Three wheeled transports arrived at Altrecht's constabulary. Unlike the carriages used by many of the common folk, they required no horses to pull them as that work was delegated to a motor housed in front. Two of the vehicles had cloth roofs on the rear compartment while the one in the middle was totally enclosed in metal.

It took two days before the requested transports came to the town. Soldiers disembarked from two of the vehicles; their leader was a sergeant that wore a steel battle helmet like the rest of the passengers. He immediately approached Captain De Melvich and greeted him with a salute.

"Captain, a message from Director Arinas." The convoy's leader gave Rinvar a small sealed envelope. Farin was not the type who sends notes; she reserved the use of paper for urgent matters – the situation in his report, as well as the recovered pieces of destroyed machinery, was more than enough to be considered urgent.

Rinvar took out a small knife and peeled off both the wax seal and the paste that locked the letter inside. It read:

Captain:

I just read the report. Constructs? It seems that the Fox has deadlier things in store with small packages. I've ordered the convoy to bring whatever is left of the machines to Aurelburg instead of the Capital. You'll have to take a rain check on your Connsbruick trip since you're coming with your gathered evidence. There are also going to be a lot of things we will talk about.

Regards,

Farin

He folded the paper, stuffed it in the envelope before pocketing it; the sergeant was still beside him, waiting for Rinvar's response to Farin's note.

"Do you have space for one more inside?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good, Sergeant."

Rinvar then picked up his shotgun and slung it on his back. He hung on to the entrance to the passenger sections as he watched the wrecked automatons be packed in crates before these are carted off to the transport van."I'm ordered to come to Aurelburg with the cargo."

The convoy moved out of Altrecht with the truck containing the burnt hulls guarded by the other vehicles on its front and rear. A stray gust brought a strange mix of burnt wood and smoked meat to Rinvar's nose – he would treat himself to a nice, filling meal as soon as he reached the city of Aurelburg. He watched the thinning outline of the town; the scars it took from the violence were gradually concealed by the blanketing clouds and sealed in by the old orange walls. Those boundaries also vanished from view when the convoy made a turn and hit the dirt roads that led to Aurelburg. The roads were not kind to the vehicles; the wheels would hit shallow depressions and outlying rock with every yard gained. The coarseness of the ride did not stop the captain from taking a good nap while sitting; the energy provided by chocolates and coffee had been long used up.

Rinvar felt that the journey was less bumpy as the convoy's wheels hugged the even paved stone roads that led to one of Kriemreich's cities. Everything that happened at Altrecht was fresh in his mind, but his fatigue managed to get the best of him anyway.

The sun was replaced by a purplish haze in the sky when the transports stopped before the main gates of the Imperial Archives. It was an aged castle claimed during the days of The Unification preserved to much of its old glory. This structure stood detached to Aurelburg main, but the businesses found in front of the people's entrance served as its link to the citizenry.

Rinvar got off the transport and approached the inspecting sentries. He said to them:

"I am Captain Rinvar De Melvich of the Special Investigations Bureau. The contents inside the truck are not to be inspected under the Rules of Secrecy, orders of Director Farin Arinas." Rinvar showed his identification, which the sentry took without further questioning.

The guards at the Archives did not ask for supporting papers – it has been understood throughout the Empire's armed forces that the Bureau had its own means of transactions apart from Army regulations. No further questioning was done either and the guardsman waved his hand to those who overlooked the convoy from a watchtower; the ringing of metal and the soft grumbling of the earth gave a hint that the gates were being opened.

Rinvar and the squad were inside the Archives' motor pool when a familiar officer waited for them with two soldiers as escorts.

"Glad to see you make it here Rinvar. Your eyes seem to have gone through a lot back in Altrecht."

"Tell me about it Farin." Rinvar plugged his palm on his mouth; the yawn escaped from his lips regardless. "All I'd like to do after this is find my way home and sleep with Elena."

"I'm sure you'll find a lot of time for that once all this is dealt with."

"I wish it's that easy, Director."

Both officers watched the truck being unloaded of four life-sized crates. They followed the men in charge of bringing the cargo to a reserved room deep inside the government office. Crowbars were put to use by the soldiers as the crates were forced open, revealing the charred remains of the humanoid fighting machines.

"This syndicate lord is a very crafty one indeed," Farin remarked; her eyes were scanning the sloped chests of the metallic creations. She was also quick to notice the bullet holes that were punched from the back, which was presumed to have destroyed one of the mechanical wonders.

"What I'm more wondered would be what or who did this to the machines." Rinvar cupped his chin and reached out for his coat pocket to get a piece of candy. He tore through the wrapper with his teeth and exposed the almost coal-black insides to take a bite of it. "I asked a few of the captured Dragons and not one of the guys knew any magician working for them. None of the syndicate thugs were aware of any weapon that could pierce these machines' armor either."

