"Okay... This isn't creepy at all..."

"Uh, Markus.... What exactly is that?"

After wandering through the forest, Cliff, Nel and Dale, along with Markus in Dale's hands, had begun to leave the forest, entering what seemed to be another world entirely. The forest scenery was now dominated with giant silver spires shooting from the ground like thorns. Each spire was made up of what looked like rectangle plates with the tips seemingly being made of fragile glass threads.

"This is not good..." Markus said grimly.

Nel examined one of the spires, tapping it with her dagger. "I take it this is the work of the primes?"

"Yes, what you're seeing is the influence of the primes."

"You mean the primes did all this...?" Dale asked in no way indicating he would want to know the answer.

"Not the machine itself," Markus corrected, "What we're seeing is the effect of the Enforcer network. When a gate has been opened, the local vicinity will begin to terraform with enforcer constructs. These spires are the first phase of that terraforming. If left unchecked, we can expect far larger constructions then what we see now."

"This just keeps getting better and better," Cliff muttered. "How long do you reckon the primes have been here?"

"By my estimate, just under an hour."

"An hour?!" Both Cliff and Dale shouted together.

"B-Back up!" Dale held up Markus's head to the desolate landscape the spires had caused. "You're saying that machine did all this in one hour!"

"I take it you grasp how serious the situation is," Markus stated.

While Dale rattled Markus's head in frustration ("Mr. Dale, I appetite your concern, but shaking my head will not improve our odds of...") Cliff approached Nel who seemed spaced out, gazing blankly ahead.

"Do you sense anything?"

Upon asking, Nel relaxed her posture, resting her arms under her chest. "Well... I'm certainly sensing something. The strange mana I've been feeling is far stronger here," Putting her hands to her hips, the assassin turned to Cliff, "I think we're getting close to our destination."

Despite the reservations, lacking in both numbers and power, the group set forth into the spire covered forest. Along the way, they encountered three bodies of what were the black ops soldiers sent into the forest. Then they came to a clearing that was clearly never there before with large circular and rectangle blocks jutting from the earth, and a handful that floated in the sky above with no sign of support structure keeping them elevated, each letting off strange blue energy.

"There!" Markus suddenly called out.

At the center of the strange structures was a crashed object that was not of this world even though what was there was nothing but twisted scrap metal.

"I certainly had my bouts but..." Cliff whistled. "A genuine alien ship."

"That's how I arrived here, the Yasliee." Markus said, "Or what's left of it."

"You certainly don't see that in Avalon. I think I understand how Allisa must have felt back then." Nel said, chuckling. "So, what now? I can't see the primes."

"Please don't jinx it..." Dale moaned. "So where exactly is your body? Or what's left of it?"

"If it was only my head that was teleported away, we should find the remains in-"

"Wait," Nel interrupted, drawing out her blades.

"What is it?" Cliff said mimicking Nel's caution.

"You felt that too...?" Dale asked his fellow sensor clutching Markus's head. "The hairs on the back of my necks just shot up..."

"That mana interference is getting stronger." Nel's eyes darted up. "I think the primes is coming to us."

A breeze began to blow between the spires, blowing towards the center. The spires that were pointing upwards in the same spot began to shimmer as white streaks began emitting from the tips. The sparks flowed upwards, feeding into a single point in the sky directly above the crashed ship. Then followed a flash of light and a boom as the sound barrier was broken, the winds suddenly changing direction washing over the three standing below.

Cliff was the first to look up, ".... Oh hell," mouth agape.

In the sky, a literal hole had emerged surrounded by a portal of the same white digital energy that emitted from the enforcer's materialization, bending into an unknown blackness. White energy began to stream downwards with a shape beginning to materialize.

Long triangular sections joined with no visible method, complete with a tripod cylinder spinning as it took shape with a white beam emitting through the triangular joints. A body resembling a human torso that had been torn from its legs, a spine that dangled from a static metal frameset with a diamond-shaped core set within a pyramid structure. A head resembling a split cube with four red lights depicting eyes.

"Whaaa-!" Dale shouted his surprise, quickly drawing his wand as he tucked Markus under his arms. Nel followed, lowering her center of gravity, holding her short blade in front of her with her dagger held back.

"Markus! I take it that's what we've been searching for?"

"Unfortunately," Markus confirmed sounding concerned. "Of all things, and Aether Primes!"

