Steel and Mana

Lucca looked like a month-old, forgotten hamburger, thrown into the microwave and warmed back to an edible condition. In short: awful. He sat across from me in the infirmary of the Pass, still in the plain fatigues after he was transported inside, given a rinse, and Mikan took a look at him, stating he would be okay, and he wasn't injured, only wholly depleted both through mana and stamina. Currently, his skin had a paper-white sheen, so dry that it was very close to cracking, so one of the medical nurses made sure he was 'oiled up,' turning him... shiny.

"—and then it stopped fighting," he was finishing his explanation between sips from a straw, drinking his fifth cup of tea. "The beast's mind just… folded in on itself. Like a cave-in."

"You did it perfectly," I said, looking up. "You actually broke it without killing it, which we need to master in the future. Honestly, if what the Vasas had told us is true, we will need to do this to that... Ignis thing."

"I don't think that would be this easy," He gave me a ghost of a smile. "The beast's consciousness was almost nonexistent. Yes, it was easy to break it after getting used to the pressure... But if it could actually think? I don't know how far in I could go."

"I know, but we can start here." I leaned back, stretching the ache out of my shoulders. "Merlin and I can think of something to help with that, but... For now, rest, and then I will have a mission for you."

"I am ready whenever, My Sovereign."

"No. You rest." I stood up, looking down at him, "That's an order because after you recover, come and find me. I will explain it in detail then."

By nightfall, I had turned most of the reports, both from him and from the new machine, Merlin, every reading we had on the situation, and put it into the foundation of a handbook for my future, psychic knights. It contained not only the fact that Lucca's fight proved that a strong enough ego could overwrite a beast's core signature, but also, with his detailed description, I managed to identify the proper approach to subjugate a monster. That meant we kind of had the appropriate conditioning to let a Knight fuse with a monster without dissolving into its instincts, and to know what to focus on when preparing future Knights. The trick, as I already made sure to note down previously, wasn't power or physicality; it was personality.

As for the task, I would ensure that Lucca oversaw the training, preparation, and final selection of those who may pilot such a machine. He not only had the personal experience by now, but he even had it in spades, thanks to what Pascal had put him through. Seltana, on the other hand, I promoted her to full command of the Pride for now, until Lucca returns to duty. She was a bit surprised, but she adapted quickly, and the fortress would keep working as usual, without any hiccups with her at the helm. I had that much trust in her.

"It's a bit earlier than expected," I told her, "But you had time with Oleg and now Lucca, we will take it as fast-tracking you to the position you were originally aiming for. Still, this is only temporary until Lucca returns to duty."

"Yes, Sovereign, I understand."

"Most likely, the winter will be left to you, as I have a task for Lucca while he is recovering, so he is being brought back to Avalon as we speak. I think the train had already left with him on board. But I have faith in you!" I smiled, wanting to ease the air, making her nod and form a small smile of her own before leaving.

As for the new fleshtoy outside the wall, the creature was still standing where Lucca had left it, as if frozen mid-motion. The only signs that it wasn't dead were the steam constantly coming from its nostrils as it breathed, its chest rising and falling steadily. As for its analysis, Merlin, Mikan, and Sasha had been studying it since dawn, every morning, going back and forth until returning to the Camelot to sleep.

"It doesn't respond to any probe we try," Mikan reported over comms when I asked how it was going, "Pain triggers, heat, sound, no matter what we threw at it, nothing."

"Leon," Merlin was practically vibrating as he took the communicator from her, "Do you realize what this means? The psychic imprint persisted! It's a living relay node, biological hardware without active thought. If we can replicate this—"

"Create a cracked exe so we can use it," I said, and then muted him before he could finish the sentence and weaponize it against me. Oh boy... he was totally lost in his new study... Sometimes the only way to show affection for your friends is to turn off the sound... I learned that when I played a few games in my college years. It's best, or you will just shout at them and break the friendship you have.

While they were examining our currently unresponsive flesh mech, I couldn't resist any longer, so I climbed into the Prydwen to run some diagnostics, or more likely, turn it on and check if anything feels out of place. I strapped in, powered up the core, and felt the familiar thrum rise under my chair, coming to life... But I immediately felt that something was off. There was an extra presence in the back of my mind, and when I focused on it, the feedback hit me like I was stepping into a storm, walking right out of a shelter. It made me almost stumble, but I managed to catch myself, and beneath all that sensory static, one emotion was perfectly noticeable: obedience. Absolute, instinctive obedience.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Leon?" Sasha's voice echoed in the cockpit. "The creature's moving."

"Oops."

True enough... Outside, the monster's head turned slowly toward the wall, eyes dull but following the movements of my head. I flexed my left hand, and the creature mirrored the motion perfectly, as much as it could, that is.

"So it is connected to the mech and not to any apparent magic signal!" Merlin's voice exploded through the reopened channel. "You're controlling it directly, yes? Good! I was afraid it would have been imprinted to Lucca and not the machine."

"Apparently, it is the machine and not the pilot." I let out a long breath. "Good doggy. Shake." I chuckled, watching as the Godzilla-like creature suddenly began panting like a dog, raising one of its clawed 'hands.' Of course, a chorus of groans followed from the command, but some jokes are mandatory. Come on, girls, you should already know me. "Clear out from it, let me test what else it can do."

