Gerhard re-materialized from one of the ten glass vessels that brought in men from various areas of Luminberg. The goggles he wore had droplets forming at their surface, and his hand shot into the strap, loosening it as he exited the transportation apparatus. A pair of masked men flanked each side of the receiving bay. They did not look like medics, but the belt bags and the bottle of antiseptic one of them held gave more than enough context for it.

  He looked back; his nose attempted to trace the source of the metallic smell. The once-clear glass of the transport cylinders was becoming blurry; each operative who materialized in the Gray Fox’s base carried dust and smoke from engaging with the Empire’s soldiers. Some of them bore wounds, and there were unfortunate ones who had to be carried out of the pods on stretchers. Guns and other equipment, warm from the recent firefight, were arranged in rows and piled all over the site.

  Even the constructs were not spared; they returned to the base of operations with red-hot gun barrels. Some expended all their magazines in their attempts to stem the tide of a spirited offense from the Imperial Army. Others that encountered more determined opposition bore the smoke of burnt circuitry and spent hydraulic fluid coming from where their weapon assemblies had once been. Some were only allowed to move out of the bays after a cloud of fire retardant was lathered on blown-up panels and flaming gun actions.

  Squad leaders, and even Winston Norton himself, did not come out of the operation unscathed. The commander appeared in a loose shirt; his torso and right shoulder were wrapped in bandages. To him, it wasn’t an excuse to skip gathering important details, especially when it came to finding out anything about the powerful new enemy they came across in Luminberg. Enemies that somehow were strong enough to resist the stupor-inducing light of the Gray Fox’s Wizards’ Wall modifications and halted their attempt to collect what was stored in Tower 7’s condenser. Surely, there was a construct that was collected from the compromised southeast installation of the ancient magical energy screen.

  He chose not to approach and disturb Winston, who was busy with the machinists who opened up head units of the worn-down fighting automatons, retrieving ball-shaped crystals embedded deep inside.

  Cornelia appeared in a separate pod beside him, grinning. She shook her head while removing her headwear and throwing it aside along with most of the discarded equipment. Ventilation inside the area couldn’t keep up with the smell of blood, propellant, and dust that gathered with every syndicate combatant collected from the encounters outside.

  “You and I got shaken down badly, Master Guild-”

  “Just… give me a little space to breathe.”

  Gerhard removed his face coverings; goggles bounced off an empty ammunition box. He wished to strip himself of the rubbery outfit that preserved his magical energy reserves, only to be reminded that he needed to be practically naked to rid himself of the layer. He shook his head, staring at the lights again. This was a safe area, he thought. That hunter would not trace them all the way here.

  “I read you.” Cornelia’s hands were feeling for something at the back of her head. “Since we’ve spent most of our time running away from that hunter, you didn’t look like you got what you came for.”

  “An easy operation, I was told.” He was panting; the slow return of his magic sent a cold, prickly rush through his veins. “What kind of asset did the Imperials unleash on us?”

  “Imperials?” Cornelia patted her cheeks. The air was stuffy, but at least the flexible heaviness of the protection suit no longer hugged her face. “I’d wager that was a bounty hunter at least. Has the Empire sent a hit on us?”

  “I want to believe that Imperial codes of honor wouldn’t let them stoop down that low.” Gerhard leaned on a pile of crates. “Our hunter may have ties with the state, but may be allowed to be unconventional in approach.”

  “The Boss’ contraptions were made to suck everything of their magic. Not a lot of spells for you. I guess the Boss Fox didn't lie about that?”

  “Yes, and I did not expect whoever was hounding Commander Winston had a lot of fight in him.”

  “You tell me.” Cornelia removed the belt that held an empty scabbard. “I never put a lot of trust in the Boss’ factory sabers, but how I did not expect that boy to know where to shoot to break them down faster?”

  “You and I are talking here. That’s what matters at the end of this task.” Gerhard looked at the rows of wounded operatives who appeared in the receiving area. “Can the Army follow us all the way here?”

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  “I wish they can’t, but I’m not the least bit surprised if they do. I’ve been thinking…” Cornelia sat down on one of the crates, pulling the straps off her gloves. “That boy. He was in one of our suits. Did he steal that from one of us? I thought the Boss’ magic-draining thing got everybody.”

  “I’m sure there is something in the constructs that can answer that.”

  “If only those tin cans could talk...”

  Cornelia watched a flaming construct materialize in the receiving bays; a pair of fire extinguishers rushed in to prevent its core from exploding inside. They watched stretchers carry the wounded and the dying out of the transport tubes. Soon, this building, run by the firm Severniya Industrie, would cease to exist. The company served its purpose as a business front, and all it needed to do was lend its cover to smuggle the wounded operatives out of Luminberg. The same applies to any technology that further incriminates the Gray Fox or anyone associated with him.

  Meanwhile, Winston Norton walked up to the duo. In his hand was a clipboard where a table grid had partly legible writing scrawled all over it. Gerhard was too tired to ask specifics. There was always the next morning. Though his skin sagged in areas on his arm, the rest of his body kept a firm shape. A flash from his machine eye scanned the two elite operatives.

