Clang! Clang!

Each laser cannon began thrumming and grew deafening as both armoured mech suits took aim at the injured Breeze Plume. Loyal even with fractured wings, the Cloud Butterfly curled protectively around the students clinging to its fuzzy thorax.

Sorah began evaluating options while parrying another relentless assault from Colonel Dravenik’s unpredictably enchanted Vad’aaki Blades. Barbarian tactics prevented any structured thinking, though years of battling the elements in his youth had forged an adaptable survivor’s spirit.

Spying several medium boulders piled haphazardly nearby gave Sorah an idea. With fleet footwork, he evaded left around Dravenik’s slicing blades while picking up angular momentum for a spinning heel kick. His sandal connected sharply against an oval chunk of granite, launching it directly into the closest mech suit’s exhaust pipe.

"Butterfly, now! Seal the weapon malfunction with silk spray!" Sorah yelled.

Obedient even in pain, Breeze Plume reared its fuzzy head and spewed strands of thick webbing from its mandibles, expertly coating and plugging the mech suit’s left ejection vent. Smoke and sparks immediately belched in protest as the unit stalled.

“Dammit!” The pilot cursed loudly while struggling to clear intake filters.

[Pipe Clogged! Mech Offline]

"Your outdated nobility bleeds weakness!" taunted Colonel Dravenik. His scarred face seemed to perpetually snarl. "We counted six elderly masters atop your central palace spire earlier today during our scouting. I expected more... resistance from legendary Floating Leaf martial warriors!"

Dravenik suddenly disengaged, intentionally lowering his enchanted Vad’aaki Blades. Sorah immediately recognized the arrogance; this Sand Devil wished to prolong sporting with his prey. The Pyro Warrior squadron had almost routed the last village defenders over the southern ridge beyond Elder Liu’s protective Cyclonus Titan. Victory looked assured, so why not toy with the elderly priest begging for punishment?

Sorah ignored the vulgar insults, instead, he watched Dravenik’s feet and chest for any sudden signalling commitments.

The Sand Colonel began slowly circling left, forcing Sorah away from Breeze Plume and his students.

‘So the cur wishes me to grovel helplessly before murdering the children eh? I shall play his fool awhile,’ Sorah thought. Regulating breathing through a meditative Turtle Stance, he cleared emotions from the dire scenario. The dojo master randomly tossed his staff from one calloused hand to the other, subtly flashing a secret finger code he prayed might catch Elder Liu’s peripheral attention.

‘Please venerable one, notice our plight! Surely the Sky Patrol can intercept us upon your cloud wave steed...’ he silently pleaded.

Several tense moments passed with only flaming timber crashing and distant screams echoing. Smoke stung Sorah’s lungs. Still, the Sand Colonel hesitated in slaying his cornered prey. He continued to circle him while boasting loudly to his nearby cronies.

"Behold elder, already our Quar’ellix Titan decimates your animal breeding pit!" Dravenik boasted, gesturing to his right.

Glancing over reluctantly, Sorah spotted the hulking Terravolt Titan Avatar Quar’ellix - the one seemingly sculpted from ore and magma that he had noted earlier - was brutally caving in the Cloud Hamlet’s southern floating aviaries and young hatcheries. Squawking Cloud Butterflies too fledgling to fly were crushed mercilessly under its lumbering volcano hooves. Quar’ellix obsidian and iron body offered impenetrable protection to riders manning the swivelling Obsidian Ballista cannons mounted atop its metallic horns. Volleys of sharpened shards continuously bombarded fleeing villagers' backs.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sorah spied little Akara breaking down in anguished tears. Loyal Mari hugged Akara's tiny shoulders tightly, shielding her eyes from the suffering.

Righteous anger threatened to shatter Master Sorah’s placid Turtle Stance. How dare this ungracious horde violate sacred homes in the clouds! None may exile the free spirits who dance joyously on the winds... certainly not these brutish interlopers enslaved by flames and ore!

Perhaps sensing a shift in Sorah’s aura, Sand Colonel Dravenik suddenly halted. His grizzled face flashed an ominous grin akin to spotting prey. With feline slowness, the Sand Devil sheathed both sparking Vad’aaki Blades at his waist, then began reaching with palms upturned towards the smoking sky.

“Huh! Is he going to…?”

Sorah had dreaded this inevitable moment. A warrior bonded to a full-strength Cyclonus Titan Avatar could only mean increased suffering should defences keep crumbling. He tensed for impact, prepared to feign Lady Luck’s blessed protection or Grim Death’s cold embrace. Either fate might offer his students a chance for Elder Liu's steed to whisk them away if Sorah could obstruct his adversaries’ vision if only for moments.

"By ancient oaths beheld; I invoke thee Elemental Lords!!!” the Sand Colonel proclaimed while drawing hands slowly apart, conjuring swirls of Aether Steam - the visual manifestation of his own life energies mixed with latent elements within one’s blood.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

All veteran elemental warriors carried the capacity to distil ambient cosmic compounds into raw Aether Steam through years of unlocking inner chakra gates via intense meditations. This flammable psi substance allowed masters to interface their aura against external elements for manipulation into weapons, barriers, or solid constructs.

Attuned Elementalists learned how to concentrate Aether Steam into their hands while visualizing precise Titan Avatar forms to summon a compatible creature into battle. Rivalling natural disasters in sheer power, a mighty Titan would continue manifesting so long as its master maintained clarity providing sufficient psi fuel. Sever this spiritual tether however, and the Titan body dissipated rapidly.

During his travels, Sorah had heard terrifying tales of Elemental Masters wielding twin Titan Avatars at once - a legendary skill reserved only for supreme champion warriors or Dual Avatara Casters. So he shuddered imagining what destructive force now beckoned from this wretched Sand Colonel and the distant obsidian Quar’ellix behemoth.

