As the Exalted departed Javik's armory, an alert icon flashed on John's display. He blink-clicked it, causing the armor to speak.<br/><br/>'Welcome back, Exalted One,' it said to him, 'I am artificial intelligence Joyeuse, designed to help you access the fu--'<br/><br/>'Yes, yes, can we dispense with the boot-up sequence? Impending danger and all that.'<br/><br/>'Oh, thank Sol,' the AI said, 'I hate doing that. So what needs doing?'<br/><br/>'What are the specs on this thing, first of all?'<br/><br/>'Two power fists, as you noticed. Motion detector, thermal and night vision settings, vacuum sealing, nuclear-biological-chemical protection, heavy orichalcum plate with an impact gel underlayer and armored bodyglove, and a Blessed Essence Reactor which connects to and supplements the Exaltation within you.'<br/><br/>'Wonderful. Are there any other weapons on this suit?'<br/><br/>'Nnnnope.'<br/><br/>'Wonderful. Alright, let's get this party started.'<br/><br/>There really was no need to repair the elevator. John and Javik were the first out, easily clearing the shaft in a single bound. They landed surrounded by a veritable army of Cerberus soldiers. Gunships, assault mechs, dragoons, phantoms, nemeses, the whole kitchen sink. Arrayed in front of the lift shaft were five Cerberus elites, dressed in all manner of gear, from sensible Soulsteel power armor to, uh, not very much at all. The operative in the center spoke to a hologram of another Cerberus agent, a man dressed similarly to the phantoms but with a few more bits and pieces. In stark contrast, the central speaker was bare-chested, wearing nothing more than an ornately carved mask, simple BDU pants, and a pair of Soulsteel bracers. John also noted the fact that the guy was seven feet tall and blood seemed to well up from the ground at his feet. Yeesh.<br/><br/>'Uno momento, Leng,' said the man, 'our guests are here.'<br/><br/>'See that you kill them quickly,' the hologram said. 'And try to preserve as much of the gear as possible. We could always use more artifact equipment.'<br/><br/>'Yeah, yeah. I'll put you on hold, alright?'<br/><br/>John raised an eyebrow.<br/><br/>Joyeuse snickered. 'Well, he's surprisingly...normal for a servant of the Neverborn.'<br/><br/>'Lo siento,' said the central Abyssal. 'How rude of me. For the sake of courtesy, allow me to introduce myself and my team.' He spread his arms to indicate the other four members of his motley crew. John suspected that the leader also injected a small display of his anima there for a moment, as his temperature gauge dropped considerably. A chill wind crept into the dig site, forming frost on nearby glass and metal.<br/><br/>'You may call me Mascara de los Inviernos, or "Mask", for that is what I am.' The Mask of Winters bowed deeply. He continued with the introductions. One was an effete-looking man. He was a Daybreak Caste named Weather Report, clad in furs of some forgotten beast and flanked by a pair of sinuous fire elementals, their embers licking at the snowflakes that the Mask's anima manifested. To Weather Report's left was a Dusk Caste, white-haired and clad in a Soulsteel buff jacket styled after a human skeleton. To be honest, she would have been beautiful, if it wasn't for the screaming Soulsteel daiklave and the fact that she was a death-fueled mass murder machine. Mask called her the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile. The fourth member of the Abyssal hit squad was Black Hole Sun, a Day Caste, utterly nondescript in his featureless, faceless Soulsteel armor, which seemed to flicker in and out of view. And lastly, there was the Moonshadow, a bird-masked figure Mask called the Weeping Raiton.<br/><br/>Out-freakin'-standing. John made with his introductions and the team spread out.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Zenith</span>, Javik sent,<span style="font-style: italic">I shall deal with the Mask. Something tells me that only an Elder Solar could hope to stand against his might.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">It's your call,</span>John responded, but before he and the Prothean could swap places, the Mask stopped them.