Chapter : 1365

  Lloyd rolled down the window. He looked at the guard as if the man were a particularly boring insect.

  "I am Lord Vane," Lloyd drawled, affecting a heavy southern accent. "I am here to see Lord Wilfred. I have a business proposition that involves a great deal of gold and the future of magical engineering. Tell him I bring the Star-Glass."

  "Lord Wilfred sees no one," the guard grunted.

  "What a pity," Lloyd sighed dramatically. He turned to Mina. "Well, Dr. Mina, I suppose we shall have to take our revolutionary fuel technology to his rival in the next city. I hear they are very interested in superior power sources."

  He tapped the roof of the carriage. "Driver! Turn around!"

  The carriage lurched. Lloyd counted silently. One. Two. Three...

  "Wait!" the guard shouted.

  Lloyd smirked. Greed was so predictable.

  The guard looked nervous. "Wait here. I will... send a message."

  Ten minutes later, the massive gates groaned open. The carriage rolled into the courtyard. It was filled with crates of ore and armed men.

  They stepped out. A steward was waiting for them. He bowed low. "Lord Wilfred awaits you in the Great Hall. Please, follow me."

  Lloyd offered his arm to Mina. "Shall we, Doctor?"

  "We shall, My Lord," Mina said, taking his arm. Her grip was tight. She was nervous. But her face was a mask of calm disdain.

  They walked into the fortress. They were in. The first wall was breached. Now came the hard part: lying to a fanatic without blinking.

  The Great Hall of the fortress was less of a living space and more of a shrine to war. The walls were hung with ancient weapons. But the centerpiece was a massive table covered in blueprints and scattered crystals.

  Standing behind the table was Lord Wilfred. He was a tall, gaunt man with wild grey hair and eyes that burned with a manic intensity. He wore a heavy leather apron over his noble clothes, stained with ink and oil.

  He didn't bow. He just stared at them. "You say you have refined Aethel-Quartz? Impossible. It shatters under pressure."

  Lloyd walked forward, his cane clicking on the stone floor. "Impossible for you, perhaps. But I am a man of vision."

  He signaled Mina. She placed the ebony box on the table and opened it.

  The "Refined Star-Glass" pulsed with a soft, inner light.

  Wilfred's eyes went wide. He rushed around the table. He reached out, his fingers trembling. "Beautiful. The resonance... I can feel it."

  "Don't touch," Lloyd snapped, closing the box with a loud snap. "The process is volatile. And proprietary."

  Wilfred looked at Lloyd. For the first time, he saw him as an equal. "Who are you?"

  "Lord Vane," Lloyd said. "And this is Dr. Mina. We are scholars of the Anubis school. We heard rumors, Wilfred. Rumors that a man in Ramos had the ambition to finish what the Great Maker started."

  "Ambition?" Wilfred laughed. It was a dry, rasping sound. "I have more than ambition. I have the plans. I have the materials."

  "But do you have the efficiency?" Mina cut in. Her voice was sharp. "We looked at your mining reports. Your yield is pathetic. You are wasting 40% of the raw quartz. Your machine will run for an hour and then starve."

  Wilfred bristled. "My calculations are perfect!"

  "Your calculations are based on crude ore," Lloyd said smoothly. "With my Star-Glass, you could increase the output by three hundred percent. You wouldn't just be building a golem, Wilfred. You would be building a god."

  The word "god" hit Wilfred like a drug. He licked his lips. "Three hundred percent?"

  "Imagine it," Lloyd whispered. "A Guardian that never stops. A power source that burns brighter than the sun. We want to help you, Wilfred. We want to see history made. But we need to know that you are worthy of our investment."

  Wilfred looked between them. He was suspicious, but his greed and his obsession were stronger. He wanted the Star-Glass. He wanted the perfection they promised.

  "You doubt me?" Wilfred sneered. "You think I am a mere dabbler? Come. I will show you. I will show you that I have already surpassed Anubis."

  He gestured for them to follow. He led them to a heavy iron door at the back of the hall. He unlocked it with a complex series of keys.

  "Behold," Wilfred said as the door swung open. "The Forge."

  They stepped onto a balcony overlooking a massive subterranean cavern. Lloyd's breath caught in his throat.

  Chapter : 1366

  Below them, suspended by massive chains, was a torso. A torso made of stone and steel, easily twenty feet tall. It was incomplete, but the scale was terrifying. Arms as thick as tree trunks lay on workbenches. Runes glowed on the chest plate.

