Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt

Dig!

BUF!

“That won’t be enough Apollo,

We need another layer!”

BUF!

Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt

“Is this good Kage!?”

Shoot!

Pingk!

(Shit! the arrow deflected off)

“We have to wait till it stops shooting and make a beeline down the mountain!”

Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt

“What even is this, magic!?”

“Not ma—"

Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt

“Apollo another one!”

BUF!

Apollo shoves his sword into the ground for a third time upheaving a thick layer of stone to shield us from the incoming bullets,

Just as we were about to leave this mysterious mountain, the earth began to rumble, a layer of what we thought at the time was a higher platform of rock turned out to be a mechanical—

I don’t even know what to call it,

Standing about thirteen feet or four meters tall, it towers over us, pointing its bulky tank-like arms and torso that went from being flat to forming large gatling guns that continuously fires at us while its camera like head that pokes from the top of its bulky frame stays scanning our every move.

A mecha you could call it,

Or rather a mechanoid tank.

Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt

The bullets continue to attack the layers of stone in front of us,

(How long will until these stone break away?

I have to think of something)

“If this is a golem, it is one of the most advanced one I have ever seen!” Karina says while deflecting bullets with sound blasts of her own

“What did you call it Kage, a tank?”

“That is the first thing that popped into my head seeing it,

I don’t know how or why I know,

But I can feel its danger, we should not try fighting it head on”

“How do we get away then!?

We’re at the wrong side of the mountain,

I don’t think we can run fast enough to dodge those attacks!” Apollo becoming more anxious by the minute,

We all are.

Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt

(Think, think, think!

There has to be a way to get out of this!)

“I have a pla—”

—(Let them die Kage)

…….

“Snap out of it Kage!

Now is not the time!” Karina yells in my ear,

“Never mind your plan,

I think I can get us out of this,”

Brrrrrrrrrrrt-Brrrrrrrrrrrt

Karina presses her hands on the ground, taking a deep breath

Rrrrr~

Rrrrrr~

RRrrrrr~

BRrrrrr~

BRGRRRRRR~

First it start as little shake, then it builds and builds….

The ground begins to shake violently knocking us all around,

Apollo grabs both Lyra and me keeping us balanced.

The ground rips apart cracking around the firing mechanoid tank, it sinks down into the crack,

“Stop standing around and go!” Karina barks seeing as it attempts to climb out

“Now is our chance!”

“Then get your ass up and come on as well!” Lyra retorts,

“If I get up the earthquake will stop,

Leave me here,

This is your opportunity to go!”

“I think not!” Lyra harshly yanks the girl up

The shaking stops.

“We will make a new plan then, one that involves all of us leaving together…..”

……..

'Cause you make my earth quake♪

……

For the first time Lyra drops her mask,

Oh, you make my earth quake♪

She looks into Karina’s eyes with deep determination and concern..

'Cause you make my earth quake♪

“We are not doing this again!”

Oh, you make my earth quake♪

“I am not doing this!

Letting another one of us die,

First Darius, then Pinoki

Not you too Karina, don’t leave!”

……….

Don't leave, it's my fault♪

Don't leave, it's my fault♪

…….

“I—

I apologize,” Karina at a loss for words.

“I won’t die, I promise”

Don't leave, it's my fault♪

'Cause when it all comes crashing down, I'll need you♪

…….

“Apollo since you can now make your sword return to you, “ I interject into the ‘moment’

“I was thinking, you can throw it like a spear at the tank’s ‘head’ disrupting its vision,

It’s already climbing out that crack Karina created we still have time before—"

—Brrrrrrrrrrrt

It already got out, amidst our ‘tangent’ and begins to fire once more,

(Shit!)

“Karina,” I gesture to her then Apollo

Karina nods understanding my plan…

……….

“Hyuh!”

Apollo chucks his sword over the rock wall protecting us, at the tank,

Lyra and I steady him while Karina makes the ground tremor strongly,

Bash!

The sword accurately nails the intended target,

“Alright run!” Karina stops her magic as the machine begins to fall under,

…….

Leaving behind our heavy packs of supplies we begin the sprint across…

……

“Hhh-hhh-hhh!”

The novelty has faded, the strange beauty of the spinning sky this close is gone,

All I see now is a void trying suck us in spinning greedily as it prays on our downfall…

“Hhh-hhh-hhh!”

Apollo’s sword returns to him slowing him down a bit not that he minds being behind

Apollo means to make sure everyone makes it down before him..

“Hhh-hhh-hhh!”

Lyra huffs, cold air expels form mouth, not from the temperature but rather her own magic,

Why is she cooling herself right now?

Maybe its her way of dealing with stress.

Hhhhhh!

Karina trudges on heading the group, her mind still settled on Lyra words, but more so than that she feels somewhat lighter running,

She may have realized something about her magic just now,

Or maybe herself…

Leaving behind our heavy packs of supplies we begin the sprint across the wide but flat ‘mountain top’ now covered in cracks from Karina’s magic,

“Nngh!!”

I almost trip on the uneven cracks that Karina ‘created’

Stump!

Stump!

The tank behind us has once again climbed out the mini crater,

(Can it still detect us with its sight obstructed?)

Stump!

Stump!

“I think its catching up to us!” Lyra yells

(Maybe I can fire a water arrow under it—)

Turning behind I expect to see the imposing machine stomping behind us,

But it isn’t, its still in the same spot making the loud stomping sounds.

(Why would it need to that?

Why isn’t it following us?)

“This is the way down!” Karina shouts back as we approach the part covered in a black layer of soot,

Where we saw the first camera poking up from the ground,

(Wait, soot?

Why would there be soot on this mountain?

And what about all the other people who came up here,

Where are their bodies?)

Slowing my pace, I watch as Karina and the others begin to go down the slope..

Stump!

Stump!

The noise still reverbs in the background almost like a distraction

(A diversion!)

“Karina, no!” I yell at the top of my lungs,

“Don’t go down it’s a trap!”