Within the core, the three were nearly ready to leave the transport golem. Sybil wanted to make sure they had a route set up. Meanwhile, Zaniyah was attempting to coax Shaw onto the mini-golem.

“I mean, it’s small, right? That’s because they usually have either the elderly or little kids ride these things.” She waved her hands about. “Not that it’s degrading for you to ride one! You’re a big, strong guy, but you don’t know how to dance the webs. Maybe we could give you a lesson now, but there’s probably going to be monsters attacking us the moment we leave here, so I don’t think it’s a good time to learn.”

Shaw tossed an apathetic look towards Sybil. “Make her stop talking.”

“She’s trying to help,” muttered Sybil. “... We need to go to my father’s office once we’re at the factory. After that, we’ll head to where the pods are and I can see how much reprogramming has to be done. Edwin will be able to handle the rest. Zani? Anything you think we need?”

She shrugged. “I guess it would help if-” Both women let out a scream as a sword pierced through the abdomen of the spider and embedded itself next to where Shaw was standing. The three stared at it for a moment in confusion. “... Is that your sword?”

"... That does look like my sword." Sybil squatted down next to it, then poked at it suspiciously with her finger. The glow of it quickly faded away. She then looked at the other two. "... Yeah, that's just weird. I'm going to, uhm, not question it? That seems fair? I don't understand how fate works and I'm not going to start doubting it's wisdom right now."

"Yeah. What is up with magic and predetermined fate?" Zaniyah cringed at the thought. "I mean, it's been brought up a lot over the past few days and I don't know how to feel about it either. Chi thinks I should be more open-minded, but I'm honestly struggling hard with the concept."

Sybil bobbled her head up and down. "And that's okay, Zani. You've always struggled with your own troubles and Chi and I are always going to be here to talk to you about it whenever you want. Not just us, but Alton and Vex too."

"Yeah, I'm still not on the same side of the fence as you with Vex. Something about him is iffy and I don't know if that's because of the way Alton doesn't trust him, but if I just need to give him more time. It seems like we have literally nothing in common. Normally I click with everyone, right? Except for Shaw. I don't like Shaw and that probably won't ever change, but I'm willing to give Vex a chance is what I'm trying to say."

“I’ve been meaning to ask why you’re so sour on Shaw. You’ve been scowling at him since the war of the years. I get it, I do, I completely understand. Shaw is nearly as big of a jerk as that prince is but I guess he’s not as bad though? I don’t know? He seems to be more private about his affairs, I guess. He also knocked out the prince. That has to be worth at least ten points.”

Shaw narrowed his eyes at both of them. "We need to head out. Save your women banter for a later date."

“... Women banter.” Sybil raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, he did not just call it that,” replied Zaniyah.

Sybil waved her hand about. "You know what? You are right, Paladin Arbutus. We are in a hurry. We will have a completely gender-neutral conversation later date, Zani. One where sexist nitpicks aren't allowed to eavesdrop."

"Yeah." Zaniyah turned her nose up at Shaw. "Completely normal gender-neutral talk later, Sybil."

Shaw mounted the golem in a manner that stung his pride and the two led him further down into the core. They caught the occasional glance of a tainted beast crawling up the side of the caverns but they were mainly ignored. The roar of the would-be above seemed to be luring them skyward.

Sybil winced as she felt water hit the top of her head. “Rain?” In winter? The metallic webs are dangerous when they become wet. “Are you going to be alright, Zani?”

“It’s not as hard to breathe as I thought it would be. The air seems to be clearing up the further we go down.” Zaniyah gave her a thumbs up. “Let’s keep going!”

They continued downward until they reached the cave system that made up the golem factory. Once inside, Sybil led them to her father's office and had Zaniyah break down the locked door. She then started to go along the shelves in search for journals. Every once in a while, she would grab one, flip through it quickly, and then put it back on the shelf.

“Father was working with some tinkerers from Fogbloom a few years ago. They were developing military golems for use in the northern swamps. They wanted a way to establish peaceful contact with the Sky Region and redevelop trade. When Lydia died in a testing accident, Duke Rubire started to create laws aimed at heavily restricting the use and development of golems.

But we need golems. They filter the core’s air and Carapace’s water supply. We’d be forced out of the core without them. Due to the fear that the outerlands might force our population out, the mayor ordered his tinkerers construct an army. They made my father build these golems under threat of… I don’t want to talk about it. It wasn’t a good time for him... Ah, here’s what I was looking for.”

Sybil sat down at the desk and went through her father’s notes. Everything could be done within a few minutes, but some of the coding had been left unfinished. Edwin and her letter should be enough. She knew her father’s passcodes and the system itself was easy enough for her to understand.

“How hard is this going to be?” Zaniyah was worried about lingering around for too long. She wanted to be back up at the surface as quickly as possible so she could help the others fight.

Pulling out her letter, Sybil began to mess with it. “I’m still going to need Edwin to show up, but he certainly is taking his time. His navigational pathing routines were probably compromised by the rain. We can head down now and he’ll know where to meet us.”

