Chapter 30:

Eldralore Woods

“Mithril 1-1 and 1-2 holding at the clearing. Forest’s all yours, Alpha Team. Happy frolicking, over.”

Four massive silhouettes dominated the clearing's edge – two M1A2s and two Sheriff UGVs. Not exactly the subtlest entrance they'd ever made, but subtlety wasn't really the point when hunting something that could throw trees like javelins. The tanks would hold overwatch here: sparse woods meant excellent lines of fire, and anything big enough to warrant that kind of firepower would have to cross open ground to reach the teams. Setting up a proper killzone made more sense than charging in.

The Sheriffs were at least more maneuverable. Or rather, just ‘GV’s at this point. Their operators had foregone remote control entirely, opting to ride inside instead as a precaution. Magical interference played hell with radio signals at the best of times, and this deep in monster-infested woods – with active Tier 9 magic at that – definitely didn't qualify as ‘the best of times.’ The vehicles split off to maintain coverage between the three search teams as Hunter 1 and 2 peeled away toward their assigned zones.

Zone Three was theirs. Not his first choice; the terrain was rougher here, which meant slower going, but he'd lost that particular coin toss to Hunter 2's commander. At least they had the most experienced team for this sort of work. Between Kelmithus's magic detection and their enhanced optics, they stood a decent chance of spotting anything peculiar before it spotted them.

“Alpha Team to all: we’re Oscar Mike to Zone Three. Hunter teams, confirm your sectors.” A touch of static crackled through the radio – manageable at this range, but a reminder of why they'd switched to fiber optic tethered drones.

“All Hunter elements copy, Alpha One.”

The midday sun cut harsh shadows between the trees ahead. The sparse woods offered decent lines of sight, though the deeper forest beyond promised the usual fun of trying to spot magic-resistant monsters through dense vegetation. Not that forest cover mattered much when hunting something like a Vorikha Apex, though. The sheer heat signature from a creature that size would light up their thermals like a bonfire.

Henry kept his hands on the RWS controls while Ron rolled their MRAP to a stop. In the MRAP behind them, Isaac called out that he was prepping their first sweep. Not the most elegant start to an afternoon, but hunting rune systems rarely was. At least they had proper support this time – a significant upgrade from their first encounter with Nobian monster manipulation back at Hardale.

The forest swallowed most sounds except for the MRAP's engine and the whir of Isaac's drone deploying. Through the thermal feed, the first sector showed nothing but standard wildlife signatures: a few scattered deer-like creatures – halgorns, probably drawn by the sound of their approach, and smaller heat blooms from birds.

“Three hundred meters out, all empty. We’re getting colder; EMF has faint readings here,” Isaac reported, voice slightly distorted by the ambient magic. “Let’s move west.”

Ron eased the vehicle forward to their next position. The process was methodical: stop, deploy, scan, reel in, move. Not exactly thrilling, but it beat stumbling into a cracked-out Vorikha unprepared.

The drone whirred back to life for their second sweep. Isaac switched to visual feed as something caught Henry’s eye – movement where there shouldn't be any. A massive tree detached itself from the canopy about a hundred meters ahead of them, its branches swaying against the wind as it turned toward their position.

“Tier 7 Treant Guardian, I believe,” Dr. Anderson reported. “It appears it’s coming to investigate us.”

“Shall I cut it down?” Sera asked from beside Henry.

It would definitely be a bad idea to light up the forest now and potentially attract a bunch of monsters to them before they found the rune system. “Hmm… Let Kel handle it,” he decided. “Best not to step outside.”

Kelmithus acknowledged over the radio. A stone spear erupted from the ground, punching through the treant’s trunk as it approached. The animated tree collapsed with barely a sound, its branches settling into the surrounding foliage.

As Isaac continued his sweep, Kelmithus’ voice came up again. “A Tier 7 creature… Captain, your evaluation for Tier 7 approaches, does it not? The timing proves rather unfortunate, given recent events.”

“Yeah. Timing’s fucked, honestly,” Henry said, keeping his eyes on the treeline.

“Ah, so shall your advancement find itself delayed ‘til mid-January then? I suppose the world shan’t mind the wait, should we ask it nicely.”

