"Now that Rose girl said they headed this way... What the... what in the nine hells have they done?"
In front of Magnus was the group of cadets the instructor had sent him to find forming what he could only describe as a human mech suit, as for how they had gotten themselves into that particular situation Magnus had no desire to ask.
Freeing the entangled cadets most gave Magnus a sheepish look or tried to avoid eye contact with him while attempting to blame one another with some not so discreet glares.
"I don't care what you guys were doing, nor am I trying to find out but you guys do realise that the instructors are calling names today right?"
With those words a panic stricken expression found its way on the face of every person there, with some quick words of thanks the cadets headed towards the training grounds in a furious rush leaving behind a single cadet Magnus had come to know as Lucian, a person Magnus found rather weird because he seemed to be hellbent on making friends with every other cadet in their panopticon.
Seeing Lucian give him a broad smile Magnus immediately ran after the now distant figures of the other cadets.
"No time to talk Lucian! The instructor said we have to get to the training ground as quickly as possible and I have no desire to see if that weird steam powered clock gun works on us!"
At the training grounds Magnus quickly joined the formation not wanting to incite the instructors ire.
The instructor had already begun calling names and with each name called a cadet walked forwards and stood behind the instructor, there were a few names Magnus recognised such as Lucian, Icilium, Rose, Vasteric, Arella and some others that he had met or talked to.
Until finally his name was called .
Magnus slowly approached the small group and stood next to them.
After calling out a few last names the instructor sent the remaining cadets for further training, some protested but a few warning shots were more than enough to silence the unrest.
"Now all the cadets who I have called up you are to each follow one of these assistants"
With those words twenty automatons rose from the ground and placed themselves before each cadet leading them to separate rooms, as Magnus trailed behind the automaton his gaze latching onto the curious diagrams plastered across the walls, they seemed to be theoretical drawings of what a Demons biology would look like.
After a while the machine finally paused in front of a room and unlocked it via electrical signal before gesturing for Magnus to enter.
Inside the room was dominated by a massive mechanical monstrosity that looked like the unholy fusion of a dyson sphere and radio, with countless glowing wires jutting out of the pulsing metal ball in the centre, in front stood a man wearing a hazmat suit that obscured his face, he was looking at the machine before he heard Magnus's footsteps.
"Bout time you got here, now I assume you know what you're doing?"
Seeing Magnus give a small nod the man in the hazmat suit gave a flourish towards a pile of clothes on the floor.
"So first your outfit, we're sending you in with one of our best combat suits that's been kitted out with adaptive camouflage and resistance to extreme heat and cold plus it comes with a spatial compression pouch that has a 5x5x5 meter storage inside of course don't try putting anything biological inside"
Then he pointed to a pair of silver arm bracers.
"These can be worn on the underside of your arm and can shoot a hook using electromagnets that will even penetrate stone, the hook is connected to a reinforced super-light titanium string allowing you to use it as a weapon and grappling hook"
Turning to Magnus he pulled out a sleek metallic gun with vine engravings coating its body.
"And this is a plasma handgun and as the name suggests it fires exactly that a small plasma blast that will blow up upon impact, and thanks to a mini vacuum chamber inside and a nuclear power source you have what is basically infinite ammunition, apart from that we've already taken the liberty of stocking your spacial pouch with a multi-purpose shovel, some beacons and a tracker, nutrient blocks, water, a water filtration machine and a combat knife"
With that the Hazmat suit man turned away from Magnus to go back to prodding the metal abomination.
"Go put on your stuff, we'll be sending you off in bout fiveish minutes"
Picking up the various equipment Magnus wandered to a corner and began to change into his new clothes, combat attire whatever it was called "At least they haven't skimped out on our gear" A loud laugh erupted from the hazmat suit upon hearing those mutterings.
A few minutes later Magnus was fully dressed and stood before the mechanical abomination.
"Now just hop in the pod and we'll send you on your way, and with some luck you won't even die!"
"Oh and by the way don't worry about air, from what we've seen you shoouuld be able to breathe"
Deciding there was no appropriate response to that statement Magnus clambered into the spherical pod and strapped himself in, the machine behind him began to crackle with electrical tension and then without warning it stopped.
The world went silent
The air pulsed like a beating heart as if it had somehow become a physical entity, and then, it shattered into glowing fragments each burning like the core of a star.
Then the sphere vanished, erased from this plane of existence, it never existed.
* * *
It starved, why could it never be full? so much hunger despite the endless food around it, its countless bodies crawled over its writhing tendrils.
Why is the star still watching?, that wretched star that had put it here, how it wished the star would vanish permanently... no the star is far too powerful to be consumed.
Strange shiny objects falling... from the terrifying star? no its coming from the sky... more things to eat
Its endless bodies crawled towards the ground careful to avoid the light, it would once more feast, it had been far to long.