Xenoblade Chronicles

Chapter 5- Fated Tragedy

As the soldiers continued firing the anti-air batteries towards the mechon above them, infantry began firing smaller ether-based weapons at the mechon units that made it into the colony, making quick work of them. There were some casualties, but the colonel was doing a good job keeping fatalities low, despite the infuriating cowardice the soldiers displayed. But just when morale was getting high, a large shape flew across the sky, hovering above the colony. As soon as it was recognizable as a mechon, soldiers began shouting "it's huge!," and "what is that thing?" Enraged, the colonel yelled into his communication device "what are you waiting for? Shoot it!," and a "yes, sir!," was heard from the device's speaker. Those words only annoyed the colonel, it felt like it was the only thing the soldiers could say, even when they weren't listening to him. After a few seconds, a burst of green ether erupted from one of the anti-air batteries, piercing through the sky as it sailed towards its metal target. As it collided, an explosion was heard throughout the colony, and the soldiers cheered at the awesome power of their artillery, shouting "we got him!" But as the smoke cleared, the colonel's eyes widened as he said "no way!" The mechon was still in the same spot, unmoved and barely damaged after taking a blast that would annihilate most mechon. It was here that the colonel noticed that the mechon had a steel face, and it's red eyes were scanning the colony, as if searching for something specific.

Unable to come up with any kind of backup plan, the Colonel watched on in horror as it flew down at the AA battery that had shot it. As it reached the top of the cannon, its claws slid through the armor as it glided downwards, leaving a trail of destruction. Tearing mercilessly all the way through the battery, it jetted off as the heavy weapon exploded, rendered useless. With the giant mechon in the colony, the soldiers started to abandon hope again, fleeing in cowardice at the machines' assault. "Damn it! Do I have to do everything?," shouted the colonel to nobody in particular as he grabbed a launcher and prepared to fight. A soldier who was running past him shouted "yes, sir!," not having heard what the colonel actually said, but making the man frown from the irony.

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As Shulk, Reyn, and Fiora reached the entrance to the colony, they stared down the entry bridge in horror as a mechon grabbed a helpless man in its pincers. As he screamed, the machine swallowed him in its claw, eating him alive. Shulk made a disgusted "eughh," sound, and Fiora retched. "It's horrible!," she said, Reyn rushing towards the mechon and screaming "come here, you demon!" The robotic monster simply strolled back into the crowd of mechon, ignoring the enraged Homs charging at him. "Hold on, Reyn!," shouted Shulk, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Fiora, go check on Dunban, and take the transport cases in case Reyn has to fight," the blonde quickly said, looking at the house where he was last seen. "R-right," she said, taking the metal pack from Reyn's back and shouldering it. Although she was shaken by the disturbing sight, she was still able to reason. As she entered the house, Shulk released his friend's shoulder, saying "we have to guard the house until she gets back." Just as he said that, a mechon, one of the medium-sized infantry units, approached Shulk and Reyn, both of whom took out their weapons. "You want a fight? I'll give you a fight!," snarled Reyn, making his friend grin at him as they prepared for battle.

Keeping in mind that the mechon's armor was completely resistant to their weapons, Shulk constantly tried to think up a strategy as the menacing machine moved forwards. Leaping right to dodge an attack, Shulk followed up with a quick swing of his blade, which bounced uselessly against the dark blue metal. As Reyn attempted to deal damage of any kind against the machine, Shulk kept swinging as well, grunting loudly as he put as much force as he could into his strikes. As the mechon raised its claw for another attack, Shulk blocked it with his sword, holding the claw back as he grasped for straws on what to do. Then, he got an idea, saying to Reyn "back off for a second!," as he leapt back and out of the mechon's reach. Obeying, the older boy moved back slightly, still ready for anything. As Shulk held his sword in front of him, he waited for the evil machine to move again, focused and still as a statue. Having only one real method of attack, the mechon predictably reared up its claw again and prepared to finish its prey. But when its claw came down, Shulk swerved left out of the way quickly, allowing the metal appendage to miss and bury itself in the ground slightly. As he spun while dodging, he stopped and brought his junk sword down, saying "turn.... strike!" His attack pushed the claw deeper into the ground, and he held it there to prevent the mechon from regaining its only weapon, or moving at all. "Now, break its footing!," he shouted. Reyn swiftly charged in, swung his driver low, and pulled up, flipping the mechanical beast upside-down. Quickly identifying it as the weak point, Shulk stabbed a red gem on its underside, and the machine stopped moving as its lights slowly dimmed. "We got him!," said Reyn, and Shulk quickly corrected "we only shut it off. Who knows how long we have before it re-activates."