“Ha, ha. I suppose it shan’t.” Henry smirked, shaking his head. “But for real though, I think we’ll keep the same schedule – test on the Fifth. It means we’re probably gonna miss out on watching the tournament, but the Ambassador’s apparently almost there with Ovinnegard, and apparently, no one’s found the Elemental Dragon yet.”

“A prudent choice. Though I confess some surprise that Taldren permitted such haste.”

Ron rested his shoulders on the wheel. “Yeah, right? Guild’s been surprisingly accommodating lately.”

“Hm; that they have.” Kelmithus paused, humming over the open comms. “Have you given thought to which quest you’ll undertake?”

Henry hadn’t heard that before. “Huh? We get to pick?”

“Aye, one may oft choose. Yet I confess, I’d near forgot – they deem you somewhat special, so the Guild ventured to assign your tasks. I imagine they’ve operated thus to prevent you from selecting easy advancement quests. For most, though, the choice is freely given.”

Henry shrugged. “Lucky us, I guess. The Guildmaster hasn’t found any quest for us yet; guess we’ll just have to find out on the day of.”

“Hmm. Taldren certainly requires no further proof of your combat effectiveness,” Kelmithus said. “It seems likely he shall examine other qualities. Exploration, material identification, perhaps something else.”

“Well, ain’t that shapin’ up to be a real party,” Ryan sighed over their internal comms. “Any ideas on what we oughta gear up for?”

“The Guild favors certain patterns. A stolen artifact among quarreling noble houses, a merchant’s disappearance, signs of sabotage in a trading company.” Kelmithus’ mouth quirked. “The politics oft prove more dangerous than any monster.”

“Well, Sera,” Henry said. “Looks like we might have to take you up on those etiquette lessons after all.”

“Oh, they needn’t all involve politics,” Kelmithus offered. “There are rather odd cases of spreading blights, or villages where residents fall ill with strange afflictions and return as undead, or unusual phenomena in ancient ruins…”

Yeah, like any of that was any more desirable.

“Damn. So no easy way out, then?” Isaac asked.

There were no takers until Sera spoke up. “Well, there remains the rescue provision. Should a rescue quest remain unclaimed a full day, Guild law demands it be assigned without delay. Yet, in sooth…” she shook her head. “They prove naught but trouble.”

Henry winced. He’d heard enough stories of rescue ops gone sideways from Ryan and Isaac. Fighting the bad guys was already complicated enough without throwing injured teammates or scared civilians into the mix. And rescuing adventurers would probably be worse than either – too stubborn to follow orders but not trained enough to help.

“True enough,” Kelmithus said. “Though as we speak of troubling quests, I realize I may have spoken in haste regarding your combat effectiveness. Your arms remain… well, untested against certain threats. Mayhap Taldren wishes to see how your weapons fare against beings supernatural. Wraiths, perhaps, or –”

“Hunter 2 to all,” the radio crackled, cutting the conversation short. “We’ve got visual on target. Vorikha Apex spotted in Zone 2, near a cave. Maintaining distance, over.”

“Hunter 2, Alpha copies. We’re en route to the splash zone. What do you see?”

“Big bastard’s sittin’ pretty. Wait.” A pause. “Shit. Ramirez, get the TOW ready! Bain, back us the fuck up! Hurry! Oh, shit, get the fucking bast–”

The distinctive crack of a TOW launch cut through the static, followed immediately by the sound of splintering wood and screaming metal. Then silence.

“Hunter 2, status?” Henry switched channels. “Mithril Lead, target is active in Zone 2. Hunter 2 lost contact. Requesting armor support, over.”

“Copy that, Alpha. ETA eight mikes.”

“All units, converge on Zone 2.” As Hunter 1 and the Sheriff operators confirmed the order, Henry turned to Sera. “How’s the ambient magic?”

“It grows ever more potent.” She stared down at her EMF meter. “8,000 ‘milligauss’ and climbing.”

Henry kept the Switchblade’s control unit ready. He wouldn’t let the launch unit get fucked up before he could actually deploy the thing, but he had to wait. With 2 miles still between them and Zone 2, plus the rising interference, the signal would probably be torn to shreds. They’d need to get within a klick, maybe less, before he could risk sending it forward.

