Veloren

Chapter 28: Jayce vs the Exosuit

Jayce: Don't try to stop me, I'll do this alone. Besides... – He cracks his knuckles.

A huge grin forms on Jayce's face - "I have a bone to pick with him anyways."

San tells Gregundy to tell him and his men to keep the perimeter around Heymlir cleared and that they would handle the situation. Gregundy proceeds to thank San as he runs off.

Heymlir (bemused): You're going to stop me...? Alone...?

Heymlir: Do you not see? These bodies...? Of adventurers and guild people that have tried...? The same will happen to you...

Jayce laughs off Heymlir's warning: Pfft! Am I supposed to be scared? You're disappointing me man... We've known each other for how long now...?

Heymlir: I should've disposed of you back in the prison. I have no clue how you and San were able to get out...But I suppose this was inevitable.

Heymlir glimpse back at the opportunity to convert Jayce now that he is free – For even with the might that he possesses at the moment, he would prefer avoiding a direct confrontation with Jayce.

Heymlir: I'm giving you one last chance. Work with me. Together, we can make Argonaut a better place.

"F*ck off. I don't need to work with you to do that." - Jayce says immediately with a smirk.

Heymlir: Then so be it.

The robot speed blitzes Jayce, swiftly appearing behind him and catching Jayce off guard. The towering robot swings its arm. The speed and flexibility coming from the lumbering exosuit surprises Jayce as he narrowly dodges the incoming attack as he shifts his body to move out of the way. The exosuit's performance also leaves the spectating group amazed.

San (shocked): Why is that thing so fast!?

Tatsuo: Is that not normal?

San: No...Usually something with that size and weight shouldn't move around like that.

San ponders - 'It's almost as if...It's been empowered!'

Jayce backsteps away from the exosuit to gain distance from it, but the exosuit pursues him at a breakneck pace.

The robot slams its hand into the ground as Jayce leaps away from the impact. Jayce does a backflip and jumps back to gain more ground.

The exosuit gives chase as it continues to swing its arms at Jayce. Jayce flips and turns his body as he barely dodges the incoming attacks of the arms with his nimble acrobatics and intuitions.

As the fight continues, Jayce' body abruptly begins to hurt and his head starts pounding. The robot raises its arm and Jayce quickly moves out of the way for the arm to come crashing down onto the ground as his body rolls across the floor. Heymlir beings to taunt Jayce.

Heymlir: What's wrong Jayce?

Jayce looks up to see the giant metal foot of the exosuit overshadowing him.

"Is dodging the only thing you can do?" –The foot slams into the ground as Jayce pushes himself out of the way. Jayce's body flies through, Shooting out from beneath towards the other side. His body tumbles across the ground. Jayce slowly staggers getting up.

Heymlir: Your agility is impressive. Even if I'm not hitting you, you're still taking damage from the shock and wind pressure coming from my attacks.

Jayce shakes his head as a high pitch sound rings inside his head and his body throbs in pain.

Heymlir: Give up.

Heymlir continues his relentless assault - "There is nothing you can do to me."

Jayce is sweating and panting heavily. The robot slams the ground and Jayce avoids it again. He continues to nimbly dart around as Heymlir continues on the offense. Heymlir changes his attack pattern but Jayce elegantly churns his body to dodge it.

In the background the group patiently observes the fight, until finally, Tatsuo decides to take action.

Tatsuo: I'm going to help him.

San stops Tatsuo - "Wait. Let's give him a bit longer."

Tatsuo glances over at San.

San: If what I'm thinking is happening, then he'll probably be fine. We should wait for the right opportunity to strike.

San (thinking): He's....

'Adapting!'

Jayce is still dodging but is in a total trance. He repositions himself as the exosuit readies itself to swing its arms again.

Jayce takes a deep breath. The robot arm swings and Jayce dashes forward, narrowly evading it.

Bits of scraps are flung into the air. The scrap parts came from the arm swung at Jayce. As the arm came towards him, he swiftly took out chunks from the exposed parts of the exosuit that wasn't covered in the external plating.

Heymlir jerks the suit to turn and swing violently again at Jayce. Again, Jayce dashes forward, narrowly dodging the incoming attack and he rips out small parts of the suit in a near quick instant.

The robot brandishes its arm coming down towards Jayce. Jayce flips out of the way while tearing off more parts off of the arm.

With every attack Heymlir made, Jayce used it as an opportunity to chip away at it. The more Jayce did this, the more the mayor began to grow anxious.

Heymlir desperately yanks the control and the suit clumsily swings its arm at Jayce, but that only gave him the chance to do a flip to easily dodge the attack and land right on top of the arm and rip out large chunks of parts.

Using the other arm, Heymlir attempts to grab Jayce, but he moves out of the way and instead ends up severely damaging the suit himself with its own powerful grip.

Heymlir frantically tries to shake Jayce off but Jayce does a backflip while taking off the wires connected from the upper arm to the forearm. Jayce lands on the ground and dashes towards the robot as sparks fly from the robot's arms.

Heymlir begins to panic in his head as Jayce continues to disassemble the exosuit - 'No! This machine...! It's not functioning properly...!!'

Jayce lands in front of the cockpit, surprising Heymlir.

Jayce: A machine is made up of many parts to make itself work. But as soon as you take away one of them, it begins to fall apart...!

Jayce sends his fist crashing into one of the glass panels near the cockpit and begins ripping our wires and parts within the control panel. Sparks fly everywhere as smoke begins to engulf the cockpit.

Heymlir (thinking desperately): No...! Stop...!

Jayce looks dead into Heymlir eyes – "Earlier you told me that I was a genius stuck inside of a human body. But at least I'm not a man stuck inside a hunk of junk...!"

Jayce leaps away from the suit as it begins to implode. Jayce lands on the ground as more sparks begin to fly out of the robot and parts begin breaking down.

Jayce smirks in victory as the suit crumbles slowly in the background.