Roy stepped off the Fireside Ascent as FDR let the spell settle above the shattered edge of sector D1. Broken asphalt, violet artillery light, and drifting stone dust stretched between them and the ruined Convention, where Tommy stood with his oversized head tilted and his glossy eyes fixed entirely on Roy.
"Tommy," Roy said.
"Ah, ah, ah." The raw-fleshed monster raised one peeling finger and wagged it with childish ceremony. "I did not get the chance earlier, but allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Tommy Tenderlips, and you will refer to me properly."
Roy stared at the grotesque creature. Over Tommy's shoulder, Warrex was moving through the wreckage with Lynder's unconscious, bleeding body in his arms. He passed the ancient elf to Andri, and she dropped Lynder into the Womb Tomb to heal before Roy's attention returned to the raw-fleshed nightmare standing in front of him. The name settled in his head, weighed itself against everything Tommy had done, and left behind nothing but insulted disgust.
"Tommy Tenderlips, huh?" Roy asked. "What a stupid name."
Tommy's head tilted farther, almost mantis-like, while his wide cracked lips pulled back to expose a furious expanse of wet gums. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, you heard me." Roy stepped slightly to the side. "You have a stupid name, a stupid face, and big dumb eyes. Why are you red? What is that little bony finger-ribcage thing you have going on? You just look dumb."
Harmony's voice slipped through the comms with immediate delight. "Ooh, I like this bully Roy."
Roy shut off her channel without looking away from Tommy.
"That is not how you speak to me," Tommy snapped, his voice rising into a bratty whine. "You do not get to say that. You do not get to look at me and say whatever nasty little thing falls out of your nasty little mouth just because you think you are funny."
"Shut the hell up." Roy flicked his wrist, tearing a fresh portal open beside him. "Serenity. Blind him."
On the other side of the portal, the Nightshatter aligned its laser with the aperture and fired a concentrated ion-density beam directly through it. The pulse crossed the opening and struck Tommy across the upper half of his face before his speed had anywhere to go.
Surface tissue burst across Tommy's massive invasive eyes. Vascular webs ruptured and popped under the sudden pressure, and the delicate organs burned away in a fraction of a second. Tommy threw his hands to his ruined face and unleashed an agonizing, ear-piercing scream that cut through the mechanical thunder of the war.
"Mean!" Tommy shrieked. "Mean, mean, mean! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Stone pillars erupted from the shattered earth, casting long shadows across the battlefield as the blinded monster slinked behind the heavy cover.
FDR tracked the shifting debris. "I analyzed our earlier encounter with him. The instant someone makes eye contact, he appears able to activate some form of spell that boosts his speed to an incredible degree. Do not look at him."
A bratty laugh echoed from behind the rocks. "You think looking at me matters?" Tommy called out, his voice soaked in arrogant amusement despite his ruined face. "There is no spell. That speed is mine. The pillars are just a game I like to play."
Blind and frantic, Tommy vaulted over the stone barricade and shot across the battlefield, raw limbs cutting through the dust with terrible, uneven speed. He stumbled over the broken terrain once, then twice, his long body overcorrecting as his missing eyes forced him to hunt by scent and mana sense alone.
He closed in on the inner defense line in a matter of seconds. Jefferson, Adams, Monroe, and Madison stepped forward in unison, throwing up a heavily reinforced magical barrier to block the charge. Tommy maintained his speed and shattered the hardened shield with a single vicious swipe of his raw claws, knocking the four Presidroids aside like discarded scrap metal.
The roar of the Fireside Ascent signaled Roy and FDR's rapid approach. Hearing the magical platform closing in, Tommy abandoned his rampage against the Presidroids and veered toward the vulnerable group near the wreckage.
Takara threw a punch at his ribs as he passed. Her knuckles struck dense muscle and bone with a sickening crack, and pain tore a sharp cry out of her as her arm buckled from the impact.
"Takara!" Roy shouted.
FDR's eyes stayed on Tommy. "I do not think he noticed she was there."
