Forge Master
The Dwemer Centurion, or 'Forge Master' stomps to the centre of the platform as steam and black smoke billow from it, magma still dripping from its metal body, making it almost unthinkable to engage in melee combat if everything else was not already enough.
"Laguna Blade!" Michael exclaims before anyone else could do anything, blasting the Forge Master in the chest with a huge bolt of lightning... Unfortunately, it just fizzles upon striking it, sparking exploding from the impact sight and dissipating through the automaton's feet... "Ah, well, lightning's apparently out."
*Click, Click, Click-*
Everyone throws themselves to the ground or behind the nearby pillar as they hear the odd sound, most remembering other Dwemer Centurions making the same sound before blasting steam from its mouth.
Only, it isn't steam that the Forge Master unleashes... It's a blast of unrelenting fire that looks as if it were from the maw of a dozen dragons.
*THWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
"EVERYONE ALRIGHT!?" Michael shouts as he looks everyone over. Ignoring the fact that half of the pillar they were hiding behind had turned to molten slag and dripped to the floor below it.
"We're alright! Just get that thing's attention away so we can do something!" Saya shouts,
"Throw out some of those clones you used earlier." he says after nodding and Blinking out from behind the pillar, ending up with him standing directly atop the Aetherium Forge... Yeah, the Forge Master spins around in response and stomps towards him, apparently not willing to use its flame breath while he was standing on the artifact.
"YOLOS SAHLO!" Illococoo suddenly shouts at the back of the Forge Master, the shout connecting and causing steam to explode off of it. The metal composing it glowing even hotter than it did before.
The edges of its blades being the first to melt as they drip to the floor in a molten mess. More spells strike its back courtesy of the girls, with ten copies of Saya running and surrounding it, allowing Michael to Blink away as it thrashes at the fragile clones.
"Fade Bolt! Dragon Slave! Monolith Ward! Spatial Scatter! Spatial Grip!" Michael shouts, throwing most of the offensive spells he knows at the Forge Master, while the girls do the same.
Shards of molten metal are blown off of the Forge Master as its metal body softens from the heat... Unfortunately, before any real damage could be done, Illococoo's shout ends, resulting in its body solidifying after recovering its heat resistance.
"Shout again!" he orders, and the dragon girl nods while doing just that.
"YOLOS SAHLO-ahk!" she shouts but ends up coughing blood afterwards. The damage to her throat by the shout was only enhanced by the innate power of the Forge Master... She was essentially stripping it of its strongest attribute... Like turning a taking the ice away from a Frost Wraith...
Saya takes Illococoo to the side and begins using Restoration spells to help her recover while the others continue their onslaught.
"Keep it still for ten more seconds!" Tiffania shouts as she continues channelling her spell... Only for the Forge Master to kill the last of Saya's illusions.
"Ten seconds coming up!" Michael shouts back, "Winter's Curse!" he casts, freezing the Forge Master completely solid. While the second aspect of the curse wouldn't work since there were none of its allies around to attack it, it would still be frozen for however long the effect lasts... Which as it turns out, isn't that long in this environment...
*CRACK!*
"Er, five seconds...? Just cast the spell!"
*SMASH!*
The half-melted bubbling ice explodes from the Forge Master, but at this moment Tiffania finally casts her spell.
*Zooowp!*
A Teleportation gate opens up between the Forge Master's hips, splitting it in half as its upper body falls from the other gate that'd opened up nearby.
*Crash!*
Unfortunately, unlike any regular enemy, the automaton wasn't bothered by the loss of its legs, resulting in it continuing to crawl towards the group.
*THWOOOOM!*
Even more fire explodes from its metal face, forcing Tiffania and Saya to throw up a powerful Ward to block it. For a moment it the fire looked to be breaking through it, but Michael intervenes by appearing atop the crippled Forge Master, Derflinger in hand while it crackled with black spatial energy, courtesy of Darth's assistance and Rhasta's teachings.
*SWIPE!*
*CRACK!*
His attack sweeps easily through its metalhead, cutting through it before Derflinger embeds itself into the stone ground, almost cutting through that as well.
The robot still wasn't finished however! Forcing Michael to reach into its severed head and wrench out its dynamo core, its searingly hot body severely burning his entire arm as he does so.
*Clangk!*
With that, it finally goes still, dead from having its power source removed.
Michael lets out a shuddering sigh as he falls onto his ass, grimacing slightly as he catches himself with his scorched black arm.
"Oh my god! Are you alright!?" Saya exclaims as she approaches, looking over his arm with worry, guilt and disgust... Not all in that order...
"Eh, big bro will heal from that in no time." Illococoo dismisses the injury, her voice croaking from the damage she's sustained earlier.
"That doesn't mean it hurts any less." Michael complains, looking like a child seeking sympathy for a scraped knee...
"You just want big sis to kiss it better." the dragon girl retorts while gesturing towards Tiffania.
He shakes his head, "I mean, she can do that later. I just want you guys to acknowledge all the pain I go through for you... I'm such a great hero!" he sarcastically says.
Saya bites her lip, "I don' get how you guys can be so uncaring about this... He might lose full use of his arm!"
...
"Yeah..." Michael trails off.
"Heal yourself already..." Megumin says while prodding him in the side with the bottom of her staff.
"Fine, don't let me have this..." he grouses, walking away from the group and using Dark Pact to remove any imperfections from his body, including his scorched black arm.
...
"You could do that!?" Saya exclaims, feeling stupid for pitying him.
He shrugs, "I could basically always do this... I'm surprised no one else told you about it." he says before turning towards the Aetherium Forge, "Shall we try and get this thing working then?" he asks, ignoring Saya's anger at being tricked to 'baby' him.