Prologue

A red-brown cloud of dust rises from the compact and dead ground of the desert. The dust and dirt swirl through the air and the very ground trembles as hundreds of feet slam into it at a dead run. Hundreds of goblins, dozens of ogres and a few orcs charge across the ground. They are not your typical monsters though, the goblins all wear some form of advanced armor from ballistic protection vests to armor reinforced spacesuits, to full-on sets of power armor covered in thick protective plates. Their weapons are no joke either, kinetic pistols, laser rifles, even plasma blasters, there is nothing primitive about these goblins.

The ogres in the charge with the goblins are equipped in armor much the same as the goblins, though many more of them wear power armor and all of them carry clubs. Not primitive wooden clubs like their ancestors might have, but large constructs of metal that glowed with power, some even sporting arcane looking runes. Lastly, there are the Orcs and they are the most vicious looking of all. Though few in number they all sport advanced power armor that greatly enhances their already powerful look. Each Orc carries a large plasma rifle in one hand and a sword with a blurry edge in the other. On each of their backs is a small square pod with a multitude of small doors on it.

Across the desert battlefield covered in cracks and pieces of skeletons from a myriad of races both monster and humanoid, a giant power armor covered foot comes crashing down and crushes a skull with three eye sockets to powder. The huge foot is covered with armor, gears, and pistons and moves with ease marking it as a well-made piece of equipment. The foot belongs to a giant being, easily over 9 feet tall and clearly covered in thick layers of muscle, even noticeable through the design of the power armor. Every part of his body is covered in the black armor except his large lizard-like head attached to an even thicker muscular neck. He lifts a huge multi-barreled weapon in both hands, lines along the body of the weapon glow with power running through them. He pulls the trigger, it takes a few moments for the barrels to get up to speed as they whirl in a circle. After that brief moment, no more than a second or two, when a barrel reaches the top in its spin it launches a crimson bolt of energy.

The bolt of energy flies across the open expanse of the desert battlefield and slams into the body of a goblin. The bolt is nearly half the size of the body of the goblin and obliterates it. The force of the crimson bolt sends what is left of the goblins mangled corpse flying through the air. An instant later another dozen bolts slam into the front lines of the charging group and bodies go flying in every direction. The goblins roar their challenge and continue to charge at full speed, for they are many and the enemy is few.

A woman appears next to the giant lizard-headed man in power armor. She is wearing thin white clothing that flutters in the wind, a long staff topped with a prismatic crystal is held in her right hand. She lifts the staff and shouts a command word to lift her entire body into the air. She floats a dozen feet above the lizard-mans head while holding her staff aloft. She begins to recite an incantation, her words running together into an unintelligible blur. The crystal topping her staff begins to glow and crackle emitting small bolts of electricity. She lifts the staff higher as she shouts out a final word and thrusts it forward. A thick blast of lightning flies from the tip of her staff and slams into a crowded area of the goblin horde. When the bolt slams into the middle of the group she aimed for the lighting spreads out like a wave. Bolts of energy leap from goblin to goblin electrocuting them, it even manages to fry a few ogres that are caught in the blast radius. Dozens of goblins collapse into smoking corpses.

Another man steps up next to the lizard-man on the opposite side of the flying woman. The lizard-man is still firing hundreds of crimson energy bolts across the battlefield while waving the barrels back and forth to cut a swath of death through the enemies. This new man is much shorter and thinner than the lizard-man. He wears armor reminiscent of leather, but clearly made of something tougher and glowing with arcane runes. He lifts both of his arms, violent energy begins to crackle around his forearms and fists. With a command, the energy flies from his fists and into the corpses of dozens or even hundreds of goblins. They all glow with the purple light from the man's actions for a moment before pieces of their armor are ripped from their dead bodies and floats into the air. It's not just their armor though, it's electronics, armor plating, pistons, gears, just about anything that hasn't been destroyed by the lizard-mans blaster bolts or the hooded woman's lightning bolts.

The multiple pieces of technology swirl around in the air like a mini tornado before beginning to coalesce together into a shape. It all takes only a half dozen seconds before there is a scrap golem about six feet tall standing on the battlefield. With a command the scrap golem charges through the crowd of goblins to attack the first ogre it can see, ignoring and trampling any goblins in its path to death. The two large beings slam into each other and begin to exchange blows. The ogre swings its powerful club at the golem, each blow it manages to land sends out shockwave so strong it knocks over nearby goblins. The golem doesn't care as it bashes in the ogres skull.

The man that summoned the scrap golem isn't finished yet. He lifts his hands again as they crackle with the violet power once more. This time the power arcs between his hands and coalesces in front of him. The energy quickly becomes a massive weapon that sits on a tripod on the ground. A thick power line runs from the side of the weapon to a bundle of batteries that were also summoned, or created, by the man. He steps up to the hand grips of the weapon and grabs them before he immediately pulls the triggers. The large cannon roars and sends an enormous green bolt of energy, one that's at least ten times the size of the lizard-man's red bolts, into the crowd of charging monsters. The green bolt slams into an orc and explodes with a deafening roar. The blast annihilates the orc and a dozen goblins near him. The man laughs and starts sending out blast after blast from the cannon to decimate the orcs and the goblins near them while his scrap golem attacks ogres and tramples any goblins unfortunate enough to be in its way.

A fourth individual steps forward, this one another woman. However, she is clearly different from the first three, nothing about her looks all that impressive or technologically advanced. Her weapon of choice is stranger still, a compound bow. She seems at ease with her companions as they decimate the goblins in their own ways, the female spell caster now causing a sixty-foot wide column of fire to erupt into the air. Calmly the woman pulls out a mundane looking arrow and knocks it onto the wire that makes up the string of her bow. She pulls it back and lifts the bow so the arrow is pointed into the air. She releases the arrow so that it flies through the air in a parabolic arc. The arrow swiftly flies up into the air, arcs, and begins its descent to the ground. The moment the mundane arrow strikes a random goblin it explodes into a fiery nova of death and dismemberment. The explosion is so forceful it leaves a hole in the line of charging goblins.

A moment later another arrow slams into an ogre and explodes into a massive wave of frost that freezes a large group of the enemy. Yet another arrow erupts into a green acid fog that eats at the armor and flesh of the goblins, ogres, and orcs unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. Clearly, for such a mundane looking weapon it held some secrets.

The goblins are close now, ranged attacks by the four individuals are becoming less effective since the large groupings have already been decimated. The huge lizard-man drops his Gatling weapon and materializes a massive axe covered in runes with the edge glowing a deadly looking red. The female magic user continues to cast spells, though of a smaller scale that only take out one or two enemies at a time. The male that summoned the scrap golem lets his cannon fade from existence and whips out two small weapons that resemble pistols from his thighs. The woman with the bow slings the bow over her shoulder and draws out a pair of short swords from her hips. The edges of the swords seem the have a thin white glow about them.

The four individuals charge towards the few goblins, ogres and orcs that remain, ready to do battle in close quarters and claim victory over their enemy. Corpses litter the ground behind the charging enemy, the ground no longer completely dry as blood soaks into the soil. As the two groups collide and begin to exchange blows the actions pauses.

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