Chapter 4

From the mighty steel stacks that protruded the otherworldly mechanical contraption, came clouds of thick smoke which swallowed the skies. Its hungry orifices were fed mouthfuls of the abundant black coal, allowing its turbines to roar even more frivolously than before, drowning out the gentle sounds of nature. Attached to the generator was a large and flexible tube filled with wires which then connected itself to the back of the tracked abomination, the almighty Mobile Extractor. Armed with a massive excavation wheel attached to a long arm, the machine scraped deep into the defenseless earth, pillaging all that laid underneath. Worker Automatons eagerly waited for the separated coal to be distributed before hauling it back to the main facility.

A short distance south of the coal mine was the carcass of a once peaceful town. Strosten laid in ruins, its houses collapsed into a pile of useless rubble while large sections of its walls were snapped in half. What little remained was stomped into oblivion as the machine carelessly desecrated all that was left behind.

The titan machine carefully inspected the aftermath of its carnage, more specifically the bodies of the inhabitants. Casualties among the Assault Automatons were more than it had originally calculated. From the information obtained by the scout, resistance should have been minimal, yet it was not. The machine had underestimated the capabilities of the local populace.

“Proper means of investigation… Unavailable. Specialized facility required. Planetary threat levels… Elevated. Caution advised.”

Since the titan had no methods of storing the deceased, they were immediately expended to be studied by the Automatons. The worker robots were not designed for accurate incision as their saw blades were only capable of crude cuts. Therefore, the dissection process became unnecessarily messy and yielded minimal fruit. Most of the internal organs and their functions were identified with limited certainly. After a while, a live subject was discovered hiding underneath some of the corpses, and the individual was quickly captured and underwent autopsy. Unfortunately, due to the forcefulness of the initial laceration, the subject died immediately. The only new information the machine was able to learn from the live dissection was that the species hosted their offspring internally.

Once the MCU returned to the main facility, it resumed production of the Assault Automatons. Mixed in were some variants with bladed arms in hopes of diversifying their offensive power. A large portion of the freshly assembled assault robots were ordered to defend the Mobile Extractor while a few others were stationed all around the base.

With the heavy power demands of the facility put in check, the machine switched its focus to logistics and intelligence gathering. The planetary population resembled one of the species stored within its limited database; the only difference being the variants that were capable of unexpected abilities. The machine could not theorize how the anomaly was able to manipulate ice in such a way. To add to the machine’s detriment, none of the variant’s remains were identifiable, which made the research process completely impossible. Nonetheless, the machine had to be prepared for future confrontations. From recent experiences, ranged weapons proved to be the better option, however, the synthesizer module for the ignition liquid were still in the process of being constructed. There was still the possibility of switching to powdered ignition instead, but that came with its own set of difficulties. Since the setup for fabricating the volatile fluid was nearly completed anyway, the machine concluded that it was best to just finish the synthesizers module.

While it busied itself with the complex task, the Scout Automatons hurriedly explored further and further out into the surrounding wildlands. The planet housed a flourishing ecosystem, the likes of which were rare despite the countless planetoids on record. After analyzing the abundant recordings made by the scouting units, the machine confirmed its initial hypothesis: sentient life existed in this world.

“Construction of Munitions Assembly Synthesizer Module complete. Initiating production.”

Once power was supplied, the assembly came to life. A series of clinks and clatters verberated violently into the encompassing cold air. The production of ammunition was underway.

Without a moment of rest, the MCU proceeded to its next project, the Organics Containment and Research Center. Stored data indicated that an organized resistance could become hazardous to its planetary operations. The machine understood that where there is sentient life, there is a social structure that it could infiltrate. In times of war, information is a sharp and powerful blade. And to its predicament, that was the one thing that it lacked.

Though the machine was able to decipher the locals’ basic anatomy through crude dissection, the information gained lacked in accuracy. It required a more precise analysis before it could even hope to develop an infiltration unit.

As the titan attempted to hurry the construction process, the strange distortion befell it once more, without warning or reason, the machine stood completely frozen.

Its locational sensors did not match with what it saw. To the machine’s understanding, its location should be amidst the facility it had constructed, yet what it witnessed was the same white room as before. Except, the blinding light that shone before it slowly began to dim. And to its side, an unfamiliar voice spoke apathetically.

“Subject 4469 has been prepared, begin the operation.”

“Injecting inhibitor liquid,” another voice quickly stated.

“Checking heart rate… 75. We are in the green.”

“Breathing is normal…” Soon, the collection of voices melded together, each overlay indistinguishable from another.

Suddenly, the titan was jolted back into reality. It quickly surveyed the sights below and found no such indication of the white room or bright light. It searched through its stored recordings, and nothing matched what it had seen.

