Pyra 14, Imperial Year 1644
The Southern Marshes, Valdria – Dawn
The marshes were a labyrinth of black water, twisted roots, and hanging moss. The air was thick, heavy, buzzing with insects. Few ventured here. Fewer returned.
The Monster Hunters Guild had sent their best. Valda Ironhand, veteran of a hundred hunts, led her team of three through the reeds. They had tracked the giant crocodile for three days. They were close.
Valda raised a hand. "Stop."
She listened. The marsh was silent – too silent. No birds. No insects. Just the slow drip of water.
"It's here," she whispered.
Her team drew weapons. A crossbow. A spear. A net.
The water exploded.
Pyra 14, Imperial Year 1644 (earlier)
The Black Knights' Camp – Two Hours Before Dawn
Fifty figures stood in formation on a dry ridge overlooking the marsh. Their armor was dark, their masks varied, their weapons gleaming. At their head stood Zero – inside the Colossus.
The Colossus had been improved. It stood fifteen feet tall, a walking fortress of dark steel and brass. Its frame was thicker, layered with plates reinforced with lesser dragon bone. The joints hissed with steam from a more efficient engine, one that burned enchanted coal and vented through grilles on the back. On its left arm, a massive shield – layered with dragon‑bone plating, edged in gold. On its right arm, the 50mm cannon. Across its back, a chain blade – a serrated, steam‑driven weapon for close combat.
Zero's voice came from within, amplified by the suit's speakers.
"The target is a giant crocodile. Forty feet or more. It has survived multiple hunts. It is old, cunning, and dangerous."
He turned the suit's helmet toward the fifty knights behind him. The original twenty stood at the front – Hound, Sparrow, Rook, Lynx, Titan, Phantom, Eagle, Striker, Hammer, Wall, Anvil, Brick, Whip, Javelin, Fang, Bolt, Quiver, Rain, Echo. Behind them, thirty new faces – scouts, skirmishers, archers, and support.
"We are not here for glory. We are here for materials. Its hide will make armor. Its bones will make weapons. Its teeth and claws will be forged into tools. And we will test the new Colossus."
Titan stepped forward, grinning. "You just wanted an excuse to stomp around in that tin can."
"The tin can," Zero replied dryly, "keeps you alive."
Sparrow snorted. "He has a point."
Wall adjusted her shield. "Can we please focus? There's a giant crocodile waiting."
"She's right," Hound said. "Let's move."
Zero stomped forward. The ground shook. "Move out."
Pyra 14, Imperial Year 1644
The Marshes – The Hunt
The Black Knights moved like a single organism. Scouts fanned out – beastfolk and elves, their senses sharp. Frontliners formed a wedge – Titan, Hammer, Wall, and the new heavy knights. Ranged fighters took positions on high ground – Sparrow, Striker, Bolt, Quiver, Rain. Support teams followed – Rook, Echo, and the new medics and analysts.
Zero piloted the Colossus at the center, his steps slow and deliberate, the steam engine hissing.
"Contact," Eagle's voice came through the communication device. "Two hundred meters ahead. It's lying in the water. Huge."
"Hold positions," Zero said. "I'll draw it out."
The Colossus stomped forward. The crocodile rose from the water.
It was larger than the reports suggested – fifty feet from snout to tail, its scales black and green, its eyes yellow. It opened its jaws, revealing rows of teeth like daggers.
Zero raised the Colossus's shield. The crocodile charged.
The impact was tremendous. The Colossus slid back five feet, its shield absorbing the blow. The crocodile's jaws clamped on the shield's edge, but the dragon‑bone plating held.
"Now," Zero said.
The ranged fighters loosed. Arrows, bolts, and throwing spears rained down on the crocodile's back. The scales were thick, but some found gaps – behind the eyes, under the throat.
The crocodile roared and thrashed, releasing the shield. It turned toward the ranged fighters.
"Frontliners, advance."