"The scientists will surely feast on these once we ship them to Blaurosen." Farin pulled out the hulk's chest region and peeked on the insides; the internals was melted, charred, or deformed to obscurity. "That is, if they figure out what this mass of ash and broken parts was."

"If these were destroyed magically, I say it could be that 'enchanted fire' old Demian was talking about."

Farin let out a burst of weak laughter before saying, "Ever since you married Elena, you've always been bringing Luminberg around wherever you go. It's not that what knowledge of magic they gave you is not helping this case, but I'm just saying."

"Who knows? These constructs might have been love children of technology and magic." Rinvar tried peering at the cavity inside the decapitated mechanism; everything was deformed to extreme degrees. "It would sure take a grenade or a cannon shell to at least cripple these things if magic is not involved. The metals are nothing I'm familiar with."

"A new alloy perhaps?"

"Could be. These have 'Gray Fox' written all over them..." Rinvar took a second bite from the chocolate bar which reduced its length to half. He went on talking while melting the sweets in his mouth. "...it's weird still, with this man having a vast knowledge of metallurgy, or having people in his employ knowing this much."

"The thought of him sending only a few men, and these machines to eradicate his rivals still gives me a lot of think of." Farin looked at the construct's gun arm whose muzzle was largely intact.

Rinvar and Farin were about to talk further into the subject when their room and every other hall in the archives disrupted their thoughts with loud ringing, wailing alarms.

"Attention all personnel! We have a breach at the Chamber of Artifacts." A wall-mounted speaker spoke with a static and hollow tone. "All combatants respond to the threat and pay attention to two suspects in military uniforms."

"What? Who would even steal from that place?" Farin's voice somewhat sharpened. She wore her cap and checked her sword.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Rinvar fixed a bayonet on his shotgun before sliding the pump on the ready.

"Knowing this place, they'll try to escape using either the rooftop or the basement sewer entrance." Farin gestured some of the soldiers inside to come with her. "Captain, go up while I try to reach the intersecting room to the basement. I hope I can get there in time."

"Be careful with whoever they are Director. Someone with the gall to attack this place surely takes this business seriously."

The officers went separately with a handful of soldiers in tow. Rinvar rushed to the Chamber of Artifacts with the help of the resident guardsmen. It was a difficult two minutes running at full speed; he felt that it would have taken him longer if he was left to figure out the maze of rooms and hallways on his own.

What he saw were three soldiers scattered on the floor; two of them were thrown considerably far from their weapons. He checked on the bodies – all of them were breathing rapidly but were unresponsive to his touches or weak slapping. Up ahead was the steel door to the interior cut into quarters; whoever did that must have been very proficient, or even lethal with whatever blade that person held.

The interior was largely intact, save for a few books that found their way to the floor. The central shelf was the only part of the chamber touched by the raiders – all the other places were left alone.

"Just to be sure... you and you," the captain addressed to two soldiers at the rearmost part of the formation, "stay here and stop anyone else from trying to get in. The rest will come with me."

Rinvar's group scrambled out of the room and resumed tracking down the raiders. They bumped into another squad who was about to go into the Chamber of Artifacts.

"I've secured the chamber. Nobody's there." Rinvar told a panting sergeant. "Have you met up with anyone who came out of there?"

"We talked to another sergeant and a lieutenant not long ago." The soldiers' leader replied. "They said something about reporting the incident to the commander. I think they're new here, Captain. I've not seen either of them stationed in this place."

"Rats!" Rinvar's face was distorted with annoyance and anger. "Do you recall where they headed?"

"I think they're on their way to the First Floor, where the Chief Archivist's office is."

"No, they're most likely not heading there. Farin." Rinvar's voice lowered to a whisper upon uttering the last word. "I want you to go back to the rooftop and put any unfamiliar pair of soldiers under arrest. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain."

The groups broke up; sounds of running boots drowned in the ringing wails of the alarms. Rinvar was ahead of his men when they reached the stairs to the first floor. What he saw inside almost made him drop his weapon.

Rinvar's force entered the intersection to see a dozen bodies lying on the ground. What took his attention among the fallen was a woman whose back was on the wall. His subordinates moved in and checked on the conditions of the unconscious brothers-in-arms; all of them were alive, but their heavy, indented breathing meant that they took quite a beating from those they were trying to stop. The captain approached the woman whose head was bowed; her saber was found lying a few yards away from her.

