A man stumbles through the woods, panting with every step. City lights can be seen from afar.

Man: "*Wheeze* F-finally...So damn close..."

He glances back and walks towards the city with renewed vigour. A car drives by with a well dressed Lyclan woman in it.

----

Sincan brushes his teeth while looking at the mirror. A large smile can be seen stretched across his face.

Sincan*: " Can't believe it's finally here! This is the best day of my life!"

He finishes brushing and gets ready to leave for the office.

Sincan: "Last time I'll ever see this place ever again. After today, it's fine dining and penthouses for me!"

He parked his car and walked into the office with his big grin.

Firil: "Surprise!"

Colourful party poppers went off and surprised Sincan who returned the gesture with a big laugh. All of his employees were standing there to greet him.

Jake: "Unusual for you to laugh."

Sincan: "I'm in a great mood today."

Moris: "Can you blame him, promoted to regional manager already. Of course he'd be happy."

Kos: "For someone like him, I thin-"

Firil: "That's enough of that. We're here to celebrate!"

Sincan: "Got something planned for me?"

Cervo: "Sure we do!"

Cervo was behind him, wearing a different set of clothes for once.

Sincan: "Well, let me in on it."

Sincan waited as Cervo pulled out a colourful pamphlet.

Cervo: "We're going to the biggest arcade in all of Gard. The Lazy Stowl!"

Moris: " Considered to be the promised land to any man."

Jake: "Filled with the most advanced machines."

Kos: "And it's kind of cool, I guess."

Cervo: "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

They started walking out the door, one by one. Before Firil could walk through, Sincan stopped her in her tracks.

Firil: "Huh? What's wrong?"

Sincan: " So Firil, how do you like your job here?"

Firil: "It's good? The guys are fun to hang around. Even Cervo feels like an employee here now after his job got extended."

Sincan: "So how would you feel with a promotion?"

Firil: "Sincan, are you asking me?"

Sincan: "They said I would need an assistant now so I thought, who better than you?"

Firil: " Wait wai- I need time to think about this."

Sincan: "I won't force you. Just think about it."

Sincan walked out while Firil stood there for a second. After putting those thoughts aside she caught up with the rest.

Jake: "What took you so long?"

Firil: "Well that-"

Vanessa: "I can't believe my eyes. My own workers abandoning their posts."

They looked back to see Vanessa standing there, a warm smile on her face. Jake was the first to react.

Jake: "What are you doing here!"

Vanessa: "I took a day off to congratulate my former employee on his promotion. But I didn't think he would teach people to skip work."

Moris: "We completed it all yesterday! So take that!"

Sincan: "You did?"

Vanessa: "You did?"

Sincan looked at Vanessa with a worried expression.

Sincan: "Heh...I guess they did."

Vanessa: "I fear for the future of this company. What are you doing anyway."

Cervo: "Going to Gard to celebrate?"

Vanessa: "And who might you be?"

Cervo: "The Solik assigned to them due to all the problems they cause."

Vanessa muttered: "Damn it, he's too young. Cheapskates."

Vanessa saunters over to Firil and starts coddling her.

Vanessa: "Oh how I missed you the most. You adorable little thing!"

Firil: "Stop it boss, you know I hate that!"

She pushes Vanessa away.

Vanessa: "hehe It's fun though. Alright, as a treat I'll join you!"

Jake: "That's great. Uh I mean it's good."

Kos: "Smooth."

Moris: "Let's go. The games won't wait for us!"

They start walking off with a spring in their step. The group mingle and make small talk all the while waiting for their bus to arrive. A wave of calmness washes over Sincan as he is standing amidst the small crowd.

----

A man walks through the city, exhausted and breathing unevenly. He's trying to focus when he bumps into a young Lyclan.

Lotin: "Watch where you're go- Woah. Are you okay, mister? You don't look so well."

The man collapses in front of Lotin as he scrambles to set him up right.

Lotin*: "He looks like he's been running a marathon."

He searches through the man's pockets to pull out his phone. He's about to dial the emergancy when the man grabs his hand.

Man: "You really don't want to do that. Put it down."

