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[color=goldenrod][b]"Not gonna lie I'm half tempted to make a 'your mom' joke towards Doc right now."[/b][/color]

[color=888888]— Finnegan Vanhorn[/color][/center]

Ashley, stubborn as ever, decidedly took the “all-or-nothing” route and fired her attack at the mech’s torso. Perhaps- No, of [i]course[/i] she underestimated the pilot that had remade it, expecting it to fall apart the instant it hit. Once she had immediately raised her defenses after; giving Cereza and Cerise somewhere to take cover, she’d see that her attack hadn’t even left much of a dent in its shell. [i]None[/i] of their attacks were doing enough damage. Her melody might have obliterated an esper, but espers were made of flesh and bone, and this mech was made out of enchanted steel and infused cobalt.

[color=goldenrod][i]Cute. [b]Our turn.[/b][/i][/color]

While the Knight of Tomorrow had applied an AoE melody to her shield, the machine decided to go a bit lower, once the mech was in range, its foot slammed down onto the floor again, ensnaring the trio in its own painful attack as it tried to drill through Ashley’s barrier. It took a bit of will for the twin miko to stay standing against the surge of lightning burning through them.

[color=#e4255e]”Kiddo, y’don’t have to do this! Please!”[/color] Cerise called out to Finn, a pointless endeavor. She managed to force herself to move just enough and dispel the melody. Her sister took advantage of the opening to fire another volley of arrows from behind Ashley. [color=#d40938]”We don’t wanna hurt you, just get the hell outta the way!”[/color]

[color=goldenrod]”Shame you’ll have to anyways, isn’t it?”[/color] The Timekeeper spoke back with an almost mocking tone.

The mech’s other arm raised to counter the incoming arrow. But rather than block it with the arm, it created a giant frigid block that the arrow struck. The enormous icecube was split in half by the light projectile, and threatened to crush the squad leader beneath it. 

[color=6ecff6][b]“What do I have to do to make a sculpture around here?”[/b][/color]

Mika was about ready to pounce on the mech’s exposed back, but another fist came out of the ceiling. This time Mika was able to evade in time. Then a third, and a fourth. Before long, all four hands gripped the ceiling and peeled it open like a christmas gift. The ceiling had been almost completely removed, and staring down at them was a giant, red, four armed creature.

[color=tomato]"A giant demon now?”[/color]

[b]”No! No, you silly girl. That’s [i]Elroy[/i]! You remember him, right?”[/b]

That’s right. Faith had been turned into a behemoth somehow, in the past. The Holy Diver had her trapped deep within its chest. Did that mean that Elroy was trapped inside this thing the same way? Or was the TV just screwing with them now? They didn’t have time for this. They were going to have to take care of this quickly so that they could get to Finn. 

[color=tomato]"Paradise? Let’s see if we can keep this thing off of the others.”[/color]

Raven sighed. [color=steelblue]"We can try."[/color]

With a roar, “Elroy” took another swing at Mika. 

Meanwhile, Binky stopped firing to reload her weapon. Marrie wasn’t much of a talker, which just gave her more time to focus on shooting. That did make it that much more surprising when she hurled a melody into the hallway. [color=baddab]”Gah!”[/color] But the resulting hailstorm of magic wasn’t aimed at her. Not that she really knew [i]what[/i] Marrie was aiming for. 

While Marrie had intended to hit any explosives the men had been carrying, most of them didn’t have much. The slurry of magic rained down on anyone nearby, and one projectile found its way to a grenade one man was about to throw. But Marrie’s arctic magic wasn’t an ideal choice for triggering the heat activated explosives. The grenade was cut in half, and the contents poured out onto the floor. 

[color=0099a6]”...Very well, we do this the old fashioned way.[/color] A fireball appeared in his hand, and he cast it into the doorway. Binky had already darted out of the way when she heard the fireball being cast. Behind her, the fireball exploded and filled the air with burning ash. Binky was only lightly burned before getting out of the way, but Sofron's footsteps echoed down the hall. [color=0099a6]”I changed my mind. We’re going in.[/color]

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[color=77BB99]"DEAL OR NO DEAL?!?!?![/color] 

[color=888888]— Bookman[/color][/center]

After the handshake, Bookman produced a cell phone and sent a quick text message. He allowed Himiko to ramble on for a bit before speaking. [color=77BB99]"You have quick eyes. Just because I offer someone a deal does not mean they are willing to part with any and everything they possess. Moreover, the assistance we will grant you will be further discussed when it comes time to acquire the item of your choosing. As you so cleverly pointed out, Timekeeper has signed a contract with us. They are our ally for the time being and are performing an important task. It would not do for you to sabotage them while they are working.”[/color]

With a click, the phone powered down. [color=77BB99]"Now we are finally at the last contract.”[/color] He flipped the page. Compared to the others, there was far less written up here. [color=77BB99]"It’s simple, really. I get you out of a high security government prison, and you become our loyal employee for a year, with the option to sign on for more. I’ve corrected it with your favorite clause. If we try to harm you while you are working for us, you are allowed to defend yourself. Oh, and that would make four out of four, wouldn’t it?”[/color] He turned the page again. This time the writing seemed to go on forever. [color=77BB99]"As a bonus, we’ll let you select from a few company bodyguards, debtors, and freelancers to act as your own personal guard and crew. Their contracts will last as long as yours, and you may freely trade them out if they displease you for any reason. Though they will be [i]strongly[/i] discouraged from displeasing you, and required to meet your whims.”[/color] Was that what the rest of the book was? Just contracted guards for Himiko to pick from? 

But they weren’t hers yet.

The demon’s hand presented itself yet again.