The three of them walked slowly toward the Iron Fortress, a cloud of blue mist hovering above their heads.
"What exactly are you? And those Robots just now—were they guards? What were they guarding?"
As they headed toward the Iron Fortress, Werther began probing the Blue Mist about why it had helped them.
The Blue Mist's origins were a mystery. When it first appeared, Werther's Thunder Core had stirred for no apparent reason—something that had never happened before. He was deeply curious about it.
The Blue Mist gave him a brief answer.
"I told you before. I'm a creature made by humans. But for some reason, they abandoned me. Then they brought me here to guard a treasure.
"Over the years, though, something strange happened to me. I split apart. What had been one being became two. After that, my other half and I fought for control of the Fortress, but I lost."
As they learned more about the Blue Mist, Werther and the others entered the Iron Fortress—the Blue Mist's Fortress.
Once inside, Werther found its defenses far tighter than he had imagined. All kinds of mechanical creatures patrolled without pause.
But the Fortress's layout was simpler than he had expected.
There were only two enormous buildings. One rumbled from time to time, with large numbers of Robots moving in and out.
Some carried great chunks of scrap metal. Others hoisted unconscious Robots and headed toward the other building.
The rumbling building was probably where the Mechanical Creatures were made.
What the other building held remained to be seen.
But it seemed to be the Blue Mist's destination too. Werther had the feeling it was searching for something.
Before long, the Blue Mist had escorted all three of them into the metal building. Inside, Werther saw dense tangles of