Breakfast was served, a nervous group sat about eating while silently worrying about the vault beneath their feet. Was some sort of timer ticking down to a golem rampage? The city being overrun in the middle of a trade deal, all of them planned what they would do. That would have to wait, a courier reportedly from the merchant’s guild appeared. They reported an emergency with an address running off. The group gobbled up the food grad their weapons. Ten minutes later they were in a half-abandoned part of the city, it was curiously quite

A group of mysterious cloaked individuals walked out of the shadows, they were fifteen in number neither threatening or welcoming. Vivian suspected the Hellion gang. She could see the odd golem hand or eye much like hers peeking out of a cloak. One even had feet that were obviously artificial, but would allow them to climb very easily, they were obviously heavily into golem modification. They were also into blood alchemy, patches of inhuman skin grafted gills fangs. Eyes that could see in the dark it was not very human, but they were not aggressive yet.

Martin had his hand on his pistol, “you hear to collect the bounty on our heads”? The person in charge spoke respectfully with a polite tone. “We wished to speak, if they doubled the bounty to 24 gold each, we wouldn't touch you. There are less painful ways to commit Suicide. There are vaults filled with the ashes of those that were stupid enough to try”.

“They might have to make the tower keep jail larger after all those arrested in the duchess's purge”. They waited expecting Martin to attack, he held himself back his grip in his pistol tightening, the gang leader continued. “My name is Reynard Pygott of the Hellion's, I am here to offer you a deal for the keys”.

There weapons were unsheathed, Reynard didn't make a hostile move, but he looked nervous, “the fourth crime lord would take that burden off your hands. We can offer you a vast array of potions augmentations to strengthen yourselves. The equivalent to gaining 30 levels each, well within the law of the triune. Ways to fortify you against the vampires and a good 16000 silver. We can also promise that all those nasty golems will be dismantled, and their parts used like the one eagle eye now sports. To help poor unfortunate souls with cash in their pockets and a desire to become stronger”.

He did a little bow, “We thank you for the opportunity you have presented us with. The hidden hand are gone from North port. If we can beat the red blades of Saul and the Scurrae to the punch, then we can dominate the crime in the harbour city. Dont worry the lesson is well learend, we will keep our heads down so very low you wont notice that we are there.

Martin just stopped himself from turning the speaker into a pile of salt, “you have massive balls to say that to us and expect to not be arrested or killed”. His associates took a few steps back from him as he continued, “I speak the truth, there is no need to make an enemy hear”. “I can give you some information to help you out, as it serves our purposes”.

An archaeologist working for the church has found a map, we have copied the location of an old elven outpost near this city. We had a second stronger team going to raid it. They are quite dead, killed by an enemy we thought was sleeping. Now it is best you check it out”, he threw a map to the floor, his compatriots had already run scattering in every direction. “Consider it a gift to you”, he ran.

Martin turned to the others, “golems on the loose, we need to deal with this first”. They went to the gate and saw the deputy sheriff, “we have seen some of the Hellion gang. We have been advised of an elven outpost, outside of town. Possibly golems on the loose, the last thing that the trade talks need”. The deputy sheriff nodded, “it will be interesting to see which idiot set the golems off, one was dug up and recovered recently I wonder if its related”.

They grabbed a coach and headed off following the map provided. There was a camp site by the side of the road tents and a burnt-out fire. A trail had been cut into the woods; twenty minutes thought the cold forest they found the remains of the outpost. A circle of toppled walls, it was quite an ancient place. Everything above ground seemed to have fallen, but that might not be all. They found a clearing with signs of a battle and moved forwards.

On top of the outpost they found squashed Hellion's, probably eight of them. There cloaks discarded a mixture of golem parts and blood alchemy fortifications and grafting was present. One woman had a sort of high-class crossbow instead of a right arm. She also had an augmented eye like a golem’s with a crystal lens added onto it. There was one old man with what looked like a crystal ball sown into his chest. He had a magic staff that was bent and broken. There was a man with scales and a tail he had been pulled in half, a single bladed axe lay at his side its edge dented.