“System Error. Data corruption detected. Attempting Isolation… Failed… System Error.”

The machine checked its recordings over and over again but could not find what it had seen. It was unable to fathom as to how this was possible since the stored data included every piece of information the machine had experienced or had access to.

“System malfunction detected. Abnormalities found.”

No matter what the machine tried, it could not make sense of what had occurred. Now, its processes began to intertwine as they no longer performed the duties that were dictated. A sense of uncertainty began to swallow the machine’s judgment.

“Initiating emergency reboot in 3… 2… 1…”

In an act of desperation, the titan forced itself to shut down. And during that brief moment, before the machine returned to its regular function, the forest was quiet. A reminder of what the world once was before it was struck by such uncertainty.

***

While at the observation post hidden within a nearby mountain, a lone, armored man watched as the foreign transgressor trampled the Kingdom’s lands. Though he could not clearly see the condition of the town, the rising smoke had hinted of Strosten’s fate. The man backed away from the large telescope and released a tired sigh.

“What manner of crime had the town committed to warrant such a fate?” he lamented. Initial reports stated that the settlements near the border had encountered some sort of agile golem observing them. A small and mobile detachment was deployed in conjunction to the man’s taskforce in order to respond to possible raids. Unfortunately, they were too late. The giant golem had struck Strosten a day before they could arrive. Now, the entire area was infested with the titan’s abominable minions.

Knock-Knock

“Come in!” the man commanded, and through the door, a hooded individual armed with a bow on his back entered. The hooded man kneeled down on one knee and placed his palm upon his chest.

“Knight Remus, I… I have the report ready.” There was a slight tremble in the kneeling man’s voice. As his head lifted, a mixture of disgust and fear could be seen on his face.

“You may stand, Carius.”

“Yes, my lord.” Carius quickly stood and pulled back his hood, crossing his arms behind his back. “I’m afraid I could only observe from afar, several times have they discovered me within the shadows, and several times have they nearly ended me.”

“They’ve discovered you?” Remus was surprised, among the scouts under his command, Carius was one of the best. Although the young scout lacked affinity with magical arts, his low profile and near-silent steps proved to be just as viable as his enchanted counterparts.

“Within a certain range, they seem to just know I’m there. I am unsure why or how golems are incapable of using magic. Still… the Harbinger… it seemed capable.”

“Harbinger…?” the knight snorted.

“That’s what the men are calling the colossal golem, as they believe it may bring death to us all…”

“Is that so…” Remus contemplated whether he should order the banning of such a dreadful nickname. The more his men feared the creatures, the lower their morale when facing the adversity.

“What has your mission taught you in regards to this… Harbinger, Carius?”

“That… that it is evil…” Carius voiced, he lowered his head and gritted his teeth. “That… It is an incarnation of malevolence, a summon from the depths of Hell.”

“Elaborate, Carius.”

Before the young man could speak, he swallowed his saliva in an attempt to calm himself.

“I revisited the town after the initial slaughter, what lies for the ones left behind… it was dreadful…” the man began to shudder as he forced himself to confront the sights he had seen. “Its minions… They needlessly desecrated the corpses… reducing them to a pile of gore before tossing them aside… Even their own souls may not recognize their bodies.”

“Did they feast upon the carcasses?”

“No, my Lord. They only mutilated them…”

“What of the captured…?”

“They met the same fate…” Carius muttered as he clenched his fists, but nothing could negate the anger and dread.

The surrounding air quickly grew heavy as the two stared at one another. Carius opened his mouth, but words would not escape.

“Were you able to determine their abilities?” the knight suddenly asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“Most of them are armed with dual spears, they are fast and merciless. As for the Harbinger, I was unable to get close.”

“Anything from the refugees?”

“Nothing much, my Lord.” The young man recalled his encounters until he remembered something noteworthy. “But the townsfolk did speak of this Battle Sage, Mulumor, I believe. He stayed behind to face the Harbinger’s minions…. They have not heard from him since…”

“I don’t expect a single Battle Sage to be able to defeat such a monster.” Remus scratched his chin. “Do you know anything else in regard to the invaders?”

“I’m afraid not, my Lord.”

“But, we do know where they reside… correct?”

“Yes… my Lord. What are your…”

“Head to the Warmaster, Zilimor, tell him to prepare an army of slaves for me.” The knight scribbled his request onto a piece of paper before stamping it with his crest. “Hand this to him. We must learn more about our enemy.”

“As you command.”

After the young man left, Remus sat alone at the nearby desk, glaring beyond the horizon.

“What manner of crime have we committed…” he mumbled, “to warrant such an enemy…?”