Steel and Mana

Chapter 383 – Winter in Avalon (3)

Three days had passed since the arrival of the Union leaders, giving them enough time to explore the city a little and see Avalon for themselves. As for issues, there were a few, but only minor misunderstandings, coming from cultural differences. Or from the uncanny fact that the citizens of Avalons didn't look at them as kings, queens, or emperors. None of them got the usual deterrence their presence would suggest. No Avalonian bowed to them or looked at them with fear. They didn't show respect... or at least, that was what some of them thought. Yet, those who had a bit more open mind realized that they did. But only if you approached them with the same respect you wished for from the start.

Still, all of the Union's leaders were asking themselves why Leon had really invited them. They tried to ask Mirian Ishillia or Lord Elliot, the only two who would be in the know, but they got no answer—not even a veiled one. They had to wait, but not for long. On the third day, they were being escorted right out of the city.

Bundled in thick coats, warm hats, and bellies filled with hot drinks, they were herded outside, not onto a train this time around, but on a weird vehicle. Weird because none of them had seen one like it before, and looking at Elliot's surprise, he did not either.

It was longer than a tractor they were used to seeing, but its tracks were only on its backside, while the front had wheels—not wooden or metal ones, or at least not wholly metal, as they examined it from their spot. Some kind of black material was around the central, metallic disc—something new. The vehicle's back, just like a carriage, was open, with narrow seats where they could all climb up and sit, facing each other.

When the accompanying soldiers closed the back door and sat up in the front, the vehicle suddenly roared to life, rumbling and shaking as it began moving through the snow, following the road toward the mountains. Many thought it was also powered by steam, but there was now whistling, and no big smoke was coming from the front. No... this was driven by something else, but they couldn't figure out what. Except for Chairman Alvor, who knew that this one was running on the oil Avalon was buying from him.

"Before any of you ask," Merlin, their guide, spoke up, speaking over the machine's rumbling, "this is a half-truck. It was designed by our Sovereign and is now being implemented as an all-purpose support vehicle for our army. It is responsible for delivering soldiers, equipment, and supplies, even to places where we don't have roads. It is not for sale as it is part of Avalon's military."

No one spoke after listening to his words. They all knew it was futile, so what remained was to enjoy the ride, however rough it was, and watch as a castle wedged in between the mountains became visible. Along with the booming noise of cannons firing...

The castle itself was of clear Ishillian design, built centuries ago, displaying its utilitarian role of plugging in the opening to a crossing point between their land and the beasts' territory. Entering its inner courtyard, getting off their half-truck, they finally met with Leon, who had been absent from greeting them since their arrival. With the thundering now becoming almost ear-hurting, they had a feeling why. Despite the fact they were clearly under attack, he looked calm, smiling, and dressed like a hero out of some fable.

He wore a black outfit, a mix between what they began associating with Avalon's officers, but he had an added extra flair of a noble's design, along with a deep-purple and gold-edged cape flapping behind him in the wind. After they were all clear of the machine that brought them here, he finally opened his mouth, welcoming them into Avalon... for real.

...

“Your Majesties,” I greeted them with a confident smile. “Welcome to the castle where I was born. Sorry for the noise... It is the reason I couldn't go and greet you all personally. But it is also why I asked you all to come to my territory in the winter.”

"What is happening?" High Cardinal Damar stepped forward first, his silver-trimmed mantle flowing after him, covered with frost. “Are you bringing us into direct danger?” he asked, his voice tight, flinching every time there was a boom resonating through the Pass, echoed more times than once, thanks to the mountain walls towering on both sides.

"Danger?" My lips curled upwards. “Please... I just told you why. I thought it was time you saw Avalon for what it truly is.”

Without another word, I turned and strode toward the stone stairs leading up to the walls, towards the cacophony of war. I knew they wouldn't just stay behind, and when Mirian and Elliot followed me, the rest were not willing to stay behind, their steps quickly catching up.

"Be careful," I said, looking back over my shoulder with a smile. "The steps are frosty. It would be bad if you fell down."

"We can climb some stairs. No big deal." President Dai shot back, but his aggression was simply a mask to hide the apparent fear in his eyes. I didn't blame him for it.

“Let me ask you a question." I spoke in a calm voice, "Where would your nations be without Avalon?”

The silence was thick enough to choke on. I bet they didn't expect a question like this or even thought about me as someone who was way too arrogant. Maybe.

"An interesting question." Queen Shi of Belse arched a brow, looking at the other small countries' leaders. Her previous allies, along with Scorc, the gang who attacked Ishillia. “I suppose we would be... as right now?”

"Hmmm..." I hummed, tilting my head while continuing climbing, “Would you? Do you think managing against harsh winters, its frost, and maybe some more hungry wolves than usual is the same as surviving a winter of monsters?”

"Please," High Cardinal Damar’s hand tightened around his robes, lifting its bottom like a princess while walking up the stairs. “We all experienced two harsh winters. We survived.”

“And you should thank us for it.” I interrupted him, my voice hardening. “That’s the point.”

"Excuse us?" He snorted, unhappy by my tone, but he was indeed voicing many of the others' thoughts. I could see it in their eyes.

"You will see soon." I chuckled, not even looking back at him. “Every winter, Avalon becomes the last bastion of mankind. Every year, the monsters come—and every year, we stand here to hold the line.”

"Are you saying..." Attila, the new emperor of Geth, leaned forward, his fingers nervously playing with each other. At least he looked more amicable than Kadosa was. “You are fighting the beasts every winter?”

"It is a bit hard to believe." Ahnud chimed in, but not accusingly. He found it indeed difficult to imagine it. "Even down south, we heard of the beast tides, moments when Ishillia was weakened because of it. But... every winter?"

