Alubujem quickly creates another barrier, but this time, the missiles break through, and the explosion sends the two boys hurling back into the sand, along with their Shadows.
Chimera, meanwhile, is completely caught off guard, letting out an anguished screech as it lets go of Anthony and starts trashing around in anger. Surely this will have dealt great damage to Delphinium as well.
But no, she's still standing there, completely fine. The little green thing on her shoulder, on the other hand, is practically convulsing, and Delphinium actually looks worried about it.
Could it be... that Chimera isn't her Shadow?
Not much time to think about that now when the hydra Shadow is suddenly charging at Anthony, attempting to bite his arms off.
Logi, meanwhile, actually gets pushed back due to Killer Bat landing a powerful blow on Valkyrie, leaving her badly damaged. Logi snarls.
"Valkyrie! ... You know what to do." , he says, sounding... saddened. Valkyrie looks at Logi, and nods.
"I do..." , it suddenly says, able to speak. "Farewell... my general."
She then seems to outright explode in an explosion big enough to catch Zola's attention, who immediately looks panicked.
"No!"
But it's too late. Valkyrie is gone, and a new Shadow suddenly emerges. A golden warrior with a purple cloak, carrying a mighty lance. Zola has a panicked expression, while Logi looks solemn, yet determined.
"Behold, my real Shadow. Odin!" , he calls out, upon which Odin immediately attacks Killer Bat, already gaining the upper hand within a few seconds of combat.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Two robots attempts to pounce on and keep them down, while Platinum slowly approach, his towering frame making him quite intimidating as he stands over the two boys.
However, rather than kill, he simply kneels down and raises the palm of his hand. After a few seconds, a device appears and attempts to nail itself to their heads, to attempt to upload their memories (though they'll keep them) into his databank, obviously attempting to learn about the Assassins that way !
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterNow freed, Anthony sends several tendrils towards the wounded Chimera in an attempt to impale it through the head, then sidesteps the hydra's attempt to literally disarm him before noticing Valkyrie's transformation into Odin.
"What the...?"
No time to question this sudden development now, though, he figured; not when Zola was clearly in danger. Creating a shadowy blade on one arm, he quickly moves to get between her and Logi, then aims a slash at the general.
Oblivia
Running through Oblivia towards the action, he pants loudly clearly having not been this active in a long time.
Carrying his Gauss Cannon on his back, his eyes catch Platinum. He changes direction towards his old friend.
"What a.... "Oh, Platinum. Should I activate the turbo charge?"
"Yeah, looks like he might need some help over there."
The charge activates increasing the Spartan's speed. He deactivates the charge when he reaches Platinum's position.
"Hello old friend.
Edited by KrampusTheTherapist on Jul 13th 2018 at 6:13:25 AM
The both of them get pounched on, but Alubujem quickly creates a dome of crystals around the two to prevent Platinum from getting to them. Isabel then gets up, but flinches, looking pained. Inside the dome, Schneider has his unpinned hand on his ribs, unable to free himself from the robots.
"Damnit... I broke some ribs..."
Looking worried, Andropov uses a voice-activation code to activate the device on his eye.
"General, this is looking bad, we have to retreat!"
His eyes widen when he realizes he can't connect to General Logi from inside the dome. But if he drops it, Platinum has a clear shot at them. At Schneider.
He looks conflicted, about what he should do, about the risks he'd take... he casts one more glance at Schneider... then yells at Platinum, knowing that he can hear him.
"You don't understand why we're here! Why I'm an Assassin! It's because of Zola! She hasn't told you the truth! Please, call back your robots and don't kill us! I'll explain everything! ... please."
He sounds so desperate and worried... if this is a trap, he's probably the best actor in the whole world.
Chimera quickly recovers, swatting the daggers away with its claws, though can't get up completely. However, after it and Delphinium see Odin's appearance, they seem to retreat as Anthony rushes to Zola.
Logi, meanwhile, while somewhat caught off guard, blocks the shadowy blade with his own, regular one, then takes a step back as Odin floats by his side, with a wounded Killer Bat returning to Zola.
"You say you're Zola's friend, but can you trust her completely? Has she been completely fair to you about her past? Has she not kept anything from you, with the promise that she'd tell you later?"
As Logi is saying that, Zola whispers to Anthony.
"Discreetly give me some darkness. It'll strengthen Killer Bat. It might be our only chance to defeat Odin."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."WELCOME TO YOU, SPARTAN. I AM PLEASED TO SEE YOU BACK." he says.
He listens to his two enemies and calls his robot off with a gesture, aware that he has his buddy around to help him... and that even then, he didn't need them to "subdue" the two younglings anyway.
"TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT THE ASSASSINS." he says. "AND I WILL SPARE YOU."
