[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/01987030-1e89-70af-9f52-c296ece903b8.webp[/img] [color=tomato]"My mom’s dead, but at least she isn’t as disappointed as yours is."[/color] [color=goldenrod][b]"Bold of you to assume I care what a self-absorbed hag thinks of me. Oh, wait! [i]That’s you.[/i]"[/b][/color] [color=888888]— Finnegan Vanhorn & Mika Fang[/color][/center] Mika sighed when she saw Ashley retreat further away from the fight. The demon was only going to chase her so far, and then it would be Mika’s problem again. Now felt like a perfectly reasonable time to deploy Binky, a miko, or someone to help. Either Ashley had a lot of faith in her abilities or she was trying to get the two of them killed. Oh well. Hard to complain when Finn was being offered to her as a target. [color=ff6347]"Gave up fighting Orion already?"[/color] Mika’s arm swirled with spirits. [color=ff6347]"Or did you want to protect the only girl in the world that doesn’t see you as a creep?"[/color] Okay, at that, Finn couldn’t help blinking in dumbfoundment. His face twisted into a scowl. [color=daa520]"You must’ve really lost it if you think it’s like that. And I’m supposed to be the creep here?"[/color] He regarded her implications with disgust. [color=daa520]"Why not give an actual reason you want to kill me instead of petty grudges?"[/color] What a weird question to be asked in the middle of a fight. He was the one who decided on opposing them. Mika was only goading him on because she was hoping he would try to fight her. But this made it sounded like he was trying to reach out. But what should her answer be? She could tell him the truth, that his careless actions had gotten her mother killed. But that was really just the last straw. It was pure incompetence, not malicious intent. It might not have led to such outrage if things had been different. Maybe if he didn’t spend all of his time moping around while Mika and the other agents were fighting weretigers. Maybe if Ashley and Fritzi didn’t constantly show him preferential treatment at every opportunity. Maybe if he didn’t fuck up his own opperation where they they tackled the dream demon problem he created. Maybe if he hadn’t tried to keep his dream demon problem a secret. Maybe if he didn’t lure all of those girls into a relationship with him, only to get mad at them because he was leading them all on. Maybe if he hadn’t decided to defect to the enemy side. Maybe, maybe, maybe not. It was likely a combination of all of those things. It didn’t matter. There was only one answer Mika was ever going to give in this situation. [color=ff6347]"I think the time to talk was before you said you’d break us."[/color] The spirits coalesced into a cat. She pointed her finger ahead the feline hopped off her wrist. But rather than jump like a normal cat, it shot forward at an imperceptible speed. It left a [i]beam[/i] of light in its wake. The spirit struck the hull of the mech, but then [i]pierced[/i] it and narrowly missed both pilots, before coming out the other side. Some corrosive [i]poison[/i] was attempting to eat away at the Mech’s internals. [b][color=ffffff]"Um, sweetheart?"[/color][/b] XVIII Morning Dragon Fruit spoke up. [b][color=ffffff]"They’re just trying to make you angry so that you’ll slip up, like you did just now. Once I’ve removed their GEMINI brainwashing you can talk to them as much as you like. Deal?"[/color][/b] The Timekeeper groaned, less out of anger, and more out of annoyance. [color=daa520]"That will be unnecessary."[/color] Regardless, he kept the Mech moving, charging up its own beam to fire back towards Mika and Raven. The mech was spooling up with power, and both GEMINI agents dove for cover. While they both had magically resistant pillars to hide behind, they [i]were[/i] metal pillars. The melody didn’t score a direct hit, but electricity leapt from the pillar and hit Raven. They flew away from the pillar as smoke rose off of their wounds. [b][color=6ecff6]"This is more my speed."[/color][/b] Klava swatted the mech on the ass, and the entire thing was covered in a magic resistant bubble. No melody that Mika could manage would be breaking through that. Then she was on the offense again, skating straight for Raven’s position. The tacticool agent didn’t have time to fire, but was able to raise her sword as the two katana wielders came in close proximity to one another. Mika was about to rush to Raven’s aid, but the mech was stomping its way towards her, puffing its flamethrower menacingly. [color=ff6347]"Huh."