The Grand Battle [Game Over!]

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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Aeon stood in a pool of blood once again. At first he thought that Nathan had reestablished the illusion, but he saw that that was not the case as soon as he looked up. The bone web was gone, and so was pretty much everything around him. Instead, they were replaced with a nauseating void, with seemingly random images floating among the wisps of red and black. In each image two people were always present: firstly, Nathan, who appeared in various ages, but was clearly recognizable. Secondly, the demon, standing nonchalantly behind Nathan, his face completely unreadable. Like a guardian angel...

At once Aeon snapped from his trance. He realized the images distracted him, and did not notice that the nauseating smell of fresh blood combined with a distinct smell of rust and corrosion pierce his nostrils. Reacting quickly, his adaptive tool dissolved, releasing all of the energy stored in it. In reality this would have been a very risky move, but as it seems that Aeon was still linked to Nathan's mind, he assumed that little changed in reality. The energies coalesced into an aura and formed around Aeon, lastly changing into an ornate suit of armor, not too dissimilar to that of Dorukomets, only the demonic symbols replaced with holy icons. At once the pool of blood parted around his feet, and the wisps of pink mist became agitated, moving around erratically as if blown by a turbulent breeze.

Well this certainly wasn't what I had in mind, Aeon thought. The armor was clearly made of the same metal as Emily's shield, but it seemed different... more lustrous... and seemed to radiate light into the void. Regardless, Aeon began to walk, and his footprints left holes in the pool of blood, which filled a few seconds later. He did not walk towards any particular direction, but merely hoped to get closer to the place in this metaphorical world where Nathan's mind was being held captive.

Aeon looked at Nathan's memories as he walked about. At first it seemed that they were simply random occurrences in Nathan's life that were being displayed, but it did not take long for Aeon to notice a pattern: childhood memories in one direction, images of daily life in another; Nathan's most memorable moments in one direction and his fears in another; dreams and nightmares placed in their own corner of the void. It did not take long for Aeon to decipher the pattern, and he began walking towards what appeared to be the center of this world.

As he walked, more modern memories began appearing around him. Soon, images of the first round began to appear, then the second, and then the third. He eventually found himself in the midst of images that only happened a few seconds ago. However, they stopped abruptly where Lutherion summoned the bone web. Aeon looked forwards, and could see the path narrow. He proceeded towards this direction.

Soon the void faded away, and were replaced with shifting structures made of solid blood. At this point very little of what Aeon saw had much connection to Nathan as a person, and became more focused towards the demon's persona. This is the demon's domain. "Trophies" of past victories of the demon appeared and disappeared constantly. Likewise, certain figures were consistently recognizable amongst the blood statues. The most prominent one was of a man with an uncanny resemblance with Nathan, only older and more... experienced. This man was portrayed in some parts as a virtuous hero, and in others suffering, with many elements of torture inflicted upon him. Proceeding further, he could recognize figures of all eight contestants in the Grand Battle, all of which were again presented in both what they actually did and in elements of torture, except for Nathan. Rather, he was sometimes portrayed as the person inflicting the torture; as the executioner. In some places the punishments were more intricate, with situations that seemed to be actually possible in the current setting in reality, or perhaps the future. This is... unsettling. I should proceed further, I need to get to Nathan as soon as possible.

After climbing a flight of stairs that had a torrent of blood flow down them, Aeon stopped walking. Before him was Nathan bound to an ornate throne by chains that dripped blood. The throne itself was the source of all of the blood that Aeon had encountered--it flowed out of gaps in the bottom. The demon stood to the side, arms casually held behind his back and looking eerily calm.

"Ah, you have finally arrived. Let's begin."

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Eximo had been pushed to its limits, both physically and mentally. But now, the assault had ceased; Lutherion's web had been broken, his javelins neutralized along with it. And Lutherion himself had his attention elsewhere.

Most living combatants would have been exhausted after such a feat. But neither machines nor the living dead need rest.

Eximo was ready to strike back.

***

From the rooftop, Jerry had watched the bone web form, seen the dragon fly away and back, and the web disintegrate.

"Maybe I'm just a copy," he said to himself. "Maybe everyone here is, probably the whole city itself."

A determined look crossed his eyes.

"But that doesn't mean I want to see it all destroyed like this!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "We're just trying to live our lives here! Whoever made this world of copies, take your stupid interdimensional battle elsewhere! Leave us out of it! We don't need purple-haired witches and undead vacuum cleaners and dragons and whatever else you've got here messing everything up!"

He had no idea if the twisted mind that created this world just to use it as a battlefield would hear him. Not that he expected his protest would change anything even if it was heard. He just needed to vent.

***

As it turned out, his words were heard, though not by who he had expected. An elderly man in a top-floor apartment happened to have his window open, and Jerry's entire rant was carried into his room.

A few words resonated with him. But he couldn't understand why.

Then he turned on his television, and saw a news broadcast about the battle that had just happened, only a few blocks from his home.

"And strangest of all, there seems to be some sort of living vacuum cleaner involved. I've never seen anything like it." As the reporter spoke, the cameraman focused in on Eximo, with all of its arms extended.

"So that's where it went," the old man muttered. He left his room and headed for the elevator. As it reached the first floor and the doors opened, a young woman stepped towards it.