“Hunter 2, do you copy?” Henry tried again. Fragments of voices emerged through the static, but nothing clear enough to make sense of. The fact that they were getting anything at all meant at least someone was alive to transmit.

Ryan’s voice popped up. “I’ve got Yen on CROWS, TOW loaded. What’s the play when we get there?”

“Gonna assume Hunter 2 took some direct hits. Probably got their vehicles disabled.” Henry adjusted his grip on the Switchblade controller. “We play this like the Lindwyrm – keep it busy; kite it ‘til the cavalry arrives.”

“Yo, the Lindwyrm was the size of a building,” Ron cut in. “It was kinda fast, but Vorikhas? They’re –”

“Fast as fuck, yeah.” Henry watched the trees blur past. “That’s why we’re not getting cute. We find Hunter 2, and don’t let that thing close distance. Sheriffs will be coming up from the south. Between us and Hunter 1, we’ve got three angles of fire.”

More static-filled fragments came through the general channel. Henry caught what sounded like “--near the rocks–” before it cut out again.

The MRAP jolted over rough ground as Ron maintained speed. Through the trees ahead, Henry caught a glimpse of rising smoke. The magnetic field reading stood at over 11,000 milligauss now; they must be getting close. He readjusted his grip on the control unit. No point sending the Switchblade up just to lose control, but once they had eyes on target…

“Sheriff-1, ETA four mikes.”

“Sheriff-2, following Sheriff-1. Four-thirty.”

Hunter 1, based on relayed information from the Sheriff operators, was also about 4 minutes out.

By now, their heavy armor was probably about six minutes out. Not too bad under normal circumstances, but that hardly applied here. Six minutes was a hell of a long time to play tag with a Vorikha Apex. At least the sparse woods meant good lines of sight – whenever they finally got there to use them.

A burst of clearer transmission cut through: “–pinned down by the outcrop. I’ve got two unconscious–” Static swallowed the rest.

If they were picking up transmissions this well, this close to the epicenter, it meant they had to be within a klick. Close enough to risk the Switchblade now, even with the interference. Henry powered up the control unit.

A massive heat signature bloomed on Henry's thermal display, about two thousand meters out at two o'clock. Both Hunter 2 vehicles showed up clearly on thermal... both disabled – one rolled and the other moving slowly but still fighting back.

“Aw, fuck,” Ron muttered. “We’re gonna have to get right up in there, aren’t we?”

“Multiple smaller signatures converging from the east,” Dr. Anderson reported from the second MRAP. “Can’t tell if it’s a handful of stragglers or if we’ve gotten the attention of the main force near the Academy.”

Henry weighed his options. The Switchblade would need his full attention to guide it through this interference – he couldn’t manage both weapons. Sera hadn’t yet touched the CROWS in training, but all the settings were locked in for immediate engagement. Simple point and shoot. And if there was one thing she knew how to do, it was to hit targets.

“Sera, get on the CROWS. Settings are locked in, Just use the stick to aim and trigger to fire. Keep anything small off us.” Henry switched to the Switchblade controls. The .50 cal's occasional bursts suggested she was managing.

The drone shot forward as he guided it above the canopy, its camera feed stuttering through the interference. Through the static-filled video, he caught sight of the overturned MRAP, just outside of a cave. The other one was now stationary, but still firing.

There it was. Henry switched the Switchblade to attack mode and banked it hard, trying to maintain control through the interference. The feed cut out twice before he got the angle he wanted, then–

The explosion lit up the trees ahead. A roar of pain or rage echoed through the forest – pain if he’d actually managed to land the drone straight on its dome; rage in the likely chance the interference had caused him to miss. They burst through the treeline just in time to see the aftermath of the strike, and to confirm that all they’d done was piss off the Vorikha.

“Alpha Team, thank fuck.” A new voice cut through the static – Hunter 2’s lieutenant. “I’ve got two unconscious and both my vehicles are completely fucked. Combat ineffective.”

“Solid copy, Hunter 2. We’ll keep it off you. Sit tight and hold fire.”

Blast marks and drops of purplish blood on the ground suggested Hunter 2 had managed to score some solid hits, limited only by the firepower at hand. Yeah, the thing was definitely pissed off.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Shit…” Ron muttered.