[/color] Was Mika’s only response. She tapped the side of her head to open the GEMINI coms system. [color=ff6347]"Orion? The mech seems to be vulnerable against piercing melodies. Ice witch put some kind of pro-tech-shun on it and I don’t think I can breach it."[/color] The hand continued to close in on Ashley, but she was much too far away to grab. The pillars creaked and the ceiling flexed as the demon reached, but it was a futile effort. Eventually it began to retract its hand, perhaps just a bit faster after Ashley opened fire on it. Though before it disappeared into the ceiling again, an Elroy-shaped light beamed out from the demon’s chest, right over its heart. It did seem like this was just like the Holy Diver. [b][color=ffffff]"Oh, honey?"[/color][/b] XVIII Morning Dragon Fruit prodded the inside of the mech. [b][color=ffffff]"I gotta say, I hadn’t realized the um, what’s the word I’m looking for, ‘capabilities’ of your little toy here. But I want to ask a not so hypothetical question if you’re willing to hear me out. I know you said that it wasn’t necessary that I bring your old pals to our side, but what if I said I could start doing that right now?"[/color][/b] She chuckled. [b][color=ffffff]"Like, who would be the funniest person to place on our side right now?"[/color][/b] Finn didn’t need to think long, he turned the mech towards the direction of the intended targets. [color=daa520]"Take their healers out of the equation."[/color] He suggested it to Morning. [color=daa520]"That should get me a bit of breathing room."[/color] Only a little, that was just one out of the three who had the ability to pierce his mech. [b][color=ffffff]"Oh wow, I would have thought you would have liked to fry them both yourself."[/color][/b] The TV giggled. [b][color=ffffff]"Ah well, miko on miko action it is!"[/color][/b] The mech creaked and shuttered, then bellowed out something that sounded like a mix between static white noise and some creatures howling. The room’s lights flashed a myriad [s]reality[/s] of colors, but the spectacle only lasted a few seconds. Not for Cereza however. With stiff movements, she notched an arrow, flooded it with mana, and attempted to shoot her sister’s leg off. Sofron wasn’t about to let a tungsten rod hit him in the forehead along with everything else today. He grabbed one of the construction workers and shoved him in front of the incoming projectile. But as flashy as the melody looked when Marrie cast it, that was it. The rod struck the construction worker’s hard hat without so much as scratching the plastic. Was this some kind of joke? Normally a blink or transplace melody would give another esper some time to understand what was going on. But the delay melody suppressed the magic completely. He took his eyes off of it and dismissed the attack as a childish attempt to humiliate him. The fire in his hand intensified, and the cut in his neck began to mend itself back together. The thousand yard stare disappeared with a blink, and Baleful Sofron was baleful again. [color=0099a6]"Again!"[/color] With a snap of his fingers, the hallway was filled with burning ash. Marrie’s mana was locked down again, and Sofron could breath easy knowing that any expensive options she was saving up for wouldn’t be able to fire under his curse. This would not have influenced a melody that had been cast ahead of time, however. The ash made Marrie’s skin itch and peel, but there was no running from it this time. But it was clear Sofron was getting tired of her tricks. His eyes turned into black orbs that perfectly reflected the burning ash around him. He had to be using something strong, something powerful. The construction workers were numerous, but clumsy. In such a confined space, their improvised clubs weren’t as useful as her short bladed weapon. She got closer to Sofron, but like her, he seemed to be delaying, maintaining at least one guard between them. The guard seemed utterly confused as both fighters half circled around each other, with Marrie occasionally swatting away a troublesome guard at her heels. Then Sofron threw the guard into the wall and thrust his palm towards Marrie. Three rings of fire orbited his hand like a planet, but wobbled on their axis in an unstable fashion. With a roar, he closed his hand, the rings were severed, and what looked like the start of atomic fusion happening right on top of his knuckles. [hr] [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/5cdd0c35-6c1b-4e5d-8fe9-970574e18f41.png[/img] [color=77BB99]"Well don’t you look like hot shit meta gaming like nobody’s business. GM! Put an end to this madness! Give their EE stats!"