<br/><br/>'Hold on now, friends,' the Mask rumbled, 'that is just wrong. It would be more thematically appropriate for us to face our opposite numbers, yes?'<br/><br/>Joyeuse said to John, 'Who actually cares abou--'<br/><br/>The Mask's fist put a stop to any further conversation. John was flung back across the entirety of the dig site, impacting the edge of the crater with a heavy thud. At this, the rest of the Abyssals leaped to do battle with their counterparts: the Maiden with Javik, Weather Report with Czevak, Black Hole Sun with Esone, and the Raiton with 042.<br/><br/>'Oh, poor Solar boy,' taunted the Mask, 'did the big bad man hurt you? I'm afraid my condition has left me cold to your pleas of mercy. You don't have the chops to stand up to Cerberus, hombre. NOBODY IN THIS GALAXY has the chops to throw down with EL. MASCARA. DE. LOS. IN. VIERNOOOOOOS! Mascara will trounce you, flounce you, and utterly DENOUNCE YOU, little boy. When I'm done with you, I'll spit roast your corpse and feed your cojones to the dogs, brother. So try to die quickly, 'cause I'm getting<span style="font-style: italic">hungry</span>!'<br/><br/>John pulled himself unsteadily to his feet. Minor damage to the helmet plating, but nothing irreparable. 'Dude, I just have to say, you're probably the best boss fight I've ever had.'<br/><br/>The Mask was taken aback for a moment. 'What? No. No, man, you're doing it wrong!'<br/><br/>'What.'<br/><br/>'Fights like this, you have to cut a promo, man! Just listen to the crowd, brother. You've got to work the crowd, get their attention.'<br/><br/>John started to understand what the Mask was saying. All around, the Cerberus troops cheered. 'Mas-ca-ra! Mas-ca-ra!' they yelled. One held up a sign that said, 'Winter is coming'.<br/><br/>'Now,' the Mask continued, 'a big guy like you, I think sho--'<br/><br/>'IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK,' John roared. 'Because finally, FINALLY, at long last, the SOLARS HAVE RETURNED TO THE GWE!'<br/><br/>The Mask nodded and grinned in approval. 'That's more like i--'<br/><br/>'Whoa whoa whoawhoawhoaWHOA, the Sun did not give you permission to speak, Jabroney. How dare you interrupt the Great One, the Brahma Bull, the Jabroney-stomping, pie-eating, eyebrow-raising MOST EEEELECTRIFYING MAN IN ALL OF SPACE ENTERTAINMENT! You may think you're cool stuff, you may have your mask and your grimdark crew, but whatcha gonna do WHEN SOLARMANIA RUNS WYLD OVER YOU, BROTHER? Since you're visiting this scenic<span style="font-style: italic">Alliance</span>colony, the Sun will offer you a nice visitor package. First, the Sun will get you a spaceport shuttle, and the Sun will put you in that shuttle. And then the Sun will drive you around and show you the sights. And then the Sun will take you to your destination. And then the Sun will strut right up to the counter, and the Sun will whip out his glorious Solar credit card, and then the Sun will book you a free night's stay AT THE SMACKDOWN HOTEL!'<br/><br/>The crowd went wild.<br/><br/>'That's more like it!' the Mask roared. 'But at the end of the day, only one man will leave this arena, and that man is a FIVE-TIME CHAMPION, THE GREAT MASCARA DE LOS INVIERNOOOOS! No matter how hard you hit, no matter how much you try, Solar boy, there's one thing that separates me from the rest, and it's the fact that I'M FUKKEN INVINCIBLE!'<br/><br/>And with that, the Mask and the Solar charged, ablaze with anima and biotic energies. Their fists met with a sonic boom, tossing up rocks and dust. Their movements were a whirlwind of punches, kicks, blocks, parries, and grapples, too fast for the mortal eye to see. As the sun set over the horizon, a phantom choir began to play, for the clash of two divine souls is an event far too momentous to go without the music of the spheres.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Red sun<br/>Red sun over paradise<br/>Red sun<br/>Red sun over paradise<br/><br/>Golden rays of the glorious sunshine<br/>Setting down, such a blood-red light<br/>Now the animals slowly retreat<br/>To the shadows – out of sight<br/>Arid breeze blows across the mountains<br/>Giving flight to the birds of prey<br/>In the distance machines come<br/>To transform Eden – day by day</span>