Though she sounded reassuring, the sound of rumbling above them didn’t put Shaw at ease. “We need to finish this quickly and regroup with the others.”

They descended even further into the factory until they reached a large warehouse full of pods hanging from the ceiling. The golems were already built and the pods ensured they were kept preserved from outside contaminants. Sybil approached the control panel and continued to grumble to herself.

“It needs a handprint to unlock. Sorry, but this may add a few minutes to the process.” Sybil placed her letter against the panel. She then began to type into it in an attempt to hack past the lock.

Time wasn’t a luxury Shaw thought they had. The roaring sounds echoing through the caverns were an ill reminder to the battle that was still raging. Above them, the would-be was giving chase to a series of stone orbs that were racing around the core entrance.

Alton and Veximarl had been swallowed up by one of the orbs, which quickly joined a series of others in order to confuse the would-be. The squire braced himself and Veximarl, though both were oddly steady in the structure.

When they finally came to a stop, he felt like he was going to vomit from stress. He dropped Veximarl and stayed on all fours as the orb broke apart around them. They appeared to be on the bottom floor of one of the nearby buildings. This came as a great relief to Alton, who did not like the thought of being eaten.

“Chi!” Alton scrambled over on all fours and gave the mage a passionate kiss. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you so much! You were always my favorite! Thank you for not abandoning me just because Vex is a useless idiot! I swear upon my honor, you can crawl into bed with me anytime you want from now on!”

Such affections were making Chickadee's ears burn uncomfortably. So much so that steam was trailing off of them. He awkwardly put his free arm around Alton's back and gave him a few pats while he held his cane in his other hand. Outside, the sound of the would-be howling signaled that it was giving up. It crawled back into the core in order to temporarily retreat from the warding magic that was still swirling about the air.

Veximarl sat up with a groan and placed a hand to the side of his head. “It doesn’t appear as mentally sound as the last time we faced it...” And he, like the idiot he was, had dropped the only weapon they could use to get them out of this mess. At least he still had the scabbard, but how was that supposed to help?

A figure stepped forward and loomed over him. "I don't approve of the two of you going out there alone. I would have gotten you the support you needed if you had told us your plan ahead of time." Vincent was furious. His jaw tensed as he tossed a glance over to the knights and then back to them.

This building was currently being used as a staging ground. Sir Moss was present, along with Sir Pegasus, Lady Kestrel Flay of Flaytongue, and Lord Mervyn Goldheel of Gildenboot. Moss and Goldheel were watching the battle through the window while Flay approached the two new arrivals.

She was a lean woman with short brown hair worn in a style popular among men. Her left eye was missing and the socket was buried underneath a diagonal scar that spread past her cheek. A dark blue eyepatch partially hid the ill sight. The other eye was hazel colored and it narrowed at Veximarl as she examined the weak state he was in. Flay did not approve.

“Was that the most powerful warding spell you could muster?” She asked. Veximarl nodded his head and let his gaze drop to the ground. Flay then looked over to Vincent. “Did you get in contact with the missing members of your squad?”

“Ah,” interrupted Veximarl. “Miss Hewitt is posted at the nearby hospital. Doctor Highland is sending what clerics he can to assist. Duke Rubire is there as well. His daughter was having a medical emergency.”

“Thank you for the report,” replied Vincent. “Nox is already assisting in the transportation of the injured.” Neither Gwyn or Ivy had weapons that could effectively hurt tainted beasts. Even if he felt guilty for now allowing Ivy to fight, the paladin felt it wisest to keep them out of harm’s way. “Reese will be moving to this location shortly.”

Flay turned her attention to Veximarl once more. “I understand that your squad operates in a scattered manner, but do you have word on their positions?”

Alton spoke up for his captain. “I was with Krogastein, but we separated when the fighting started. She went on ahead while I chose to meet up with Tuton,” he said. “Has anyone heard from her at all?” He let go of Chickadee, who remained a vacant headed mess on the floor.

“Miss Twist should be with Prince Duxton,” replied Veximarl. “I doubt either Arbutus and Alder would have let him participate. It’s likely that they chose to retreat.” He retrieved his letter from his jacket pocket. “They were originally close to this location. I am going to verify their position.”

Moss raised his voice to catch their attention. “It appears as though the larger beasts are retreating into the core. They must be following the lead of the would-be.”

Pegasus agreed with his assessment. “Our window for this is short. Should we press forward and attempt to seal off the core once more?”

Flay shook her head. “No. Even without the larger beasts, we are still massively outnumbered.” She dramatically slashed her arm through the air. “Relay these orders. We’ll continue to guard the streets leading away from this area. Let no monster pass. No one is to press forward until Trewarne returns with our reinforcements.

Pegasus, continue sealing off the smaller streets and set traps along the two main roads. I’ll keep Cully here in order to assist holding this position. Moss, retreat to the hospital and inform Duke Rubire of our situation. You will remain there and act as our informant. Toval will use his device to relay information to Hewitt.