There was a woman in heavy armour. The armour appeared to be bone plates grafted to her body. She seemed to have been shot multiple times with arrows heavy enough to pierce the armour. A man had been folded in half, he had four tentacles with spines coming out of his back, a dagger gripped in each one. There was a girl with bat like wings, she held a short bow in her lifeless body, her left wing half ripped off. There was another woman, who had a large iron shield, lots of armour but the lower part of her face looked almost draconic, there were burn marks around her on the ground and trees. The one that suffered the most was a man literally torn to bits. it looked like he had spines scales and a crab like claw for an arm, he had not died easily.

There was movement an area had been dug out from the ground revealing steps going down. Golems walking out in a perfect line. Alert intact different from the one that they had fought in sandy rose's hid out. There was One officer for want of a better word. Behind that golem were 12 heavy labour model golems. 4 soldiers with armour and spears, at the rear were 4 archers with armour and bows.

The apparent leader had more detail carved on his face with some sort of grill like affair. Similar to a music box where his mouth would be if he were human. “I am VS9NMS 1st tier commander operating controller, are you with the group identity Hellions”? Vivian looked him up and down, “no but they were a lot closer to human than you and you killed them”. The golem was far from home, “you acknowledge tangential kinship”. It dawned on Vivian that these were not golems out of some local vault, but others drawn to this place. “You are golems from the old elven city states”? the golems head dipped a fraction, “quivery confirmation, we are free golems, our spark is our own”.

She held up a hand as Martin was about to spout something that would start a fight. She was getting more information by talking, “what are you doing here”? “Query investigation of signal transmission from designated outpost. Outpost has no main core, no units, should not be functioning. Query investigate, you are also hear to query investigate”? Vivian looked over at the bodies, “why did you kill those Hellions”? The pitch of the golems voice increased slightly, “they tried to harvest us for components, they tried to investigate excluded site”.

Vivian was getting somewhere, “what if we wish to investigate this excluded site”? The golem was quite clear, “you would have to wait for us to finish at excluded site. Anticipate 4 days until completion of mission, then you would have permission”.

The golems were already spreading out anticipating a negative response, Vivian shook her head, “I don't think so”. The golem looked them over noticing the mithril that they had, “you are stronger but fewer. We outnumber you 5 to one recalculate” Martin used his monocle, “they have a basalt base body, these golems are around level 40”. he remembered his book on monsters, “probably quite tough make sure to destroy the cores”.

The golem was detecting a bit of adamantium and octium as well, it was perhaps incorrect on its initial assessment. “Do not initiate hostilities or we will rend kill you”. The golems had a fairly standard design from the commander to the soldiers. A humanoid body slightly taller and thinner than a human, a good analogy of an elf's frame, unchanged from their original creators.

Most of their variation was from extra armour and equipment that they wore. The soldiers carried armour plating the archers carried curved bows for weapons. The heavy golems had large picks mining tools. Alice looked at them with her analyse magic ability, she could quite easily see the commander had some sort of core in his chest that contained for want of a better word a constructed energy matrix. Something that felt like a spirit, its chest also contained a separate significant mana battery.

She looked as the commander extended a pair of blades from his forearm. His mana followed into them electrifying the ends of the weapon. That was not quite right, the mana was altered or modified somehow to make it a better source of energy for the golems. Aether was the word, that was what it was called in a textbook.

The first time they met a golem the enchanter had simply charged it with mana, so the golem they had met before had not been properly fuelled. A quick glance at the other golems seemed to indicate a core. Which was slightly weaker less complex, a more rudimentary command matrix with an aether receiver. She realised that they had to remain a within a certain distance of their commander to function.

Vivian used her adamantine arrows and two of the basic heavy golem’s heads exploded into gravel. They barely reacted to losing their heads. They were using the views from other golems to coordinate. Martin lobbed a large thermite grenade that encompassed the archer golem variants they were damaged.