Lotin: 'Have some water first, you look thirsty."

Lotin pulls out a water bottle from his delivery box. That's coming out of my pocket, I'm sure sis can handle one day without candy. He hands it over to the man who graciously accepts it and starts chugging. After finishing, he clears his throat before speaking.

Man: "Do you know where the Southern Kom-Kich Company office is located?"

Lotin: "Of course I do, I know this city like the back of my hand. But why do you want to know that?"

The man stutters before answering as best as he can.

Man: "I have some business there. It would help me out a lot if you could show me the way."

----

Sincan is walking through an amusement park with the rest of the gang. Sincan looks towards the shooting gallery and perks up.

Sincan: "I got a great idea. Since the girls are out with Vanessa, why don't we kill some time?"

Cervo: "A shooting gallery? I suck at those."

Sincan: "You have a water wheel though? Haven't you practiced with it?"

Cervo: "Practiced flooding large areas? Sure."

Moris pushes Cervo aside and asks the employee running the stand to let him play. He cracks his neck and knuckles before talking.

Moris: "Watch and learn. You're going to see a true water master."

The employee hands him the water gun which Moris picks up. He points it with one hand. Sound comes out of the speakers surrounding the stand as the game begins. Targets line up and move left and right. His arm glows as he shoots the gun and water streams out. It splits into several strands that each knock down a target. They start popping up faster, he shoots faster. Bang! One down. Bang! Four down. Bang! The only thing left are the innocent targets. Nobody is able to match Moris' score in the game.

Jake: "Show off."

Moris: "Mind holding my plushies for me? I only have two hands after all."

Sincan nudges Cervo who gathers some water around Moris' feet. He walks and slips, landing in his pile of plush toys.

Moris: "Hey, that was real dirty!"

The group laugh as the girls walk towards them.

Kos: "Did he really buy all of those?"

Moris: "I earned all of these. Now can someone help me."

They pick him up and sort the plushies into bags. Afterwards, they make their way to the arcade, where an air hockey table is placed. Sincan and Vanessa make their way to opposite ends of the table and get ready. Jake puts the coins into the machine to start it.

Vanessa: "I'll have you know that I'm the grandmaster of Air hockey."

Sincan: "I'm pretty sure I'm better. No way you can beat me."

Sincan starts by hitting the puck, sending it towards Vanessa who counters it quickly. It returns to Sincan's side with great speed, barely giving him enough time to react. He hits it back and she counters it again, with extreme precision and speed. As Sincan is about to hit the puck, it curves around his paddle and into the goal.

Sincan: "Two can play at that game, Boss."

He takes the puck out and places it back on the field. He hits it towards her and as she's focused on the first one, he hits another one into the goal.

Vanessa: "You little, that's not allowed!"

Sincan: "I didn't know we were playing by the rules now? Admit defeat, Boss."

Vanessa pulled back the puck launched at Sincan and pulled the second one out of the goal. The puck crumbles in her hand back into the rocks it was formed from. She shoots Sincan a glare.

Sincan: "I guess I just can't keep it up for that long haha."

Vanessa calms herself before shooting the puck. Sincan counters it and they start going back and forth. The speed of their exchange increases until Sincan isn't able to keep up anymore and Vanessa scores a goal.

Vanessa: "One more and I win. Who's better now?"

Jake: "She really gets too into it sometimes..."

Kos: "No kidding, they somehow managed to garner a crowd."

Rocks gather around Sincan as they form into a body, the body starts gaining features until it becomes an image of the man who created it. Sincan hands it the paddle and stands beside it.

Sincan: "No rules against this, as far as I know, Boss."

Vanessa: "Oh you wipe that smug look off your face, greeny. I'm not that easy."

Water starts floating around her as it crystallizes into a tower on the ground. Vanessa's movements seem to speed up as Sincan tries to create more pucks but is unable to.

Sincan: "This was a bad idea. The clone uses up too much damn Bewl."

He tries to dissolve it as fast as he can but is unable to before the puck lands in his goal. The people cheer as Vanessa dissolves her tiny towers.

Vanessa: "Grand. Master."

Sincan: "You're too strong, it's unfair."

