Three Work Cycles later, Nimrod decided to launch a new offensive.
Thierry and Szczesny needed time to form their regiments, while Bukayo was still in the planning stages.
Nimrod decided to take only the 1st Regiment and conquer Szczecin and Mazov.
With his repaired heavy halberd in hand, he led his troops out, leaving Wojciech behind to continue developing waterproof weapons.
Yelena hurried over and joined the force. She had never expected King Nimrod to conquer the powerful Lukpo Hive in such a short time.
Mazov, Upper Hive, ventilation duct.
Maria Kornikova, who stood two meters and one centimeter tall, squeezed machine oil from a tube onto her scimitar.
Another woman, her head shaved bald, was servicing a Las-rifle. She checked the time on her tactical wristwatch and spoke quietly.
"Maria, we're thirteen standard minutes past the agreed rendezvous time. Pironkova is probably dead."
The six women had split into two teams to carry out separate assassination missions. After infiltrating the Hive City, they had gone their separate ways to hunt their targets.
"Tsvetana, she won't be coming. She assassinated Baron Bereszynski and set the security forces on her trail. With her abilities, she couldn't have escaped."
"So it was her. I thought it was you."
Tsvetana spoke in amazement. Of the six women, the other five each had their specialties, but Maria surpassed all of them in every area.
"My target is the security commander. Pironkova created an opening for me."
As Maria spoke, she wiped her blade with a yellow silk cloth.
"Follow me."
Tsvetana hesitated for several seconds. If anyone else had attempted an assassination while the target was on alert, she would have thought they were mad. But Maria could exploit any opportunity.
Walukiewicz, Mazov's garrison commander, felt as though he was going mad. His Communicator kept beeping, and he did not even want to check the messages.
"Walukiewicz, the heir to our House Skorupski has been dead for two Work Cycles. Have you still not caught the killer?"
"Walukiewicz, I am the new head of the Dragowski family. My father, Bereszynski, died during the last Work Cycle. You must hand his killer over to me."
"..."
After wearily dealing with the demands of the various families, Walukiewicz, whose hairline had visibly receded, decided to vent his anger on his subordinates.
He switched to the command channel and roared angrily at all his squad leaders.
"You useless bastards! You can't even pin down one assassin!"
"Fuck! If you don't find her today, don't even think about standing down!"
After ending the call, he gulped down a glass of water and felt a little better.
Then his Communicator beeped again. Walukiewicz flinched and answered listlessly.
"Commander, we found her! We found the assassin! She's hiding in Chemical Plant B-118."
Walukiewicz perked up and shouted.
"Keep your eyes on her! I'm on my way!"
The garrison commander immediately rose and gathered the men around him.
"Come with me. We're catching that idiot who's been making trouble for me today."
He climbed into an open-top command vehicle. Its engine started, and it sped down the street.
Two kilometers from the target, a dazzling beam suddenly flashed and struck a wheel of the speeding vehicle.
The command vehicle immediately lost its balance, spun, and slammed into a wall.
"Assassin!"
Walukiewicz drew his Las-pistol. He had never expected the assassin to be so bold, much less to attack before he had even entered the factory grounds.
Those useless subordinates never reported the assassin breaking out. Could there be more than one?
Walukiewicz did not shout any orders. He did not want to become the assassin's target. Crouching low, he hurried to the wall of a roadside building and surveyed his surroundings.
He realized that the Lasgun had been silenced. It made no sound when fired.
The assassin's aim was precise. Every shot brought down one of his men.
Only after watching for more than ten seconds did he trace the beams back to the assassin's position on a water tower.
An experienced assassin. That water tower supplies fifteen nearby factories. There are too many escape routes.
The garrison commander took out his Communicator and contacted his squad leaders, speaking in a low voice.
"You idiots..."
As he spoke, he failed to notice a figure swiftly approaching from the shadows without a sound.
"Water Tower B-138. I repeat..."
"B..." Cold steel flashed, a scimitar swept past, and his head fell to the ground.
Blood splashed onto Maria's face, but she felt not the slightest ripple of emotion, not even a sense of accomplishment at completing her mission.
After taking Szczecin, Nimrod sent the 7th Company to seize the destroyer Termalica at the spaceport. The other destroyer, Sandecja Nowy Sacz, had been dispatched to the war against the Xenos pirates.
In the royal palace, besides finding a set of potion ingredients for Sequence 9 Reader, he also obtained the main ingredient for Sequence 8 Midnight Poet, the advancement of another Sequence 9, Sleepless: poetry passed down for a thousand years.
The Magadanians were the outcasts most shunned by mainstream Vostonian culture. They valued the category of knowledge that Tech-Priests despised most: culture.
Szczecin's royal palace treasured two poetry collections by poets from Old Terra: Musa Jalil's The Nightingale and the Spring and Herbert's Harmony of Light.
Nimrod left the Third and Ninth Companies to hold the city, then immediately led his troops against Mazov.
The moment he broke into the Upper Hive, he noticed a difference. The security forces that had been the first to react and block his advance in the previous three Hive Cities were nowhere to be seen.
The resistance Nimrod encountered came from Mazov's regular army. After he crushed the defenders with overwhelming force, Yelena brought two assassins to an audience with him.
As he listened to their briefing, he recalled that Maria was the only one of the six who had endured his gaze for a while.
Her willpower is extraordinary.
Nimrod formed that assessment silently as Maria's cool, clear voice reached the final part of her report.
"As I expected, after the garrison commander died, the major families immediately began fighting over the security commander's position. They completely forgot about hunting the assassins. They were still bickering when you entered the Hive City."
Nimrod nodded and spoke approvingly.
"Well done. You exceeded my expectations."
He then said to Yelena, "The three survivors have passed my test."
Besides Maria and Tsvetana in Mazov, one assassin had survived in Szczecin, where their results had been less impressive.
"I'm leaving Mazov and Szczecin to you. Follow Tezwork's example and speed up reconstruction."
In Mazov's palace, Nimrod likewise found a set of Reader potion ingredients. Once again, he found only two items for the other potion: another pair of poetry collections by poets from Old Terra.
One was Anna Andreyevna Akhmatova's Evening, and the other was Adam Zagajewski's Shock.
Nimrod sent the First Company to raid the spaceport and seize the destroyer Vistula.
Only after returning to Tezwork and meeting Kaminski did he realize just how deeply the Magadanians were shunned.
The Sage spoke as soon as he saw him.
"King Nimrod, the God of All Machines was greatly pleased by your punishment of the Magadanians. Before I came here, the Great Bell of the Omnissiah rang three times."
Nimrod did not respond. He believed that art had value too.
The Sage continued.
"Rosicky has forged your armor. Please fulfill our agreement as soon as possible and deal with the Xenos pirates."
"Sage, I will depart before the Nightfall Troupe arrives. I will set foot on the starport in the next Work Cycle."
"Please take Rosicky with you. He will assist you."
Before you continue