He emptied his four barrelled pistol into the chest of the nearest archer and the golem collapsed. Alice swore she could almost see its command matrix pulled from its damaged core and drawn south east. The rough direction of the former eleven city what would you describe it as an elven city, the destroyed golem shell started to leak a green glowing gas as the enchantments faded.

Alice had cast her own protective spells and launched her mana lance spell at the golems, the beam of destructive dark pink energy caught the nearest two heavy units. They were cut in half from the powerful spell as the beam of mana appeared to burn hotter than a fire without creating a wave of heat. Alice would need to train her mana lance spell a lot to improve it. David charged into the soldier golems his mithril shield turned there spears away, his own blade shattered their chest plates. His power attacks cleaving iron and stone striking out the golems core and receiver two of the golems dropped.

The golem commander attacked David finding that the electrical energy was blocked by one of David's magical items enchantments. He lost one arm and retreated it was not the easy kill he anticipated. David pursued a heavy golem stepped in to defend his commander and was knocked down and shattered. Vivian switched from targeting the heads to targeting the chests her adamantine arrows tore through two of the archers they crumpled and started to fall apart.

Martin held up his holy symbol summoning one of his most powerful blessings, “greater pillar of fire”. The group of golems was engulfed in a roaring flame the internal components and joints certainly didn't seem to like that as the fire kept burning. Four of the heavy units and two of the soldier’s type golems were not quick enough to get out of the way and collapsed in the flame. Alice blocked off a few of the heavy golems with a couple of earthen wall spells then hit them with mana lance destroying two of them.

The golems were huddled up to defend against David, the commander with his one working arm the three heavy units with their hammer picks and the single archer that had lost its bow and had picked up a fallen soldier’s spear.

“We were in error we judged your strength based on those designation Hellions, request negotiation”. “They were still human, and you still killed them”. Martin shot one of the golems in the chest with his lionhearts hammer pistol. The extra holy damage from the blessed weapon allowed him to hit the golem in the core, down the heavy unit went collapsing. Vivian took out the archer with a pair of adamantine arrows that shattered its chest it slumped forwards. David knocked the commander down and took out its legs and remaining arm. Alice melted the last two heavy units with a shot from her mana lance.

Vivian looked down at the commander, “so a free golem, can we interrogate it”? Alice looked down, “It has no sense of pain …there is probably nothing it wants”. The golem controller had eyes like Vivian's golem eye, “you fight, slay this speaker. My spark goes back to the golem city core, next time I will bring designation stronger body”. Vivian put an adamantine arrow through its chest. Alice could feel the golems spark pulled away from its remains at an incredibly rapid pace. It was almost like a demon it needed a host body, but the death of its physical form was not the end of its spark.

the level up hit David felt unbridled exhilaration, his hire rates just became very expensive. He had the same access to training ability that Vivian had but he now had something all of his own. David could see scrip hanging in his mind’s eye before he could barely use a standard mediation technique to see his own status now it was different. 'You have attained level 100 in your chosen path. Supreme martial art obtained one use per week, Rallying Command all solders under your command gain additional 20% attack damage 50% health 20 points of agility 20 points of strength 20 points of endurance for 30 mins at the cost of 100 adrenalin.

David was not expecting that, he was expecting a one-shot killer move like Vivian or Martin. However, he had been doing a lot of training of the town guards and militia, so he could sort of see it. Providing he was leading an army, at the crucial moment in a battle if he used his ability it would be like all his troops suddenly gained 30 or more levels, it could really push the tide of a big fight. Martin gained two levels of his crusader job and raised his cleaving strike to level three. Vivian and Alice had not broken through the 100 barrier so didn't progress further.

They began to collect their ammunition and reload their weapons. Shortly after they were victorious the Hellions they had seen before turned up. The majority of the gang stayed far back. The leader Reynard stepped forwards, “thank you for avenging them, please let us collect our dead. They will be given last rights and cremation; I can show you which parts of the golems are valuable”. Martin had his sword half drawn, “why don't we arrest you instead”?

