The CampShip descended into a clearing nestled beneath the overhang of a jagged cliff. Despite the towering trees and the imposing mountain range, the moon managed to thread a spotlight through the canopy, bathing the ship in silver. They hadn't covered much ground that day; between nursing their wounds and the general exhaustion of post-battle adrenaline, progress had been slow.

  The ship’s energy doors hissed open. Sol stepped out first, his spine popping audibly as he stretched. He surveyed the area for firewood, but a quick scan confirmed his fears: the rainstorm had swept through here, too. Everything was soaked.

  He tossed a sodden branch back onto the pile and sighed. "Well, looks like no fire tonight."

  "WHAT?!" Neiva’s voice shrieked from inside the ship. She appeared in the doorway a second later, looking horrified. "No, no, no! My body is screaming for a shower! You cannot do this to me!"

  Red sauntered past her, hands shoved in his pockets, radiating smug superiority. "Puny, sweaty mortals," he declared with a theatrical flourish. "Behold the true supremacy of higher beings such as yours truly, who never require bathing."

  "Uh-huh," Angelo muttered, brushing past him with a heavy bag. "At least she can enjoy a slice of pizza without leeching off someone else's taste buds."

  Red’s eye twitched. "Why you little—!"

  He launched himself at Angelo. The two grappled immediately, pulling hair and trading headlocks like toddlers fighting over a toy, completely ignoring the gravity of their situation.

  Sol and Neiva watched with synchronized sighs.

  "So," Neiva asked, rubbing her temples, "what now? Where do we find dry wood in a rain soaked forest?"

  "Got any ideas, Blue?" Sol called out toward the wrestling match currently rolling around in the dirt. "Assuming you're not busy getting your hair pulled?"

  "Ow! OW! Not the hair, you cheating bastard!" Angelo yelled.

  Azure smoke poured from the brawl, coalescing into Blue. He materialized a few feet away, adjusting his imaginary tie and attempting to look dignified against the backdrop of his brothers choking each other. He scanned the cliff face above them.

  "Perhaps there are groves or patches along the cliff face," Blue mused, his voice calm. "Debris and vegetation often drift there, and the overhang may have shielded them from the precipitation."

  "Worth a shot," Sol muttered. He turned back to the brawl. "Hey, Red!"

  Angelo and Red froze mid-grapple, Angelo’s finger hooked in the corner of Red’s mouth.

  "Whagh?" Red garbled.

  "Maybe you could work your magic to search the cliff for some wood?" Sol asked, trying to sound diplomatic. "It's kind of your specialty, isn't it?"

  Red leaped up, dumping Angelo into the mud. His grin turned wicked. "What's this? Pretty boy has wood issues? Need my help with your wood? I hear they make a pill for that now—"

  "Fire. Wood." Sol deadpanned.

  It took Neiva a solid three seconds to get the joke, and then she groaned.

  "Very mature," Blue commented dryly.

  Red cackled, his crimson aura igniting as he approached the cliff face. "Maybe Blue needs help with his wood, too. Might help him not be such a stiff," He spun his arms, crimson smoke dancing along his movements. "Bookworm!"

  He thrust his hands forward, launching a cloud of crimson particles toward the cliffside. The mist seeped into cracks and crevices, hunting like a pack of bloodhounds. A moment later, dry branches, twigs, and logs began to float out from their hiding spots, suspended in red energy.

  "Way to go, Red!" Neiva cheered, the prospect of hot water overriding her annoyance at his terrible jokes.

  Miles away, atop a neighboring ridge, a different kind of eye was watching.

  "Mm," Ritto grunted, crouching low. His mechanical red eye whirred as the lens adjusted, fixating on the distant campfire light.

  "What? Are you seeing something?" Ivan whispered, fidgeting with his sleeves.

  "Mm."

  "What does 'Mm' mean? What do you see? Did you find them?" Ivan’s voice rose in panic.

  "Mm..." The mechanical shifting noise in Ritto's eye grew louder.

  "Oh, come on!" Ivan scratched his head frantically. "I can't take this suspense! Use your words!"

  "Can you zip it already?" Milo snapped, making Ivan jump.

  "But I—"

  Ritto stood up abruptly, his heavy frame silhouetted against the moon. "Got visual... on the target."

  "Excellent," Clay said, smoothing the front of his robes. He turned to his companions. "We shall proceed from here. You two remain."

  "But... shouldn't we at least spectate?" Ivan asked. "We can't see anything from here."

  Clay shook his head. "We shouldn't put your life in danger or risk them discovering your identities. It would be best if we approached them alone." He turned away, his voice dropping. "Besides, Ritto's eye functions as a recorder. You will view the footage afterwards."