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterEngulfing herself fully in hellfire, Calamitas raised her arms to her side, sending torrents of fire outwards, condensing into fireballs that bounced off the walls of the room. Her opponent's attacks would quickly find out that the layer of flames around her was so dense it actually managed to stop their weapons dead in their tracks.
"Go ahead. Try not to die." The robot replied before returning to silently working the forge.
The Spartan looks at Platinum "Well, looks I walked in exactly when I wasn't supposed to. You had it entirely under control, well done."
"We should leave, Platinum and this entire situation are pointless"
He pulls out his AI chip and sticks it into a slot in his wrist, as he mutters to himself "This is getting worse than I thought."
"Yes... every time the subject of her past came up, she was nothing but forthcoming with me," Anthony fires back at Logi. "The only time she ever withheld anything was when your lackeys forced us into hiding before she could tell me."
Upon hearing Zola's whisper, he discreetly has a tendril snake its way over to her sword, then tap the blade to further empower it with darkness.
The dome is lowered, and Andropov looks scared.
"I can't... I can't tell you all of that, but give me a chance to explain."
He nervously looks up at Platinum.
"2 years ago, a lot of people in my world died due to something horrible... Schneider, my friend here, sacrificed his life so that I didn't die to that very same thing. It did leave me crippled in my legs, but thanks to him, I survived. However, a few weeks after that happened, General Logi and I were suddenly approached by two strange beings. They'd heard of my Shadow's powers from outside sources and were interested in an alliance. They said that, if I would be their omnipresent eyes, they would revive all of the victims, including my friend. I talked about it with General Logi, who wanted to see proof of their abilities first. So they revived Schneider right in front of our eyes. They even cured my legs. We accepted the deal, and they all came back to life. Every last one of them."
He glances down.
"When I got to see what the group they were a part of was like though, I started having second thoughts. The being who'd revived those people caught wind of this and warned me that, if I betrayed them in any way, either by turning against them or giving away information that could be used against them... she'd revert the revival immediately. Do you understand? If I don't serve the Assassins... everyone... Schneider... they'll..."
He looks like he's about to cry. Schneider chooses to continue talking for him.
"We've been trying to come up with ways to get out of this deal without having to sacrifice everyone, but to no avail."
He then shakes his head.
"And our situation directly connects to Zola. You see-"
"Zola is the one responsible for each and every single one of those deaths." , Delphinium says, having appeared behind Platinum, but has not moved in to attack.
Logi doesn't seem to catch on that Anthony is empowering Killer Bat.
"And has she finished what she wanted to say since then? Has she told you what she wanted to say? Probably not, otherwise you would understand why we're here."
He points his sword at the both of them, Odin doing the same with his lance.
"I take it she's told you about her travels with her friends, how they worked together to defeat Gran Kingdom and overthrow Nene. ... But has she told you what happened after that? ... Or, more importantly... how she met..."
He then points said sword at Killer Bat.
"Him!?"
This group of people will be too far away to hear what's being said in Platinum's group.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."YOU SEEMS TO BE HAVING TROUBLE WITH YOUR AI, SHOULD THE UNIT"
He turns to listen to the story, doing so quite quickly. He naturally doesn't react at all, not even moving as he listen the information. After a while, he leans backward.
"I SEE. THIS ENTITY MUST BE MARA. ONLY SHE WOULD BE MORALLY DECADENT ENOUGH TO TRIGGER SUCH A PLAN AND BOAST THE POWER TO EVEN PERFORM SUCH A FEAT. THE OTHER MUST BE THE ASSASSIN'S SEEMINGLY LEADER, THE INFERIOR SYNTHETIC CYBER." he declares.
When the Shadow appears behind his back, Platinum reply by pointing the nasty end of a cannon at its face without missing a beat.
"DO NOT APPROACH ME WITHOUT WARNING. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO DO SO AGAIN, I WILL TEST THE FIREPOWER OF THIS WEAPON ON YOU AT POINT BLANK RANGE." he declares, before looking down, using his captors to listen to the other side of the conversation.
"I DO NOT FULLY BELIEVE YOU. NOR DO I FEEL SADNESS OR PITY AT YOUR CONDITION. REMOVING YOU WHILE YOU ARE IN SUCH A VULNERABLE STATE WOULD BE A BLOW TO THE ASSASSINS, AND I AM FULLY READY TO B THE DEATH OF A WORLD UPON MY PROGRAMMING."
"I WILL FULLY TRUST YOU IF YOU LET ME DRAIN YOUR ASSASSIN RELATED MEMORIES. YOU WILL KEEP THEM AND I WILL LEAVE WITH KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION. THE ZOLA EVENTS HAPPENED ON ANOTHER WORLD, WHAT MATTER IS THIS WORLD AND WHAT LORD CINKE DESIRE TO DO. AT BEST, I WILL ALLOW YOU TO DIE TRYING TO FIGHT HER."
