The cannon fired before I could finish my sentence.
A beam of blue-white light ripped through the workshop entrance, vaporizing the metal doors and sending me flying backwards.
"Alright," I said, spitting out blood as I stared at the smoking hole where the workshop door had been.
"I’m gonna take back what I said about this being fun."
Nyx landed beside me and raised her revolver. "You said it would be fun."
"I was being optimistic."
"I think those are mutually exclusive."
The cannoneer fired again.
Cyra raised her hands and sent a shimmering wall of blue Aether between us and the cannon.
The beam of light hit the wall and rippled like lightning trapped inside glass.
Cyra skidded backwards on her boots.
"Riven!"
"I see it!"
The System brought up a targeting display that hovered in the air between us.
[Hostile War Machine]
[Designation: City Watch Aether Walker]
[Threat Level: High]
[Core Location: Central Chest]
[Structural Weakness: Rear Cooling Assembly]
I stared at the floating symbols.
"Vexa!"
The girl sidestepped another bullet. "What?"
"Can you get behind it?"
She grinned. "Can I?"
She drew a hanging cable and swung across the workshop.
"Watch me!"
Vexa landed on a metal platform overlooking the Aether Walker.
The Walker turned to face her and brought its four mechanical legs up against the pavement as it reared its bulk.
"Hey, ugly," Vexa said, brandishing her wrench like a sword. "Over here!"
The Aether Walker raised its cannon and fired.
Vexa dropped to the ground and the cannon discharged a final time, its blast tearing away the platform.
She landed on her feet amidst the smog and I winced.
"Riven."
Nyx had fired three shots into the advancing officer. "No."
"How do you know?"
"Because she’d complain about dying."
I heard a metallic clink and looked over my shoulder as Vexa slid out from under the maintenance hatch, a look of triumph on her face.
"I heard that!"
I chuckled and then the System flashed in front of my eyes.
[Hostile defeated.]
[Upgrade Energy acquired: +1]
I blinked. "One."
Nyx gave me a look.
"Nothing."You’re still counting?"Nothing?"
"I need seven."
"I need seven for what?"
"The engine."
Vexa vaulted over the side. "You really haven’t explained that."
"I’ve been busy."
She shook her head. "You’re strange."
"I’ve heard that today."
The City Watch poured into the factory.
Their weapons were less menacing than the Iron Jackals’ but their armor was clean compared to the Jackal’s patchwork.
Each soldier wore a rifle that fired Aether rounds from a small cylinder on their back.
The cylinder glowed blue every time they fired and it was obvious Aetheria’s government wanted its enforcers to function like soldiers.
I raised my revolver. "Cyra."
"Yes?"
"Can you disable their weapons?"
"Some."
"Good enough."
She raised one hand and the air between us shimmered with blue electricity.
The soldiers froze.
Their rifles sparked and died.
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Interrupted their Aether flow."
"Can you do it again?"
Cyra stared at the Aether Walker. "Not unless you want to drain the whole city."
"Why?"
"Too much energy."
I nodded. "Then we’ll have to do it ourselves."
Nyx smiled. "Finally."
She charged at the Walker and her left arm began to glow.
The metal twisted and folded until it took the form of a mechanical gauntlet, the fingers drawn back into the arm, the forefinger and thumb forming a serrated blade.
She leaped onto one of the Walker’s legs and drove her blade in, sparks flying as the machine whirled to face her.
Nyx grabbed on to the side and I ran towards the Walker, the System marking the cooling assembly at its rear.
"Riven!" I called.
"I’ve got it!" I drew my revolver, the chamber clicking as I fired a shot at the cooling unit.
The Aether Walker staggered as its rear engine whined in protest, the bullet tearing into the metal.
[Critical structural damage detected.]
"That’s one!" Vexa said as she landed next to me.
"One what?"
"One point."You’re counting again?"Yes!"
"Because motivation!"
She laughed. "Fine." Vexa drew a small device from her belt. "Then let’s get you another."
She heaved the gadget at the Aether Walker’s rear and it stuck to the metal plating.
The Walker shuddered as the device exploded moments later, the blast taking its cooling assembly with it.
