The Grand Battle [Game Over!]

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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Ring

Aeon entered the bakery and walked up to the counter. In the glass display, there were dozens of breads and pastries, each with enough effort placed into them to be considered a work of art. He looked at them, but otherwise paid little attention to them. That wasn't what he was here for.

Aeon rang the bell. Almost immediately, the baker turned around, and greeted Aeon with a warm smile.

“You're back.” The baker said, simultaneously kneading a fresh piece of dough.

“That I am. Or at least I think I am.” Aeon replied.

“Hm?”

“I should tell you what happened then. I was taken by a being called-“

“The Director?”

Aeon did a take, and looked at the baker, who looked as if nothing was wrong.

“You're not actually home, Aeon.” He returned to the bread, and placed it in the oven.

“So, this is another one of the Director's tricks?”

The baker shrugged, and removed the now-cooked loaf from the oven. “No, I think it's more than that.” He wrapped it in a loose bag, and handed it to Aeon. “Take this, you'll need it. We'll be looking forward when you actually arrive home.”

Aeon took it begrudgingly, and turned to leave the bakery.

“One more thing.” Aeon turned around. “Do the right thing. By the time you get out of here legitimately, you'll be a changed man. And I don't mean improved.”

Aeon said thanks for the advice, and left the bakery. As he walked, he looked back. In the distance he saw Eximo steadily approaching. Aeon broke into a jog, and stopped at an average-looking house. He approached the door, took his adaptive tool—which became an intricate four-sided key—, placed it into the keyhole, and turned. The door opened, and he entered. I find myself savoring every moment of this. It's amazing how a few hours can change a man's perspective on things.

Inside, he made a left, and entered the study. Around him, there could be seen a couple of desks, a rather large bookshelf, some random papers and trinkets, a computer on standby, and a window. Aeon approached the window, and saw the familiar handprints cracking the sill. He looked out at the road, and saw Eximo. Aeon immediately ducked behind the wall. A few seconds later, he heard a yell and a pound. He peeked out the window.

Outside, a burly man threw himself on the vacuum cleaner. Eximo immediately began stabbing the man with its knives, but fortunately for him, he wore armor that covered his shoulders and chest, and was continuous with his large, metal gauntlets, and the knives simply bounced off. The man struggled to stay on top of the machine, but his weight kept them stationary. As they wrestled, the man shouted insults and banters at the vacuum cleaner.

Aeon turned from the window, hoping that Aegis would keep Eximo at bay for the present time. He turned on his computer, and looked at some of the data that it collected during his absence. It completely coincided with his predictions. As he was reading, a hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up, and saw a familiar, but unexpected female figure.

“Typical. You come home after fighting for your life and the first thing you do is check up on that silly experiment of yours.”

Aeon stared at her, speechless. He eyed the silvery ring on her hand, bit his lip, and turned back to the monitor.

“I… suppose this isn't home after all.”

She walked behind him, and leaned on his shoulder.

“You're right. Then that means that you should try to come back home for real, instead of messing around with something you know is useless right now.”

Aeon paused, and placed the computer on standby again. “Okay. What the hell is this place?”

She turned to the window, and watched Aegis wrestle with Eximo. “Well, why don't you piece together the details?”

Aeon placed his hand on his forehead, and began to think out loud. “I got here because it was my goal. But I wasn't thinking about it directly. At the time, I was trying to clear my head. Somehow this triggered this field to turn into a replica of home, people included. Everyone knows about the Director, and about everything that's happened.” Aeon paused. “I can't make heads or tails of it.”

She gave him a friendly slap on the back of the head. “It's your subconscious, silly.”

Aeon turned around, and looked at a bookshelf. In particular, he saw a book entitled The Psychology of Suggestion. Aeon had studied this book thoroughly. He turned back.

“So… my subconscious. Why so… corporeal? I'd think that things would be a bit more abstract.”

“Well, it's a representation of you as a person, isn't it? You've always prided yourself in being rational and concrete, haven't you?”

“Alright, that makes sense. Sort of.” Aeon paused. “So, you represent my rationalism. The baker represents my morality, I think.” He stood up and looked out the window. Aegis seemed to have Eximo under control, until it sprouted an arm and hit him squarely in the eye. “What the hell does he represent?”

“Why don't you find out?” She smiled, and left the room. Aeon followed, and saw that she was nowhere to be found. He sighed, and left the house, walking up to Aegis and Eximo.

“Hey.” He said—Aegis evidently didn't notice him at all.

“What? Oh hey, you're back. We missed y-SON OF A BITCH! Okay, now what were you saying?” he said after pinning Eximo down.

“What are you doing?” Aegis was stabbed again by a knife. He grabbed the skeletal arm, ripped it off, and threw it several feet in away. Eximo sprouted two more.

“I'm doing your job for you, what's what! You should be the one getting stabbed and beaten by a vacuum cleaner!”

“Hey, hold it up for a second. I want to try something.”

After some fumbling, Aegis held Eximo by the sides, and held it up to him. Aeon could see Eximo's wheels, frantically spinning without any avail. He took his adaptive tool, pressed a thick string into it, and held the newly-created string up to the wheels. After a few seconds, Eximo's wheels were completely tangled in the string, and could not move at all. Sensing this, Eximo produced one of the books he found in the Library, and threw it at Aegis, hitting him in the nose. Aegis doubled back, holding his face and dropping Eximo.

“AUGH! I JUST GOT HIT IN THE FACE BY A BOOK! BY A VACUUM CLEANER!”

Eximo, sensing Aeon's presence now that it was not occupied with Aegis, immediately began to attack. An unpleasant clicking sound emanated from its wheels—it was completely immobile.

“I… I think it broke my nose… argh!”

“Preferred method of locomotion has been compromised. Lifeform Aeon is directly in this unit's vicinity, and there is no time to make repairs.” Eximo sprouted eight arms, four of which held knives. The other four hit the floor lifted Eximo up, giving it an alternative method of movement. It was unstable and unaccustomed to this, but it would have to do. Eximo lumbered towards Aeon, knives at hand.