In an abundance of caution, Xord spent most of his time sheltering in the ether mine. He would go out to find food, and return as soon as he was done. He didn't bother with gathering captives anymore; Egil had other units that could attend to that. If one of his Mechon lackeys brought back a Homs—be it dead or alive—Xord would eat them. A single Homs was hardly a mouthful, but there wasn't much else they were good for.

He idled in the central pit, deliberating over the body of a Defence Force soldier that had been delivered just a few minutes earlier. Xord, whose tank was already loaded, found it hard to resist. It was as though he was stuffed from a big meal at a banquet and the host had brought out a tray of small desserts; surely he could manage one more bite.

His attention was drawn by the signal of an M32 Scout Unit, which had entered the pit unnoticed. At the top of his vision, a short recording played. It showed two young men standing on the edge of the Bionis and looking beyond the sky. One of them had a broad red blade with a circle of glass near its hilt strapped to his back.

It was the Monado. Egil's intuition had been correct.

Xord smirked inwardly. He found it hard to believe that a child had been the one to drive off Metal Face. Had the Monado changed hands again, or was Metal Face just that pathetic? The wielder of the Monado was a pasty teenager that Xord could easily snap in half like a twig. His larger companion looked a bit more threatening, but he was just a kid as well.

Xord thought this called for a celebration nonetheless, not that he needed an excuse to treat himself. The gluttonous Face grabbed the body by its feet and held it up toward the M32, contemplating it. Then, he tossed it into the air and caught it in his jaws. He was afraid the remains would come right back up when he swallowed—it wouldn't be the first time he'd eaten so much that he vomited—but fortunately, he still had room. Xord needed all the energy he could get.

Although he had been tasked with leading the attack on Colony 6, it was a stretch to say Xord had demonstrated any kind of leadership. He hadn't gone in with a strategy, and had simply left the Mechon to their own devices. They had likely succeeded based on sheer numbers alone. Obtaining the Monado would be an entirely different task: a task that required some kind of plan. If what Metal Face told him was anything to go by, he couldn't expect to rely solely on brute force.

"He—he dodged all of my attacks, like he could read my mind."

As much as he hated to admit it, Xord had been unable to beat a Homs equipped with a pistol—a Homs who, as far as Xord knew, wasn't a clairvoyant. Xord hadn't been in his right mind, to be fair, although it often seemed like he was a more effective predator when he wasn't fully conscious. Why that was, he didn't know. He didn't want to know, either.

A good place to start would be finding out why the Monado boy and his friend had come to the Bionis' leg. That way, Xord might've been able to predict where they were headed next and set up a trap. For that to happen, further reconnaissance was necessary. Xord would have to do most of his work by proxy, seeing as it would be impossible for such a massive machine to keep a low profile. Fortunately, he had eyes and ears all over the Bionis' leg in the form of his mechanical minions. The M3X line in particular would be invaluable for surveillance.

Xord, who was already somewhat knowledgeable about Mechon, had learned even more during his time on Bionis' leg. The "intelligence" of most units seemed comparable to that of a dog, and they were even easier to train and command. Signalling allowed Xord to talk to Mechon in a language they understood. He could even communicate abstract concepts that he wouldn't have been able to express in words, such as mental reconstructions of visual information. If he wanted to send a Mechon to a specific area, he could show it precisely where to go.

As a Mechon, Xord could do a lot of things with his head that simply were not possible for Homs. When he spoke, he was actually projecting his inner voice; he lacked the anatomy to produce sounds with his throat. Sending signals was another process beyond the capabilities of a Homs. To a Face, it was simply a matter of thinking at something. While Mechon weren't very good at understanding words, they were able to respond to nonverbal ideas such as Come to me, or Find this object. It had taken Xord some time to make sense of signalling, but once he figured it out, it became second nature.

