Steel and Mana

It had been seven days since the last snowfall, but I wasn't ready to let myself celebrate just yet. Yes, this was the longest stretch without new snow coming down, but that alone didn't mean anything. The only reason I was somewhat positive about the idea of the winter ending was that the temperature was also rising, little by little. Sometimes even the sun poked through the clouds. Right... like now.

Enjoying it, I leaned back in my chair, the morning light coming down on me in my office while I sipped on my coffee. This winter had lasted almost five months... But now, expecting it to end, the reports also began coming in, hundreds of them per day. They included logistics, supply tallies, and monster sightings from Markoth, as well as troop rosters from Mirian, who was with her army, already stationed at Markoth. I'd gone through most of them in the last two days, spending all my time familiarizing myself with the upcoming spring offensive.

Of course, I wasn't going to order a march right after the snow had melted. We are still months away from it... If I just send them on, the speed we would make would be horrendous, thanks to everything being muddy and sloppy. Even with halftracks, the army remains large enough, with more than a million warriors, meaning that the majority of our supplies are still being carried by horses and carriages. Nothing I could do about that. As for the trains, the lines are going to be constantly built as we go, coming after us, and it will be the spine of our progress.

If anything, this will be the greatest maneuver in this world's history, especially when our army joins up with the Khan's troops.

Remembering him, I turned around and reached for the next folder in the stack on my desk, opening it, which came from Khulman. The Khan's personal seal wasn't yet broken, as Merlin had different duties nowadays, still working on his little experiments. Of course, that was moved to the underground facilities we had, hoping that if anything goes wrong, the mountain would serve as a barrier against an explosion.

As for what he was trying to do, he was developing an upgrade to our primary weapon aboard the Camelot. He was convinced he could devise a stable frequency that would allow us to target monsters and alter their cores without destroying them, thereby killing the beasts from within. Or it could power them up... So I warned him to be as cautious as possible, because if he makes a weapon that empowers a monster, I will personally throw him into the beast lands.

Shaking my thoughts away, I returned to the Khan's letter.

The report inside was thorough, detailing that their Wall still stood intact, that their cavalry was in good shape, and that their shamans were preparing protective wards for leaving when spring comes. With everything going on, they would meet us around the same place where we fought the worm, and from there, our armies would march together. Just by his wording, I could tell he was excited, which was good. If morale is high, that is already half a victory.

As for Markoth itself, we would leave a token contingent behind, guarding the Pass, but Lucca himself will come with us. Given the army's size, every nation is sending its generals to manage its troops. However, I require overall cooperation and control. With Avalon leading the way, my people will oversee the broader strategy from our airships. This included Seltana, too, whom I entrusted with being the connection between us and Khulman after our armies merged. It would probably also please the Khan, so it is two birds with one stone.

As for us, Avalon itself, we were ready. The mechs, old and new alike, were rotating in and out of service, being stripped, cleaned, and reassembled with new armaments. Initially, we had twelve mechs... well, after this winter's bountiful harvest, that number had gone up to thirty-eight. It could have been more, but we were missing adequate Knights, and I wasn't going to lower the standards just because we had machines ready. There were no exceptions either, so after my son came to me, I told him to complete the test if he wanted to pilot one. Or build his own like Galahad.

Well, I wasn't surprised, quite the opposite, I was proud when I knighted Lancelot... and Jila. Another young Knight... Heh! She will give us some strong grandchildren! Geez... Am I becoming like my Mom? Anyway... Currently, the two of them were still training, familiarizing themselves with their new machines.

As for our airships, all were currently back here, being checked and serviced. It will be the first time the Camelot will fly with all of her support vessels: The Eagle's Nest, Stormbringer, Punisher, and the Knight's Errand will all sail out in formation. Just thinking about it, I was getting a bit giddy, as my inner child was coming out, wanting to see the cool showcase from the ground.

