Avi and her companions struggled to squeeze through crowds of robots that gathered in front of a capacious building, which looked almost like an old-fashioned cinema. Above their heads, on narrow neons, red letters shifted from left to right, advertising this evening's event – the battle between the Thorned King and Armored Father.

When Avi was still looking at posters of battle robots and reading their current standings, Luna was buying the tickets for everyone. They traveled underground via spiral staircase and arrived at a dark chamber, where many die-hard fans were already waiting in their seats, chanting names and cheering. A smell of grease, smoke, and steel was ever-present.

Soon, Luna and her companions sat down, and a minute later, the lamps directed at the ring turned on, and a female announcer walked to the center of the arena. - “Welcome to the six hundred seventh gala of death and destruction!!” - Could be heard from the speakers as she talked to her microphone. - “In this twentieth anniversary of Urkaash Beasts' victory over Dragon Seal Wizards, we have the honor of hosting the representatives of their clans, who will clash in a devastating duel for advancement to Rusty League.”

When the crowd erupted in the stands, the announcer let their cry for blood to drown out the introduction for a longer moment, and only once it quieted down, she continued. - “In the right corner, weighing eight hundred kilograms of hardened steel, armed with weapons of stone fists' industries, a four-time champion of pioneer tournament, a veteran of battle for dreadwood outpost, the monstrosity known for its impenetrable armor – Armored Father.”

The crowd erupted once more, cheering as loudly as they could. They chanted the name of the machine with their fists raised high in the air. The heavy robot finally entered the ring. Above its caterpillar wheels was a pyramidal chassis with four deep gashes, and wide shoulders full of missile launchers. Its thickly-plated arms, connected via hydraulic cables, were also covered in scars.

Avi stared at the mech's cold, yet calm, triple eyes, and right then its head moved in her direction. She could notice that the warrior's sight was focused on Luna, who seemed to ignore it. Instead, the moon girl raised her hand to call the snack vendor to them, which apparently made Armored Father re-focus on the middle of the ring.

The announcer continued. - “In the left corner, from the far, incandescent southern lands of Severed Hand sector, weighing four hundred and sixty kilograms, the scion of inquisitors of Dragon Seal Wizards, debutant winner of freestyle combat competition, survivor of the massacre of the Sisters of Dawn, agile and lightning fast spider with all-cutting blades – Thorned King.”

A quieter but still audible chant of the other fans could be heard. - “For the fallen. For the memory of the inquisitors. Fight for Goliath's glory.” - After these words, there was a minute of absolute silence. Almost all of the machines put their fists to their chests to show respect.

The eight-legged creature with a black, rotatory torso climbed to the battlefield and raised its four arms with blue blades high above its rectangular head with double autocannon.

When both contenders stood in front of each other, the announcer, with a gesture, invited them to come to the middle of the ring. There, they bumped their hands in a sign of respect, then both walked back to the arena's corners.

The announcer pointed to the ceiling, and a hologram appeared above her index finger, counting down.

“May the one blessed by Goliath with the stronger spirit emerge victorious.” - The announcer said, then left the arena.

Avi opened her bag of dried, brown leaves and snacked on them, fully focusing on the ring. - “Who do you think will win?” - She asked Luna.

“Armored Father, I'm eighty percent sure.” - Luna stated.

“Ohh... that's a lot. How did you calculate it?” - Avi asked.

Luna raised her eyebrow and warned. - “Are you sure that you want to know? It can ruin the show.”

“Mmm. You're right, don't say anything!” - Avi replied, then looked at the arena, consuming a second leaf at the same time.

When the counter showed zero, Armored Father unleashed a barrage of heavy demolition shells, bombarding the enemy volley after volley, to prevent him from engaging in close combat. Thorned King was gracefully dodging and cutting the missiles in half with his scythe-like blades. A series of explosions soon covered the battlefield with thick clouds of gray smoke.

“I can't see anything!” - Avi complained.

“Well, that limitation is only a concern for biological beings.” - Luna commented.

Two beams of light sliced through the smoky curtain, damaging Armored Father's ear antenna.

“A precise hit.” - Luna added. - “They know what they are doing.”

To stop the assault, Armored Father covered his head with his massive arm.

“His jamming systems are partially destroyed.” - Luna described. - “This will allow the use of a wider range of technologies.”

The spider rushed out of the smoke cloud, jumping right at the Armored Father's arm, its steel blades began cutting his hardened helmet and creating new scars. An almost ton-heavy steel colossus swung its arm widely and at the same time, fired its own plasma cannon, trying to bring the Thorned King down, who simply swiftly moved underneath the opponent's armpit to hide. He then cut the largest of the hydraulic cables, causing the arm to drop limply down.

“He's doing well.” - Avi added. - “I don't see how Armored Father could win.”

“The fight just started.” - Luna commented. - “All it takes is one mistake.”