"YOU CAN REFUSE."
His arm transforms into another cannon.
"AND TRIGGER A SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF YOUR VITAL FUNCTIONS."
Edited by Bolded1 on Jul 13th 2018 at 2:58:06 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter"Considering that we both had to live in separate caves and live off of rations for weeks following that attack, I figured Zola would need some time before she was ready to finish such a... personal story," Anthony replies, waiting for Zola to put the darkness he'd given her to good use. "And does it honestly matter how she came to acquire Killer Bat? It can't have been different from how others in your world gained their Shadows."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Jul 13th 2018 at 6:02:01 AM
Delphinium, her usual sassy self, just slightly raises her hands with a smirk.
"If I wanted to attack you, I'd already have."
Andropov then weakly shakes his head.
"I-I can't tell you anything... or Mara will kill everyone she resurrected, including Schneider!"
"It won't come to that."
Chimera moves inbetween the two boys and Platinum. Delphinium herself stays standing behind him, crossing her arms.
"I'll be honest with you. I'm not the type to get attached to anyone. I'm all for efficiency."
She grimaces.
"But Zola wasn't just killing people. She was planning to clad the world into an eternal Darkness that destroyed all living things it touched. Including humans. That's how they died, how Schneider here died. We had to stop her. General Logi, me, and her own friends."
She glares.
"This isn't even just about revenge. Think about it! If Zola ever gets the chance to retry to unleash the Darkness in this world, she'll do it! She'll betray all of you, like she betrayed Shu and his friends. Like she betrayed Nene and General Logi."
She glances at Logi's group.
"And it's all that thing's fault." , she says, pointing at...
"Oh, it was very different. True Shadows are Shadows you're born with. Only 7 of them exist in the whole world. Chimera and Odin are two of them. Then you have Artificial Shadows, Shadows created for the use of combat, without a personality of their own. Alubujem and Isabel are two of those. And then..."
He glares at Killer Bat.
"You have a False Shadow. A Shadow born from the darkest emotions in one's heart. Zola told us once... me, Delphinium and her friends, that she once got trapped in a cave when she was a child. All alone, scared and desperate, she'd do anything to get out. And the Darkness, a deadly force capable of wiping out all life, responded to her wishes. It manifested by her side as Killer Bat, and it corrupted her, removing the truly good in her, and turning her into someone only set on their own goals. She can appreciate friendship as much as anyone else, but the moment she can further her plans in any way, she will abandon those friends. She did so with me as well, when she was still part of the Gran Kingdom's army. She did so with Shu and his friends, when she tricked them into releasing the darkness. And now, she's doing it with you."
He glances at Anthony's sword.
"Have you never considered why only darkness strengthens Killer Bat? It's because he's made of it. He's not a true Shadow. He a corrupting part of the Darkness who has complete control over Zola's desires. Anthony... if you don't believe me, ask her. If she is truly your friend, she will tell you the truth, no matter how much it hurts."
If Anthony looks back at Zola, he won't find her looking suspicious, or panicked, or even worried at all. However, Killer Bat looks... less composed, for some reason...
Edited by DevilPsyco on Jul 13th 2018 at 3:25:44 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."ASSASSINS ARE DANGEROUS. IT IS BEST TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND STRIKE THEM FIRST." he says.
The robot army around them starts to whirl, revealing that they're all charging up something, with Platinum holding his arms out, charging his own canon.
"YOU'RE USELESS TO ME BUT YOU ARE STILL USEFUL TO THE ASSASSINS, THUS, I WILL DESTROY YOU." he says... though he quickly raise his head when a bright light shine in the sky, as a pillar of some kind slams unto the lab, revealing that the ten sisters and maybe Oca are back. On one hand, it's pretty dangerous for the army, on the other hand, it causes Platinum to quickly cancel the attack.
"LORD CINKE MAY SHUT US OFF IF WE DO NOT CLEAN UP IN TIME. RUN." he says, as the robots retreat. He briefly turns to the kid.
"YOUR HISTORY HAS FAILED TO IMPRESS ME. TELL YOUR MASTERS THAT LORD CINKE AND HER SISTERS WILL WAGE WAR AND SLAUGHTER YOUR FACTION." he declares, emotionlessly, before quickly using his rocket boots to leave.
Edited by Bolded1 on Jul 13th 2018 at 3:34:59 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterAndropov and Schneider look nervous, while Delphinium looks annoyed, somewhat angered. But then they witness Platinum leaving. Furious at his words, Andropov points at Platinum.
"Alubujem! Att-"
He doesn't get to finish his command, as Delphinium knocks him out with a chop to the head. Schneider quickly catches him.
