Lupus Hoffmann II

Before he could regain control, Lupus hovered just above him, her shadow casting eerily across his face, sealing his fate. Her silver hair lifted with the wind as she ascended, spreading out like a pair of celestial wings. Each strand shimmered in the light, cascading in ethereal waves that framed her as though she were an angel descending from the heavens — a vision of unparalleled grace and divinity.

And with lightning speed, she plunged her gold-clad heel directly into his suit's torso. The heel pierced through his hull effortlessly, cutting through metal like a hot knife through butter. The scent of hot iron filled the air, and the screech of grinding metal echoed ominously.

Her heel came to a sudden stop, just a hair's breadth from his chestplate. Everything happened too fast for his brain to process. Fear, confusion, and disbelief clouded his senses. The bronze knight froze, paralyzed by the intensity of the moment, sensing only throbbing in his ears.

Without warning, gravity took its toll, and the mobile suit slammed to the ground with bone-crushing force. The knight gasped, his lungs expelling all the air in a painful whoosh.

"Yield or perish!" Lupus called out, her tone playful and light, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Her small fangs glinted in the light.

In a final, desperate attempt, the bronze knight reached out to grab her arc boots and crush her legs. But Lupus, ever the cautious one, was faster. With her beast-like strength, she tapped his chest plate lightly. The sound of crushed metal echoed as the knight's body crumpled, his unconscious form collapsing into the pilot seat.

Lupus crouched over his motionless body, tapping her finger thoughtfully against her cheek. "I wonder if I broke his ribs…" She mused, inspecting the damage to his armour, which had been dented and shattered in places, revealing the exposed, bloodied skin beneath.

A moment passed. Somewhere safe further from the ruckus Lupus had recently caused, she crouched in front of a little girl, gently patting her messy hair, and offering some consolation. The girl was bawling her eyes out in relief, reassured that she and her mother were now in the safe hands of a seemingly invincible mage. Beside her, the mother nodded repeatedly in gratitude.

With a soft smile, Lupus explained her plan and motioned for the two to join the rest of the war-torn survivors.

Before following them, she took a moment to inspect herself thoroughly. Her limbs felt heavy with exhaustion, her breathing was laboured, her skin coalesced with sweat, and her mind had become foggy and light. A sudden, alarming realisation of mana depletion struck her. "Oh no, I've overexerted my mana in the last battle. I'll need to rest soon. If I'm caught in another fight without any mana left... that'd be disastrous — certain death, even!" She analysed inwardly as she moved through the narrow street, each step cautious and deliberate.

Eventually, she made up her mind. "No more showing off. I need to use my mana more sparingly from now on."

When she rejoined the group of survivors, they waved at her with cheerful smiles. Despite her fatigue, she returned their warmth, grateful to see hope flicker in their weary faces.

***

Jack Squire drifted through the skies of southern Germund, setting his course for his family home, roughly an hour away. Germund wasn't a large country by any means. Rectangular in shape, it measured approximately 700 kilometres wide and 1000 kilometres long. With the standard bronze model he was piloting, he could cross the entire country from west to east in just two hours — assuming, of course, the mobile suit remained functional for the duration of the flight.

Suddenly, his HUD flickered erratically, and the engine indicators blinked red. A universal language for "danger imminent." "Oh hell, no!" Jack barked in frustration, jerking his fingers up to halt his descent. But it was futile. The engine had already gone cold, and his 15-tonne hunk of metal was plummeting toward the ground at death-defying speed.

"Bloody hell! Get your shit together!" he growled through gritted teeth, his hands flying across the controls. Sweat trickled down his temple and his nose as he directed two puny bots under his command. Each bot propped itself against the Armatus's massive shoulders, generating uplift force at full throttle. His eyes darted to the charge gauges on the bots — there wasn't much juice left, his recent maneuver had consumed heaps of arcane energy.

"One!" Jack shouted, yanking the controls as the thrusters roared to life like a dying lion. The hall lurched skyward, sending his heart dropped and his stomach churning. A nauseating, tingling sensation stabbed at his brain as the mechanical bots managed to lift the massive suit briefly before the crushing weight dragged them back down.

"Two!" He yelled, pushing his voice through the chaos. Once again, the descent slowed slightly. Still, tonnes of metal screamed through the atmosphere. The veins on his neck and forehead bulged with exertion.

"Three!" Jack roared, issuing one final lift command. But this time, every engine, and every system failed. The blue HUD flashed into a crimson screen of death.

Jack's gaze shot out of the sight port, seeing nothing but clouds whipping past at terrifying speed. With no further options, he clenched his eyes shut, tucked his head down, and braced for impact. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he found himself desperately praying to any gods or goddesses who might take pity and save his soul.

Meanwhile, Lupus and her group of arcaniis trudged through the post-war apocalyptic wasteland. Just yesterday, this had been a bustling street, lined with shops and filled with cheerful crowds. How quickly the world had descended into chaos at the whim of a power-hungry tyrant.

Lupus's heightened bunny ears twitched at a faint shift in the air above. Her golden eyes scanned the sky. "What is that?!" She gasped as a steel giant hurtled down from the heavens.

Quickly composing herself, she turned to her group and urged them to safety. "Hide now!" She commanded, her voice sharp and absolute.

The survivors didn't hesitate, dashing to shelter behind the crumbling remains of buildings. From their hiding places, they poked their ashen faces out to glimpse the metallic monstrosity falling toward the earth.