“Hey, on the bright side, it ain’t focused too much on Hunter 2 anymore.” Henry tapped Sera on the shoulder. “Use mud magic; slow it down where you can.”

She nodded, relinquishing the CROWS to him and fastening herself to one of the passenger seats.

The creature wheeled toward them, its massive form somehow fluid despite the bulk. At least three explosive impacts had torn chunks from its scales – solid hits that would’ve turned even a Minotaur Chieftain to paste. The damn thing hadn’t even slowed down.

Its roar split the air. The ground ahead of them buckled and twisted upward into a jagged wall. Ron yanked the wheel right as counter-magic from either Sera or Kelmithus forced the earth flat again, buying them precious seconds.

It was hard to believe the Vorikha was that smart, but Henry had seen similar from the Sentinel Lindwyrm. “Shit. Sera, focus on countering. Kel, you’re on offense.”

“Copy,” Kelmithus said. The Archmage attempted Valtor's vacuum sphere trick – evident by the shimmer of displaced air form around the Apex. The creature didn't even seem to notice. Its magic manifested just as easily without sound, like the best human casters who’d moved beyond verbal components.

“Aight, scratch that,” Henry said, focusing his firepower on the creature’s head and upper torso. “Hayes, hammer the thing wherever it looks like it’s gonna cast. Fuck with its concentration.”

A massive oak sailed over their MRAP – the Apex had just casually ripped it from the ground like pulling a weed. Henry squeezed off another burst as Ron swerved around the fallen tree. What would’ve normally caved in the armor on a humvee instead ricocheted off the scales – not really effective, but even a distraction was helpful enough to add to the mix.

The ground beneath the Vorikha turned to slush, but true to its moniker, the Apex was simply faster. At that speed, it basically skipped across the mud like a stone over water. Even with Kelmithus hammering it with stone spears and Ryan's grenades forcing it to dodge, the damn thing just kept coming.

Ron drifted their MRAP, accelerating through a hard turn as Kelmithus tried to predict the monster’s movements and turned the ground into a soupy mess. The Vorikha’s momentum carried it forward, and instead of getting bogged down, it roared again. The mud hardened while the path ahead of the MRAP flash-froze into sheets of ice. Simultaneously, the Vorikha threw another tree – a shot clearly meant to catch them when the ice inevitably made them skid.

A neat trick, but they’d already seen it once before. The MRAP’s new winter-rated tires bit into the ice – an upgrade courtesy of that particular clusterfuck – while Sera’s magic shattered the surface with earth and fire. The ice wasn’t even that thick, either; unlike the Lindwyrm’s specialized frost magic, this was just a Vorikha’s brute-force attempt at area control.

The tree crashed into the ground well ahead of them as they maintained traction and speed.

The constant percussion of 40mm detonations and the occasional TOW blast seemed to be working though – its magical attacks were getting sloppier. Still deadly as fuck, but at least they had a slight counter now.

But of fucking course, the Apex seemed to realize this too; instead of the wide-area magic, it switched to rapid-fire spells – stone spears and ice shards that were harder to track and counter. And just to make their lives even more interesting, it started ripping up everything in reach. Trees, boulders, chunks of frozen earth – all of it becoming ammunition as it gained on them with terrifying speed.

Henry almost regretted the counters they’d enacted. Between sheer projectile spam and having to deal with clever traps, it was hard to determine which was worse. With objects that size, even a glancing blow would fuck up their mobility. Hell, that’s probably what happened to Hunter 2.

“Movement at our nine!” Dr. Anderson called out. “Contacts at the treeline!”

Multiple Vorikhas – smaller than the Apex but still easily Tier 8 – burst from the woods. Treants, goblins, and hobgoblins trailed behind. Of fucking course, again. Because what was a boss battle without a bunch of extra bullshit to worry about?

The distinctive crack of 30mm from the treeline saved him from having to stress over a half-second improvisation. Tracers from the woods slammed into the Vorikhas, sparks erupting on impact – HEI-T. They weren’t as effective against the scales, but the constant explosions and heat sure as hell made it harder for them to focus their magic.

