Dromos 6, Imperial Year 1645
The Secondary Workshop, Hills Above Velathri – Morning
One month had passed since the great demon's rise. The workshop had changed. The forges burned day and night. The training yard was never empty. New recruits had begun to arrive – not fifty, not yet, but a dozen brave souls who had heard the call.
Vlad stood in the Colossus bay. The bay was still empty. The new suit was still a sketch on parchment. But the plans were progressing.
He turned to the training yard.
The Training Yard – Sparrow
Sparrow stood before a straw target, her left hand holding a practice bow. Her right hand – the hand that had lost two fingers – was wrapped in thin leather. Aldric had restored the fingers, but they were weak, clumsy. She could not draw with her right hand anymore.
She raised the bow with her left. The motion was awkward. The string slipped. The arrow fell.
"Again," Striker said. He stood behind her, his arms crossed.
She nocked another arrow. Drew. Released.
The arrow wobbled, struck the target's edge, and fell.
"Again."
"This is useless," Sparrow muttered.
"It's training. It's supposed to be hard."
She nocked another arrow. Drew. Held. Her left arm trembled.
"Breathe," Striker said.
She breathed. Released.
The arrow struck the center.
Sparrow stared at it. Then she smiled – a small, tired expression.
"One," she said.
"Now do it again."
The Training Yard – Hammer
Hammer stood in the center of a circle of recruits. His left arm was gone below the elbow. A simple leather harness covered the stump. He held a wooden training sword in his right hand.
"You think losing an arm means you can't fight," he said. "You're wrong."
He demonstrated a one‑handed guard, the sword held low and angled.
"You lose reach. You lose power. But you gain speed. You learn to move. You learn to not be where the blade is going."
A recruit stepped forward. "But you can't use a shield."
"No. So I don't get hit." Hammer tapped his chest. "Dodge. Parry. Step in close where their shield is useless."
He gestured for the recruit to attack. The young man swung. Hammer sidestepped, caught the recruit's wrist with his stump, and pressed his sword to the man's throat.
"Like that."
The recruit swallowed. "Yes, sir."
Hammer stepped back. "Again. All of you. Pair up. One‑handed drills."
The recruits moved to practice. Hammer watched, his eyes sharp.
Titan approached. "You're good at this."
"I have to be." Hammer looked at his stump. "I can't swing a hammer anymore. But I can teach."
"That's worth more than one sword."
Hammer grunted. "Maybe."
The Medical Bay – Wall
Wall sat on a cot, her splinted arm resting on a pillow. Aldric had healed the bones, but the muscles were weak, the tendons stiff. She flexed her fingers, one by one.
"Slowly," Aldric said. "Do not force it."
"I can't even hold a shield."
"You will. In time."
"We don't have time."
Aldric was silent. Then he said, "Time is all we have. Rushing will only break you again."
Wall closed her eyes. She flexed her fingers again.
The Forest – The Possessed Bear
Vlad led a team into the eastern woods. Scouts had reported a bear acting strangely – aggressive, fearless, its eyes glowing faintly green. Demonic corruption.
The team was small: Vlad, Hound, Titan, Lynx, and Kithri (the cat beastfolk, who had survived the raid). They moved through the trees in silence.
"There," Kithri whispered, pointing.
The bear was massive – twice the size of a normal brown bear. Its fur was matted, its eyes glowing with that sickly green light. It was tearing apart a dead deer, eating it raw.
"It's possessed," Hound said.
"We need to capture it," Vlad said. "Alive."
Titan frowned. "Why not kill it?"
"Because we need to understand the corruption. If we can find something in its blood – some material, some residue – we may be able to create a weapon against the demons. A coating for blades. A salve. Something that reverses the corruption."
"And if we can't?"
"Then we kill it. But we try first."
Vlad drew a coil of rope – steel‑thread, strong enough to hold a horse. "Lynx, set the snare. Kithri, climb that tree and drop the net. Hound and Titan, drive it toward the snare. I'll cover."
They moved into position.
The bear sensed them. It raised its head, sniffing the air. Then it charged.
Hound stepped into its path, shield raised. The bear slammed into him – he slid back, but held.
Titan struck from the side, his hammer cracking against the bear's ribs. The beast roared, turned, and ran toward the snare.
Lynx pulled the rope. The snare closed around the bear's hind leg. It tripped, fell, thrashed.
Kithri dropped the net. The heavy mesh fell over the bear, tangling its limbs.
Vlad stepped forward, a syringe in his hand – a sedative, strong enough to drop a horse. He drove it into the bear's flank.
The beast struggled for a few seconds. Then its eyes drooped. Its body went still.
"Secure it," Vlad said. "Take it back to the workshop."
The Workshop – Evening
The bear lay in a reinforced cage, sedated but alive. Aldric stood beside it, his hand glowing faintly as he examined the creature.
"The corruption is in its blood," Aldric said. "I can extract samples. If I can isolate the contaminant, I may be able to create an antidote – or a coating that neutralizes demonic essence."
"How long?" Vlad asked.
"Weeks. Perhaps longer. This is not healing. This is alchemy."
"Take whatever time you need."
Vlad turned to the others.
"We are not ready. Not yet. But we are learning. We are adapting. And we will not stop."
The knights nodded.
Hammer raised his training sword. "For the fallen."
"For the fallen," the others echoed.
Vlad looked at them – his family, broken but unbroken.
"Tomorrow, we train again."
End of Chapter Seventy