Vaelsorm crushed twisted metal beneath his talons as he emerged from the gutted torso of a dead colossus. Heat shimmered off the buckled hull, painting the wasteland in wavering lines. A chorus of alarm klaxons shrieked from battered outposts along the horizon. Vaelsorm flexed his iron wings, sensors embedded in ancient scales feeding him data, weaknesses, movement, the scent of fear. Lightning clawed at the roiling sky above.
A convoy of scavengers, their vehicles bristling with makeshift weaponry, skidded to a halt near the wreck’s shadow. Their leader barked orders, waving a ragged banner as the gun mounts started to track Vaelsorm’s movements. The energy in the air thickened; a low, guttural challenge rumbled in Vaelsorm’s core. He lowered his head, smoke curling from his jaws, eyes locking onto prey. The world offered itself for burning.