>>5735817That sends a chill down your spine. “The… the Machine Mutants seemed to try something similar, under the direction of Dr. Myu…”
As he explains this, Peppa Beta becomes immediately nervous of any puddles of silvery liquid, keeping a sharp eye out for anything like what he’s describing. Ugh, just when you thought you done with this crap… But thankfully, you do make it to where you hear the sounds of battle. You first notice Irico moving away a one of the pods you’d seen in the ship, over to a collection of two others. Next, you spot mom up in the air, taking a defensive stance next to… Eagalia, but in a much more humanoid state than before. Her head is mostly a smoky black color, with rolden eyes and a sort of faceplate covering where her mouth would be, what looks like a diadem with small horns adorning the top of her head. The bird wings are still present, though now they’re spread out from a more humanoid torso, predominantly red with a white and gold center. Arms white save for blue forearms, but with the jet engines you’d seen previously now adorning the shoulders and kinda elongated, and her fists glowing with noticeable, substantial amounts of power… genuine Ki, it seems. And finally… you see the thing they’re fighting, a sort of mix of robotic insect and amphiptere, massive wings, beetle-like head, long and tapering serpentine body, with clawed limbs coming out of its torso.
Thankfully, it hasn’t noticed you, so you’re free to watch. You… do get an odd sensation in the air, though. Not something you can say you’re very familiar with, and not quite like the rancid smell of the Black Water Mist or Aquma, but… odd.
“Are you sure you’re holding up okay, Maple?” Eagalia asks.
“Yeah. It hasn’t been the first time I’ve dealt with this stuff. I know what to do.” she responds grimly. “Let’s deal with this quickly. Irico, make sure you keep your distance! The gas still might affect you!”
“Understood!”
You blink. Gas…? …Wait. Waaaait a second. Maple starts to use telekinesis to pull in some… purple substance from the air, and the thing you guess is the ‘Metal Beast’ lets out a bizarre, mechanical roar that leaks more of the substance your mom’s pulling from the air. Eagalia brings both her hands together and thrusts them forward, releasing a powerful Ki blast on it, striking the torso hard enough to knock it back slightly. Beams erupt from its limbs as it attempts to fly forward, but Eagalia swerves around it with ease and grace, forming large Ki blades from her hands and slashing at where she struck its torso, tearing it open and revealing what’s likely the machine’s core. It’s… beating almost like a heart, but each beat seems to shift and morph small faces across its surface.
(cont.)
