“Unit 64-3-76 is not responding.”
“How did it get destroyed?”
“There were… three of them.”
“I knew these itchy things were no good. How many of them are there?”
“Good question. Get there with Pot Lid Licker until the dinner plates arrive to get the machines out.”
“Why me?”
The Southeast Tower operatives were listening in to the command center's communications exchanges; it was mostly static, only broken with the sound of breaking doors and the even rarer gunshots. The area around the towers was cleared of bodies: they were mostly Luminberg’s staff or the few security forces that were stationed in the towers. The debilitating light did most of the work for them, and they had these special suits. Anyone who could endure the effects of the Gray Fox’s altered Wizards’ Wall would not dare approach their point head-on.
Small spheres, each brighter than lighthouse lamps, traveled and settled at the tower base. The syndicate fighters first dismissed them as another effect of the Wizards’ Wall. None of them expected what happened next.
It started with a brilliance too much for their eyes to behold. Some tried to shoot at the floating objects in vain. Incinerating beams fired at the three constructs that stood guard, reducing them to flaming hulks in moments.
"What the...?" One of the operatives regained his sight.
"What are you all standing for? Fire at..." A shot rang and ended his shouting; the force of whatever hit the black-clad guard threw him off-balance and made him lie still on the ground.
Most of the syndicate members were blinded when two figures emerged from the Southeast Tower’s left flank. Both were wrapped in the same bright hue that wreaked terror on their sight. The few men who responded fired at the intruders. Their bullets struck the enemies as ash and smoke, with no sign of either of them being affected by the shooting. There was one who shot back, while the other charged at them, swinging his staff and knocking down anyone at astonishing speed. One of the guardsmen broke from the engagement and ran to one of the still-intact communications units strapped to a now-dead comrade nearby. After fumbling through a few switches and buttons, he was able to activate the device to say:
"Tower Seven is under attack!" He was catching his breath. “Fighting machines disabled. Two men. Our bullets can’t harm them. Send reinforcements immediate-”
The transmission was cut off by a blast of air from the radio operator’s lips. There was a short shriek heard from the communications apparatus before it went silent.
????
Twelve disks arrived at a corner near the besieged Southeast Tower. Blue pillars descended and then left. The first ten columns were of uniform size; the last two were slightly larger. Trevalyn Faricy appeared in the lead; his left arm emitting a green glow that coursed like veins. A mask with two large flared air outlets covered his head. A coarse breath was released from the facial apparatus when the crime lord surveyed the area around the tower.
The report was told as it was: the seventh tower had been taken over by someone else. It was a sight of both disbelief and awe: what guarded the tower was a layer of bright light, sculpted before the doorway to the ancient fortification. Eight dots of miniature stars, each no larger than billiards balls, glowed and floated still at twice a man’s height. Trevalyn’s men stood still in front of it.
The crime lord saw the fighting constructs standing still, guarding a perceived attack in the opposite direction. No lights were seen from their optic sensors; those that guarded the barricaded areas became burning pillars. None of the units were responsive as the apparatus that supposedly housed their controls was reduced to a burning wreck beside the strangely shielded structure. A pair of small cannons, the initial guards brought with them, were set aside; shell casings were littered around them. One of the men approached Winston Norton, who was to the right of the crime lord.
“Sir.” A few quick nods were made before he continued, “We have tried everything. This… barrier was too much.”
“No matter. Guide the disks to the wounded.” Winston saw the operative leave the newly arrived group. “This is a rather interesting turn of events, Master. Won’t you agree?”
"This is a good time to test Doctor Hollegrehenn's weapon system."
The Gray Fox nodded to three of his escorts and worked on the inert but intact four-legged machine that stood watch nearby. Its eyes flashed green and moved to face the magical wall.
It planted its legs on the ground and poised a shoulder-mounted cannon; sparks and threads of energy flowed and crackled in the air. The machine unleashed a jagged beam. One of the floating spheres stood in its path and fired a solid ray of destruction in response. It cut through the construct's energy projectile and reached the cannon itself. The smell of overloaded circuits and burning crystal fragments made Trevalyn and his men go behind cover as the weapon exploded in its attempt at the luminous layer.
“Such power. Both wonderful and terrible to behold.”
Trevalyn stood still and stretched his right arm towards the wall of radiance. Its imposing presence was cast in the glassy layer of his eyes protector. Winston stood beside him but looked after the other operatives who stared at this insurmountable interruption before them.
“I would rather not have this as an adversary. A magical construct, far too powerful for any of my… conventional weapons to breach.”
