Here plans fell into place.  Johannes had been expecting resistance, which was precisely why he'd had his drone stay on top of the trunk.  It gave him a high vantage point, a spot from which he could strike no matter which way Thomas moved, without sacrificing his own mobility.  The tree, large and devastating though it was, was only step [i]one[/i] of his current attack.

And unlike the last, he would not be giving his opponent the time to act as he wished.

Johannes was already watching for the mage's next move, and the moment the sword came slicing through the trunk near its upper end, he charged, stepping down the length of the fallen tree with surprising deftness.  Thomas had jumped or leaped up to land above the trunk, but it was at the moment he did this that the machine struck again.

Just before it had thrown itself at the tree, it had looked at the sky, and recorded.  Now, just as it had done with the false trees, it projected a hologram.  An image of what it had glimpsed as it looked up.

The sun.

Even the drone's powerful projector could not capture its full blazing glory, but it made a good effort, emitting a blindingly bright light aimed at replicating the captured image directly in front of Thomas's eyes.  This sudden, focused projection would remain trained on the mage, rendering him effectively blind for the next few moments.  Even after that, it would likely have consequences for his vision, but at this stage, it was doubtful that the mage would last that long.

Using the last of the steam in his right arm to help propel himself forwards, Johannes rushed at his target, ducking low to avoid a series of gunshots.  With his opponent blinded (and not being that great of a marksman in the first place), it was unlikely that so much as a single shot would hit him- but even if one or two did, his raised left arm and torso were heavily armored enough to simply take the hits, suffering no more than a minor dent or two.  

And with that, he'd close the distance.  His charge at the tree had already brought him close to his target, and with the drone's powerful legs, it would only take him a few steps until he was within reach.

Fast as he was, Thomas's attempt at a flip was evidence of his lack of combat training.  As an evasive maneuver, it certainly [i]looked[/i] fancy, but it was an inefficient means of gaining distance, and it also left the user in midair, unable to dodge.  Assuming the blinded mage could even manage such a maneuver, it wasn't going to gain him much distance against the machine, which had momentum on its side now.  With sight momentarily taken out by having the light of the sun projected directly into his eyeballs, it would be all but impossible for Thomas to avoid or block the subsequent attack in time.

Johannes's left arm reached out, and grabbed his throat.

It wasn't the most lethal move the engineer could have made, but he wasn't aiming to kill the mage, not if he could help it.  This did not mean, however, that it was merciful.  The machine's grip was literally iron, its immense strength working to squeeze Thomas's neck hard enough that the man would barely be able to breathe.  The mage certainly wouldn't be able to chant any spells, with his windpipe thus constricted, and once the drone had its fingers in place, it wasn't letting go.

The drone was already recharging its right arm, in case of an unexpected evasion.  At this point, however, the mage was rapidly running out of options.