Four-Days Dead (Open)

[MKR]

September 5th, OE 102
Schwartzwald Region
Germany, contested region
10:21 PM, local time

The rumble of space, unceremonious- a warning. No- more than that as in the space above a window in reality was shattered revealing a technicolor nightmare for all to see in a glimpse of seconds. A dimensional quake. This had moved past a warning, moving rapidly to a worry as against the clear night sky something was thrown down, like a child was done playing with their toy and had thrown it aside.

Its features obscured by the night sky, the thick fog that covered the ground below and its own reentry yet illuminated by the latter, a collision course with the ground was unavoidable and soon thereafter in between all the nature it would impact. A cataclysmic event like that which killed the dinosaurs this was not, but the forest preserved and regrown for centuries, as humanity sought to repair the damage they had done to civilization as repentance for their sins of expansion, that was demolished in an instant.

On the impact site trees were thrown asunder, the house and home of squirrels, deer, wolves and many more forest critters made into a fine paste. But damage was minimal, still- a dimensional quake which spawned not DAMON but something else? This was almost unheard of. Perhaps EOT had arrived by means it hadn't before, perhaps someone had come through the gap between dimensions.

One thing was for certain, with its arrival in Germany of all places, eyes were upon its location. Be they Terra Sentinel, Jericho's Directory or even Endymion forces who made it all the way here, or were watching from space.

---

10:24 PM, local time

Moments ago activity had occurred on the landing site, a flare of red light had erupted for a moment before all of a sudden the darkness of night became even darker- A darkness that swallowed all in sight, a darkness with no reflection. Something which could only be called a black hole. A mental image cemented by the impact site. A perfect sphere, up, down, left and right. Across the tree line, across the ground, the trunk of a tree had been caught in the blast and now leaned into the space where previously the rest of it had been. It was as if everything that had been there had been utterly incinerated, turned into nothing.

Something had become nothing in this circle. Fortunately this meant the flames from the impact had been quelled before they could think of incinerating the forest. Unfortunately it left the surroundings with a new landmark, exactly where the meteorite had struck. A stain upon the land. Yet as the surroundings showed a machine arriving here prior, damage to the trees showing its path into the area. One had to wonder, what happened to it- as well as the meteorite? Those who came in second place in the rat race to this location might be left with such questions- and those who came third might blame those in second.

The attentive however, would notice that a second path was through the trees, an exit from the site itself. Something had left this place and was likely still in the fog...

 

[Luca Cross]

Simple mission; strange reading on the seismic counter and a disturbance in the forest. Just go in for some recon, and ‘greet’ anything that might have decided to park in the area. Report up any interesting discoveries.

---

​

The red robot shot through the sky, held aloft by the combined might of the Ialdabaoth and the Haki Matthias fed into the system. His gaze was on the moon that was shining overhead, and the cool embrace of air that surrounded him through the relay he shared with his partner.

“We definitely needed this, partner.” THe man spoke softly to his Shurashin, with no need of a response to feel the response of the mechanical monster. The receiver on his ear crackled to life, as a young voice spoke over the lines.

“I’ve told you time and time again, SGT Smith, talking to yourself over the net is a good way to get sent to the looney barn.”

“I was talking to the Ialdabaoth. No need to worry about it, Romeo.”

“My name is-”​

“I’m approaching the crash site, closing comms.” Before the female radio officer could retort, the young man toggled off his earpiece. Below was a giant cut out of the woods. It was as if something had taken a scoop out of reality and eaten it.

I don’t think a Shurashin did this. The Void-Consuming Fist was only attributed to one of the old fogeys, and he was reputed to be a liar. The Machine God and Spirit Dragons are real, though...so maybe he wasn’t as crazy as everyone else said.

Shaking his head to himself, the pilot channeled his spirit into the Ialdabaoth. Anything in the area with any semblance of life would feel it as a crushing weight, something challenging anything in the area to a battle for dominance. The Ialdabaoth landed moments later, crushing trees and debris at the edge of the giant crater.

“Romeo? There seems to be a giant hole in the forest. I’m not seeing any signs of what made it, but I’m trying to draw it out using my Haki.” The man toggled his earpiece again, and waited for the angry retort of the female on the other end.

“...fine. I’ll start sending the updates higher now. Good hunting, Smith.”​

The pilot took a steadying breath, before a smile crossed his face. There had to be something worth punching here; it would be a bad day otherwise.

Come out, forest deleter. I want to show you the strength of the Machine God Fist.​

 

[MKR]

Gazing over the hole in the ground the Shura could discern that something had... Clawed its way out of the hole, one of the sides was dented, lines tracking over the 'wall' of the pit like fingers hunting the light at the bottom of a pit of despair. When the Shurashin channeled its presence the rustle of leaves was heard, a flock of crows evacuating the area- only to turn back around shortly after.
The other fauna, however, didn't consider their odds as well, the rustle behind of someone fleeing- a family of doe not intending to stay close to the Machine God Fist to receive a taste of its power.

Which left only the beady eyes of black birds hidden among the shadows watching the red machine. Were they curious inspectors in a coming death match, or silent witnesses? Either way their eyes tracked the Ialdabaoth warily, the Murder not intent on getting murdered. The machine's landing however caused a stir of its own, as it crushed trees underfoot in its landing. One of the unfortunate parts of foliage contained a present within, clattering down on the dirt, rolling into the hole with a dull thud was a spherical object, when it finally rested its nature was revealed, a half beaten metal head- cleanly cut from its neck by some blade. A huckebein seemingly displaying no colors, civilian machine.