When the coast was clear, I took a step forward, only thinking about it, and of course, the beast moved with me. The connection was smoother than expected, on par with any mech link I'd ever tried out. My guess was that the Prydwen's systems must have adapted themselves to the creature's frequency perfectly. While moving around, I could see Merlin working in overdrive, his magical formation rotating behind his back. By now, I could freely switch back and forth between Prydwen's and the beast's point of view, without being confused. It felt... natural, however weird that is. Like... a dual monitor set-up. So, I just kept walking the beast in a slow circle, marveling at the precision I was capable of. I bet this was how Ur'Tokh controlled the other beasts when he came to visit. I wonder... How many of such creatures could we link to one mech? We will have to test it one day. One thing became clear, though... The initial control is the taxing part; afterward? It is a breeze!

"Can you use its magic?" Sasha suddenly asked, making me extra curious.

"Good question..." I muttered, trying to figure out if I can, how would I do that? I was about to ask them for advice, but then the Pride's alarms began howling across the comm net.

"Long-range sensors pinging!" Seltana's voice came through the main channel. "Multiple signatures, southwest approach! Massive cluster of the initial readings... That... can't be right... at least a hundred large-scale entities!"

"What?!" Sasha yelled.

"Another horde?" I asked, still pacing the beast back toward the wall. Well, it seems I will have to try to use the spells within it right in the middle of battle.

"Not exactly." Her tone shifted suddenly, "They're... in formation. There are multiple columns, and as far as I can read... This is structured movement, My Sovereign."

"We see them," Kustov cut in from the Camelot. "Formation confirmed. About a hundred large targets surrounding... hundreds of smaller ones. But we're also reading human-like resonance, about... roughly two to three thousand of them."

"Humans?" Sasha echoed.

"Vasas." I corrected, putting things together, "But this many? What the... Something had to happen! Tell the artillery to lock on, but do not fire! Not yet."

Using the Prydwen's Imaginary, when they got close enough for me to see, the feed appeared before my eyes. When I magnified it, I could make out rows of beasts the size of the one we just tamed, flanking lines of... Well... figures. Between them rolled hundreds of wagons pulled by smaller monsters, harnessed like horses, trudging through the snow. What the actual fuck... Am I seeing some fantasy Oregon Trail happening right before my eyes?

"Carts," Merlin breathed, seeing the same thing, "They're moving supplies, I guess. A gift?"

"A kingly one if we are getting gifts," Mikan added.

"They're more likely marching," Seltana said.

"It's an organized migration." Sasha corrected her.

I agreed, and as they got closer and closer, I could clear the image before my eyes even further. The lead beasts carried banners that stuck out from the tops of their heads, and as I looked, it turned out to be red and gold, with a burning bird-figure etched onto it. As for the riders on them, yep... they seemed very similar to either ship slaves or actually standing on their heads, wearing armor just like our dear emissary did.

"Well..." Merlin whispered what everyone was thinking. "They're coming here."

"True... Still, all batteries stand by," I said. "Do not engage until I say so."

"Leon—" Sasha began.

"I know." I exhaled slowly, watching the entire group clearing the treeline, steadily heading towards us, "But look at them. They're not charging... Haaah. I don't like it, but... we are already in this position. Let's see what's happened!"

"If they're bringing their entire population, this isn't a raid or an attack, and for sure this isn't bringing us gifts. Leon, I think this is an emergency evacuation."

"From what?" Sasha asked.

"Maybe Zah'Ratil wasn't joking about not having much time..." I muttered, answering Sasha's question, and I knew she also had the answer for it; she just didn't want to accept it, because it would mean Arthur would be needed... And she didn't want to bring our son here.

"Leon," Sasha said softly. "You think Zah'Ratil did this?"

"I'd bet my left nut on it." I grunted, taking a deep breath, "He said they were running out of time, and he wasn't bluffing."

"Maybe, but then why march an army here?" Kustov asked, "If that Ignis is waking, as they say, shouldn't they dig in, not abandon their sanctum?"

"Because," I said, watching the feed, "I don't think we are looking just at an army."

"Civilians..." Mikan said before anyone else, "A lot of them..."

"Visual confirmation," Seltana spoke up again, "The frontline monsters raising flags... I can infer a kind of... non-combat message. I think they're signaling us!"

"Request for contact." I shrugged. Of course, they were... And now I can't really ignore their request, can I?

"Prepare a flare," I said quietly. "Signal them that they can approach!"

While the green flare was up and exploding into bright light, hopefully making them understand to come closer, I powered down the Prydwen, got out of its cockpit, stood on the top of the walls, and Pion and the rest of his squad appeared beside me.

"Are we really going to let them in? I dislike the idea, My Sovereign." He spoke, pulling off his helmet, watching with a steely expression, making sure I noticed he was very much against the idea.

"For now." I nodded. "I can't let them stay out, in the snow, and although they can't cross back over the formation..."

"It could be a trap."

"Could be." I shrugged, "So the combatant ones, and their beasts, stay outside, where our cannons can aim at them. Their civilians can come behind the Pride and be guarded by you." I looked at him, "Send word back to Avalon to mobilize... We will need reinforcements."