Vanessa walks over to Sincan's side as the crowd disperses.

Vanessa: "Learn to understand your Wheel's strengths, it'll help you."

Sincan mopes about before Vanessa hands him an ice cream cone.

Vanessa: "It was a good match though, I'll try to go easier next time."

Sincan picks up the cone before faking a smile.

Sincan*: "Maybe don't escalate things!"

Cervo: "She has a point though. Skill is just as important as raw power."

Sincan: "Sure, Cerv. Judging by the way you fight, you're more power."

Cervo: "Got a pretty strong Wheel on me."

Sincan: "Mind telling me what it is someday?"

Cervo: "Sure, they're hard to come by though."

The gang walks off towards more attractions. They all ride the rollercoaster, take pictures and Jake and Moris fight in an arcade game.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

----

Man: "This seems a bit unnecessary."

Lotin: "My dad's out working, don't worry."

Man: "And her?"

He points it at the girl sitting beside Lotin. Lotin turns towards her before speaking.

Lotin: "You won't tell anyone about this, right sis?"

The girl nods before going back to her room.

Lotin and the man are sitting around a table, some food laid out before them. Outside the window, a bright sky can be seen. The man watches it for a few minutes before breaking out of his trance.

Lotin: "I know it's not much, but you should eat. By the way, you never told me your name?"

Man: "Nato Won. I'm a secretary working at Bovin."

Lotin: "What's a Bovin?"

Nato: "Are you serious? It's one of the biggest Tech companies around. Have you really never heard of us?"

Lotin: "Doesn't mean much to a broke kid."

Nato: "Oh."

Nato took a look around for the first time, the apartment was littered with cracks and stains. The windows were made of cheap glass and the surrounding neighborhood didn't fare much better.

Nato: "Sorry about that, kid."

Lotin: "No worries, I'm not sad about it. Someone gave me hope about my situation."

Nato: 'Sounds like a great person."

Lotin: "She is. You should rest for now. You don't look very good."

Nato gives out a big yawn.

Nato: "Can't. Need to deliver a message."

Lotin: "I'll wake you up when they come back. You won't be able to send your message in your state."

Maybe the Kid's right, I won't be able to help Ms. Firil in this state. He rubs his eyes before standing up to speak.

Lotin: "Take the bed in my room. Try not to make too much noise, though."

Nato: "Thanks, Lotin. I'll be out of your hair as fast as I can."

Lotin replies sarcastically: "Thanks for the concern."

Nato collapses onto the bed heavily. His eyes shut immediately as he drifts to sleep, his tired legs no longer able to support him.

Lotin*: "Weird guy."

----

The sun is half visible from the place where they're standing. Vanessa looks up and admires it while the rest are organizing their bags and waiting for their bus to arrive. Moris sighs deeply which grabs everyone's attention. Cervo had already left with Vanessa early for personal reasons.

Firil: "Are you tired, Mor?"

Moris: "What does it look like? I spent the entire day on theme park rides. Any man would be tired."

He looks over at Sincan and Jake who seem to be active. Sincan is taking a small call while Jake is tinkering with some bewltronics.

Kos: "Oh, I see that."

Moris whispers: "Couldn't have picked a better time, could they?"

Firil: "Come on, Kos. Be a little more sympathetic. He carried our bags after all."

Kos: "Bag. He carried A bag. And we had to carry his giant plush. Doesn't seem so fair to me."

As their bus arrives they load their belongings onto it. They sit down in their respective seats. Moris turns around on his seat to speak to Kos.

Moris: "You can keep the plush, thing's way too big for me."

Kos perks up at the proposal.

Kos: "Really? You'd really give it up like that?"

Moris: "Where am I even going to find space to put this thing. Plus, what will people think if I kept something like that with me."

Firil: "That gives me an idea."

After a while they pull into the bus stop at Sonh. They unload their belongings before walking towards the office. The gang is starting to feel fatigued and hungry as Sincan opens the door to the office.

Vanessa & Cervo: "SURPRISE!"

Confetti bursts out as they are greeted with dinner. The smell fuels their hunger as Sincan stands there in awe.

