Bjorn's vision swam as the white light faded into blinding pain. Bjorn was falling, his momentum stopped when he landed hard on a skywalk. There was a burning sensation across his torso. He had to quickly reassess his situation. His armor was burning hot, the entire undercarriage glowing red.
The cooling systems were hard at work keeping the heat at bay. He stood, his heads quickly searched the area.
"It erupted with a pulse attack." Fallsafe said.
"Got it." Bjorn said over the ringing in his thoughts.
"Anasuya, are you okay?" Isin hiss concerned.
"Loud," she hissed back. "I am okay."
"Stay where you are and hold on tight." Isin said.
Bjorn ran to the edge of the sky bridge and looked over. Rose gold electricity arced through the city and the distant sound of fighting echoed. It looked like he had bore the brunt of the pulse attack. It launched him a few blocks away into the industrial district.
It wasn't time for sight seeing. He could move, so he could get back to the others. He pulled on his bond with Tanisha and his head snapped in her direction. He jumped from the skywalk to a lower level that would take him in the correct direction.
"The armor protected us from the brunt of that attack." Isin said.
"It'll be faster if we go through that building on the right." Failsafe added.
Bjorn didn't hesitate. He launched himself off the skywalk, activating Juggernaut Stampede mid-leap. The building's glass façade exploded around him as he tore through concrete and steel, each stride shaking the structure apart. He burst out the other side in a cloud of shrapnel, claws slamming into the next skybridge to arrest his fall.
He saw the Guardian in the distance. The Guardian, its half-ruined form loomed over Aurelius, its sword flickering with unstable aether. Sparks danced off the cracked blade as it moved with impossible speed, every motion fluid, deliberate, inhumanly calm.
Aurelius darted around it, his movements a blur, deflecting strikes by centimeters, buying precious seconds for Tanisha, who dragged a bleeding Fuyumi toward cover while flinging arcs of rose-gold lightning in sweeping bursts.
Bjorn jumped down galloping full speed to the battle. He ran past Tanisha who was covering Aurelius with her lightning while strategically retreating with a heavily bleeding Fuyumi. The guardian wielded a sword that sputtered with aether along its blade. The weapon was just as damaged as the rest of the construct.
Aurelius avoided direct strikes against its sword, a feat only he could pull off with his speed. As soon as Bjorn was in range he used Intimidation Roar which froze the machine in place for a split second. Just long enough for Bjorn to again use Juggernaut Stampede, slamming himself into the machine, a wave of power exploded from the impact thanks to the third tier of the skill. This time it didn't brace itself and took the full force of the spell.
The machine was blasted backward a few feet as it jammed its sword into the floor to arrest its motion. Bjorn was already unleashing Plague Fire before it came to a stop. The beam of poisonous heat erupted against the beings armored shell.
Then with the same smooth motion as before it was gone. Simply vanished from its spot and appeared again to Bjorn's side. Its sword moved in a blur to behead him.
"Ma sprisha mama pitaram, kurupa lohamaya purusha!" Anasuya hissed.
Bjorn felt the wave of maya as she spoke. It spread out like roots that wrapped around the arms and legs of the machine. It froze mid motion struggling just long enough for Bjorn to side step the swing and slip into the darkness with his Shadow Concealment. The robot lost sight of him as he reassessed the situation.
"What was that?" Bjorn thought to Failsafe.
"I had been trying to catalog her skills too." Failsafe said, but it sounded like he was stalling. "Hmm. Since she is always clinging to you it is a bit easier but I can't say with accuracy."
"Out with it construct." Isin said.
"Rude. I have a name." Failsafe said. "But fine I think it was Word-Cutting. It makes her able to stun things with magic in them. Kind of like your Intimidation Roar."
"Anasuya can you do that again when I say?" Bjorn said in the hissing language.
"Yes, papa." Anasuya said.
Aurelius was sent flying by a strike that nearly slipped past his guard. The machine had lost sight of Bjorn entirely thanks to his camouflage and he took advantage of the situation and used Intimidation Roar right as he lunged at the being from behind. His jaws clamped down on its neck and wrists simultaneously.
"Now," Bjorn hissed.
The machine began to move again right as Anasuya started her incantation. Vines of maya locked up its joints as it struggled to break free. Bjorn only had moments before both effects would start to wear off. In that time molten aether had already begun spewing from each of his mouths all at once. Metal turned to slag between his teeth as he poured everything he had into the attack.
There was blinding pain in Bjorn's back that nearly made him stop the magic assault. The Guardian had slammed itself into a wall to try and crush him. Bjorn saw spots in his eyes as he pushed through and continued breathing toxic heat directly into the machine's joints.
A second slam into the wall and he felt the pressure dig into the plates of the armor. The heat stopped as the being managed to grab him by twisting its arm unnaturally. Then with a yank Bjorn was thrown off. He hit the second floor wall of an adjacent building and slumped into a heap.
"Dad!" Anasuya screamed. "Are you okay?"
It took a moment for Bjorn to gather himself. The world was spinning as a consequence of having so many heads and perceptions. He had to focus as regeneration healed not only the possible spinal injury but also the intense burns all over his own body. His armor mitigated what it could but it was not designed to handle the point blank aetheric fire.
"Hide." Bjorn hissed.
There was only a moment between saying the words and the sudden appearance of the Guardian in his vision. Its sword was raised high. Before it could hit, an explosion of rose gold electricity hit its side. The blade was knocked off course but still hit Bjorn's tail cleanly separating the appendage. A new fresh pain that was quickly lost in the shuffle of other agony.