It remained to be seen how much mileage Xord would be able to get out of his minions when it came to spying on the wielder of the Monado. Xord hoped he wouldn't be forced to take matters into his own hands, because part of him was afraid of losing. He wanted to maintain the illusion that he was invincible, even though he knew deep down that he wasn't. Was he scared? No, Xord told himself, of course not. He was big and strong and made of metal, and he could kill an unsuspecting Homs in the blink of an eye—but if he missed that opportunity, he had nothing to fall back on.

Xord picked his hammer up off of the floor. He was good at raising it over his head and bringing it straight down—a distant memory that was now etched into his instincts. Otherwise, Xord didn't know how to use his weapon effectively. It was unwieldy—not unlike his bulky frame—and if he swung and missed, he'd leave himself wide open. Even though his hammer seemed like more of a liability than an asset, Xord couldn't always count on getting up close and personal.

He supposed it was time to get started. Facing the M32, Xord signalled, Find the boy with the Monado and monitor him. Show me a live feed.

The M32 blinked back, opening another small window at the top of Xord's vision. As he watched the unit fly off from its own point of view, he mulled over what to do next. Staying in the mine and focusing on the M32's feed would have been a valid course of action, but he had a belly full of ether and he was raring to get out and work his engine. He decided to do a survey of the types of Mechon spread across the Bionis' leg; that way, he could get an idea of the different tools he had at his disposal.

Xord already felt like a master tactician. He was impulsive and not particularly quick-witted, but he could be crafty in the right situation. He loved being the centre of attention, but he liked the idea of working behind the scenes as well. He was happy so long as he was the one calling the shots.

Xord went up the elevator shaft and out into the plains, coasting high enough above the ground to give him a good view of what lay below. His eyes blinked in a slow pattern as he flew: Return my signal. Return my signal. Return my signal. He wasn't calling for any specific action—just a show of lights.

Xord's eyes were highly attuned to the Mechons' responses, allowing him to isolate them from their surroundings with ease. He kept a mental record of the models he encountered: M32, M42, M53, M64—a small assortment of common units. They weren't without their uses, but Xord couldn't help but feel a tad underwhelmed. Apparently, Egil hadn't seen it necessary to bring any specialised units to Colony 6.

There was one exception: a Mechon M71.

The fortress-like unit was a sight to behold. The belly of the machine was mounted on four metal tentacles, and three more snaking appendages extended from its sides. The latter ended in long sets of jaws resembling that of an M72. The unit was also held up by an additional pair of scythe-like limbs, and it had two small sets of arms connected to its head. Its big red eyes flashed in response to Xord's, and it occurred to him that this mechanical hydra was his to command.

His eyes blinked out a concept faster than he was able to verbalise it: Wow.

"Wow," he said.

The M71 did not indulge him with a response.

Xord had found the unit patrolling the lakeside. It was surprisingly mobile, despite its appearance—it made use of many of its limbs to crawl over the landscape, not unlike a spider.

"—come from Colony 9."

Xord's attention snapped to the live feed. He was so entranced by the M71 that he didn't notice that the M32 had found its way back to the Monado boy. In the stream, Xord saw three Homs—one of them being the boy with the Monado—standing around a buggy with a child seated inside.

"Colony 9?" repeated one of the Homs, a woman.

"They saved me from some monsters," said the boy in the buggy. He gestured vaguely at the two others. "This is Reyn and Shulk."

Shulk—so that was the Monado boy's name. It was an unusual name, yet strangely, Xord felt like he wasn't hearing it for the first time.

"Oh," the woman said weakly, "so you're not from Colony 6." She was quiet for a moment. Once she had regained her composure, she said, "Thank you for helping Juju. I'm his sister, Sharla."

"I told them they could rest here with us," the boy, Juju, said.

"Did you now?" His sister gave him a look. "Well, all right," she conceded. "I suppose that's only fair."

"Did something happen? To Colony 6?" asked Shulk's friend, Reyn.

Shulk added, "Actually, we're heading there ourselves."

