The dawn following their final night together arrived quickly, painting the Aerion sky with streaks of pale light. It felt both hopeful and sad.

Henry stood near the East Gate, watching Unit 18 assemble. Their movements were efficient, practiced, and showed the focused anticipation that always preceded a deployment.

Sophia, clad once more in practical leathers and mail, moved among them. Her presence showed great competence as she performed final equipment checks alongside Jacobs.

She caught Henry's eye across the bustling garrison yard and offered him a bright, reassuring smile. Yet, it was unable to conceal the flicker of shared sadness in her amber eyes. He returned the smile, forcing a confidence he didn't fully feel – Iskadra - even its edge. The name brought a chill, like death.

Jacobs gave the final command. Horses stamped impatiently, breath misting in the cool air. Henry watched as Sophia swung gracefully into her saddle. Her gaze lingered on him for a long moment, a silent promise exchanged across the distance. Then, with a final nod from Jacobs, the unit moved out. Their figures moved away down the road leading north, swallowed by the morning haze.

Henry noted the four cargo carts lumbering behind the main column. They were laden with innocuous supplies, a mundane cover for Sophia's potentially revolutionary, yet untested, plan. He stood there until the echo of hoofbeats faded. The warmth of Sophia's parting kiss still lingered on his lips, a stark contrast to the cold knot of worry tightening in his stomach. He pushed it down. Duty called. His path lay elsewhere today.

Turning back towards the imposing structure of the East Aerion Bureau branch, Henry reviewed the mission dossier Ragley had assigned him late the previous evening - Laqbork Mine. A relatively new discovery in the rugged foothills several hours east of the capital.

The initial reports were puzzling, quickly escalating from minor anomaly to C-rank threat. For the past two weeks, low-level subterranean creatures - rock grubs, cave lizards, typically timid fauna - had been fleeing the mine entrance en masse, exhibiting signs of extreme panic.

The Dwarven mining consortium operating the site, led by a clan chief named Gomir, had prudently ceased operations. Their initial reconnaissance attempts using standard Rank 2 Construct Workers - automatons powered by small aether cores - had ended abruptly. Contact was lost. Subsequent recovery teams found only shattered stone fragments, the vital aether cores inexplicably missing.

The situation escalated dramatically when Gomir deployed a Rank 3 Construct Warrior, piloted remotely by an experienced Dwarven operator. Contact was again lost swiftly, but not before the operator transmitted a single, horrifying visual confirmation back to the surface: Shardbeast. A Rank 4 geological predator, immensely powerful, its hide thick as granite and studded with naturally occurring aether crystals.

These creatures typically inhabited only the deepest, ore-rich strata, miles below the surface. Its presence near the shallow entrance shafts of Laqbork was unnatural, an aberration that sent ripples of alarm through the normally unflappable Dwarven clan and triggered an urgent request for Bureau intervention.

Henry met his assigned partner for this mission, Senior Investigator Neil, near the Bureau's Great Eagle aerie. Neil was a Rank 4 swordsman, Henry recognized by reputation - calm under pressure, pragmatic, known for his combat techniques involving a signature brightly glowing aether-infused blade.

Neil offered Henry a curt nod, his expression serious. It betrayed none of the Bureau's internal gossip about Henry's anomalous promotion or the investigation.

"Strike," Neil greeted him, his voice even. "Ready? Ragley wants boots on the ground at Laqbork before midday."

"Ready, Investigator," Henry confirmed, appreciating Neil's professional focus.

The Great Eagle flight was swift, the powerful beasts covering the distance far faster than any horse. They touched down near the makeshift encampment established at the Laqbork mine entrance, the air thick with the scent of damp earth, coal smoke, and underlying anxiety.

A delegation of Dwarves met them, led by Gomir himself - stout, powerfully built despite his short stature, his thick grey beard braided with silver rings, the usual brightness in his intelligent features was dimmed by worry

"Investigators!" Gomir boomed, his voice gravelly but laced with relief. "Welcome to Laqbork. Or what's left of our prospects." He gestured towards the dark, forbidding mine entrance. "The situation is unsettling. This was meant to be a rich vein, barely tapped. Now…" He shook his head, a sigh escaping him. "Something has driven the deep things mad with fear, and something else… something powerful… has claimed the upper levels."