  “A miracle that you’ve escaped that encounter. My guess about that boy working alone was correct, it seems.” The hiss in his voice ran coarse. Winston coughed to clear his throat. “I figured even both of you found that boy too much to handle.”

  “You can say that again.” Cornelia reached out of the back of her head to undo the bun that kept her hair, but stopped herself at the last moment. “I think Ger- uh, Mister Guildenstern here was more than a match, but his magic tricks aren’t up to snuff with all that energy-sapping going on.”

  “I hate to admit it, but I agree with her.” Gerhard fixed his glove.

  “Our new enemies came unexpectedly, and are vastly more powerful than what we normally deal with.”

  “If you do not mind sharing, Commander Winston,” Gerhard continued. “The Master’s objectives have been met despite the setbacks, as I could see.”

  “Yes, mostly.” Winston’s eyes met with Gerhard’s when he said, “I won’t be surprised that part of the objective is in the Empire’s hands. We were heavily repulsed in trying to take Tower 7 from the strange interlopers. I’d say most of our operatives in that area were either disabled or destroyed.”

  “Looks like whoever they are was strong enough to resist the Boss’ Fox’s tower machines.” Cornelia said, “I wonder if that boy on the rooftops was one of them.”

  “I am certain he is.” Winston held his shoulder. “I’ll come up with a plan of action, at least after we have secured the condenser products out of this city.”

  “Condenser what?” Cornelia’s eyes shifted between Gerhard and Winston. “Have to say that both of you can speak so... morosely and, formally even after almost dying at the hands of that lone hunter.”

  “Let us say that it’s like this: We are supposed to hold the line long enough for the Master’s machines to gather energy. That mechanism is his key.” Winston was unable to draw more words to explain. “Men like him tend to come up with plans none of us can comprehend.”

  Another dozen stretcher-bearers rushed to the receiving area; the glass cases now had lines of blood running on some of them. Winston shook his head. A defensive operation meant to hold the line in case of resistance from the Imperials. While that did not materialize, something worse took its place. A brilliant nightmare, though the only act of mercy they were afforded was that the light only stayed in Tower 7. Nothing would have suggested that the brilliant hurdle was fixed to that area.

  Winston was alive, though he stopped to look at the walls in an attempt to remember something. Gerhard recalled him struggling with the same hunter who almost single-handedly defeated them. Never mind, the commander resumed speaking:

  “If those who interrupted our employer had such assets in their ranks, it is best to assume that this won’t be the last time we’ll see them. I’ll need both of you if we hope to outplay them, or even survive in the next encounter.”

  “Of course. Anything for the Gray Fox’s cause.” Gerhard nodded, and Cornelia shrugged her shoulders upon hearing what Winston said.

  “I should be taking a little rest.” The commander went ahead, leaving the two to their affairs. “You should use what resources are left in this place if I were you. The Empire’s hounds have most likely picked up the trail leading here.”

  Winston kept his posture, ragged as he looked after facing that stranger in the streets. Cornelia made a few nods as her eyes followed the superior until he exited the receiving area.

  Gerhard kept his lips pursed, at least until most of the stretcher-bearers had left the receiving area. A thought escaped his lips — and Cornelia picked it up faster than he intended.

  “Are Mother and Father all right?” He stared at the ceiling, where a giant propeller blew smoke and odor to the floor. “Sometimes, I think our master’s focus is too excessive.”

  “You think so?” Cornelia sat down and loosened her gloves from her wrists. “Don’t take this badly. I know your ties to that old man. For someone who wants to run this empire his way, he sure doesn’t think twice in putting the regular Kriemreicher too close to death.”

  “I don’t like your wording, but I see your point.”

  “These ‘games’ of his. Sure, we have some mystery machines that give us a leg up against those Imperials, but you’re seeing it. They’re not going to stay this way forever.”

  “I know…” Gerhard heard the shriek of new arrivals forming at the glass cylinders. One of them was two people, both too wounded to even stand up.

  “Besides, wasn’t this supposed to be a stroll since we have the Army locked outside, and everyone in Luminberg should be sleeping or something?”

  “I wish I had an answer for that.” Gerhard stared at his empty palms. “That hunter. He said something about my shield ‘not as strong as someone else’s’. I’m thinking, if we, or if Commander Winston, went up against a magician of Luminberg.”

  “Isn’t the Boss Fox meant to milk energy out of every magician in the city?”

  “Yes. I cannot help but think if this someone could use magic at its fullest, even when the Wizards’ Wall…”

  “Someone more monstrous than you?” Cornelia smirked. “That I have to see. Wait, I’d rather not run into that freak.”

  “I guess the Academy has taken strides since I left. No, leaps and bounds, maybe?”

  “Give it a rest. Maybe drop by and check on your parents once everything here is said and done.”

  “I like that idea.” Gerhard dusted one of the crates and sat down. “I want all of this to end soon.”