Xord cackled to himself. That was a juicy detail—just what he'd been hoping to hear! What made it even more tantalising was how that Shulk had seemingly no idea that Colony 6 had been wiped off the map. Though, if the colony were still standing, why would Shulk want to go there? Xord kept listening in hopes of finding out.

Sharla lowered her gaze. "Colony 6 has been… Our home… It's been occupied by the Mechon."

Shulk and Reyn were taken aback.

"I'll tell you about it inside," said Sharla. "Follow me." As she walked away, the M32 rose into the sky. Xord was shown a small cave in the face of the cliff. So that was where the people who had fled Colony 6 were hiding. Xord would have to keep that in mind for later. The M32 continued recording as the group entered the cave; then, it left the scene.

Xord wasn't satisfied with the information he'd received. Would Shulk still go to Colony 6 now that he knew it had been destroyed? It frustrated Xord that he couldn't continue eavesdropping—the M32 couldn't possibly follow the group inside without being detected. Xord wanted to instruct it to wait for them to come back out, but the reach of his signal output was limited. Besides, if he wanted to lay a trap, he'd have to act fast. There were only two ways Shulk could go: back to Colony 9, or onward to Colony 6. All Xord needed to do was pick one. He didn't know a lot about Shulk, but he seemed to have set out for a reason. Xord wasn't willing to believe he'd simply turn around and go home. Homs were audacious like that, he thought, recalling Gadolt and Otharon.

Colony 6 it was.

Stay right here, Xord flashed to the M71 before taking off. He needed to scope out a good area to set up his trap. Then, he'd need to assemble a formation of units that would alert him to the Monado's presence. He also needed to figure out what exactly his trap was going to be. It would involve the M71, obviously. Xord couldn't possibly let that powerhouse of a machine go to waste.

There was also another idea that was beginning to take shape in Xord's mind: fire—an inferno of destruction that would swallow up everything in its path. As a former blacksmith, Xord had once been a master of flame. Even now, he could convert his body's energy into electricity, which he'd once used to set fire to a building. What would Shulk do if he found himself surrounded by flames? Clairvoyant or not, he'd never see it coming—or at least, he wouldn't have enough time to react. Would the Monado be able to save him then?

The smell would be delicious.

Xord cruised over the lake and down the road toward Colony 6. On the upper level of the Bionis' leg, he located a landmark he'd never paid much mind to: a big crater in which a strange rock formation stood. From above, it looked like a simple plateau—but the structure actually consisted of multiple tiers of stone slabs supported by large pillars. A slanted path wound around them in a spiral. Xord had flown by the landmark more than a few times, though he'd never taken notice of how peculiar it was.

He landed on its uppermost tier and walked over to the spiral path. As he gave it a light tap with his hammer, he wondered if he could hit it hard enough to cause the path to break off. It put a wicked thought in Xord's head: what if he lured Shulk onto the slab, started a fire, and then destroyed the only exit? He was a genius.

There were still a few things Xord needed to figure out. For one, how would he get Shulk to come to Spiral Valley? It was north of the road from the lower level of the Bionis' leg; Colony 6 was to the south. Xord figured he could station a squad of Mechon along the road and command them to direct the enemy toward Spiral Valley.

He decided he'd recruit his minions first and figure out the rest later. He, for a second time, went for a low flight over Bionis' leg. As he circled back, he transmitted another wide-range signal: Follow me. Follow me. Follow me. Soon, he had a small infantry marching below him, and several M32 units hovering around him like satellites.

Upon reaching the road, Xord landed and gave the command, Get the enemy to Spiral Valley. He provided a visualisation of the route, and a conflicting conception of what he wanted the Mechon to do. Xord, who knew next to nothing about Shulk, didn't know if he'd engage the Mechon or not. Shulk might've had the Monado, but he would be vastly outnumbered. Thus, it was unclear whether Xord wanted the Mechon to chase Shulk to Spiral Valley, or have him come after them.

In return, Xord received a barrage of the same signal: ?

