[@shylarah]

Astolfo sighed, as he heard Sparks recap, flicking through the messages on his cockpit. "I guess I should invite that gutsy girl to a proper dinner, not just some sweets. That was one hell of a move she pulled." He offered a small wry smile. [i]"Aut viam inveniam aut faciam."[/i] He muttered to himself, as he fidgetted. The communications were clearing, and therefore the tide could shift in their favour. Ava had also managed to execute team Banana for some reason, and while Elora was still in game, the clutter and the distraction, helped by a stubborn Minerva held.

Maybe it had been a good thing to coax that woman out of herself. Maybe she'd appreciate it eventually, that gorgeous redhead.

Still, there was no time to ponder, for even if the Alps had been crossed, Rome still had to be brought to heel and-

[h3]"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"[/h3] A voice screeched, rife with screeches and electronic distortion, blaring through both the general channel and the team channel. The voice of a Lilim in extreme mode, showing what their kind probably assimilated as grief.
[i]Stupid ass malfunctioning clanker. Now of all times![/i] Astolfo thought. [i]But then again...Lilim can form strong attachments.[/i] He shuddered, as he was momentarily transported to another place, another moment.

[hr]

[i]The tea felt stale and tepid on the cup, as it clanked with the saucer. Well, there was little way they could procure decent tea in such a run down hut they had been cornered to was slim to none. Astolfo let a drawn out sigh. He was hungry and thirsty, and the brew could do so much. He had not bathed in days.

"See that's the problem. The delulu clanker won't stop at anything, sister. She already ground us down. We have to get out of here." Astolfo said, as he eyed the figure across the table, fair and exotic in [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019da2c5-4d9b-76b4-a77f-e68cce76b1eb.webp]equal measure.[/url] Besides her, a large, curvy Lilim with aesthetically pleasing features stood by her chair.

"Oh brother. Lilim do have feelings, don't you know? Like my retainer here. They do get attached to us, they can't really help it, as we're kin to their creators. My BDK over here would risk destruction at a single order of mine. You should've brought some proper backup, and not waste time being a basement bug playing with machines. Make real contacts." The woman said, a mocking smile on her face.

"Lucrezia, you're in the same situation as me." Astolfo replied. "Neither our approaches were right."

His elder sister looked at her nails. "Oh, is that so?" 

It was then when something odd...happened. Tingling, numbness, difficult to breathe. "Poison...why you...how?"

"It wasn't easy. But a few components here and there, and the poison is brewed on the spot as you are served tea. Me, of course, I have also drank the stuff, but the poison will not work unless all ingredients are there... sooo... I was lying I was on a diet and was cutting off the sugar." The face of his sister giggled wickedly. "You really fell for it, little brother. Now then, stay where you are so Orlando can pick you up. He promised me to leave me alone if I brought you."

"B-bitch." Astolfo gasped, as his eyelids became heavier. There were more words, but they felt as if underwater. Until the sounds of clashing, and battle, woke him up once more. The sounds of a Lilim being torn apart.

"Nooo! My BDK! We had a deal, you stupid clank-hey! Let me go! I'll tear you apart!" The figure of Lucrezia wiggled and contorted as a tall humanoid frame stood in front, her boots firmly planted the barely functioning scrap that had been Lucrezia's assistant.

"Yes. We will leave you, alone. Lilim retainers do not count." The voice, the mocking voice of Durandal was heard. "You are valuable. As a token, as a breeding mare. I wish I could have one of those. Wombs you know? That way, my lord, my king, my God...would have children worth of his greatness." The deranged automaton leant forward, as Lucrezia whimpered. "Maybe I should tear yours apart, hm? Claim it was an accident..."

Astolfo rolled from his chair, gasping for air. He saw his backpack. And the face of the brutalized Frame, wide agape, staring at him. It moved and whirred, as she produced a vial, her hand rolling it towards Astolfo. An antidote. He saw the BDK model vocalize slowly, even if the sound didn't work. 

"Keep...master...safe." The machine gasped, before a heel crushed her cranium for good. Astolfo greedily snatched the antidote on his teeth, before drinking it, and grabbing the contains of the backpack.

"And what's the little shit of a fourth prince doin- GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" The screams of Durandal were heard as she spasmed and contorted.

Astolfo struggled to his feet, a laptop in his hand. "Talos Nail. The Anti-Lilim payload. You're not getting up anytime soon." He grunted, as he eyed a bewildered Lucrezia before grasping her hand. "We have to go."

"But my BDK!" She yelled, before Astolfo's hand lost restraint and slapped his elder sister across her face.

"She gave me the antidote, staking her life, for your *damn* safety, and I will drag you to safety even If I die. I don't renegue on these deals." Astolfo's voice was authoritatian. "I'll get you to a safe route."

"And then?" Lucrezia's eyes were full of poison.

"And then I'll take that Framewerk Grendel prototype. And END THIS!" Astolfo replied, his eyes full of determination and fury.[/i]

[hr]

Astolfo winced. That...Lilim, was in anguish. She probably considered Elora and Serah her daughters. And she probably had been tricked into believing Serah could be tossed safely. Like a dim-witted mother hen. In some aspects it was pitiable. If only he had someone like her... perhaps Durandal would not have wrecked his life. He saw the dots align as he peered out of the corner. He breathed deep and opened a direct channel to the anguished female artificial pilot.

[b][Silver Tongued Devil][/b] "Hey! Listen to me! Serah is safe! She's just on the other side. She's probably watching you as we speak! Get the act together! And by that I don't mean you should not go on a rampage. Quite on the contrary. RIP AND TEAR UNTIL YOU ARE DONE. But keep in mind. Target them. You don't like Griff, do you? It's fine if you trample him. But don't lose sight on what's important. Serah would've probably wanted you to finish what she started. So Steel yourself! And bring your most exquisite fury. Trample the enemy team, and bring Sleeping Thunder down as the grand finale!"

Deep inside the Mother Goose, Stella's wailing ceased. "I-input acknowledged." Stella said. "Activating enhanced movement protocol. This unit shall not fail! This unit will bake a strawberry cake for Elora! And comfort Serah! No more holding back!" The frame's lights glowed an ominous red, as it prepared itself.

And it ran. It ran so fast Bug was almost overwhelmed in trying to keep track of it. Stella would then clobber her way forward with the Bastion, unloading her primary payloads along the way, with one final objective in mind. Sleeping Thunder. Once she reached Serah's crash site, she planted the bastion once more, as she launched all of her shoulder missiles at mid range at a certain overwhelmingly large frame, Sleeping Thunder.

Bug for the most part, cranked yet another charge of the Particle Beam, and followed the ensuing charge from a safe distance, ready to intervene with a reaction shot if someone tried to gain Goose's back.

[Silver Tongued Devil used on Stella]
[Bugatti Token consumed on Stella]
[Enhanced Movement Activated]
[Stella charges with Bastion from P15 to V15, utilizing Shotguns, Ripper Fists and Hammer all the way if opponents are present.]
[Stella plants Bastion again at V15 and fires Missiles at Sleeping Thunder]
[Bug moves to O15, readies reaction shot/keeps charging, deploys Gwen's drone.]