Three days of silence were ordered by Altan. No one was to enter the lower levels of the Stormguard Bastion, not even the wardens.
At the entrance to the lower stairs, Altan turned to Chaghan. "Seal this passage for three days," Altan said. "No one enters until I return. No matter who knocks."
Chaghan gave a nod, posture firm. "Understood."
Chaghan stood at the upper stairs as a silent sentry, ensuring the command was followed. His personal Stormguard elites, a ten-man unit, stood guard with him, unmoving as statues.
Below, in the depths of the fortress, Altan and Daalo moved in near silence, their steps echoing softly against carved stone.
"I have kept this sealed since we constructed the bastion," Daalo said, running his hand along the wall's smooth surface.
Altan placed his palm against the circular plate inset into the rock. It bore ancient symbols, newly etched by him just days before. "Yes. This is our deep secret, Daalo. Part of the Stormguard creed. Not every legacy is carved in monuments. This will keep us alive longer than empires."
The chamber around them was hollowed from the rock itself. Sigils and runes now lined the central gate, a round stone face embedded in the wall, untouched by time. Altan's markings flowed across its surface, forming a web of energy channels and anchor glyphs.
Daalo had helped build this place, but even now, he couldn't decipher all of what he saw. "I have built this with the same design as Vrael Bastion, as you instructed."
Altan did not look up. "Great work. Maybe we will be creating a bigger gate in the future."
Daalo gave a slow nod.
Altan said, "Now I will show you the secret." Then he started the etching of runes and sigils.
It took three days to finish the work. They barely spoke. Daalo watched in reverent silence as Altan moved with tireless precision, carving sigils by hand, shaping glyphs with threads of qi, and binding each line to the hidden lattice of the chamber. Meals were taken sparingly, sleep nearly abandoned. The deeper they worked, the more the chamber responded, vibrations in the stone, faint pulses of light that traced the growing pattern.
Each wall became etched with symbols that hummed with latent power. Some glyphs Daalo recognized from ancient manuscripts, others he had never seen. Altan never paused to explain. He worked like one guided by memory, not thought.
By the dawn of the third day, the room shimmered with quiet resonance. The gate was no longer inert stone. It breathed with a presence. He pressed his hand into the final groove. A pulse of qi flowed into the stone. The etchings glowed one by one. A faint hum rose in pitch.
Then silence.
A vibration stirred beneath their feet. The stone gate shifted. Mist curled through the cracks. The door opened.
From within stepped a man, old, robed in simple grey, his hands clasped before him. He bowed.
"My lord. The chasm answers. This door now connects to the Gale Citadel."
Daalo stood frozen. "Gale Citadel... the northeast Chasm. This..."
Altan nodded. "The main chasm lies in the Steppe Kharan. Northeast of the Freedmen Realm. The first door is at Vrael Bastion. This is the second."
He turned to Daalo. "And not the last."
From the mist emerged silhouettes, worker echoes, smith avatars. They moved with silent purpose, carrying tools of light and resonance. They began constructing inner chambers: a forge, a library, and framework conduits. The design mimicked that of the Gale Citadel, though scaled smaller.
Daalo could not grasp the full logic of the magic, only that it obeyed rules beyond his own.
The old steward stepped forward. "It will take some time, but the core functions will be mirrored here. The door is stable."
Altan gave no visible reaction, only a brief nod.
Then, from within a scroll case, Altan unfurled new plans, designs for the Blacktide Spear Corps. Raiders, elite stormguards trained for ship-to-coast strikes. The schematics also detailed a new line of trireme ships: sleek vessels capable of holding 200 raiders and 100 marines who would double as rowers.
The ship's bow housed a balistae design capable of firing five magick-tipped arrows in rapid succession, meant for both siege and anti-ship suppression.
Altan also laid out a design for the Blacktide spear itself. The spear tip would function as an air-element powered rectangular launch box system. Various rune-inscribed shafts allowed activation of multiple tip functions: fireburst, high explosive, armor-piercing, and elemental disruption. Each spear carried activation runes and a sigil set to channel specific elemental payloads based on the mission.
Altan handed the scroll to Daalo. "This is our future marine force. I want these vessels ready before the games begin. The sea must become our domain."
He paused, then said, "You can use the library for reference. Ask the librarian to show you the right books."
Daalo gave a short nod, still gazing at the draft. "I will need war mages to co-design the weapon systems."
Altan responded, "There are war mages among the Stormguard legions. They can keep secrets."
"Then I'll begin with them."
Altan said, "You have one month to finish the final designs. And another month to build at least five ships. Coordinate with Lord Qui, he'll ensure they're built in the main shipyard."
Daalo bowed low, both humbled and awed.
Altan watched Daalo for a moment, then added, "Do you have another apprentice engineer you can assign to a new task?"
Daalo looked up. "A few are promising. Why?"
"I don't want you working on two major projects at once. Choose someone capable. I'll assign the next task to them."
Daalo nodded. "Understood, my lord. I'll choose wisely."
The storm was coming.
And Altan was shaping the fleets that would ride it.