It turned out the Mechon weren't quite as sophisticated as he had hoped. They didn't think with organic brains, and were unable to draw conclusions on their own. Mechon could process complex conceptual and visual data, yet they only responded to expressions of clear logic. In addition to their invulnerability to the Monado, Egil favoured Faces' ability to work their way through problems on their own.

Xord produced a revised, conditional signal: If the enemy engages, cease fighting and go to Spiral Valley. If the enemy does not engage, surround them and force them to go there.

The Mechon flickered their lights, a signal Xord interpreted as, Affirmative.

Xord nodded, pleased. Now that that was settled, his next task would be bringing the M71 to Spiral Valley. It would serve as the first line of offence. He'd position it below the uppermost tier, where it would attempt to snag Shulk and his friends with its three tentacles: one for Shulk, one for Reyn, and one for Sharla! Hopefully Juju wouldn't come along as well—though, Egil would probably deem him too young to become a Face.

Indeed: Xord, having given his plan some more thought, decided he'd use the fire as a last resort. It would be far more amusing to subject Shulk and the others to the same fate as Gadolt. If the M71 was unable to restrain the Homs, it would be instructed to lead them to the top. That was when Xord would make his grand entrance, and only then would Spiral Valley go up in flames.

Frankly, the thought of a roast dinner was still making his phantom stomach rumble.

Xord returned to the lakeside, where the M71 was idling. Follow me, he signalled. Once he had stationed it on the platform, given it its orders, and installed an M32 Scout Unit as security, he did a quick inspection of the area on foot. All systems were go. Now, the only thing left to do was wait. He didn't want to stick around, seeing as he was visible from at least a kilometre away. And, of course, he didn't want to be outside if the Telethia came back.

In the central pit, Xord could barely contain his excitement. Egil was going to be so pleased when he brought back the Monado, and Xord couldn't wait to rub it in Mumkhar's face. He daydreamed until the M32 Scout Unit came at him like a bullet, firing an urgent signal. In the recording, Xord saw someone being pursued by the Mechon. He was gobsmacked when he realised who it was: Juju. Shulk and the others were nowhere to be seen.

"That stupid kid!" Xord shouted. He remembered Juju saying something about how Shulk and Reyn had saved him from monsters, so apparently this wasn't the first time he'd gotten himself into trouble. If he was prone to that kind of behaviour, why hadn't anyone been keeping an eye on him? It made Xord angry.

Juju wasn't his child, though. He'd kill him just like anyone else—at least, that was what he told himself. Or—better yet—he could use him as bait. If Shulk and the others came to save the day again, Xord wouldn't even need the Mechon to pressure them into going to Spiral Valley. Xord just needed to get out there and make sure things went according to plan.

A good amount of time had passed since Xord last ate, and even though he'd stuffed himself, he expended a lot of energy over the course of his multiple trips across the Bionis' leg. He was too busy to think about how much ether was in his tank, though. It was surprisingly easy for Xord to forget about his hunger when his mind was occupied with something else—but how long would the beast in his belly stay muzzled?

He at least had enough fuel for one more flight to Spiral Valley. As he approached from the south and the details of the scene began to emerge, Xord was overcome by the feeling that something had gone wrong. Where was the M71? He should've been able to see its huge form on the level below the uppermost tier. Xord enhanced his vision. To his horror, he saw Shulk and his friends gathered on one side of the slab; on the other lay a severed tentacle, which, as far as Xord could tell, was all that was left of the M71.

Xord hadn't accounted for the distance between Spiral Valley and the mine. He was late.

He sputtered something unintelligible in shock. How could this have happened? How had the M71—a monster of a machine—been taken down by three puny kids? Was that the power of the Monado? Xord realised he had no idea what he was getting himself into—but there was no turning back now.

It was time for him to put on a show.

His engine churned up a cloud of dust as he lowered himself over Spiral Valley, rotating himself so his back was turned to Shulk. Then, he popped out his limbs and let himself drop onto the slab. He heard both Shulk and Reyn cry out, but was unable to make out what they had said. It didn't matter. The only voice that needed to be heard was his own.