Neil nodded, his attention shifting to the mine entrance. His hand went to the hilt of his sword as he scanned the darkness within. "We have the preliminary reports, Chief Gomir. The fleeing fauna, the destroyed Constructs, the Shardbeast sighting. Tell us everything else. Any unusual seismic activity? Strange energy readings before the incidents began?"

As Gomir launched into a detailed recounting of the past fortnight's escalating anomalies, Henry closed his eyes briefly, turning his focus inward, extending his Mystic Sense.

He kept the radius tight initially, seventy meters passive, wary of Neil's potential perception. The psychic landscape confirmed Gomir's words. A pervasive wave of primal fear came from the mine's depths, a chaotic scramble of low-level monster fleeing some terror. But beneath that, stronger, more focused, was a different resonance - a simmering, resentment, laced with a gnawing, hunger, coming from a powerful entity lurking not far beyond the entrance - the Shardbeast.

He pushed the Sense further, examining the scattered fragments of the destroyed Construct Worker near the entrance, the pieces Neil and Gomir were now discussing. His perception confirmed it instantly - the small depressions where the aether cores should have been were empty, wiped clean, leaving behind only a faint, lingering residue of absorption.

He opened his eyes as Gomir finished his account, Neil frowning thoughtfully. Henry offered his observation. "The Construct fragments… their power cores are missing entirely. It suggests the Shardbeast might be acting out of desperation. Perhaps," he ventured, linking it to the hunger he'd sensed, "it's starving? Driven from its usual feeding grounds deeper within, it consumed the cores as an alternative energy source?"

Gomir looked skeptical. "Ate aether cores? Preposterous! Shardbeasts consume raw ore, Investigator, crystalline structures! Not refined energy sources!"

Neil, however, considered it. "Under duress, instincts can override typical behavior," he mused. "If it was displaced, starving… the cores would represent concentrated energy. A desperate measure, perhaps."

"The resentment I sense from it feels… profound," Henry added, careful to attribute the feeling to intuition rather than direct perception. "Like a territorial creature driven mad by hunger and displacement. Perhaps offering its food source might pacify it? At least temporarily?" He looked towards Gomir. "Do you have raw, low-grade crystalline ore available? Something suitable for its diet?"

Gomir blinked, surprised by the unconventional suggestion, then chuckled, stroking his beard. "Ore? Aye, Investigator, that we have aplenty! Low-grade quartz, feldspar conglomerates… worthless to us, but perfectly palatable for a Shardbeast, I'd wager. A clever notion! Appease the beast before confronting it?" He agreed, dispatching miners to fetch a sizable quantity from their storage bunkers.

Minutes later, a large pile of dull, greyish rock laced with faint crystalline veins sat near the mine entrance. Henry volunteered for the next step. "Allow me. A single approach might seem less threatening." Neil nodded, taking a defensive position with Gomir and the other Dwarves several yards back.

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Henry carefully lifted several large chunks of ore, the weight significant even for his Rank 3 strength. He walked slowly, towards the dark opening, projecting calm, non-hostile intent. He stepped just inside the tunnel, the air instantly cooler, damper, carrying the faint, acrid scent of the Shardbeast's lair. He placed the ore blocks conspicuously on the tunnel floor, about ten meters in, then backed away slowly, rejoining the others.

They waited. Silence stretched, broken only by the distant dripping of water within the mine. Then, a low rumbling sound echoed from the darkness. Heavy, scraping footsteps approached.

A massive silhouette began to coalesce in the gloom - the Shardbeast. It paused at the edge of the light, its crystalline hide catching faint reflections, its small, deep-set pupils contracting.

Henry felt its caution, its suspicion warring with the overwhelming hunger radiating from it. After a long moment, the beast lumbered forward, lowered its massive head, and began grinding the ore blocks with powerful jaws, the sound echoing like rocks tumbling in an avalanche.

A sigh of relief went through the waiting group. The threat seemed contained.

For the next three days, an uneasy truce held. Henry, Neil, and Gomir took turns delivering piles of ore to the designated spot just inside the mine entrance.