The primes lowered itself from the hole, holding its hands close to its chest as its body shimmered. Then, with a loud mechanical growl, it threw its arms to its side as a wave of blue energy burst from its body, blowing over the combatants before disappearing into the spires and tree line behind.

"What was that?" Nel asked out loud, baring her blades. The Primes hovering above raised one of its tripod hands, letting out another metallic screech.

"Shit, above us!"

In the open portal, more white streams of energy flowed, taking the form of five giant crab-like machines with large cannons. The four legs landed on the disturbed ground, baring their single red eyes on its opponents.

"Markus...." Dale muttered while walking backward with Cliff and Nel.

"Strikers," Markus said. "TAKE COVER!"

All three divided behind the nearest structure as the machines began firing blue energy balls at them. Hovering above, the Primes waved out its hands as more machines began to materialize from the hole above. First was a wave of drones, followed by decloaked infiltrators along with machines with four arms and blades (the latter Markus called Skirmishers), then large humanoid frames with polearms (referred by Markus as Sentinels).

"How the hell are they already swarming us?!" Dale cried as he ran, flicking his wand at both Cliff and Nel who ran for cover.

Passing under a cone structure under a spike, Nel suddenly skidded across the ground. Her outstretched foot hit an infiltrator that was charging towards them. When it landed on the ground, Cliff punched the construct in it's back, shattering the frame.

"Behind us!"

Dale pointed his wand at the intimidating frame of a sentinel flanked by two drones that opened fire, which struck Dale and Cliff's shields.

"I got it!" Cliff declared as he charged forwards, instinctively raising his arms to block incoming laser fire. The sentinel was already on him, twirling its polearm before swinging it to the charging man. Cliff raised his left hand, grabbing a hold of the polearm just short of the electric current, swiftly delivering a solid punch to the chest, which shattered the core as the frame bent inwards. With the polearm still in his hand, Cliff wrenched the weapon from the destroyed machine's grasp, swinging it at the flanking two drones, the swings completely breaking the fragile frames.

Up ahead, Nel had emerged in the open, performing handstand jump in front of a collection of drones, spinning in the air as she spun her short blade, destroying the heads of all six in her strikes, disappearing before remerging before a Sentinel, landing on its shoulders before plunging her dagger in its eye socket, leaping backward while tarring off its head.

When she landed she gazed upwards as a bright light began to shine down on her. Hovering above was the primes with its left tripod hand glowing. Nel ran as a beam of white light fired from the hand, scaring the ground as it tracked Nel's movements before she preformed a quickstep, vanishing from the line of fire that continued, consuming a contingent of skirmishers in the line of fire, reappearing on elevated ground on a square block, kicking over another infiltrator with a sniper rile attached to its arm.

A skirmisher charged towards her with its blades held wide. With eyes burning gold, Nel lunged her short blade forwards, impaling the machine by its core and throwing it overhead, landing at the edge of the block before toppling down.

After seeing the energy beam, Cliff and Dale doubled back. Cliff took point, using the captured polearm to swat away a charging skirmisher while grabbing ahold of another crushing it under his vice grip before throwing it at a Sentinel.

The large machine swatted the flying machine with a simple swing of its polearm that burst with energy. As it approached, Cliff charged and threw the polearm he was carrying like a javelin. The machine caught it with its free tripod hand.

"YHA!" With a grunt, Cliff slammed his fist into the machine's chest, leaving behind a huge dent as the frame bent inwards.

"Stalkers inbound!" Markus gave out a warning followed by a scream from Dale. Two of the Crab like machines had just come into view, stalking between the blocks and spires baring their giant cannons on the two.

"Shit!"

Not willing to press the integrity of Dale's barrier magic, the two hunters ran as the machines began opening fire. The energy blasts erupted behind them as they circled around the crash site, meandering around the alien constructs. Cliff leaped up to an elevated block, turning to help Dale up (yanking him up by his wand arm), turning to see a sentinel landing from above, twirling its polearm, which crackled with energy.

"Ahh, they just keep coming," Cliff swore as he charged forwards, ducking under a wide swing slamming his fist into the left side, "AHH!" his fist bouncing off after a burst of light. "What the-?"

"Cliff lookout!!"

The undamaged machine swung its polearm at Cliff, striking him in the face. Dale's shield held up, preventing him from suffering any worse damage. The man backed away avoiding another swing from the machine, rubbing his cheek. Looking more closely at the machine he noticed there was a light shimmering around it with an umbilical light flowing to a small machine hovering above just out of Cliff's reach.