Sincan: "Why...did you do so much?"

Vanessa: "Because you're my employee, obviously."

Cervo: "And because you're our friend too."

Jake and Kos wince a bit at that statement.

Sincan: "I've barely been here that long. And we didn't even talk much."

Vanessa: "Half a year doesn't seem so small to me. You have to celebrate these things while you're young."

Cervo: "Just enjoy and shut your trap, alright?"

No, no. Don't be distracted, they're doing it for favours. I get promoted so fast, they obviously want something from me.

Sincan: "Alright, I will."

They dig into the food. It's delicious, with meat and seared vegetables. Sweet desserts and tarts along with nice and cold drinks. Sincan buries his doubt in his mind as he enjoys a meal with others around him. While I've just been thinking of getting higher, they actually enjoyed what they have.

Jake and Kos don't seem to be overly opposed to him at the moment. They've given me chances. More than I ever tried to give myself.

After the party is wrapping up, Sincan and Firil move to a corner before speaking to each other.

Firil: "I think I've decided, Sincan."

Sincan: "Are you sure about that? I don't want you to make a decision that you would regret."

Firil: "I'm sure of it, I don't think that I can accept it. These guys, I cherish them."

Sincan: "You'll be able to see them all the time, I'll personally make sure you get as much time with them as possible."

Lure her in, you need to get close to her.

Firil: "Sorry, Sincan, but I've made up my mind."

Try something, anything to make her come with you.

Sincan: "I love you."

Firil: "Wait what?!"

She tries to keep her calm as Sincan repeats what he said.

Sincan: "I said that I love you, I want you to come with me because I want to get closer to you. Nothing more than that, I'd rather not accept my promotion if it meant I could stay where you are."

Firil: "I-I uhh never would have thought you feel that way."

Sincan: "I do and I mean it."

She blushes ear to ear, trying to process what she has heard.

Firil: "You can't just say that to someone! I don't even know how I feel anymore."

She walks away with her head between her hands.

----

Nato wakes up in the middle of the night, the moon hanging in the sky as a crescent. Shit, Shit, Shit. He hurriedly checks his belongings to see if they're in one place and casts a spell that makes wind appear around him. He opens the window and jumps out as Lotin walks into the room. All he sees is an open window and an empty bed in the cold night.

Nato jumps through the air and lands on building tops, running at top speed. He's full of energy and on high alert. While jumping he notices shadows on the rooftops. Figures that seem like a mirage. He pushes his Wheel to it's limit and speeds up, wind helping his every step. He leaps onto the roof of a familiar building. The office of the Southern Kom-Kich company, Sonh Branch.

He runs towards the door to the roof and breaks it open with a blast of fire. Running down the stairs he finds the office to be empty, with a giant plush toy in one corner as its only decoration. NoNoNoNO.

----

The bus drives around in the streets towards the airport, the final destination of Sincan Tolkin. Warm yellow lights shine down on them, illuminating their faces briefly. Firil sits quietly, contemplating what she's heard. Jake and Vanessa make small talk in their seats, too awkward to say anything to each other.

Sincan is sitting by himself, the rest of the employees either too tired to converse or having nothing to say to him at all. Why do I feel bad? It's not something that he should be feeling. And search as he might, he cannot find the reason.

The bus pulls up into the station and the gang exits. Sincan packs up his belongings and takes a deep breath as they walk through the airport. Keep your mind off of it, Think of something else. Anything else. Sure seems to be a lot of people in coats today, huh? They walk towards the plane and stop as soon as it comes into sight. Moris is the first to speak up.

Moris says with a deep breath: "So...This is it. I didn't think you'd come and go so fast."

Sincan tries to put on a fake smile but can't.

Sincan: "Come on, Mor. We'll see each other again, no way I'd just up and abandon you guys."

Firil: "You've done so much for us. You're one of the best colleagues I've had in a long while. We'll miss you."

Sincan: "I will too."

Cervo steps up from behind them.

Cervo: "I think we've known each other even less."

He gives a small laugh before continuing.

Cervo: "I didn't expect to get so emotional though. Sincan, do me a favor and open up a little why don't you?"