They maintained their distance, observing the Shardbeast's behavior. The creature grew bolder, appearing more quickly for its 'offerings'. Its suspicion seemed replaced by a grudging tolerance, perhaps even a primitive understanding. It devoured the ore greedily, then retreated back into the darkness, leaving them unmolested.

On the fourth day, while the Shardbeast was noisily occupied with its largest offering yet, the trio seized the opportunity. Equipped with portable lumen-orbs and climbing gear, they slipped past the feeding beast, deeper into the mine, venturing into the network of tunnels that lay beyond its usual patrol area.

Henry activated his Mystic Sense to its full seventy-meter radius, the spectral map of the subterranean world blooming in his mind.

The tunnels were a complex, disorienting maze, branching and intersecting unpredictably. But overlaying the physical structure was the scent trail he sought - that strange, sharp metallic odor mixed with old blood he'd noticed faintly near the entrance, growing stronger now, leading deeper. It felt… artificial. Unnatural.

They followed the scent trail, lumen-orbs casting dancing shadows on the damp rock walls. After descending through several winding passages, they emerged into a wider cavern. And stopped dead.

Before them stood another Construct. Not the shattered remains of a Worker or Warrior, but something larger, more intact, radiating a aura of dormant power.

It resembled the standard Construct Warden design depicted in military manuals - bipedal, heavily armored, built for guarding sensitive locations - but something was wrong.

The smooth grey stone of its chassis was marred by angry red veins pulsing with erratic energy. Its optical sensors, usually a calm blue, glowed with a malevolent crimson light. And embedded within its chest cavity, where the primary aether core should reside, pulsed that same furious red energy, unstable, corrupted.

Gomir gasped, his face paling beneath his beard. "A Warden? Here? Impossible! These only guard ruins of the Ancients! This mine is new… unless…" His breath caught, a mixture of dawning horror and excitement animating his face. "Unless this shaft intersected with something… older? Something hidden?"

Neil drew his greatsword, the blade instantly igniting with its characteristic bright blue aether flame, casting the cavern in stark, contrasting light. "Corrupted," he stated flatly, his gaze fixed on the Warden's pulsating red core. "Its core has been overloaded, twisted. It's not just a guardian anymore; it's a weapon."

Henry nodded, understanding dawning. "This must be what drove the Shardbeast out," he reasoned. "Its lair was invaded, taken over by this… thing. No wonder it was starving and aggressive."

As if sensing their presence, or perhaps reacting to the sudden flare of Neil's aether blade, the Construct Warden stirred. The red light in its core pulsed faster. Its heavy stone head swiveled towards them, optical sensors locking onto their position.

A grinding sound emanated from its internal mechanisms, followed by a high-pitched electronic screech that scraped along their nerves. It raised its massive stone arms, heavy siege hammers integrated into its forearms, and charged.

The battle instantly in the confined space. Gomir reacted instinctively, summoning his Construct Warrior from a deployment rune - the Rank 3 automaton materializing beside him, its own hammer swinging to meet the Warden's charge. Stone crashed against stone with deafening force, sending sparks and chips flying.

Neil became a blur of blue light, his aether-charged blade creating patterns, striking at the Warden's joints, searching for vulnerabilities in the thick, corrupted armor. Each blow landed with force, but the stone, reinforced by the dark energy, resisted, allowing only shallow scores. "Armor's too dense!" Neil grunted, parrying a crushing blow from the Warden's hammer. "Reinforced somehow! We need to disable it at the core!"

"Warrior, hold its position! Create an opening!" Gomir commanded, his face tight with concentration as he directed his automaton. The Rank 3 Construct bravely engaged the Warden, absorbing devastating blows, its own hammer strikes creating minor cracks in the Warden's chassis but suffering greater damage in return.

Henry danced around the periphery of the clash, his Mystic Sense working, mapping the Warden's attack patterns, the flow of corrupted energy within it, the stress points in its armor. He was faster, more agile, but the power difference was immense. A single hit would be fatal.

He darted in after Neil or the Construct Warrior landed a blow, focusing rapid, aether-infused strikes from his sword onto the weaknesses, widening cracks, trying to expose the core. It was like chipping away at a mountain with a toothpick.