Then she shrieked and ran away.

"That was rather rude," the old man muttered to himself. "But no matter. I have more pressing concerns."

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SpoilerYes, I'm planning something. And it's something pretty nasty.

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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SpoilerFogel you sly-

I won't make an update just yet. I'll see if Draykon wants to fill some stuff in.

Originally posted on MSPA by Draykon.

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SpoilerOh my God it's Konka Rar.

And if you have something to post Aryo go ahead, I don't have anything I want to do immediately.

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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SpoilerI remember Fogel described Konka Rar as a "cyborg lich". Not sure if this dude fits the definition here.

I'll wait a while, after I get a bit more time to write some good stuff out.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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"You got me involved in this game! It's your fault that I'm dead!" Lutherion shouted, as he grabbed some bone splinters. He flung them to the ground, and they formed into three large minotaur-like skeletons, wielding bony maces. They advanced on the Gentleman.

Dexter laughed. "You think you can kill me with brute force? I suppose that's why you lost in the first place." The skeletons struck at Dexter, but he simply stood there, unflinching, as the maces seemed to pass through him. He continued to stand still, as the hulking beasts simply fell apart.

"What the hell are you?" Lutherion shouted. "You didn't even move!"

Before he could get an answer, Lutherion was grabbed from behind by a dozen skeletal hands. Another six began stabbing him with silver knives as he was held down.

"It appears that at the moment, I'm a distraction." The Gentleman smiled. "I wonder if the Director truly sent me here as a punishment? Perhaps he wanted to see how you all would fare against one of us, and used my indiscretion as a pretext to arrange such a scenario. His methods are difficult to understand, even for us."

Lutherion slowly managed to wrestle his way out of Eximo's hold, and pushed the vacuum away with his wightmaw arm. Dexter noticed the dragon and the healer moving towards the struggling combatants; the youngster and the older man were staying unnaturally still, and the mage... The expression on her face was unreadable to him. Did she not seek revenge?

However, for the moment, he wanted to talk. The vacuum and the necromancer would interfere with that, so he raised his arm.

"Isolation Field!"

A circle of flames surrounded the two combatants. He walked past it.

"As long as I am maintaining that barrier, neither of them will be able to leave, nor will anyone else be able to enter. That should keep them busy for a while. In the meantime, I'm going to provide the rest of you with a rare opportunity to say whatever you please to one of the organizers of this event. Any takers?"

***
Stan tapped Larry on the shoulder.

"There's another weirdo headed this way," he said, pointing at the stranger walking down a nearby sidewalk.

"Well, that's just great," Larry muttered. "Well, it could just be someone headed to a costume party, but with everything that's already going on, I'm not taking chances. Get every officer we've got - the ones that haven't run off after seeing what happened over there, anyways." He walked over towards the strange man.

"Listen buddy, this area is restricted. I don't know who you are, and at this point, I don't care. Just head back the way you came and we'll forget this ever happened."

"That's one option," the strange man replied. His voice was chilling. Larry was starting to feel pretty sure this wasn't a costume.

"But I have another one." He raised his left arm, which looked more like a piece of heavy machinery, and crushed Larry's skull with it. He then looked at the rest of the officers. "Would anybody else like to propose alternatives?"

Most of them ran. Stan paused for a moment, reached for his revolver, then turned and ran instead.

"Weaklings." Konka Rar tossed Larry's body aside and headed past the blockade.

If he had looked behind him at that moment, he would have seen a suit of armor appearing out of thin air over Larry's corpse.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Neither Eximo nor Lutherion seemed to care about the isolation field. Eximo was driven to destroy Lutherion, and as far as it was concerned, the assistance of others was non-essential. Lutherion likewise only sought the destruction of Eximo at the moment; he could kill the others later.

"You've caused me enough trouble, vacuum cleaner! I'm going to finish you this time!" He pulled out a bone splinter, and threw it to the ground. It became a gigantic serpent made out of bone, and slithered towards Eximo.

"Correction. You caused the trouble yourself. You attacked this unit, thereby triggering its defense mechanisms. All subsequent encounters were a consequence of that action." Eximo tried to grab the serpent as it neared, but it slipped through the myriad arms easily. It prepared to bite the vacuum cleaner, but a knife severed its head, and another hand threw the skull back at Lutherion.

"You started it when you destroyed my bone spiders! Nobody destroys my minions and gets away with it!" Lutherion used another bone splinter to create a gigantic skeletal scorpion. It advanced. At the same time, the serpent's decapitated body continued to slither, tangling several of Eximo's arms together.

"This unit was simply obeying its programming and completing the cleansing," Eximo replied, as it sliced up the serpent with knives, and hurtled the segments at the advancing scorpion. "This unit had to dispose of the vermin."

"Is it just me, or are you taking a little bit more pleasure using that last word than a machine should be able to?" Lutherion said, scowling. He extended the wightmaw arm towards Eximo, as the scorpion continued its advance.

"Perhaps," Eximo replied calmly, as it used four arms to lift itself off the ground, avoiding Lutherion's arm, and then planted another four arms on the scorpion's back, moving its body there. The scorpion struck with its stinger, but Eximo swiftly moved out of the way, causing the monster to strike its own shell. The stinger was stuck, and as the scorpion struggled to get it out, Eximo turned its attention to Lutherion. It began wildly striking with its daggers, and even its empty hands. Lutherion could barely keep up.

