Falling inside a city sized metal mountain felt less like flying and more like being thrown down a stony well inside an iron chest.
The observation deck of the Swarm mothership was tilting wildly at a terrifying angle. Screaming wind tore through the shattered viewing port as the red clouds of the upper atmosphere rushed past at terminal velocity. Scrap metal, severed cables, and dead obsidian drones slid across the iron floorboards, crashing into the far wall in a heavy heap.
"Hold on!" Lucien roared over the deafening rush of air.
His left arm was bleeding badly from a spear slash, and his chest armor was cracked in three places, but he still managed to clamp his gauntlets around Elara's waist. He dragged her shivering body into the corner of the deck, wedging his heavy boots against a steel bulkhead. He pulled her flat against his chest, placing his own armored back between her and the window frame to take the brunt of the imminent impact.