The being vanished to engage the new enemy leaving Bjorn with enough time for his Hydra Regeneration to start piecing together what remained of his spinal cord. With a grunt he tested out his limbs to find that his heads and front legs were the only limbs still functional for the time being. He couldn't see the battle taking place from his vantage point but he could hear the clashing of metal and the flashes of lightning.
"That thing can still use its sword after that?" Bjorn questioned.
"They did say it was heavily modified." Bjorn stated.
"It felt familiar." Isin said. "The aether inside it. When we were close to it, didn't you guys feel it too?"
"We have fought plenty of machines in this place, it didn't feel any different." Bjorn said.
"No, I know what I felt. I don't think it is what it seems." Isin said. "Why is this one so damaged when the other units we have fought have all been in good condition."
Bjorn winced as he felt a vertebrae snap into place, nerves reattaching and bone fused together.
"Okay, you have my attention, what do you think?" Bjorn questioned.
"We need to get close again." Isin said. "Give me control of our body."
"Give you control? Why would I do that?" Bjorn questioned.
"Because I might have a way to end this fight." Isin said.
"Annnd if you are wrong?" Failsafe questioned.
"Hydra Regeneration seems to be pretty good." Isin said. "Anasuya, stay hidden no matter what, okay?"
"But papa you're hurt." Anasuya hissed shyly.
"Stay hidden." Isin said firmly. "If something happens go to Auntie Tanisha she will keep you safe."
The small girl grumbled but agreed.
Bjorn sighed then grunted in pain as the last of his spine finally healed and he could feel the sensation of his legs return. Only for the control of his body to be quickly taken away by Isin. It was weird to not have control of himself especially as Isin stretched out his limbs experimentally. That was when Bjorn realized Isin had no experience controlling them in battle. Fine motor control was something Bjorn had years of practice with now.
"Maybe I should be in control, you can just tell me the plan." Bjorn said.
"Not enough time this gives me much better control of our magic." Isin said.
Isin walked to the ledge and they could finally see the battle taking place. Aurelius and Tanisha were both fully engaged with the metal man. The Guardian was only slightly slower now that its joints were damaged.
Tanisha was staying back using her magic to target the machine every chance she had between Aurelius's sword play. The two were in a flow state covering each other as best they could against an enemy that was more skilled and magically capable.
There were cracks in the front they put up and the close calls were only getting closer. The duo was getting tired and the machine was learning their patterns. It wouldn't be long before it could move in for a decisive blow. Isin and Bjorn weren't going to let that happen.
Isin slipped them into the shadows using Shadow Concealment getting them closer between the flashes of lightning and aetheric and primana blades. Isin moved silently and quickly and as they drew closer. Bjorn could finally see something interesting. It was something he hadn't noticed while he was in control of their body. Beneath the damaged armor wasn't exposed components. It was a gleaming golden metal he had only seen in one other place. In his memories. In Isin's memories.
It was at that moment of realization Bjorn understood what Isin felt.
Juggernaut Stampede crashed them into the metal man while at the same time he wrapped himself firmly around the machine. That was when he could see the golden metal beneath the damaged armor clearly. This thing wasn't a Guardian at all. It was an R-02 Ophanim.
The R series were the personal guards of the Angels, each one of them was unimaginably strong. However, there was one that Isin managed to steal from Nuriel's control. One that would follow his command over hers. The very one that protected him when Nuriel detonated half of Echo Administration Site 15, killing hundreds of thousands of people after he betrayed her.
Again there was pain but this wasn't external. His mind was pulled into his core where he saw the cracks in his animal magic widen. The pain was nearly blinding. He felt Isin adding a new law, not a spell but a truth much like he himself did when he created the Wandmaker and Juggernaut Stampede truths. But his body was not ready for a new truth to be written into his soul and it fought back.
Each moment of intent weaved a spellform from primana that was as mentally resistant as pushing a mountain through the head of a needle. But Isin didn't waver, and neither did Bjorn. Together they pushed the spellform into being despite the resistance and the pain.
Then it was done.
The spellform looked like a bleeding wound in the soul but it was done.
[ERROR: BLEEDING SPELLFORM]
Primana Cost: ERROR
Warning this is a Corrupted Spellform. WARNING this is a temporary spellform. This spellform is unstable and is rapidly disintegrating. This spellform is currently venting Primana from your core.
Connect your aether directly into a powered aetheric construct to rewrite current directives. Warning this will disrupt the active construct's core. Due to the corrupted spellform you are unable to regulate aether this will damage aetheric core properties of the construct. WARNING this is a bleeding spellform this spell will use 10x the typical amount of Aether to activate. Upon activation this spellform will disintegrate.
Bjorn was pulled back out of his core right as the spell was cast. The machine stopped in its tracks, its sword slipped from its hands. Isin released control of their body. Bjorn fell to the ground and his muscles no longer responded. His vision went red. Blood boiled just beneath his skin. Pressure built up until it bubbled up between his scales.
The world spun in his vision. He coughed out what seemed like gallons of the red liquid onto the ground. He could tell Tanisha and Aurelius were yelling his name but he couldn't move at all. All of his magic had been spent; there was no Hydra Regeneration coming to save his life this time.
Tanisha slid on her knees to his closest head pulling out healing potions as she helped him to drink. He couldn't hear what she or Aurelius were saying but the relief from the potion was notable. Even if it still felt like he was going to pass out at any moment.
Bjorn didn't know how long they were there before Tanisha hoisted him onto her back. He still couldn't move and their voices sounded too distant to hear despite being right next to him. Tanisha led them to Fuyumi who was leaning weakly against a wall a few blocks away. She was missing her right arm and judging from the blood staining her entire outfit she was only recently healed enough from Tanisha's potions to move.
The walk back to Ivoi's Lab was quiet and somewhere along the way Bjorn shut his eyes.