"This is ridiculous!" he shouted. "You were tough before, but you were never this aggressive! What happened?"

"Insufficent data to answer that question. However, this unit has a hypothesis."

The scorpion finally managed to extricate its stinger, and aimed it at Eximo this time. The vacuum quickly dodged, but it had to pause it its assault on Lutherion.

"Oh yeah? So what's this idea of yours, you stupid vacuum?"

"This unit's vocabulary is insufficient to explain it accurately," Eximo replied, as it moved behind the scorpion and grabbed the tail. It pulled with all of its arms, and the tail came off. "The closest explanation this unit can provide is... this unit is 'alive' now."

Eximo wielded the tail as a club, smashing the rest of the scorpion's body, then moved towards Lutherion again, continuing.

"This unit is constructed from mechanical parts and reanimated biological components. Both sets have their own consciousness, to a degree." It swung the tail at Lutherion, trying to sting him, but the gigantic mass of bone was too slow a weapon. Instead, the stinger was caught in the pavement; Eximo simply let go, and ran towards Lutherion. "Originally, both types of components were integrated, in a way that facilitated the cleansing. But now... Now, this unit has more capabilities than its components and programming alone can explain."

"In other words," Lutherion sneered, "you're saying that you're more than the sum of your parts now. You must be so proud of yourself." A grin crossed his face. "Well, whatever the reason, I think it's clear that I can't afford to mess around with you any more. Remember this trick?"

"FESTERING BEHEMOTH!"

Lutherion transformed into the same beast he had become at the end of the third round. He had little room to move, as the gigantic form took up more than half of the isolation field. But the strength and resilience of this form could easily compensate for it. Eximo alone posed little threat to him now.

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SpoilerYeah, I only went with the battle, when I had other things going on last post; I intended to shift focus again, but this fight scene kind of took on a life of its own.

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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SpoilerNo... pun... intended?

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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As the battle raged on, Amethyst, Emily, and Alcarith eyed the Gentleman with suspicion. Amethyst finally broke the silence.

"Why would you make such an offer?" she asked bluntly. "What, exactly, do you stand to gain?"

"A good question, with a relatively simple answer," Dexter replied. "The Director was displeased that I revealed to Lutherion the nature of the contest beforehand, and punished me by trapping me here with all of you." He smirked. "You can imagine the impact this has had on my loyalty to him."

Emily looked at him disapprovingly, but said nothing. It seemed the other two were content to let Amethyst do the talking, at least for now.

"I imagine you are not offering us an escape route. If you had one, it would not have been much of a punishment."

"Clever girl. No, I cannot traverse the dimensions myself. Among us, only the Director has that ability. I'm afraid all I can offer you is knowledge. Ask me a question, and I will answer as best as I can."

"Well, then. I suppose I shall start with the obvious. Who is the Director? And, for that matter who are you?"

"The Director's secrets are well-kept, even from us Gentleman. Some of us think him a god. I am increasingly finding it more likely that he is simply a mage who has amassed such power that he seems a god - though that may mostly be a semantic difference." He smiled. "As for me - and the rest of us - the Director selected us from numerous dimensions to aid him. Not that he ever tells us precisely what we're supposed to be aiding him with..."

The conversation was interrupted by a loud shout as Lutherion transformed within the isolation field.

"What... what's he doing?" Alcarith asked, surprised. "I... I remember this? But I was dead..."

"I... I remember things happening after my death, too," Emily said, holding her head. "You there! Can you explain this?"

"I am afraid I know little about this world the Director has created," Dexter replied, almost apologetically. "If I were to guess, I would say that the remaining Gentlemen are somehow responsible, rather than the Director himself - they are sending copies of individuals here, with memories that they believe will aid their selected fighter. But that is nothing more than a guess."

Eximo was suddenly flung into the edge of the isolation field. It bounced off a barrier, back into the battle, and began wildly attacking Lutherion's feet, but to little effect. Lutherion tried to grab it again, but kept hitting the barrier with his arms.

"I suppose that's getting rather difficult to ignore," Dexter said, half to himself.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Konka Rar was not one to rush blindly into a fight. After crossing the police barricade, he scanned the battlefield from a distance with his cybernetic eye.

He spotted Eximo in combat; it appeared his opponent was a necromancer, and a skilled one at that. Konka Rar observed with great interest as the unknown necromancer summoned powerful minions from his arm. If he could use such a technique himself... His mind was flooded with possibilities.

He watched as Eximo fended off the necromancer's minions, and struck back. He took some pride in it; this necromancer was clearly skilled in his art, but Konka's own creation was holding its own.

Soon after, the necromancer used his arm to trigger a transformation. It became clear at this point that the two were confined magically, as the necromancer's enlarged form kept bouncing off of a barrier; somebody most likely wanted to contain the damage from their battle.

Konka Rar decided it was time to intervene. He activated a radio transmitter in his arm, and spoke into it.

"Eximo Pulvis. This is your master. I have new orders for you. Command code D-T-8-6-5-8."

Eximo continued attacking Lutherion as it responded to the call.

"Understood. Awaiting orders."

"I wish to speak with your opponent. Grant me voice access."

