Isaac took a moment to survey the situation.

The automaton, spraying bolts of ocean-blue from its rotary gun, rushed Tyler. Its heavy boot-like feet cracked concrete as it raced forward, blade raised. Tyler locked up its firearm with a tangling blast of shadow, and held back its sword arm with a shimmering silvery shield.

“What’s your designation?” Tyler asked through gritted teeth.

The machine clicked hard, loud, and began to speak in a low, stilted voice. “I am known as Arthus, though my official designation is W.K. mark A-one-point-zero-five.” It revved and the blade **** deeper into the shield.

“And why, pray tell,” Tyler asked, pivoting. He clearly intended to make the machine fall into its **** and stumble, but it effortlessly followed him, blue light flaring in its innerworkings and burning away the tangling darkness. “Fuck. Why are you fighting us? You’re from King Zarrick’s armory.”

The automaton visibly twitched, the spin of its rotary cannon stuttering and every light on its form flickering. “I-I was claimed by an arm of a spirit-” its voice warbled and warped, then continued. “Declan Grimm was given control of my directives. My secondary director is Oz-Ozzie Grimm.”

“Okay, bad news and bad news,” Tyler shouted. “This guy’s a Worldkiller model, and it probably doesn’t have a directive override anymore. Stay on your toes.”

Isaac turned his focus from Tyler’s brawl with the automaton to where Torik and Ophelia were both barely standing their ground against the woman, Ozzie. She was a whirlwind of blades and fire, managing to dance around Ophelia’s heavy swings and parry Torik’s faster strikes. Jade stood uncertainly on the sidelines, looking back and forth between the elvish woman and the huge automaton.

Isaac darted into action, throwing his arm out and whipping a blast of lavender energy at Arthus. It struck true, stunning it long enough for Tyler to get the upper hand. The elvish mage swore and danced back, making a fist and securing the automaton to the floor with lashing tendrils of black. It struggled against the binding magic, something in its form beginning to fray the spell.

“Okay, even worse news. This guy is magic resistant. Not a surprise, it’s a Worldkiller, but that also means it's durable. I’ll keep it locked down, you stop Declan and the woman.” Tyler touched the pin on his collar and put visibly more **** into his spell, well and truly securing down the automaton.

Declan roared and punched some device. Bluish light coursed from the orb in the center of the room, down into the pedestal, and across the floor to meet the archway. It rattled and flashed, but fell still. “Shit! Alright, new plan. I need more time.” He flung out a hand, and from the energy sphere came four of those armored soldiers, all wearing Wraithriders. “Have fun!”

Jade leapt into the fray, now, occupying two of the phantom soldiers all on her own. Isaac faced off against the other two, already throwing out shields to block attacks. The soldiers were firing off blasts of energy that Isaac managed to deflect or interrupt with blasts and shields of his own, and he struck back as fast as he could, but even with a bit of training and talent, he couldn’t fight two all on his own. He was quickly being pelted by magical blasts, burning at his clothes and skin.

“Shit!” Ophelia shouted. “Torik, you got this?”

“Yeah,” Torik replied. “Go.”

Ophelia appeared in Isaac’s view, shoulder-checking one phantom and cleaving the other in half. She started tussling with the remaining phantom as Jade punched one of her opponents into motes of blue light. Yet more figures emerged from the now-crackling sphere of energy. Two, four, eight, ten phantom soldiers now held the line, preparing blasts of energy from their own Wraithriders.

Tyler’s radio crackled. “Sir, A and B have converged. We’re entering the main entrance now.”

“Aw, shit,” Declan spat. He flicked several switches on the makeshift device he was working on and the archway began to rattle and hum. “I need! More! Time! Ozzie, I-” He turned to look at the elf woman, who had pinned Torik to the ground, an armored knee in his chest, and was holding a longsword with its point to the demon’s throat. However, she wasn’t moving. Instead, she was stock-still. “Ozzie?”

Ozzie shook her head, a strange stillness present on her face.

“Don’t make me fucking say it,” Declan warned, even as combat continued in the room and he kept working on his machine.

“I… can’t.” She stumbled away. “I won’t.”

Declan kicked the machine. “Bitch, you will, or you’ll regret it.” He leapt up onto the podium and shoved his hand into the energy orb.

While chaos filled the room, Isaac backed away slightly and looked over to where Tyler was holding Arthus. He reeled when he saw Aoife, half-manifested, her hands on either side of Arthus’s head and her eyes glowing bright. The blue lights on the automaton were streaked with purple - she was taking control.

Ophelia and Jade were handling the phantom soldiers and beginning to cut through them. Torik was starting to scramble to his feet.

“Ozzie, stab that demon right the fuck now!” Declan shouted.

“No!” Ozzie replied, throwing aside her sword. “You won’t-”

“Ozyris Grimm, pick up your sword and kill Torik.” Declan’s voice cut through the chaos, commanding and harsh.

Ozzie froze, face going blank. “Yes, brother.” She walked stiffly to her sword, picked it up, and pointed it toward Torik. She launched into action again, her first strike caught by Torik’s twin blades.

“Uh, what the fuck?” Torik muttered, clashing with her. He held his ground, but she was hitting with such reckless ferocity that she was beating through his defenses, her longsword burning with red flame.

The sphere of energy flared and Declan pulled back his smoking hand. He shook it out and turned back to the archway, kicking that machine again and it began to rattle, blue lightning arcing over the frame. “Hah! It’s working! Gotta love when a plan comes together.”

The door to the room flew open and a dozen armed soldiers in simple gray fatigues burst into the fray. They spread out quickly, taking aim at the phantoms not currently engaged with Ophelia or Jade. They began to fire, raining lead into the room.

“Stand down!” Tyler shouted, his hold on Arthus breaking away. “Stand down, do not fire!”

Isaac instinctively flinched, bringing his arms up to protect himself. He watched in almost slow-motion as a bullet hit the machine, rending open some thick cable. It spilled lightning and rays of blue light, filling the archway.

“Oh, fuck,” Declan said, throwing his hands up. “Well, guess I can afford to start over again. Just gotta bring this bad boy with me.” He reached to the blue sphere, hand glowing, and took hold of something invisible within the sphere.

“Where does that go?!” Jade asked as she took a punch to the chin. “What’s happening?”

Torik stumbled as Ozzie caught him with a swing to the side. “Probably the old world. This is gonna be a fun trip.” He tried to dodge away, but Ozzie’s flaming sword jammed into his gut.

Isaac saw Aoife reaching for him, Ophelia lunging to cover the sputtering device, and Arthus marching toward Declan before the room filled with light.