Where the rest of the machine was, was a mystery at this point. In spite of the challenge and revelations the fog kept rolling, partially hiding the head from vision. Bearing no care about the pressure exuded by the Shurashin. But in the distance, the sound of gunfire- Someone was fighting in the direction the scrapes went to.
At the same time there was the distinct feeling, that instinct of being watched. Not by the birds still lurking to see spectacle but something else- something worse. An oppressive presence lurking among the fog.

The challenge had not gone unnoticed.

 

[Luca Cross]

Matthias gazed at the large crater, noting the claw marks of something escaping. Whatever had clawed out of this ravine was desperate in its machinations...but what sent shivers through his body wasn’t the collection of deep cuts into the earth. It was the fact that whatever it was ‘had’ endured the force which destroyed this forest. And it brought up the simple question: had that thing been trying to escape, or going after whatever had attacked it?

Goosebumps of anticipation ran through the fighter, as his smile shifted to a smirk. It would definitely be a great fight. As he took a step back, the shifted foliage revealed a strange reward. A severed head of a personal machine, from the Huckebein class, was resting on the disturbed earth. It was damaged from other impacts, but the clean cut bothered the Shurashin. He’d heard stories of legendary swordsmen on the Moon, capable of cleaving through entire battleships, but had yet to run into one.

In a smooth motion, he kicked the metal head into the crater. It spiraled as it arced through the air, letting him survey the entire destroyed component. The smooth cut was etched in scorch marks on one side, denoting the use of energy or some form of super-heated edge. A way to ‘cheat’ in terms of breaking and severing armor. Matthias took mental note of it, when a distant sound caught his attention.

Somewhere else in the forest, hidden by the fog, someone was fighting. The barrage of machine gun fire pointed him deeper into the woods, where the scrapes had gone. This was what he’d come here for; it was game time.

“Romeo, this is Smith. I have sounds of gunfire. I’m closing comms and opening the video feed. Be prepared for incoming transmissions.”

Abandoning all of the previous crude maneuvers, the white mane of the Ialdabaoth seemed to flow in an unseen breeze, before the large robot shot into the trees, avoiding the destruction of the wooden screen and darting through it like a red gale. It was a testimony to the bond between Shura and Shurashin, the level of fine-tuned control the man had with his machine partner.

All of the previously emanating malice was removed, as the Ialdabaoth hid its presence at the behest of the pilot. Both wanted to deal as much damage as they could to their unknown target, as they shot through the darkness of the forest and closed in on the sound of gunfire, unsure what they would find.

 

[MKR]

As the Ialdabaoth dashed forward the fog grew thick, hanging among the trees like a haze. Obscuring sight and leaving only shades in the distance, so far all of them had been the static emplacements of trees lurking. The birds watching the machine as it passed them. Immediately at the exit, having been concealed from above by the foliage, Matthias would find another part of the mystery Huckebein, its torso with heavy scorch marks on the cockpit area. What looked like physical projectiles having embedded themselves within the cockpit as well.

The pilot, or what remained of them, now decorated the interior of the machine they had piloted prior. Each and every limb cut away with the same blade it seemed. More pressing however, the more recent gunfire. The site where it had happened was reached at long last. There was an unnatural serenity to them, from the damage to the trees all the way to the trampling of grass it was obvious there had been a fight here, and it had been recently. But- everything was so... clean. Like a horde of locusts had descended and made the machines vanish before anyone could notice.

Out of sight, silently, there was a calm movement.

Were one to rapidly scan the underbrush there would have been a faint glimpse of two green beady eyes lighting up the darkness as they stared at the Shurashin. A hand on the trigger of a loaded gun, a finger moving into position. Such was the movement it did and before the Shura had any time to take in the situation he had stumbled upon.

"Fire."
​

The pulling of the trigger, a gout of green energy aimed directly at the Shura's arms. But that concealed something else, the projectile hiding afterwards. A bullet, an energy barrier by itself would not suffice- instead through the fog raced a pair of attacks.
As for the perpetrator, they were already on their way deeper into the forest. Eyes still on the arrival as they had been prior, tracking its movements while concealing its own with the trees and fog, daring the arrival to come fight for supremacy. A red gale versus a boogieman. Two monsters in the woods.

If one was to flaunt their own presence as such, it was up to them to show why they did so.

He'd simply kill them to confirm his.

 

[Luca Cross]

As the Shura shot through the woods, he noticed the destroyed remains of the Huckebein. The blood splattered across the shattered cockpit was proof the pilot hadn’t gotten far, and it was cut to pieces by the same device that had severed its head unit. The man continued his rapid dash through the misty fog, noting when the gunfire ceased. He could narrow down the area where it echoed from, and increased his speed.
The Shurashin came to a sliding halt looking across an empty clearing. The Ialdabaoth rose to its full height in the shadows of the forest, looking towards the disturbed clearing. Any fighter could clearly distinguish the signs of combat, but there wasn’t a single shred of metal or stray casing to match the sound of gunfire that had echoed through the forest moments ago.

It isn’t the Black Hole technology from earlier, otherwise it would’ve consumed the trees and grass as well. Something fast erased the evidence of its battle. Maybe getting closer would aid in gathering information.
​

The Shurashin emerged from the shadows of the tree as it crossed into the moonlight of the clearing. The flowing mane rippled from the flow of Haki, as the pilot tried to see beyond darkness into the ground beyond. A sudden chill ran through him, as something ‘cracked’.

Battle-honed instincts came to life, as the Shurashin slipped into the first stance of Kishin Ken. If the Boogieman let his gaze linger even a moment after squeezing, the Ialdabaoth would seem to break reality, as it slipped into a defensive guard instantly.

