The air grew heavy with the scent of damp earth and something acrid—orc. Luis, now clad in the sleek, dark form of the EXO-MASKED suit, marched deeper into the twisted forest, his two Knight Mechs flanking him like silent, armored shadows. The suit hummed with a low, comforting thrum against his skin, a stark contrast to the thundering war drums that now vibrated through the very ground.
"Well, well, look at us," Zyx chirped, floating just above Luis's shoulder, a mischievous glint in his non-existent eyes.
"Off to poke the big green bear, are we? Just remember to aim for the squishy bits. They usually have squishy bits, or so I'm told by reliable celestial sources."
Luis ignored the jab, his gaze fixed on the darkening treeline ahead.
"Just focusing on the mission, Zyx. Less commentary, more divine insight, please."
"Divine insight? My dear Luis, my insight usually involves telling you which root to trip on for maximum comedic effect. But fine. You're asking for battle tactics from the God of Misfortune. Don't say I never gave you anything."
The forest canopy thinned, revealing a brutalized clearing. Crude, sharpened logs formed a makeshift palisade, behind which moved hulking, green figures. Smoke curled from rudimentary fires, and the guttural roars of orcs echoed, louder now, almost directly ahead. This wasn't just a patrol; it was a small base.
"Alright, boys," Luis murmured, the EXO-MASKED suit's internal comms picking up his low voice and amplifying it slightly.
"Let's keep it surgical. Mechs, front and center. Draw their attention. I'll go for the flank."
The twin Knight Mechs moved with surprising grace for their bulk, their polished steel glinting as they charged the palisade. Their kinetic blades hummed, and the first orc sentries didn't even have time to bellow a warning before the mechs carved through the wooden barrier and slammed into the startled orcs within.
Clangs of metal on bone. Roars of pain.
The chaotic symphony of battle erupted.
Luis, utilizing the Hyper Boosters of his EXO-MASKED suit, became a blur. He burst forward, a flash of black and blue, moving at double his normal speed for two crucial seconds. He scaled the palisade in a single, fluid motion, landing silently behind a group of three orcs distracted by the mech onslaught. His Spiderfang Hammer was already in motion, a dark arc whistling through the air.
The first orc's skull caved in with a sickening crunch.
The Spider Bite passive triggered, a faint green mist rising from the corpse.
The second turned, roaring, but Luis parried its crude axe.
Wind Snap passive activated—burst of attack speed.
A brutal combo followed. The hammer a blur. Poison stacked. Orc down.
The third orc, a larger brute, charged with a guttural scream.
Luis met it head-on, activating Misfortune's Touch. The orc's mighty swing suddenly veered wide, its foot catching on a seemingly invisible rock. It stumbled. Luis seized the moment—hammer crushed its exposed midsection. Poison did its grim work. The orc gurgled and fell.
"Efficient! Very efficient!" Zyx cackled, zipping through the chaos.
"You're like a tiny, very angry, highly armored dance of death!"
The camp was a whirlwind of green and steel. The Knight Mechs held their own, self-repair drones shimmering as they patched minor dents.
Luis moved like a phantom, weaving through attacks with the EXO-MASKED suit. He delivered precise, poisonous strikes. Used Mind Construct to summon a platform mid-air, leaping onto it for high ground, then dropping down on a group of orcs—scattering them like bowling pins.
Then a roar that dwarfed all others.
From a large, reinforced tent at the back of the camp emerged:
[Gruk'maar, the Mountain's Fist]
[Silver-class Orc Chieftain]
A behemoth of scarred muscle, wielding a massive spiked club that gouged the earth as it dragged.
The remaining orcs gained a new, desperate ferocity.
"Alright, big guy," Luis muttered, his voice calm through the EXO-MASKED filter.
"Let's see what you're made of."
Gruk'maar bellowed, charging with surprising speed, his club a whirlwind of destruction.
Luis activated Hyper Boosters, narrowly dodging the ground-shattering strike. The earth exploded, shrapnel flying. His suit absorbed the shockwave.
"He hits like a drunk tectonic plate!" Zyx yelled, dodging debris.
"Don't get flattened, Luis!"
Luis circled the giant, Spiderfang Hammer a blur.
Hit to the leg.
Hit to the arm.
Poison bloomed.
Gruk'maar roared and shook off the debuff, swinging backhand.
Luis blocked—damage absorbed by the suit.
Wind Snap flared again—burst of speed.
He danced, dodged, and chipped away at the brute, stacking poison.
Guardian's Leap over the sweeping club.
Hammer strikes to the head and shoulders.
Poison accumulating. Health draining.
Gruk'maar stumbled. Time for the finisher.
Luis activated Fortress's Heart, bathing himself and the Mechs in golden light. Defense up.
"Distract him, boys!" Luis shouted. "I'm going for the kill!"
The Mechs swarmed in, relentless.
Luis charged, dodging a desperate swing. With a final leap, he launched into the air and brought the hammer down in a devastating overhead smash.
CRACK!
The hammer shattered Gruk'maar's skull.
The chieftain collapsed, shaking the clearing.
Its body dissolved into black mist.
Silence.
Only the hum of the suit and the Mechs' repair drones remained.
The smaller orcs were gone—dead or fled.
Luis exhaled, steadying himself.
"We… did it."
Zyx, perched on a Knight Mech's shoulder, puffed out his chest.
"Told you you'd be fine. Mostly. Only nearly died a dozen times. Average for a Tuesday, really."
[+40,000 Soul Essence Gained]
[EXP GAINED: Level Progress – 35% to Level 7]
Luis deactivated the EXO-MASKED suit. The mask retracted. Stats popped up.
Forty thousand Soul Essence. A serious haul. He was getting closer to Level 7.
"Alright, Zyx," Luis said, gazing at the floating islands above—the very islands where the dragon girl, Pyrion, waited.
"Time to do some more farming. But first, we need a plan for that overgrown lizard."
The buff from Yuna, "Song of Divine Strength," was still active—but ticking down.
45 hours remaining.
"Alright, big brain," Zyx circled Luis's head.
"What's the genius Engineer going to conjure to fight a fire-breathing nightmare?"
Luis closed his eyes, imagining.
Fast.
Agile.
Damage-dealing.
Quiet.
He visualized stealth drones. Twin rotors. Light armor. Suppressed weaponry.
A shimmer in the air.
[Infinite Construct: SUB-MACHINE GUN DRONE VERSION 1]
—Flying Assault Unit
—Armament: Dual SMG burstfire (20 bullets/sec)
—Mobility: High
—HP: 100
—ATK: 10
—ATK SPD: 20
—Cost: 10,000 Soul Essence each
"Four of these," Luis declared, eyes gleaming.
"Fast. Agile. And annoying enough to make that dragon scream while I go for the girl."
"You know," Zyx said, "for a guy who chose 'crafting' in a deathmatch, you're getting surprisingly bloodthirsty. I approve!"
Luis ignored him and tapped Craft.
[-40,000 Soul Essence]
[SUB-MACHINE GUN DRONES CRAFTED x4]
Four matte-black drones shimmered into existence. Hovering silently. Twin rotors whirring. Dual barrels locked and loaded.
"Perfect," Luis whispered.
"Alright, boys. Time to climb."
He whistled.
The Knight Mechs marched beside him.
Together, Luis and his constructs turned toward the massive vine, spiraling up toward the next floating island…
…And the unpredictable encounter waiting above.