The remnant thundered forward, its pipe-arm smashing into the wall and ripping through steel like paper. Jonas unloaded his pistol, sparks bursting as rounds pinged uselessly off its plated hide.
"Fall back!" he shouted, firing again.
Mara dragged Liora toward the nearest stairwell, but the creature swung wide, collapsing the doorway with one massive blow. Dust and metal shards rained down, sealing their exit.
"Trapped!" Mara spat.
The remnant's glass face rippled again, glowing faintly red from within. Its hum rose into a piercing shriek that set their teeth on edge, forcing them to cover their ears.
Jonas cursed, drawing his combat knife. "If bullets don't work, maybe steel will." He lunged, slashing across one of its exposed joints. The blade cut deep, spraying a black-red fluid that hissed against the floor.
The creature staggered, but instead of falling back, it retaliated with terrifying speed. Its pipe-arm swung low, smashing into Jonas' side and sending him crashing into a console. Sparks burst from shattered wires as he collapsed, groaning.
"Jonas!" Liora screamed.
Eris moved then—not with panic, but with eerie calm. He stepped between the others and the remnant, his voice rising above the ringing in their ears. "I know you hear it! The soil's call isn't yours—you were human once. Remember!"
The remnant froze mid-swing. Its body trembled, the hum warping into something like a distorted voice, broken syllables scraping free:
"Re… mem… ber…"
For one fragile moment, it hesitated.
Mara seized the chance. She grabbed a fallen metal rod and drove it into the gash Jonas had made earlier. The creature howled, staggering back into the wall. The force shook the whole corridor, lights bursting above them.
Eris didn't flinch. He stepped closer, almost pleading. "You can fight it. You're not just soil and steel—you're still alive."
The remnant convulsed, clawing at its own chest as if something inside it were tearing free. Then, with a final, guttural scream, it smashed through the corridor wall and fled into the forest, vanishing into the dawn.
Silence fell.
Only the crackle of ruined wires and the sound of Jonas' labored breathing remained.
Mara leaned against the wall, shaking. "Tell me that's the last of them."
Eris didn't answer. His eyes lingered on the jagged hole the creature had torn open. Beyond it, the forest pulsed faintly, red veins glowing beneath the soil.
"No," he whispered. "It was only the first."