---

---

“HAAAAAAAH!”
​

His voice roared through the Ialdabaoth, echoing across the forest and sending grass and leaves billowing outwards. His Haki followed immediately afterwards, as the Ialdabaoth shifted into battle-mode. The ground buckled and exploded outwards in a wall of debris centered around the Ialdaboth. The Shurashin noticed the shift in the debris where the bullet and energy burned through, searing destroyed foliage and melting earth as it coursed towards the robot’s side.

JIQI SHEN QUAN: FENG BU!​

There was a cracking of earth, as the huge robot shot straight backwards with a simple stepping motion. The Machine God Fist Wind Step was a simple footwork technique, taught to students that had arrived at the temple. Brought to its pinnacle, a true Master could close any distance with only a single step.

I still need far more training. Together we will reach the pinnacle, Ialdabaoth.
​

Rotating on the balls of his feet, the man turned towards the empty forest where the stray shots had originated from. He thought back on the reports he’d read regarding this area and the forest, before reactivating the comms line.

“I’m apologizing in advance for this. Tell the higher-ups I ran into something that needed to be found at any cost. I’m going to use one of my stronger techniques.”

Bringing both of his hands to his side, the Ialdabaoth mimicked the motions of the young man. There was a visible surge of Haki around the mech, as he closed his eyes.

“JIQI SHEN QUAN: FEIJI JINGSHEN!”
​

With that shout, the man thrust both of his arms out, as the pooled Haki gathered at the Ialdabaoth’s fist shot outwards. Possessed by the will of the Machine Gods, the weaponized spirit spiraled outwards, shredding hundreds of meters of forest surrounding the red Shurashin. As splintered wood and shattered earth started crashing to the ground, the young man looked across the large arena he had just created. His voice echoed across the now triple sized clearing, as the Ialdabaoth stood in the center of the destruction.

“I don’t know what your business here is, stranger! But I’m under orders from my Superiors to find the source of the Anomaly. If you’re the one who killed that pilot, I will beat you within an inch of death and bring you in for justice. If you’re the one who killed whatever did that...I will offer you a drink after we settle our differences here. I’m sure you want a fight as much as I do, stranger.”

His confidence radiated from his voice, as the fully-charged Shurashin trembled in the silence after both techniques. It was full of spiritual energy and driven with the same motivation as its far-too human pilot. Both wanted the answer to be the darker option; there was no chance he would actually bring that man back in.

But the Directory has to hear it, otherwise they’ll truly think I’m a psychopath.​

 

[MKR]

As the roaring haki tore the forest to shreds there was- nothing. The hidden assailant nowhere to be seen, the closest being a single, spent shell for a bullet flying away with the rubble. The new clearing momentarily fully visible before the fog slinked itself into the now open plain to fill the gap and obscure sight. Amidst the foliage two green eyes noted the damage before moving further between the trees. A red flare coming over them momentarily. As if portraying malicious intent.

As the Ialdabaoth placed itself center stage. Declaring its intent, there was a moment of silence before a reply came. A muzzle flash, a stream of bullets from one location. But then- behind it, another flash another stream of bullets. Allies? Either way this place now had unveiled its true nature- a trap.
Things would proceed from bad to worse, a third set of shots from behind aiming in a direct line behind the Ialdabaoth, as far as it had dodged prior. In fact, a fourth was doing the same for a dodge to the side.

By clearing the forest it had its foe, or foes, of a place to hide. But itself of cover. And now the lush forests were a firing squad that had lined it up against the wall. Guns blazing, muzzles flashing. What made it worse was that sometimes one stream would stop, move itself to an advantageous position and continue onwards. Each individual shot aimed at the purpose of cornering the machine, forcing it in one of two avenues of evasion. Birds fleeing from the noise coming all around as the murder of crows fled overhead seeking safer grounds and amidst it all, a finger went to a trigger, and it pulled. Hidden by the cacophony of bullets being released all around as soon as the foe made its intended dodging direction clear another beam and bullet chased through the forest, aimed at the upper leg of the Shurashin.

This foe, if it got their way, was going to tear them apart limb by limb.

---

A wry smile forced itself on unseen lips. Thoughts surfacing as the state of things was observed. Taking in the sheer echo of it all, crashing through eardrums with painful clarity. A horrified enjoyment? A blissful disgust? There was no describing that feeling. So that was given up on. Instead the dance of lights and sound was taken in, with a question to which there was no right or wrong answer coming by.

A trickle of crimson in the corner of vision, the gaze chasing it for but a moment. Ah- them. Yes, that would work.

 

[Luca Cross]

Calcio let his nerves settle as the Ialdabaoth assumed the striking stance of the Machine God style. He noticed a slight glint of green in the fog, and started to move forward, when a barrage of machine gun fire tore through the air. A torrent of bullets came hurtling towards the Shurashin, as two muzzle flashes erupted on either side of the Shurashin. The robot radiated with malice at the cowardice, sending the information to its pilot as Matthias narrowed his gaze.

The huge mech shifted its weight, before the machine shot forward, leaving a flickering image of itself from the sheer movement of the technique. The bullets that sailed towards the Ialdabaoth would rip into the harmless image, but the man noticed the ensuing volleys a moment too late to evade. Thrusting his arms out to parry, the Ialdabaoth caught the second volleys of machine gun ammunition on the armored edges of its forearms, shifting aside the brunt of the machine gun’s fire. The other shots scattered around the Ialdabaoth, damaging the armor but leaving all the major functions undamaged. Looking beyond the bullets and fire, both machine and man tried to make sense of this ‘useless’ display.

