They woke from there slumber early, the air was cold crisp but invigorating. David contemplated an opportunity to test his supreme martial art. His rallying cry ability would be excellent advantage for an offensive assault. Buffing troops to make a breakthrough.

It would also be perfect for repelling an attacking force. Considering the way, the archanist the professor and the vampire prince were defeated, there was no one left in the area to fight to test his ability on. The next fight they were in that turned serious; he would use his ability a trial run. It would certainly help in a difficult fight with the overall boosts to their abilities.

Vivian found herself changed, new impulses new instincts from her man at arms job preyed upon her mind. She had the drill Sargent ability and there were a lot of troops about. North port was still in a state of high security for the trade talks. She found it quite easy to round up several of the idle troops. To set up some targets and to start drilling them with the use of bow and arrow.

She found a new side to herself, growing stronger meant growth in many ways. She could see what David saw in this. Though she was not a front-line fighter, the instincts of a drill instructor were now embedded in her psyche. Such was sometimes the price of gaining a job without directly learning it, they knowledge was not tempered.

Alice eventually found her way to the training field. A few healing spells and the worst victims of Vivian's hash training could feel their fingers again. Alice found a section of dirt on the training yard. She created a back stop using her earthen wall spell a few times. To prevent what she was doing from going too far causing any friendly fire incidents. She got a few of the guards to stack up some lumber. She had to practice her mana lance spell, to focus on it. If she ever wanted to raise it up to the grand version, it would require commitment.

She strained and pushed, not with physical muscles but with mental ones. For just a second her mana lance spell jumped in power cutting through the wood and most of the barrier she had created behind it. It was a marginal success an infinitesimal flicker of additional power. But she could improve on that day by day attempt by attempt. She was focused continuing her attempts some success some failures. She had to stop herself before her mana dropped below half, she still had a lot of possibilities for the day. Having to spend another 8 hours resting to regain her mana was not something she wanted to do just yet.

Martin just spent his time doing a bit of repair work to his armour, it was banged up quite a lot from the golems. That was a new enemy to add to the list of people and creatures that held a grudge against them. The golems had been avoided so far, now the elves were insisting on their ancestral cites back in the future. Clearing the golems out would be a lot of effort. But compared to an ancient or elder vampire the golems just didn't seem to cut it.

Martin considered how easily they had won the day against the first group of golems. The golems had anticipated far weaker opponents like the Hellions. If they had prepared if they had brought some of their most powerful shells, then it might be a different matter. Neither the humans nor the vampires had been particularly interested in finding out how tough the golems truly were.

He thought about the new gang they had seen. The Hellions due to their dress their swagger. They seemed to rely on intimidation more than anything else. To look scary and unusual to frighten others into compliance. They were incredibly varied individualistic, that probably indicated that they were not coordinated fighters like the hidden hand, they probably relied on their individual augmentations.

They were criminals but they didn't seem to have any desire to pick a fight with the four masters. Could they be a useful contact in the future? He wondered, as long as the perceived levels of crime stayed low the Hellions would be left alone. He could guess that the gang knew quite a bit about golems. Considering their members modifications, they could be a potentially useful source of information. They didn't want an army of golems they just wanted to strip them for parts. That would be a different solution.

After various training and other works, they met up again having a meal. On some level Vivian felt that they were letting there guard down, they were in the middle of a city that was not under threat perhaps they could lower their guard.

David intruded on her contemplation, “how much have we saved up”? David was anticipating the answer some shiny piece of equipment had caught his eye. Vivian pulled a few scraps of paper out of her pack, “I have been keeping a running total its 6115 silver and a handful of bronze penny's. Quite a lot, we have pretty much replaced what we spent on equipment”.

“What else can we get, we get more benefit from gear on our backs, than cash in our pouch”. David pushed the issue; he was not wrong but a bit impatient. Vivian had a calmer head, “it’s probably best we wait a bit until we get the last delivery from the merchants guild. Your armour will be a good upgrade, we take a long hard look at what we have after that”. David grinned imaging the new armour, “yes then we look at a bit of mithril chain-mail, or maybe even start looking at octium”.