Colonel Dravenik continued chanting loudly amidst the growing sandstorm being kicked up between his palms:

"Whirling tempests... bearer of ancient oaths to House Viz Durak! Inheritor of Dune Empire sovereignty! Red Sand Cyclonus Avatar, I beckon thee!!”

Howling winds answered and funnelled wildly into the conjured cloud until an enormous sandy maelstrom thirty feet tall took shape. Beady emerald eyes formed across jagged granules comprising the vaguely reptilian muzzle. Rows of rotating teeth lined its cavernous jaws, which opened to unleash another glass-shattering roar skywards.

[Red Sand Cyclonus - Level 10 Cyclonus Adept Titan Avatar Summoned!]

Sorah wanted to shut his eyes against the frightening spectacle, but forced himself to stare straight into the creature’s gaze. His father, Aoi had taught that all creatures communicated deep wisdom through eyes if we shed fear’s paralyzing veil to understand motivations.

Gazing into this Red Sand Cyclonus Titan birthed by Colonel Dravenik’s hatred, Sorah saw only raging infernos blazing unchecked. No empathy nor curiosity flickered in its swirling stare - just merciless obligation commanded through psychic tether by its Sand Master. Somehow Sorah must shatter the Colonel’s murderous convictions if his people held any hope. There could be no salvation bonding nor transforming the hearts of those already sold to chaos.

“Wow. That’s one scary-looking Titan,” commented Daichi from behind.

Gripping his staff tightly, Master Sorah knew his next deeds would enact lasting consequences however the winds now spun fate’s loom. Steadying his breath quietly through Turtle Stance, the elderly martial artist faced Colonel Dravenik and his newly summoned Red Sand Titan Avatar without betraying a hint of fear. Their eyes locked intensely across the burning wreckage.

“If you desire to apologize before the ancestors, now would be your sole opportunity, leaf priest!” taunted Colonel Dravenik while patting his Titan mount affectionately. In response, the mini sandstorm unleashed another sky-splitting roar towards Sorah.

Undaunted, the dojo master stared back with disciplined stillness akin to mountain stone. Moments felt stretched by spirit drum beats as combatants awaited the slightest motion signalling calamity’s commencement. Sorah prayed desperately for some surprise interception from Elder Liu yet his ears perceived no fluttering wings cutting through smoke curtains nor joyous Cloud Butterfly battle neighs. They stood painfully alone before this vicious Colonel, his Titan, and assorted scavengers who were picking apart Sorah’s beloved home.

Jaw muscles pulsing wildly, Colonel Dravenik pointed commandingly while barking “Obliterate!” instantly shattering the tension. On instinct, the Red Sand Cyclonus reared high before belching a colossal maelstrom of dust and gravel chunks directly at the old man.

Sorah reacted on pure instinct, his body and staff a blur of motion intercepting the blistering windstorm. "Twisting Storm Deflection!"

[15-Hit Accumulated!]

The epicentre caught Sorah full force, battering his clothing and skin raw instantly. Gritting his teeth defiantly, the martial master began swirling both arms in circular bridges before his body, harmonizing momentum against the maelstrom through rarely practised Arcane Tai Chi manoeuvres.

Years spent mastering breathwork in the thin outer isles guarding Cloud Hamlet had trained Sorah's lungs to filter particles. He could maintain the Swift Bridges Stance indefinitely... but the mounting lacerations and bruising taxed his mortal limits.

“Master Sorah!” The children were beginning to dread the worst for their teacher.

Colonel Dravenik cackled loudly astride his Titan Avatar. "Yes, wither slowly old fool! Prove once more your pitiful Cloud Hamlet breeds weakness unfit for our Dune Empire legions!"

The ongoing assault continued driving Sorah's feet deeper into rubble. He stared through stinging blood as the Red Sand Beast paused momentarily to gather another deadly breath. Across its undulating serpentine body, little Daichi yelled frantically while hurling loose debris at their tormenters alongside Mari, Meili and Akara. The Cloud Butterfly Breeze Plume had wisely flown them a safe distance, yet still, the courageous teens insisted on rallying to their Master's aid however futile.

'Brave children... but I can’t let any harm come to you,' Sorah thought bitterly. Grimacing against the pain, he reflected on all the mistakes and arrogant lessons that had led fate to this tragedy. What cruel cosmic joke or lesson was Heaven attempting by allowing such gentle innocence to suffer alongside an un-redeeming fool like himself? Had the Floating Leaf's isolation cultivated weakness as Colonel Dravenik mocked?

Master Sorah's momentary self-doubt proved costly. The Red Sand Titan swept both knotted hands aggressively, firing a spherical boulder of compressed dirt and gravel with the density of solid iron.

“Master look out!!!” Warning shouts from his students pierced the howling winds too late.

The massive Sand Bomb struck Sorah directly in the chest, shattering his defensive Swift Bridges with the force of a meteor crash. His Ribs fractured instantly from the crushing impact that catapulted his body backwards fifty feet into a flaming wall hard enough to bounce off limply and roll lifelessly across jagged rubble.

[Defence Broken]

[Critically Injured]

“Ha-ha-ha! How weak!” The Sand Colonel's raucous laughter echoed painfully in his fading consciousness...

Everything slowed while voices grew muffled then muted. Sorah's broken body felt numb, save the sticky warmth oozing down his forehead. Somewhere beyond the metal footsteps marching closer, Breeze Plume's agonized wailing could be heard. Had fate deemed him unfit to protect Cloud Hamlet despite tireless devotion across peaceful decades?

“Hope you’ve said your prayers, you old fool…” The laughing executioner's blade neared his exposed neck, promising release if only Sorah would accept this ending.