  It was the God-King. And it was almost finished.

  "Magnificent," Mina breathed. She wasn't acting. It was terrifyingly impressive.

  "The body is ready," Wilfred said, his voice full of pride. "The limbs will be attached tomorrow. And then... the Heart."

  "You have it?" Lloyd asked, trying to keep his voice casual. "The Golem Heart?"

  "Of course," Wilfred grinned. "It is in the Vault. Safe. Waiting for the infusion."

  Lloyd looked at the giant machine. He looked at the guards patrolling the catwalks below. This wasn't just a workshop. It was a factory of death.

  "It is... adequate," Lloyd sniffed, adjusting his monocle. "But the cabling on the left shoulder looks sloppy. Dr. Mina, don't you agree?"

  "Amateurish," Mina agreed. "The mana flow will bottleneck."

  Wilfred turned red. "It is temporary! I was going to fix it!"

  "Show us," Lloyd said. "Take us down there. Let us inspect your work. If it meets our standards, the Star-Glass is yours."

  Wilfred hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Fine. But touch nothing. The energies are unstable."

  He led them down the stairs. Lloyd glanced at Mina. They were in. They had found the weapon. Now they just needed to find the Vault, distract the madman, and steal the key to the apocalypse. Simple.

  They descended into the belly of the beast. The air grew hotter and smelled of ozone and grinding metal. The cavern was a hive of activity. Workers scurried around the massive golem torso like ants.

  Lloyd kept up a constant stream of chatter. He criticized the welding. He questioned the alloy mixture. He asked about the thermal exhaust ports. He was being the most annoying, pedantic investor in history.

  "And this joint here," Lloyd said, poking a massive steel piston with his cane. "Are you using hydra-oil or dragon-grease? Because if it's hydra-oil, it will gum up in cold weather. Have you considered the thermal expansion coefficient?"

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  Wilfred was getting flustered. "It is a standard pivot! It works fine!"

  "Fine is not perfect," Lloyd tutted. "Dr. Mina, please explain the benefits of a dual-chamber compression system to our friend here."

  This was the signal. While Lloyd drew Wilfred's attention to the left side of the machine, Mina was supposed to slip away to the right.

  Mina nodded. "Of course, Lord Vane. But first, I must inspect the rune-etching on the rear plating. I believe I saw a misalignment from the balcony."

  "Go ahead," Wilfred waved his hand impatiently, his eyes fixed on Lloyd. "Just don't cross the safety line."

  Mina walked away, her heels clicking on the metal floor. She moved towards the back of the cavern. She didn't look at the runes. She pulled out a small device from her pocket—a spectral compass Lloyd had built using a sliver of Lilith Stone. It tracked high-density magical signatures.

  The needle spun wildly, pointing towards a dark tunnel on the far side of the cavern. The Vault.

  Mina moved quickly, dodging behind crates and pillars. She was a ghost in a blue dress. She reached the tunnel entrance. There were no guards here, which was suspicious. But the compass was pulling her forward.

  She slipped into the tunnel. It was quiet here. The noise of the factory faded. The walls were lined with glowing moss. At the end of the tunnel stood a massive door. It was round, made of black iron, and covered in glowing red symbols.

  "The Vault," Mina whispered.

  She approached it carefully. She took out a monocle—one of Lloyd's inventions—that allowed her to see magical traps. The door was covered in them. Alarm wards. Explosive runes.

  "I can do this," she thought. "I studied ancient sealing scripts. This is just a puzzle."

  She began to examine the lock. It was complex, based on a rotating cipher of Anubis's own design. She needed to align the rings without triggering the mana sensors.

  Back in the main cavern, Lloyd was running out of nonsense to say.

  "And the color," Lloyd said, gesturing to the dark metal. "It's so... gloomy. Have you thought about painting it? Maybe a nice racing stripe? Flame decals?"

  Wilfred stared at him. "Paint? This is a weapon of war, not a carriage!"

  "Branding is important!" Lloyd insisted. "If you are going to conquer the world, you want to look good on the posters."

  Wilfred was starting to look suspicious. "Where is your associate? She has been gone a long time."

  Chapter : 1367

  "She is thorough," Lloyd said, sweating slightly. "Very thorough. She probably found a microscopic crack and is writing a thesis about it."

  "I will go check on her," Wilfred said, turning away.

