Myth vs Machine

As Serphinem delivered another devastating blow to one of the Steel Knights, its towering frame crumbled to the ground in a cacophony of screeching metal and fractured stone. The mechs' fluid movements, combined with relentless precision, had finally begun turning the tide of the battle.

Azrael exhaled heavily, his voice laced with both relief and exhaustion. "Guess these buggers aren't that invincible after all."

Despite their small victories, a nagging thought pulled at him. He muttered under his breath, almost as if to himself, "I wonder if you're still alive, Samuel."

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.

"What the—" Azrael tightened his grip on Serphinem's controls, scanning his surroundings for the source of the tremors.

Before he could react further, his communication console crackled to life with static interference. Instinctively, Azrael switched to the command channel. "COMMANDER! THIS IS SERPHINEM! THE PLANET SEEMS—"

Another violent tremor interrupted him, throwing the massive mech slightly off balance. The tremors weren't random; they were coming from deep below the surface. It was as if something ancient and powerful had awakened.

Through the mech's sensors, Azrael detected unusual energy readings spiking below ground. His systems lit up with warnings: seismic instability, energy surges, and heat signatures that didn't match anything in the databanks.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Azrael's voice rose in panic as he attempted to stabilize the Serphinem amidst the chaos.

Another voice cut through the comms, calm but strained. "Azrael, pull back. Something's surfacing, and it's not friendly."

Azrael clenched his fists, staring at the screens. His mind raced as he tried to put the pieces together. Whatever was happening beneath them, it wasn't part of the original battle plan. Something far worse had begun to stir.

----------

Back with Samuel

"FOUL ABOMINATION!" the machine roared, its metallic voice reverberating through the chamber. With a violent flick of its wrist, it conjured balls of magnetic particles. Each sphere glowed a menacing purple, crackling with violent energy as they charged.

Samuel's eyes widened. "Ah, shit."

Without a second thought, he bolted, his legs moving on instinct as he sprinted toward the terminal with the gate. Every step was a struggle; his body still reeled from the overextension of his muscles. Each pulse of pain felt like a hammer driving into his legs.

"Come on, come on, don't quit on me now," he muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth against the searing pain.

The knight, undeterred, readied its massive sword. Its blade shimmered with the same eerie blue flames as before. With an unrelenting ferocity, it charged after Samuel, the ground quaking beneath its weight.

The terminal was within sight, but so was the knight, its blade raised high, ready to strike.

Samuel glanced back, his breath catching in his throat as the knight closed in, its massive blade poised to end him. "Ah, for Christ's sake," he muttered, forcing himself to push through the agony, every step toward the terminal feeling like a lifetime.

Suddenly, a crackling ball of electrons collided with the knight, throwing it through three layers of walls. The force sent tremors through the ground as debris rained down. Samuel froze, eyes darting toward the machine.

The towering mechanical entity turned its unblinking gaze to Samuel, its voice reverberating like an unrelenting storm.

"THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR YOU."

Samuel barely had time to process as the machine snapped its metallic fingers. The terminal doors hissed open with an ominous sound.

"Hey, wai—" Samuel started, but before he could finish, the machine lifted its arm, and Samuel's body was yanked into the air as if caught in an invisible grip.

The machine flicked its wrist violently, sending Samuel flying toward the gate and out of the room. He crashed against the cold floor beyond, gasping for air and disoriented.

The last thing Samuel heard as he scrambled to his knees was the machine's chilling command: "EXECUTE CONSOLE COMMAND 221."

The platform where Samuel landed trembled as the massive doors began to close behind him. He staggered to his feet, casting one last glance at the room beyond, where the machine stood motionless, its glowing optics fixed on him.

As the doors sealed shut, the machine turned, ready to proceed.

SLASH!

CLANK!

The sound of metal colliding with force echoed through the chamber. The machine recoiled, stepping back as a shimmering barrier blocked the knight's blade mere inches from its form. Sparks scattered, and the air hummed with energy.

The knight chuckled, his skeletal frame silhouetted by the ominous blue flames enveloping him.

"YOU BEND SPACE LIKE A TOY,"

he said, his voice a mix of disdain and admiration.

"BUT EVEN YOU CAN BE CALCULATED."

The machine's head tilted, unbothered but clearly analyzing.

The knight rested his blade over his shoulder, his smile unnerving.

"And to think—I believed I was the walking freak of nature. A talking piece of metal, though? That's something I never expected to see in my thousand years of existence."

The machine's voice was cold, unflinching. "IRRELEVANT OBSERVATION.

YOUR EXISTENCE ENDS HERE."

The knight, unshaken, smirks as he grips his sword tightly, spinning it in a fluid, mesmerizing motion.

SLASSSSHHHHHH!

A massive wave of energy bursts forth, tearing through the space in front of him, slicing through multiple layers of the facility and deep into the Thermus.

But the machine is gone.

"WASTE OF ENERGY," it declares coldly, reappearing behind the knight in a blink. With a flick of its wrist in an upward motion—

BOOMMMM!

The knight is sent flying, crashing through walls and debris as he hurtles toward the surface like a meteor.

