The patrol's heavy footsteps echoed through the smog about 200 meters behind them as Alucent pressed against the brass-reinforced wall of what looked like another converted workshop, his breathing mask fogged with condensation and his frock coat torn from scrambling through debris fields that had once been residential gardens, The temperature had climbed to maybe 11°C as the morning progressed but the humidity from all the steam vents made it feel way worse.
Eight minutes until those Rune-Armors reach the explosion site and start tracking our movements, assuming they're good at what they do, and they probably are.
"The workshop entrance should be directly ahead" Mira whispered, her gray eyes scanning the smog-choked street for signs of additional patrols "Brass door with Coalition markings, though they're subtle enough that occupation forces have missed them for months"
The workshop was exactly where she had indicated, a 200 square meter space filled with massive brass gears that looked like they had been salvaged from larger industrial equipment, some of the gears were almost 2 meters in diameter and showed signs of recent modification for purposes that were not immediately obvious, Coal dust covered every surface but the workspace was organized and functional.
"Impressive setup" Gryan observed as they slipped inside, his mechanical arm releasing steam that fogged his breathing mask "These gears represent advanced engineering, probably repurposed from Steamwagon manufacturing equipment"
The centerpiece of the workshop was a Runewell that had been partially concealed beneath brass plating but was still accessible for magical work, maybe 1.5 meters in diameter with the kind of complex inscription patterns that indicated serious Thread manipulation capabilities, The amber glow was flickering between normal and corrupted red in a way that suggested the magical infrastructure was under serious strain.
"How much for a Runewell like this?" Raya asked examining the inscription work "If someone wanted to purchase one legally"
"About 120 Silverweaves for a new one" Mira replied "Though this particular unit was liberated from one of Eloha's supply convoys, so the Coalition's investment was considerably less"
120 Silverweaves was serious money, the kind of magical infrastructure that represented months of savings for most people, but having access to a functional Runewell in the middle of enemy territory could make the difference between success and total failure when they finally confronted the Loom chamber defenses.
As they moved deeper into the workshop, Alucent noticed that his breathing mask was slipping slightly, the improvised straps not quite tight enough to maintain a proper seal against the toxic atmosphere, Every breath was bringing in traces of Void-corrupted smog that made his eyes water and left a metallic taste in his mouth.
"The Voidshard cache is concealed beneath the main workbench" Mira explained leading them toward a brass-reinforced table that looked like it had been designed for heavy mechanical work "Same principle as the forge hideaway, mundane concealment rather than magical protection"
The hidden compartment contained exactly what they had hoped for, another collection of purified Voidshard crystals that pulsed with blue-white energy, these ones were slightly larger than the forge cache and included documentation that indicated they had been processed for combat enhancement rather than general utility work.
"Combat grade Voidshards" Sir Vorn announced examining the crystals with professional interest "Designed specifically for weapon and armor enhancement, probably worth about 200 Silverweaves each on the black market"
200 Silverweaves per crystal, that meant they were looking at maybe 5,000 Silverweaves worth of enhancement materials, the kind of resources that could fund a small mercenary company or purchase enough equipment to outfit a serious military operation, But more importantly the crystals could provide temporary Thread advancement that might let them match Eloha's defensive capabilities.
"How many can we safely carry?" Raya asked "And how long do the enhancement effects last"
"Maybe eight crystals without compromising mobility" Gryan calculated checking the weight distribution in his pack "Enhancement duration varies but typically one to two hours per crystal depending on the specific application"
As they loaded the Voidshard crystals, Alucent felt something nagging at the back of his mind, a sense that they were missing something important about the tactical situation, The Rune-Armor patrol was probably reaching the explosion site right about now and experienced trackers would have no difficulty following their path through the smog-filled streets.
We're running out of time and we haven't even reached the maintenance tunnel yet, plus every minute we spend here increases the chance of getting cornered by superior forces.
"Tavin, any recent visions about immediate threats" he asked while securing his share of the crystals "Something that might give us advance warning about patrol movements"
Tavin's eyes went distant as he touched his Runetoken, the copper disc pulsing with sympathetic energy as another vision took hold, but instead of the usual brief glimpse this one seemed to stretch on for way longer than normal, his face growing pale as whatever he was seeing played out in his mind.