"Damn it," Roy's voice sharpened with furious disbelief. "She is always getting that arm broken."
Before the trio could process the danger, Tommy snatched Andri right off the ground. She yelled in panic, kicking and struggling as the raw-fleshed monster hauled her away into the dark.
As if they shared a mind, Grant, Eisenhower, and Warrex took off to pursue in unison. Despite being injured, Takara followed behind them without hesitation. As Eisenhower's heavy foot struck the dirt, a brilliant band of magical asphalt unfurled beneath their feet, and the newly manifested General's Highway propelled them forward.
Orin grabbed Rava, dragging his friend onto the accelerating road alongside Takara as they joined the chase.
Roy's voice cracked over their earpieces, sharp and furious. "What are you guys doing? Do not chase after him, we will catch him!"
Orin planted his feet on the moving asphalt and yelled right back into the comms. "Don't worry. This red freak is nowhere near as tall as we are."
Despite the magical acceleration, the road could not close the distance. Tommy was pulling away, his massive strides eating up the battlefield while Andri thrashed in his grip. Takara scrambled forward along the moving asphalt until she reached Eisenhower's back, then pressed her good hand against his metal chassis and rapidly layered heavy amplification runes across his plating. The asphalt flared with fresh power, speeding them up inch by inch until they began closing the gap.
Sensing the pursuit gaining ground, Tommy began executing violent, erratic jukes to the left and right. The General's Highway could not corner fast enough to track the sharp zigzags, causing the crew to lose precious ground with every turn.
Orin assessed the shifting angles and made his decision. "Someone throw me at him," the boy demanded. "As fast as you can! I'm gonna crush him!"
Grant reached down and scooped the boy up with one massive mechanical hand. "Oh hell yeah. I can do that."
"You can't," Eisenhower interjected. "You could make the distance, but his erratic motion means you won't be on target when he arrives."
"Hold on," Takara ordered. "I may be able to help."
Breaking one hands connection with Eisenhower, she moved closer to Grant and pressed her glowing palm against his chassis. "I have Eisenhower's model memorized, but not yours. Yours is close, but it is not identical. If I place the amplification wrong, I could damage one of your systems beyond repair."
Grant looked down at her. "Are you asking if I am sure?"
Takara kept the glow steady against his plating. "I am telling you the risk."
"I am insulted that you thought the answer might change."
"Don't be dumb, Grant, wait for us!" Roy yelled over the comms.
"...negative, Captain. Andri comes first," Grant said hesitantly.
Takara transferred the runic amplifications directly into his servos, focusing to make minor changes as they passed over her. Grant planted his boots, wound his arm back, and hurled Orin with the devastating kinetic force of a railgun.
The throw knocked Grant off balance, his left side dipped, one heavy hand catching against the racing asphalt before he forced himself upright again.
"Are you okay?!" Takara asked, the glow around her hand flickering with alarm.
"Yeah," Grant replied, already squaring himself like nothing had happened. "The force threw me off. I was not expecting that much strength. Well done!"
The sheer wind pressure blinded Orin for a fraction of a second. He adjusted quickly, squinting through the rushing air as he rapidly closed the distance on Tommy's back. Right before the moment of impact, Orin fully activated his ethereal armor and crashed directly into the monster like a falling meteor.
An explosion rang out as the catastrophic impact slammed Tommy face-first into the dirt, generating a massive shockwave that violently shook the entire subterranean floor. Dust and broken rock blasted outward from the epicenter. Andri was knocked from his arms on impact and sent tumbling away only to be halted by the arriving Fireside Ascent's gravity field.
When the debris finally cleared, Tommy lay pinned within the crater. His entire torso was completely smashed beneath Orin's armored weight, and the interlocking ivory hands fused to his ribcage had shattered into splintered fragments. The monster let out a wet, rattling gasp. His cracked lips trembled as he stared blindly at the dark cavern ceiling.
"I am sorry I couldn't..." Tommy choked out, blood spilling down his chin. "Sixth...wi..."
The remaining breath slipped through his ruined teeth, and the raw-fleshed boy went completely still.