  "Wait!" Lloyd shouted. "I haven't told you about the best part of the Star-Glass! It... uh... it sings! Yes! It hums a lullaby!"

  Wilfred paused. "It sings?"

  "Like a choir of angels," Lloyd lied. "Come, let me show you the box again."

  He was stalling. He hoped Mina was fast. He hoped she was already grabbing the Heart. Because he was running out of lies, and Wilfred's hand was drifting towards the sword at his belt.

  Mina’s hands were steady, but her heart was pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird. The lock was a masterpiece of paranoia. Three concentric rings of runes, shifting every ten seconds. She had to time her movements perfectly.

  Click. The first ring aligned. The red glow turned amber.

  Click. The second ring locked into place.

  "One more," she whispered. "Come on."

  She reached for the final ring. She saw the symbol she needed—the Eye of Horus. It was rotating into position.

  She reached out. Her finger brushed the cold metal.

  Suddenly, the compass in her pocket vibrated violently. A surge of energy spiked from the door. It wasn't a trap she had seen. It was a trap she couldn't see. A proximity sensor buried inside the metal itself.

  A high-pitched, piercing shriek erupted from the door. It was deafening. It echoed down the tunnel and blasted into the main cavern.

  WEEEEEEE-OOOOH! WEEEEEEE-OOOOH!

  Mina jumped back. "No!"

  Red lights began to flash along the tunnel walls. The Vault door didn't open. Instead, heavy shutters slammed down over it.

  In the main cavern, the conversation stopped dead. Wilfred froze. His eyes went wide, then narrowed into slits of pure rage.

  "The Vault alarm," he hissed. He turned slowly to Lloyd. "You... you are thieves."

  Lloyd dropped the act. The bumbling investor vanished. The Major General appeared.

  "Well," Lloyd said, his voice cold and sharp. "That concludes the presentation."

  "Guards!" Wilfred roared. "Kill them! Seal the exits!"

  Dozens of mercenaries drew their weapons. The workers dropped their tools and ran. The cavern became a kill box.

  Lloyd didn't hesitate. He grabbed the heavy ebony box from the table and smashed it into Wilfred's face. The lord stumbled back, blood streaming from his nose.

  "Mina!" Lloyd yelled into the chaos. "Plan B! Run!"

  Mina came sprinting out of the tunnel, her dress gathered in her hands. "I didn't get it! It was trapped!"

  "Forget the rock!" Lloyd shouted. "We need to leave!"

  He ran towards her, dodging a crossbow bolt that whizzed past his ear. He met her in the middle of the cavern.

  "They're blocking the stairs!" Mina panted.

  Lloyd looked up. The catwalks were filling with soldiers. The main exit was barred. They were trapped underground with a small army and a very angry warlord.

  "Hold on," Lloyd said. He grabbed her waist.

  "What are you doing?" Mina shrieked.

  "Improvising," Lloyd said.

  He tried to summon Iffrit. He reached for the bond in his soul. Come forth!

  Nothing happened. A dull ache throbbed in his chest. The air around them shimmered with a sickly grey light.

  "My magic," Lloyd realized with horror. "It's gone. He has a dampener."

  Wilfred, recovering from the blow, laughed. He wiped blood from his face. "Did you think I would leave my masterpiece unprotected? The entire cavern is shielded against spirits! You are powerless here, thief!"

  Lloyd cursed. Just like Jager's trap. No spirits. No big guns.

  "Okay," Lloyd said to Mina. "New plan. We run. We run fast."

  "I cannot run fast in these heels!" Mina yelled.

  "Then take them off!" Lloyd shouted.

  He looked at the soldiers closing in. He couldn't use magic, but he still had his Void power. The dampener blocked external spirits, but his Steel Blood was internal. It was part of him.

  He focused. He felt the metal in his blood. He thrust his hand forward.

  Clang!

  A dozen steel chains erupted from the floor, tangling the legs of the first wave of guards. They tripped and fell in a heap of armor and cursing.

  "Go!" Lloyd commanded.

  He pulled Mina towards the side of the cavern, away from the main stairs. There was a service lift. A chain-hoist for moving parts.

  "We're going up," Lloyd said.

  He slashed the rope holding a counterweight with a manifested steel blade. The platform shot upward. Lloyd grabbed Mina and jumped.

  They landed on the rising platform. It jerked and swayed, shooting up towards the ceiling vents.