Farin was a competent swordswoman in her own right, and her broken state meant that those whom her squad encountered faced something far more dangerous than normal humans. Rinvar checked on her pulse; a thin dry stream of blood flaked off her chin. A soft moan escaped her lips before her eyes opened to the sight of the captain.

"Uh... Rinvar." She groaned shortly before coughing out droplets of blood. "I did badly... again."

"Who did this to you?" Rinvar set her gently on the floor as the woman's breathing became more labored.

"Mm... magician. One of two is a magician. The other... a sword-" Farin's face slid away from his sight; her eyes closed when her cheeks touched the floor.

"Magician...?"

The Altrecht Incident reminded him of a probable encounter with one – the miniature ball lightning that almost took him by surprise. It can't be. Why was that man here? What was he and his colleagues after in this place?

"Listen up men!" Rinvar picked up his shotgun from the ground and chambered a cartridge. "We have two people who can mop up anyone who gets in their way, watch your backs and do not engage them without getting behind cover."

"We'll have to split again. Eight of you will come with me to the sewer entrance." The captain held the shotgun by the stock and probed the muzzle downward. "The rest will stay and watch over these guys until the medics get here. Move!"

The squad broke into two groups. The first group took the hallway out of the intersection as the other part of the force stayed behind and guarded the points.

Rinvar and the remaining eight men arrived at the basement entrance where three soldiers and a maintenance crewman were scattered all over the place. He saw a small bluish vein appear and disappear on one of the bodies. He jumped off the sewer stairwell just in time to see part of a shadow make a left turn. All eight soldiers were behind him propping flashlights on their rifles as the squad proceeded to the sewer tunnels. The sounds of rubber striking a damp surface echoing throughout the place were more than enough for the soldiers to follow.

A heavy feeling took Rinvar by the lungs when his group was about to make the third right turn on the foul-smelling labyrinth.

Everything was too sudden: an arc of bluish energy spanned the space and headed for the surprised group. Rinvar dropped his weight and rolled out just before the line of light slammed on the other eight men. A loud but short boom filled the place followed by screams of men that were cut short when their bodies were flung to the other side of the sewer wall.

"Damn! One... Two... Three!"

He took a deep breath and turned to the source of the spell that was retreating from the scene. Rinvar took aim and unleashed a cloud of pellets at the caster. His burst connected to the left arm and waist of the offender, lodging scores of stinging shot at the man. The impact elicited a painful cry from the man and almost threw the figure into the water, but someone caught him and helped him flee the area. Rinvar ejected the other shot cartridge and inserted a slug into the receiver on his pursuit of the now-disabled magician and his companion.

The run to the northeastern mouth of the sewer system was short; Rinvar could see moonlight coming from outside highlight the sewer tiles and their greenish-gray tones. His shotgun was poised to take aim when a silvery line was thrust his way. Rinvar's weapon served as a spear when he swung the bayonet upward to deflect the blow.

Everything was covered in silhouette except for the attacker's pinkish hair that peeked in the moonlight. The sword strikes were fast and graceful, yet the sword wielder's strength could not be taken for granted. Bayonet and stock took places in repelling the saber, whose vigor was unaffected with every new attack its owner threw out.

Rinvar got his opening when the saber was caught by the bayonet's crossguard. He diverted the sword to the floor and made a rushed squeeze of the trigger. The slug took off; its blunt surface shattering the saber upon impact. The swordsman recoiled from the lock and tumbled to a good distance; the remainder of the sword flew out of the wielder's hands and towards Rinvar's face.

A rush of adrenaline allowed Rinvar to bat the broken saber away – the attacker's next moves were something he did not anticipate.

He was overwhelmed, unable to poise his shotgun when the figure drew close – too close to him. A pair of fists squeezed the air out of his abdomen, followed by something leathery connecting to his cheek and sandwiching his face to the sewer wall. Rinvar's eyes saw a blurred vision of the attacker putting his left leg to the ground, watching the captain slide and crumple to the floor.

Whoever that person went right away to the one Rinvar shot; the captain could see the small holes that wrecked his shirt sleeve. At the end of the tunnel were two floating disks – the same ones that arrived during the Altrecht incident.

Those behind that attack and this raid on the Imperial Archives were from the same group.

All he could hear was the sound of rushing sewage falling to the stream outside; his nose could barely smell the stale stench around him. Rinvar's last drops of consciousness allowed him to watch the bright pillars highlight the pair and slowly consume them to nonentity.

His sight gave up on him and the rest of his body followed suit; his memory managed to capture those moments before Rinvar's mind had to put everything in the dark. Even with the military uniform and the hat's visor blocking much of their eyes, Rinvar clearly saw that the one he fought with and brought him to the ground was a woman.