They wouldn’t open fire like this after that initial display, unless it was to fix me in pl-

“JIQI SHEN QUAN; FENGBAO!”​

His roar echoed through the fog and woods beyond, as his leg shot upwards. The glowing gaze of the Ialdabaoth cut through the mist, seemingly locked onto the mystery sniper. As the green energy blast pierced the air, his heel shot downwards, dispersing the energy with the armor of the Ialdabaoth’s heel. The metal armor warped from the heat of the energy blast, but was enough to absorb the full brunt of the energy. It revealed the bullet traveling in the shadow of the energy. The heel drop transitioned seamlessly into a kick, smashing the bullet into metal shrapnel as he used the momentum from the strike to land in a sprinting stance. Haki glowed around the Ialdabaoth, as Matthias narrowed his gaze.

“Coward or not; that strategy is clever.”​

THe ground broke as the Ialdabaoth shot into the woods, almost falling prone from the angle of its dash. He thrust his arms up in front of him to shield against any incoming fire, using the combination of his speed and weight to crush through anything that stood between him and the mystery sniper. Any MP unit watching from afar would see it as a red flash and boom, followed by the destruction of the woods in a straight line.

His goal was simple; force this strange enemy into a close-range fight.​

 

[MKR]

Swift rise and swifter descent, the forest suffering the most of all those involved in this duel. As the Ialdabaoth shot through the forest, catapulting itself at the location where the shot came from. The fog too had to endure this assault, being pushed aside and asunder, clearing the immediate area and bellowing the white tide upwards and away as a line of travel became clear.

A scowl came upon a face, too quickly it was closing the gap too quickly. This last trap would have to give him the significant advantage he needed because he felt it- the shiver in his spine. Instincts crying out to not allow that red streak a fair fight. A click. The gun spun, now was the time.

Ialdabaoth crashed through the woods leaving devastation in its wake, until in the shadow of a tree a figure hung, two faintly lit green eyes dangling upside down as a Huckebein came into vision. Red coated its gut like it had been disembowled, now it was decorating the woods like a hanged witch. The Shurashin of course went through it with next to no effort, throwing the metal sack aside as it finally got a glimpse of its foe. Fog burst apart in turn revealing why the machine had so easily hid amongst the trees, for aside from a few dull golden hues the machine was covered in brown and black. Two 'wings' were pointed forwards as it was crouched down. A yellow flare in the machine's eyes briefly illuminating its features- They were almost demonic. Blue flames erupted from the tip of the wings. A scowl found replacement in a smile, a head to head. And he had first draw.

"Gematria fixed."
​

The flames erupted forward, a beam attack bright and blue. A further gaze into the mystery sniper. Perhaps demon was inaccurate, a roach was maybe closer to the truth. All spectators could witness the blue light erupt from the other side of the forest, racing to meet the red. Aiming to devour it whole.
This attack cared little about specific limbs, more just the total damage dealt.

Sound from behind, something was moving and quickly too. Like a set of bats flapping their wings.

 

[Luca Cross]

The Shurashin tore through the woods, destroying trees and shrubbery on contact as it surged forward like a red comet. Bursting through the thick fog, the man thrust one fist out as he came into contact with the glowing green eyes; but they were hollow and full of death, as the barely lit gaze of a destroyed Huckebein met Matthias’ eyes. He saw the Ialdabaoth mirrored in the barely-lit visor screen of the ravaged mech, held aloft by cables like a crude puppet. The Shura froze in shock, trying to detect the enemy he had sensed earlier. Silence fell upon the forest, as the fog started to creep up around the frozen Shurashin.

Where….Where!? Where could it b-
​

Chills ran through his body, as he saw the gleam of gold in the reflection of that dead Huckebein, sitting behind him and the Ialdabaoth. It wasn’t the familiar gold of his partner, but something hidden in the shadows of the woods. Focusing all of his willpower, the man forced his Haki into the Ialdabaoth, willing it to move faster than ever before.


The Shurashin crushed through the destroyed hull, trying to buy distance as the enemy mech, a wraith of brown and gold, fired a destructive blast that tore through the woods, turning the darkness into a blinding haze. The blast cut through the short distance, before tearing through the Ialdabaoth and consuming the Shurashin, continuing onwards as it ate through the woods in a huge swath.

---

Matthias slid through the woods, almost prone, as the Ialdabaoth hugged the earth. He had left all of that focused Haki behind, to be consumed as an after-image in that blast, and using the force of spirit to aid in his desperate Wind Step to one side. It had barely succeeded; the gallant mane of the Ialdabaoth was thinner in places from the closeness of the attempt to evade. Opening his closed fist, the man looked down at the bloody shard from the now-vaporized Huckebein.

That pilot...definitely did this. I won’t let their deaths be in vain. I will vanquish this evil, and become stronger for it.
​

As the blast finished destroying the forest, leaving only a grievous wound in foggy landscape, the red Shurashin emerged from the woods. Stepping out into the open ground, he looked across the destroyed space and thrust one finger towards the golden and brown wraith, moments before it was swallowed up by the fog.

“I’ve seen you once. And that’s all it will take.”
​

He assumed his stance once more, as his Haki surged outwards. Once more, the malevolent pressure fell upon the entire woods, as the Shurashin issued his spiritual challenge. He had seen his enemy; he knew their measure. Now all that remained was a matter of time before he would deliver the fist his enemy had earned through their actions.

 

[Lukas]

Germany, 10:22pm local time
30,000ft above sea level.

Hostile forces detected. Response time.. 004 Minutes.

Preliminary readings: Meteor Strike and impossible physical phenomena.

Dispatching: AK-002-1. All combat personnel advised to withdraw from immediate area. Engagement with hostile forces is inadvisable.

Watching eyes had seen the meteor strike, and while Germany was officially considered contested... Terra Sentinel's control over Europe was enough to draw this incident to their attention. Alkahest had noticed the breach and withdrawn from the area, letting the dust settle before revealing their own card.

