I recall one of my standard casters to my hip and draw it as I head in first to assess the environment we're working with. It's chilly, and completely open. The whole room has a grid pattern from top to bottom, violet lines give shape to gray squares. The others follow me closely, and the door shuts after Velora enters last. I do my best to study the large mass in the center without overextending, the only light in the room supplied by the lines on the borders. I can't make out any defining features. Moments go by, but the things hasn't made a move.

"What do you make of this Thompson?" Kurt whispered. "I thought this was supposed to be some big crazy showdown."

I wish I had an answer. "No idea, keep your guard up. I wanna get a closer look at this thing to see what it can do."

I take a few steps closer and try to focus magis into my eyes to see if any traces of power are flowing through the construct. The moment my eyes adjust, two violet bulbs flash from the center of the mass. It spreads the lights surge towards me at a speed almost too fast for me to process. I hear a clanking noise as a blade heads straight for my chest, reflecting the ambient light as it makes its way to its target. Desperate, I shift my body to try and catch the edge with the frame of my caster. I can already feel my ribs bruising from the impact, but I made it in time. As consolation I get the breath knocked out of me as I get sent flying at least ten feet away. I struggle to keep a visual on the contraption while I land on my ass and scramble to get back to my feet.

The machine immediately continues to pursue me after my landing. All of my neurons are firing off, telling me to get on my damn feet and fight. My body can't meet my minds expectations, my knees buckle, I can taste iron in my mouth, and it's all I can do to the fight the panic.

"Thompson MOVE!" Right before the machine is within range for its follow-up, a concentrated fireball crashes into its side with enough power to divert its path.

I got a second chance, "I owe you one!" I shout to Kurt as I get back to my feet and try to get some distance. Before I can even take a second step, the machine pushes through the smoke cloud from Kurt's intervention with its arm-mounted sword radiating a bright orange. It makes a procedural charge to Kurt, a trail of flame whirling behind the blade's edge. Kurt thinks fast and clicks his shoes together activating the runes in the soles as he leaps into the air, jets of flame keeping him aloft.

The machine stops in its tracks and looks up at him, presumably calculating its next course of action. The thing was a titan, a humanoid frame standing at least 7ft tall, made of brass plating with a familiar ceramic finish throughout its chassis.

Kurt throws his hands up and begins gathering magis into his palms, the whole room lights up as an orb of flame forms into his grasp and begins to grow.

"Everyone clear out the best you can! I'm gonna blow this thing sky high and get this done!" The machine continues to and he lets out a chuckle, "So much for advanced Tinworth tech! What kind of mage fightin' bot can't fight at range?"

I turn to make my way over to the furthest end of the room away from Kurt, where Carla and Velora are standing by diligently. Velora's eyes flit back and forth from me, to Kurt, to the robot. I start to recall one of my heavy duty casters just in cast Kurt needs some fire support. My equipment begins to materialize in my hand, and I hear another clank and a whooshing noise. I turn back to see a two wheels of flame, one enroute to Kurt, and the other towards me. I draw my new caster and attempt to let off a round in hopes to push knock the missile away, I feel a tug on my belt and I'm whisked away towards Velora and Karla before being dropped 15 feet shy of where they're standing, Kurt having been yanked down an equal distance away from me.

"Holy shit! That thing almost chopped me up!" We rise to our feet together and share a look. We're thinking the same thing. Scorched Earth.

"Don't you dare! You imbeciles!" Velora interjects with urgency. "This thing is obviously learning as it goes, and I can't promise I'll be able to save you next time. I'm only going to say this once, until we figure out a strategy, do NOT cast."

I look back at her, blood still rushing through my head. I'm just now taking a chance to realize, she was the one who tethered me with those threads on her bracelets. The way she was watching earlier, she's been covering our asses. "Okay, sorry. I got swept up in that thing's momentum. So what've you got so far?" Her eyes hadn't been taken off the machine once, she takes a finger to her mouth signaling me to shut up. Then she draws her sending switch , I grab mine in response along with Carla and Kurt at once our minds are flooded with Velora's intentions.

FAN OUT.

Each of us scramble to gain some distance from one another, holding onto our sending switches tightly as we flash glances between ourselves. The machine turns toward Velora, the last person to send a message... Come to think of it, this thing hadn't started moving until I had began channeling in some capacity. I'm late to the party, but I'm pretty sure Velora and I are on the same page now, I grip by switch.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It can't see us.

Velora nods toward me and then looks over to Carla, who nods in return before kneeling down and whispering something to Luchi. After a moment the hound starts running to the machine's left, while Carla simultaneously shoots Pele out of her glove to the machine's right and into the air. The lights in the walls confirm my suspicion as well as Velora's, the familiars each have have trails of light following their movements within the grid, sticking as close to them as possible. What's more, the closer they get, the lights begin to glow brighter and take on the same colors as the familiars' magis. The machine takes a defensive stance minding both pincers in the offensive before Carla whistles and both Pele and Luchi power down, returning the lights back to normal. In response, the machine shoots blades in approximation of the last locations of both familiars, the blades jut into the walls, and the lights begin to survey the room once more.