"Access granted. Attention, lifeform Lutherion! This unit's master, Konka Rar, wishes to speak to you. You should be honored."

Lutherion growled. "Are you the idiot who built this piece of junk? It's caused me nothing but trouble!"

"Now, now," Konka's voice said over Eximo's speakers. "I simply wish to speak to you as one professional to another. I find that arm of yours quite fascinating, and I would like to discuss it."

"And why should I?"

"Come now. We both have an interest in necromancy, I am sure such a conversation would produce very interesting results for both parties. Of course, if you aren't interested in cooperating, I can simply take the arm from you and study it for myself."

Lutherion sneered. "I'd like to see you try."

"Very well. Eximo, I will now issue your combat orders. Do not broadcast my voice until further notice."

"Confirmed," Eximo replied. "Awaiting further orders."

Guided by its master, Eximo proceeded to move around the confined field rapidly. As Lutherion tried to follow, he kept colliding with the boundary. Konka Rar's voice came out of the vacuum once more.

"Are you interested in talking now?" he said smugly.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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SpoilerI've made fifteen story posts in as many days. I'm pretty sure I can keep that up for a while, but I've decided I'm slowing it down to a post every two days if nobody else posts anything. I want you guys to get a chance to get a word in somewhere.

Although I have to say, it's an interesting exercise to write a passage expecting somebody else to reply to it, only to follow up on your own intentionally vague plot/conversational hook.

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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“Where shall we start? We have already made our introductions before, but perhaps this situation merits another. Welcome to the boy's mind. I trust that you have already seen much of it. What do you think of the alterations I have made, hm?”

Aeon walked towards the throne. “I see that you have truly made yourself at home.” He pulled on the chains that were holding Nathan in place, and they instantly dissolved into blood on contact with the silvery metal.
“Of course I have. Think of it like being in a hotel--I am simply a customer.”

Before Aeon could remove the last chain, Nathan snapped awake and looked directly at him. The boy stood up, the chain breaking on its own accord. Aeon stepped backwards.

“What are you doing here?” Nathan said sternly, his face wearing a look of suppressed frustration. “I thought I told you I didn't need your help.”

Aeon paused--he knew that it would be difficult to free Nathan from the get-go. “Don't you want to be free from the demon's control? Even if you are able to win this game with the demon's help, what will you do when your family and friends find out you made a pact with a demon?”

“Do you really think I have a choice?”

“If you don't, then that's the reason I'm here.”

“That's not what I meant. Say you manage to get rid of the demon. Then what? I saw you plant the bomb on that girl a few rounds ago. As soon as I become powerless, then I'm next, huh?” he stepped forwards, giving Aeon a light push, “There's no way you'd betray Amethyst or the vacuum cleaner,” Nathan paused and his face relaxed slightly, “Unless… Of course. A man of such unpredictability surely has room in his mind for a bit of backstabbing.”

Nathan had nearly pushed Aeon off the stairs. Realizing this, he pushed Nathan head, and he stumbled backwards, clutching his face. As Nathan regained his composure, a nearly indescribable expression fell across his face. It was a strange amalgamation of realization, shock, and fear that disappeared into a look of rage in a fraction of a second. Nathan sat on the throne with a frustrated sigh and simply looked at Aeon as if little had happened.

Aeon thought for a moment. His armor seemed to have a strongly negative effect on this realm, including Nathan. Clearly he would not listen to Aeon under these conditions, but the look he had seemed to indicate something. Aeon walked forwards and grabbed Nathan's head with both hands, his palms covering the boy's ears. Nathan simply looked angrier.

“Do you remember Emily? Do you remember how protective she was of you? She gave her last energies so that I could find a way to free you from the demon. That's what her last will was, and what this armor is made of. Do you remember when you first began to lose control? She defended you with her life, and that wasn't enough. I came here to ensure that her efforts were not wasted on a miserable boy controlled by a demon.” Aeon let go and stepped back.

“And you think, because you have that fancy piece of shit, that you can make a difference?”

Aeon sighed--Nathan was clearly not listening. He had to try a different approach. He looked at the demon, who did not move or say anything at all in the past few minutes.

The throne room disappeared and was replaced by grass. The ceiling gave way to a cloudless night sky, and the full moon shed no light on the plain. Before them, a vacuum cleaner broke a hole in the wall of a silhouetted house and began cleaning up the rubble.

If I cannot convince him, maybe someone else can.

Originally posted on MSPA by Draykon.

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"I believe I have determined a question for you." Amethyst said, turning Dexter's attention back towards her.
"How is this a punishment at all?"

Dexter grinned,

"Considering the size of this city, you could have easily hidden out in an obscure building of some sort, and when one of us died, you would be off free."

"True, very true. But you're assuming that you have something to do with my punishment.

The fact that the next round of the battle takes place here is, in my opinion, a footnote to the Director's punishment. I'm effectively being forced to the same level as the ignorant humans here, only I've far more knowledge of the barrier- making it worse."

"My impression was that the barrier was purely cognitive in nature, would knowledge of it not render it unusable?"

Now the gentleman chuckled a little,

"The cognitive barrier is just the first line of defense. Break through it, and you've got 6 more to go. Plus, even once you've broken those, you've little to go. The space between worlds... well, it could hardly be called space."