"Three Shadebinders approaching from the south" he whispered urgently "Maybe two minutes out, moving fast and they know exactly where we are"
"How could they know our location?" Mira demanded, her Steamwrench already in her hands as she prepared for combat "We've been careful about concealment and the workshop location is supposed to be secret"
"Tracking runes" Sir Vorn realized with obvious alarm "They must have placed magical markers during the earlier engagement, probably while we were focused on the rescue operation"
Tracking runes, that meant the Shadebinders had been planning this ambush from the moment they withdrew from the forge explosion site, using the rescue operation as an opportunity to tag their equipment with magical tracers that would lead pursuit forces directly to any hideaway or meeting place.
"Can we remove the tracking runes?" Alucent asked though he suspected they were way past the point where magical countermeasures would be effective "Or at least disrupt them enough to break the trail"
"Not in the time available" Sir Vorn replied grimly "Removal requires careful analysis and precise counter-inscription work, probably fifteen minutes minimum for each rune"
Fifteen minutes they absolutely did not have, which meant fighting was inevitable and they would be facing opponents who had chosen the time and place of engagement, the kind of tactical disadvantage that got people killed when they were already operating behind enemy lines.
"Defensive positions" Raya ordered drawing her Weaveblade as the sound of approaching footsteps became audible through the workshop walls "Use the gear assemblies for cover and try to keep them from surrounding us"
But even as they took cover behind the massive brass gears, Alucent realized that this might be the perfect opportunity to test combat enhancement techniques under actual battle conditions, the kind of practical application that could make the difference between surviving the next few minutes and becoming casualties in someone else's war.
"I can enhance weapons with combat runes" he announced pulling out his Runequill despite the terrible timing "Thread 3 level work, that should provide significant damage and accuracy bonuses"
"How long does the inscription take?" Mira asked checking the workshop entrances for signs of forced entry "And how much enhancement are we talking about?"
"Maybe thirty seconds per weapon for basic combat enhancement" Alucent replied as he began etching the first rune pattern "Damage increase of about 50%. Plus improved accuracy and armor penetration"
The combat rune took shape on Raya's Weaveblade, red light cutting through the smog-filled air as Alucent channeled Runeforce through his connection to the workshop's concealed Runewell, The pattern was about 9 square centimeters of precisely aligned inscriptions designed to channel kinetic energy and provide structural stability under extreme stress.
Working in the forge heat was way more difficult than normal rune inscription, the ambient temperature of maybe 100°C making it hard to maintain the precision required for Thread 3 level rune, sweat was getting in his eyes and the breathing mask was fogging up constantly, creating visual distortions that could ruin the entire inscription if he made even a small mistake.
Come on, just need to maintain steady lines and proper alignment, can't let the environmental conditions mess this up when we're about to get into serious combat.
But in his haste to complete the enhancement before the Shadebinders arrived, Alucent felt his control wavering slightly, the red glow of the combat rune flickering as reality distortion crept in around the edges of the inscription matrix, The kind of dangerous instability that could cause the entire pattern to collapse or worse, explode and take half the workshop with it.
"Rune stability dropping" Sir Vorn warned watching the inscription work with obvious concern "Environmental interference plus rushed inscription, significant risk of catastrophic failure"
"I can stabilize it" Alucent insisted, though he was not entirely sure that was true "Just need to channel more power through the connection and compensate for the atmospheric corruption"
The Runewell responded to his call for additional power, amber energy flowing through the brass-concealed conduits to reinforce the combat rune inscription, but the increased power flow was also amplifying the reality distortion effects, creating brief glimpses of shadow figures moving independently around the workshop edges.
And then the Shadebinders were through the door, three figures about 5'9" wrapped in cloaked darkness that seemed to absorb light from the surrounding area, their red eyes glowing with corrupted energy and Voidshard blades already in motion, 15-centimeter weapons that moved with the kind of professional speed that marked experienced killers.
