"You know, I was really confused when Mister fancy Borg himself came strolling right into my turf…" A girl in a tight black suit threw her red hair back with a grin on her face, "But to find out he was without weapons too? Oh that's just precious."
The girl passed by a large column supporting an old parking garage, revealing that there were two figures chained up to it. One of them was a young man, sporting deep black hair awkwardly slicked to his head with the hint of hastily applied gel, a small set of glasses, and with a strange device strapped to his left arm that took up almost all of his forearm. He wore a single gray polo that was stained with various colors of grease and burned bits of fabric. He had on slacks that were similarly stained. It was an overall half hearted attempt at formality. The other was a man about his age, wearing a button up shirt with the letters CI embroidered in the pocket and deep gray slacks that fit the image. Along with the fact he had a nametag on, it was clear he was an employee of some sort.
"Fascinating…" The one in the polo nodded his head, "Are you the ones that broke into my satellite location last week?"
"What?" The girl blinked, "Oh, that? Yeah, we did. What about it? All we did was take some funny little phones and all that. You know, things that nobody buys anymore."
"Incorrect!" He continued, "I've been tracking your group's movements for awhile. You have actually broken into thirty three stores, and each of which you've taken various things. And I know for a fact that you're planning to use them to shut down my company's servers for just enough time to steal prototypes from me."
"H-Hey, maybe we shouldn't, tell them we know that?" The other boy spoke up, "You know… let's not tell them what we know?"
"...Huh, you really are a smart kid, then," The girl opened her fist, showing she had a small device sparking with electricity. She walked up to the one in the polo and gripped his chin with that hand, "Maybe you should think a little less about talking there, eh, Mr. Borg?"
"Andrus," He responded.
"...What?" The girl growled.
"I don't go by Mr. Borg, I go by Andrus," Andrus responded, "I thought you knew that."
"Andrus, shut up!" His friend shouted, "Do you not understand what's going on?!"
"Don't worry, Tye, this is all according to plan!" Andrus smiled, "Just give it a minute!"
From a nearby building, Lloyd lowered a pair of electronic binoculars that he was using to watch this all go down. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear to him what was going on.
"...That's, Mr. Borg?" Lloyd asked, "That… he's young?"
"That's… his son," Harumi grimaced, "Andrus. Andrus Borg. Cryus Borg passed away over a decade away."
"His… son?" Lloyd asked, "Wait, but-"
"Clone," Harumi groaned, "Everyone asks. That's his clone. I… met him on a few missions of mine."
"And, who is that tied up with him?" Lloyd asked.
"Tye," Harumi sat up, "His assistant. Well, technically his intern, but basically his assistant."
Lloyd watched through the binoculars. The one that had a grip on Andrus let go, taking a few steps back. After a few moments, she stepped away and pointed her palm right at Andrus. Lloyd watched Tye's eyes widen as he tried to yank at the chains holding them down. Andrus, however, didn't look phased. Lloyd dropped the binoculars and stood up.
"He's in trouble, we have to go, now!" Lloyd shouted. Just before he was about to break through the window in front of him and go right for them, though, Harumi gripped his arm.
"Just watch," Harumi sighed.
Lloyd returned to watching. Tye continued to struggle against his chains, but nothing seemed to work to get him free. Andrus continued to watch his captor charge up whatever device she had on at him with a blank expression. After a bit of looking him up and down, she let out a long laugh.
"Looks like Borg Inc is gonna need a new a new CEO," She smirked, "And you best-"
"Danger level assessed. Security Clearance 3 unlocked. Activating defensive measures."
The captor turned around just in time to see someone hurtling right towards them. Before she could put up a defense, the thing barreled her over, throwing her down onto the ground in a painful tackle. The figure didn't stop, though, using her as a springboard and thrusting one arm out. The forearm separated in half and folded into a sword, which sliced outwards and sliced through the chains holding Andrus and Tye.
"There you are, Millie!" Andrus beamed as he stood up. He looked to the device on his arm and flipped it up, revealing it to be a miniature computer he rapidly began to type on, "Come on, their operation is just below us."
The 'savior' was a female. Her entire body was shiny, betraying the fact she was, in fact, a Nindroid. Her hair was completely blonde and fixed in a ponytail behind her head. Her eyes were blue, and looking closely revealed lines of circuitry in them. Her outfit was a simple blue and silver suit that comprised her shorts, top, and came up to wrap around her shoulders in a sleeveless design. Small blue flaps of fabric in a V shape hung from her waist, drifting up and through the air as she stood there.
"As you wish, Andrus," Millie raised her right arm, converting the sword into what looked like a small cannon. She lowered it towards the captor on the ground, blasting them with it. A pulse of blue power struck them, causing them to gasp, eyes roll into their head, and collapse. Millie converted the cannon to an arm, then offered it to Tye.
"Did you know about this?!" Tye shouted. Millie nodded.
"Andrus informed me of his plan earlier, but he did not inform me he was planning to get captured," Millie shook her head, "Come, Andrus believes we can end this operation today."
"But-!" Tye was about to protest, but a blast of energy by his head caused him to duck and cover. Millie twisted around, her left hand opening up to reveal a small pulsing disc like their captor had. A blast of blue energy arced out from it, flying through the air to strike someone in a similar suit to their captor, blasting them down. Millie grabbed Tye's hand with her other arm and quickly yanked him along after Andrus.