Sincan: "heh, I'll try."

Vanessa: "Any employee of mine won't just try, they'll succeed."

Sincan: "Boss..."

Vanessa: "Cervo's right, Sincan. Try to open up to others, you'll find it feels great to have good friends."

Sincan gives a chuckle as his eyes start fogging up. A single drop can be heard on the floor.

Jake: "That's unexpected."

Sincan: "I'm sorry. what? How did that happen?"

Vanessa: "You're a big softy on the inside after all."

Sincan winces before the gang pulls in for a hug. Even Jake and Kos join, although reluctantly.

Sincan: "I'll miss you guys."

Jake: "Yeah yeah, now you got a flight to catch don't you?"

Sincan pulls away as Firil stands next to him.

Firil: "I want to talk to him by himself for a few seconds, if you guys don't mind."

She walks with Sincan over to the private plane. Before speaking up, Sincan stops her.

Sincan: "You don't need to say anything. I'm not going to force you to come with me."

Firil: "Will we still be friends?"

Sincan: "Of course. I just have a lot to think about. I'll call you back later when I get my thoughts right."

Firil: "Hehe, yeah me t-"

An explosion erupts from the entrance of the airport. Shrieking can be heard as Cervo rushes to the scene with Vanessa in tow. Sincan and Firil are astonished as the rest of the gang run towards them with an unfamiliar man leading. The man is dressed in a suit stained with dirt marks as if he spent the better part of a month in the wilderness.

The man walks up to Firil before speaking.

Nato: "Ms. Meyers, we need to leave at once! You aren't safe here!"

Jake pulls Nato back before holding him in a lock.

Jake: " She's not the one you're looking for. Whoever you are, explain!"

Nato: "Of course she's the one I'm looking for! That is Firil Meyers, Grand daughter of Volt Meyers!"

Jake: "What's your problem, you creep!"

Firil: "Let him go, Jake!"

Jake: "What?!"

Jake is distracted long enough for Nato to break free and move away from him.

Nato: "We don't have any time. Ms. Firil, your secret's out."

Firil stares in disbelief. No, why now?

More sounds can be heard from the airport as a giant gear flies overhead. Cervo comes running out of the airport with Vanessa, wounds littering his body.

Cervo: "They're too damn strong. We need to call the authorities."

Vanessa mumbles: "Hands of Phobos, here? But why?"

She pulls out two needles from her pockets and readies them.

Nato: "Listen, everybody in there is looking for Ms. Firil. They know that her grandfather left her a clue to something very powerful. Now that everyone knows, they want a piece of her so that they can take it for themselves."

Cervo: "Then get her to safety! Take all of them, civilians should evacuate as soon as possible!"

Vanessa: "You're not thinking straight, Cervo. Those were Hands, you can't run away from them that easily."

As they converse, several figures pop out from the building. A Scalin man holding a large sword, wearing black clothes with straps and weapons tied to it. His eyes shine red as he approaches. A Derlin woman follows, with her eyes covered by a bandana and a floating orb behind her. Apart from those two, several small grunts also follow.

Man: "Hand over the girl right now! Deny my demands and I shall see to it that your death is painful!"

Nato whispers: "run and take the nearest vehicle to as far away from here as possible. I'll hold them off with the Solik."

They're paralyzed as Nato speaks. The man in front of them looked ruthless, and he left a trail of destruction wherever he went. The woman seemed to just be tagging along, not contributing anything to him. The man looked over at Vanessa before opening his mouth.

Man: "Vanessa? What are you doing here?"

Vanessa: "As if you have any right to ask that."

She shoots her needles towards him, one of them get blocked by his sword but the second one makes its way into his skin before twisting into a knot.

Vanessa: "Back down or I'm going to put this thing all the way into his brain!"

The woman with the orb removes the metal easily from the man's skin. Her orb shines green as the man's wound closes quickly.

Vanessa retracts both of the needles as the man lunges forward with his sword. Before he can make contact, he's stopped by a metal foot stomping in front of him.

Cervo: "Thanks, Okshender."

The robot doesn't respond because his face is fixed on the opponents. The man stumbles back and uses his sword for support.