One single Bergelmir was approaching the site, gazing down on it from above as the Shura clashed with their hidden foe. All who had fought in Europe the past six months had grown to fear or respect these silent enforcers. AI weapons that would respond swiftly and brutally to hostile forces, but somehow left their battlefields untouched of any debris or even craters. Such machines had been witnessed with pilots prior to the current war, but not since.

"Negative energy scanners are coming up dry. No sign of primary threat... do we know who's down there?"

This one was talking, though. It had been lightly modified - the head painted red, catching the light with a distinct shimmer. The transmission could be traced back to the Earth cradle with some difficulty, and obtained a swift response. One with a data packet attached.

"Not yet, Wenzel. But you've got an update from the CEO. Please hold."

UPDATE
MULTIPLE HOSTILE UNITS PRESENT. OBSERVE AND ELIMINATE NON-TS ELEMENTS. CONFIRMATION OF EOT.
CAPTURE EOT IF POSSIBLE, OTHERWISE DESTROY.

LEAVE NO TRACE, BUT WITHDRAW IF OUTMATCHED.

"Mission accepted. Moving to engage."

With the push of a button the Bergelmir's thrusters blazed into life, propelling it closer to the battlefield.

To the pilots present the Bergelmir would quite literally fall out of the sky, going from a rapidly-approaching radar blip to a dot in the air within moments of its detection - and heralding its arrival with a trio of precise shots. Three shells would strike home at the last sighted location of the unknown, cratering into the ground with enough force to rip trees near the impact from their roots. The machine itself would decelerate to a complete stop a hundred or so feet in the air, attempting to track the progress of the other MW with the sights on its Machinery Rifle. No other movement for now, it was simply hanging there. Floating above the battlefield like an aloof observer.

Or skeet.

"Red Machine - Identify yourself or be fired upon. This is your only warning."

A communication line was opened to the Iabaladoth without much delay, the pilots voice completely emotionless as they addressed the shura. They were clearly human, but the voice had a clipped edge to it. As if something vital was missing. But despite their threats they were making no hostile moves towards Matthias. Waiting for a response, an attack, or perhaps.. something else?

 

[MKR]

The wings of the machine refolded themselves as the radar suddenly informed the pilot of the sudden attack, a gaze shooting up as the first projectile came down, tearing tree from soil as an arm was raised in an attempt to self preservation. The second strike seemed to have hit head on but something interfered, like the projectile fizzled out in a collision with nothing. An invisible barrier perhaps?

But that bought the pilot time to recover, the third strike splashing dirt and rock against the brown machine as it grazed its target, turning brown black, and black darker. Teeth upon teeth in the cockpit, a sign of displeasure. This thing not only had the audacity to barge in uninvited but made him its enemy? As the trees around him collapsed, the brown machine took out the gun that it had hanging around its upper leg. The weapon spinning in the palm as it was pointed forward, the machine flashing its gaze red as if to mirror this sentiment.

For the first time in this battle the machine was in the wide open now, the terrain at its back and around it laid to waste- turned into mulch. Fog settling around its feet in the moments that followed, its red flaring eyes now showed their proper green- and yes. Perhaps a demon was apt for its appearance, horns protruding from its head hanging all the way down to its jaw, a build evocative of a gothic wall. But to say it was as idle as said wall, was a very wrong statement. It was in the open now, the game of cat and mouse had been ended by a mutt barging into the woods. But- a rustle in the wood indicated things were far from over.

"Fine- if you want to die that badly. Go! Gun Slaves!"

Out of the woods behind the machine burst four shapes shooting upwards through the foliage, like gigantic revolvers with wings in their shape. They immediately went to surrounded the Bergelmir, a formation which the Shura would find familiar. Except this time in the moonlight instead of behind foliage as they danced in the moonlight there was a click, like a trigger being pulled. The four familiars would begin to move clockwise around the new arrival, their projectiles firing, aiming at the sides of the elbows and the back of the knee as they moves around. The joints were a good target, even for a flying enemy.

This left the machine with a line of sight to the Shurashin projecting its presence once more. Green glaring at it as the one handed rifle was brought level with the consistent foe. A measure of the movement, a two front war was foolish so the question here was, who would be fighting on two fronts and how many of them would be, should the red Shura decide to continue its advance the Demon would dash sideways into the woods while firing its gun. Otherwise the weapon would go up, instead turning its combination of energy and projectile against the Bergelmir as well.

 

[Luca Cross]

A harsh wind blew through the fog, as the martial artist waited for his vaunted foe’s next move. His focus was so honed on identifying the monster that hid in the shadows, he only noticed the screaming warnings through the earpiece he wore as the rounds tore through the forest. The mist and darkness was torn apart, as cold ice ran through his heart. All of his preparations, all of his methodical movements to this point, had been torn asunder by this stranger that had intruded on the stage he had set for himself.

His prized meal, the banquet laid out for him and partner, had just been tossed into the trash by this new enemy hovering in the sky. He took deep breaths to level his rage, as the young man reopened the communications on his earpiece.

“Lieutenant...what is that mech?”​

“That is one of Terra Sentinels Watchdogs! The Bergelmir Units have been sighted throughout the TS-controlled regions, and are extremely po-”

“I’m going to engage.”​

Before the radio officer could reject his declaration, the Shura keyed the open line, speaking coldly over the net for both the Bergelmir and the Unknown Mech to hear.

“I don’t appreciate cowards who interrupt duels, Burger Meal. I’m the pilot of the Ialdabaoth, Calcio of the Machine God Fist.”

The man noticed when the small units came shooting upwards, circling around the enemy Bergelmir. He spared a half-ways glance at his first enemy, in time to see the rifle drawn and angled at him.