Meanwhile, Samuel, slumped against the platform, watches in horror and awe.

"Ah, crap," he mutters, bracing himself as the shockwaves ripple through the structure. "What the hell are those freaks of nature doing?"

Above him, the destruction escalated, the knight and the machine clash with unrelenting force, tearing through layers of the Thermus with every strike. The structure shudders, pieces of metal and concrete cascading around Samuel as he steadies himself against the platform railing, blood still trickling from his side.

Grabbing his comm device, he speaks with urgency.

"Come in, this is Captain Samuel Hatten from the Spear of Defiance. Does anyone copy?"

For a moment, there's nothing but static, the interference from the battle above making communication near impossible. He adjusts the settings, his frustration mounting.

"Seraphim, Azrael—anyone! I need a report!"

Finally, a voice crackles through the static, steady and resolute despite the chaos.

"Captain, this is Azrael. Most of our squad has retreated... but I won't leave you behind."

Samuel exhales sharply, gripping the comm with a mix of relief and concern.

"Azrael... good to hear your voice. The situation here is bad—really bad. What's your status?"

"I'm holding what's left of the line topside," Azrael replies. "We've managed to push back some of the knights, but... it's only a matter of time before they regroup."

Samuel looks out at the scene before him, the knight and the machine continuing their catastrophic duel, each strike sending shockwaves through the facility. He tightens his grip on his weapon, determination hardening in his eyes.

"Stay sharp, Azrael. I'll find a way out of here. Just hold on a little longer."

"Understood, Captain," Azrael responds. "But don't take too long. We need to Fall back and fast."

Samuel's mind raced through every option available, his thoughts a whirlwind of strategies and desperate ideas. His body ached, his breath uneven, but his resolve remained firm.

"I guess I have to make it to the top," he muttered to himself, tightening his grip on the railing as he steadied his balance.

Suddenly, the platform shuddered violently, then came to a jarring halt.

"What now?" Samuel hissed, his eyes darting around the confined space. He could feel the weight of the silence pressing against him, broken only by the distant echoes of the battle raging above.

He banged his fist against the control panel. "Come on, move!" he growled, slamming it again, though he knew it wouldn't help. The dim lights flickered ominously, casting erratic shadows that danced across the walls.

A low rumble reverberated through the shaft, growing louder with every passing second. Samuel froze, his instincts screaming at him that something was coming. Slowly, he reached for his weapon, his pulse quickening as he scanned the surroundings.

"Great... what fresh hell is this?" he muttered under his breath, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen.

The entire planet seemed to tremble beneath him, the vibrations so intense that it felt like the world itself was shifting. Samuel's grip on reality wavered as the railings around him began to groan under the strain.

"Okay... I guess I've officially lost it now," he muttered, shaking his head.

But then he saw it—the railings holding the platform were giving way. He didn't have time to think; it was now or never.

"Ah, hell... fine! Twenty percent muscle mass!" he commanded through clenched teeth.

The suit responded instantly, forcing his weary body into overdrive. He sprinted toward the edge of the platform, every step a searing reminder of his overtaxed muscles.

"Just hold together," he muttered as he launched himself into the void.

The platform behind him gave a final, deafening groan before plunging into the depths. Samuel's leap barely cleared the edge of the shaft, his hands shooting out to grab onto the walls.

"Ahhhh! Fug sticks! My muscles! Ack!" he yelled as he clung to the smooth, unforgiving surface, using the magnetic grips in his gloves to hold on. His body screamed in protest as he began the arduous climb.

Hand over hand, inch by grueling inch, he climbed.

He climbed 

He climbed.

He climbed.

Each motion pushed him closer to his breaking point. Every muscle felt like it was tearing, his vision blurring from the pain. The deafening silence of the shaft was broken only by his gasping breaths and the steady grind of metal against the wall.

Despair crept in, but Samuel refused to stop.

"CLIMB!"

"CLIMB!"

"CLIMB!"

he roared, willing his body to keep going as if sheer determination could overcome the agony.

But even as his muscles faltered, his spirit burned brighter. He was a soldier, and soldiers didn't give up. Not when the odds were impossible. Not when the world was literally crumbling around them.

Just as the darkness of exhaustion began to consume him, a faint light appeared above. 

A light of hope. 

"Almost... there..." Samuel growled, every ounce of his strength pouring into one final push. But his muscles, screaming for relief, finally betrayed him. His grip faltered. 

"Shit..." 

His body began to slip. The pit below loomed, ready to claim him. 

*GRAB!* 

A firm hand caught his arm, jerking him back from the brink. 

"THOUGHT I'D ABANDON YOU, CAPTAIN?" 

Samuel looked up, dazed but grateful, and saw Azrael's determined face staring back at him. 

"I can f*cking kiss ya right now, you son of a gun!" Samuel barked, his relief spilling out in a rare moment of humor despite the pain. 

Azrael smirked as he started pulling Samuel up. "You're not my type, Captain. Now hold on, we've got work to do." 

With one final heave, Azrael hauled him to safety, the two soldiers collapsing on the edge, gasping for air but alive.