The prince picked himself up off the ground as the next avenger was picked up and then thrown hard to the ground before being stamped on by the huge foot. The last creature leapt up, the length of the flail lashing in the direction of the controller cage, but the animator easily moved the colossus's head back out of the way. As the animator again moved the colossus's hand forward, the avenger swung its enhanced sword, taking off one of the fingers. The animator curled the remaining fingers into a fist, swinging at the avenger's head. Two blows at the avenger's head knocked it to its knees. The colossus's second hand came down, shoving the avenger's torso and then pinning it to the ground on its back. The animator pushed down on top of its head with the heavy fist, and with a terrible squelching sound flattened its skull. The avenger's legs kicked, and then it was still.

Tiesto finally remembered where he'd seen the colossus. He saw Marcus approaching, his sword dripping red. "It's from the museum!" Marcus cried, laughing. "It must be a hundred years old!"

Looking up, Tiesto saw High Animator Salvatore Domingo sitting in the controller cage. As dour as ever, the High Animator pulled the colossus back to allow Tiesto's men to regroup.

"What about them?" Marcus said, pointing.

The legionnaires and those of the pikemen still remaining were fleeing, scattering to the streets. Tiesto looked at the twin towers of the eastern gate. His objective was just ahead, and with no prearranged signal there was no way to tell if he was early or late. Marshal Rogan could be just outside, his small force being slaughtered by the enemy.

"Leave them," Tiesto said. "We need to get the gate open."

He waved his arms to get the High Animator's attention. The colossus tilted its head forward, until Prince Tiesto was nearly eye-to-eye with the animator. He wanted to shake the stern High Animator's hand, or pound him on the back. Instead Prince Tiesto pointed at the gate.

"We need that open!"

High Animator Salvatore nodded, turning the colossus towards the gate.

Marcus and the prince regrouped their forces, neither commenting on the fact that barely half of their five-hundred men were still standing.

"Men!" Prince Tiesto cried. "Your countrymen are on the other side of that gate!"

With a resurgence in strength they ran forward, those alive realising they had survived their first engagement, and their goal lay ahead.

The High Animator led the way, eating up the distance with ground-eating strides. Orbs flew at the colossus from the two towers, but the animator looked eye-to-eye with the soldiers manning the towers, before smashing the construct's fists into first one, then the other.

Then Tiesto saw the colossus's left arm suddenly drop as the runes went dark. The right arm followed. The symbols on the construct's back, feet and legs began to fade.