Good. You need to do at least that much, in order to be worth calling a ‘rival’. No need to worry about me; we’ll get our chance again.

“Golden Shadow...We’ll finish our exchange after we dispose of the intruder. I’ll give you twenty seconds to hide your presence after we finish scrapping this Burger Meal. I won’t spoil the surprise of seeing your visage through this interruption.”

The man drove home his point as he thrust one fist out towards the enemy mech, obscuring his view of the mech. His gaze was on the Bergelmir, now being surrounded by the Gun Slaves which he recognised as the ‘attackers’ from before.

“JIQI SHEN QUAN: NU LONG!”​

A similar shout to the one before exploded from the raging Ialdabaoth, as Matthias brought both of his arms across his chest. His Haki soared in strength, and he thrust both hands down. Two blasts in the form of dragons slammed into the earth, tearing it asunder and sending a vortex of obscuring dust up around himself that engulfed the Bergelmir and almost touched his distant opponent. In that cyclone of dust and debris, only the glow of electronics and the gleaming eyes of the Ialdabaoth could be seen.

His goals were simple; to buy an opening for the Gun Slaves to damage the Bergelmir, and start building an approach for himself. If his now ‘companion’ could use the sudden obscuration to hide himself and prepare to snipe in support, that would be ideal.

I don’t know your name or your identity, Shadow. But I want to trust your dedication to battle. I want you to become him.

---

LT Cherry slammed her headset off the desk, as the other intel officers started hedging bets. She was frustrated by this new ‘soldier’ under her command; Sgt Matthias Smith was nothing but headaches and late nights. The young officer had high hopes when she’d received the alien man as an asset for her team and a member under her command, but his unique disposition and inability to follow basic military etiquette was a nightmare for the woman. She pulled up a different screen on her monitor, and immediately started up a new form. This was a report and request that would go far higher than her, to the OIC of the Jericho Branch.

Please, sir, go and save that idiot before he gets ripped apart by his arrogance!​

 

[Lukas]

"Secondary threats confirmed. Unfortunate."

There was no hesitation as the Bergelmir opened fire, a pair of focused shots aimed at the first Gun Slave to show itself. Two more would follow at the second remote, but any hope of a third burst was dashed when the Iabaladoth whipped up a dust cloud. They were working together now, apparently.

Troubling.

Right now he was a sitting duck, unable to see his enemies through the dust cloud while the Gun Slaves still had some idea of his location. For now their small shots were easy to ignore, metal regenerating and repairing itself almost as fast as it was damaged. But that was a losing battle, and did nothing to account for the other weapons trained on his location.

"You're the intruder here, Directory soldier. Perhaps this would still have been your territory if your people had been here to protect it."

One of the conventional AI machines would have simply remained still, accounting for their regeneration to negate the hits. But not this one. It took the cloud as a reason to dive to earth, bringing up even more dust as it slammed into the ground with a metal-shattering crunch. If either machine could get a clear line of sight on the machine they'd see that the lower legs were visibly crumpled from the deceleration, but already starting to fix themselves.

One second passed. Then two. It took five seconds for the Bergelmir to be able to stand once more, and once it could it would take off again and attempt to conceal itself within the dust cloud as well. Not attacking yet, simply watching - waiting to see if their fragile alliance would hold.

"Wenzel to Alkahest command. Multiple types of EOT confirmed. Heavy hostile presence, requesting permission to activate environmental reclamation procedure."

 

[MKR]

The revolver-bat crossbreeds that hounded the Bergelmir plummeted to the ground, shortly followed by the thing that shot them. Clearly some harsher fire was required if it could simply ignore such things. The machine spinning its handheld gun before clicking it onto its upper leg as the wings suddenly folded upwards. A voice butting into the 'conversation' at long last as there was the crackle of a radio activating. "Laying claim to no man's land are you?" A barrel flipped out of the wing, reaching forward. Aiming as the Bergelmir touched ground. Clicking in place with a soft thunk. He had the silhouette of the annoyance to aim at, that was enough as the machine leaned forward.
"Then again, it is much like a wolf pissing on the soil to mark ownership."

Blue lights flared up at the end of each wing, energy mounting.
"As for you, I'm not quite sure what I am. But a 'golden shadow' is not it." the voice retorted as energy buildup concluded. A beam of blue light firing forward aiming to pierce the Bergelmir itself before it could recover from its descent.
"One thing I've got a fairly confident guess at- I'm a hunter. Or maybe a lingering phantasm?" As the voice continued on it seemed less to focus on a notion of conversation and more rambled on to itself as the beam shot forward, at its conclusion the wings folded back, the barrels clicking into them again as the gun was taken into hand once more.

There was a notion of uncertainty in the tone, as if things were still being figured out on the man's end. Suddenly the voice regained its sharp edge as it moved away from theorizing over itself, instead directing attention elsewhere. "And for you if you're going to pretend to have some sort of 'honor' you value over your life. I'll just kill you." The machine's eyes rested on the Shura for a moment before returning to the Bergelmir. "And if you two could kill each other that would be wonderful."

 

[Luca Cross]

Matthias felt a cold blast of reality wash over him as the enemy pilot spoke across the open net. He was deluding himself, running from reality. His old friend and rival was dead, and no one could take his place. His gaze dropped, as the pilot and Shura realized the reality of the situation. He was in enemy territory, confronting two enemy mechs. His pride at this point wouldn’t let him run, but reality told him not to continue pressing the charge. The final request of the Phantom-Hunter caused the man to grimace, as he brought his guard up. It was currently a standoff, with the Bergelmir in the middle of the two. The surge of energy from the Hunter caused the Shura to change his stance, dashing to one side. A beam of blue energy cut through the dust and passed the area he’d occupied, as it shot through the silhouette and body of the Bergelmir.