Reynard remained calm, “arrest us for having a few modifications, a few enhancements, whatever the device you wear on your eye is not normal, it has an archanist feel to it, as dose the mask. The golem eye your friend has. Don't be hypercritical, we are taking the same principle to a different level” Vivian held his shoulder, “let them collect their dead”. Martin was not sure which way to go he held out his holy symbol. “Swear to me there will be no necromancy or sorcery on there remains”. The Hellion held out his hand, “I swear by the creator god” there was a glow no smoke no pain, Martin nodded his acceptance, “go about your business then”.

The Hellions wrapped up their comrades remains in blankets then disappeared quickly. Reynard remained behind, he quickly showed them how to take a golem apart. He showed them some parts that had value. They dug out six Intact golem eyes recovered from the archers of a lesser quality than Vivian's. Then 2 from the commander that were roughly of an equivalent quality. They had 20 destroyed golem cores 20 destroyed aether receivers, 1 destroyed aether battery and 1 destroyed command core. Along with both arm blades from the commander.

Reynard looked over there haul, “the mages gild will give you nearly a hundred silver for that lot, if you do get a battery out of one of the commanders intact, it will be worth 50 gold to the mages guild, I would estimate, and start a war with the golems”. He wished them well with a nod and disappeared.

They investigated further finding a stone door to the lower floors of the elven outpost. The door was on some moving track. They found the door lock mostly dismantled. Vivian noted the development, “the free golems must have inadvertently helped us trying to get in”. Alice activated her light ring David fixed a torch to his shield clipping an iron bracket he had made yesterday in place to hold the torch. Vivian's golem eye and Martins monocle could see in the dark.

David Vivian and Martin pushed against the door there was a crack a groan then the door slowly started to slide open. They found steps going down to some sort of cavernous workshop. There was a huge work room a golem workshop judging by the parts left on the floor. Martin ran a hand over the dust, “there are indentions hear there was equipment forges work benches tool racks they are gone”.

In the centre of the room there was a golem about 12 feet tall. It was unlike the elven golems that they had just destroyed. This one was bulkier heavier, cruder in its construction, blunt in its purpose. While some of the elven golems had been designed to act as warriors, this thing was designed only to fight to brawl, no other action was possible.

Its right arm was like a mace with a large hexagonal head, it seemed to be slightly more complex so probably had a secondary function. Its left arm was made from Damascus steel. At the end it was shaped much like a halberd with a spike spear and axe like edges. They were dulled a little through time but still wickedly menacing. It was bipedal, resembling the effect if someone had put a troll inside a stone facade. Its basis may well have been a sketch of such a creature. It was crude in its construction, a proof of concept more than a weapon of war. It had a crude head with three vacant looking eyes.

Scattered around the edges of the room were racks of other golems, much like the heavy worker golems of elven origin that they had just smashed. These golems were also flawed, some looked like they had been taken apart and put back together. Some looked like they had been apprentices work, from someone learning their craft one try after another.

Alice could feel a surge of mana no aether. “I can sense these golems coming online they are very basic, I can’t sense any minds, no sparks of intelligence”. The first siege golem's eyes began to glow green; it slowly raised its right hand mace then tilted its head, there was a cracking creak and a grinding noise of metal on stone as it moved.

Vivian had a bundle of adamantine arrows at the ready. She looked at the big golem, she looked around the space making some calculation. The other golems mindlessly began to work their way from the racks and shelves. Some stood up some hobbled, some crawled forwards their intent was hostile a very basic defensive strategy.

The prototype looked like it had some more advanced combat protocols than walk forward and smash. But probably not much more advanced, it took one creaking step forwards, its limbs seemed to be slightly ill fitted. Vivian gripped her bow tightly. “I want to try and make a breakthrough, let me take care of this big guy”.

David could support that, he had her back, he looked about the room. “let’s take care of the small fry keep them off Vivian's back”. Martin looked about putting focus through his monocle, “Sandstone golems they are weak probably prototypes we can take them”. Some were missing limbs they were experiments practice pieces.