Titan led the charge. Hammer and Wall followed. They struck the crocodile's flank, driving spears and axes into its side. The beast twisted, its tail whipping. Hammer was thrown back, but his armor absorbed the impact.
"Hammer, you alive?" Sparrow called.
"Still kicking," Hammer grunted, rising. "That thing hits hard."
Zero activated the Colossus's chain blade. The serrated weapon whirred to life, steam hissing. "Everyone clear."
The frontliners scattered.
Zero stepped forward and drove the chain blade into the crocodile's side. The beast convulsed. Blood sprayed. But it did not die.
Zero disengaged the chain blade. He opened the Colossus's chest hatch and stepped out onto the suit's shoulder. In his hands, the zweihander – dark steel, golden line.
"Show off," Lynx muttered.
"He always does this," Rook sighed.
Zero leaped onto the crocodile's head.
The beast thrashed, but Zero's boots found purchase on the scales. He raised the zweihander and drove it down between the eyes.
The blade sank deep. The crocodile convulsed once, twice, then still.
Zero pulled his sword free. "Harvesters, move."
Pyra 14, Imperial Year 1644
The Marshes – Aftermath
The Black Knights worked quickly. Skinners removed the hide. Bone cutters sawed through ribs and spine. Teeth and claws were pulled, cataloged, packed.
The new members moved with practiced efficiency. They had drilled this a hundred times.
Valda Ironhand and her team arrived as the harvest was finishing.
They stopped dead.
The Colossus stood over the crocodile's corpse, steam hissing from its vents. Fifty masked knights moved around it, their armor dark, their weapons strange. At the center, a figure in black and gold – Zero – stood on the Colossus's shoulder, his cape billowing.
"By the gods," one of Valda's team whispered. "What is that thing?"
"A machine," Valda said, her voice tight. "A walking fortress."
Zero's helmet turned toward them. The red lens glowed.
"You are the Monster Hunters."
"We had the contract," Valda said.
"You were too slow." Zero gestured to the carcass. "We have what we need. The corpse is yours. Take what you want."
Valda stared at the Colossus. "What… are you?"
"We are the Black Knights." Zero's voice was flat. "And we do not wait for contracts."
He turned to his knights. "Pack the materials. We move to the next phase."
Titan looked up. "The cultists?"
"The final stronghold," Zero said. "We hunt them at dawn."
The Black Knights cheered – a low, rough sound. They moved with purpose, loading the harvested materials onto sledges.
Valda watched them go. Her team stood frozen.
"We need to report this," she said. "To the king."
Pyra 15, Imperial Year 1644
The Royal Palace, Valdria – The King's Council Chamber
King Theodric sat at the head of the table, his hands folded. Prince Orin stood beside him. The council waited.
Valda Ironhand knelt before them, her armor still damp from the marsh.
"Your Majesty, the giant crocodile is dead."
Theodric raised an eyebrow. "The Monster Hunters Guild succeeded?"
"No, Your Majesty. The Black Knights did."
The room went silent.
"The Black Knights?" Theodric leaned forward. "Tell me everything."
Valda described the Colossus – the walking fortress of steel and brass, the steam engine, the shield, the chain blade. She described the fifty masked knights moving in perfect formation. She described Zero, standing on the machine's shoulder, his cape billowing.
"They harvested the crocodile," she said. "Hide, bones, teeth. And then Zero said they were going to hunt the final stronghold of the cultists."
Theodric was silent for a long moment.
"They are not an army," Orin said. "They are something else."
"Something dangerous," the spymaster muttered.
"Something effective," Theodric countered. He looked at Valda. "You did well to report this. Return to your guild. If the Black Knights contact you again, send word to me directly."
Valda bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
She left.
Theodric stared at the map on the wall. "Zero," he murmured. "What are you building?"
Orin said nothing. He already knew.
But he kept his silence.
End of Chapter Sixty‑Four