The spider climbed higher, shooting at the enemy's head from point-blank range. Many new dents continued to form on his opponent's armor, indicating that Armored Father was at the limits of his endurance. However, in a single moment, the arm of the Armored Father shot forward the Thorned King like a torpedo. Nobody could've guessed that a clumsy machine of his size would be capable of that kind of reaction. The spider was forced to use his phase-shifting technology, causing his opponent to miss and pass through its ghastly, cyan, transparent body.

The spider jumped on Armored Father's back, where it re-materialized and attempted to pierce canisters next to the waist. It wasn't effective, as its blades simply bounced off the steel. In that short moment of opportunity, when the spider lost its balance for a second, a hatch opened below Armored Father's shoulder and small spheres spilled out, glowing with a blue, electrifying light. They connected with each other like a web of lightning, and a few of the energy lines struck the body of Thorned King, piercing it in a few spots.

Thorned King fell, half-paralyzed. The Armored Father didn't give him a chance to catch a breath, its massive torso turned one-and-eighty degrees, and a massive hand grabbed the spider robot.

“It's over.” - Luna stated.

Avi clutched the armrest, holding her breath.

Thorned King's eyes turned to its opponent, as if to wait for the final blow. A long flame burst from the nozzle in the Armored Father's hand. Gradually, the spider's armor would heat up until it was red-hot, and the enemy's massive gripping claws applied relentless pressure, crushing the softening material beneath.

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“Wait... is he going to kill him?” - Avi whispered in disbelief.

“No. These machines are remotely controlled.” - Luna stated. - “If you synchronized with multitask cell, you would be able to feel it.”

In the eyes of Thorned King, there was a final, fleeting moment of awareness before death. The robot immediately shot two spikes out of its torso, piercing the hand that grabbed it and its cables. A barrel extended from under the spider's chassis, from which a hardening, sticky substance was fired and hit the flamethrower's muzzle directly.

The Armored Father's arm swelled then exploded from the inside. The Thorned King fell to the floor and began to crawl as far as it could, at the same time firing at the enemy's helmet with the rest of its ammo. The Armored Father quickly followed his opponent, letting his threads pin the spider to the ground.

The last spider's salvo destroyed Armored Father's visual systems, making him unable to judge the situation properly. Both robots were soon motionless and seemed to have no tools to fight. For a longer moment, there was silence.

“Who won?” - Avi asked.

“It looks like a draw...” - Luna stated. - “...but the rules don't allow such an outcome.”

A hologram appeared above the Thorned King and started counting down. The robot was given ten more seconds to make any action. Desperate, it tried to crawl out from beneath the Armored Father, who was still pinning it to the ground.

Six... Thorned King stealthily detached his first leg.

Three... Then a second one.

Two... Another, one last remained.

One... The spider pulled with all its strength, but unfortunately, its last leg was locked in place. Armored Father sensed a deceit and in the last second, moved closer, pressing the opponent's torso down.

On four screens under the ceiling, appeared - “Victory!” - with a photo of Armored Father in the background.

“You weren't wrong.” - Avi commented.

“I had to overestimate something. It was a win by the narrowest margin.” - Luna added, apparently not happy about the result. - “Well, are we staying for the next fight?”

“No, I don't think so. I don't enjoy it too much.” - Avi informed. - “It's too loud, the smell is awful, and I hate violence. I doubt I'll get anything positive out of this.”

“You could always try to copy their techniques for your multitask cell.” - Luna replied.

“I probably don't have the mindset for it. Usually, I don't consider how to use it in these kinds of situations.” - Avi explained as she stood up.

Her companions were also ready to leave, but before they could do so, a small, spherical drone stopped them with its presence. It mainly stared at Luna.

“It seems to want something from you.” - Nicolas noticed.

“Oh, I didn't pay attention.” - Luna replied and looked at the robot.

The drone's lights flashed a few times. - “Excuse me, can I ask a question?”

Luna nodded. - “Be fast.”

“You don't look like a standard artificial intelligence. Are you, by any chance, the daughter of Anaari?” - The drone asked.

Luna crossed her arms and decided to get to the point. - “Some people call me like that, I was created by them.”

The drone froze in the air for a moment, as if thinking, then spoke. - “You are invited to the backstage of the arena, by the Armored Father. He wants to talk.”

Luna looked at Avi, but she just said. - “Go, no need to be shy.”

“Well, I'm not going alone.” - Luna stated, then spoke to the drone. - “I'm with friends. I would like them to be invited, too.”

The drone pondered once more, a bit longer than before, then replied. - “Of course, I confirmed it, you can all come.”

“Well, then let's go.” - Luna declared.

“Please, follow me.” - The drone requested and flew to the stairs, then to the seats closest to the arena, and then to a wide corridor, where robots painted blue were hauling scrap from the battlefield on their large trays. As they passed posters of contenders, Avi was examining the closed, heavy doors with star-shaped screens on them. They displayed the names and symbols that reflected the personalities of other robots who were going to fight today. Finally, the drone stopped in front of a screen with a four-tusked boar with heavy, orange armor from pointy, spike-like scales. Under it, there was an inscription – Armored Father.