The smaller Vorikhas tried spreading out, probably hoping to split the Sheriffs’ fire, but Henry had seen Kurata and Mancini do this before, against the fenwyrms. Sheriff-1 kept up suppression while Sheriff-2 switched to its TOW. The missile caught the first Vorikha center mass, blew it apart in a spray of scales and gore. The others broke formation, tried to retreat to cover – exactly what the gunners wanted. Two more TOWs finished the job, precise shots catching them in the open. Three Tier 8s down in just around thirty seconds. Clean work.

Hunter 1 rolled in from the opposite treeline just as the Sheriffs shifted their focus to the Apex. Three angles of suppression, plus some heavier firepower – that opened up some options. Assuming, of course, that the Apex didn't have any more surprises waiting.

“Sheriffs, good kills,” Henry called out. “Hunter 1, watch for stragglers and handle crowd control. We’ll keep the Apex busy while the Sheriffs hammer it. Kel, Sera – let’s bog it down.”

The 30mm rounds did work when they connected, blew chunks off the Apex’s scales; keyword being ‘connected’. The damn thing hardly sat still enough for them to accurately track it. Instead, they faced something that had already figured out cover and movement fundamentals – used the trees like defilade, timed its advances between bursts, the whole nine yards. It even had the wonderful idea to grab its dead smaller cousins for improvised cover, letting their scales absorb the incoming fire until they gave way.

Every time they pinned it down with concentrated fire, it just adapted. Threw up quick barriers of compressed earth, dragged fallen trees around for cover – basic stuff, but pretty damn effective when it could shrug off the hits that got through. And now it was learning their firing patterns, using false movements to draw fire before moving the other way. Great. Just what they needed – a Tier 9 that understood basic fire and maneuver.

Henry kept the CROWS on target while Sera and Kelmithus worked their magic. Their combined fire stopped it from setting up anything too nasty, but they needed something bigger to actually put it down. Even with fresh wounds and one arm up to shield its head, it still coordinated the smaller monsters, used them to probe their positions. At this rate, the thing would start running tactical seminars.

A trunk whipped out of nowhere – not toward their Humvees, no, but right at Sheriff-2’s turret. Henry saw the impact snap the sensors off with a brutal crunch, leaving the cannon listing sideways. The 30mm sputtered and paused, then stuttered back to life in short, erratic bursts as it switched to a rudimentary manual fire mode, spitting rounds without any real aim. It was putting out firepower, sure, but precision? That was a distant memory.

Mancini’s voice cemented the setback. “Control’s busted ‘ere. Don’t get too close.”

“Mithril 1-1, in range in 60 seconds.”

The Vorikha’s head swung toward Sheriff-1, blood matting its scales, one eye now a grotesque ruin. If anything, it looked keener for the loss. Less to worry about, maybe, if it even thought in those terms.

It adjusted, lowering its head to account for lost depth perception. As inaccurate tracers grazed past it, the Vorikha learned that Sheriff-2 was near-ineffective and determined that it was no longer a threat. So what did it decide to do next?

It fucking charged straight at Sheriff-1. It had a sense for suppressive fire, timing its rush between bursts and angling its approach to force a risky shot.

The Apex cleared the last trees between it and Sheriff-1. Their fire tracked it, rounds detonating against scales and flesh, but it just powered through. Kurata must have realized what was coming; the Sheriff reversed hard, trying to maintain distance, but there wasn't enough space to build up speed.

Henry squeezed off another burst, but the Apex just tucked its head, brought up its good arm to shield its remaining eye. Not random thrashing or blind rage – actual defensive positioning. Perfect. Give it another few minutes and it'd probably start teaching CQC.

“Check fire, check fire!” The call went out as the monster launched itself forward. The creature landed square on the vehicles hull, its weight driving the suspension to the stops. A jagged screech ripped through the air as claws raked over the Sheriff’s armor. Strong enough to hold, for now, but that sound told Henry all he needed to know. If it kept at this, the plating wouldn’t last.

Kurata toggled his comms. “Fuck, it’s tearing through the–” Another wail of rending metal cut him off.

The Apex kept its bulk behind the turret, using it for cover while it tore into the hull. Smart move. Real smart move. They couldn't shoot without risking Kurata, and it knew.