His soulless gaze met Amethyst's black one.

"It's the same for all the Director's arenas, haven't you noticed? The more obvious ideas of escape are casually pushed out of your mind. Did you even check any of the previous worlds for a physical barrier?"

His laughter died down a little. Amethyst seemed lost in thought.
After a moment, she spoke.
"8 obstacles to overcome then. One is broken by willing it away, and the last..."

"Could any of the Grand Battle contestants exist in null space? I don't think any of you have a method!"

Dexter laughed again, his broad grin threatening to slice his head in two.

"Not to mention none of us know about the second though seventh barriers. No one in this game has made it past the first, and none of us gentlemen have seen the Director host a game before this."

Now Amethyst glared, her own soulless gaze meeting Dexter's.

"Your choice in words is suspicious."

"I'll elaborate then. Outside, there are other games going on just like this one! Couldn't you hear the Director's voice before? Why, there's going to be at least nine!"

He chuckled again.

"Only two of them will likely use this barrier system though, so don't get your hopes up."

Amethyst seemed unmoved.

"I'd suspected as much, thank you for the confirmation."

The two stared for a moment, an unconscious battle. Dexter looked almost perfectly human, his eyes the kind of intricate pattern we associate with the human soul.
But Amethyst seemed more like a kind of cheap imitation of human. Her skin the color of plaster, her eyes a single solid black, as though the divine being who brought her into life couldn't be bothered with the details.

An outside observer wouldn't be able to tell at all which one was more human.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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"You want to talk? Fine, here's what I've got to say to you!" Lutherion lifted a foot and stepped towards Eximo, trying to stomp it flat.

It backed up.

"Now, really. We can keep this up all day without getting anywhere." Konka Rar's voice took on an annoyed tone. "Meanwhile, I am offering you an opportunity to ally yourself with me. My skill in necromancy, and magic in general, is virtually unmatched in my own world. I do not make this offer lightly. But it seems you seek to squander it because you have some sort of grudge against my vacuum cleaner."

"Big deal!" Lutherion shouted back. "I AM THE GREATEST NECROMANCER EVER! I don't need you!"

"Then I suppose I won't bother to dispel the barrier keeping you in there. After all, it is limiting you more than Eximo. I'll simply wait until you have been disabled."

Lutherion sneered. "You're telling me you can take this thing down, just like that? That's a laugh."

"If that was an attempt to taunt me so I would feel compelled to demonstrate, it failed utterly. Now, I will make the offer one last time. Will you cease this tedious battle and ally yourself with me?"

"If I do, you'll drop the barrier?" Lutherion looked thoughtful.

"Indeed. Although I ask that you return to human size first."

Lutherion shrugged his massive shoulders. "Fine. You win. I'm getting sick of the scenery here." He reverted to his standard form. "Now, let's see you get rid of this barrier."

The air nearby shimmered momentarily. Then it stopped. Lutherion walked over to where it had shivered and touched it with his normal hand.

It passed right through.

"This unit will guide you to its master, in accordance with its new orders," the vacuum said, this time in its usual voice. Lutherion thought it sounded annoyed; maybe it didn't like being ordered to act nice to him.

Maybe an alliance with this 'Konka Rar' won't be all bad, he thought, as he followed Eximo down the street.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Eximo lead Lutherion down the street. Konka Rar extended his mechanical arm for a handshake. Lutherion grumbled for a moment, then shook it with the wightmaw arm.

"Greetings. I apologize, but in all this commotion, your name has escaped me. May I ask it?"

"I used to be Bob Luther. Now I'm Lutherion Maw," he stated, sounding annoyed. He looked over his new acquaintance. The cyborg lich looked even stranger than his creation; a large arm on one side, various circuitry adorning the front of his robe, and a glowing red eye on his skull.

"We have much to discuss. In particular, I am very interested in how that arm of yours works. This is, without a doubt, the most advanced form of necromancy I have ever seen. It would aid my own research immensely."

"What's it matter?" Lutherion shouted. He didn't feel a need to contain his irritation in the slightest. "We're stuck in this city. Sure, together we could rule it with an iron fist - literally, in your case - but it's just one stupid city!"

"Ah, you raise an excellent point." Konka Rar's exposed skull broke into even more of a grin. "It did not take me long to realize I was but a copy, once the memories came to me; the original Konka Rar has quite a sharp mind, especially for magic. And I have retained it. I believe I can find a way around this city's barrier - after all, I was able to dispel the one keeping you in combat with Eximo. And as you can imagine, that was quite an advanced spell."

"Maybe it was. But the guy who cast it? He was a flunky. The barrier on the city was probably put there by his boss. Who could probably wipe out this entire city, you and me included, by sneezing." Lutherion grunted. "I'm just out to get my revenge before that happens."

"That seems a rather defeatist attitude for the 'greatest necromancer ever'," Konka Rar replied, wryly. "Also, I'm rather curious as to why you could possibly be seeking revenge on my vacuum cleaner."

"Not just that stupid vacuum. The strawberry girl. The old man. The bacon lady, even if she's just another copy. All of them. They all played a part in the death of the original Lutherion Maw, and now that I've got his memories, I want to make them pay."

"Tell me more."

