The mag-lev train chewed through the dark, its heavy gravity-drives vibrating in the marrow of their bones.
Inside Lilith's cabin, the lighting was a triumphant, pulsing violet. The Tier-4 Iron-Marrow Crystal sat in the center of the iron floor, casting long, bruised shadows across the exhausted Vanguard.
Will sat on the cold steel bench, staring at the crushed chassis of a Clockwork Lurker he'd dragged aboard.
He wore the Sovereign's Core-Band on his right index finger. The oxidized copper was warm against his skin.
He didn't use a command prompt. He just looked at the dead iron spider and pushed a fraction of his Violet-Gold mana into the ring.
Will's own right forearm violently cramped. The muscle seized, his fingers curling inward against his will. On the floor, the crushed Lurker mirrored the spasm. Its front two legs sheared through the rust locking its joints, kicking out with a terrible, grinding screech.