Fuck it. Sometimes the only good option was the least bad one.

“Hayes, TOW, now!” Henry switched channels. “Kurata, incoming!”

The TOW slammed into the Apex’s flank. The explosion rolled the creature off Sheriff-1, showering the area with scales and smoke. So, good news – problem solved. Bad news? The Sheriff looked like someone had taken a can opener to its hull, and the Vorikha was already getting back up.

“Kel, Sera – pin it down! Mithril Lead, we need that shot now.”

“Eight seconds.”

The Apex staggered to its feet, half its body a mess of torn scales and exposed flesh. But instead of pressing the attack or trying to escape, it just... paused. Head tilted. Like it was processing what had just happened. Shell shock? Concussion?

Whatever it was, it was already starting to recover. The creature’s remaining eye locked onto Henry’s vehicle. It bunched its muscles for what would probably be one hell of a sprint.

Six seconds.

Sera’s magic hit first, liquefying the ground into deep, viscous mud. Without its momentum, the Vorikha was just like any other sitting duck. The creature’s own mass worked against it, each movement only driving it deeper. It tried to leap clear, but its legs found no purchase.

Kelmithus followed up with interlocking stone spears. They threaded between limbs, crossed over its back, locked around its torso – a geometric prison of stone anchoring it to the mire. The Vorikha’s strength could shatter individual spears, but the pattern meant each broken restraint left gaps for two more to replace it.

The Apex thrashed against the combination, attempting to compress the earth beneath its feet for solid ground. But between Sera liquefying the soil, Kelmithus weaving new restraints through the gaps, and several MRAPs pounding its head, the creature could barely counter the magic.

Through raw strength alone, it finally managed to snap enough spears to begin rising. But it was too late.

“Gunner, sabot, Vorikha!”

“Identified.”

“On the way!”

The first 120mm sabot didn't so much pierce the Vorikha as it did phase through it. One moment the Apex was there, rising through stone and mud, and the next – well, there wasn't much left to rise with. The round hit just behind the shoulder, and physics took care of the rest. The Vorikha’s torso basically ceased to exist, replaced by an expanding cloud of red mist, scales, and assorted chunks that used to be internal organs.

The follow-up shot from Mithril 1-2 caught what remained of the upper body as it began to fall. This time the explosion turned everything above the waist into rapidly expanding vapor. What was left of its lower body slumped into the mud, twitching, while pieces of its head and neck decorated the surrounding trees.

The comms erupted in whooping and hollering.

Amazing what two depleted uranium darts moving at five thousand feet per second could do to solve one’s problems. Sucks for the Vorikha, though. Being smart didn't help much when your molecules suddenly decided to part ways.

Despite the adrenaline, though, Sera didn’t look too pleased. Henry could guess why. Watching a Vorikha get atomized was cool and all, but it also meant a lot of the valuable materials were eviscerated with it. At least Dr. Perdue would still have the lower body and parts of the head to work with.

Henry tapped his push-to-talk button. “Good shooting. Anyone check on Kurata?”

“I’m fine. Sheriff’s fucked, though,” Kurata’s voice crackled through. “Wish I coulda seen the money shot. Someone got that on video, right?”

“Yeah, we’ll make sure you get the highlight reel,” Henry said. “Hunter 1, get both Hunter 2 crews and Kurata out of here. We’ll recover the vehicles once the area’s secured.”

The static cleared up a bit now that the Vorikha wasn’t throwing magic around, but it wouldn’t be gone unless they took out that rune system, wherever it was. Probably in that cave, which required dismounting.

“Mithril Lead, can you maintain overwatch?”

“Copy, Alpha Actual. We’ll keep the small ones off you.”

Ron brought their MRAP to the entrance. Stepping outside, Henry took a deep breath – though given the gore, he probably shouldn’t have.

“Sera,” he coughed. “Sense anything?”

She nodded at the entrance. “Aye. Potent magic flows from within.”

Henry turned to his team. “Alright. Let’s check it out.”

A light buzzing zipped past him as Dr. Anderson sent a wired Black Hornet inside.