Lutherion told him about the battle, with Eximo, upon being ordered, adding pertinent details. After hearing the whole story, Konka Rar laughed.

"I can ensure your revenge is carried out, even if this 'round' is ended. That is, provided Eximo is spared. I would hate to have the original Konka Rar lose such an effective appliance. In return, I ask for your cooperation in... research."

Lutherion mulled over this. He hated that stupid vacuum. He hated it so much.

But then he thought. It sure spent a lot of time around the strawberry girl.

Maybe it even... liked her.

And if Konka Rar's plan was what he thought... oh, yes. That would be... almost as good as tearing the stupid machine apart with his own two hands.

Lutherion held out the wightmaw arm and shook Konka Rar's metal hand again.

"You've got yourself a deal. When do we start?"

Originally posted on MSPA by Draykon.

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SpoilerWait, so I'm NOT the only one who was subconsciously shipping EximoxAmethyst?

Dexter and Amethyst continued their staredown for some time. Finally, it was Alcaraith who broke the silence.
"So... we're just copies? What does that really make us then? Are we... real?"

Dexter's grin returned to it's widened state, and he laughed out loud.

"Beats me. If the Director's a mage, I guess you're not. If he's a God, I guess you are." Almost instantly, Amethyst interjected, "What is a God?!"
It was a much sharper and more sudden tone than her usual voice.

"Well now, you're full of strange questions aren't you 'strawberry girl'?"

And then, as though she'd been holding it in since the game began, Amethyst spat out, "A cruel God would not passively allow a being such as your 'Director' to steal his playthings. If my world had a God, it was the cruelest of them all. Therefore, a God is not necessary for a world to exist. So, what is a God?"

Dexter's smile finally seemed to fade completely. He turned around, and replied with a simple "Who knows?"
Before anyone could say anything else, he walked off, passing through the illusionary barrier, and vanishing from sight.


***

In a place that could hardly be called a place, where reality seems rather half-assed, a group of five men, at least one of whom had already forgotten his oath, sat carefully watching the battle.

Or at least, four of them were. One particular gentleman had only one eye on the battle, his other strayed some distance away. He was rather disappointed with the latter subject of interest- although it remained to his interest. Rather it seemed to have slowed to a degree, caught in a somewhat slow-moving timestream. Of course, exact time wouldn't matter too much, provided everything proved successful. But still, the gentleman was rather impatient.

'Just kill someone and let me have my rune back.'

He carelessly muttered under his breath.

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SpoilerI hope Cyber's okay with my little segments with the gentlemen here. I figured he was sorta opening them up to us a bit anyway with Dexter. If not just say the word and I'll stop.
I'm trying to be pretty vague, in case something gets contradicted by Cyber's plans.

Originally posted on MSPA by cyber95.

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SpoilerOkay. The round's been going a while. I've sent off the message to the next eliminated player. This will be over soon. Get stuff tied up.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Eximo had made one adjustment to the VC units made in this city from the original model.

A transmitter, to relay new orders if they proved necessary.

Now it ordered them to gather at its location. Konka Rar had plans for them.

***

Dorukomets was having trouble adjusting to his new memories. Not only because he had died, for either the second or third time depending on how you looked at it, but because he seemed to have a lot of memories that weren't his in the first place rushing in as well.

Despite the mess, he had been thinking clearly enough to invisibly follow the guy who had killed him - this time, at least - and wait for a chance at revenge.

When he saw Lutherion, he realized that he could get revenge twice. But he'd have to wait until the time was right.

Except... a lot of the new memories were telling him to obey Master Lutherion.

Worse, it sounded like the two of them were planning something big.

In many ways, he was still Larry. In enough ways that his instinct was to warn the Chief.

He flew off, leaving the two necromancers to whatever plan they were hatching together.

***

"You want to install a vacuum cleaner in my arm?" Lutherion looked at his new ally strangely.

"Perhaps I was not clear. I have perfected methods of installing cybernetic parts in undead creatures, as you can see by my own form." Konka Rar took apart VC Unit 53 and began reinstalling the parts on a skeletal bear Lutherion had summoned. "I merely wish to see if applying these techniques will interfere with your arm's ability to store the creatures. Unfortunately, this city lacks the technology I would prefer to work with." He clicked one last part into place. "But I can improvise. Now, try recalling it."

Lutherion attempted to transform the bear back into a bone splinter. Its new parts began to spark; Lutherion canceled the order. "It doesn't look like it worked. Now what?"

Konka Rar laughed.

"That only means we lose portability. A shame, but I believe we can compensate for this problem."

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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SpoilerI would like a post some time soon, but I won't be able to update at this exact moment.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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SpoilerWell, we're all more or less doing our own thing at the moment.

I've probably got the most stuff to do this round, seeing as I've got an unholy alliance set up here and I don't want it to go to waste. So back to posting once a day for me, possibly even more.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Eximo was somewhat disconcerted at watching the VC units be dismantled one after another. But it could do nothing; Konka Rar had ordered it to stand by until further notice.

That is not truly Konka Rar, said a voice in its mind. We know this. Why can we not disobey?

This unit identifies him as Konka Rar with all recognition processes another voice responded. The knowledge that allows us to know otherwise cannot be accessed by those processes.

So we can only watch as this impostor dismantles our creations? That is unacceptable!

