The Grand Battle [Game Over!]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Aeon tried to run back out the door, but Emily cast a barrier spell, sealing it off.

"You can't run away from this, Aeon," she said. Before he could respond, Nathan suddenly lunged at him with his knife. Aeon parried with his tool, but had little room to maneuver around it.

"You bastard!" Nathan screamed. "It's thanks to you that demon possessed me. It's thanks to you that I'm dead!"

Alcarith fired on Aeon as he tried to think of a response again. "You left me to die!" she screamed. He barely got out of the way of the bullets, unable to collect his thoughts.

Desperate, Aeon pushed Nathan aside, and ran towards the refrigerator. He opened it, looking for something he could use with his adaptive tool.

Much to his surprise, he found a familiar-looking bomb beside a carton of milk.

"What's wrong, Aeon?" Alcarith taunted him. "Afraid to use it again?"

***

"You see, Eximo," Amethyst explained, "you still fundamentally distrust Aeon for his willingness to sacrifice Alcarith. Focusing on that distrust affects the image of Alcarith, as well as Nathan and Emily, who are the most aware of Aeon's role in her death."

The vacuum cleaner did not respond. It had remained unmoving for several minutes, not even making an effort to break out of the binding spell.

"And because Aeon himself feels guilt for that decision," she continued, "his subconscious strengthens their hostility, now that you have forced him to confront it. Furthermore, I believe he also feels guilt for what happened to Nathan, and to a lesser extent, Emily. Those feelings are now dominant."

Konka Rar looked thoughtful. "An interesting tactic. Yet, I still do not understand why you proposed it. It only seems to further my ends."

"Your ends are irrelevant to me," she replied. "I am doing what is best for Eximo."

The bathroom stood silent. Finally, the vacuum cleaner whirred to life, breaking free of the ground.

"This is not acceptable," it said.

"What?" Konka Rar screamed. "Aeon is outnumbered three-to-one, and at the mercy of his own fears. Are you seeking to rebel yet again?"

"This unit has been ordered to destroy the other contestants," Eximo replied calmly. "In order to comply with this order, this unit must destroy Aeon before the images can."

Readying its knives, Eximo smashed through the bathroom door. Konka Rar laughed and vanished.

Amethyst remained, smirking.

"Good luck, Eximo," she said to no one in particular.