[/color] [color=ffffff]"Actually, I’ve had specs for their Eclipse here for weeks, I just keep forgetting to upload them."[/color] [color=77BB99]"You can’t be trusted! [i]I’ll[/i] deal with the little ruffian myself!"[/color] [color=888888]— Bookman[/color][/center] While Ayana had stopped talking to listen to Himiko, she didn’t react when her cheeks were pinched and pulled. Eventually her skin snapped back in place with just as much fanfare. [color=ec008c]"I’m only telling you what everyone else is going to think."[/color] She sighed. [color=ec008c]"This is so totally a psyops."[/color] She removed the batteries and slid them into her pockets. Pounder relinquished the abacus with a nod and stood back in line. And then they listened. No one commented on Himiko’s words. It was nods of approval or a blank stare across the board. Eventually it came time to address the devil in the room. [color=77bb99]"I thought you would have liked to have transformed first."[/color] He, too, was avoiding making eye contact like a stupendous badass. Though it had less to do with aesthetics and more to do with the fact that he was going over notes and listening on the phone. [color=77bb99]"Well first, I think it might be worthwhile to assess how your Endless Eclipse works. They’re all a little different, and it would be a shame if you got yourself in a bind."[/color] [color=77BB99][b]BACKUP:[/b][/color] Endless Eclipse [indent] A bird with stars floating along its inky black feathers. It is said that its song ended the old world. GRADE: ????? BACKUP MELODY: [Unique] SPECIAL: Himiko may expend 100 points of mana and use one of the following effects. Eye of Aigorost: Endless Eclipse studies the target and relays information about them, similar to an A rank [Reveal] note. Ear of Aigorost: Endless Eclipse can let Himiko listen to a location Himiko knows the exact coordinates of for 6 seconds. Mouth of Aigorost: Endless Eclipse opens a portal to a [color=ffffff]"maiden"[/color] that Himiko can talk to. Once they ask the maiden a question or otherwise speak to her, the maiden responds and then the portal closes. The maiden is random every time and is not guaranteed to have a helpful answer to Himiko’s query. In fact, it is unlikely they will attempt to be helpful at all, and will instead be condescending and rude. However, they will be very attractive, if not cute.[/indent] [color=77bb99]"But if you’re ready to go, I think we can get you where you need to be right about… now…"[/color] … … … Magical Dream Princess, Pink Pounder, Ayana, and Himiko were all standing outside the Golden Trove. It was clear that something big was going on here. Boteg’s wings were barely visible up on the roof, and a second dragon was swiping it’s claws against the side of the building. There were dead and wounded weretigers scattered on the steps, and more monsters and espers funneling into the front. They all looked at each other, none of them sure exactly what transpired. [color=ec008c]"Riiiiight."[/color] Ayana took a few steps back. [color=ec008c]"Well, it looks like everyone’s funneling in there like they want to buy the newest flat screen TV. I think I’m quite happy with my boxy, bunny eared one. Hehe, I’ll catch you guys later?"[/color] [color=bd71e8]"Going so soon?"[/color] The next one to speak up was a woman with white hair in a red dress. She was sitting at a table by the corner of the building, tea cup in hand. She looked like she had been talking to an agent, but dismissed them with a wave of her hand. [color=b0c8ff]"[/color][color=b3c7ff]V[/color][color=b6c6ff]-[/color][color=b9c5ff]V[/color][color=bcc4ff]e[/color][color=bec3ff]w[/color][color=c1c2ff]n[/color][color=c4c1ff]m[/color][color=c7c0ff]i[/color][color=cabfff]w[/color][color=cdbeff]w[/color][color=d0bdff]i[/color][color=d3bcff]o[/color][color=d5bcff]n[/color] [color=dbbaff]V[/color][color=deb9ff]e[/color][color=e1b8ff]w[/color][color=e4b7ff]o[/color][color=e7b6ff]n[/color][color=eab5ff]i[/color][color=ecb4ff]c[/color][color=efb3ff]a[/color][color=f2b2ff]…[/color][color=f5b1ff]"[/color] Magical Dream Princess slid behind Pink Pounder. [color=bd71e8]"Himiko Yoshikawa, and the rest of the B-team."[/color] She set down her cup beside her saucer. Her tone sounded more amused than anything else. [color=bd71e8]"Somehow I’m not surprised to see you here. Regardless, the operation is far too important to let you take part in. Now would be a good time for you to hop away while I’m busy organizing the Hand’s Downfall. Otherwise you’ll endanger the operation and I’ll be forced to take matters into my own hands."[/color]