Ena PoV

I'm really worried. In the two and a half months we spent in game we haven't encountered trouble like this.

For someone to attack a city it's the first time and for to be done with such a small but strong force is hard to understand.

From what I can gather by looking at stuff the Clockwork titan Delta passed to us through the helmets brock uses, the attack wasn't coordinated but it's units held lots of power. Lots of our power.

Images show small worker looking clockwork suddenly vanishing and appearing behind one of the cities guards with his hands stuck inside any opening it found then pulling out revealing a blade in the spot where its hand was.

It was clearly body shifting like ours and stealth technology.

In the room we were in was all of those who remained in North Gate City. Blaze, Brock, Victor and I were left to defend the North Gate while Techno, Nova, Bulk, Annabeth and Greer went to east gate.

Suffice to say we weren't military generals to know how to take this but Victor took over.

"Those guys sure are pissing me off. I wonder if we should increase the anti air defenses." He muttered to himself.

"Why not increase the number of knights we have?" I asked.

"Madam and sirs but my I speak?" Asked a one of the captains of the Clockwork Knights.

"What do you need captain...urg?" Victor asked but didn't know the name.

"Surge...Surge Ironguard." He replied.

"So Cpt. Surge, what did you need?" Blaze asked.

"It's about the attack itself. It's too uncoordinated yet it fits for a single reason I know." He said which drew everyone's attention.

"What might that be?" Victor asked focusing on him for the first time.

"A very simple reason, a trap." He said which makes everyone worried. Everyone but Victor.

"And what kind of trap do you really expect to happen. Them attack north gate that holds the second best defenses." Victor said very confident.

"This isn't West gate where monsters attack us constantly. This is North Gate, a new city in construction and still not up to par with West gate and with four of your crew that was also the brain of the crew as well as the man that controlled several dozens of the strongest knights and rogues gone our defense are much weaker now." He said.

The seeds of anxiety was firmly planted in me as I looked at Victor's frowning face as he didn't seem to want to listen to the Knight.

"How exactly would you even know this was a trap!" Victor bellowed.

"I don't but I was a knight that was revived after our race was resurrected. I was discovered in the vicinity of East gate and had my motherboard and memory chips sent to South gate and given a new body. My memories still hold several years of combat I served before I was deactivated somehow and dumped here so it is more my instincts telling me something is wrong." He replied making the Dwarf smile.

"Then it's just your delusion of still being in the wars that's got you riled up." He said.

"Clockwork can't have delusion, we aren't even affected my illusion magic, only viruses that someone is capable of implanting in us. Your assumption was made only due to your overconfidence because no one has outright attacked your crew do to your captain's ability to discover, create and implement new technology to your crew. None of you have ever been in a siege before and that inexperience with overconfidence is what always loses a battle." He said outright making Victor tremble in rage.

I for one don't think positively ever due to any single action changing the tide but Victor clearly believed in our power which made things hard since he is the builder of several powerful armored units of non clockwork personal.

"Maybe we should contact Techno and ask him his opinion about this." Blaze said.

"We don't need it. He left us too defend meaning he thinks we can defend." Victor said. "Look we even have Brock who is the strongest in the crew." He shouted.

"Victor! Don't get cocky, just because I am here doesn't mean we are safe. I am strong with high stats but if someone used their head they can easily win a battle." Brock said eyeing the dwarf.

"It seems I have only brought discord but what I have said was what I believe is true. The knights we possess are strong but those in the video are just as strong with only weaker bodies. I think, if we were to survive we needed to improve the quality of the knights." Surge said.

"I am not listening to this anymore. Taking the opinion of someone outside our crew is not happening." Victor said fuming as he left the room.

Brock shook his head and sighed deeply showing his own worry.

"Damn, techno has a good brain on his head and he makes cold calculated decisions better than us on many things. Having him gone and letting us decide what to do is a real hassle." Brock finally said.

"You may consider it a learning experience. Anyway, in the past a true captain level knight wasn't made from earth golem steel like we possess today. The golems of the past cultivated themselves to such a degree and gathered the materials to become metal golems. The cores of a metal golem and the strength of the steel made by it can't even be compared to the ones made by earth golems." Surge said.

"I see, we do have the elementals on our side, I think going up a notch in their strength would be a good decision but we don't need to wait for metal cores. I will pass what you told me to Victor. If he doesn't want to take this new information then I will make it myself. I have watched techno's method of making refined earth steel." Brock said.

