Baron Gorath stepped out into the evening wind, pausing at the top of the stone stairs. The double doors behind him thudded closed, and for a long moment, he stood still—looking back.
Gorath exhaled sharply.
A long, guttural sigh.
The kind that came from deep in the lungs. Shock, wonder, maybe even fear.
He hadn't said much in that room—but the thing he'd just seen wasn't just a weapon.
It was a threshold.
Cheng, Volker, and Malik came out just behind him, each one with a look of stunned contemplation still fixed to their faces. No one spoke.
Then, from the side of the path, a figure approached.
Ser Edric strode directly toward Malik with his boots sliding through the stairs. In his hands, he held a sheathed longsword.
The blade's casing was an elegant black-lacquered wood, marked faintly with the sigil of Lockewright Industries near the hilt.
He extended it to Malik wordlessly.
"A gift," he said. "From Master Wright."
Malik blinked. "A… gift?"
He took the weapon, unsheathed it halfway.
The edge glowed faintly along the core—runes etched into the steel in a flowing script. Light, balanced, yet not fragile.
When he slid it fully into the hilt on his hip, it felt like it had always belonged there.
Locke hadn't forgotten him.
"Damn," Malik muttered under his breath. "He remembers everything." Remembering that he once requested a custom sword that would fit him well.
As the others began descending the steps toward the carriage waiting below, Volker broke the silence with a slow shake of his head.
"If that damn thing really can vaporize an imperial battleship," he said, voice low and rough, "along with the knights riding on it… maybe it's worth the cost. Recalibration, mana draw—hell, all of it, I don't think we should be putting a price on something as powerful as that."
He turned slightly toward Gorath, who was still half-glancing back toward the building.
"It could be a message. Not just a weapon. A statement. One shot, and every other House would think twice before breathing in our direction. Hell, we might just be the undisputed second to the Empire. It would certainly make our pursuit of the throne easier"
Cheng frowned as they reached the cobbled path near the carriage.
"That's exactly why we can't show it off."
He looked at Volker. Then at the Baron.
"If we put that thing on display, if even one noble sees it… there will be an attempt to make the Empire move. They'll make it known to the public, make some complain to the Imperial Court. The Imperial Officers will classify it. Ban it. Maybe worse, we could be fined a huge penalty."
Volker's lip curled slightly. "Let them try." He joked, quoting a book.
Cheng rolled his eyes, saying firm now. "If we want this to work, it has to be a ghost. Only visible when we're under threat. If we use it as a deterrent, fine—but only if we're attacked first. No flexing. No shows of force."
Gorath gave a small nod. "Discretion. I agree."
"So do I," Volker muttered. "But can you imagine, if the Empire wasn't there to stop us." He had to catch his breathe just to imagine what they could possibly do with a weapon like that.
They climbed into the carriage one by one, boots thudding on iron steps. As they settled in, Malik gave a small, crooked chuckle.
"You all realize that thing is as big as a siege cart, right?" He tapped the floor of the carriage with his foot. "How the hell are we transporting even one of them to Maddach Manor?"
Volker leaned back against the seat, drumming his fingers on the sill. "We'll use the Guild of Imperial Transit Portal."
Malik nodded. "Right, GIT."
Cheng's expression soured instantly, as he heard this.
His jaw clenched.
Gorath saw it. "What?"
Cheng didn't answer immediately.
Then: "That's a problem."
Gorath leaned in slightly looking down and back at Cheng, knowing that when Cheng says there is a problem.
There is a problem.
Cheng took a breath. "The Guild of Imperial Transit—GIT—does customs scans. Mana resonance checks. Full itemized manifest required. If we try to run that weapon through the portal, they'll see it."
"They'll know."
"They'll tell someone," Volker muttered.
"They'll tell everyone," Cheng corrected. "And that ruins everything we are trying to achieve, forget about secrecy, they will probably try to create one of their own."
Malik leaned forward. "So normal transport?"
Cheng shook his head. "Too heavy. Too expensive. Mana carriages can't take the weight. Horses are obviously pointless. And we're not just moving one—we're planning a whole fleet. That's a logistics nightmare, not to mention the amount of manpower needed to protect the thing. Forget the other Major Houses, if a land pirate gets their hands on one of these, everything will have gone to waste."
The air inside the carriage turned thick with quiet.
Volker swore under his breath.
Baron Gorath's eyes stayed fixed on Cheng. "We have to keep it a secret, there is no other way for us."
Cheng looked up. Slowly.
"…I might have a way." He said as he fidgeted with his fingers.
Everyone turned.
Cheng leaned back, speaking more carefully now.
"House Qorhai owns nearly half of Imperial Transit shares. Forty-six percent, last I checked. If we strike a deal with them, we could bypass scans. Or redirect personnel. Maybe even run a false manifest. Or whatever solution that they come up with."
Gorath rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Lady Rhyla already has plans to pressure House Qorhai politically. This might line up."
"No," Cheng said quickly, shaking his head. "Her plans are long-term. Subtle, and will benefit her and Valen the most. And even if it can help us, the plan will take months. We don't have months. We need access within weeks. Maybe days."
Gorath narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying we go to the head of House Qorhai directly."
Cheng nodded once.
Baron Gorath leaned back and said softly, "Then we'll need an audience with the Tai Shan himself."