Rather than attempt to remove the barricade by yourself, you decide to fetch the CivSec Arma to give you a hand. You head back down the tracks towards the rear of the train, finding your fellow AuGArma under attack from a Claw-Tank – a old-fashioned military vehicle, equipped with a heavy turret, a giant ripping pincher, and bristling with gun-ports.
You create a distraction, using your superior speed and agility to outmanoeuvre the tank, whilst the CivSec Arma moves away to deal with the barrier. You take some damage, but manage to buy enough time for the track to be cleared, the train beginning to move away.
Inflicting a crippling blow to the Claw-Tank, you engage your boosters and speed towards the train. The tank prepares to fire one last shell, which could potentially blast the train of the rails. As you zoom alongside the train, you fire a volley of missiles directly at the Claw-Tank's turret. Your aim is good, the missiles knocking the tank onto its side. The enemy vehicle fires into the ground, blowing itself apart.
Grabbing hold of the train and climbing aboard, you find more enemies to deal with – four heavily armed bandits have climbed onto the carriages during the fight. You opt to deal with them through combat rather than sacrifice the end carriages with them on board. The fight is long and tough, the men's weapons inflicting pinpoint damage as they dodge your attacks. You finally manage to strike down the last bandit, securing the safety of the train.
As you ride along in your Arma, standing on top of the speeding train, the driver updates you on the progress of the Battle Contest – you are one of the only three remaining contestants, Reylan also still undefeated. The driver says they'll be heading into Dust City soon – you decide to disembark beforehand and avoid the attention you'll certainly find there.
The train slows, allowing you to jump off onto the ground. You survey your surroundings. Standing on top of a high ridge, you can see Dust City, a small settlement that is only a city in name, spread out on the lower plain. Further along the ridge stands a building – it looks like a communication tower. You decide to take a closer look.
As the bright orange sun begins to rise, you head towards the tower. Although the building is weathered and in disrepair, it still appears to be operational, lights flashing on the veins and spires near its peak. No-one greets you as you approach. Opting to stay within the safety of your CommandCore, you send Ray into the building to see what's inside.
Your small spherical robot enters the building, finding a rubbish-strewn lobby area with two doors: one opposite the entrance and one at the top of a spiral staircase. You tell Ray to check the upper door first – he meekly obeys, floating up towards the door.
Watching through Ray's cam-view, you see a cluttered control room, with a man asleep in front of the command console. Warning Ray not to wake him, you order the robot to check the screen on the console. The screen shows a radar read-out of the area – you spot another unidentified object other than yourself, moving through the plain below – another AuGArma?
You call Ray back, but tell him to check the lower door on his way. The robot finds a storage room, filled with tools and materials, as well as some useful supplies. However, whilst Ray is searching, the door creaks shut behind him. The handle has been torn off – Ray is trapped!
Wasting no time, you jump out of the Ragnarok and run towards the comm tower. Entering the building, you grab a nearby metal pole and begin to pound it against the locked door. After a few vicious strikes, you manage to break the door off its hinges, freeing Ray.
The noise of your smashing and crashing has woken the man in the control room – he stands at the top of the stairs, fingers poised over his pistol holster. You decide to play it cool and engage the man in conversation. He asks why Ray had got himself stuck in the storage room – you lie, telling him that Ray has a malfunction and you were trying to stop him damaging anything. The man buys your story, and grumpily tells you to be on your way.
Making a hasty getaway from the comm tower, you climb back into the CommandCore, turning your attention to the vehicle that the radar had picked up on the plain below. Looking down from the ridge, you see that the vehicle is an Arma – one of your opponents. The pilot hasn't detected you because the Ragnarok was powered down as they passed by.
You launch your 'Scatter Missiles', using the incoming air-strike to inflict a powerful pre-emptive attack. Closing in for combat, you find yourself up against Caleen. The young girl doesn't give in easily, using her 'EMP Blast' attack to stun your Arma, but you eventually smash her bright pink Arma into the ground. You consider your defeated opponent's secondary weapon: is it worth taking if you have to give up your 'Scatter Missiles'?