All words were forgotten in the empty thickness of battle. Sounds of rain and the clashing of weapons seemed remote and insipid. As soon as she saw that thing, Lionna felt a huge anvil drop from outside existence to land with the forgotten harshness of reality on her head. An enormous iron leviathan, towering over the castle walls, lumbered slovenly towards them. Soldiers protecting the castle fell into panicked chaos, disregarding their duties, only able to stare at the thing.

"Shoot! Shoot now! No need to aim at something that size!"

Someone managed to scream a command to the archers. Shocked into reality, Lionna gathered her wits and instinctively held up her spear.

"Maintain order!" She yelled with all her might.

"Think about our comrades, those who fought and died against Antharas, never to return! Act in a manner befitting their sacrifice!" With one foot on the parapet, she aimed her spear at the mechanical blight.

Her officers were first to respond, commanding soldiers to let loose with arrows and magic. However, the arrows bounced off the giant behemoth's iron hull like mad flies. The mystics sent flaming balls of crimson that rode the hot moisture, only to leave faint scorch marks on their target.

The gray golem disregarded their combined resistance, treading heavily towards its destination. As it approached the moat, a crossbeam supporting the bridge creaked ominously. Suppressing her urge to scream, Lionna ordered her forces to continue their resistance.

Suddenly, the somnambulant automaton crashed into the castle walls with the full force of its brutish mass. Lionna staggered near the precipice, collapsing into someone who grabbed her tightly and brought her down safely on top of himself, breaking her fall.

Gathering her wits, she realized the person underneath her was sorcerer Dubian of the Ivory Tower. His robes were completely muddied from the rain and his wet hair stuck to his face.

Lionna stood up and returned to the parapet, forgetting to thank her supporter. The berserk machine slowly raised its huge arms to pummel the castle gates. Magic and arrows sent against the giant abated, leaving flames only on one arm, which soon extinguished.

Dejected, Lionna could spur her soldiers no further. Looking off in the distance with a languid gaze, she felt despair consume her entire body.

Dubian spoke.

"That golem was created by Dwarven blacksmiths of the Black Anvil Guild. Look at the mark on its shoulder - it represents the black anvil itself. But to move a body so large requires an extraordinary power source."

Cutting short the lengthy explanation, Lionna replied sharply.

"What does it matter? That thing is going to raze the castle gates. We must find a way to stop it!"

At that moment, the entire castle shook fiercely, with a force much stronger than before. Many soldiers collapsed in their places and sorcerers fell like coins from the Ivory Tower. Lionna held the stone columns of the parapet with both of her hands, barely able to endure the onslaught. With every rise and fall of the golem's huge arms, the thick boards that made up the castle walls were splintered and scattered all around.

Dubian called out while supporting his body against the wall of the lookout tower.

"The one controlling that thing must be a Dwarf of the Black Anvils. We must find him! If we can stop him, this golem will become nothing more than a lifeless iron heap!"

Lionna paid no heed to the arrows that flew in from the attacking camp. Pushing her upper body over the edge of the castle wall, she inspected the scene. Due to the fog of the lake, she could only see a world completely awash in a milky-white haze.

Another violent crash added to the sounds of destruction, resulting in visible cracks on the castle gates. Lionna blinked uncertainly, blinded temporarily by a sudden burst of light that came from the direction of the lake. She ran along the castle wall to determine the cause.

Dubian followed behind her, reciting spells that formed a magic column of circular light. A cat-like creature with unusually large eyes emerged, standing on two feet. The sorcerer uttered more commands and the creature leaped upon the parapet, put its paws to its forehead and gazed across the lake. After a short time, it approached the sorcerer and communicated mentally with its master.

"The Dwarf is at the lake."

With that, Lionna sprang to action. "Bring me a swift horse!"

She hurried toward the stairway. "Fighting an opponent you cannot see is a futile endeavor. One must go directly to the source."

"No, you cannot do that! It is too dangerous!" The Elven oracle Luellin, who had not spoken until now, blocked Lionna's path.

Lionna roughly pushed her aside and shouted,"Get out of my way!"

Luellin staggered slightly, but refused to allow Lionna to pass. She looked intently into her eyes and yelled in desperation, "My life, as well as that of everyone in this castle depends on you!"

Soldiers on the castle walls followed Lionna with their eyes, supporting Luellin's pleas.

Ice-cold drops of rain stung her neck, shoulders and chest. As Lionna muttered to herself, an archer extended his hand and took a position.

"Bow!"

The archer handed his bow to Lionna. She walked quickly to the north end of the castle wall.

"Dubian. Pen and paper."

The sorcerer and oracle followed behind. "Speak. I will write what you say."

Lionna reached the north side of the castle wall and tied the completed letter to an arrow. She relied on memory to find a small thicket located northeast of the castle and pulled the bowstring. The arrow followed an arc as it disappeared into the fog.

A short time later, she looked in the direction the arrow had flown and headed again for the west side of the castle wall. She still had much to accomplish.

Vellion lead a few more than twenty Human and Elven foot soldiers, concealed in a small thicket between the castle and lake. The attackers would not have expected numerically inferior defensive forces to expend a separate unit. Vellion and the foot soldiers departed from the castle through a secret gate to the north, where they awaited further orders.

Having read the letter attached to the arrow, Vellion headed for the lake immediately. They avoided the attackers, which were concentrated mainly in front of the castle gate. Bypassing the eastern side of the castle walls, they traced the edge of the lake according to Lionna's instructions. Fog concealed the group's movements until they reached their destination.

They came face to face with the attackers.

A Dwarf held a lantern that was covered to protect it against the rain. In his other hand, he held a strange mechanical device, shaking and gesturing with it in the golem's direction.

Vellion's eyes met those of the Dwarf. The Dwarf looked back at the Elf, opened his eyes wide in surprise, but began to laugh.

A huge Orc with fierce claws of steel appeared from behind the Dwarf, which quickly turned and hid behind him. The head lieutenant of the foot soldiers also appeared, whose body was encased in heavy armor, emblazoned with the crest of a golden sheep.

Vellion looked at the lake that stretched behind the Orc and sighed. He slowly lifted his sword.