  Chapter : 1368

  "Stop them!" Wilfred screamed from below. "Shoot them down!"

  Crossbow bolts pinged against the metal bottom of the platform. Lloyd shielded Mina with his body, manifesting a thin sheet of steel over his back as armor.

  "This was a bad idea!" Mina yelled over the noise. "I told you it was risky!"

  "You said it was 'unfortunate'!" Lloyd yelled back. "This is significantly worse than unfortunate!"

  The platform slammed into the upper gantry. They scrambled off, running along the high walkways. They were fifty feet in the air. Below them, the cavern was a swarm of angry ants.

  "The vent!" Lloyd pointed. A large ventilation shaft, pumping out steam. "It leads to the surface!"

  They ran for it. But a massive, armored figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking their path. It was the Captain of the Guard, a man the size of a bear holding a hammer the size of a child.

  "Going somewhere, little lord?" the Captain grunted.

  Lloyd didn't stop. He didn't slow down. He charged.

  "Duck," Lloyd told Mina.

  Mina dropped. Lloyd leaped over her. He used his [Void Step]. Even with the dampener, his internal space manipulation flickered. He didn't teleport far, just five feet. Just enough to bypass the hammer swing.

  He reappeared behind the Captain. He didn't have a weapon. He didn't need one. He placed his hand on the Captain's back and pushed with a burst of kinetic force.

  The Captain stumbled, lost his balance, and toppled over the railing. He fell into the darkness below with a long, fading scream.

  Lloyd grabbed Mina's hand again. "Into the vent!"

  They dove into the steam-filled tunnel just as a volley of arrows clattered against the opening. They were in the walls now. Crawling through darkness, heat, and soot.

  "We failed," Mina coughed. "We didn't get the Heart."

  "We're alive," Lloyd said, pushing her forward. "That counts as a partial success. Now keep moving. Before they turn the fans on and turn us into soup."

  They crawled desperately towards the faint light of the surface, leaving the Golem Heart behind, but carrying something almost as dangerous: the knowledge of exactly where it was, and exactly how hard it was going to be to get it back.

  The ventilation shaft was a nightmare. It was hot, cramped, and smelled of burning oil. Lloyd and Mina crawled on their hands and knees, coughing in the thick, dark air.

  "How... far?" Mina wheezed. Her beautiful blue dress was now black with soot. Her hair was a disaster.

  "Almost there," Lloyd promised. "I see light."

  They reached a metal grate. Lloyd kicked it. It clanged but didn't budge. He kicked it again, reinforcing his boot with Steel Blood. The grate flew off, spinning into the night air.

  They scrambled out onto a high stone parapet. They were on the roof of the fortress. The cold mountain wind hit them, freezing the sweat on their skin.

  "We made it," Mina gasped, collapsing against the stone wall.

  "Not yet," Lloyd said. He looked around. They were on the highest tower. The only way down was a hundred-foot drop into the courtyard, or a narrow stone bridge connecting to the outer wall.

  Below them, the fortress was waking up. Alarm bells were ringing. Torches were flaring to life in the courtyard. It looked like an angry beehive that had just been kicked.

  "There they are!" a voice shouted from below.

  An arrow whizzed past Lloyd's head and shattered against the stone.

  "Move!" Lloyd yelled.

  He pulled Mina towards the bridge. It was a narrow arch of stone, barely wide enough for two people. As they ran onto it, a door on the other side burst open. Three guards charged out, blocking their path.

  "Trapped," Mina said, her voice tight with fear.

  Lloyd looked behind him. More guards were pouring out of the vent access.

  "Not trapped," Lloyd said. "Just... challenged."

  He couldn't use his spirits. The dampener field covered the whole fortress. He couldn't fly. He couldn't nuke them with fire. He had to be physical.

  He focused on his blood. The iron in his veins hummed.

  "Hold on tight," Lloyd ordered Mina.

  "To what?"

  "To me!"

  Mina grabbed his waist. Lloyd faced the three guards ahead. He didn't draw a sword. He raised his hands.

  Thwip-thwip-thwip.

  Three steel chains shot out of his sleeves. They wrapped around the stone railing of the bridge.

  "Jump!" Lloyd shouted.

  "Are you insane?" Mina screamed.

  Lloyd didn't argue. He grabbed her and vaulted over the side of the bridge. They fell into the open air.

  Mina screamed. It was a long, terrified sound.