The rumors began spreading long before the machines were completed.

Workers whispered about:

rapid-fire rifles,

moving iron fortresses,

explosive launchers capable of destroying knights,

and strange experiments beneath the lower forge districts.

Most people assumed half the stories were exaggerated.

The other half terrified them anyway.

Because Elarion no longer resembled a normal northern territory.

It resembled a civilization racing toward something unknown.

Deep beneath the industrial quarter, hidden below layers of reinforced workshops and steel vault doors—

Elarion’s experimental division expanded continuously.

The lower engineering halls thundered with noise:

steam hammers,

pressure boilers,

rotating machining systems,

and endless testing explosions.

Mostly controlled explosions.

Mostly.

Cedric walked through the underground complex beside Lucien while covering one ear after another distant blast echoed through the tunnels.

"...Please tell me that was intentional."

An engineer nearby answered immediately:

"We think so."

Cedric looked exhausted already.

"Wonderful."

The underground facilities had grown massively over recent months.

Entire sections now focused purely on military experimentation:

reinforced steel,

pressure engines,

chemical propellants,

advanced artillery mechanisms.

And at the center of it all—

Madness.

Inside the primary testing hall, Gandalf stood before a gathering of engineers while massive steel sheets covered the walls behind him.

The wizard looked unusually excited.

Which honestly worried everyone nearby.

"Today," he announced dramatically, "we test mobility systems for the steam landship!"

Cedric sighed deeply.

"You named it already."

"Of course." "It deserves glory."

The enormous machine resting at the center of the hall looked barely functional.

Massive iron plating covered the outer frame while thick steam pipes ran across its sides like exposed veins.

The tracked movement system remained incomplete. One side was visibly larger than the other. Several engineers stood nearby holding emergency shutdown levers nervously.

Lucien studied the prototype calmly.

"Pressure stability?"

Ironbreaker answered from atop the machine.

"Stable enough."

Cedric immediately frowned.

"Those words should never exist together."

Fair honestly.

Gandalf climbed dramatically onto the side platform afterward.

"Begin ignition!"

Several engineers immediately activated the boiler systems.

Steam erupted through the chamber.

The machine trembled violently.

Metal groaned. Pressure valves hissed. One apprentice quietly started praying.

Then—

The steam tank moved.

Slowly.

Painfully.

But it moved.

The massive iron machine rolled forward several feet while thick black smoke poured upward into the chamber ceiling.

Every engineer froze.

Then erupted into cheering.

Ironbreaker roared triumphantly from above.

"IT LIVES!"

Cedric stared blankly at the moving metal monster.

"...That thing weighs more than a fortress gate."

Gandalf looked deeply proud.

"And someday it will carry cannons."

That sentence caused visible concern among several nearby officers.

Because unfortunately—

Everyone there could imagine it.

Armored landships crossing battlefields while riflemen advanced behind steel walls.

Even incomplete, the machine already looked unnatural beside traditional medieval warfare.

Lucien observed it silently.

Then:

"Speed?"

The machine immediately stopped moving.

Steam burst sideways. A gear exploded loudly.

The tank tilted slightly to one side.

Silence followed.

Ironbreaker slowly climbed down covered in soot.

"...Still improving."

Cedric pointed immediately.

"See?" "That!" "That is why speed matters!"

Elsewhere inside the underground complex—

Another testing chamber prepared for live weapon trials.

Unlike the steam tank hall, this area looked heavily reinforced.

Thick steel walls. Protective barriers. Emergency sand pits.

Which honestly inspired very little confidence.

Gandalf proudly carried the newest launcher prototype toward the firing position while several engineers followed nervously behind him.

The long tube-shaped weapon rested across reinforced supports while explosive warheads lined the nearby tables carefully.

Cedric stopped walking.

"...I suddenly understand why the walls are thicker here."

The wizard ignored him completely.

"Today we test armor penetration!"

Lucien looked toward the reinforced steel target positioned across the chamber.

Thick plating. Knight-grade steel.

Normal arrows would shatter against it.

Even rifles struggled somewhat at range.

Gandalf loaded the launcher proudly.

"Observe."

One engineer quietly whispered:

"Everyone stand farther back this time."

Good advice honestly.

The wizard ignited the firing mechanism. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

For one second—

Nothing happened.

Then fire exploded backward violently while the rocket projectile screamed across the chamber trailing smoke and sparks.

BOOM.

The steel target vanished.

Not damaged.

Vanished.

Fragments slammed against the reinforced walls while dust filled the chamber instantly.

Silence followed.

Complete silence.

Cedric slowly lowered his hands from his ears.

"...What."

One nearby engineer looked pale.

"The armor plate was six inches thick."

Ironbreaker stared at the smoking crater quietly.

"...Oh."

That single word somehow carried genuine concern.

Because now even the dwarf understood.

This weapon changed things.

Heavy cavalry? Knight charges? Mana-armored infantry?

Suddenly all seemed far less invincible.

Gandalf looked absolutely delighted.

"It works!"

Cedric pointed toward the crater.

"You just erased a wall!"

"Yes!"

"That is NOT reassuring!"

Lucien remained silent while observing the destroyed armor plate carefully.

Then finally asked:

"Reload time?"

The engineers blinked.

Because honestly—

That was the terrifying question.

Not whether it worked.

How quickly it could work again.

Later that night, reports from the underground facilities reached the upper fortress command chamber.

Military advisors reviewed the new experimental results carefully beneath dim lantern light.

The atmosphere felt strange.

Not excitement.

Unease.

One officer finally muttered:

"These weapons don’t fit the current world."

No one disagreed.

Because Elarion was no longer improving existing warfare.

It was beginning to replace it.

Rifle regiments already challenged knights.

Machine guns threatened infantry formations.

Now:

steam armor,

explosive launchers,

industrial artillery,

and mechanized warfare concepts emerged simultaneously.

Too fast.

Far too fast.

Malen folded his arms afterward.

"If war begins now..."

His eyes moved toward the weapon reports.

"...the south has no idea what it is walking into."

Far above the city atop the fortress walls, Aurethar watched the industrial glow beneath the snowy night.

The dragon’s golden eyes reflected:

furnaces,

smoke towers,

moving trains,

and endless factory fire.

Lucien stood beside him silently.

For several moments neither spoke.

Then Aurethar finally rumbled softly:

"You are changing warfare faster than kingdoms can adapt."

Below them, another experimental explosion echoed faintly from the underground districts.

The dragon blinked once.

"...Should I be concerned?"

Lucien answered calmly.

"Yes."

Aurethar stared at him.

Then suddenly laughed.

A deep thunderous laugh rolled across the fortress cliffs while smoke drifted from his jaws.

"Oh this will be entertaining."

Far to the south, House Valcriox continued preparing for eventual war.

But they still imagined:

cavalry charges,

noble banners,

knight formations,

and traditional battlefields.

They still did not understand.

The next war would not resemble the old world at all.