The crime lord raised his right arm. Red dots glowed on a device attached to his wrist. He uttered a clear command:
"Knight, breach this barrier with your weapon.”
Behind the group was a large, tall, and armored man who walked ahead to face the barrier. No words escaped from him; only a slight groan was heard coming out of his helmeted face. He raised a war hammer whose head was made of a dark metal; a red glow converged at the tip, rapidly covering the weapon all the way to its handle. The weapon hammered at the barrier with a crash; its resulting shockwaves kicked dust up in the air and even caused some of Trevalyn’s men to stumble.
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There was a gash formed on the otherwise perfect layer of magical power, and it faded in mere moments. The armored warrior wasted no thought and continued to strike at the wall of brilliance; his strength was met with equal defiance. The other warriors who were with Trevalyn seemed unaffected by the ear-shattering episode that was happening; red lights coming from a forehead-installed apparatus glowed even brighter.
“It looks like even your strongest puppet could not shatter this… inconvenience.” Norton’s voice ended with a hiss.
“Whoever they are, we have them surrounded. They will be forced to come out given their circumstances.” Trevalyn continued to watch his minion work his way through the shield of magical make. “I’m sure that they will not keep this at a standstill. There has to be a source of energy that keeps this barrier intact. It won’t take too long before it is exhausted.”
“Would it have been better if we used the nether monster to deal with this?”
“I agree with your suggestion, Mister Norton.”
The warrior continued to pummel through; his strength never seemed to wane, even as the steel of his hammer began to show thin webs of pulsating red. Each strike caused everything nearby to tremble and rock. Trevalyn, Winston, and the remaining syndicate operatives stood behind; only the protection of their headwear saved their ears from going completely deaf. The last blow slammed against the barrier, sending ripples from the war hammer’s head. A red glow was seen in the metal: the light barrier was attempting to consume this object, attempting to break it. The armored warrior pulled the weapon away.
The bull-headed creature showed its strength by throwing a fist onto the barrier. Each punch made a slight shaking of the wall, but the field of white remained unblemished from the efforts. There was little use tiring the monster out, and the crime lord commanded it to stand back.
An explosion was heard from the top of the tower, followed by smoke coming out of one of the crystals that empowered the Wizards’ Walls’ southeastern reach. Trevalyn saw sparks appear and dissipate from the barrier that sealed Luminberg’s nearby exit. The light that came out of the southeast tower was losing color, slowly reverting to a fading white hue: the Wizards’ Wall of legend, what it should have been if not for the crime lord’s tampering.
“The condenser!”
“You have given your foes far less credit, Master.” Winston looked at the top of Tower 7; small fires began to shoot out of the destroyed mechanism.
“This is not something you should make fun of, Mister Norton. Ready the men.”
Winston prepared his rifle and waved a hand for the rest of the syndicate operatives and some of the remaining tower guards to follow him. Figures shot out from two of the open windows. One shadow landed and stood in front of the tower entrance; the other launched itself at Winston with a foot sole to his face. He was sent crashing to the floor; his rifle spun away beyond arm’s reach. What happened took place so fast; his eyes lost sight for a moment. The one who kicked him to the ground held a boy’s visage, but his voice was that of a gleeful madman saying:
“Look who decided to pay a visit. It’s been a while, Green Eye. Let’s play.”
“Who are you?” Winston felt another foot digging into his chest, causing air to burst out of his mouth.
“You’ll remember me once you play with me. You’re not that slow, are you?”
The boy leapt; each bound took him a few meters off the ground, leaving Norton’s men unable to fix their sights on him until he landed on a nearby roof, where the gunmen on the ground attempted to land a hit with grazing fire. The target vanished in seconds, only to appear on another side of the captured building.
Winston collected himself on all fours, gulping for more air before he picked up his gun from the ground. He stood up, looked at Trevalyn, and got a nod from the crime lord to fire back at the one who kicked him. The crime lord’s personal warriors then moved to strike at the second person who stayed at the base of the tower. Meanwhile, his 'knight' and the towering bull-headed man stood beside him.
Two intruders, the Gray Fox thought. Who was the third enemy the operative who relayed the distress call mentioned? He raised his right hand and revealed an open palm; the remaining men responded by surrounding the entrance to Luminberg’s southeast tower. Guns were aimed at the door. There was a click heard, followed by the door revealing a little opening. A wave of brightness suddenly escaped.
