4 Sky's The Limit

The screen shattered, and everyone was met with the sight of the giant metal monstrosity, its form more horrifying than anything they could have imagined. It resembled a creature on all fours, constructed entirely of metal and wires, with a massive sphere at its center and no discernible features.

As the earth rumbled beneath them, Grey's eyes were drawn to the humanoid figure dangling from the behemoth, connected to it by thousands of wires.

*Roar*

The deafening roar snapped Grey out of his thoughts, and he watched as Tony hurled fireballs at the approaching monster. However, their attacks seemed to have little effect, merely singeing some of the wires and tentacles.

"This disgusting piece of scrap!" Tony cursed, conjuring a spear of unstable fire and launching it at the behemoth. The resulting explosion was massive, but the creature remained largely unscathed.

Then, a beam of white energy formed in front of the behemoth and hurtled towards them.

"GET BEHIND ME!" Bell yelled, her voice filled with urgency as she completed whatever she was doing.

Tony wasted no time, grabbing Grey's overcoat and shoving him behind Bell before following suit. The white beam of energy was mere moments away from hitting them, but thousands of symbols appeared in the air in front of them, forming a shield.

With a deafening crack, the shield split the energy beam in two, redirecting it away from them and leaving miles-long gouges in the earth.

Grey felt numb, his ears ringing from the explosion and the constant roars of the giant.

"We have to get out of here," Bell declared, her gaze fixed ahead as she assessed the damage to the shield. It was cracking, unable to withstand another attack from the behemoth, which was already preparing for its next assault.

Tony turned to Grey with a determined look in his eyes. "Listen, boy. Follow me."

Grey nodded, ready to comply, but his attention was diverted when Tony suddenly grabbed him and dashed back into the hut.

"Wait for me!" Bell exclaimed, quickly following them inside.

Once inside, Tony directed Grey to stand in a designated spot before joining Bell in rummaging through the trunks scattered around the hut.

Tony opened a wooden trunk while Bell opted for a rusty metal one, exchanging a knowing glance.

"You're really going to use that embarrassing thing, aren't you?" Bell quipped, her tone laced with sarcasm.

Tony wrinkled his nose at her remark. "Says the one who's relying on old-fashioned sticks. You're like an old granny at such a young age."

Bell huffed in response, pulling out something long wrapped in woolen cloth from one of the trunks. It looked like a stick wrapped in cloth, with one end thicker than the other.

Meanwhile, Tony selected a pair of plates – one large and circular, the other slightly smaller – from the wooden trunk.

"What is this?" Grey inquired, his curiosity piqued.

Bell and Tony exchanged a glance before Tony gestured for Grey to stand on the larger metal plate.

As another roar reverberated through the air, Grey flinched and quickly hopped onto the plate as instructed. Tony then directed him to place his feet in the braces attached to the plate. With a tap from Tony, the braces contracted, securing Grey's feet tightly and eliciting a wince from him.

"That happens. You ain't wearing any shoes, so bear with it," Tony explained as he positioned himself on the other plate.

Observing the scene, Bell chuckled before unveiling the object she had concealed beneath the cloth – a broom.

"Witches—" Tony began, but his words were cut off by a deafening explosion. Instinctively, he pulled Grey close and pushed him down as the roof of the hut was blasted away, narrowly avoiding the path of the white energy beam.

Grey felt Tony's protective gesture, but when he looked up, he saw the extent of the destruction. The once-hidden sky and the monstrous figure looming in the distance were now revealed in all their terrifying glory. Tony's back was exposed, the vertebral column visible through the torn fabric of his shirt.

Bell, lying flat on the floor, had narrowly escaped the energy beam's deadly path, her survival a mere matter of inches.

"T-Tony," Grey stammered, his voice filled with fear.

But Tony rose to his feet, his demeanor unwavering. "Don't worry, boy. This is something I can handle," he reassured Grey, his flesh visibly regenerating before their eyes.

"Now, let's fly away," Tony declared, determination shining in his eyes.

"That thing's gonna take a few more minutes to attack again, so we need to be fast," Tony said, urgency lacing his tone.

"Alright, Grey," Tony began, his voice urgent yet composed. "These metallic dishes are our means of escape, but we need to act fast. Here's how they work."

He gestured toward the plates on the ground, now glowing faintly with magical energy. "These plates are enchanted to respond to our thoughts and movements. Think of them as extensions of ourselves. To control them, focus your mind on where you want to go and visualize yourself flying in that direction. The plates will respond to your mental commands and adjust their trajectory accordingly."

Demonstrating, he stepped onto his own plate and levitated a few inches off the ground. "Start by feeling the connection between yourself and the magic within it. Then, imagine yourself soaring through the air, and let the plate carry you."

He floated in the air a bit, a few feet above the ground, and looked down at Grey. "Try now."

Grey gulped nervously, his eyes fixed on the plate beneath his feet. "Up... right?"

Before he could even think, the metal plate shot upward, narrowly avoiding Tony as it propelled Grey into the sky.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

"What the hell..." Tony exclaimed, his eyes wide as he watched Grey ascend rapidly.

"Go help him!" Bell's voice echoed as she mounted her broom and soared into the sky.

Shaking off his surprise, Tony hurriedly followed Grey, who had stopped mid-air, suspended upside down hundreds of feet above the ground.

Grey looked down, taking in the vast expanse of the red sky beneath him. It was simultaneously beautiful and menacing, while the desolate ground below felt ominous.