"That will be good. If you will allow me I wish to take command of the knights and train them but because others have been upgraded past what my body can handle I cannot get them to listen." He said.

"Unfortunately that is beyond my decision, our crew are the builders of the city not the owners." Brock said making Surge nod understanding.

"Ena, Blaze how far have you two come along with the mediation?" Brock said.

"I feel like I'm on a bottleneck. My core has become super dense and I grew a lot in terms of mana capacity and a lot in intelligence through mediation but it barely goes up even if we set up a furnace to make fire using your mana it might not work." Blaze said.

"I feel the same way. I keep trying to pull more mana but all it does is feed my flames." I said.

"You need to try and use lightning magic next." Surge suddenly said.

""What do you mean?"" We both asked in unison.

"Reaching a bottleneck means you are bordering the next level of your elemental. Elementals may be the only race that can actively change their race to a greater one. Other races can't change any longer but you are beings made of mana so upgrading to a stronger element is possible if you are strong enough." Surge said.

"Is it only lightning?" Blaze asked.

"Who knows. I'm not an elemental so I can't tell you that." He said shrugging.

After that we talked a bit and dismissed everyone.

Brock PoV

"Stop being an overconfident hard head Victor! You know what the knight said was true!" I said.

I was currently in Victor's workshop inside my body. I had passed what I learned from the knight but this dwarf was bitching about not wanting anything to do with the knight.

I really want to beat this idiot dwarf he already saw our tech had been leaked and it was a matter of time before their strength equaled our own and he was still bitching about it.

The knight himself took his platoon and began training them harder as did the others. Skills are important for sure.

Since Victor wanted nothing to do with this I left him be and went to Techno's store room in my body since he took the ship.

I searched around and found several earth core crystals.

I also find several empty cores and taking it carefully I put it on the table and began crushing the cores one by one and feed them to the cores.

It took five to make a refined earth core crystal. Taking another new core I crushed five refined cores I made and pushed into the new core and like expected.

Metal Core CrystalA core made by countless earth elemental cores that went through many refining processes to reach this point.

The durability and strength of this core is beyond steel and it is resistant to rusting for very large periods of time as well as resistant to corrosion.

This was very impressive but the cost to make is to high. It would take a long time to make iron golems probably unless they mediate on my fins and this way takes too much material and cores.

I can see why captain class were given them and not lower ranked. I thought.

Let's make a few then get Victor to make a robot body with these.

I make ten of them which may make techno rage but if I can get a few captains with bodies made from these it would really help.

"So you want me to substitute the earth cores in the steel with this stuff." He said eyeing the metal core which was transparent like all cores but it had a metallic luster to it.

"Make robots from them, this is a level above the refined earth cores. It should make a powerful clockwork." I said.

He looked at me probing for a real reason but since I didn't even flinch and maintained a poker face.

"You want to give the cpt. rank knight a body made of this stuff don't you." Victor landing on the bull's eye.

I frown as he got it right and he sighed.

"Fine I'll make them but this stuff is really strong, maybe it wouldn't even melt properly so call Ena and Blaze so I can get some strong fire." Victor said and I noddd calling the two and sending them off before I meld back into my whale body and overlook the town.

***

Ever since the Surge had heard the news he has been speaking with the other resurrected knights. The others believed he was paranoid. They don't seem to retain the same level of memories he had so in turn only those who were worried about a possible attack were tense which was only two other captain.

They increased patrol and always had men stationed near the turrets looking out towards the empty skies or ground in all directions.

Besides an attempted attack from slugs or snails there was nothing.

It was because of this that the stationed knights weren't alert and didn't notice four ships appear out of thin air about a kilometer away.

O'Clock Helix with Delta's help had created something Techno hadn't which was a ship stealth technology that cloaked the ship for ten minutes but it was enough for the ships that were twice as big as technos ship to arrive this close.

By the time the knights noticed, a platoon of Strato robots lifted off from the ships.

On the underside were bombs. The strato robots targeted several of the turrets and fly fast before releasing the missiles hitting turrets or missing and blasting the wall built around the town creating a massive hole in the wall.

The knights that were stationed on the walled were all disoriented by the sudden attack but several that had awaken from the shock and had surviving turrets mounted then and began to fire.

Most of the turrets were dual barrel guns so they had a better speed to them.