"Markus..."

"An Icon," Markus responded, "it's a support droid that forms shield projections to guard other constructs."

"Think you can hit it?" Cliff asked Dale who shook his head.

"I can't cast any other spells while the barriers are up!" He said, backing away as a beam struck him in the chest, saved by his barrier.

Cursing, Cliff was forced to raise his arms again as the sentinel resumed its attack with a whirlwind of spins while drones began materializing before him from the gaping hole above. Dale meanwhile ran to the right, followed by Cliff realizing continuing fighting was pointless. Dale leaped off the platform, landing with a thud on the ground right next to a drone, which was then crushed when Cliff landed on top of it. The frame below cracked like an egg, shattering under Cliff's boots.

"And I thought the demons were intense," Cliff groaned as he and Dale got back to their feet.

"Least it's not pitched black anymore," Dale commented. With the hole in the sky, the shimmering white energy it spewed, the silver constructs and the constant flashes of red and blue energy beams, the battlefield was completely illuminated.

"Striker! On your left!" Markus yelled a warning as one of the strikers came into view, having a clear line of fire on the group down below with its giant cannons coming to bare.

"Shit!"

"I don't think the barriers will hold!"

Then, right above the giant machine, a dark figure leaped from one of the platforms that loomed over the giant machine, plunging a polearm right into the machine's head. The figure then leaped off, landing on the ground before swinging a katana slicing off the machine's front left leg. As it toppled over, a final swing rented through its chest a large gash that shattered. The machine let out one final groan as sparks flew from the construct before finally, the machine collapsed to the ground in a smoldering lump.

Dale and Cliff watched dumbfounded as Yuki strolled towards them, resting his katana on his shoulder. "I late to the ass-kicking?"

"Uh.... No." Dale shook his head.

"If anything, we just started." Cliff finished.

The reunion was interrupted when a white beam of energy struck the ground.

****

The electrified pole crackled as the sentinel swung the weapon in circles. Nel skidded and dodged each blow, her eyes glowing yellow as she waited for an opening before plunging her short blade into the machine's core before kicking it away into the formation of approaching drones. With the brief respite, Nel retreated, leaping off the elevated platform she was on just as the primes unleashed another beam from its palm instantly eviscerating the machines that were on top.

Nel landed with a barrel roll on the ruined ground. Gazing up, she saw the primes looming overhead frozen in place before turning to the left. Nel had no time to enjoy the respite as a striker came into view, flanked by drones. Blinking to activate her golden piercer eyes, Nel charged forwards towards the giant crab-like walker, weaving in and out of the incoming beam fire, leaping to perform a quickstep as the striker fired a salvo of blue energy. She reappeared before the walker skidding directly under the machine. She then charged forwards, preforming a quickstep again, reappearing a few feet in the air near a block construct, dashing along a nearby wall through a small gap, moments before the striker had completed a 180 turn of its upper body. Nel had just landed on the other side as explosions rang from the striker opening fire again.

"That was close..." Nel gazed up again, only to be greeted by a second striker converging on her position, charging its weapons up to fire a salvo at the assassin. "Oh for the love of-" Nel swore, raising her blades.

"Head's up!"

A familiar voice and a blaze of flames shot past, hitting the machine on the right cannon which suddenly exploded. The damaged machine stuttered, not only missing its right cannon but with several plates on its right side singed blasted away. The machine spun right, bringing its final cannon to bare at the ones responsible-

"Lightning bolt!"

An electric bolt shot through the machine's core, followed by bursts of electricity before it collapsed to the ground in a smoldering heap.

"Heeyyy!!"

Max, Melvin, and Cerberus ran towards Nel, with the salamander looking particularly rough from his previous encounter. They stopped short of Nel, who relaxed her guard slightly at the appearance of there reinforcements.

"Nice one little buddy! We found em," Max said to Cerberus who let out a yelp.

"What is that...?" Melvin asked, pointing to the hole in the sky.

"Not sure," Nel shook her head. "Although, I think the primes have something to do with it."

"So..." Max pointed to the giant machine floating in the sky which fired out another burst of energy from its giant pronged fingers. "That thing's what we're looking for, right?" he said slamming his fist into his palm with a plum of flames.

"I knew it would be something crazy but still...." Melvin sighed. "Any ideas how we take it out."

