The Xeral awoke to find himself looking up at a red sky, a cosmic gash staring him in his face. With great effort, he heaved himself up. Knees buckling and barely able to hold his own weight.

He could see the Augur in the distance, floating towards him at a fair clip. Upturned and burning grassland encompassed much of the entire distance between him and the Augur, like the ground had turn liquid and a huge wave had crashed out.

Blood dripping out of his nostrils, he felt his chest. His chest-piece had completely caved in on one side. His helmet nowhere to be seen. Agony racked his body, pain the only thing keeping him conscious. His regeneration working over time ti heal his collapsed lungs. Buckling to his knees, he just hoped he had bought enough time.

The Augur was only a few hundred feet away from him now, a potently toxic, luminiscent green mist swirling around it, suffusing the cracks in its greaves. The Xeral felt his already weakened vitality starting to drain as the horror flew close.

Rex had used almost everything up his sleeve, there was one card left to play but that meant certain death. He had already been setback a significant amount of progress using the Shatterstar armor.

A faint twinkle in the sky caught Rex's eye. He turned to look and almost heaved a sigh of relief.

In the passing of a moment., the twinkle grew to reveal a giant ball of glowing plasma heading towards them. The Augur's head snapped up as he noticed the incandescent projectile and he growled, a low throaty and terrifying noise.

At a few hundred feet up, the plasma dissipated like a wilting flower to reveal an outrageously beautiful woman dressed in white furs. A cape, voluminous and plump, draped her covered shoulders. White leather gloves, wreathed what must have been slender hands. A diamond black as night was held upon an ample bosom covered by alabaster leather. Platinum hair held askance by what must have been magic surely, for not a strand was out of place despite the ridiculous velocity with which she made her entrance. Her entire being seemed to glow. Her regal bearing and aquiline nose held up as disinterested ruby eyes looked around until they found the broken figure of Rex. Rage flashed through her crimson irises, her glow intensifying for a minute until she regained her stoic disposition. Landing gently near the Xeral, she spoke. Her voice seemed to make reality a tad bit heavier.

" Already on your knees for your Master, I see", she asked sarcasticaly

" Apologies, teacher. I have no excuses" croaked Rex.

" No student of mine shall lay broken on the ground" her displeasure had been made clear .

It took everything Rex had to pull himself to his feet. " Yes Ma'am" he replied.

Lighting shuddered in the air, and a cage of plasma materialzed in front of the Lady in white. A bone greave wrapped in green mist snapping off of it, sparks flying like a firework display. The Augur grunting in pain.

The Lady's eyes narrowed. " Do you not know that it is rude to interrupt such a touching reunion ? " she asked dangerously.

The Augur took his time in replying, speaking mechanically.

" Greetings to the Princess of the Burning Skies".

" Pray tell me, what is an Augur doing this far from the DESOLATION?" asked the Plasma wielder non-chalantly .

The Augur pointed up toward the Red Gash, " My Masters have claimed this bounty" it spoke.

" So much scheming, so much treachery, so much corruption. Nevertheless, all of your carefully laid plans shall go to waste. Only for the simple reason that I am here" declared Yuri Andross, as lightning gathered at her fingertips. Spears of plasma formed high above her, tens turned into hundreds of floating javelins of pulsating energy.

" Now" she declared "Dance for me".