Zeno unclipped a device from his belt and placed it in front mouth.

“I am Zeno Nemrire, I will save you,” He shouted, the device magnifying his voice over the chaos. “Watch me and hopefully change your mind about how you condemn those with the name Nemrire.”

“Who the hell is that?”

“What is a dirty Nemrire doing here?”

Zeno ignored the comments. Zeno hurried towards the anima waving his arms and shouting at it. The anima roared, hot bursts of air flowing from its mouth. It changed directions and scurried after him, its machine belly low to the ground. The anima was gaining on Zeno, Zeno changed directions but the anima didn’t follow him. It was going in a straight line directly towards Iota. The anima had either changed targets from Zeno or Iota had been its target in the first place and it only appeared like it was following Zeno. Iota pretended to run in a certain direction only to quickly run in the opposite. There was a military cruck stationed nearby that he scrambled onto. A massive firearm was connected to it with a stand. Iota fired shots at it. The recoil shook the cruck and sent jolts through Iota’s arms. The anima is incredibly tough and the projectile dings off. It wasn’t able to hurt it. He fires an explosive shot but even that wasn’t strong enough. The blast just rolled off of it barely slowing it down.

Zeno withdrew a contraption of sorts from his backpack. He tossed it into the air towards the creature. The device unfurled and hummed as it sped towards the creature. Jet black mechanical wings buzzed up and down in burst gliding when the wings weren't moving, it zipped over and lightly attacked itself to the back of the anima.

The anima seized up for a moment and its massive right arm went limp, buckling when the anima took a step and its body collapsed under its weight in a storm of dust. This time it seemed to change its mind and actually followed Zeno this time. Zeno scrambled again, death lapping at his heels.

How? Why? Why would Zeno do this? Watching Zeno now, even knowing his motivations he still couldn’t comprehend it. He could live his life somewhat normally, he had the technical know-how to earn a living from repairing tech yet he still risked his life, and for what for people that didn’t give a rat's ass about him? It's beyond senseless, it's insane!

Why is someone working this hard for other people’s approval? It didn’t concern Iota but it shocked him. No one he had ever encountered in this big cruel world previously had done such a thing.

The anima was scurrying now after mostly gaining control of its arm again and crashed through stalls and houses, terrified people running for their lives out of the path of destruction. Some people narrowly avoided the anima by the skin of the teeth while others simply didn’t.

Zeno scampered onto a stall before jumping to a second story ledge in one movement. The anima was only moments away. That’s when he jumped. Zeno didn’t jump away from the anima, to the surprise of the anima he jumped towards its gaping jaws. He narrowly missed the razor sharp teeth and passed through its mouth which shut like a steel trap a hair's breadth after him. He knocked into the top of its neck and quickly held on. Its metal burning hot against his body. Squares on his legs hummed and fastened to the metal. He opens a panel and inserts a flat rectangular shaped object.

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Zeno held on against the struggles of the anima, it seemed to know what he was doing and was twisting its body and clawing furiously in the area Zeno was. Zeno loosened his grip slightly but the object nearly fell out. It would have if he hadn’t snapped his hand in place.

“Why are you still holding on?” Shouted Iota. Not that Zeno heard him over the tumult.

Zeno knew from the start this might happen.The plan was that he would let go and the stick he inserted would remain there and disable its movements. His people had been through so much. He didn’t want them to suffer anymore. Grunts of pain escaped his clenched jaw as he held on for dear life.

The wind knocked out of Zeno and he almost fell off if it hadn’t been for the magnets on his legs that kept him connected to the anima.

A purple venom secreted from in between the scaly anima’s scaly skin. The viscous liquid oozing out and into his hands and body.

It burned and sank into him. He felt himself dizzying but he held on. A couple more seconds is all he needed. His arms were completely numb. He needed just a few more seconds. The anima finally collapsed, unable to move a single of its artificial muscles.

Iota rushed to zeno shouting, asking why he didn’t let go. IOta sidestepped rubble and avoided jagged rusty rebar. He crouched down at his side, checking him for injuries.

Iota’s entire body ached and groaned.The increasing pain from cuts to his skin that the adrenaline had numbed before became increasingly evident.

A crowd had once again begun to form.

“He probably staged this. . .” They murmured.

“The Nemrire family are demons …”

The people had no appreciation or thankfulness. Iota was disgusted at them.

“Did you not see what he did for you! ” He shouted furiously, facing them, biting back tears.

A rock landed in front of him. A second one hit him in the back.

“The Nemrire are the ones that caused this in the first place.It’s only fair that they die from the anima they probably created”

Iota half-carried, half-dragged Zeno away. What had they gained from this? Pain!?Damage!?

In the crowd he spotted the face of the girl from the stalls before on the shoulders of her Dad. I’m glad Iota thought. I’m glad that I was able to save them. Iota was never the emotional type but he nevertheless felt relieved that the girl and the dad didn’t get hurt. Even though he risked his life.

Iota took him to an alleyway where they waited for it to get darker. Zeno wasn’t in good shape, His forehead was coated in sweat, his face was pale, he drifted in and out of consciousness. The mob had remained for several hours and which led them to go back through back alleyways in order to not attract too much attention. When The arrived back at Zeno’s place Iota helped Zeno lie down. Iota used cloth to wipe off visible venom. Iota noted how fast it absorbed into his skin. Despite the hundreds of anima he had encountered. Even he had never seen a venom like it before. It seemed designed with the only purpose to be as fast acting and deadly as possible. Iota treats Zeno’s wounds. He splinted his arm and ankle. He wrapped cloth tightly over several bleeding wounds.

After tending to the major wounds he went to sleep. He fell asleep before his head hit his pillow.

Although they didn’t have long to rest.

“Iota, Iota, Wake up!“ Hissed Zeno.

Iota awoke, the marching and clanking of armor and feet alerting him to the sound of soldiers in the distance.

“We have to leave Gargrim. “We’re not safe here. "says Iota who frantically was packing what he could. .

“That’s not true,you are still safe.” He replied. “They don’t care about you.”

“I am still an escaped slave.they’re probably still looking for me” Replied Iota.

Zeno was able to move with a cane and they somehow made it to the outskirts of the city. They stole a vehicle. It's small but enough for two people. It has skis in front and a track in the back perfect for traveling both wet and dry terrain. They drove out through a barricade on the east side of Gargrim. The high incline terrain led to it having lower grade walls and barriers since it already had more natural protection . They go from there and into the wilderness. There are cries from soldiers as they shoot over the wall for them to stop with a tone that assumed they would simply listen to him and stop then and there.