  "If you two survive, that is," Milo said, taking a long drag from her cigarette.

  "Y-yeah!" Ivan stammered. "This guy sounds like bad news. Are you sure you two can take him?"

  "No need to worry," Clay said, stepping up beside Ritto, who was flexing his mechanical arms. "We dispatched Hugo Reid with ease, and he was a significant obstacle to Angelo. Even if the boy has grown stronger, he shouldn't have closed the gap in such a short period."

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  "Oh yeah? Then what about that huge lightning bolt we saw in the sky?" Ivan countered.

  Ritto and Clay exchanged glances.

  "That is just more reason to investigate," Clay said. The two turned and leaped from the ridge.

  "Stick to the plan!" Milo called after them into the dark.

  Back at the camp, the mood had improved significantly. Food roasted over the fire, and Neiva was happily boiling water for her shower.

  "Hey, maybe we should tell some ghost stories, eh?" Red suggested, bouncing in his seat. "That could be fun."

  Sol chuckled, poking the fire. "Ghost stories? Really? What are you, twelve?"

  Red’s jaw dropped in exaggerated betrayal. "I can't believe you! That was part of your sales pitch for this entire crazy adventure!"

  Sol blinked, trying to recall. "Oh yeah... I did say something like that, didn't I?" He waved his hand dismissively. "To be frank, I just threw a bunch of ideas at the wall to see what stuck. I didn't know you guys back then."

  Red looked personally victimized. He opened his mouth to argue, but the heavy crunch of footsteps on leaves silenced the camp.

  Everyone turned. Whoever it was didn't even try to hide their approach. From the misty forest emerged a pale man wearing a heavy cloak. In the moonlight, his skin looked translucent, almost sickly.

  They watched him with wary expressions. He stopped across the clearing and lowered his hood. His head was completely bald, but it was his eyes that drew attention—one green, the other pink. And his forearms... metal components jutted out of his skin like industrial bone.

  "Greetings!" the stranger called out pleasantly. "Lovely evening we're having, aren't we?"

  They all stood up slowly. Sol gestured for Angelo to stay back. "Can we help you with something?"

  "What's up with that get-up?" Red muttered. "Is he a forest sage or something?"

  Blue elbowed him. "Shhh."

  "We heard so much about you, Angelo," Clay announced, his smile not quite reaching his mismatched eyes. "We just had to meet you in person!"

  Angelo's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "We?"

  "Oh! Where are my manners?" Clay glanced over his shoulder. "Come, brother. They are just dying to meet you."

  The way he emphasized the word made Neiva’s skin crawl. Heavy, rhythmic thuds shook the ground as a second cloaked figure emerged. A single red light glowed from beneath the hood, accompanied by the whir of servos.

  "What... is that thing?" Neiva whispered.

  Ritto removed his cloak, revealing the nightmare underneath. Mechanical arms. A spinning buzzsaw. A bear trap where a jaw should be. And that mechanical red eye, staring right into their souls.

  Auras ignited around the campfire in pure reflex. This wasn't a friendly encounter.

  "More friends of yours?" Sol asked, raising his fists.

  "Never seen those two in my life," Angelo said, his jaw set.

  Blue leaned in close. "Should we disengage?"

  Angelo considered it, but Clay's voice cut through his thoughts. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

  "Yeah? Why's that?" Sol asked.

  Clay smiled. "Because then you will miss the message we have for you."

  "Enough with your games!" Angelo growled.

  "Yeah, baldy! Out with it!" Red shouted.

  Clay’s smile widened, looking more ominous than ever. "Hugo sends his regards."

  Angelo’s eyes widened. "W-what?"

  Clay examined his fingernails with casual indifference. "Those were his last words. Or something to that effect. Can't quite remember." He looked up, his gaze flat. "Before we finished him."

  Angelo’s hands shook with rage. "I sentenced him to life... He was given another chance. He wanted to make amends, and you KILLED him?!"

  Clay dropped the playful act, looking bored. "Yes. Got a problem with that?"

  Angelo pulled his hood up. The halo of the Angel of Death ignited above his head, and he rose several feet into the air.

  "WAIT! IT'S A TRAP!" Sol shouted.

  Angelo created an orange energy scythe and pointed it directly at the biodroids. "As far as I'm concerned, you killed an innocent man. I will give you this one chance. Surrender yourselves, ask for forgiveness, and find a better way. Or strike, and let this site be your grave."

  "Angelo! He's playing you! Don't fall for that!" Sol yelled.

  Clay simply shook his head. "Very threatening."

  Emerald energy erupted around him, making his green eye glow.. green. Strangely, his pink eye remained dull.

