The air over the ruins of Fortress Ironhold reeked of burning oil and fractured stone. The Core, monitoring the battlefield through Shade's omnipresent link, surveyed the wreckage. The battle was over. The Goblin Legionaries, now confident and effective, secured the perimeter while Naiad systematically flooded the remaining underground barracks to prevent any subterranean escape.
My primary focus was not on the scattered survivors, but on one individual: Major Valerius.
"Grave, Ranga. Priority target is Valerius. He holds the data we need. Shade, track his signature."
The Elite Hunt
Shade, the Shadow Sentry, moved like an apparition through the smoke-choked ruins. He quickly picked up the Major's distinct Aura signature: Tier 3, highly trained, desperate, and heading for the northern communications array.
Major Valerius was a true Imperial officer, not a simple sentry. He was Tier 3, his Aura Power hovering around 900, bolstered by a prototype suit of Tier 3 Power Armor that amplified his physical strength and provided significant defense. He intended to secure the communication array to send a distress signal and initiate a counterattack.
Valerius reached the communication tower just as Grave, moving with surprising speed, burst through the rubble.
"Orc scum! You will pay for this," Valerius bellowed, activating the magnetic grip on his armored gauntlet and slamming a piece of shattered wall at the Warlord.
Grave countered the debris with his axe, but the blow was enough to slow him. The Major was focused, calculating, and fought with disciplined technique, unlike the panicked sentries.
"Ranga, flanking maneuver, now. Grave, use [Battle Commander's Roar] to lock his movement."
Ranga, clad in his black Obsidian Sentinel Armor, burst from the opposite side. Grave roared, a wave of palpable, crimson Aura washing over the Major. The attack didn't hurt him, but it staggered his concentration, momentarily freezing the flow of his power armor systems.
That was all the opening Ranga needed. He tackled Valerius, and the two armored figures slammed into the remains of the communication tower. Ranga's pure obsidian defense held against the Major's amplified blows, while Grave restrained the Human's arms. The capture was secured.
The Assimilation of the Mind
The commanders returned the captured Major—still struggling in his power armor—to the deepest, most secure part of the Obsidian Heart Fortress. This was the moment of highest strategic yield.
The Core focused its entire consciousness on the Major's struggling form, ignoring the AP cost. I was not assimilating his body; I was assimilating his mind, his training, his memories, and the tactical databases locked in his Aura.
I channeled a massive 800 AP—a serious commitment—to forcibly extract and integrate the complex strategic data.
— AETHER CORE POWER DRAIN: 800 AP —
TARGET: Major Valerius (Tier 3 Human Commander)
INITIATING: ADVANCED INTELLECTUAL ASSIMILATION…
APPLYING: [Military Command Protocols] + [Tier 3 Power Armor Blueprints].
ASSIMILATION COMPLETE!
AETHER CORE STATUS UPDATE:
AETHER POWER: 2,100 / 10,000 (Stabilized.)
NEW UNIQUE SKILL ACQUIRED: [Strategic Command Matrix] (Tier 3: Passive. Provides real-time tactical overview of friendly and enemy forces over a 100\text{km} radius. Automatically calculates optimal supply routes and defense strategies.)
NEW HIGH-VALUE BLUEPRINT ACQUIRED: [Tier 3 Aura Power Armor Design] (Advanced defensive and offensive technology.)
The rush of data was almost overwhelming. I now understood the Ironwall Empire's hierarchy, their core weaknesses (logistical reliance on synthetic fuel), and, crucially, the location and deployment size of their Central Manufacturing Base—the true heart of their regional operations, located three days' march north.
Securing the Spoils
With the most valuable asset secured, the Core directed its commanders to efficiently strip the ruins of the fortress.
Gimlak and his Dwarves arrived through newly bored tunnels, eagerly disassembling the two intact Aura Cannons (long-range siege weapons) and the Communication Arrays.
Grave oversaw the collection of all Tier 1 and Tier 2 armor and weapons, which would be melted down by Gimlak and reforged into superior Aether-Steel.
Naiad used the water to sanitize the ruins, burying the evidence of the Core's advanced capabilities under layers of earth and mud, making the event look like a natural disaster amplified by a localized attack.
The Obsidian Heart Nation had gained strategic intelligence, high-grade blueprints, advanced siege weapons, and a massive supply of raw materials, all while completely demoralizing the enemy's forward position.
The true next target was now clear: the Central Manufacturing Base. Eliminating it would cripple the entire regional presence of the Ironwall Empire.
The Core is now armed with [Strategic Command Matrix] and the [Tier 3 Aura Power Armor Design]. The next inevitable step is a massive confrontation.