Smiling, I shifted in my chair while going for the next set of papers coming from Mirian. The Empire had all its soldiers already at Markoth, delivering them in batches throughout the winter. Their elite forces took part in multiple monster attacks, gaining valuable experience fighting them alongside my soldiers. She was also asking for mechs, and honestly... with the surplus I had, I was thinking about letting her choose from her people and give Mirian about ten of them to field.

As for the rest of the Union, it had assembled its troops, each contingent getting ready within its own territory of origin, waiting to be shipped out to the eastern front in batches. I wasn't sure how well trained they would be, but as I had already decided, I was planning to use them to build the railways, protect the supply lines, and man the fortifications we leave behind.

"Haaah..." With a long breath, I flexed my shoulders, touching the fading blood tattoo. It was the ninth variant I've had put on me since forming my mental connection with Zah'Ratil. It never occurred again, but I wasn't sure it was because of it or not. Still, Mikan insisted on putting it on me every time it began fading. As for Arthur, it probably worked much better since then, as he hasn't had any weird dreams and can sleep well once again. It was then that the office door opened, and Luna stepped in with perfect timing, setting a fresh pot of coffee on the side of my table.

"You've been in here all morning," she said, putting her hands on her waist, tilting her head. "You didn't think you would do a third day in a row of holing up in here, did you?"

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"Nah, I have some self-respect left in me," I murmured, stretching while leaning back in the chair. "I was about to go for a walk, actually. Probably visit Merlin, see how things are over there."

"Visiting Merlin is just more work, no?" She asked, rolling her eyes, "Let's go to the bath instead."

"Horny?" I smirked, making her simply turn her head, pouting, "That will happen too, relax! I'm fine, no need to hold back~!"

"I'm not holding back!" She sighed but didn't argue, because she was doing just that. All of them were, and to be honest... I was getting a feeling pent up, as we had done nothing for more than a week now. Or was it two weeks? Damn... "Anyway, let's wait until we are all together!" She mumbled, rubbing her legs together.

"I'll go and get them," I said, tapping the quill against the desk, ready to stand up.

"R-right... now?" Luna's gaze lit up at once, looking at me, gulping, "Can you... Really manage it?"

"Dear..." I muttered, pulling her closer for a kiss, "You will tap out before me... Guaranteed."

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It was still cold, but not as cold as it had been a month ago, standing outside, wearing a coat that Tarsine herself designed...

The so-called training field I was invited to stretched out before me like a dueling ground back home. It was just... bigger... to accompany these mechs Avalon was using, and, by now, my sister did so too. Haaah... So much has changed since leaving home... I was adamant in keeping my sisters safe and not to be forced into any kind of marriage or life they didn't want to, yet here I was.

Seltana was working on strategies for the upcoming offensive, while Tarsine was mainly traveling back and forth between Atuvia and Avalon, becoming a... businesswoman, as she called herself. As for Meyli? She was going to come with us, and she was going to work with other healers in the back... I would have never expected her to open up like this.

So... here I was, a bit lost. I was also offered a position in the offensive, with command of my own artillery unit, following my performance against the worm-monster during our battle. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted.

"Rashira! Are you watching?!"

The deep, growl-like rumble almost scared me, making my head snap towards the two large machines, gazing at them... Damn it, Jila... Don't yell like that, the machine's speakers are anything but human-like!

"I am, I am! Geez..." I answered, knowing that they could hear me, even from that distance. Haaah... why did you even invite me out to watch you pilot that monster...

Okay... Calling them monsters was a bit harsh. They looked much more pleasing to the eye than I cared to admit. Lancelot's machine was lean-looking, built for speed, its frame shaped to give it a swordsman's posture. Right now, the right arm held a long, double-edged blade, balanced perfectly in proportion to the mech's height, made out of bone. As for my sister's, hers was heavier, broader in the shoulders, with reinforced arms ending in massive gauntlets and clawed grappling talons. I don't know what she was thinking when she chose a design like this, considering she is thin and small in comparison.

