"ARGGGGG!!!"
Aiden's shout was swallowed by the roar of energy as his visor erupted with alarms. Power readings dropped fast, numbers sliding down as the mech suit struggled to hold its ground. The blast of mana slammed into the shield head on, pushing against him with crushing force. Heat poured through the metal, and the air around him vibrated as if it was tearing apart.
He forced the mech suit to output everything it had left. If he shifted even a step, the blast would hit his body directly, and he knew he wouldn't be able to survive it.
There was no space to dodge and no room to adjust.
The shield had been reinforced earlier, layered with a thicker steel plate cut from the ship's main frame. Even so, Aiden could feel it failing. The metal glowed faintly, and the heat bled through his arm, sharp and burning.
"PERSEVERE! PERSEVERE! AGHHHH!"
He locked his stance and held on.
Seconds dragged by, each one heavy and slow, until the pressure suddenly dropped. The beam cut off. The ground stopped shaking.
The serpent like beast had ended its attack.
"NOOOW!!!"
A low hum rose from Aiden's right hand. His laser pistol was charging, drawing in the last of its remaining energy. The charge climbed fast, draining the battery in real time as warnings flashed and vanished.
Before the beast could fully close its mouth, Aiden acted.
He fired.
ZWOOEOOOP!!
A tight beam of light tore forward, focused and unstable, burning through the air as forty percent of the pistol's remaining power was released in a single shot. The beam shot straight toward the creature's open mouth.
Aiden had taken a gamble.
Just like the mutated deer, the beast had gathered energy before firing, and that meant it had to pause. It had used its mouth to channel the attack, and that was the one place he believed wasn't fully protected by armor.
But at the last moment, the beast had actually reacted to the shot. Its head shifted slightly.
PSZAASTT!
The beam missed the center of the mouth and tore through the left side of its cheek instead. Flesh and muscle were burned away in an instant, chunks of meat blasted off as the shot carved deep into the side of its jaw.
The creature recoiled and roared.
KKhaAAKKKKK!!!
Pain and fear finally reached the beast. It understood that it had been wounded twice, once in the eye and once along the side of its mouth. The human standing in front of it was no longer something small or harmless. It was a threat that had caused real damage.
The creature did not hesitate further.
It turned away and fled, its massive body forcing a path through the forest. Trees snapped and collapsed as it moved, the ground shaking until the sound of its retreat slowly faded into the distance.
Aiden remained where he stood.
His legs felt locked in place, and it took effort just to stay upright. His breathing was loud and uneven inside the helmet, each breath dragging in and out as his body struggled to keep up. He could hear shouting behind him, voices filled with relief and disbelief, but the sounds felt distant and unclear.
Pain and fear finally reached the beast. It understood that it had been wounded twice, once in the eye and once along the side of its mouth. The human standing in front of it was no longer something small or harmless. It was a threat that had caused real damage.
The creature did not hesitate further.
It turned away and fled, its massive body forcing a path through the forest. Trees snapped and collapsed as it moved, the ground shaking until the sound of its retreat slowly faded into the distance.
Aiden remained where he stood.
"HaaAhh...HaaAhh....sssPP...Haaahhh.."
His legs felt locked in place, and it took effort just to stay upright. His breathing was loud and uneven inside the helmet, each breath dragging in and out as his body struggled to keep up. He could hear shouting behind him, voices filled with relief and disbelief, but the sounds felt distant and unclear.
He tried to focus on them and failed.
His vision blurred, sharpening for a moment before slipping again. The weight of his body suddenly felt too much, as if strength was draining out of him all at once.
"shit.." he muttered, his voice was weak.
The rush that had carried him through the fight disappeared, and pain rushed in to fill the space it left behind. A deep burning sensation spread through his left side. He tried to move his arm out of instinct.
Nothing happened.
Confusion followed immediately. He tried again, sending the command with more effort, but there was no response. Panic crept in as he lowered his gaze.
His left arm was gone.
From the elbow down, there was nothing left of it. The arm, the shield, and part of the mech suit had melted together into twisted metal and burned remains. The damage was clean and complete. He realized he had not felt it when it happened, buried under the blinding light, the force he tanked, and adrenaline.
[WARNING: HOST CONSCIOUSNESS UNSTABLE]
[WARNING: HOST CONSCIOUSNESS UNSTABLE]
[WARNING: HOST CONSCIOUSNESS UNSTABLE]
Aiden could not see the warnings anymore. The ground began to tilt beneath him.