"Contact" Raya called out as her enhanced Weaveblade met the first Shadebinder's attack, the combat rune flaring with red light as it amplified the impact force and sent sparks cascading through the workshop air "Enhancement working, significant damage increase"
The first exchange lasted maybe ten seconds, a flurry of strikes and counterstrikes that left scoring marks on brass gears and sent fragments of corrupted metal flying in every direction, Raya's enhanced weapon was definitely more effective than normal but the Shadebinders were fast and coordinated, spreading out to attack from multiple angles.
"Left flank" Gryan called out as his mechanical arm intercepted a Voidshard blade that would have opened Tavin's throat, hydraulic systems screaming as they absorbed impact force that would have shattered normal human bones "These things hit harder than standard weapons"
The second Shadebinder pressed its attack against Gryan's position, 2-minute exchanges of mechanical precision against corrupted speed, sparks flying as Voidshard met enhanced brass in impacts that rang like bells throughout the workshop space, but the artificer's defensive systems were holding and his mechanical arm was providing reach advantages.
"Mira, gear jam" Alucent called out as he saw an opportunity to trap the third Shadebinder, the corrupted figure had moved between two of the massive brass gears in pursuit of what it thought was an easy target "thirty seconds to engage the mechanism"
Mira's Steamwrench found the gear engagement lever and threw it with the kind of practiced motion that came from months of mechanical work, the massive brass assemblies beginning to rotate with grinding mechanical precision, but the third Shadebinder was faster than they had expected and almost clear of the crushing zone.
Almost but not quite, the Voidshard blade caught in the gear teeth and the corrupted figure was pulled into the mechanical assembly with a sound like breaking glass mixed with grinding metal, but in the ten seconds it took for the gears to complete their crushing motion the trapped Shadebinder managed one final attack.
"Mira!" Alucent shouted but it was already too late, the Voidshard blade had found her throat in a 2-second slash that opened arteries and windpipe with surgical precision, her gray eyes going wide with shock as blood poured down the front of her leather apron, the Steamwrench falling from hands that suddenly had no strength.
She hit the workshop floor hard, her body convulsing as blood loss and trauma overwhelmed her system, but her eyes remained conscious and aware, looking directly at Alucent with an expression that was somehow more disappointed than afraid, as if she had expected better from someone who claimed to be able to protect people.
"Medical rune" he said dropping to his knees beside her and pulling out his Runequill "Healing pattern, stop the bleeding and stabilize vital functions"
But even as he began etching the emergency medical inscription, Alucent could see that Mira's injuries were way beyond what Thread 3 healing runes could address, the throat wound had severed too many critical structures and she was losing blood faster than any magical intervention could replace it.
"Too late for healing work" Sir Vorn said gently as the remaining Shadebinders melted back into the smog-filled streets "The damage is too extensive for field medicine"
Mira's lips moved as if she was trying to say something, but no sound came from her damaged throat, only blood that bubbled and frothed as her breathing became increasingly labored, Her gray eyes remained fixed on Alucent's face with that same expression of disappointed expectation.
You should have been faster with the combat rune, should have enhanced everyone's weapons instead of just Raya's, should have anticipated the throat attack and provided better protection.
"She is gone" Raya said after checking for pulse and breathing "Nothing we can do now except honor her sacrifice and continue the mission"
The entire engagement had lasted maybe thirty seconds from first contact to Mira's death, brutal efficiency that left no time for heroic gestures or last-minute saves, just the kind of sudden violence that defined real combat when people fought with weapons designed to kill rather than wound.
"The other Shadebinders escaped" Gryan reported from his position by the workshop entrance "Probably reporting our location and capabilities to higher command, we should expect reinforcement within minutes"
As they prepared to evacuate the workshop, Alucent found a leather pouch beside Mira's body, 25 Silverweaves that represented payment for the Voidshard cache seizure, money that she had prepared but never had the chance to distribute, The coins were still warm from her body heat.
25 Silverweaves, that's what a human life was worth in economic terms, less than the cost of a single Voidshard crystal and nowhere near enough to compensate for losing someone who had been fighting Eloha's occupation since the beginning.
