Everyone was powerless to stop what was happening. The blows from the big, sharp legs slowly broke Amir's armor. They would be next soon. —Vanrra! Vanrra! Hey, are you there? Can you turn on the mech? —Vanrra stayed in the cockpit without touching the controls. The communicator kept sending out a lot of voices. —Come on, boy! —When are you going to fight? —Can you move?
Hiram said. —Boy, you have to… —Vanrra threw the communicator to the ground. He just wanted to turn off that annoying noise and sit in front of an endless plain in silence. He felt a deep sadness in his chest, like a needle stabbing him. He also didn't care if everyone outside died, as long as he could have some peace. Just wants to get out of that cockpit.
He leaned back in the seat and tried to close his eyes to escape from this world. The cabin speakers turned on. It was Amir. —Hello, can you hear me, buddy, Vanrra? Are you there? Please give me a hand. This thing is bigger than I thought.
—How I turn this shit off? —He looked at the panel; the number of buttons overwhelmed him. —Which one is it?
—Vanrra, please talk to me! Say something! Let me know if your mech can move! —One of the legs hit his visor. —I didn't want to use these babes so quickly. —Small hatches opened above his chest, releasing tiny missiles. They exploded in the beast's face; it recoiled from the impact, but the rock only cracked slightly. Amir stood up, aimed his forearms at the demons' heads.
They were three hairy worms with a lot of little rock horns on them. Their heads were made of rusty stone and ended in a thick octagonal wheel with spikes sticking out. In the middle, there was a glowing core that looked like a pot of blue fire. It looked like a tiny eye.
Two long harpoons shot out of Amir's forearms, and one of them hit one of the snakes directly. The deamon screamed and milk started to ooze out of its wound. Amir got the harpoon back that had missed, and the spider charged at him again. Amir used the strap on the harpoon as a whip while still holding one of the heads in place.
The heads struck Amir like maces, he struggled to keep his guard up. Each blow shocked him tremendously. He was struck on the head and immediately fell to the ground, his arm still attached to the beast. —Vanrra, buddy, how long are you going to take? I need a break. —The head he'd anchored moved closer, bringing him face to face with the massive furnace. It appeared that the beast was about to spew a jet of molten metal. Amir used his other forearm to aim at its mouth and fire his harpoon into its core.
The head rose into the air, thrashing violently. As if taming a wild bull, Amir anchored himself to the ground to prevent the monster from escaping. —Vanrra, do you at least watch my show?! How am I doing?
Vanrra didn't know which button to push to turn off the speakers. —Arrogant jerk, he still wants me answer him. —In a panic, he pushed buttons at random; accidentally turned on his microphone by mistake. Amir could hear him.
—Vanrra! Are you there?! I need you, buddy; now's the time to attack! Can you hear me?! —Vanrra was ashamed, just silent. The spider began to move backward, trying to lift Amir off the ground. —Vanrra, I need your strength; my arms can't hold much longer! He'll hang me in the air if you don't help me with your strength!
Vanrra remembered that woman hanging outside the city, her desperate screams; would he be a coward again? He decided to grab the controls. This time it was just a great electric surge; it was as if he woke up from a dream. The rush of adrenaline made him stand up immediately; he took several chains wrapped around his body with him.
All the men watched him in awe; they moved out of his way. The only one who didn't hesitate was the general, stationed high up on one of the paths for a better view. As he walked toward the fight, he dropped the multiple chains. Amir's eyes lit up when he saw him arrive. —Buddy, ram its legs and make it lose balance.
—Don't talk me.
—How can you expect that? We must coordinate.
—Just…! —As soon as he approached the demon, it struck him with one of its heads; he fell to the ground. All the battlefield rumbled
—Vanrra! —Amir stopped struggling; he got up from the demon's push. The beast fell backward due to inertia. Amir ran toward the demon, retracted his harpoons, and jumped onto the fat core. The spider stood up; Amir fired his harpoons at two of its heads to anchor himself. The spider moved erratically, side to side, trying to throw Amir off. —Yeehaw! Are you watching, Vanrra?! —He slipped off the beast and hit the ground.
Vanrra slowly got to his feet; the beast headed toward him. Vanrra took a defensive stance, ready to strike. His fist and the rock collided; there was a red burst. The impact made everyone in the area tremble; a gust of wind threw dozens of men to the ground.
The rusty stone shattered; Vanrra didn't move an inch. Hundreds of small fragments shot out in all directions. One grazed the General, didn't move any muscle.
A river of whitish blood gushed from the wound; thousands of screams and cries came from inside it, like women and children in agony. The spider quickly moved toward the desert, leaving a rainbow and pieces of stone in its wake.
Vanrra remained in the same position, with his fist raised. He hadn't suffered a single scratch from the overwhelming impact. —Vanrra? Are you there? Vanrra?
He regained consciousness, released the controls, and pulled his arms out. The mech shut off. He opened the hatch to get some fresh air; almost fell into the void. Amir stood in front of him and brought one of his colossal fingers close, almost touching him. He spoke through the speakers. —No wonder you took so long; you were saving the best for last. —Vanrra was about to faint. Amir placed him between his palms and lowered him from up there.
The soldiers put the mechs back on the trucks. They covered Vanrra with a cloak and took him to the shade; he didn't say a word, was so tired. Everyone looked at him in awe; none of them could explain what had happened during that impact. Didn't make any sense. The General stood in front of him. He handed him a canteen; Vanrra drank like a dog. —You didn't disappoint at all; congratulations.
He threw the canteen. —When are we leaving?
—After you rest.