Xord turned dramatically toward Shulk. "I've been waiting for you," he bellowed, "Monado boy."

"What? It spoke?"

Xord took a big step forward. He leaned in to look Shulk in the eye. "The way Metal Face scarpered, I thought you'd have to be this big scary monster. But look"—he raised his hammer—"you're just some pathetic little kid!"

Shulk and Reyn drew their weapons as Sharla escorted Juju out of harm's way. Then, Sharla grabbed her rifle and ran to join the others. Xord suppressed a laugh as he sized up his opponents. What a pitiful lot they were, looking all brave and pointing their little toys at him. Did they really think they'd be able to scratch his armour? Shulk might've been able to stop the M71, but if he thought the Monado was going to work just as well against a Face, he'd be in for a nasty surprise.

"Come on, let's see what ya got!"

A beam of blue light extended from the Monado. Gripping the sword in both hands, Shulk raced forward and stabbed at Xord's undercarriage. The boy was thrown back as the blade bounced harmlessly off of Xord's armour.

Xord pretended not to notice. Looking away, he jeered, "I think a fly bit me."

The others went to Shulk's side, giving Xord an opportunity to bound toward Juju. With a swipe of his hammer, Xord forced him onto the ground. Juju cried out in fear as he attempted to roll over and crawl away, but before he could get anywhere, Xord snatched him up. He then faced his opponents and showed off his prize. Shulk and his friends would have to be extra careful now. They wouldn't want Xord to accidentally squash Sharla's precious little brother, would they?

"Juju!" exclaimed Sharla.

"You pile of junk! Let him go!" Reyn yelled as he and Shulk charged toward Xord.

Xord stood with his arms outstretched, transmitting a signal to the Mechon that had made it to Spiral Valley: Come to me. Come to me. Come to me.

"Reyn!" Shulk called as he ran. "Better watch your back!"

"Got it!" Reyn spun around as a pair of M42 units dropped down behind them. He smashed both of them with his gunlance, allowing Shulk to continue moving forward. "Cheers, Shulk!"

Xord looked on, furious. Unless Shulk could somehow tune into the Mechons' frequency, he must've seen the attack coming. So this was what Metal Face had been talking about. "You little…" Xord swung at Shulk, who ducked just in time to avoid his blow. He swung again. In a blur of blue light, Shulk dodged and appeared at Xord's feet. He slashed at Xord's leg, but the strike was just as ineffective as the first one.

Xord surged forward, forcing Shulk to leap back. The head of his hammer began crackling with electricity. When he brought it down upon the ground, Shulk managed to weave his way around it. He then darted away to catch his breath.

They were at a stalemate. Shulk really was just like a pesky fly—no matter how many times Xord swatted at him, he just wouldn't stay still and die. All Xord needed to do was hit him once. He was so incensed that he could think of nothing else. He had been in such a hurry that he hadn't actually brought anything flammable to ignite, anyway. Now, Xord was dead set on taking it by force.

"Why can't I use the Monado?" Shulk exclaimed. "It's… it's only the ones that have faces. But…"

Xord took another swing. Yet again, Shulk was able to duck out of the way in the nick of time. He was so close. How was Shulk able to move like that?

"… I can still see what it's going to do, just like before!"

Surely Shulk wouldn't be able to keep up forever. He wasn't a Mechon; he'd tire out eventually. As he brought his hammer down, Xord said, "Nice tricks you got there, pipsqueak." He slid the head of his hammer across the ground toward Shulk, but wasn't fast enough to catch him. He tromped after him. "Darting around the place! That the Monado's power?" Xord sent out another iteration of his summoning signal and said, "Won't matter. You're still flesh and blood, and I reckon you're nearly done!"

Another Mechon came flying at Shulk, but Reyn shielded him with his gunlance. As two more M42 units dropped onto the battlefield, Xord called, "Behind you!"