The original number the town had to defend against monster was around 30 but now it was decreased to 12 from the initial attack. Most of the mortars were destroyed making a huge gap in defenses which further rose when the ships lifted up their own turrets and mortars which were drones that connected and made the weapon.

As soon as they were up they began bombarding the town.

It was then that the city reacted.

Under the command on the Royal Sylph and the two Will-o-Wisps, the air and fire elementals began attacking fiercely the Strato robots did have weapons but because they were simply steel the concentrated fire from the bird shaped wisps fueled with extra air to make the fire stronger by the Sylph's made it impossible to escape damage.

While the two elementals battled out against the Strato's, who opened fire with their miniguns, on the ground an invading force of knights and rogue class were advancing.

Highly angry at the damage sustained Victor in his mining armor brought out several others dressed in similar armor.

"ALRIGHT YOU LOUTS LET'S SHOW EM!" He shouted and activating the wheels on his feet he moved forward into open fire.

The armor was refined earth steel so unless it is a heavy physical attack small bullets won't work.

"DRILL RUNNER BOYS!" He shouted sticking his right arm forward that had the drill which began spinning violently.

Backed by the speed he gained and the spinning drill he rushed his way through the army of several hundred robot clockwork.

As he passed the other side and was making a U turn in the scrap it was then he saw some of the robots in the back transform their arm into a gun with a big opening. He knew that form well because he helped design several.

"GRENADES!" Victor shouted but it was too late. Several robots shot out. The ones following him sped up hoping to evade them but only three others besides Victor escaped.

They drilled through the hoard again almost getting flanked by several knights but still successfully getting through and retreating to the city.

What he met was Surge and Brock there with the other captains and golems.

"What did I say about getting cocky!" He insulted Victor pointing at his face.

"You're a blacksmith, the best we have, for clockwork you are our healers but what do you do! You rush into the densest area like an idiot and loses several of your own mining suits plus several good people!" Surge shouted.

"What do you want then huh! We killed several dozens!" Victor countered.

"Why not try looking up and seeing if those ships are even close to ending their assault." Surge said.

Victor looked up and saw the clockworks dropping in squads while more on the top deck shot down here blasting the city.

"From now on I'm in charge because none of you have a clue as to how to survive a siege!" Surge stated.

Victor turned red with rage but was ignored by the knight.

"Brock, have the golems spread around the outer walls fast. All of you raise a wall of packed earth to remake the walls. Once that is done you all split up into two groups on the far side of each wall. Wait three minutes after you make the new wall before flanking the army.

Ena, Blaze you take all flying elementals and bring those ships down. Burn it, smash it whatever just bring them down.

Victor you stay here with five captains and their platoon. I will shoot a flare when you should advance.

Those on the wall should concentrate fire on the ships aiding the elementals but once all the ships are down focus on the army near the back." At his orders everyone moved.

In the true meaning of organizes the battle of North Gate was brought to a close after the Knight Captain Surge Ironguard led the cities troops after having half the city destroyed to victory.

***

Two days after Techno left North Gate he was checking the forums and finally saw it.

ATTACK ON NORTH GATE!![Tr]Dude this was so scary! These four large ships appeared out of nowhere and started to blast the city to scarps. The city guard had their ass handed to them until one of the captains took control from the Clockwork crew.

I knew they were frauds. The crew is just good for making tech and nothing else

They are weak and don't know how to fight in a siege battle. I bet if several crews group up they can take the cities made by their crew.[/tr

This bit of information was all that was needed to make Techno blow several gaskets and activate the Overload skill on Asura with such intensity that the area he was in almost caught fire.

After calming down before he shut down he instantly called Delta.

"Where are they...!" he asked.

"Who?" Delta replied.

"Don't fuck with me Delta! I'm very much not in the mood! Now where are the fucks that sent the attack on North gate!" Techno texted almost bordering the need to shout with his voice.

"Oh them, they headed towards the scrapyards center." Delta replied nonchalantly.

Without a thanks or anything the Techno's ship turned towards the South West. He was still a ways away from the East gate so we needed to aim down a bit.

Nova was flying outside with both bodies on her Strato following the ship.

She loved the feeling of flying and has liked it for a while.

She turned Strato when the ship turned and followed without much question.

They were following the gate which was easy enough to follow but turning into the scrap yard they would lose their reference but activating the ship scanner they moved on.

It was unfortunately a bad mistake which would change a LOT of things for Techno