They wasted no time. The men opened fire on the one who stood before the doorway. He dashed out of the projectiles’ path and ran behind the tower; the bullets struck against the barrier in a shrill pitch before they vaporized upon impact. Sounds of objects being singed made a cacophony of destruction that echoed in the tower's interior. Their enemy appeared again. A man of foreign attire, but the breastplate he wore was meant for the festivities, making his purpose in the place known.
To everyone’s shock, solid illuminated rays headed towards their firearms at such speed that none of their eyes managed to follow. Their weapons became too hot to continue handling, and the men screamed as they threw their guns away. They knelt in sheer terror of looking at their scalded palms and seeing their weapons go up in flames, becoming something that resembled molten slag. Some of them ran pell-mell, flailing their hands as they sped. The rest lay on the ground in pain.
“At long last, you have revealed yourself. Interlopers at Altrecht. You must have been the same people who disposed of those creatures at the Old Wood.” Trevalyn aimed the gun component of his mechanical arm at the figure. “I should have dealt with you accordingly back in the forest.”
“So you’re the one behind those monsters?” He gripped his staff on one end with both arms. “About that alt-wrecked you were talking about? I have the faintest idea.”
“Oh.” Trevalyn lowered his weapon. “Your mind lacks the proper ability to see clearly the vision before you. Aren’t you here to stop me?”
“I do not know what you are talking about. You and your men are behind what is happening in this city?"
The stranger looked at the chaos surrounding the tower he was guarding. He held on to his weapon before saying:
"I don't understand what you're after with this, but I say the best way to deal with this is to stop you and this scheme you’re running.” The brilliant warrior said, “Who are you, anyway?”
“I am a humble citizen of the Empire who wishes the best for this country. This is only a small price to pay for the greatness we will all share.”
“Draining the citizens of strength and subjecting them to a slow death is far from ‘what is best for this country', or for any country, I believe.”
"Is that so, outsider?"
The Gray Fox looked at his metal arm. He had enough rounds to fire at this new enemy. All he needed was to be far enough and get a proper aim. Would he and his rooftop-spanning companion resist more powerful cartridges? They might have the same field as the building, but their smaller bodies wouldn't take the impact as well.
The interloper replied:
“I have no idea what your concerns are, or what we got ourselves into, but putting unwilling people in vile schemes isn’t doing anyone any good… as far as I know.”
“This power of yours. You can help me realize that dream. We can forget all of this. You and your companions can work for my cause.”
Trevalyn was treading on dangerous ground; one wrong move and this illuminating stranger could incinerate him the way his men’s weapons were destroyed. He couldn't make this enemy look the other way. This golden-haired brute and the boy with a black coat were crazy enough to stand between the crime lord and what was gathered inside the tower’s machinery. The Gray Fox called it right when this tall, wiry fellow armed with a metal staff answered:
“I think not.” He gripped his weapon and stood his ground, ready to strike. “I don’t live around here, so is my companion on the roof. We prefer to be in good standing with this country.”
“Since you will stand in my way, I will have to get rid of you and your friends!”
The crime lord fired his weapon; a sharp-pointed canister flew fast towards the brightly clad man. That should have taken care of this problem; it was simply impossible for anyone to survive a hit from such a close distance. A magically-induced barrier would not have protected this man from shockwaves.
Or so he thought.
That was when a blinding white lance fired from one of the floating spheres struck the projectile mid-flight. The resulting explosion made both sides cover their eyes.
A keen swish was heard before Trevalyn realized that the piercing magical creation stopped short of a few centimeters from reaching him. He could have been sliced cleanly in half had the incinerating thread gone further. The crime lord tumbled thrice before he settled. He pushed himself up using his arms and looked at the sparks and small fires that came out of the ground where the light beam had tread. Trevalyn was close to paying dearly for that foolhardy decision. He should have just used his pawn to deal with this interloper; it may have done the job with no problem, or at least, but it was time to escape from this monster that he had infuriated.
He got up, knees shaking from the shock he received. He was fortunate that the beam did not come in contact with his weapon arm. The explosive rounds stored in them would have detonated and killed him on the spot. Would there be someone out there, to give thanks to, that the attack did not damage his suit? The light from the rest of the Wizards' Wall was still converting the city into magical energy, and he would have fallen unconscious like the victims of his mechanism, albeit slower.
His voice was coarser when he spoke through his face protection. The Gray Fox exclaimed:
"Have it your way, strange men. Can your resolve outweigh my force of arms?"
Trevalyn pointed to the armored man and to the monster under his control. Winston gestures and nods orders from behind, rallying the rest of the operatives who kept their weapons intact.