"Shulk! Leave these to me," Reyn said. "Go take him out!"

"Got it."

Shulk raced toward Xord again. Xord—still clutching Juju—wound back his left arm in an attempt to strike him down. His fist collided with the blade of the Monado, causing Shulk to stagger backwards. While he was recovering from the recoil, Xord laughed and lifted his hammer over his head.

This was it.

A bullet shot out and knocked Xord's hammer aside. Bewildered, Xord turned and found Sharla gripping her rifle.

"Now!" she yelled.

"Right!" Reyn charged and rammed his gunlance into Xord's fist with all his might—an effort just as futile as all the ones before it. "It's just bouncing off him!"

Xord didn't want to admit that he was growing just as frustrated as his opponents. He was an immovable object and Shulk was an unstoppable force. "That was fun for a while"—he leaped into the air with his hammer held high—"but now I'm bored!" He came crashing down, creating a shock wave that knocked everyone back.

"Sharla!" Juju cried as his sister was sent over the edge. She managed to grab onto the slab to save herself from her doom.

While Shulk was distracted, Xord stomped over to him. "Time to finish you off!" he boomed, hammer raised.

"Watch out!" hollered Reyn.

Xord's lines turned blue and he froze. Only then did he feel it: the hunger gnawing inside of him. He had to stop. He couldn't let himself lose control, not in front of Shulk. Shulk would be able to see all of his desperate moves coming, and something bad would happen again. Maybe he'd fall over the edge like Sharla, or lose another eye. It would be too dangerous for him to continue.

Xord grunted and lowered his hammer. To a puzzled Shulk, he said, "Looks like my time here's up. It's your lucky day, little boy—but that luck won't last forever."

"Huh?"

With a laugh, Xord wheeled his arm around to show Shulk the struggling Juju. "I'll keep hold of this brat. If you want him back, you better come to Colony 6. But you'll have to be quick." He growled, "I'm feeling hungry."

"You! You're gonna pay!" Reyn yelled.

Still laughing, Xord prepared to take off. "I can't wait to grind you all into dust!" With that, he ascended. To the remaining Mechon, he signalled, Go to the mine. He was going to need all the help he could get during the decisive battle.

Juju wailed, "Sharla! Sharla! No!"

Xord compacted himself into jet formation and blasted off alongside his minions. He needed to find food, and fast. He didn't want to eat Juju, at least not yet. He was too valuable, and—as much as Xord didn't want to care—he was a child.

"You little pest. Just what do you think you were doing out there?" Xord chided as he magnified his view. "What about your parents? Do they know where you are?" He paused to grumble something unintelligible before saying, "This'll be the last time you ever get in trouble."

"You're… you're not going to eat me, are you?"

"I don't know yet," Xord said, sounding more nervous than he'd intended. Upon spotting a herd of Armu, he murmured, "Ah, yes. That'll do." He swooped down and knocked one over with his hammer. After whiffing so many times, it was refreshing to finally hit something with a meaty body.

As his minions soared overhead, Xord came in for a landing. He could feel the madness creeping into his mind, and he fought to focus on the freshly killed Armu instead of the boy in his hand. Juju averted his eyes as Xord bent over and greedily shovelled the monster into his maw.

"Y-you really were hungry," Juju stammered, sounding ill.

Xord cackled and swiped his arm across his jaws as he rose to his full height. All that remained of the Armu was a smear of blood across the grass. "I could go for seconds, but I ought to save my appetite." He wrapped his arm around his lower body. "It's almost time for dinner, and I wouldn't want to explode before dessert."

"You mean…"

"You got it, kiddie. Three helpings of Homs served extra rare, just the way I like." He added, "If they keep me waiting, I might just have to have one more."

Xord hadn't quite decided what he wanted to do with Shulk and his friends, but he knew which outcome would upset Juju the most. There was something uniquely haunting about words from the lips of a monster, words spoken with the playfulness of a cat batting around a dying mouse.

Little did Juju know he was being spoken to by a Homs.