"Know when to retreat, kid." , she snarls, then glancing at General Logi.
"Though with that machine gone, it should be easier to get to Zola..."
Zola looks back at him, her eyes sincere as she tells him the full, undying truth with just a single word as Killer Bat watches over her with a stern gaze.
"Yes."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Oca indeed teleported back with the Sisters.
He happens to be missing his left arm and half his torso. He looks at the congregation outside.
"…"
He proceeds to completely ignore it, and walks into Cinke's fort to pick up Junior.
Fighter
Fighter hunkers down, blocking most of the fire coming his way. However, due to the delay caused by the chainsaws, he's scorched.
A few dragon lasers are still pumped out, though.
Edited by Rbade on Jul 15th 2018 at 11:59:16 AM
/\。。/\For a moment, Anthony remains almost deathly silent, that single word having apparently hit him much harder than anything Delphinum or Logi could throw at him. Once he's fully processed this revelation, he speaks up.
"...I see."
Then he looks at Logi.
"Call me insane or even foolish if you want, general, but even with this information in mind... I don't plan on handing Zola to you anytime soon. Maybe she really did commit these atrocities back on your world, but the Zola I've come to see as my closest friend? In all of the time I've spent with her, not once did I see even a trace of this monster you speak of. She even seemed genuinely remorseful when I asked her about her old friends; if that isn't a sign that her days of wickedness are long behind her, I don't know what is."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Jul 13th 2018 at 7:02:47 AM
Zola does look a little worried during Anthony's brief moment of silence, not pleased with the fact that she must've hurt him. Then she looks genuinely surprised when she hears what Anthony says to Logi. Logi himself also looks surprised, almost comically so were it not about such a serious subject. But he quickly returns to his usual, indignant expression.
Without turning around, he then raises his hand telling the carefully approaching Delphinium to halt, which she does.
"You really are just like Shu. He never gave up on her, not even when he'd seen her abandon everyone to their fates. No matter how many times his other friends called him a fool for being so stubborn. Yet, he never gave up."
The slightest hint of a smirk crosses his face.
"You may be a genuine friend in Zola's eyes. But to Killer Bat, I assure you, you are nothing but a food source. And in the end, it's him who's calling the shots, not Zola. Under his command, she will abandon you without hesitation the moment her goals become a reality once more."
He shakes his head.
"The only way to stop Killer Bat is to kill him. Zola is linked to him, so she will also die. There is no way around this. Believe me, if there were a way to kill just him, and not her... admittedly, I would take it. But it's not possible. I have comitted to wiping her threat off of the face of existence. Thanks to Andropov, she will be subjected to the curse that makes her unable to ever return to life."
He then shows an intense glare.
"So tell me this, Anthony... would you truly defend her, knowing that at any moment, she can turn her back on you for Killer Bat's desires, and knowing that everyone in this world is at risk as long as she is alive? Would you stand in Odin's way? In my way?"
Odin menacingly towers over the group, a little bigger than Killer Bat himself, who's expression doesn't seem to have changed at all. Like it doesn't care about anything Logi said about him.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Jul 13th 2018 at 4:14:10 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Killer Bat glances down at Anthony. There's something different about his eyes. They almost look... smug, as if silently declaring that he can't do a thing.
General Logi stares Anthony down for a bit... then crosses his arms.
"Then, in return, we will watch your every move. If you find this way, we'll let you do it. If it's clear that you cannot, we will kill Zola while we still can. I'm certain Andropov's allies won't waste a second in terminating a threat like her."
He turns around, walking away and motioning for Delphinium to follow. Which she does, albeit reluctantly, sparing Zola and Anthony a glance as she unsummones her Shadow and Chimera, but not saying anything.
Once with Schneider and the still unconscious Andropov, General Logi takes Andropov from Schneider, carrying him over his shoulder. He keeps walking, Delphinium and Schneider following, until the four of them are all out of sight.
Once they're alone, Zola still looks surprised, confused even.
"... You have a lot of faith in me."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."You have yourself a deal, then," Anthony replies to Logi as the general and his entourage take their leave. Afterwards, he returns his attention to Zola and offers her a smile.
"Heh... what can I say? I think I know you well enough to be sure that my faith's well-placed."
He then places both hands on her shoulders as he looks her in the eye.
"Besides... you're worth going to hell and back for, Zola."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Jul 13th 2018 at 7:48:47 AM

Reminding him of an old ally of his, Koryo chuckled and smiled at the automaton. "Is that so? In that case, don't complain later if we end up killing him." He said somewhat eerily despite the playful smirk on his face. But with that, he took off towards the exit of the forge.
Edited by Lukrial on Jul 13th 2018 at 4:31:17 AM