[Hostile war machine damaged.]
[Upgrade Energy acquired: +2]
"Sixteen." I said.
Vexa grinned. "Only four more."
The Walker’s rear cannon began to glow red. "Uh."
Vexa’s grin vanished. "What?"
"It’s overheating."
"That sounds bad."
"It is."
The Walker’s chest opened and a sphere of raw Aether spun inside, the energy growing brighter and brighter.
Cyra looked at the sphere. "Everyone get back!"
We cleared the area as the Walker fired another pulse of energy.
Blue light engulfed the workshop and sent me skidding across the floor.
Stars danced in my vision and I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder.
For a moment I thought I was deaf, but then I heard Nyx’s voice shouting above the din.
"Riven!"
I looked up and saw her standing a few meters away.
Her arm was smoking. "I’m fine."
"You’re bleeding."
I touched my forehead and felt the warm blood trickling down my temple.
"I’m still fine."
Cyra ran over to me, her face pale.
"I can’t stop it."Stop what?"
"The Aether core."
She pointed towards the Walker. "If that core ruptures, this whole factory is gone."
I stared at the Walker. "How long?"
"Less than a minute."
Vexa turned towards the Stormrunner Engine. Then the Walker. "We need to get the engine out."
"Can we?"
"If we don’t, we’re all dead anyway."
Nyx grabbed the side of the Stormrunner Engine. "Then move!"
We pushed but the engine barely budged. I gritted my teeth. "Why is this thing so heavy?"
"Because it’s an airship engine!"
"I know that!"
The ground shook as the Walker took another step forward, its damaged core glowing brighter. "Thirty seconds!" Cyra shouted.
"That’s not enough!"
Vexa ran to the front of the Stormrunner Engine. "There’s a transport rail!" She pointed to a set of tracks running along the factory wall. "We can slide the engine out!"
I looked at the large engine, then the tracks, then the emergency exit. "Do it!"
Vexa activated the rail and metal clamps grabbed the engine, sliding it onto the platform.
The engine began to move but it was slow, too slow.
The Aether Walker raised its cannon again.
"I’ll hold it off." Nyx said. She ran toward the Walker and I ran toward the engine.
"Nyx!"
She didn’t listen.
Her mechanical hand slammed into the Walker’s leg and the machine fired, sending Nyx flying sideways.
The blast vaporized a section of the factory wall but she landed on her feet, groaning in pain.
Cyra ran to her aid, blue Aether swirling around her.
"I’ll help."
"You can’t fight that thing," Nyx said.
"I don’t have to." Cyra raised her hands and chains of Aether shot out, binding the Walker’s legs together.
The machine struggled but it couldn’t move. "Riven!"
I ran to the engine and saw that Vexa was already pulling levers. "Come on!"
The engine moved faster.
It reached the emergency exit and Vexa threw open the doors.
I looked back and saw Nyx still fighting the Walker and Cyra keeping it bound.
The engine was almost free.
I ran back to them.
"Riven!" Vexa cried.
I reached Nyx. "Move!"
She looked at me. "I’m fine."
"Nobody says that!"
I took her arm and she smiled. "Then let’s go."
We ran back to the engine as Cyra followed, the four of us sprinting towards the emergency exit as the Walker’s core began to glow even brighter.
We finally escaped the factory as an explosion rocked the building, sending a plume of steam and debris into the night sky.
I landed on my backside on the pavement and stared at the sky for a few seconds before the System announced my progress.
[Multiple hostile entities defeated.]
[Upgrade Energy acquired: +4]
I sat up slowly. "Twenty."
Vexa looked at me. "What?"
I looked at the Stormrunner Engine. Then at her. "Exactly twenty."
The System appeared before me again.
[Upgrade Energy: 20]
[Stormrunner Engine Upgrade Available]
I stood and for the first time since arriving in this world, I felt something other than apprehension and dread.
I had enough power to do something other than simply survive.
I placed my hand on the damaged engine and watched as blue light raced up and across the metal.
Vexa’s eyes grew wide. "Riven..."
I smiled. "Let’s see what this thing can really do."