"Assuming it's like the other machine's, that white thing in its chest is likely its weak point." Nel summarized. "Destroying that should-"

Nel was interrupted with loud barks from Cerberus. More white energy flowed from the hole, taking the form of more machines, a large number of Drones and five sentinels landing before the four.

"Oh come on!" Melvin swore, readying his wand.

"Looks like we really pissed em off!" Max added fairing his hands.

****

The primes let out another ear scratching noise as white energy built in its tripod palm before firing an energy beam from the center. The ground below became molten and scorched as the high-density blast as it wormed its way up the battlefield, eviscerating the machine's that blindly marched after their quarry.

"Shit shit THIS IS WHY I NEVER GO OUT ON THE FIELD!!"

"This way!!"

The three figures that ran from the path of destruction, ducking into a small gap between the metal boxes as the beam passed by, just missing Yuki as he squeezed through the gap, shoving Dale out of the ways they emerged on the opposite end.

"That was way too close..." Yuki breathed, turning to Markus who was still tucked under Dale's arm. "That thing up there's what we're after?"

"Yes." Markus said (clearly wishing to nod his head if he still had his body), "Specifically an Aether construct, a model more suited to the role of Primes due to its-"

"Alright, let's leave the specifics for when we're not being shot at." Cliff interrupted, glancing around the side of the block they were situated on. "Any tips on stopping it?"

"Despite its size, the Aether's frame is fragile compared to the Striker. A solid hit to its core would be enough to destroy it."

"So we just gotta smash that white thing in its chest?" Yuki said with a smug grin. "Doesn't sound too hard. Just gotta find our way up there to rip that floating scrap to pieces."

"Yeah... something tells me it's gonna be way harder than it sounds." Dale said pessimistically.

Any rebut form Yuki was cut off as a bean struck one of the nearby walls. Everyone ducked under in response seeing more yet more drones converging on their location.

"We've still got a whole hoard of these things to get through..." Cliff growled before running forwards into the fray.

"Well, it would be too boring if it was that easy," Yuki added before dashing around the corner. "Yo big guy! Save some for me to smash apart!"

"Your group is quite eccentric," Markus said to the still pessimistic Dale.

"That's one way to put it..." Dale sighed before running after his companions- "Hey! Wait for-AH SHIIITT!!!" screaming as he charged into the hail of laser fire.

****

"Burning Hearts!"

Melvin threw his spell at a large formation of drones. The resulting explosion destroyed each frame, the machines in the center instantly vanished under the scorching heat while those surrounding was subsequently blasted to pieces, with even the Icon's providing protection caught in the explosion.

Cerberus broke the brief respite with a loud bark as a sentinel approached, twirling its weapon as it crackled with electricity. Melvin reacted quickly, throwing a fireball that blasted a hole through its frame, pivoting and flicking his wand, creating a blast of wind that blew back a charging skirmisher.

Further away, Max was contesting with two sentinels, catching the machine by its cackling polearm. With only his arm strength, the salamander crushed the weapon, grabbing ahold of the machine and throwing it before the remaining sentinel which didn't hesitate to swat its own kind away. A burst of flames from a loud roar sent the machine flying back, ramming through several drones (catching an Icon) before slamming into an incoming stalker. The blackened husk slid off its hull and crushed underfoot as the striker converged charging its weapons.

A polearm suddenly struck the machine in the chest, slightly penetrating its white core. Nel suddenly appeared drop-kicking the weapon deeper into the machine, backflipping as the striker walked backward to feet, spasming violently, firing in all directions before finally exploding.

A formation of five drones and a sentinel to the rear marched to the fallen wreck. In the space of a second, all five drones were decapitated when Nel suddenly reappeared above them, finishing her whirlwind dance by plunging her short blade into the machine's core. As the machine flopped backward, Nel gazed up, seeing the Primes turning its attention to their group. With another metallic screech, the primes fired another beam of white energy in the direction of the melee. Nel dodged with a quickstep while Melvin, Cerberus, and Max ran as the energy passed by. As before, the machines made no attempt to dodge the beam, with a good chunk of them being eviscerated.

More white streams fell from the hole, taking the form of more enforcers materializing and two strikers reinforcing the already overwhelming numbers on the ground.

"AHHH this is insane!" Melvin cried, throwing out a fireball at an incoming drone. "There's more here than when we started!"

