But with every bullet Lyra and Bon Bon fired, with every round the special agent loaded in with a cocking of the bolt handle, they dealt very little damage to the Skullcrawler. Their rifles, though effective against smaller creatures, did little to nothing to stop it.

Then Bon Bon fired another round and saw an explosive blast tear the Skullcrawler’s shoulder apart. Its cries were elevated, and the Skullcrawler collapsed. Shining Armor darted his head to the source of the shot. Bon Bon did the same.

What they saw break through the clouds of smoke and darkness…

It very well could have gotten a smile or two in the midst of it all. Instead, silent expressions of shock and awe filled the T.I.T.A.N. force once the clouds had broken, once the smoke had washed away, and the airships flew in with tanks hanging from their underbellies. Reinforcements.

A second shot was fired, the shell blasting from the end of the nearest tank’s barrel and striking the Skullcrawler for another devastating blast. The creature screamed and writhed, rolling across the grass and creating a vast distance between itself and the airships. Even then, that distance mattered not to T.I.T.A.N.

The smaller airships flew low, eventually releasing their locks from the squadron of seven tanks and dropping the vehicles onto the surface of the island. Just as quickly as they fell, they rose and took to the skies, disappearing in the clouds. The giant, lumbering vehicles landed with labored crashes, their tracks spinning viciously across the dirt and grass and instantly keeping each tank in line with the speed the airships had gained.

In little to no time, they were driving furiously across the field. Their barrels erupted and a wave of fury struck the Skullcrawler relentlessly. Blasts corroded its skin, its body, until the Skullcrawler could not run anymore. It did not have the strength to. The fire consumed the creature until not even Shining Armor could see the skull anymore. The tanks drove past him in a sweeping breeze of steel and power.

When it fell, it gave off a final, dying shriek and collapsed in a thunderous heap on the grass.

All seven tanks slowed down near the fallen Skullcrawler, and even in the darkness of the storm circling Black Skull Island, the fires still illuminated the T.I.T.A.N. insignias on each of their hulls. After what they had seen the war machines do to the Skullcrawler, the familiar logo was just another breath of relief for Shining and his team. As the plan dictated, heavy armor support had arrived. They slowly gathered together, moving as one to the squadron of steel.

The hatch from one of the tanks popped open, and Bon Bon almost grinned to see a familiar face through the smoke. There was no mistaking the black and gray mane, the famous hat, and the smile that was almost as famous joining the adventuress.