Man: "Look, this is going to get bloody if you don't hand over the girl. Neither of us wants that, do we?"

Sincan looks at his friends and their scared expressions before moving forward and speaking up.

Sincan: "I think we can work out a deal if you step down! I'm working for Oxe Meyers so I'm on your side!"

Firil face reddens with anger.

Firil: "You're WHAT!?"

Sincan doesn't look back at her.

Man: "That's bad for you. I'm not stepping down neither am I working for Oxe. You either hand her over before the police get here or I'll make sure none of you lives to tell the tale!"

Cervo: "Sincan, I don't know what to tell you right now but get out of here!"

Sincan: "I can hel-"

Cervo: "Get the hell out of here Sincan!"

Sincan can't speak up. Jake starts running away and Sincan follows them. The man orders the grunts to take after them which leaves Cervo and Vanessa alone with them.

Vanessa: "Cervo, these are dangerous people. One wrong move and we'll be killed, no ifs, ands or buts about it."

Cervo: "I'll look out for myself. Stay focused too."

Cervo raises his daggers at them.

Vanessa begins by raising giant towers of ice that seem to help Cervo with his speed. There's no moment to spare as the two Hands begin. The women goes after Vanessa. She throws her orb at Vanessa but it's direction changes as Vanessa uses a Wind Wheel to redirect it. She pins the orb under her feet which angers the woman. Meanwhile, Cervo dodges around the large slashes of the man's sword, cutting him on his body wherever he can get in a slice.

Man: "For such a low rank, you're not bad."

Cervo: "I'm guessing the sword is compensation?"

The man punches Cervo, staggering him for a second as he brings the sword down on him. Before connecting, Okshender blocks it with his hand.

Okshender: "Get in."

Cervo climbs into the opening that the Gear creates, seating himself in it. As the Gear pulls away, the man seems to shift behind him, slashing him on his armour plating.

Cervo: "How the hell did he get there?"

Okshender: "Force and Speed Wheel."

An arm panel opens up for the Gear, revealing a chaingun.

Cervo: "We're not trying to kill him!"

The Gear disengages the gun. Cervo pilots it and tries to swat at the man but his situation seems to be reversed. Now the man is too fast for Cervo to catch. As the man is jumping around the Gear, Cervo manages to hit him once with his hand.

Cervo: "This is seriously annoying. Where's his tattoo?"

Okshender:" On his back."

Cervo: "I have an idea. Do exactly as I say."

The man assesses his damages before returning to the battlefield. Vanessa seems to still be fighting the Derlin woman. The woman has the upper hand as Vanessa's arm seems to be burnt. Vanessa tries to heal her arm but her Water Wheel doesn't seem to be working.

Vanessa: "Damn it, she got the Wolish. Okay, think about this, how do you take care of that damn orb."

She steadies herself before baiting the woman with a ice spear. At least she didn't get the other one. The woman sends out her orb with full force, prepared to destroy the spear and get in a free hit. As it approaches, Vanessa dissolves the ice spear and reforms it into a prison for the orb. She then melts the inner layer of ice, moving it through the insides of the orb and freezes it again. Ice spikes seem to protrude out of the Orb as it lays on the ground with a dimmed light.

Woman: "I can see why they took you in."

Vanessa: "I chose to be there, just like I chose to left."

The woman unleashes a force so strong, Vanessa is brought to her knees. The woman walks over to her and begins creating an ice blade but before she can finish Vanessa takes the breath out of her lungs. The woman falls unconscious on the ground as Vanessa stands over her.

Vanessa: "And that's why I was a Hand. Punks like you are no trouble."

----

Sincan and the gang are running away quietly as they have nothing to say to him. As they make their way out of the airport, they can hear the sounds of the grunts chasing after them. They're clad in black armour and equipped well. The gang hide behind a corner with Jake in the lead. Sincan is behind them and contemplates running back to Cervo to help him. The kinds of things they can do, they're monsters. A soldier comes from the front and turns the corner at which point Jake puts his spirit to sleep. He drags the body and hides it so that no one notices. Sincan summons a clones and punches the grunt unconscious. He puts it in the same spot as Jake's.