Vivian fired off two arrows at the golem, the first smashed into the socket for its middle eye the second smashed into the socket for its right eye. The golem made a grinding noise and took two steps forwards. David brought his shield down on a golem crawling towards him it shattered. releasing a green glowing energy. His sword smashed through a sandstone golem and removed the core of the construct in one stroke.

Martin started to experiment hitting the golems with his hand of Tesla and smite abilities. They seemed to be resistant to lightning damage. But they still took quite a bit of damage from the attacks. Alice used her mana lance spell to obliterate the nearest three golems the beam of magical light cutting them apart, all around green smoke curled up.

Vivian targeted the golems right leg to slow it down. Her adamantine arrows shattered stone as they hit the joint with overwhelming power. The golem slowed down its right arm pointed to her. The arm seemed to expand to become a sort of crossbow mechanism. It almost looked like a smaller version of a ballista and it was levelled at her. Alice cut through more of the golems with her mana lance. She stopped herself from interfering, Vivian had to do this alone.

David was distracted for a moment he buried his sword into the chest of a golem and kept going his blade disappeared into the golem and the ground below. A simple tug on the hilt revealed it to be stuck in place quite solidly. A golem swung at him and he felt a little blood in his mouth. He swung back with his shield and shattered the primitive golem. Martin received a couple of crude hits then a kick from a golem. He had his blade in hand, a focus strike to the joint and adrenalin boosting his strength he twisted, and the golems limb came apart. In this way he dismembered several golems.

Vivian dived out of the way as the bolt from the Siege golem shot over her head. If that had connected despite her armour, she was not sure she would have survived. She buried two bodkin arrows into the golem’s ballista mechanism. It tried to work there was a crude snap a severed cable hung from the mechanism and three bolts dropped out of the bottom of the weapon. The golem tried to close in on Vivian as she kept firing, making sure that the golems ranged weapon was destroyed.

Martin took his time to see what worked on the golems from his arsenal. “Pillar of salt” one of them crumbled to a pile of white dust. He let loose with his pistols more collapsed. His “pillar of ice” blessing was surprisingly effective. The golems joints didn't like the rapid freezing cold. David beat the golems down with the bits and pieces of other shattered golems keeping them at bay. Alice tried her icy tomb spell on a golem it crumpled, its internal core did not like the freezing energy one bit. With Ordinary cold they might be able to handle. But something divine or magical in nature seemed to bypass there protection easily.

Vivian had concentrated on one area to weaken the golem, the groundwork laid. She used her supreme skill the golem was struck in the chest in a joint on the armour, there was a shattering crash as the stones that made up its chest ruptured and broke apart. There was a spray of stone splinters behind the golem. The golems inner body was an iron frame with stone cemented onto it. The iron frame was warped, there was a hole front to back. It collapsed backwards. Then it began to get back up its core was not destroyed. It was still visible encased in a thick inner armour.

David finally got a breather with two hands and a bit of embarrassment managed to get his sword free. A dozen imperfect golems hobbled towards him. Alice blasted a bunch that were still trying to get off their racks. Her mana lance was doing an excellent job, but it was depleting her reserves very quickly. Martin felt a grip around his throat a golem arm hooked up to a power core. It was a very basic test piece, with effort he pried it away and shattered it with a blow from his buckler.

The large golem was not fast. Its legs were heavily damaged, but it had still managed to almost close the gap with Vivian. There was a click and the halberd like mass of blades on its left arm came lose, it was attached to a heavy chain like an anchor it was swung out seven feet. Vivian just dodged it she kept firing her octium and mithril arrows gouging chunks out of the golem. She was a little jealous of David's thick armour, Martins blessings and vitality. Alice's shield spells as she rapidly paced out of the way of the angry golem.

David intercepted a regular golem heading for Vivian tackling it. Alice dissolved some more with her mana lance. Her magic was down to about a third. Martin peppered some golems with his pistols and throwing knives to keep them away from Vivian.

