered while exchanging a look with Sasha, who, after thinking, nodded back at me, "By the end of this winter, I should have around... fifty. We are having a... massive harvest."

"..." I saw how his steps faltered, his breath getting stuck in his chest.

I maaaaay have overshot it a little. But, if the current trajectory holds, I would have enough monster cores to field all the mechs we constantly built through the years, almost clearing my queue. From then on, the issue would be not production but getting proper Knights. Still, while I was thinking of that, the Khan became deathly silent, but kept leading us. Ten minutes later, we stopped at the central tower, the highest point of the Wall around this section, and looked out over the battlefield together.

"My shamans have rested," he said. "By their senses, they predict that there will be no second wave, not after the destruction here."

"There will be one later on," Sasha chimed in, and it surprised the Khan, and I could tell he was not used to a woman interrupting the talks between rulers. Not that I was going to stop my wife from speaking. I just smiled, letting her continue. "They're regrouping; that is their usual behavior after something like this. We have experience with how they are testing defenses... My personal belief is that now, the main beast will come and see why its minions perished."

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"I," he said, turning to me, then back at her, adjusting his mind and expression. Surprise, surprise, he was a good ruler, quickly getting hold of whatever he was thinking of, whatever he was accustomed to, and adapting to our version of customs. I can only give credit where credit is due. "What do you intend to do next?"

"To do what we promised," she answered, "We can help you hold the borders. Our Camelot will go ahead and scout for the source of the horde and eliminate it. It will be beneficial not only for you, but for us as there will be fewer obstacles for the campaign when spring comes."

Silently, Rhanak studied her and then me again, this time with more weight behind his stare. I knew what he was trying to see. He was trying to gauge whether I saw him as an equal or a client. Someone I need to protect because he was weaker... Or was I a proper ally, offering actual help, without me expecting him to follow my orders in the future because of it? Even I don't know that yet... but still, I met his stare without flinching.

"You are a man of many weapons and surprises, Sovereign," he said, shaking his head, "Flying ships, walking godmachines. Magic wielded by soldiers, making their skin as hard as a monster's while their weapons cut through steel like it was made of paper... You could dominate the land. You could, after the monsters are gone, get what any ruler dreams of... Sovereignty over the world."

"Yeah, but I don't." I folded my arms. "If I wanted to conquer Khulman, I wouldn't have waited for an invitation." The air stilled for a moment, but I continued without flinching, "Going by my experience... No plans for world conquest ever worked. It's just not possible, not with us, humans being so stubborn and different all the time. All the scenarios I am aware of suggest that world domination, even if achieved, will ultimately fail by the end of its first generation."

"..."

"Also," I added, still looking into his eyes, smiling at him, "Didn't you send girls over to infiltrate my bloodline so if I do conquer you, at least a Khulmani descendant will govern your lands?"

"No," he formed a grin himself, "Because Khulman does not bow... Not to men... My bloodline would be sitting on your throne after a generation or two."

"Hah!" I laughed, taking on his more boisterous words, making Sasha also snort once, being exceptionally loud about it, "My blood would have a say about that!"

With me, running my fingers through my red hair, and making him put two and two together, especially after glancing at Sasha... there was a sudden flash in his eyes, making his grin slowly recede as he considered it silently. Another stretch of silence had gone on between us, but it wasn't hostile, no matter how it may have felt for those watching us. It ended when he reached out a hand that I grabbed and shook.

"My Khulman will fight with you, until the monsters are gone from the continent." He started, "But, after the land is freed and cleansed, it has to be left free. This must not be a conquest but a march for cleansing our part of the world."

"Sure," I nodded, knowing that he was fearing that in the end I, or in this case my Union, would claim ownership over more and more land, ending up surrounding him.

Let's leave that for the future... I am not here to argue or antagonize them. I remember enough from the history of my old home, where allies, after the war, became bitter enemies. Will it happen here? The possibility was there, but... we will see. I won't worry about it right now.

...

....
......

Hours later, already going into the night, I leaned against the back of my chair, munching on a dried stick of salted meat. Yum. No, really... It was tasty. While the girls went to sleep and rest, I decided to take a night shift, so to speak, staying on the Camelot's bridge, watching as the scenery changed as the darkness fell on the land. We were moving slowly, as there was ample land to cover, and we were working on guesses about where these bugs might have come from.

"Wave scanners are active," Kustov reported, coming up to me. "No signals pinged back in the past two hours, My Sovereign."

We'd been flying with all the lights turned off, drifting high since dusk, just below the clouds, cutting through the restarting snowfall.

"That's fine." I nodded, taking another bite, munching on it.

To be honest, I didn't know what I expected. We were inside the so-called Minacian Trade Company's territory. From what I could tell, they were competitors to Atuvia in this end of the world. As for who was the copycat? Didn't matter as Atuvia was standing... unlike these poor bastards, their country consumed by the beasts. But... where were they? In a lair? A nest? Another monstrous, walking beast-factory like the one we obliterated? Haah, I hope not.

"Any sign of flyers?" I asked.

"Nothing yet," Kustov replied, arms crossed as he studied the latest reports, "We have no signs of anything magical that would be related to them."

"You sure we're not wasting our time?" A voice murmured, touching my arms, and when I looked, it was Mikan who came, bringing me a mug of hot tea. "You should go to sleep."

"I'm never sure of anything," I answered, taking the mug with a smile, "But maybe I will climb into bed if nothing happens in the next two hours," I added, buckling under her kind and warm gaze as I took a sip. Mhm... Warm...

Eventually, at around three in the morning, just as I was about to go to sleep as I promised, the ping came back positive. Murphy's Law? Of course... not even in another world will I be free of that, huh?

"We have a match!" Kustov said, his voice tightening, standing among the cluster of crew who were responsible for our scanners, "Coordinates are solid and the ping is stable. It is... About sixty kilometers north of our position."

"What about its strength?" I asked.

"High." He looked at me. "Very high, My Sovereign. We don't know what it is, but it seems to be... Massive."

"Bring us closer," I ordered, "Kustov, try to keep us hidden. I want us to be close enough to observe them, but not so close that they would spot us."

"Yes, My Sovereign!"

It took us twenty minutes to reach visual range, and the Imaginary, on maximum zoom, showed a blotched, pixelated image, doing its best to provide enough light so that even in complete darkness, shapes were at least easily recognizable. At first, it looked like a stone mesa, a jagged, black defect against the snow, a pile of rubbish. Or rocks... or something. But the closer we edged, the clearer the shape became, before I ordered a complete stop.

"Is that... A city?" Kustov asked in disbelief.

"Or… what used to be one." I corrected him.

It was undoubtedly a city before. We could see the remaining silhouettes of buildings, churches, and walls, but all of them were choked in waxy, fibrous layers, like those of termites or bees... or wasps or something that had built its nest here, using it as a baseline. What had once been towers of the local main church or perhaps a castle were now the spines of the hive built around them, slightly slanted and fused together. And this was just the surface; what lay beneath was still a mystery.

"Visual confirmation, My Sovereign!" One of the crew reported and changed the image.

It was hard to make it out, but there they were, still moving in the darkness, constantly clearing away the snow. From here, they were, presumably, the same bug-like monsters... Thousands of them. Crawling over one another in spirals, in circles, working on their... hive.

"Well..." I wiped my mouth, "Houston... I think we have a problem."

Kustov didn't even flinch, already used to me sometimes uttering words he couldn't understand. Haaah... damn it. Everyone is used to my bad jokes...