The strong fortress, Ironburg, served as a mighty shield. The Titans, depending on Ironburg, took almost two years to push back all the Metal Eaters from this invasion.
As they always did, they cleaned up the battle area, picking up the pure metals left by the Metal Eaters and the rare remains of these creatures. If they were lucky to find a spark that was still alive, they would show a real smile and then keep it safe in a special box.
Even though their smiles might look a bit forced, they were happy for every possible new member of their group.
"How many of our patrol teams didn't make it back?" A huge Titan asked in a deep voice while looking over the walls of Ironburg.
Next to him, a smaller Titan turned into a screen, and data started flashing on it. A few seconds later, he said, "Four teams lost touch—Flame 123, Storm 45, Titanium 147, Tungsten Cobalt 84."
The bigger Titan was quiet for a bit before saying softly, "Send someone to the last place they asked for help. Maybe there are survivors."
The smaller Titan knew finding survivors was a long shot, but it was something they had to try anyway. He gave the orders, and several Titans at the walls of Ironburg quickly flew off in different directions.
Titans could change into many shapes, each one good for a different job. One Titan, shaped like a rocket launcher with flames coming out of the back, flew really fast and got to the battle site where Flame 123 had been in less than three hours.
He got there just in time to see Adam fighting the leader of the Metal Eaters.
Only one out of more than a hundred Metal Eaters was left. It had taken in the others, making itself as big as Adam, with a scary look of many heads, legs, and wings, each part able to shoot a very strong acid.
But its strength only went so far. The reason this species could beat the Titans was because of their huge numbers, not because they were very strong on their own.
However, Adam was having a hard time because his energy was running low.
The spark couldn't take in and change energy from outside. The ether crystals were all kept in his own space, and Adam felt it wasn't the right time to use them.
Just as he was getting worried and thinking about calling for help from Sophia 1.0, a loud shout came from behind him, "Don't move!"
Then Adam noticed an energy-packed cannonball zooming towards him through the air.
"This is a pretty strong attack," Adam quickly figured out how powerful it was and made his shield stronger.
He thought about who was attacking him, guessing it might be another metal creature like him, so they probably wouldn't really hurt him. Still, Adam got ready just in case the cannonball did hit him.
The cannonball went right through Adam's shield, leaving a mark on his tough mithril skin. As a creature made of metal and not able to feel pain, this damage didn't really bother Adam.
***Boom!***
The changed Metal Eater, which wasn't very strong to begin with, couldn't stop the cannonball. Its protective field barely lasted a moment before breaking. The cannonball blew up when it hit, taking out the Metal Eater leader in one go.
Adam was relieved, and then he saw a rocket-like vehicle coming fast toward him, changing shape as it got closer. It turned into a human shape.
Before Adam could say anything, the big newcomer asked, "Where do you come from? What happened to Flame 123?"
Adam told the truth, "I came from below the ground. Who's Flame 123?"
…
"That's what he told me. He seems like he was just created, but he's stronger than most. His body is made of mithril, which is odd because we don't have mithril ore here on Titania," Windflame 222 told Iron 27 back in Ironburg.
Iron 27, the huge Titan, asked after hearing Windflame 222's story, "Did you check his Vital Generator and the Original Flames?"
"It's all good. He's got one of the strongest starting energies I've ever seen. Maybe after Flame 123 team was destroyed, their energies went into the ground and he picked them up?" Windflame 222 guessed.
That didn't happen often because when Titans died, they were usually surrounded by lots of Metal Eaters, and they would choose to destroy themselves completely. They preferred to give their energy back to nature rather than letting the Metal Eaters get stronger from it. But sometimes things went differently, and a new Titan might grow under a battlefield and catch the energy.
As the leader of Ironburg, Iron 27 had a lot to do. Once he knew Adam's energy was definitely Titan-like, he didn't worry about the small stuff, saying, "If his energy is fine, he's one of us. Since you found him, look after him for a bit. Show him how to gather energy and the basic stuff. After this fight with the Metal Eaters, they won't bother us for some time. Let him join your team and learn how to fight."
Windflame 222 was happy to do this. Looking after a new Titan was easy, and it gave him a chance to make his weapons better.
Meanwhile, Adam was walking around Ironburg. He stayed away from places that were obviously important and guarded, just using his senses to learn about this city of the Titan race.
Ironburg was a huge place; that made sense because it was home to giant beings. Ironburg had special spots like places to refill energy, shops selling top-notch concentrated energy, services for making their bodies shine, Vital Generator caring centers, and even places to make the Original Flames look nicer.
Adam found this world way more interesting and different than the boring and simple world of his last mission. This place, with its unique way of life, really caught Adam's attention and made him want to learn more.
Adam felt really good about his choice to explore. Getting to see all sorts of amazing places in the vast space was the best part for him, besides his research work.
Thinking this, Adam decided to check out the shop selling high-quality concentrated energy, curious about the kind of energy that powered the spark.
Right then, he heard a familiar deep sound from behind, and a voice said, "Mithril kid, this isn't a spot for you to just walk into. Filling up your Vital Generator before your spark advances could mess up your system."
Adam, taking the advice well, stopped and turned to greet, "Hello, Windflame 222."