Goldheel, your squad will continue to organize the town guard and volunteer militia. Let them run evacuation of the injured and incoming supplies while our squires handle combat. I will be using Reese to give you more orders as they are needed. Keep an eye out for a cardinal. Nox will also be joining your squad as an additional point of contact.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

"Highland." Moss looked over to Vincent. "Join Horsetalon and act as their defense. Tuton, Toval, and Cully, please follow whatever orders Lady Flay gives you."

“Yes, sir.” The three replied.

Vincent gave a pained glance over to Alton. “You are certain that Krogastein ran ahead of you?” Alton gave a nod and Vincent became all the more worried. “Please keep me notified if she reports in.”

Alton gestured to his letter. “Already sent a message.”

“Sybil has yet to reply as well,” muttered Veximarl, who was messing with his own letter.

"She's probably to busy pacing back and forth in a closed-off room and cursing her head off about not being able to fight," replied Alton. "She's fine. Let's find Zan first."

Zaniyah was a bit of an airhead. She probably didn't know she was supposed to check-in and was mingling with the town guard somewhere. Though it did seem like Trenchall was responsible for gathering any squires that showed up. Zaniyah's hair should've made it easy for her to spot among a crowd.

Flay turned her attention to Alton and Veximarl. “Now I’m the one stuck with Stonetoe’s mess?” She was annoyed by the thought. “I need Tuton to report to the western main road and hold that position. Toval, keep your mouth shut and relay information as I see fit. Are you going to be able to manage that?”

“Absolutely, but give me a moment. Zan is giving me her position.” Alton pulled up the message so he could read it out loud. “Hi, hello! Sorry! Things were hectic, forgot to message you. Here with Sybil and Shaw. We went to go get reinfor-” The color faded from his face. “They’re in the core?!”

Veximarl finally stood up, if only to rush over and grab at Alton’s wrist so he could also read the message. “Yes. It appears as though she has reported that they are deep within the core. She even put in a little smiling face.” He pointed at the screen. “I didn’t know we could do that.”

“How are you so calm about this?!”

“I believe the overall shock of the situation has rendered me incapable of feeling any sort of emotion at the moment. Isn’t it more important that we-” Veximarl pointed over to Chickadee.

The little mage had already run out of the building. Glancing at each other for a moment, Alton and Veximarl then scrambled to give him chase. They tackled him to the ground and ignored the swats and punches they received in return. Each hit made them hold him down all the more firmly as he struggled to get away.

“You have your orders!” Exclaimed Alton. “Follow through on them! If you don’t, a lot more people are going to get hurt. Those two aren’t going to forgive you if you let that happen!”

“Other people don’t matter,” whined out Chickadee as he shoved Alton away with his foot. “Must save them!”

Alton and Veximarl shared a look and then frowned at Chickadee in unison.

“I do not doubt your ability to join them, but your magic will be of minimal assistance,” reasoned Veximarl. “Shaw is the third strongest squire at our barracks. He is more than capable of guarding them. I am certain that they wouldn’t have gone down there without some sort of purpose.”

“If that purpose was to piss me off, they’ve succeeded.” Alton stood up and held out his hand for Chickadee to take. “You’re with us, and you’re here to follow Flay’s orders. We’ll watch each other’s backs until those idiots show up, and then we kick their asses for rushing ahead without us. Understood?”

Chickadee gave a reluctant nod and held out his hands as Veximarl rolled off of him. Alton took it, and the mage buried his head in Alton's chest as he hugged him. This was exactly like when they had fought the would-be the first time around. He didn't do anything. He was useless, and it had hurt so much to be left behind.

Stroking his hair, Alton spoke gently to him. “Don’t cry. You’ll smudge your makeup… Why are you even wearing makeup in the first place?” There was dark eyeliner on the mage’s face, and it made the green of his eyes pop out.

“Lower glare from the snow,” muttered Chickadee. Pegasus made him put it on. He absolutely hated the strict Horsetalon uniform and wanted desperately to be buried under the familiar warmth of his layers of scarves.

“This fight won’t last much longer. We have to do what we can to help, alright?” Chickadee nodded and took a step back from Alton. “Those three won’t go down easily. Sybil and Zan are an unbreakable pair. Nothing is going to hold them back.”

Chickadee nodded his head again, but he kept his gaze downward. “You’re right.”

Veximarl managed half a smile. “Today we work to save Carapace. We cannot afford to fail.” He held out his hand and the other two put their palms on top. “We are the stubborn trouble makers known as Grimstone Squad and there is nothing can hold us back as long as we work together!”

“Yes, captain!” Replied the other two.

They still didn’t feel good about their friend’s odds, but it didn’t matter. They had hope that those two would be coming back, and then Sybil and Zaniyah were going to get a beating. They vowed to make it a thousand times more frightening than anything they could be facing within the core.