Not far away, Cerberus leaped onto a sentinel that was charging his master, biting into its single eye with the machine turning sharply as it tried to throw the little creature off. The drones around it blindly fired at the familiar, ripping the machine apart under its laser fire with Cerberus leaping off, running to his master who threw out a thunder spell that destroyed them.

Nel backed away as a damaged sentinel fell to the ground, turning sharply and plunging her dagger into a cloaked infiltrator. "We'll be overwhelmed at this rate-" Kicking the infiltrator away, Nel vanished as a skirmisher charged, reappearing at its back ripping her dagger into its back. "-unless we take that thing out!"

"I got it!" Max declared, grabbing the polearm of a charging sentinel, heaving it off its feet, "Here ya go!" spinning the machine around, launching it into the sky towards the Primes, smashing against the cubed head.

"...... Something told me that wasn't going to work," Melvin said, narrowing his eyes.

Nel parried blows from a sentinel, ducking under its swing before stabbing it in its open core. "Melvin, do you think you can hit it with your magic?" She asked after kicking the wreck to the ground.

"Uh... I think so," Melvin said looking up at the machine in the sky. "But with all these machines around I-" Max stood above him, throwing a flaming punch which shattered a skirmisher that launched itself towards the young wizard.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us, huh Nel?"

Nel slammed an infiltrator to the ground, leaping up as another sentinel swung its polearm, twirling in the air before slicing off the head of the machine, finishing it off with a stab to the back. The machine fell forwards, landing before Melvin.

"We'll take care of the ground troops," Nel said, crossing her arms as her eyes burned gold. "Focus on the primes!"

Melvin looked up at the machine floating high in the sky, intentionally tightening his grip on his wand. Looking down at Cerberus, he grinned and nodded. "Alright! Keep'em off me!"

Aiming his wand, fireballs flew from its tip, flying through the sky hitting the floating nightmare. After the resulting explosions, the Primes let out a loud metallic screech; smoke smoldering from the impact sights that left singed and broken metal in its place. Raising its hand again, it fired off another stream of energy.

****

Yuki gritted his teeth as a sentinel pressed down on him, the electric sparks shooting from the tip of the polearm that was pressing against him. With a cry, Yuki forced the weapon away before striking the machine in its elbow joint, finishing it off by running the core through, wrenching his blade upwards, splitting the head in two. With a final kick, the machine fell to the ground, turning about performing an overhead swing that cut a charging machine in two pieces which skidded to a halt by Dale's feet.

Behind him, two skirmishers had pounced on Cliff, who pivoted clockwise and backhanded the machine to his left, grabbing ahold of the remaining machine by its head, throwing it at a nearby formation of drones.

"How are you holding up?" Cliff asked Yuki, catching hold of a wide swing from a polearm, destroying the machine with a solid punch to the chest.

"Argh!" Yuki grit his teeth, locked in combat by another sentinel, "Don't worry about me big guy!" forcing its guard to brake, finishing it off with a stab to the chest. "These bastards sure are persistent!

"You ok back their head and wimp?"

"I HAVE A NAME YOU JERK!!" Dale snapped, clutching Markus's head as hard as he could.

"Look, the sky!" Markus suddenly blurted out. Above they could see the primes peppered with fire from somewhere on the ground.

"That must be Melvin!" Cliff said, sounding relieved. "Looks like they made it. Shit!" Cliff leaped back as another sentinel came into view.

Yuki was forced into melee with a skirmisher, ducking behind its leap and striking its back-

"ARGH!"

His blade bounced off the machine as though he struck an invisible wall. With no time to question what had stopped him, Yuki leaped left as another skirmisher pounced. Yuki counter attacked but was once again repelled by an invisible wall, forced to leap back as the skirmisher swung at him scraping against Dale's shield. Only after parrying the third machine did he notice the icon that floated above, emitting an umbilical light that coated the group of skirmishers that were beginning to surround him with one at his rear lowering itself as it prepared to run him through.

"Oh, not good-"

The Icon was then struck from the side as something shot through the metal frame.

"Yaki!!"

Sasha skidded to Yuki's back, upper-cutting the charging machine shattering its head.

"Learn my name, you little brat-!" Yuki hissed as he broke the skirmisher's guard, splitting the machine in two with an overhead strike.

"Sasha!" Dale blurted. A Drone then fell down from above, landing at the man's side presided by a girlish shriek.