The door opened, revealing a room full of weapons and heavy steel plates. On the right side, in front of the computer screens, was Armored Father's crew in their white suits. They monitored the condition of components on a large display with an interactive diagram of the machine. They were too busy to even notice the guests. On the left, in the corner, was the damaged, lifeless mech. Four people in red suits were repairing it, some removed the screws and arms, others were welding internal wires in a shower of sparks.

Everything was supervised by a robot with a dark-grey suit, with a one-eyed head in the shape of a black sphere. When he noticed that his guests arrived, he shouted - “Alright fellas, time for a break!” - and walked to Luna, holding a small remote and pressing its button chaotically.

His crew, still absorbed in their work, didn't move from their spots until their boss shut down all their electronic tools. Once it happened, they immediately marched out, without even glancing at Luna and her friends.

“Apologies. They're true enthusiasts. It's hard to get them to stop.” - The one-eyed robot spoke, still busy pressing buttons on his remote. Soon, the floor in the middle of the room retracted, revealing a table and a black sofa. - “Do you want a drink or a snack?” - He asked.

“N...” - Luna couldn't even finish, because Avi interrupted her with a wide smile.

“What do you have!?” - Avi exclaimed.

Luna just rolled her eyes.

“A moment, a moment.” - The robot nervously continued to work on his remote. - “Where was it... No, not this one. Ah, here!” - He triumphantly pressed the button, and the walls also retracted, replaced by a vending machine with cold drinks and packaged food.

Avi quickly ran to the machine and studied the options. - “Ooo... so much to choose from!”

“Take anything you want, it's all-inclusive. All you need to do is to press the button.” - The robot stated.

Avi was still in awe. The screen displayed data about all the ingredients and overall nutritional information. She would love to have one of these in her home. Finally, she picked rainbow jelly stars, flower-shaped cupcake-like items, and caramel wafers.

“Isn't that too much?” - Luna commented.

Avi didn't worry and emptied the contents into the bowls on the table. - “Uhm, no? We missed a meal, and if there are some leftovers, we'll just take some with us.”

Charlotte peeked at Avi with a corner of her eye. - “I thought that we would grab something to eat downtown. This doesn't look very healthy.”

“But it is!” - Avi countered. - “I read that all of these products are of natural origin, based on local plants, and contain only minimal amounts of sweeteners and unhealthy fats.”

“Yes, yes.” - The robot said. - “Sorry that this isn't a hot meal. If I had known you hadn't eaten, I would've reserved the banquet room.”

Luna sat on the sofa, and Charlotte sat right next to her, then grabbed one of the packages. - “It may seem healthy, but it won't fill your belly and it's highly calorific. You didn't notice that?” - She complained.

“Mom! It won't hurt if we try a little bit. An opportunity like this only comes once a year.” - Avi argued back.

“You will always find another opportunity.” - Luna added cynically.

Virka didn't pay attention to their quarrels. She grabbed a cupcake-thing, which retracted its petals in her hand, revealing a fruit muffin.

“Ohh, it's so pretty!” - Avi didn't wait and wanted to grab one for herself, but Charlotte slapped her hand away.

“Watch yourself.” - Avi's mom warned. - “You ate just a moment ago.”

“At least one, please...” - Avi whined with a begging expression.

“Only one.” - Charlotte gave in, and Avi, smiling, joined Virka.

Luna patiently waited until things calmed down and gazed at their host, who was still failing to control his remote.

“...so, you're the Armored Father?” - Luna interrupted.

“Oh... oh... yes, I am.” - The robot fixed his tie and put the remote away, on the table. - “Did you like the fight?”

“This sport doesn't intere...” - Luna spoke, but Avi interrupted her again.

“Yeah! It was clear that you were giving everything you had! Your opponent displayed impressive initiative, but he couldn't measure up to your power!” - Avi commented.

Luna was slightly confused by how enthusiastic Avi suddenly was. - “I thought that...”

“Luna, shh!” - Avi whispered to her.

“Hahahaha...” - Armored Father laughed. - “I don't understand the chemistry between you, but I'll still take what you say as a compliment. Well, but if you don't like this kind of sport, I would still understand.” - He tapped his fingers against the table and looked at his six guests, then added. - “You must be very curious about why I invited you here.”

“It must have something to do with Anaari.” - Luna guessed.

“Precisely.” - Armored Father said, leaning forward, resting his chin on his intertwined hands. His voice trembled slightly.

“There is something that you want, am I right?” - Luna asked.

“Please... no, I beg you. Save my daughter.” - The Armored Father requested. - “I'll do anything I possibly can to repay you.”

There was a long, serious pause, interrupted by Avi. - “Luna.”

“I know.” - Luna said. - “Lead the way, you'll tell us everything on the way.”

The Armored Father raised his eyes, unable to hide his gratitude for even considering his plea. - “Of course. We'll take a private train. I'll explain everything there.”