Solund smirked. "Your abilities are impressive," he said, "but they will not save you."
Jud smiled back, his voice laced with venom. But what was in control of Jud's body was not Jud himself. He had passed out at the sight of Astra bleeding on the deck. This was something else—a fighting instinct with only one goal: to fight and win at any cost. Injuries healed in seconds as steam rose from his body.
The attack team and mechanical beings could only stand and watch as Jud and Solund continued their battle. The deck splintered as if made of wood when Jud punched Solund hard in the ribs. Everyone heard the bones shatter. Solund smiled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Is that all you got, boy?" he taunted, slashing Jud across the chest. Jud grinned and swung for Solund’s knees, knocking them out of place. The sound of breaking bones filled the air, accompanied by Solund’s grunts.
With a roar, Solund grabbed Jud by the arm and slammed him into the dock below, rubble flying upward. The impact sent Jud all the way to the Ice Giants' island. Ice pillars cracked and fell as Jud bounced, flipped through the air, and then slid to a stop in a steaming crater, lined with melting ice and rocks. As Jud stood, his wings unfurled, the flapping of leather audible all the way back at the boat. When Jud launched himself into the air, an even larger crater formed where he had been. He flew back to the boat in mere seconds, despite being over 4,000 feet away. The force of his flight parted the water behind him as though an invisible wall had appeared. Jud reached out, grabbed Solund’s bulky frame, and effortlessly lifted him into the air, where he began scratching and biting like a wild animal. Solund tried to keep up, landing blow after blow on Jud's unwavering form, but Jud suddenly kicked Solund through the air. He crashed through one of the mechanites' flying craft, then flew nearly 600 feet before slamming through the main road of Ravenfall and the gate. He came to a stop in the ground about 100 feet past the now obliterated gate, lying in a crater nearly 20 feet deep. Jud appeared again, slamming a tree into Solund like a club repeatedly, as the sounds of people screaming and running off could be heard during the evacuation.
Moments after Solund and Jud had left, more ships descended from above. "That can't be good," Astra thought to herself. The ship had pulled back to Ravenfall, where she had received medical help from Slate, who applied nanites to her wound. The nanites shaped themselves around the damaged areas and accelerated her healing process. She was tired and hungry but still very much alive. Looking around, Astra noticed the others preparing for combat. The other Ice Giants had walked onto the deck and were standing beside the soldiers. Astra closed her eyes and prayed. "Gods, have mercy on our souls," she said. She had caught up on the events that happened after she passed out from blood loss. Jud was rampaging across town, with Solund barely managing to defend himself from the unrelenting waves of attacks. Solund wasn’t sure how he would survive another attack, nor did he know where it would come from next. The ground began cracking and shaking violently when a shadow cast itself over Solund's body. His form disappeared in a red and black haze as a maniacal cackle rang through the air. A mechanical foot stepped out of the haze. It had red armor covering, its foot shaped like a bull’s. Gold lined the black mechanical components as the cloud grew in size until it was larger than Mythos. As the cloud faded, a mechanical being resembling a demonic figure stood there. It had the lower half of a bull, but its torso was humanoid, with cold sigils and patterns on its chest. Mythos recognized it instantly, as did the mechanite forces.
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"Damn it, so he’s still alive!" Slate bellowed in rage, swinging his rifle up to his shoulder and firing a shot. Balor simply swiped it away. "Oh, little Slate," his laugh sent chills up the spines of even the Ice Giants watching. "After that fight of yours on the mountain, I haven’t been the same. It’s almost like I became a better fighter since our last encounter." He glared at Mythos. "Well, if it isn’t my old friend," his voice was cruel and callous. "I see you’ve got a new form as well." He looked at the others and laughed. "Oh my, it seems the rest of the Legion is here as well." He examined the ship and laughed even harder. "Ah, the M209 Mark II troop transport! The one vehicle used by the Twelve because of their new form!" He flexed his bestial arm, which shifted into a large two-handed blade. "It’s good to be king." He then vanished while cackling. Jud’s instinct faded, and he passed out in the rubble of Ravenfall, his form shifting back to its natural appearance. The dust from his crash rose skyward, obscuring the sky from most people’s view. The Ice Giants looked on in fear as Slate took command of the transport, which neared the unconscious form of Jud. They relaxed as they heard him snoring.
Astra watched from afar. "Well, at least he’s okay," she sighed.
The inhabitants of Ravenfall began to return slowly, while a dozen Mechanite units worked on repairing the city’s shield and gate, both now shattered and in ruins. The Mechanite Federation even improved the town’s defenses, rebuilding everything destroyed and reinforcing the walls, adding turrets.
A month later, Jud sat in bed eating a loaf of bread. He was only partially recovered from the energy expended during his transformation. "So, Mytho, what's the game plan?" Jud said with his mouth full of bread from Ravenfall that tasted a lot like cheese and crackers.
"To start, we’re giving you guys training. Then we’ll make the world governments form an alliance, whether through words or by force if necessary. Balor cannot be allowed to run wild anymore."
A knock at the door drew the group’s attention. As it opened, a human wearing a white jacket and pants entered, adorned with various decorations, buttons, and medals. Mythos instantly stood at attention, his left hand lined up with his eyebrows in a salute. Slate did the same. The strangely dressed man entered the room with a curious look on his face.
"At ease, soldiers. Fable Commander Mythos, report. How are you doing, old friend?" the man said.