  Ritto followed suit. Green lightning crackled around his frame as his organic green eye began to glow. The mechanical red eye remained a cold, unblinking void.

  Red stepped forward, his Chaos clown mask materializing over his face. He let out a maniacal laugh. "Hahaha! Let's fuck 'em up!"

  Neiva summoned a metal scythe, pouring more energy into it than usual before switching on her yellow Force aura.

  Sol sighed, rubbing his face. "Oh, for fuck's sake...." Reluctantly, he took his stance, silver lightning dancing around his body.

  Clay took a few steps back, standing behind Ritto. "Very well. Ritto..." He pointed a pale finger at the group. "Sic 'em."

  "MM!" Ritto grunted.

  He launched himself faster than thought, leaving a trail of ozone and green sparks. His buzzsaw screamed through the air. Everyone leaped backward as he swiped through the space they had occupied a microsecond before.

  He extended his other arm, sending a bolt of lightning zooming across the field, forcing them onto the defensive. Sol launched a wave of darkness at Ritto, who dodged effortlessly. Ritto locked onto Sol, but an explosion behind him drew his attention—Sol’s darkness had detonated the ground itself.

  Clay rubbed his chin, analyzing the explosion. Suddenly, crimson smoke streamed behind him, taking form.

  "Goodbye, BALDY!" Red yelled, his forged energy claws slashing toward Clay’s neck.

  Clay looked genuinely surprised for a split second. Then, energy built around him and exploded outward, forcing Red to dissolve into smoke to avoid the blast. He retreated into Angelo before emerging again.

  Clay went back to rubbing his chin, his eyes squinting as he processed the data.

  "HIYAA!" Neiva shouted, double-teaming Ritto with Angelo. Their scythes flashed, but Ritto parried both weapons with his saw and retractable blade as if they were made of paper. Both fighters jumped back.

  On their side, Blue was standing still, mirroring Clay’s analytical stance.

  "Hmm..." Blue hummed.

  "Maybe join in and help us!" Angelo snapped.

  Blue hummed again. "That... would be... unwise."

  "WHAT?!" Angelo growled, dodging a lightning bolt.

  "They outclass us in every measurement," Blue concluded.

  "That just means we need to bring the big guns!" Red chimed in. "Let's go! Trinergy Mode!"

  They focused. They reached out.

  ...Nothing happened.

  "Uh," Red realized. "Guys... We lost our anchor point to that veiny thing in the sky."

  Angelo shook his head in frustration. "There's another way."

  The trio took positions. Trinergy smoke began circling them like a beautiful nebula. Ritto and Clay simply stood and watched, strangely allowing the transformation to happen.

  The smoke coalesced, forming Trinergy armor around each member of the team. Angelo and Neiva both received new Trinergy scythes.

  Red cackled, tapping Neiva’s chest plate. "Don't worry, Neiva, your tits are perfectly safe in there now. Who even needs Auranium? HA!"

  "Thanks, Red," she sighed, too tired to argue. She just wanted a good shower. Now they are doing this.

  "Wait," Angelo said, looking at Sol. "Wouldn't your evolved ability turn this armor to sand?"

  Sol flexed his armored arms, the silver plating shifting with his movement. "Heh, don't worry about that. I've gotten better at using this thing. I get to pick and choose what blows up."

  Angelo looked to the biodroids with dark anticipation. "Well? Ready to dance?"

  Clay pointed at them again. "Sure." His voice dropped an octave. "Let's dance."

  Ritto launched himself again, more ruthless than before. His metal fist found Neiva’s chest, launching her into the cliff face and knocking the wind out of her. Sol leaped forward, but his helmet met Ritto’s metal foot, sending him flying like a ragdoll.

  Red, Angelo, and Blue joined the fray, but Ritto made short work of them. Not one wasted movement. The only one who managed to dodge his strikes was Blue, and even then, only barely.

  Sol shouted, darkness building around his body and licking the ground, causing soft detonations. "TAKE THIS!" He launched a massive, writhing mix of darkness forms.

  Ritto leaped backward, and suddenly Clay moved to intercept.

  What happened next made them all do a double-take. A green orb embedded in Clay’s palm flared to life, sucking Sol’s entire attack inside. The metal bits on his arm began to give off a soft, silver glow.

  Angelo took a few shaky steps forward, his eyes fixed on Clay’s arm. "No... It can't be..."

  Red looked between Angelo and Blue, his grin faltering. "But isn't that—"

  Blue lost his composure entirely, memories of losing his physical form against Jill resurfacing in a rush of terror. He whispered the words they were all thinking:

  "Void Metal."