My robots immediately leapt into action, creating a wall of steel with their bodies. Lights of all different colors flashed inside the room as the mages fired plumes of fire, streams of water, bullets of stone, and sharp gusts of wind. At the same time, I spun around and shouted, “DOWN THE STAIRS, NOW!”

Nobody questioned me, and Venari took the lead during the retreat. Shoving the doors open, she was nearly stabbed by one of Drusus’s men that had been waiting right outside the door. She narrowly avoided the sword thrust, quickly responding with a brutal kick to the chest. The man’s armor crumpled from the powerful blow, and he was sent tumbling down the stone steps, knocking down several men behind him.

“MOVE!” one of the Wild Hunters behind Venari yelled. Venari dropped to the ground, and a wave of fire blew over her head. The soldiers in the stairwell screamed in agony as the heat melted their flesh, filling the air the scent of scorched skin and hair. The flames ceased after a few seconds, and the soldiers, while still alive, were in no shape to fight.

We jumped past their convulsing bodies, and once everyone was out of the stairwell, I roared, “DO IT EVE!” in my mind.

“[Target confirmed. Firing…]”

If you listened closely, you could hear three distinct thunking sounds in the distance. The world seemed to fall silent for a moment, until enormous explosions rocked the floor above us. Screams of confusion and terror were heard from above, and I could only hope that the R.O.A.R.’s had managed to kill all the mages up above.

My Predators had wrapped themselves around the soldiers and Venair to protect them from the stone shrapnel that was flying through the air. Several shards pierced through the unprotected parts of my body, causing droplets of nanobots to splatter on the wall behind me. Surprisingly, most of the ceiling held together, but its ominous creaking and groaning didn’t give me confidence that it would stay that way for long.

“GO GO GO!” Venari bellowed, and we continued our mad dash to the lower floors. Spotting a soldier in the corridor ahead, I pulled the trigger on my Whiplash, sending bullets flying at his torso. His body jerked as each one slammed into him, and his body fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

Suddenly, something broke through the ceiling behind us, dropping straight onto one of my Predators. The sound of screeching metal echoed through the hallway, and upon looking back, I was horrified to see that it was Morgaine. Her black greatsword had skewered a Predator through the head and out the bottom. The robot twitched, only stopping when Morgaine ripped it off her sword. She turned to look at us and smiled, revealing her unnaturally sharp teeth. Most of the armor and flesh on her limbs had been torn away, revealing ivory bone underneath. Her chestplate, however, was still intact. It was covered in soot and dust, as well as having a deep scratch on its surface.

“What the fuck!?!” I shouted in surprise. The mortar shells should have killed everyone on the top floor, and I couldn’t understand how she was still standing in front of me.

“Where are you going, my little lambs?” she cackled. The flesh on her body started regrowing at a slow but noticeable pace. The muscles, tendons, ligaments, and veins wove themselves together like some sort of macabre tapestry.

Using her understanding of the Law of Water, Venari sucked as much moisture out of the air as possible, forming a shield made of water that attached itself to her arm. “You all take care of the other ones! I’ll deal with her myself!”

“Oh, I do love a duel to the Undeath!” the undead mercenary smiled. Hefting her blade over her shoulder, she charged forward with a fierce battle cry. I barely had time to see Venari deflecting the massive sword with her shield before I was forced to deal with the flood of soldiers pouring in.

Flicking the switch on my Whiplash, I started spraying bullets without caring about accuracy. Around me, the Wild Hunters let loose with their Laws in a desperate attempt to hold the enemies back. The Predators weren’t standing around idly, with many launching their canisters of tear gas as far back into the crowd as possible. The cannisters hissed as they hit the ground, releasing the irritating fumes in every direction. The poor souls nearest to them retched and gagged when the gas hit them, and confusion began to spread in their ranks.

Taking a quick glance at Venari, I saw she was cornered against a wall. Morgaine took a hand off of her sword to punch at Venari’s midsection. In a surprising display of flexibility, Venari twisted away from the blow. To my shock, the normal looking punch demolished the wall, creating a large hole. Venari reformed her water shield into a solid block and plowed it into the undead mercenary, sending her flying backwards and temporarily stunning her.

“FOLLOW ME!” she shouted at us before leaping out of the hole in the wall.

“I’ll cover you!” I told the Wild Hunters.

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Lieutenant Barbatus gave me a short appreciative nod. “C’mon boys, we’re playin’ outside!”

I had the Predators form a wall with their bodies, as well as having them drop a few more canisters of tear gas at their feet. It was an effective deterrent, at least until a few mages in the back manipulated the air to move the fumes away. But it gave me all the time I needed, and with a quick wave at the enemy soldiers, I threw myself through the hole.

“WEEee-HOLYYY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT” I screamed in terror when I realized how high up I was. The ground rushed to greet me, and I got the pleasure of experiencing the sensation of turning into a puddle. “Ugghh…” I groaned as I quickly reformed. “Note to self: Don’t jump out of buildings…”

“[Warning. Please move immediately.]”