A flash bomb is thrown into the middle of the gang which blinds everyone except Kos. She hides away before they get surrounded by soldiers. They recover just in time to see that they're surrounded.

Grunt: "You don't need to get hurt, just hand over the girl."

Nato: "Over my dead body."

The grunt shoots him in the leg which causes it to start bleeding. Nato falls onto the ground with Moris trying to take care of him.

Firil: "Please! Don't hurt them, just take me if you need to."

Sincan makes way for Firil to walk but before she makes it through he grabs the gun of the grunt and aims it towards her head. They reach a stalemate before Nato releases a gas which engulfs the entire hallway they're in.

Nato: "Go! I'll catch up!"

----

The Scalin man keeps trading blows with the giant Gear. They seem to be evenly matched.

Man: "Lost the will to speak, huh?"

Before he can go in for another swing, his legs are frozen beneath him. He stares in awe at the blue white mechanical monster in front of him before it punches him straight through the airport building. A sound is heard by Nato as he fights off the grunts.

Cervo heaves heavily at his exhausted Bewl pool. That's all I had in me. I have to call the Branch. As these thoughts cross his mind, another one enters. What's that?

A metallic beast of purple, with red lines between its armour descends from the sky. It has wings like an eagle that create orange flames. A Homlin (Human) man can be seen standing on top of it. Wearing a white coat with plain clothing underneath. The man descends from the Gear as Vanessa arrives at the scene. He wears a smirk, similar to the one seen on his gear.

Tox: "Seems like we've caused a bit of a mess here. Guess you can't expect things to always work out."

He looks at Cervo before continuing.

Tox: "I would like to humbly ask that you stand down and let me get on with my job. Tell me where the girl went."

Cervo: "She went through the west exit."

Tox: "Funny. I was just there and I don't think I ever saw a Derlin walking through."

Cervo: "Okshender!"

The Gear shoots at Tox but the purple Gear reacts faster.

Tox: "Oh ho ho. You got an Old Knight? Lucky. Mine's called Soot."

A ring seems to surround the Homlin man as he's warped into the interior of the mechanical devil.

Tox: "Don't wait for backup, we took care of that. Just try your best!"

Cervo tries to enter Okshender but is unable as he's grabbed by Soot. The mech crushes him between his fingers.

Tox: "As if. Battle begins from the moment I say go. It's not my fault you aren't fast enough."

Cervo screams as his body seems to be crushed. Combined with the bruises sustained from his previous fight, he's unable to escape. Vanessa creates two pillars of crystal water which open up the Gear's fingers in just the right way for Cervo to escape.

Cervo: "Thanks..."

He's breathing heavily through all of these events. He notices that Vanessa is as well.

Cervo: "I have an idea. We might not live through it though. Keep him busy for a few seconds."

Vanessa: "Got it. Hey, you hairless shit! Why not fight me one on one. Take of the giant tricycle wheels!"

Tox: "Oh, really?"

Tox pops out in front of Soot.

Tox: "Soot, go after the Solik."

The mech goes after Cervo as Tox engages with Vanessa.

Tox: "With the new technology we have, your old tricks just don't cut it."

He uses several dodges and weaves to disorient her before hitting. Vanessa slows down as she's bruised heavily.

Cervo uses Okshender to fight Soot. Without Tox, the Gear doesn't fight as well but is still able to match Cervo and Okshender.

Cervo: "Okshender..."

Okshender: "Yes?"

Cervo: "I need you to record a message. Think you can do that?"

Okshender: "Of course. I will begin recording."

Cervo opened the hatch to the outside. He fell through the sky and hoped that the message would reach them. Soot took off towards Cervo, completely ignoring the Gear in front of him. Okshender took off, tearing through the sky.

----

Sincan and the rest were running for their lives through the streets. Though no one seemed to be around for miles. As they get surrounded one more time, their legs give out. Sincan stands his ground and readies himself for a fight but as soon as he sees that White and Blue robot, his knees give way and he faints.

The last thing he hears before fully succumbing to his fatigue, the last thing anyone hears are these robotic words.

Okshender: "Designating New Pilot."