That settles it. Carla pinged. This metal man is tracking us by our magis usage.

How in the shit are we supposed to bust this thing up if we cant sling more than a couple of spells at it before it makes a caster-kebab?! Kurt chimed in.

Velora immediately dismissed Kurt's frustration. Calm down, it's only making reactionary movements. It's safe to say we have at least some time to figure that out. Does anyone have a solution to offer?

That thing's movements are problematic. If Tyson were here, he's probably be able to just bash the ceramics and have us clean up. AGH! This isn't time for hypotheticals! My fingers are already starting to tense up after a couple of quick exchanges. After a couple of deep breaths, I start to think about the purpose of this whole fight. I honestly have a hard time imagining even someone of Travers's level soloing this monstrosity. So a show of force besting this thing is probably an exceptional feat, and ultimately not what it's designed to test. The Tinworths contract people outside of their family in order to make progress in their studies, while they stamp their names on every product, it's ultimately all collaborative work.

It's easy, we' just work together. Guys, what elements do we have at our disposal?

Flames for days Thompson! Kurt sends as he gives me a thumbs up. His optimism keeps me from adding that we didn't need him to point out the obvious.

Between Luchi, Pele, and me? Lightning, Fire, and Wind. Carla adds.

With what I have on me, Earth, and Ice. Velora finishes the weigh in.

Okay, we've got diversity covered. Remember the feedback that thing's armor had when Kurt lit it up? Lets capitalize and see what happens.

"Sounds like a plan! Let's see what you've got tin man!"

Kurt takes the initiative and charges head first, flames bursting from the soles of his shows and whirling around his fists. As planned, the lights of the room center on him and the machine speeds his way. Once the two of them are within a stone's throw of one another, Kurt powers down, his energy now localized into the palm of his right hand while his left hand braces it. A huge flame jets from his right foot as he leaps into the air and flips over his target. "STICKFIRE!" The word echoes through the room and an intense light barrels into the machine's back. It turns just soon enough to attempt to parry the projectile, but a familiar glob of energy congeals onto the machine's frame. The ceramic plating turns bright red and the machine attempts to fling the goop off of itself, thankfully with no success. Kurt squeezes in a fist pump before letting off one more explosive flame to gain some distance with his landing.

A perfect opening, I recall a couple of standard casters and start peppering in rounds on any piece of metal that I can see. "Iron's hot!, lets put this thing down quick!"

Velora, Carla and I were of one mind. The coordination of our attacks were unnaturally in sync. Before those last words could even escape my lips, Luchi had roared in leaving a trail of arcing electricity, a claw faster than my eyes could register had shattered the plating on the machine's back. Just as the plating began to adapt to the lighting, my force bolts caused the machine to stagger the as it struggled to pinpoint a solution to the sudden assault. I continue to shoot, imagining my inner self striking with rush of blows that didn't leave room for breath. Just when my target seemed as though it would persevere, a needle and thread had began to bind its legs, and a second one embedded a softly glowing white button onto its left leg. I shoot it on instinct and before I can react a I'm blinded by a white light and hit with an intense drop in temperature. A snow flurry bursts forth from the button, freezing over the center of the room where the machine had been pinned down.

It's breaking down. One more decisive blow should do the trick. Velora calculated.

I holster my Casters and recall a saber hilt, twirling it in a fluid motion as I advance on the target. "One last push! On me!"

Pele clips the machine's head with wing engulfed in flame, Luchi flashes by and rends another chunk out of the armor as the machine struggles to stay upright. Kurt clasps his hands together, and the blob of stickfire surges in power, "Time to cash in! Let 'em have it Thompson!" The blob detonates, the explosion blows the machine's back open and reveals a core riddled with circuitry in its center. I wait until the last possible moment before channeling any magis at all into the hilt. This is the most effective damage dealer I have in my disposal, but my arm pangs in pain when I remember the last time I used this thing. It's do or die, there's no room for doubt here. I get within reach of the target and grip the saber hilt with both hands to the point that I can feel my finger bones ache. I envision my inner self and it's entire body entering the machine's entire framework and wreaking havoc on every component in sight.

I thrust with all of my might and a beam shoots from the hilt, at first piercing through the machine's core completely, but in the next instant the same energy starts bursting from the core in every direction. A violent explosion erupts knocking me off my feet and causing shrapnel to scrape my cheek. I feel a familiar tug on my wait bringing me back to down to earth, Velora zips me towards her and Kurt catches me before I eat the landing.

We look on as the smoke clears, the Machine of Merit was finally neutralized. Its components were strewn throughout the Proving Room, and its frame left in shambles.