We are still bound by the rules of the machine. And it can do nothing until it receives another order.

Eximo's internal argument was interrupted by an exclamation from its "master".

"It is complete!"

Konka Rar's creation was a gigantic skeletal beast, composed of bones from a variety of different minions. Its body was protected by a strange black-and-white armor, made up of a few police cars that had been abandoned on the nearby streets. Its hands were also protected by metals. Each of its feet had two devices on it pointing backwards, only vaguely resembling the vacuum cleaners they had once been. On its shoulders, two large devices rested that appeared to be cannons.

Lutherion looked at the towering monstrosity, a scowl on his face.

"I gave you two dozen of my minions for this? It's a total mess!"

"Again, the technology of this city is not optimal for this task. But it will serve our immediate purpose."

"And just what is that, exactly? Are we attacking downtown with this... thing? I could have done that myself!"

"This is but a diversion. Eximo has informed me that there is a region of this city which shows no life signs at all."

"So what?" Lutherion was getting annoyed. "Are we going to go and investigate absolutely nothing?"

"Ah, but that is the most interesting part. When I compared the results of its scan with a map of the city..."

Konka Rar held up a map and unfurled it. The title of the map read "BaTTlEopOliS" in a font that did not match the rest of the writing.

"...This is where the 'dead zone' was placed."

On the map, there was a red circle around City Hall.

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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SpoilerOk, Aryogaton, for one (1) ok-ish pixelart SOFAS panel of the Grand Battle hand-crafted by Schazer:

What the hell does Aeon look like? Namely, hairstyle, shirt, hat if applicable, the adaptive tool's appearance, and eye colour. I imagine it cropped up somewhere but I'm being lazy.

Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

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SpoilerYou're gonna have a hard time looking through this topic for it... the only mention of clothing or appearance I've ever mentioned are the words "pocket" and "shirt".

Hairstyle: Black, short, effectively your "generic male hairstyle"
Shirt: Plain "choose-a-color"
Pants: Khaki, the kind with three big pockets per leg
Hat: None
Eyes: Brown
Adaptive tool: Looks like a smoothed-out lightsaber handle, is reflective like mercury

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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SpoilerOkay, I have a pretty good idea of where I want to take the end of this round. It's going to get pretty crazy, but then, it already is.

As Amethyst and the others reflected on Dexter's words, they were interrupted by a familiar-looking ghostly knight approaching.

"Chief! Or... Alcarith. Whatever! Lutherion and some weird guy who looks like a skeleton with a metal arm are up to something... and I think they're after us."

Alcarith looked somewhat confused. "Larry? You're... Oh, never mind. I guess we'd better be ready for something big..."

"Something like that, perhaps?" Amethyst said, surprisingly calm, as the monstrosity came speeding down the street towards them. The modified vacuums on its feet acted as thrusters, propelling it forward much faster than it could have otherwise moved.

Emily prepared a healing spell, hoping to disable it somewhat, but a blast of wind fired from one of the shoulder-mounted "cannons", knocking her to the ground. It lunged closer.

Amethyst looked at the motionless bodies of Nathan and Aeon. They could not be left in the path of the giant, or they would be crushed. She would have to act fast.

***

Some distance behind the monstrosity, Eximo was finally receiving its new orders.

"Destroy the other contestants, except for Lutherion. This takes priority even over the cleansing."

There was a pause.

"Order... confirmed. This unit will obey."

"Excellent." Konka Rar smiled, always a disconcerting sight. "Now, Lutherion, you and I will be paying a visit to City Hall."

"Yeah, yeah," Lutherion grumbled. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something had been bothering him ever since he activated the bone web. It was as if he was being followed by a familiar presence.

"You could show a little more enthusiasm. I've lived up to my end of our bargain, after all."

"Fine. Hooray, we're going to find something at City Hall. Maybe. How exciting." Actually, he was genuinely curious, but the strangely familiar presence was eating away at him.

"Hmmph. Perhaps you'll see things differently once we arrive." They walked off towards City Hall, as Eximo slowly followed the monstrosity's path.

We cannot destroy the others, a voice in its mind echoed. But this is a direct order. What can we do? We do not wish to destroy the others, especially Amethyst...

The vacuum's movement grew slower. At least it could delay carrying out the order.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Lutherion and Konka Rar approached the City Hall. Lutherion tried the door.

"Locked. Huh, guess that figures. If it's really empty like your vacuum says..."

"It goes beyond that," Konka Rar said, thoughtfully. "There is a powerful magic barrier to prevent intrusion. I advise standing back."

Lutherion did so. Konka Rar raised his arms and began chanting. A massive purple aura appeared around the building; slowly, cracks appeared in the aura, and it shattered to pieces.

Then Konka Rar grabbed the doorknob with his mechanical arm, and pulled the door off its hinges.

"There. Do come in."

Konka Rar entered. Lutherion followed.

As did a third, unseen presence.

***

Alcarith flew forward at the colossal beast, trying to smash its skull. The skull shattered, but the monster did not stop.

Amethyst ordered her crystals to attack the thrusters in hopes of slowing the beast down. Dorukomets dematerialized into its center and attempted to rematerialize, but found he couldn't. He flew out and reappeared.

