Chapter 6: Metallic Wetlands
After overcoming the initial shock of freefalling over an unfamiliar region, the participants began morphing into their Mechas. One by one, they filled the sky like shimmering stars, pairing off and heading in different directions.
Nioh reached into his backpack mid-air and fished out a pair of goggles, struggling to secure them against the relentless wind. "Ekoh, help me look for familiar landmarks to identify the cradle zone."
"There's a swamp at three o'clock, a lake cutting through it, towering trees, and Mechanical vines. Looks like the Metallic Wetlands," Ekoh replied.
"Got it," Nioh acknowledged, his mind raced as he coedited their position to memory. He flipped onto his back and began to scan for his partner. His wind-tossed hair blurred his vision as he searched left and right, finally spotting a massive Mecha—a colossus painted red and white—plummeting like a stone. Its embarrassing descent was punctuated by clumsy and erratic attempts to hover, the barest semblance of control.
"This idiot," Nioh muttered, frowning. "Does he think a one-star colossus can fly like the other Mecha?"
Ekoh's voice cut in. "The shock of the landing will be catastrophic. We need to stop him."
"The communication devices are off-line. They must've activated a jamming system to prevent cheating," Nioh thought while clenching his teeth. "We need to take him out now."
The crown-like runes on Nioh's forehead lit up with a radiant golden glow. His morphing triggered, enveloping his head in a sleek black and gold helmet adorned with a single, sharp horn.
A metallic exoskeletal support unfurled along his spine, spreading out to his limbs. His hands were now encased in black metallic gloves and golden wiring that vibrated like speakers. This was Ekoh's partial morphing state. It was not a complete Mecha transformation, but it offered a sufficient biomechanical enhancement to be a superhuman, for the cost of less energy. It was the perfect state for new corebinders