A bored looking old man in a pompous wig one of the duchess old staff approached them a stack of letters in hand. He was a man who looked like he came from an earlier time period or at least his formal clothes did. They were invited to a celebration put on by the merchant’s guild, an exhibition showing off certain printing and dyeing techniques. Also, the duchess had arranged the food and drink, it was a large public event everybody of a certain level of importance was being invited to the gathering.

Having no other duty's but to wait around as a garrison force, until the trade talks concluded they went to the exhibition. The elven ambassador wore slightly different garb with green and blue prayer beads. They had the same two body guards a few steps behind them. The room was full of artistic prints rugs tapestries even dyed hides and cloths. There was also a delightful spread. Some items from the western colonies dwarven islands and the southern coasts. It was quite amazing what the Northern realm could produce as trade goods, when they put their minds to it and how far those trade links spread.

Martin had a cup filled with some sort of dwarven mushroom beer. The elven ambassador sought him out, Martin bowed politely to the senior priest. “My son it is fascinating to see these events and exhibitions. The resilience of your people after 300 years, your artists are excellent. I suspect necessity has forced you to advance so far, the elves will benefit from many of the tools that your people have developed”.

He steered Martin to a quiet corner then turned to him his voice low, “some of my people have herd worrying rumours. From my perspective the golems attempted a genocide against my race. They believed that we never made it over the long sea, they thought we were spent gone, now they will learn that things are different”.

Martin remained calm, “what rumours have you herd”? The ambassador took a bite to eat considering how much of his hand to show. “A wizard working for a criminal was sold the remains of a golem. They were a skilled enchanter as well as a wizard. They managed to put some imperfect version of this creature back together, I understand you destroyed it. My people didn't trust the golems that the old elves made, that is why they left”.

Martin looked the ambassador up and down, “father I am sure that you are already well informed” he revealed one more card from his hand, “one of the priests has given me a version of the story”. “What version is that”? “Golems came out to investigate an old outpost, possibly where this rebuilt golem was dug up from. You flattened both the golems that came from the old elves graveyard and whatever was left at that outpost”.

Martin considered the political implications he was a vampire hunter not a politician, “broadly that is correct”. The ambassador looked grave, “As I was told, I am worried about the sight of free golems was that what they call themselves”? “That is precisely what they called themselves”. Martin gestured to his companions, “the four of us tore through them very quickly”.

The ambassador pondered the threat, “not a definitive victory, you know they have a form of immortality. As long as their connection to the central core of a city is maintained. I understand it is difficult to remove the spark from a golem core, unless it Is destroyed. According to my research anyway, the Northern church has shared a lot of what they know”.

Martin shrugged, “I have fought similarly immortal creatures before. Demons we killed time and time again until there was no one left to summon them. We have faced beings that had spare bodies. they eventually ran out of spares. Strategically the golems can be fought in the same way, how much more do you know of these constructs”.

The ambassador sifted facts from rumours, “understand we never brought a great deal of mechanical understanding of the golems with us. Not one golem forger, when we crossed the long sea. We never wanted to make the same mistakes, of being reliant on such devices”. “We still had a few books that looked at the dangers of golems. Those who came down from your western colonies told us about the golem revolt, the topic became of more interest to us”.

“Knowing I was coming to the land of my ancestors, I read what I could. Those that wrote it perceived the golems as a negative force, making us weak, too reliant on our own comforts. They campaigned politically for us to abandon such works. When they could not affect change, they gathered up those that agreed with them and they left, forming our country on the western continent”.

Martin politely probed deeper, “how did golems affect your ancestor’s society”? “They caused a massive stagnation. Our ancestors built clever machines to do one job or another. Then hard-working labourers to do the physical jobs. Then skilled crafts machines to produce artisans work, Then overseers and thinkers. They were even teaching the golems how to repair and improve themselves when my ancestors split from them and left”.

Martin had his own query's, “Do you know if humans ever brought golems from the elves or somehow persuaded the elves to teach them how to make their own”? “That is a good question, I understand that you demolished a room full of prototype golems and one very large opponent, were they built the same as the other golems”? From his time in the trade guild he could make an educated guess, “not the cores were simplistic, deliberately so”. The ambassador relaxed a little, “that answers your question, the old elves would not have changed their design philosophy, humans however were more cautious it seems”.