“I won’t make the mistake again of thinking you could be anything but an enemy, conniving bastard.”
​

His tone was a lot more hostile than before, as Matthias resumed his combat stance, trying to watch both the strange mech and the Bergelmir for any strange action. His reinforcements should be on the way sometime soon, hopefully.

 

[PULSEFIRE]

"Hopefully" is the pessimist's way of thinking.

Like a red-hot thunderclap, the sky above the savaged battlefield cracked.

WARNING | WARNING | WARNING

GRAVITATIONAL QUAKE DETECTED
MAGNITUDE: ABNORMAL
WAVE SIGNATURE: UNKNOWN

It was like a volcanic cloud of smoke and fire, boiling forth into realspace from an infinitesimal, singular point. It spun, twisted, asymmetric patterns resolving as some form of inner resonance was reached, and then the sound reached the ground below, a shockwave so intense it smashed the upper limbs of several trees into raining pulp. As the dust settled, the ball of luminescence blazed on, spinning itself into three-dimensional fractals that would have been beautiful in any other context.

But it wasn't beautiful, because what emerged from the twisting tunnels of time and reality was monstrous.

No, there was some element of grace to its design, an alien elegance that had worked its way into every inch of the machine's shape. But it was an extraterrestrial, eldritch wisdom that had informed its construction, a legless, hanging mass slung below its humanoid torso. Even that familiar element was twisted and warped, sloped curves terminating in sharp lines that only hinted at the shape of blades. Its visage was horned, almost hollow, like an unrecognizable skull.

It seemed malicious.

But it - the Antenora - was Matthias' reinforcements.

A single unit.

He was the first to hear the pilot's voice, a breathy sigh coloring each word.

"I was hoping that I would not have to use this machine again."

"T-Link System, Full Contact. Assassin Bugs."

The eight protrusions on the Antenora's elbows exploded off like jagged shards of gunmetal porcelain, prawnlike shells snapping open to reveal cyclopean photoreceptors attached to a hanging abdomen. A moment later, all eight vanished with a dull thrum -

And reappeared in the air behind the Bergelmir, four remote weapons tasked to the machine. They fired almost as soon as they exploded back into realspace, azure beams of light aimed to needle the regenerating foe before it could react. The other four flashed into existence around the Werkbau's position, immediately beginning to restrain it within an endless hail of blue droplets. But the process repeated, cycling over and over like a reciprocating bolt, an endless dance of teleporting drones attempting to cage the Antenora's hostiles with treacherous crossfires.

The pilot spoke again, the creeping tones worming their way into the Werkbau's cockpit.

"I certainly hope I don't know your name. Or do you even have a name, now?"

"Why don't you stop long enough to give an answer?"

 

[Lukas]

Wenzel's reactions were barely good enough to notice the appearing remotes, but the Bergelmir wasn't able to move fast enough to block the shots. Shot after shot needled the Mobile Weapon, and while the machine cells were closing the holes almost as quickly as they appeared, almost wasn't enough. This much damage was enough to overwhelm the regeneration, and the additional strike from the Werkbau didn't help matters either.

But at least that shot could be evaded. One well-timed surge of power to the thrusters was enough to force his machine sideways, the blue beam punching through the Bergelmir's flank - leaving only sparks and leaking fluids as the machine cells frantically tried to fix the damage. Powerful, but not enough. They couldn't succeed if they were limited to being inside his machine.

"This isn't no man's land."

PERMISSION GRANTED
ENVIRONMENTAL RECLAMATION PROCEDURE ONLINE.
PROCEED WITH DISCRETION.

"This is a killing field."

Cracks opened in the Bergelmir's outer plating the instant he received the message, spraying out silver gas that quickly engulfed the Bergelmir before spreading out into the air around it. As they contacted the dust cloud the air shimmered, the dust itself melting away at first before joining the blooming swarm of machien cells. Every impurity in the air was erased. Dust. Debris. The small gaps created in the cloud where the Antenora's beams still punched through were in a way cleaner than the rest of the battlefield, split-second windows of a peaceful land quickly drowned out by yet more of the nanomachines.

This was their original purpose. Cleansing of impurities. But the machines of those around Wenzel counted. At the instant of contact with any foreign machinery the Machine cells would immediately begin to try to melt it, reducing metals down to core components and even trying to create more of themselves out of the new raw materials. The first objects to come within range would be the four remotes harassing the Bergelmir, but the cloud did not stop there. Encompassing and consuming the dustcloud created by his impact before growing to threaten the Shura in front of him.

And this output did little to stop the Bergelmir's regeneration. It was barely able to stand, still struggling to repair the damage done by its opponents but still able to move. And move it did. Advancing on Matthias as the grey cloud of death grew louder, challenging him to try and advance.

 

[MKR]

Inside the demonic machine its pilot's eyes flicked towards the Dimensional Quake, and especially the thing that appeared afterwards. The gun it held was likewise raised but not yet fired, as at first silence answered the inquiry from the man with even the Werkbau itself not moving an inch during this apparent flinch, the Assassin Bugs encircling it.

On the inside there was a pause, the pilot not sure how to process the question it seemed. Or rather something worse for them, they seemed to recall something. But when the Bergelmir acted it reacted first, the remote weapons it had sent out backed off swiftly not wanting to be caught in the cloud and instead fired upon the assassin bugs. The gun it held in hand as well swiftly flicked to where an Assassin bug was, and then where it would be to create an opening.

