The storming on the Southwestern Gate was not so much of a storm but more of a breaking-in. Most of the soldiers stood by the gates - only a hundred men were assigned to scout ahead of the rest. De Melvich troops marched behind one of the armored gun tractors; the slow clanking of metal treads hitting Luminberg's cobblestone roads did not help relieve the uneasiness brought by the city that was turned silent. The Lord Heir, Rinvar De Melvich, was no longer watching over the command. He asked for a squad of the family's army to join him in his search for "another way into Luminberg".

Luminberg's famed Wizards' Wall - a shield of magical energy that was powerful enough to stop an artillery barrage was far from dispersed, but a portion of it was made passable due to the mysterious deactivation of the city's Southwest Tower. Aerial observers reported what their telescopes could make out of through the prismatic and opaque dome that sat atop the city: episodes of what seemed to be fighting inside the city caused one of the tower mechanisms to fail. The very few instances seen did not escalate into larger skirmishes; what little resistance was offered by those unknown entities was the best the city got.

A soldier manning the armored fighting vehicle's main gun saw nothing but darkened streets; moonlight passing through the Wizards' Wall's multi-colored ceiling revealed the bodies of Luminbergers lying still. Some of the De Melvich troops moved from one hiding spot to the next, guns aimed forward in case an enemy lurking from beyond attacked in ambush.

Their advance started to falter. Soldiers took longer to move from one place to another, and their armored vehicle went off the road. The driver seemed to have lost control; the machine brought to an abrupt halt when it crashed into a nearby house. The last of the De Melvich troops tried to stand up and help, but their strength abandoned them shortly. All of the hundred men joined the citizenry as they lay on the ground. Field officers outside the gates who observed the failed scouting force decided to not send any more soldiers into the city.

†

Kirk returned to the Southwest Tower to find the place became worse than before he left. The protective field Euphemia left him with was starting to wear off, and he didn't want to go through the experience of being stripped of magical energy like the last time. He found signs of a more recent encounter at the front of the tower. Disfigured guns were left on the ground; some of them still had very small embers in them. Near the doorway to the tower lay the remains of a large sword. Kirk quickly remembered that only the darkly-clad armored man who tried battering through Euphemia's magically-created shield was carrying this weapon. Pieces of what looked like his armor were scattered nearby.

The blue light protecting him from the mana-draining field was fading fast. There was probably something in the surrounding area that could help him with this problem. Kirk found a body of one of the men nearby. He must be knocked out by something else, judging that his suit was intact.

"Don't tell me you intend to do what I think you'll do." Macario's voice echoed inside Kirk's mind.

"You don't want me lying on the ground like the rest of them now, do you?"

"Fair point, Master Kirk."

Disrobing a body of a suit was a difficult task - and it was even harder if it had a plethora of items strapped on. Fortunately, only the protective vest was partly challenging to divest - and removing the apparel until the body only had its undergarments and socks on was an easy task. Kirk looked at the black suit that he wore over his outfit: not a bad fit, even better if it were only a size larger.

He resumed surveying the tower. Near the blasted doorway was a shallow, rounded cavity. Right under the caved part of the wall was Sister Euphemia.

She could have left the place without incident through her talents; her reason for not doing so was going to be a question Kirk could only ask at a later time. He rushed to the scene, carefully lifting her body off the ground. Euphemia was still warm - a hint that told the swordsman she managed to hold off an attack from the armored man and his group. Her naivety however, brought her to this state.

The swordsman found an abandoned stretcher near the site where Rook destroyed one of the enemy's vehicles. Luckily, the thing did not catch fire when the machines exploded. Euphemia was laid on the apparatus; Kirk secured her body in place .

He heard something land right close to him. The newcomer wore the same suit Kirk "borrowed" from one of the enemies. The overcoat on top of it was more than enough to give him an idea of who this visitor was. Quick thinking this boy has, he thought.

"Will she be all right?"

"She doesn't look that badly-wounded." Kirk bowed his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Getting her help is still something we need to worry about."

"I don't think anything in this city is working right now."

"We're going to have to get help outside this place." Kirk looked back to the tower interior and noticed the glowing stone that Euphemia was supposed to escape with. "Say, we can't get out of here lugging both an injured woman and this many-colored lamp rock which happens to be something that belongs to our newly-acquainted enemies. This place is still filled with the thugs whose friends we took on."

"Go down the sewers, maybe?"

"Finding a way there will be a problem."

Rook saw one of the doors inside the tower and ran towards it. Locked. He kicked the door twice; its wooden frame gave way and revealed a flight of stairs leading to another door below. The door was heavier than the one before it and held shut by an iron lock. He took aim at it using the rifle he stole from Green Eye's men; two shots broke the mechanism. It led to another set of stairs; the smooth walls and a crude-looking hand railing implied that this part of the tower was older than what was on the surface.

"Hey Kirk! This looks like a way to the sewers."

"Great find, boy. I'll take the large stone thing and you help Sister Euphemia." Kirk was about to collect the stretcher where Euphemia lay when he took notice of the gun that hung on Rook's shoulder. "Hey. Isn't that...?"

"A souvenir." Rook held his prize by the stock and barrel. "It looks cool. Shoots well too. I don't think this is enough for the trouble they're causing."

It was practical to have the magical energy-infused stone at the front while they navigate through the tunnels; the light it gave off was more than enough for them to see through the dark. The descent was rather lengthy, even made longer because of not only the heavy contraption that held the radiant rock in place, but also due to the wounded cleric who was yet to come to her senses. Light bounced off the tunnels; the occasional gleam created during their passing showed that while this place was as old as it could be, it was not left untended. It showed no hint that it was a part of a sewer; their footsteps echoed well, making walking in silence impossible when their soles hit the floor. Neither of the two were inclined to talk, given that the noise their feet made surely would lead others to where they were.

They were right to suspect such. Other footsteps echoed not far from where they were.

"We have company..." Kirk drew his sword and set aside the cart that housed the glowing stone.

They could run, but no way did their cargo would let them go far. It was best for them to face the attackers - and hope there weren't too many of them around. A dozen beams of light pointed at the duo; each of them was attached to a rifle muzzle. Two figures emerged from the group: one man of medium built, and a woman of slender frame. The man said:

"We are part of the Imperial Constabulary. Stand down and come with us quietly."

"An injured woman is with us." Kirk put away his blade. "We don't intend to fight."

"Then allow us to lead you out of here. You foreigners are more likely to get lost in these tunnels than to find your way out."

"They don't look half-bad, do they?" Kirk sheathed his sword and looked at Rook.

"Whatever you think is right." Rook lowered his rifle. "D'you think we can trust them?"

"Trusting them more than the guys who we got our suits from, if you ask me."

"Eh... there's nowhere to run anyway. I guess they look fine."

Kirk sheathed his sword and unbuckled it from his waist, offering his weapon to one of the riflemen. Rook smirked at the idea, but ended up surrendering his gun to another member of the group. They were right about the tunnels: there were too many turns and corners, but the leader had no problems choosing the best route out of Luminberg.

They were brought to a field beyond the city. Burnt hulls of what used to be military vehicles and artillery pieces littered some areas; the small flames coming out of some of them was a sign that a battle was recently concluded here. An assortment of canvas shelters was raised where its attendants were taking care of a number of wounded. Kirk and Rook were brought to a small but guarded tent. The woman of the group spoke to them:

"I'm afraid we can't let you leave yet. We want to know more about the what's going on inside the city."

"We're fine staying here," Kirk's gaze changed to where the still-unconscious Euphemia was. "As long as you help our companion."