The ambassador continued probing Martin for information, “the golems from our ancestral city's, normally they needed a power core. An aether engine I believe the term was. They have improved correct they must have developed a portable one. Our history reports these mystical engines to be the size of buildings not portable at all”. “Such a device was inside the commander”, “They have grown but then it would not be a surprise, they have had thousands of years to improve upon the original eleven designs”.

Martin looked at him, “did you suspect that the golems would kill all that lived here and then travel across the sea to find you”? “In truth there is still that feeling, I do worry that there is an army of golems marching on us now from the old ancestral city”. Martin reassured him, “A large number would be spotted by Ulysses crossing. We have alchemists weapons magic, siege engines we would demolish even a large force, they only sent a small investigative force about 20 and a commander”.

Martins instincts as a hunter of monsters clicked into place, “as I think about it logically, that brings up a flaw with the golems. If their commander has the aether engine inside them, destroying the commander’s physical body would leave their entire army vulnerable. Also consider this perhaps that is the maximum number of units that one aether engine of that size can maintain”. The elf breathed more surely, “yes that's a factor I didn't consider”.

One of the crusaders standing next to the ambassador stepped up to Martin. “my brother, As the original elven civilisations of the central plains and northern lands found out don't play with golems. Leave the vault sealed”. He shared a look with the fellow crusader, they knew as much as he did.

Martin scratched his chin thinking of something else to change the topic, “there was a report a witness spoke of a warrior in glowing holy armour. Was that one of your people”? “In confidence yes, one of the rare members of our congregation with a specific skill set is hear for the trade talks. But they are remaining to assist in the fight against the vampire’s afterwards”. “Fascinating” was all Martin could say.

One of the merchants showed off a statue of an austere woman with a mages staff, he gave a little lecture. “This work is old and slightly faded but it has been with us hear in North Port as long as the elves have been over the sea, it was imbued with strong durability and a small self-repair enchantment. It’s to the Magus Primus. A member of the royal court, supposedly she created the predecessor to the tower of mages”.

The rest of the group arrived, The ambassador turned to them again, “The history books don't include she was once one of the blood alchemists, she held positions in both the courts of the first king and the blood alchemists empire, she ensured a peace between them. When the dragon revolt happened, she fled to the first king”.

Alice was curious, “What else do you …know of her”? “I believe she was a druid to begin with, but she also studied necromancy and sorcery, her power was quite vast”. Vivian made polite conversation, “I remember you mentioned another servant of the first king” David joined in “yes his champion the slayer of the halflings”.

Alice was curious this was not in any library she had seen, “what happened to the halflings?” the elf spoke solemnly. “The first king wanted their land; he took it from them and had them worked to death in one of his mines”. Vivian was a little aghast, “He sounds incredibly brutal”, “yes there is so much blood on his hands. The centre of the southern lands charred away with a stone burner the sundering. There were three other races in the Northern lands I have not mentioned, the Gnomes the Satyr in the southern forests the troglodytes on the eastern coast all gone to his ambitions”.

Vivian was curious, “why is this the first time I hear of these atrocity's” the ambassador kept his voice low. “You live in lands that were controlled by the first king. He controlled the records the stories. Apart from the holy mountain and maybe the remains of the elven city's, he has probably removed every piece of writing from every library. Some of the older vampires might remember traces of them but it was long ago. Our books our histories have not been changed for nearly two and a half thousand years”.

“I remember more, Centaur were once their own nomadic race that wandered the central plains, perhaps a very early work of blood alchemy. But they were their own civilised people, they are gone after the first king stepped south”. “Fascinating we must not monopolise your time ambassador”.

The four friends spoke together Martin brought them up to date with his conversation with the ambassador. Just then an exhausted looking deacon from the cathedral ran over to them he addressed Vivian and presented a sealed bundle of papers. He had a small smile on his face as Vivian tore open the seal. Immediately the party were gathered around it. Some new threat? they read over the letter intently.

The Bishops letter began “My dear children I commend you for the work you have done. Fighting the hidden hand, the profane vampires the vile sorcerers and the lich. With respect to you station, you are ordered by the supreme authority of the church. To hand over the vault keys to the safe keeping of the bishop in the cathedral vault. This matter is of utmost urgency and will result in dire repercussions if not acted on with dire haste”. There was an official looking form attached to the back signed by the bishop requesting the four vault keys.

