The Grand Battle [Game Over!]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Eximo had freed itself from Aegis' grip too soon. Aeon had barely had a chance to run. Eximo grabbed Aeon's ankle with one of its impromptu "legs", tripping him. It then readied its knife-arms to stab him.

But moments before the knives would have stabbed Aeon, the machine hesitated.

Konka Rar appeared beside it once more.

"What are you waiting for, you useless machine?" the image shouted at Eximo. "He is helpless! Destroy him now!"

The lich was interrupted as Aegis punched him in the head from behind.

"Shut it, freak!" the large man shouted as he continued pummeling Konka Rar. After the initial surprise had worn off, though, the lich grabbed him by the neck with his mechanical left arm, and hoisted him off the ground.

"This is the best you can do, Aeon Ferrous? I'm disappointed. With the capability you've shown in this contest, I would think you could come up with something more... imaginative than sending this brute after me." Rar threw Aegis halfway across town, and turned back to Aeon and Eximo. The knives, though they stayed still, were so close that Aeon was afraid to move.

"You can end this now, Eximo. You can prove your worth to your master by destroying this weakling. Why do you hesitate? You have killed before, after all."

As if on cue, Nathan appeared a short distance away. There was the sound of a gunshot, and the image of Nathan tumbled to the ground, dead...

One of Eximo's knife arms moved slightly. It looked like the machine was about to make its choice, and Aeon didn't want to stick around to find out what the choice would be. He would have to move quickly - but also carefully, considering the proximity of the knives.