"We take the payment" Raya said when she saw him hesitating "Mira would want the Coalition's resources used against Eloha rather than left to rot in abandoned workshops"
"There are bandages in the medical supplies" Tavin said checking through the workshop equipment "Basic first aid materials, maybe worth 10 Copperweaves if we can find someone to trade with"
10 Copperweaves for bandages that might prove essential when they reached the Loom chamber and faced whatever defenses Eloha had prepared, practical resources that could make the difference between mission success and bleeding out in some forgotten tunnel beneath his fortress.
As they gathered their equipment and prepared to leave, Alucent took one last look at Mira's body, her gray eyes now staring sightlessly at the workshop ceiling and her blood soaking into coal dust that had been accumulating for months, The woman who had welcomed them into the resistance network and risked her life to help with the rescue operation.
"Her death is on me" he said as they prepared to abandon the workshop "If I had been faster with the combat enhancements, if I had prioritized better protection runes, she would still be alive"
"Her death is on Eloha" Sir Vorn corrected firmly "The man who created this situation and forced good people into desperate resistance, Your rune work saved lives during the forge rescue and will continue to do so"
"The combat rune worked perfectly" Raya added testing her enhanced Weaveblade "1.5x damage increase plus improved accuracy, exactly what you promised, The tactical situation was just impossible to control"
But even as they offered reassurance, Alucent could not shake the feeling that there had been something he could have done differently, some combination of runes and tactics that would have let them capture the Voidshard cache without losing someone who had trusted them to know what they were doing.
Is this what real consequences look like? not the sanitized version from Academy training exercises where mistakes meant lower grades rather than dead friends.
"Tavin, any visions about the patrol routes" he asked as they prepared to leave the workshop "We need to reach the maintenance tunnel without running into those Rune-Armors"
"The patrols are converging on this district" Tavin replied, his Runetoken pulsing with increasingly rapid light "Multiple units, at least fifteen Rune-Armors plus support elements, They know we're here and they're systematically searching every building"
Fifteen Rune-Armors meant overwhelming force, the kind of opposition that could crush their entire team even with Voidshard enhancement and superior magical training, They needed to reach the maintenance tunnel immediately or risk getting trapped in a running battle through Iron Vale's industrial maze.
"Time to go" Raya said leading the way toward the workshop's rear exit "And time to figure out how we honor Mira's sacrifice by actually completing this mission"
The smog swirled around them as they slipped back into Iron Vale's polluted streets, leaving behind the workshop that had provided temporary shelter and the body of a woman who had died because they had been too slow with protective magic, Every step taking them deeper into enemy territory with the sound of approaching patrols growing louder.
Behind them the brass gears continued their mechanical rotation, crushing the remains of the trapped Shadebinder into fragments that would probably never be identified, but ahead the maintenance tunnel entrance waited somewhere in the industrial district's labyrinthine layout, their only chance of reaching Eloha's fortress without fighting through an army of defenders.
"The maintenance tunnel should be about 200 meters northeast" Alucent said consulting the directions Mira had provided before her death "Hidden entrance beneath what looks like routine steam venting, assuming the intelligence is still accurate"
200 meters through hostile territory where every shadow might conceal enemies and every sound could bring patrols down on their heads, but they were committed now, carrying Voidshard crystals worth thousands of Silverweaves and magical enhancements that would either let them complete their impossible mission or die in the attempt.
"Stay low and move fast" Raya whispered as they navigated between steam vents and industrial debris "And remember that Mira's death means something only if we succeed in stopping Eloha's ritual"
The smog closed around them like a gray shroud as they disappeared into Iron Vale's industrial maze, concealing their movement but also hiding the patrols that were systematically searching for the outsiders who had disrupted the occupation's careful control, Everything now depending on speed and stealth and the hope that Mira's sacrifice would not prove to have been in vain.
Somewhere ahead the maintenance tunnel waited, their only path to the fortress that contained both their objective and enough defensive capability to kill them all, but behind them the workshop settled into the kind of silence that marked another small tragedy in Eloha's campaign to dominate the Council territories through fear and superior firepower.
The war was personal now.