A knight in full regalia approached them with a scroll. He gave the deacon a harsh look. It looked very formal by comparison to the bishops hastily scribbled letter. The bishop had obviously got word of this communication and hastily scribbled an equivalent letter. The duchess letter was by comparison immaculately scripted with a fancy silver leaf seal; a similar form was attached to the back signed by the duchess.

“To the Agents of the triune known as the four masters, wielders of martial mystical and divine might. With the authority bestowed upon me by the king and royal court. I make it a royal command to surrender the keys to their rightful inheritor. The keys give access to a weapon created for this illustrious city's defence. Entrusted to my ancestors I demand the return of this property you have 48 hours to hand the keys. over to their rightful owner”.

The trade guild commissioner must have also had word of this, the third power of the triune stepped in. Ghost seemed to step out of nowhere, “two official claims for the same property have been lodged. The trade commissioner can arbitrate this, or you can return them to your patron for his direction in good ford. Split them up or taken them away. It is all the same. It stops people playing with toys that they don't understand”.

They found a side room and drew a curtain; David could feel the weight of the key around his neck it seemed heavier than an entire suit of armour pressing down upon him. “What do we do”? Martin scratched his head, “The church means well, but the nobles probably have some law that gives them preference”. Vivian tapped the place her own key was hidden, “This is a situation that we don't want to be in the middle of, but just staying where we are now is probably the best thing that we can do”.

David had a simple blunt solution, “what about destroying the dam keys”? Alice dismissed that with an edge to her voice, “that might be political suicide as well, the bishop the duchess and the trade commissioner might have it in for us”. David would rather be done with it, “we have to do something”?

David held up his right hand, “we owe the bishop for healing us”. Vivian disagreed, “we paid him back by wiping out the vampire he said so himself”. Alice had to concede one point, “We have enjoyed the hospitality of the duchess”. Vivian was less convinced on that point, “it’s an official residence, she wanted us to eliminate the hidden hand”. David nodded, “which we have done for her”. They remained in an impasse unsure which way to turn. They contemplated their options, the merchants were as close as it came to being neutral in this affair.

One of the older tower mages Antony Fitzherbert stopped Alice as they left the event. He was filled with blustering arrogance. He rested on his staff as he walked a veteran enchanter and mage but one that would gain no more power.

His tone was rude as he addressed Alice, “mage you have a duty to the royal court. For the last six years you have been sheltered nurtured by the mage’s guild, repay that debt and convince them to hand over the vault keys to their rightful owner”.

Alice looked at him coldly she fought down a nervousness that rose up in her throat, “The chapter master should be delivering this little speech, but she would not, so you came instead. They put me at the most Northern part of this land abandoned me there”. The twit continued, “you are ungrateful the opportunity's you have been presented with ...”. He paused seeing the spells held in her hands.

The tremor of uncertainty was gone from Alice's voice the fire of anger overcoming it, “I knew four basic spells when they sent me out there, I was lucky to survive the first encounter with a giant rat, I am now an exalted master with all the power that represents. I will not be spoken to in this disrespectful manner, I have dealt with rouge mages lichs sorcerers and vampire wizards”. The mages tone changed, “Ms Costa it is still crown property” she looked over to the trade commissioner, “that is still to be arbitrated”.

Ghost wandered over she had a freshly unsealed report in her hand, “Let the scribe advocates and the rulers of this city argue about keys for the moment. It’s interesting, we have a report back from the archaeology team at the elven outpost”.

Their attention turned to her, “from what was found the few fragments look like training manuals, the elves were teaching golem construction to a member of the royal court known as the architect”. “So, our conclusion is that the first king had built their own versions of golems that lacked true self-awareness so could not rebel”. Vivian grinned, “They didn't fully trust the golems”.

Alice looked over the report. “You can see the distinction, the line drawn. As an example, A dragon below level 50 is a dumb beast. But after that awakens becomes a sentient. That border line is the difference between something that you can control and something that you have to negotiate with. Something that was once considered property becoming someone can hold a grudge”.

Vivian asked one last question, “The first emperor was he smarter than the elves”? Ghost adopted a neutral tone, “he was hear before they moved north from the central plains. He was hear after their city's became graveyards, draw your own conclusions”.