The cave entrance was a natural formation, widening into a chamber about thirty meters deep. Their lights swept over treant carcasses sprawled across the floor, their wooden forms twisted and warped. Failed conversion attempts, probably. Either that, or the Nobians needed more conductive fibers for their rune system. White crystalline deposits dotted the cave walls, almost like salt formations, but with a faint luminescence that had nothing to do with their flashlights.

The rune system itself sat against the back wall, exactly where they'd expected to find it. Same basic framework they'd seen before, though this one had been built with better materials. Mana crystals lined the edges, their glow reflecting off the orichalcum wiring that formed the primary conduits. Celisyrin vines wound through the secondary pathways, likely handling the lighter loads. Premium setup – definitely a step up from the simple vines they’d found at Hardale.

“Area seems clear,” Dr. Anderson called out.

They approached the rune configuration. “Think it’s booby trapped?” Ron asked. “These assholes seem like the type.”

Henry started to dismiss the idea, then stopped. The crystalline deposits... They looked almost like saltpeter. Wait – fyrite. He'd seen samples in Elwes' lab, though not this much of it. And given what they’d found at the Academy, it wouldn’t be that alien to think the Nobians had set this place to go sky high.

“Kel, can you check for traps?”

“Wait!” Ron stopped him. “If the Nobians can program runes to blow up from mana levels, is scanning even safe?”

Henry paused. Was it? Before he could answer, Isaac stepped in. “Nah. If there were detonation triggers based on ambient magic, this whole setup would've blown itself sky high days ago. That kind of trigger condition isn't compatible with a functioning rune system – you can't have it react to energy output smaller than the rune system itself. I hope.”

Kelmithus nodded. “Indeed. Though one might posit they’ve incorporated simpler triggers.” He gestured, analyzing the Core itself. “Nothing of note as yet. Have you uncovered aught, Sera?”

She shook her head. “Clear of traps, but…” She frowned at the setup, following a trail of wire toward a large supply of mana crystals. “Seems they’ve set orichalcum wires to bear the brunt of the work, leaving the vines to wind through the lesser channels. A fair bit more clever than the clumsy layouts we’ve seen ere now.”

“Indeed so. But let us study later. Sera, if you would…”

Henry watched them work. Sera knelt beside the Core, studying its configuration for a moment before finding the access panel. The basic principle hadn’t changed since Hardale: lock out the nodes, cut power, remove Core. Simple enough in theory. In practice... well, that depended on how badly the Nobians had jury-rigged everything.

She carefully opened the Core, revealing the crystalline nodes inside. Each one had its own latching mechanism, and she began methodically realigning them, effectively shutting them out of the system. Kelmithus maintained a steady drain on the power supply while she worked.

With the immediate concern handled, Henry found himself staring at the white crystalline deposits again. Fyrite. Enhanced saltpeter, basically. Something about that tickled the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite pin it.

And then there were the treants. All that enhanced cellulose, lying right next to deposits of enhanced saltpeter. Why did that feel important? There was something there, some connection he should be making…

Sera locked out another node. Henry watched the careful manipulation, but his thoughts kept circling back. Saltpeter. What did you do with saltpeter? Mix it with acid, right? Yeah – sulfuric acid broke it down into nitric acid. That was it. But why did that matter here?

A burst of gunfire erupted outside – Mithril’s tanks handling some minor contacts, most likely. Wait, mithril? That was basically magic-enhanced steel, able to easily outperform its mundane counterpart.

Then, what could they use magic-enhanced nitric acid and cellulose for? There was definitely something there. What happened when you mixed them? It was one of those reactions he’d learned about, the kind that showed up on tests because–

Oh. Holy shit. Magic smokeless powder.

“Done,” Sera announced, decoupling the Core from the final power supply.

His radio crackled as the interference cleared. “–yet to receive a response.”

Henry recognized that voice. “Professor Elwes?”

“Ah! Finally! Captain Donnager, I presume?”

Henry shared a look with Ron. Why would Elwes be calling at this time? “Yeah,” he replied.

“Most excellent. I trust your mission proceeds apace? Well, I've matters of some urgency to report. The wards about my laboratory and the Central Tower have been breached – possibly our Nobian friend. The timing suggests they struck during our defense against the hordes. Most clever of them, I must admit.”

Well, fuck. Henry set the thought of smokeless powder aside. Today just kept getting better.