"Cliff! Dale!" Mirage suddenly ran up to them with a hunting rifle tucked under her shoulder, throwing a double-barreled shotgun towards Cliff who caught the gun with one hand.

"Wh-Where'd you get this?!"

"I'll tell you later!" Mirage ducked under the swing of a Sentinel, kicking its chest to unbalance it, grabbing it with her free hand and throwing it over her shoulder to the ground, finishing it off with a punch to the core. Cliff grunted, grasping the shotgun, pulling the trigger on a charging skirmisher. The shot-blasted a hole through the machine's torso. Cliff fired again, blowing the head off another machine.

"Not really my style," Cliff said, ejecting the spent shells as a sentinel approached with an Icon hovering above. Mirage was crouching on the ground, firing and destroying another drone, reaching into her pocket drawing out two shotgun shells, which she threw behind her, spinning on her left leg swatting a skirmisher to the ground with a roundhouse kick. Cliff leaped back from the sentinel, throwing out the shotgun as the shells fell towards him, slotting into the open slots.

As the skirmisher lunged, Cliff raised his left leg, standing on the pole arm's tip (cackling against Dale's shield) raising and firing the weapon in the air, blasting the icon apart. The defenseless sentinel freed its weapon preparing to counter-attack, already in mid-swing before Cliff fired his weapon, destroying the machine's head, followed by a final blow to its core with a final punch.

"So," Mirage stood back to back from Cliff, resting the rifle on her shoulders. "Is that thing up there the Primes?"

"Correct!" Markus answered. Both he and Dale were hiding behind one of the metal blocks. The wizard had his wand held out, coating the newcomers in their thin membrane shells while maintaining those on Cliff, Yuki and himself. Behind him, both Yuki and Sasha were knee-deep in combat with the still marching machines, slicing and crushing each that came towards them.

The appearance of a Striker forced them to relocate, running back into the metal jungle.

"So-" Mirage began before turning, taking a strike from an infiltrator before slamming it to the ground with her fist. "What's the plan to take it down?" firing a round at the perusing drones.

"Working on it!" Yuki grunted as he ran through a drone while Sasha leaped on another drone, stomping on the head as it was crushed under her enhanced strength.

"We'll need a proper strategy in order to contend with the primes," Markus said matter of factly. "Simply assaulting it blindly-"

"IF YOU GOT A PLAN-" Dale yelled before slamming Markus's head into a Drone, "BY ALL MEANS!!"

"You said it's frame was weaker than those Striker things?" Cliff asked, firing the shotgun.

"That is correct, but it's still thick enough to withstand artillery weapons and ether abilities. To destroy it, you must hit it with a strong enough force."

"Got anything like that?" Yuki asked, backing towards Dale.

"No! I told you, my magic specializes in support-!" A beam struck his shell, cackling sparks as Dale ducked out of the way as Sasha destroyed the drone responsibly. ".... I might be able to enhance Melvin's magic, that might do some serious damage at least!"

"Hey Markus," Mirage spoke, throwing her gun to the ground, parrying a sentinel with a backhand before slamming her fist into its core, finishing the machine off with a sharp overhead kick, "That white thing in there chests the weak point. Is it the same for the primes?"

"Yes, however, while fragile, the cores of the larger machines are reinforced. You must strike It with a considerable amount of force or power in order to crack it!" Markus responded.

"Greater force...." Cliff looked to Mirage. Her grin was enough to tell him what her plan was. "Where's Rodger?"

****

"TAKE THIS!!" Melvin swore as he fired wind blades at the giant machine floating in the sky, leaving gashes in the plates. With a loud groan, the primes aimed its hand releasing another beam at the young wizard.

"Hold on!" Max swooped up both him and Cerberus, charging as the beam blasted through the ground again.

The salamander dropped the wizard and his familiar, throwing out a flared punch at an incoming Sentinel. The machine skidded back across the ground, hunched to the ground with its weapon held in front with a dent in the area Max had hit. The machine's single eye flashed, standing at its full height twirling its weapon, which sparked with energy. Nel then appeared behind it, plunging her dagger into its exposed back, piercing the white core.

Withdrawing her blade, Nel lowered her center of gravity, pivoting on her heel clockwise, stabbing a cloaked infiltrator in the core. A formation of drones marched towards the assassin as the skirmisher collapsed backward. Nel Vanished from her spot as Max breathed a flame roar, destroying the formation in one shot.

