White beams of light showered the night, the ground and trees exploded as each one of the projectiles impacted them. Debris was sent flying everywhere, spraying the innocent villagers, sending them screaming in fear as they sought shelter anywhere they could find. This angered her further, for reasons that she could not entirely explain herself, she fought for more than just herself. Everyone here, she fought for them too.

Is this what it means to show compassion? She asked herself.

Occasionally shots would bounce off of her hardened skin, even so, she could feel the force from them shaking her internal organs. Her body struggled to adapt to the force behind the projectiles. Her opponent also toyed with her cautiously, never turning his back at her and keeping his distance. Anytime an effort was made to close in on the gap they had between them, he would keep Grusha at bay by showering her with more of the white shots.

She growled frustratingly.

Lady Hammer was also struggling in trying to close in on her enemies, they kept careful coordination on how to direct themselves. Circling around overhead and pincering her at a distance from below. Hammer swung her warhammer around, deflecting all the shots that would have been fatal. Grusha paid attention back to who she was facing, Lady Hammer’s battlesense would be more than enough to handle her challenge, but for Grushe and her opponent that would be an entire other story.

Rarely has anyone she encountered lived to tell the tale, fewer still those who were her direct enemies. He clearly learned from his past battle with her, that was why he was being very cautious.

“Fight me!” She roared.

He paused from his tireless firing. “I am not here to amuse trash like you, there is only one job for me to do, and that is to end your worthless life.”

“Then do it like a man. Let’s settle between man and beast!”

A pause. “I suppose I could toy with trash like you for a bit.”

He flew from where he floated in the air straight at her without further warning, he grabbed hold of her and dragged her along the frozen surface. Earth crusted all over Grusha quills, she clawed at the rough armor. She was suddenly lurched up, held by the only leg she had. They were over 300 meters above the ground, then she was tossed through the open air. She frilled open her quills, building up wind resistance and to twist herself around to be pointed back at her opponent who floated above her.

He held up his claw hand, it glowed a bright yellow and the end of the nozzle. Then a blinding light along with a powerful force packing quite a punch in it blew Grusha down to the earth, burrowing her partially into the ground. Attempting to crawl out, she was met with the hulking metal barreling into her.

The fight was knocked out of her, with never ending conflict over the past few days had taken a toll on her endurance. She had not fully recuperated. His powerful claw ringed around her neck, squeezing tightly trying to choke her. All she could do was grumble a growl as she was lifted from the ground, the thick suit dragged her out of the crater back to the main clearing.

Lady Hammer was pinned to the ground, thick metal clamps wrapped around her that held her tightly in place. Electricity was coursing through Lady Hammer as she struggled to liberate herself from her bonds, another unit approached Grusha and clamped her into the same bonds that held Lady Hammer. Immediately she experienced the same electricity coursing through every one of her fibers.

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An average would have been dead from this voltage, these were extreme measures even for demis. They really did not want to underestimate her capabilities again.

He dragged her to the middle of the village, in full view of the entire village. In their midst, there were some collateral casualties. Family who wept over the dead looked up, fury as tempest as the weather they lived in filled their eyes. Hatred directed towards her and everything she represented. She growled back at her captors who shamelessly knocked her down in front of them all.

“Why?” A woman asked.

The one who gave her food the first day she was here lifted her head from the chest of her dead relative, there was deep grief in her eyes. Her tears could fill an ocean.

Grusha opened her mouth to speak, but the captor that loomed over kicked her over again. More electricity coursed through her, only angering her further.

“It is because she has no emotions, she is only half human. What remains is an abomination of nature, something that must be cleansed.”

“You wrought this upon us! Get out of here!” A growing chorus of hate towards Grusha and Lady Hammer grew, becoming clearer and clearer over their current emotions.

Grusha could barely make out the smug look of her captor from behind the visor of his suit, he was relishing in this moment over the hate that she drew to herself. All she could was struggle to only subside to the pain of the electricity. He leaned down closer to her, whispering through his suit for her ears alone.

“This is why demis exist, to bring humanity together. Give us a purpose to join forces, to give us an object to hate.”

She clenched her jaws, angry over this predicament. The plan was obvious, she has taken part of it before. All of the villagers will be murdered, and the blame would be placed on her. A showy display of her execution would be made in front of the world, further fueling the hate of demis. This was why no one stood up for the defense of demis, because of the endless cycle of hate. A cycle she contributed to.

From the shadows, a projectile was flung. It struck the armor of her one-handed captor, and his attention was drawn to who dared to raise a hand at him. Grusha twisted her neck around to see who it was as well. Barely recognizable, but she could tell by his scent that it was her new master.

“Aput!” She cried instinctively.

“It seems you have made a friend.” Said the man. “We can’t allow that, now can we? After all, humans and demis cannot coexist.”

He lifted his hand, charging up his weapon. A large hum chirped, sending everyone to cover their ears. Aput closed his eyes, accepting the fate he had brought upon himself. Grusha tried to desperately break free from the clamps that held her tight, but was not able to gather the strength in time. The weapon fired, another blinding white light illuminated the sky and an explosion sent ear-splitting shockwaves.

“APUT!” Grusha roared.

Without care to her own survival, she pushed her limits to new heights as she tore through the electrical bondage. Energy coursed through her, excruciating pain ached, but she ignored every instinct to give up. The guards who stood over watched in awe, there was nothing that was supposed to endure this degree of torture, and yet she defied all odds. In one giant bracing flex, she broke free from the clamps that trapped her.

Quills vibrated and sparks of energy traced down back between each quill, her eyes glowed a bright blue from having absorbed the energy that was conducted into her. Raising her head high to the sky, growled up to the moonlight. Her voice was carried far into the forest, spurring the wildlife far and wide.

“You shouldn’t be able to escape that! The techs said so!” One man said.

The one who took the life of Aput rose his fist at her, charging another blast to pulverize her from existence.

“Wildebeest!” Roared Lady Hammer.

Another shockwave exploded, a blinding light illuminated the night again. Beast versus man, this was what it ultimately boiled down to.

As the beam was shot, she roared defiantly. “I AM BEAST!”