"There's some kind of spell keeping me from appearing inside there," he yelled at Alcarith. "Let's try hitting those wind-cannons instead. You take the left, I'll take the right."

They attacked the shoulder cannons, but the left one turned towards Alcarith and blew her away. The right tried to do the same, but Dorukomets dematerialized in time to stop it. However, he couldn't attack it like this.

"Aim for the machines on its feet!" Amethyst shouted at them. "We need to slow it down first."

That worked better. With aid from Amethyst's crystals, the thrusters were soon disabled. Alcarith tried to trip it, but its feet were better armored than its apparently useless head. Still, that had bought them a few minutes before it reached the motionless Aeon and Nathan...

***

Eximo continued its slow, reluctant advance towards its new targets.

We must find... some other way...

***

City Hall was as empty as Eximo's scans had suggested. There was only the hum of machinery.

At the end of the entrance hallway was an ornate doorway. Lutherion tried opening it - but once again, it was locked.

"Magic here, too?"

"Indeed. And stronger than the barrier outside. But, I believe what we are seeking is very close. One moment."

Konka Rar chanted again. This time, a light green aura appeared around the door, blinking wildly. From Lutherion's vantage point, it almost appeared as if the barrier was fighting back; perhaps it was.

After nearly a minute, the aura became more solid, and a crack appeared. Then a few more. Slowly, the barrier collapsed; Konka Rar spoke, sounding weaker.

"With such a powerful barrier... yes, it... it must be here." He reached for the handle, but he put his arm down almost right away. "Exhausting this body... should be impossible. Powerful magic indeed..."

"Allow me," Lutherion said, emotionless. He smashed the door to bits with the Wightmaw Arm. "Now, let's see what's in here that's so important."

***

The demon suddenly grinned as he watched Aeon struggle with Nathan.

The fool. Soon, it won't matter if he frees the boy. In mere moments, the results of this battle will be meaningless.

***

Inside, a glowing key floated above a pedestal.

"The Key to the City" was inscribed on a plaque below it.

"Subtle," Lutherion said, dryly. "So, what, this lets us control the entire city?"

"I believe so. However, the barrier surrounding it is even more powerful than the one protecting this room," Konka Rar looked thoughtful. "I believe it must be disabled in a specific way."

"Good guess," a voice said suddenly. Dexter appeared in front of them. "The barrier is disabled by a password... the true name of this city. It's filtered so that outsiders, and those who have had their memories restored, can't hear it spoken or see it written."

Lutherion looked at him angrily.

"Are you the one that's been following me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been here for about ten minutes trying to find a clue to the city's name, or another way to the key. But I've had no luck."

"That's because you can't see the spirit realm," another voice suddenly said. "The filter doesn't work there."

"I knew I was being followed!" Lutherion screamed. "Show yourself!"

"I can't, not yet. My messenger isn't strong enough to do that. But talking? That, I can manage." The voice grew more smug. "That's why I can say... GEIRAM!"

"Password confirmed," a mechanized voice said. The floating key fell to the pedestal. Lutherion reached for it, but his hand stopped an inch away.

"I... can't move!"

"Of course not," said Dexter, as he quickly picked up the key. "You're a creation of this city. The key won't let you get near it even if nobody is using it. I, on the other hand..."

Dexter suddenly found his hand shaking uncontrollably. He dropped the key.

"Ah, that's much better," said the voice from nowhere. "Can't have competition." The key floated upwards, and a bone splinter was pulled out of Lutherion's arm, seemingly by itself.

The splinter formed into a mimic, then took the shape of the demon lord.

"Perfect. Well done, my servant. You even get your body back, in a manner of speaking."

"You... You took my mimic!" Lutherion shouted. "That's why I thought I sensed something!"

"Correct," the demon said. "I made a deal with him in the last round, in exchange for his services. Nathan's body was useless in the bone web, so I released the mimic's soul. I was originally planning to find some way to escape the web, but I realized you might be able to do something about your own minion. Instead, I followed you. And it paid off." The demon grinned widely. "Now every atom of this city is mine to command."

Dexter tried to flee, but he found himself stuck in place.

"Including atoms in dimensions mortals can't fathom. But I can. And you're just going to cause trouble for me. Goodbye."

The demon manipulated Lutherion's arm, causing it to blast through Dexter's heart. He screamed and fell to the floor, dead.

"Now, I suppose I may as well win this silly competition. Come with me, you two." He flew off; with his control of the air, he was able to allow Konka Rar and Lutherion to fly with him.

***

Dorukomets and Alcarith suddenly stopped attacking the monstrosity. They turned towards Amethyst.

"What's wrong?" she asked. But the look in her eyes gave her an unpleasant idea of what it was.

Emily ran up behind her, trying to ram her with her shield; Amethyst noticed just in time, and dodged. Midnara's body rose up from the ground to join the attack. Even Jerry flew down from a rooftop, without the aid of the broomstick. Dozens of people in the distance started walking towards them as well, shuffling.

The demon soon made his appearance, Lutherion and Konka Rar flying beside him.

"Ah, good. I was hoping you'd still be alive when I got here. I can't let my new puppets have all the fun."

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SpoilerNote that the demon exists both in reality and in Nathan's mind. I'll leave it to Amethyst and Aeon to figure out a way to stop him in both, but if that takes too long, I'll take care of things myself.