His knees gave out, and the world spun as his balance was disappearing. The sky filled his vision, turning slowly as his body fell.
[CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED]
[LEFT LIMB: SEVERE LOSS CONFIRMED]
[HOST CONDITION: SHOCK IN PROGRESS]
[HEMORRHAGE RISK: EXTREME]
[NEURAL RESPONSE: DEGRADED]
[POWER REDIRECTED TO LIFE SUPPORT]
[MECH SUIT CONTROL: PARTIAL OVERRIDE ENABLED]
[STABILIZATION PROTOCOL: ACTIVE]
Warnings from J.E.M. activated automatically as Aiden lost consciousness, registering sudden critical damage to his body and confirming that the host had entered shock. With no response from him, the system took partial control of the mech suit to stabilize and secure his body.
******
J.E.M. stabilized the mech suit as Aiden's body tilted forward, adjusting balance until it stood upright again. The servos moved with care, correcting posture and locking joints to prevent a full collapse.
[CRITICAL CONDITION CONFIRMED]
[HOST UNCONSCIOUS]
[SHOCK RESPONSE ACTIVE]
[MEDICAL PROTOCOL INITIATED]
[PAIN SUPPRESSANT DEPLOYED]
[STIMULANT INJECTION COMPLETE]
[CIRCULATION SUPPORT ACTIVE]
[NEURAL CALMING AGENT RELEASED]
Small needles slid out from the inner layer of the suit and injected medication directly into Aiden's body.
pSssszzst
The process was fast and controlled. Small movements inside the suit delivered the medicine without delay. Aiden's breathing, which had been short and uneven, slowly became calmer as the medication spread through his body.
The blast that destroyed his arm had also burned the wound shut, leaving no active bleeding. What remained was scorched metal and burned flesh fused together.
The Siege-class Beast disappeared into the forest, its heavy presence fading as the ground stopped shaking.
Talren and the others rushed toward Aiden the moment it was clear the creature was gone.
"AIDEN! AIDEN! YOU DROVE THE SIEGE CLASS BEAST AWAY!"
Cheers rose from every direction, voices overlapping as his name was shouted again and again. Relief poured out of everyone.
But even with such loud cheers, there was no response.
As they got closer, the cheers died.
The shield on Aiden's left side had melted into a warped mass of dark metal, still faintly warm. Where his left arm should have been, there was nothing. From the elbow down, it was gone, burned away completely.
Talren stopped short, his breath catching. "A-Aiden your arm"
Elder Rethan pushed forward, his expression tight as he studied Aiden's still form. One look was enough for him to understand. Aiden was unconscious.
"Get the doctor!!" Rethan shouted, turning his head. "NOWW!"
But before anyone could even move, the flying drone descended and hovered in front of them. It lowered itself and gently landed on Aiden's shoulder.
Then a voice spoke.
It was calm, clear, and carried the tone of a human speaker.
"Host is currently unconscious. I am controlling his body autonomously. His condition is stable. Please follow me. I will guide you to the base."
The words held everyone in place.
Talren felt his thoughts break apart as he tried to understand what he had just heard. The idea that someone could move without being awake, and being guided by a flying thing, went against everything he knew.
Yet the sight in front of him left no space for doubt. The mech suit shifted with a low mechanical sound, and Aiden's body took a step forward on its own.
Talren's thoughts raced as questions piled up in his mind, but he forced them aside. Aiden was badly injured, and this place was still not safe. They had no way of knowing what might come next, and standing still would only invite more danger.
"Let's move." he said, his voice firm even as his hands shook. "Follow him."
He gathered the people quickly and pulled them into a tight group, and no one argued or spoke as they started to move. As they walked, their eyes stayed fixed on Aiden's back, on the empty space where his arm should have been, and on the burned metal that caught the light with every step he took.
Some of the natives wiped their faces while walking, their shoulders shaking as they tried to stay quiet, while others lowered their heads with lips pressed tight as they followed. A few could not stop the tears, but they kept their pace and made no sound as they moved forward.
Talren stayed near the front of the group and kept his eyes on the forest ahead. Even with the beast gone, the danger had not disappeared. Every sound made him tense while every shadow demanded his attention. He urged them forward and pushed the group to move faster while keeping them together.
They followed the silent figure leading them, the man who had stood alone against something they could not fight. Aiden did not turn back or speak as he walked, yet they continued after him, trusting that whatever guided his steps now would lead them away from this place and somewhere safer.