Just use magic and all of their problems would disappear, was that it? Easy for Kensen to say when his body wasn't ragged and still recovering from a battle just the day before. Of course magic was an option but it was a liability right now, Nymira knew that much. If she used even a handful of spells and they had no effect then she'd only tire herself out and become helpless. And for whatever efficiency Ethan might boast with a sword his magic had never exactly stood out so relying on his was a moot effort. All that aside Kensen was right, their traditional methods weren't going to work against this creature when it could turn into mist like that. Magic may not even work but at least that had a better chance of causing damage. 

"Fine! If you insist!" Training her sights on the Rökorm and preparing a spark of flame in her palm Nymira kept it a soft red, following the beast as it gave chase to Kensen. Waiting for the right moment and leading it slightly she unleashed a fireball that flew straight and true while striking the creature in its side. A satisfying sizzling sound and a pained howl confirmed she'd hit it, but not content in resting on her brief victory Nymira charged another blast and fired it as well, scowling when the creature emitted a gust of wind and snuffed out her flames. Taking to her daggers again instead she dashed forward as the Rökorm came down upon her, attempting to throw her weapon at it in place of another spell. Again a burst of air was released to knock it away and Nymira had to scramble and dive to the side to avoid being run down by the beast.

Right, he had to do something to help out, he couldn't leave all of the fighting to Nymira. His specialization of speed magic was probably not going to be of much use in this fight if their enemy could fly though which left... Gusts of wind? It wasn't much but it was all Ethan had, he'd have to make it work. Waiting for the Rökorm to clear his friend he aimed his open palm in its direction and braced a foot behind himself, channeling magic and unleashing a strong gale from his hand in its direction. For a moment it seemed to be rather effective and caused the creature to tumble in the air, flailing like a fish out of water until it canceled his magic and righted itself. Then it turned on him, its fins spreading out and eyes trained on him while emitting a loud screech that made him recoil. Alarmingly the air around the creature became visible and flashed a green color before it was fired at him, and in an effort to preserve himself Ethan unleashed another blast of his own. An audible pop followed the two gusts hitting one another until his own was overtaken and he was knocked off of his feet from the attack, thankfully falling over however kept him from being thrown too far away. Hearing it preparing another blast he lifted his head and prepared to attack back yet again, only this time Nymira countered. A blast of flame engulfed the creature before it could finish its attack and it took off higher into the air to escape the flames, some of its body visibly singed. So they could hurt it but they had hardly killed it, and Ethan doubted it would get any easier.

"I'm really thinking these whelps are a waste of time..." Gage grumbled, watching as Ethan and Nymira tried to fend off the Rökorm. He'd tried to lend a hand by binding it and found it moot, he'd leave it to them then. "We ain't out here to let them kill themselves, and if we leave them to it they're gonna die," he continued, glancing back over his shoulder at Kensen, "You know that right? They're hopeless." He wasn't sure what Taliya was even thinking sending them out against a creature of this caliber, even if they weren't worn down these kids probably still couldn't kill one as hard as they might try to. 

[hr]

"Well... Machina don't really get sick, and they don't really die. They're machines, machines don't die," Norman clarified over the sound of bolts being undone, "They sort of... Shut down. Its kind of like how people sleep when they're sick, rest helps them get better. Machina rest to keep themselves from getting more damaged." That really wasn't the best analogy but he didn't know how else to explain it. Essentially when a Machina sustained damage that could compromise its systems it would power down to prevent anything from happening, until it could be repaired again. There was also the distinct possibility that Cecil's power cell had somehow been damaged in this scuffle of theirs and that was why he wasn't working. Until he got a better look at the damage it would be impossible to say, though regardless of what had been done he was confident he could repair it. 

The workshop was impressive if cluttered, if anyone from a proper shop ever saw this place they'd have a stroke over the violations. Tools were laid out haphazardly over tables and chairs, spare parts littered the floors and walls and containers of grease, oil and various gels lined the shelves. Cecil was not the only Machina in the shop either though the others were much more typical, scarcely human in appearance save for a crude face and physiology. Sticking out like a sore thumb in the back of the room was Cecil, and Norman didn't even need to get close to make a quick assessment. A lot of joints had been damaged and showed signs of wear, the shell and some inner components had been compromised and there was a very good chance his energy cell would need replacing.

"I'd be a lousy excuse for a machinist if I couldn't repair our friend here, don't you worry sport," Norman reassured with a kind smile to Amuné. Crossing the room with her in tow he waved aside the engineers currently looming over Cecil and leaned in for a closer look, his fingers delicately manipulating the scraps of his arms and hands. The gauntlets were largely in one piece save for the corroded shells and his arms appeared to be largely in working order. Excessive joint damage, doubtless plenty of wiring had been ruined in the process, and there was still the matter of his energy cell. There had been something curious about Cecil however the last time he'd worked on the Machina and naturally Norman had to take a second look. Removing the tattered clothing from Cecil's body he peeled back the chest cavity to reveal an intricate series of cogs, wires and various other components within. What he was namely concerned about was a small casing right in the center of the chest where a heart might be, a clear case that held a refined shard of Demacite crystal. Not wholly unusual for a Machina to draw power from Demacite, but that wasn't what had Norman's interest. No, it was the element of the crystal itself, Luminous. Life magic as some called it. 

"Yes... I imagine our friend will be just fine..." Norman muttered as he leaned in further, his brow furrowed as he ran a finger along the casing. A strange chill passed his spine as he touched the container and with a sigh he backed off for the moment, returning his attention instead to the damage on Cecil's outer extremities. "I'm going to need some tinsten polymer for the casings, and we'll need plenty of copper wire to repair the damaged connections in his arms and legs. I'll also need someone to go to the blacksmith here and see about getting us some iron. We don't need much, a few ounces at most, I want to reinforce the joints around the gauntlets and the gauntlets themselves." Inspecting one of the hands he noted the wear on them, the furnish had been scrapped off and in some places bare metal was exposed. Clearly Cecil had used these a fair amount of times before so all the more reason to give him a slight upgrade. "Also see if you can find me a spring, the heavier the better. I want to try and install a compensator for the gauntlets, there's probably a lot of recoil when he fires these."