Chapter 38: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back Pt.2

In the conference room of the Mercenaries Union, a fierce round of questioning was happening.

"How did the Fortress get destroyed?" The question came from an average looking man in his mid-thirties wearing a military uniform. So average in fact, he could easily blend into a crowd and the people in the room still wouldn't be able to find him at first glance. It wasn't just because of his looks, it was his temperament. His body language seemed to naturally give off the feeling of ordinary. The problem was he was a bit too ordinary, Ira's awareness helped him notice that the man asking the questions was the same one he saw at the teleportation array.

"The Diavol made use of an unstable magic formation." The answer came from Samantha. She responded calmly giving no room for doubt. The fact she was answering instead of Ira could have added some suspicion, but it could be written off as dislike of the Kingdom. He had yet to be paid and he looked annoyed, which wasn't an act. Ira had no inclination to get wrapped up in intrigue and things of such nature. What would be the point? He just wanted his money so he could prepare for the next job and find a way to grow.

"Then where did the beast come from and do you think it has a connection to the Red Moon and the Golden Aurora?" Director Samuel asked. Well, to everyone in the room he was known as chief investigator Samuel, it was a convenient cover to explain why he had so much control over the soldiers."The answers to those questions will be nothing more than speculation," Samantha responded.

"Try me?" He said. Before the questioning started there was the insistence that it was a routine inquiry, but now it resembled a full-blown investigation."He's told me he thinks it's a result of the magic the Diavol employed to destroy the Fortress Walls." Samantha said. Of course, the "he" she referred to was Ira who sat next to her. He reclined in his chair with his hands behind his head lazily looking at the ceiling.

"Could you describe the monster's appearance?" Samuel asked. "Black skin, four legs, red eyes." Samantha immediately listed off the qualities Ira told her about.

"Would you consider too dangerous for a subjugation team to handle?" Samuel asked as he sat up, his unassuming temperament shifted into a very serious one. He tried to restrain his urge to shout at Ira and question him thoroughly.

"I would." This time Ira responded. He tilted his head to look at Samuel and grinned at him. Samuel met his faintly hostile gaze head on. "I have a bit of a personal question if you don't mind of course?" Samuel said with a bit of mockery. Ira shrugged in response, shifting his gaze back to the ceiling as if it were more interesting.

"What's your relationship with Avery Thynne?" Samuel asked solemnly. Ira chuckled a few times as his eyes slightly widened with interest, he raised his left hand and flashed his wedding ring. "She's my wife, you see." Ira smiled brightly before shifting his posture. "Now, a question for you. Where's my money?" Ira asked, maintaining his smile. Director Samuel hid his shock perfectly. Although inside a large feeling of danger assailed him. "It's been given to the head of the Mercenaries Union, The Kingdom is grateful for your service." Samuel nodded curtly and then left. The only ones remaining in the room were Ira, Harper, Samantha, and Albrecht. He sighed briefly and then turned to Ira.

"Will you be accepting the expedition job?" He asked. He also was interested in what happened at the fortress, but it wasn't his place to ask. The MU was designed to give one complete privacy, the details of the Mercenary would never be disclosed unless they wanted them to, or if they had a bounty put on them by the MU.

"He will." Samantha immediately answered in place of Ira. Albrecht nodded, not finding her rude at all. Most Handlers behaved in such a way, so it was nothing new to him "Your payment should already be prepared. My Secretary will hand it over on your way out." Albrecht said in a friendly manner. "Take care." Ira stood up and dismissed himself, with Harper following. Samantha stood up and bowed to the union head before following behind them. Albrecht retrieved a flask from his coat and poured it into a porcelain cup. "Keeper of The Third Moon," he said to himself as he took a big gulp of the alcohol.

Beneath the soil in the East. Ruins of the Old Kingdom stirred, dozens of 30-foot metallic men stood in front of what looked to be a palace. They had blanks faces, round joints, and long appendages, some were in slight disrepair, but what they had in common was each one stood in front of human remains. The bones of hundreds or even thousands of people were piled in front each of the metallic men. A crackling echoed in front of the palace. Upon closer inspection, a light could be seen beneath the chest of the men. The people who knew of these constructs could be counted on both hands.

These metallic men were known as the Polyphemus. Magical Automatons who were tasked with defending the Kingdom in dire emergencies. 1000 years ago, before the barrier caused all Kingdoms to descend into chaos, there were many powerful people. It could only be described as a Kingdom filled with dragons, to make it worse, most of them operated under pseudo-oppression. Who could go against a person who could literally kill hundreds of ordinary men without much effort? Only someone of the same ranking. So while the Old Kingdom had peace, it was an unsteady peace. Of course, not all people were corrupted by power, but the bad outweighed the good. People who refused to conduct themselves under ideals like honor and justice were numerous, they wanted to live like Kings and Gods. When the barrier was raised it caused those ambitious ones to fall and when they were at their weakest the pent-up animosity from the populace erupted. Though the details of what exactly happened were buried beneath the soil, never to be seen again. Until recently when the barrier was removed, now the remnants of the past came back to life.

"Protect...The...King..." A raspy metallic voice emerged from the blank faces of the Polyphemus. All of a sudden, its face split open exposing a glowing red orb. The previous non-eyecatching metal body became a shiny gold luster."Protect...The...King..." This change wasn't limited to a single one, slowly all the Polyphemus began experiencing the same change while chanting the same mantra. "Protect...The...King..." Golden hands emerged from rubble and dirt, clawing their way to the palace. The Polyphemus doubled their numbers in a short amount of time. They stood in front of the palace and recited their sole purpose. "Protect...The..King..." The creaky voices of disembodied metal all formed into harmony. Soon they all went quiet and looked toward the palace the red orbs scanning over it constantly. Something came out of it and stood in front of them. It stood in the shadows, its form unable to be seen at all, save a faint glow. It stood still for a few moments, as if basking in the complete silence, then it retreated back into the Palace.

"Protect...The...King..." They turned back and continued their chants. Scanning over the remains of a City whose name had long since been forgotten.

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