I let the scenery do the talking instead of answering myself. The moment they appeared at the top of the walls that stood there for centuries, guarding against the beasts, their eyes and minds could barely comprehend everything before them. No wonder they froze like icicles hanging from the parapets.

Right at the moment, below the mountain pass, before my castle, was a slaughterhouse.

A tide of horse-sized creatures surged from the frozen Pass. They resembled wolves; their grey fur was mangy and thick, and their mouths were filled with teeth that looked jagged like a sawblade. Worst, there were centipede-like things mixed amongst them that skittered on needle-shaped legs, leaving trails of smoking, corrosive slime behind, splashing the same goo everywhere when their bodies were blown to shreds by a howitzers' blast. But they were nothing but fodder. The dregs that were trying to reach the castle only to die on the field before it. What drew all the attention away from them was the being, towering above them all, a mollusk-like abomination. It was at least twenty meters in height, its chitinous body a grotesque spiral of spines, ending in a shell from which writhing, splashing, and slashing tentacles reached out wailing like a rumbling stormcloud.

Yet, even facing something like this, standing against the tide was Avalon’s army.

Hundreds of black-armored soldiers held the line, their weapons blazing in different elements, throwing out magic as they exterminated every type of surging monster, holding their line like an iron wall. Above, beside, and ahead of them, they saw all of Avalons' mechs, twelve to fourteen-meter-high titans equipped with cannons, bombarding both the assaulting horde and the massive monster stuck in the Pass itself.

The more they watched, the more they realized... The battle wasn’t made of the expected chaos in a situation like this. They thought that defending against something like a beast would be a wild effort, people desperately fighting for their lives. But it wasn't. It was choreographed—troops moving back and forth, exchanging lines with fresh brigades where they looked too tired, rotating in order. The mechs were stationed in a way that their overlapping shields blocked when the mollusk-like varmint tried to spit at them from afar, deflecting its magic-infused acidic goop.

While they were watching, I simply stood there, letting them observe the battle that had been going on for five days already. Well... not exactly, but we first discovered this abomination lumbering towards us five days ago. It gave us ample time to prepare, and we were going to bring it down. It was already stuck in Merlin's spell, a trap designed to glue it in place. It worked flawlessly, as predicted. Our lines were out of reach of its tentacles as it tried to break itself free... but with our constant bombardment, it could do nothing but hunker down in its shell. The only thing that kept him alive until now and was probably the hardest material we have ever come across so far.

“That mollusk is probably a breeder," I said, breaking my guests' stupor. "It has been calling constantly and summoning this smaller horde. If it breaks through, it will probably spill its minions across the valley. Into your lands.”

"That... that can't be..." King Vizsla of Nonia gripped the edge of the walls, his knuckles white, ignoring the cold, frozen stone. “And your machines can stop that?”

"They have been doing it every winter," I answered with certainty. “They must, for all our sakes.”

"By the Gods..." High Cardinal Damar’s voice was barely a whisper. “Why? Why does this happen?”

“We don’t know,” I shrugged, not wanting to get into the details, that maybe my presence provoked them. That was... a can of worms that would be best forgotten. “Probably because they are hungry.”

"How many times did a beast like this... appear here?" Queen Nuen asked, clutching her chest, her breaths leaving big, white clouds before her face. “And we never knew…”

“Many times,” I said, pointing towards my mechs. “Why do you think I invented such war machines? To battle Ishillia? No. I am protecting them just as I protect you. We’re not proud because we think we’re better. We’re proud because we’re still here. Because we kept you alive while you bickered over borders and tariffs, grudges of old, whatever you want to name as your casus belli.”

"A what?" some flinched, but I just waved my hand.

"Doesn't matter." I shrugged, "This is why our Union is a must. Otherwise... There may come a day when your wars affect my Avalon, and we can no longer protect you all. I have measures to defend my people, and I will do so. But then... who will defend you?"

"Are you saying you will let them through if we don't do as you say?" King Vizsla of Nonia asked, gulping.

"No." I replied firmly and quickly, looking into his eyes, "But I would place my people's safety before yours. If you can't support each other and let us do our duty, interfering with us constantly, then so be it. I can't fight on two fronts, so have at it yourselves." Then, there was a crackle as my personal radio came on, and I set it so that everyone would hear it. "Yes, Commander?"

"The plan is working; the tide is thinning out." Lucca's voice came through, "But the shell of this variant is shrugging off our cannons' fire. It is not completely weaved with anti-magic properties, but we do believe it weakens the spells enough for it to keep us occupied for a day or two if we want to bring it down as we usually do."

"We will go with the physical approach then. Tell the Princess and the Rook to prepare to switch and prepare for firing the piercing ammunition. The rest, focus on the horde, don't let them through. Initiate phase two, Commander."

"Understood." He answered firmly, cutting the connection.

Before they could ask anything, a war horn blared loudly, and the Camelot appeared above us all, coming down from high above. Soon, the cannons on it began roaring like an angry dragon, shooting not magic but actual projectiles, hitting the shell of the mollusk. A moment later, my new generation planes also whizzed past us, demonstrating to everyone what a precision bombing looked like, throwing their ordinance on the mollusk before pulling high towards the sky and making a loop above it.

While explosions painted the Pass orange, I turned from the view and looked directly at the Union leaders before me.

“I wanted you to see this, to understand the future of your nations,” I said. “And there is no future—not unless we hold this line... And Avalon is the line. You can scheme,” I continued, gazing at Damar for a moment before looking over the rest, "but scheme at your own risk. If it ends up stabbing me in the back, you are simply opening the door to something like this." I finished pointing towards the monster. The moment I did, it began wailing loudly; its body was abruptly pierced by massive spear-like rods, hurled at it at supersonic speeds from the Rook and the Princess, finally piercing its shell, hurting the bastard. "Good luck with killing it with your armies..."