The Siege golem was badly damaged, but Vivian had runs out of arrows. Well she had run out of arrows that would penetrate stone. The golem wouldn't care for her alchemist arrows or the iron broad-heads. She sighed there was an arrow that had been shaken lose from the siege golem. She picked it up avoiding the golems swings and put the arrow into the golems knee joint, the octium cutting into the iron support.

The golem collapsed to the floor, she put down her bow and reluctantly withdrew her mace. She had supreme strength if not technique. She just avoided the golems flailing limb then brought the mace down onto that limb again and again shattering it. The golems other arm lashed out and she was sent flying. She got up; David went to help her she gestured back no.

She closed again on the golem it kicked at her she pulverised that limb. She moved to its shoulder and brought down her mace. It shifted round and she was sent spinning. She felt lightheaded as she got back up waving David away. She closed on the stricken golem and started to hit its reinforced core the golem stopped moving, green smoke rising up from it. She kept hitting again and again. Finishing off the opponent with her mace. The core was reinforced heavily but it was reduced to a crushed piece of mangled mettle when she finally stopped swinging.

The level up hit, and their eyes glowed Martin gained another level his crusader job raising it to level 14. He got the fourth rank in his cleaving strike his confidence with a sword was growing but he would have to regrind his current one due to the durability of the golems. Vivian had spoken to Martin she knew what came next.

Deeper inside her than anything else a point that was grander than a consciousness, an elemental thread of being her soul changed. Her essence shifted a new reality was opened to her, 'A special action has been performed a feat of marshal strength has been achieved. You have defeated a worthy opponent your level limit has been raised to 600'.

She remembered that the mercenary job was composed of different elements, how Martin was now a crusader. She was now a man at arms, that was one of the jobs that had been used as a template for the mercenary job. A dexterity-based job that relied on weapon skill rather than strength. There was a bonus to using heavy armour and weapons, but she would have to get to level 20 to enjoy that bonus, which was nowhere near as good as her layered armour perk.

She did have access to the drill Sargent ability so she could now train basic troops a lot quicker, combined with her mercenary's comprehensive training it could be devastating raising an army quickly. She gained three levels from killing the golem so she acquired a new skill crippling shot raising it to level 3, she could target an enemy’s limbs effectively controlling the flow of battle.

David hugged her she winced; Martin checked she was fine than Alice healed her injuries. She stretched then started to gather up her arrows pulling them out of the mangled golems remains. Martin looked around reloading his weapons. Alice used her magical senses and pointed out a couple of golems that had not yet activated they were flattened to prevent someone else from stumbling on them accidentally.

Vivian had a few bent and chipped arrows that would need to be sharpened and straitened, but she felt good. “Well now I am now a level 100 mercenary and a level 3 man at arms”. David looked over to Martin, “keep going old man Vivian isn’t far behind you”. She looked at Martin, “that thing was close enough to level 100 for me to break through, I bet that there are more of those or something close in that vault. We could probably take a few but we have our limits best it remains closed”.

Alice grinned “it was not a fluke it can be repeated, I can break through …even David can probably do it”. He was insulted, “oi who says that I will be the last one to break through the level 100 barrier” She was confident “you want to bet on that”? David dropped it “er no I don't think so”.

Vivian was ecstatic, “Just think what we can do, Bismark is level 420 now I have had the breakthrough my limit is now 600, we have the potential to grow beyond him”. Martin looked surprised “when I broke the 100 barrier it didn't say a limit a cap”. David looked at him thoughtfully, “theoretically speaking how strong can a vampire get”? Martin looked up his monster book, “the theoretical limit I believe is level 1000. Though only a few vampires like the progenitor and the regents have ever gotten anywhere near that. Also, they can hold up to 300 levels of enlightened jobs which any human elf or dwarf can hold”.

Vivian nodded her understanding, “we keep it quiet, we hide our strength, if we gain too much power to quickly one of the bigger nastier vampires that makes Bismark look like a baby by comparison will show up”. Alice though about it, “we are what twice …the level we were when we fought Bismark the gap is still too great to span yet”.