Nel reappeared besides Melvin, who fired another spell at the primes. The fireballs struck the machine, which let out another metallic screech raising its arms with more machines materializing from the hole above.

"Shit... there's no end to these bastards!" Max swore, rubbing his cheek with his backhand. "How's it going?"

Melvin clicking his tongue, keeping his gaze fixed on the machine floating above. "It's armor’s too thick! I need to hit him with a stronger spell but-"

The primes let out another growl, aiming its arm towards the group.

"-Exactly that happens!!"

The four ran again, retreating left as the beam scorched the earth, being forced into another hoard of machines, seemingly as though they were being herded like sheep. Nel and Max set immediately tore into the formation of drones and Skirmishers (with Cerberus pouncing a drone, gorging it's core out with its paws) while Melvin fired off another spell at the primes. The lightning bolt struck the white core but bounced harmlessly off with only a small crack.

"Damn..." Melvin swore. To his left Max had freed a sentinel of its weapon, impaling it before using both the weapon and the machine carcass as a bat to swat away pouncing skirmishers.

"... We got company!"

A Striker could be seen coming to view by another artificial construction advancing alongside a formation of drones charging its weapons. Then, suddenly, the earth below it came to life impaling the walking tank from its bottom right side to its left (breaking the arm cannon for good measure).

"Got more for ya!" A small voice called out as a shower of rocks fell on the drones crushing them.

"Rodger!" Nel called out, spotting the small samiet a few feet away.

"How ya guys doin?" Rodger asked, oblivious to a skirmisher pouncing on him from above.

"MYOW!!"

Before it could reach him, Meracle dropkicked the machine, skidding across the ground as the broken machine fell behind her.

"Rodger! Mary!" Max waved with his left hand, lifting a drone with one hand.

A sentinel charged forwards, twirling its polearm before Yuki descended, slicing it in half. Sasha charged past him, leaping into the air towards Nel and sentinel was caught in a deadlock, landing beside the two, slamming her little fist into the machine's right side, which Nel finished off with a stab to the core.

"Rodger!" Cliff, Dale and Mirage ran onto the field. Cliff meanwhile was pointing at the primes. "Can you launch us up to it?!"

"Huh?" Rodger looked up at the primes. "Duh, I think so? But-"

"Great! With us!"

Without any explanation, Rodger ran off with Cliff and Mirage, leaving the others to contend with the never-ending hoard of machines, running to a spot closer to the primes with a clear view of the core.

Once there, Cliff and Mirage stood side by side clicking their knuckles.

"Ready?" Mirage asked Cliff playfully punching his shoulder.

"As I'll ever be. On my mark!"

"Right!" Rodger twirled his hammer over his head, then with a loud "NOW!" he slammed the silver tool on the ground. Both Cliff and Mirage were launched into the air as the ground at their feet suddenly shot upwards bringing them at the eye level of the primes. Steam erupted from both their bodies as they descended towards the giant core, pulling back both their fists, bellowing as they threw them forwards in unison. The primes let out a defining shriek as it was forced backward in the air. White fluid gushed from its chest as the core was smashed inwards.

Back on the ground, Melvin took aim while his companions kept the machines at bay. The primes meanwhile spacemen violently, charging both its hands as the links connecting the disk plate arms began to fluctuate.

"Here's a boost!" Dale yelled, flicking his wand at Melvin. From its tip, a rose tether of light shot towards Melvin, coating him in a soft rose aura, which channeled into his wand. Electricity burst from its tip, taking the form of an arrows head as the primes struggled to steady its aim.

"One true blade to smite the masses. Heavens Blade!!"

As both Cliff and Mirage hit the ground, a blade of lightning thrust itself into the primes before vanishing, leaving a gaping hole through its chest. The primes let out a high pitch (and broken) screech. Small explosions blasted along its body as it shook violently, beginning to glow brightly with rays bursting from the fissures.

Then, with one last broken shriek, the primes exploded, vaporizing in an instant. The reaction was immediate. First, the portal above rippled then shut without a trace. All the machines that were deployed stopped, all at once, not moving an inch. Before Meracle could prod a nearby drone, the machine glowed turquoise, then one by one, each machine began to disintegrate into blue sparks that rose into the air. The spires and metal structures followed, disintegrating from the top down until no trace of their existence was left.

All that remained in the treeless land, populated by only ten people (along with a fiery dog and a metalhead), a crashed ship, as the blue sparks surrounded them like fireflies.