Opening my eyes, I realized that Morgaine was falling directly towards me. I rolled away as fast as I could, feeling the ground shudder as Morgaine landed. “I’m not done with you yet!” she laughed maniacally, ignoring me completely and sprinting towards Venari. Jumping up, I realized I was in the castle gardens, completely surrounded by large flowering plants and trees.

I heard the sound of heavy thuds behind me as my Predators hit the ground, with most of them managing to land on their feet. “Go help Venari! Single target set: Morgaine!” I ordered. Their heads snapped toward Morgaine, and they ran off to go attack her.

“We have company!” One of the Wild Hunters cried. Running to join them, my gaze landed on Morgo, who was followed by a large regiment of his soldiers. I smirked in satisfaction upon seeing many of them were still red-eyed and coughing from the tear gas.

“[The R.O.A.R.s are on their last set of shells. Should I direct the fire at them?]”

“No, we’re too close to risk it. Actually, I have a better idea…”

“A foolish decision to send your little golems away,” Morgo said arrogantly, twirling his hammer around as though it was as light as a feather.

“Eh, I don’t need them any more,” I shrugged. “But if you would please direct your attention to that soon-to-be gone wall,” I said as if I were a tour guide. Everyone’s eyes involuntarily looked at the outer castle battlements that I had pointed at.

“What was that supposed to-” Morgo laughed when nothing happened, before being interrupted by a thunderous explosion. When the dust cleared, everyone saw that a large section of the battlements had been reduced to rubble. Mongo’s eyes were wide with surprise and fear, a sight I savored.

“I’d like you to meet my other buddies. I think you’ll really love them.”

A tsunami of steel rushed through the opening as all of my backup units joined the battle. The Dianmu gunners valiantly led the charge, firing a hail of bullets that mowed through the soldiers.

“WALLS, NOW!” Morgo bellowed. Putting a hand on the ground, he grit his teeth and made walls of hardened earth rise from the ground. The other earth mages in the regiment followed suit, briefly managing to stop the bullets. While their walls manage to halt the larger robots for a few moments, they meant nothing to the Arachnid robots. They easily clambered over the earthen barriers, and using them to their advantage, jumped onto the soldiers heads. The hardened steel tips on the Arachnid’s legs easily pierced through their helmets and skulls, killing them instantly. One of them tried to latch onto Morgo, but he swatted it out of the air, crushing it beyond repair.

The Wild Hunters made use of the mass panic to charge into the fray, cutting down several soldiers. Seeing the robots were taking care of the ordinary infantry, they decided to surround Morgo. Each of them took turns attacking, making sure to stay out of reach of his giant hammer. Their teamwork was impeccable, and the sight reminded me of a pack of hyenas nipping at a lion.

Unfortunately, Morgo quickly saw through their strategy. When one of the Wild Hunters thrusted at him, he grabbed the man’s blade, ignoring the deep wound it left on his hand. The Wild Hunter let go of the sword and tried to jump back, but he couldn’t evade the hammer coming at him. It struck the side of his torso, and I watched in horror as his chest crumbled like wet paper. He was sent flying, and when he hit the ground, his limp body tumbled like a rag doll. Cries of anguish came from the other Wild Hunters, and I heard one say, “BROTHER!”

“NOO!” Lieutenant Barbatus screamed in pain and rage. He charged forward, but was halted when Morgo summoned a pillar of dirt from the ground that was aimed at his chest. Lieutenant Barbatus dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a similar fate.

“ENFORCERS, DOGPILE HIM!” I ordered in my mind. When it reached them, the Enforcers disengaged from their battle with the soldiers and sprinted at full speed towards Morgo. The ones in the lead were turned into scrap by Morgo as he swung his hammer like a baseball bat. While their metallic frames would be difficult to damage with blades, blunt force was another thing altogether. He also used the Law of Earth to send large stones flying at them, destroying some and crippling others. But they continued fearlessly, and even the ones with damaged limbs dragged themselves forward like zombies.

“GET OFF ME!” Morgo shouted as the Enforcers grabbed onto his armor. He ripped the head off one and tossed another, but their heavy metal bodies weighed him down, allowing more and more to pile on. Eventually, he couldn’t bear the weight, and collapsed to the ground under a heap of robots. The Wild Hunters used the opportunity to start stabbing at any bit of exposed flesh, mercilessly plunging their blades into his arms and legs.

“This is for my brother!” one of them cried, grabbing Morgo’s head tightly. “FEEL THE INFERNO!”

A red glow emanated from his hands, and I heard Morgo’s flesh sizzle and pop from the intense heat. He howled in agony, and the earth around him rippled like water as he tried to manipulate the Law of Earth. The pain seemed to interrupt his concentration, and he struggled in vain to escape. The stench of burning hair filled the air as his skin burned away, and his movements slowly began to stop. When the Wild Hunter finally let go, Morgo’s face was unrecognizable, the heat having melted the flesh from his bones.