"Pip, Silas... help me!" shouted Valerius, his voice hoarse and trembling. "We have to dig! Bastian is down there!" "Young Master, that is impossible," Silas approached, his face full of dust and sorrow. "Those rocks weigh tons. Without functioning heavy equipment, we will only be wasting energy." "I do not care!" roared Valerius, he began pulling a piece of rock with his bare hands. "He saved the citizens! He cannot die like this!" "Thermal activity analysis beneath the ruins of Sector Six," Grimbolt's voice suddenly was heard. The Sentinel stepped closer, his eye sensors scanning the mound of rocks with a sharp blue ray. "Detected heat fluctuations consistent with human metabolism and steam leaks from the remains of the loader machine." "He is still alive?!" shrieked Pip, his eyes widening full of hope. "There is an air cavity formed by the steel frame of t

The hot steam from the underground exhaust pipe slowly dissipated as Valerius pushed open the heavy iron hatch.The air hitting his face now no longer smelled of sulfur or foul oil, but rather air that was cold, sterile, and carried a sharp scent of ozone.They had arrived in Sector Zero, which was the heart of Neo-Alexandria, the place where the grandeur of technology met with fear.Valerius climbed out, followed by Grimbolt who had to fold his giant body to fit through that narrow hole. Around them, skyscrapers made of glass and chromium steel towered high, piercing the night fog.Vexxos's blue searchlights swept the sky, creating an atmosphere like a highly magnificent open prison."Welcome back home, Prince," whispered Cogs, his head popping out from behind Valerius's jacket collar. "A bit cleaner than Grind Valley, but I still feel like vomiting seeing all this blue color.""This is no longer my home, Cogs," Valerius replied coldly.He stared toward the end of the wide highway, w

The searchlight beams of the Neo-Alexandria City Center reflected sharply on Grimbolt's Titanium-X chassis, which was now covered in scorch marks after deflecting the second shot aimed at Valerius. Up on the balcony of the Alaric Palace, Empress Elara gave no pause. She jumped down agilely. Her silver cloak fluttered like the wings of the angel of death. In her hand, an energy dagger vibrated at a high frequency, ready to cleave any steel. "Grimbolt! She is coming! Don't just stand there like a junk monument!" roared Valerius, trying to get up from the ruins of the concrete pot. "Warning: Primary Protocol Subject detected launching an aggressive attack," Grimbolt's voice sounded cracked, the lights in his eyes blinking between blue and red. "Tactical analysis: Empress Elara is an 'Absolute-Protect' category subject. Harm prohibition: One hundred percent." CLANG! Elara's energy da