They searched the old elven outpost. It was sadly Mostly collapsed. They did find a few tools, golem parts some brass some iron, that would have been used in the construction. There was some text printed on velum. They decided to take as much back to North port as they could. They compared the golem cores even though both were quite badly damaged. It was clear that the prototype golems were inferior basic. Alice comments, “they had no spark like the free golems, these ones were manufactured to be independent managed monitored separate”.

David had a bit of guilt on his face, “Did we wake them up when we put the key together”? Alice shook her head, “no this place must have responded to the golem that wizard put back together for Sandy Rose. That must have sent out whatever signal attracted the rest of this attention. The times don't fit otherwise there might be a few other golems kicking about this place”.

They made it back to the coach and back to the city quickly they went to the sheriff, Vivian turned to her, “we got a message about the elven ruins near hear, Hellions tried to scavenge the place. It was filled with golems. Two types, prototype golems possibly of human construction and free golems from the elven city state near Ulysses crossing”. The sheriff nodded, “I can talk to the merchant’s guild and the mages we will go out have a poke about. The eleven ambassador might show an interest if we find anything that is not a golem. You’re amongst the strongest we have; the golems might take note and leave us alone. Though I thought they couldn't get far from the old eleven city's”

They went to the cathedral the bishop looked at them expectantly. “Good to see you safe my children, I heard that you dug up some elven ruins what has happened”? “Free golems looking for other golems, the prototypes for what we think were human made golems, it’s a possibly. A gang called the Hellions lost a few members trapped between the two factions, Vivian has broken through as she destroyed a very big prototype golem”.

The bishop took them to the vault of the cathedral where no prying eyes or ears could disturb them. “Two of you have broken through”? “Yes, Vivian has a limit of 600, while I have broken through my limit apparently”. “You must have been confused and remembered the event incorrectly, as you have guessed it’s not common knowledge that a human can gain such power. long ago the humans were stronger, before the vampires came”.

He had a scrap of ancient parchment in his hands, “According to the old records an ascendant was level 200 and over. A transcendent over level 400 and an immortal at level 600. An ascendant begins to battle both time and fate. A transcendent begins to overcome time and fate. Then a true immortal has defeated both time and fate”.

“Such was the will of the creator god. The path he put for his children to come to know his likeness, but the vampires subverted that, immortality without the struggle. The lichs and demonic changelings do the same thing. That is why they are anathema to the creator god, why his power burns them so”.

His words were grave, “I don't know of anyone who had even gotten close to being an ascendant. Understand the vampires have killed all that have started this journey. All that I am aware of anyway. It is possible that such beings exist inside the three factions of the triune. The patriarch would know, but then beings with such power would keep their heads down. To stop something like Bismark ripping their ascended head right off their shoulders”.

The bishop read more from the ancient missive, “no one apart from the vampires has ever crossed the 600 threshold. Even then the number of vampires is probably less than 60 in all of recorded history”. David could see his future, “What benefits dose an ascendant have”? “A longer life span a second supreme skill, other qualitative changes are possible. We really don't know the vampires killed most people like this, most of the competition quietly, long before they had their little civil war. Keep your levels and your abilities to yourselves for now. The alliance with the elves might get the vampires to band together. If they hear talk of people even starting to rival, there individual power it could push them over the limit we do not want to face a united vampire nation”.

There talk with the bishop was both illuminating and frustrating, the necessity to hide what extra power they were gathering was important and frustrating. Alice picked up her commission for the alarm from merchant’s guild, she tried it a few times against a timer glass it worked perfectly and costs her 5 silver. At the same time Martin got his sword reground. If he faced something as tough as golems then he should use a mace or war-hammer against them, a dedicated armour cracker. A common pickaxe would have done the job. A team was sent out from the merchant’s guild protected by guards and mercenaries to explore the rest of the elven remains, perhaps they would find something of use. The golem parts were presented to the local chapter of the mages tower who could use such items for enchanting a price of 100 silver was agreed and paid.