From here, I could already see the difference in their stances, and I wanted to scold my sister... This wasn't a game, yet I could see her mech sway a little, likely because she was too excited to keep it still... Unlike Lancelot, whose machine stood in a low guard position, its blade angled forward, the mech's knees bent just at the right angle.

"Targets ready!" a man called from not that far away from me. As far as my knowledge went, he was Veron, the second Knight in Avalon's history.

Watching, at his signal, the far end of the field changed, and heavy steel shutters slid open below the snow to reveal a mix of moving dummies and weighted constructs springing up straight, about the size of a mech itself. Some rolled on tracks to simulate a charging beast, others moved with jerky, unpredictable sways, coming directly towards my sister.

Lancelot moved first of the two. His mech lunged forward with smooth, flowing steps, making me forget I was watching fifteen-meter-tall metal constructs and not humans. When he swung his weapon, the sword's arc was clean, following his training, and the first charging dummy was split in half with barely any wasted motion remaining in Lancelot's machine. He was even better when we had that silly archery competition... Thinking back on it, I felt my face redden, and I felt ashamed that I handled him like that... But. Oh well... What is done is done! At least he will be a good husband for my sister, and that makes me pleased.

Turning my gaze to Jila, she attacked with the subtlety of a battering ram. Typical. Her mech charged a beast-shaped target, both her arms snapping out in a double grapple. The claws locked in with a loud, thundering clank, something within them whining as she lifted the construct clean off the ground before slamming it into the melting snow hard enough to send a full cloud of it into the air.

"Haaah..." I shrugged, shaking my head with a smile.

Her follow-up attack was even less graceful, being a pivot toward the next target before her that left her mech's footing too wide. I could see she wasn't entirely used to piloting it yet... But she caught herself, correcting the stance quickly. I think Lancelot saw it too, because his voice came over the comms, piped through the speakers for everyone to hear, once again, making my stomach rumble because of its deep cadence.

"Are you piloting or wrestling drunk, Jila?"

"I am drunk on fighting alongside you~!" She laughed, with no hint of shame, which was weird to hear through their distorted voices... It was creepy. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to master it by the time it's spring! Trust me, my hubby!"

Moving onto the next phase, on the next wave of targets, Lancelot integrated short lunges into his footwork, using the mech's speed to deliver quick thrusts that pierced the dummy's head. Next to him, Jila started to pace her bursts of movement, waiting for an opening before locking her talons in and twisting, crushing the internal frame of her target. Then, before any warning, they began crossing paths, training their coordination by attacking each other's targets.

"Lady Rashira," Veron shifted his stance beside me, speaking to me for the first time since I came here. "You see what's happening?"

"I am. And just Rashira is enough, Sir Veron." I nodded, "They're already feeding off each other's pace... I wouldn't be surprised if they could work together without looking at each other."

"Exactly," He said, keeping his eyes on them. "If this were done against live beasts, Lancelot's moves would force them to try and defend. It would leave them vulnerable for others to grab while they're distracted. It's the same as a good infantry pair, just scaled up about... fifteen meters. It is a basic maneuver within our infantry."

As he spoke, another set of shutters opened, and this time, releasing larger constructs shaped like four-legged beasts, coming on elongated rails. Lancelot didn't hesitate, closing in on one of them and hacking at its forelegs before finishing it with a two-handed upward cut that split the neck assembly.

While he did that, Jila went for the heavier-looking one. She ducked under a sweeping tail strike, grabbed it by the torso, and lifted it, the mech's knees dipping into the snow before she spun and hurled it into a stationary tower target. The collision rattled the reinforced frames around it and sent a shockwave forth once again.

I couldn't help but find myself smiling... She always wanted to be a hero... I knew this was her dream coming true... And it was becoming something real for all the others... So... I felt happy for all of my siblings. Maybe, being sent here by our Father was the best thing that could have happened to us.