When the cloud did reach it however, it would collide with something first. A barrier projected some distance beyond the Werkbau which would shield it from being devoured by the cloud. At the same time however an answer finally came in the form of a question. "My name?" An annoyed grunt followed in a seemingly failed recollection tone heightening in frustration and became defensive "I don't think I owe you an answer." was finally the answer, but the voice that gave it would be one not unfamiliar to the psychodriver. Let alone its presence on that end.

Even as the Bergelmir interrupted thoughts still lingered on the question, contemplating what was known.

The current state of the earth and its warring factions, the name of his machine...
His own name however, was a blank.

He did however know what he first recalled, yet then why was familiarity present. That should be impossible. Displeasure wormed its way onto the man's face, this wouldn't do. Not at all. He wouldn't be caged like some beast that's why the remote weapons around him had to perish.
He had questions without answers and answers without questions, as such he needed to find both.

Disjointed ideas and memories never had were scoured for answers untold, before he came here, before he remembered that was where the answers were hiding weren't they. He wished to grasp it, to extend and reach but it was beyond his reach and as such no answers were found- no truth no lies, simply the silence of nothing. Like a reaper had passed by and culled all possible answers leaving naught but void in its wake.

 

[Luca Cross]

Matthias noticed the static on the net first, when something appeared overhead. A monstrous mech that should have struck fear in the heart of any man. But for the Shura, it was a visage of hope. He smirked as he leaned back in his harness, hearing the voice of his boss cross the communication channels, a hint of resignation locked behind those sighs. Of course fieldwork wasn’t the leader’s forte, but the man had a huge level of respect for his superior.

Being able to wield such a crazy weapon is definitely the mark of talent. I wouldn’t want to fight him.​

Matthias turned his focus on the Bergelmir, when the pilot spoke. His tone was cold and not anywhere near stressed enough for a man in a damaged mech. A closer look from the Shura pilot showed that the mech was stitching itself shut with some kind of moving liquid that flowed under the armor of the machine. When he finished his statement, there was a shift in the armor and panels slid apart. A dark cloud of metallic gas burst into the air, before consuming the remaining dust.

It was bone-chilling, watching the shift as ‘something’ consumed the dust, turning it into the same metallic dust that surrounded it. The Bergelmir stood in that growing cloud, as the ground and air was wiped free of ‘imperfection’ by that cloud of dust, leaving only harsh reality behind. That was a cloud of destruction, which was trying to consume everything in its wake to ‘replicate’ itself.

The damaged Bergelmir took a staggering step towards the Shura, an unspoken challenge in that arrogant motion. It was cloaked in its vile machine cloud, which threatened to consume everything that came into contact with it. And the man had two avenues left to him

It would be easy to simply flee, leaving this impossible fight behind. The enemy and Jericho could easily crush this damaged mech with their combined firepower, and I wouldn’t have to threaten my life and the Ialdabaoth for my own arrogance.

But there isn’t that option now. This is our will...our combined desire!
​

There was no expression on the pilot’s face, as he took a deep breath. The Ialdabaoth followed his motions, as he brought his arms in a semi-circle and began gathering all of the Haki he could amass. Bringing both of his arms over his head and exhaling in one sharp motion, the pilot struck a fighting stance. Aura surrounded his body, which transferred to the Ialdabaoth he stood within. Aura crackled across the mech’s red armor, as a blue light enveloped the Ialdabaoth. It was sent outward, soaring in intensity as a pulse that lit the night with the same vibrance as earlier. The Bergelmir was close enough for the cloud of dust to reach the edges of the pulse of energy that shot outwards as the man roared in rage and pride.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”​

Wind and light shot outwards, destroying the earth as the Ialdabaoth overflowed with Matthias’ Haki. All that remained within the crater was a small pedestal of undisturbed earth, centered under the feet of the Shurashin. It had been the eye of the storm, as the Shura looked across at the Bergelmir. It stood on the edge of the crater, surrounded by its nanomachines.

The ground the Ialdabaoth stood upon shattered as the Shurashin vanished, appearing within the cloud only meters from the Bergelmir. The Machine Cells that tried to consume the invading machine came into contact with the glowing aura surrounding the Ialdabaoth, before being burned by the energy within. His fist lashed out with a boom, slamming through all of the dust and into the chest armor of the Bergelmir, with the intent to stagger the mech and its pilot

His next strike followed, soon to be followed by a torrent that sent blue aura surging through the air and overloading more of the Machine Cells surrounding the two. When he felt a shift in the air, Matthias shifted his stance, angling one fist into an uppercut. As it slammed into the enemy, he thrust his other fist forward. It shifted into a launcher, which he pointed at the Bergelmir.

“ZHIZUN JISHEN QUAN!”​

Blue aura surrounded the Ialdabaoth’s gauntlet, before surging out in a blast that engulfed the Bergelmir, transforming into a Dragon that tore its way into the Heavens. The dust surrounding the Ialdabaoth was dispersed, as the mech stood in the dust from the wake of its attacks.

Matthias felt the drain on his body immediately, as he let out the tension that ran through his entire body. Fatigue was setting in, far worse than anything before. Dust from his attacks surrounded the Ialdabaoth, as the man struggled to steady his breathing.

Jericho, give me something, anything. That last barrage left me drained; you can handle my strange friend, right?
​

His breathing was already starting to even, but the Shura knew he wasn’t going to be using the ‘Supreme Machine God Fist’ technique anytime in the near future. He hoped the stranger from before could appreciate the restraint the Shura had shown previously in his match.

Don’t worry...give me about five minutes and a bottle of water, I can deliver the same beating to you.​

He was struggling to maintain his stance, so his guard was down more than before. Matthias was confident that technique should be enough; nothing would remain of the Bergelmir after that assault...right?