The Warden felt tireless, relentless, fueled by its corrupted core, its movements brutally efficient.

Slowly, they were being pushed back. The Construct Warrior buckled under a savage blow, large fissures spreading across its torso. Neil was forced onto the defensive, his blue blade barely deflecting the Warden's relentless assault. Henry dodged a sweeping hammer strike that shattered the rock wall behind him, the shockwave staggering him. It seemed hopeless.

Then, a furious roar echoed from the tunnel behind them. The Shardbeast! It hurtled into the cavern, ignoring the investigators, its massive form slamming into the Construct Warden's flank like a runaway boulder. The Warden, caught by surprise, staggered sideways, its attack momentarily disrupted.

"The Shardbeast!" Neil exclaimed, stunned. "Why…?"

"Revenge," Henry guessed, watching the two stone behemoths grapple. "Or maybe repaying us for the ore."

The Shardbeast fought with primal fury, its crystalline hide offering some protection, its mass staggering the Warden. But the corruption had made the Warden unnaturally strong, faster than it should be. The fight was brutal but brief.

The Warden landed a devastating blow, shattering a large section of the Shardbeast's flank armor, sending crystals spraying. Another blow sent the Shardbeast crashing against the cavern wall, where it lay, roaring in pain, immobilized.

"It bought us an opening!" Gomir yelled, rallying his damaged Construct Warrior for one last effort.

Neil saw it too. While the Warden turned momentarily towards the fallen Shardbeast, Neil poured every ounce of his aether into his blade.

"Rupture Breaker" - unleashing the powerful technique. The blue sword flashed, striking the Warden's chest plate with the force of a thunderclap, directly over the pulsating red core. A large, deep crack fissured across the corrupted stone armor.

"Henry! Now!" Neil gasped, stumbling back, exhausted by the effort.

Henry didn't hesitate. Ignoring the risk, he surged forward, Mystic Sense locking onto the crack. his sword became a silver blur, dozens of thrusts targeting the same weakened point, widening the fissure, chipping away fragments. Gomir's Construct Warrior landed one final, hammer blow on the crack, shattering it completely, exposing the furiously pulsing red aether core within.

All three - Henry, Neil, Gomir's Warrior - were caught in the Warden's immediate, furious counter-attack. A shockwave of corrupted energy blasted outwards. Neil and Gomir were thrown back against the cavern walls. The Construct Warrior crumpled, finally disabled. Henry took the brunt of the wave head-on, staggering back, vision blurring, blood trickling from his nose, but he remained standing, barely.

Through the ringing in his ears, he saw the fallen Shardbeast heave itself forward in one last act. Ignoring its own grievous wounds, it lunged, its jaws clamping down directly onto the exposed, violently pulsing red core.

A muffled, crunch, followed by a blinding flash of red light that quickly faded. The Construct Warden froze mid-swing. The crimson glow in its sensors winked out. Its stone body went rigid, then collapsed forward with a ground-shaking crash, inert, lifeless.

Dust settled slowly in the silence. The Shardbeast disentangled itself from the wreckage, looked towards the three stunned investigators with eyes that seemed almost… weary, then turned and lumbered slowly back into the darkness from which it came, disappearing down a side tunnel.

Henry leaned against the cavern wall, catching his breath, the adrenaline receding, leaving behind exhaustion and aching bruises. They had survived. But the cost had been high. Neil was injured, Gomir's automaton destroyed, the Shardbeast badly wounded. And this was the guardian.

His gaze drifted towards the dark, now-unobstructed passage the Warden had been guarding. A faint, cold energy pulsed from within, carrying that same metallic tang. His Mystic Sense whispered warnings of deeper, older secrets, of power far exceeding what they had just faced.

He looked at Neil, who was slowly getting to his feet, clutching his side. "Investigator," Henry said, "this ruin… whatever lies beyond that passage… it's beyond our current capabilities. That Warden was Rank 4, corrupted. What awaits inside could be worse." He met Neil's gaze directly. "We need backup. This requires Bureau Command intervention."

Neil grimacing in pain but recognizing the truth in Henry's assessment. "Agreed, Strike. Agreed. Let's get Gomir, secure this area, and make the call. This just became Ragley's problem."

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