"Come on," Harumi stood up with a nod, "Let's get down there," Lloyd nodded, raising his swords up.
Harumi hit a button on her watch, causing the glass in front of them to slide open. Lloyd jumped into the air, summoning his elemental dragon. Harumi leapt out after him, landing on Ion's back. Lloyd grabbed the reins and snapped them, sending his dragon down towards the structure they had been staring at. When the two arrived, they leapt off and onto the parking garage. Harumi and Lloyd shared a nod, then raced off after the one they'd come to save. Seeing an elevator shaft having been blasted open, they both leapt inside and slid down the wall.
When the two reached the first level, they heard the sounds of blasters. They both leapt out just in time to see what looked like a large tube of sparking lights. Andrus had extended wires from his wrist computer and plugged them in. An insane speed of text was rolling down the screen, and he himself was reading it just as quickly. Tye was hunched down on the ground beside him, cowering at all the lasers flying around. Millie spun around from direction to direction in front of them, blasting off lasers at goons that had appeared from all directions to attack them.
Lloyd and Harumi quickly moved to duck behind a pillar so as not to get caught up in the fire. A laser moved to strike Millie's side, singing the fabric. She turned and her cannon came out of her arm, this time firing a ball of energy. It flew out to strike a parked hovercar and blast it right up into the air, revealing two goons staring at her in terror. The car crashed behind them, and in turn Millie shot off two blasts of her stunning beam to send them to the ground.
"Andrus, I am predicting you have approximately 54 seconds until I am forced to upgrade to level 4."
"I only need 51!" Andrus smiled, reaching down to tap Tye, "Hey, take this!" Andrus shoved a small disc into his hand, "Find where this needs to get plugged into!"
"What?!" Tye shouted. Andrus, however, was already back to his computer, not even paying attention. Tye looked down, gave a long groan, and then looked around. A goon had fallen down nearby, and with it dropped his gun. Tye rolled across the ground and grabbed it, raising it up in a trained position and looking around. Two goons were up against a wall nearby and trained focused on him. With a single shot, Tye hit a nearby panel in the wall, activating the automatic fire suppression system. A loud blast of smoke filled the area, letting him turn around and quickly start scanning the device.
"Do we help them?" Lloyd asked. Harumi shook her head.
Tye quickly looked up and down, finding the slot. Several places didn't accept the disc, which made him spit in anger. When he finally found the slot, he jammed it inside. On Andrus' screen, a green light flared up. With a grin, Andrus tapped in a few buttons.
"And, there!" Andrus nodded, "That should do it!" He hit a button, and in turn a red light came on his screen. He blinked in shock, hitting it again. The same light.
"Uh, Andrus," Type started.
"Not now!" Andrus shook his head, "The signal isn't going through! This is the hub, I should be able to send it into the system! I have to determine the encryption they're using."
"Andrus!" Tye shouted. A guard nearby came up towards Andrus. Millie twisted around and fired off another blast to throw him through the air.
"What is it?" Andrus blinked, "Hnnnggg, I don't know what it is! Alright, let's try the standard Borg 1.5.45.a type!"
Tye reached out and hit a button on the device. Suddenly, the signal went through. Andrus blinked, then nodded his head and folded his computer down.
"I got it! Alright, Millie, let's go!" Andrus nodded, "You too, Tye!" He quickly turned and ran through the space, Millie following behind.
"...The thing wasn't turned on!" Tye shouted after him. A blast nearly hitting him again prompted him to run after his friends. Millie and Borg reached the edge of the garage and the massive drop down to the ground. Millie converted her cannon into a grappling hook, which she hooked down and nodded. Tye grabbed onto her left and Andrus her right as she leapt off and swung them down to safety. Just before they jumped, Millie threw something right at the device they'd been after. A second later, it sparked, crackled, and sizzled as it died down.
Lloyd and Harumi blinked at the display. All around them, the goons that were still around fled, hopping into hovercars and quickly darting out of the building as fast they could. Soon, it was just Lloyd and Harumi left. The two raced across the space once the coast was clear, looking down to the grappling hook. They saw it unhook and retract down to a lower floor. Once more, Lloyd summoned his dragon to take them both down.
When the two landed at the lower level, Millie had her back turned to them. Andrus had flipped his computer back up and looked at a display. Tye was gasping for air, hitting his chest slightly. He tossed the gun he'd commandeered away, turning to instead looked to his friends.
"Andrus I swear I'm going to kill you!" Tye gasped, "You didn't tell me about the fact you were coming here to take down a criminal organization!"
"No, I didn't," Andrus stated, still typing away. Tye, realizing he wasn't getting anything else, sighed and turned to Millie.
"You're insane to let him get away with this!" Tye rubbed his neck, "What would you have done if you didn't make it in time?"
"I am programmed never to allow harm to come to him, I will always be on time," Millie nodded. Lloyd took a step towards them, causing his foot to make a noise. A millisecond later, the Nindroid's arm once more converted to a sword, and with a decompression of springs in her feet, she'd flung herself right across the space to shove the sword right in Lloyd's face.
"H-Hey!" Lloyd shouted, putting his hands up, "We're good, we're good!"
"Millie, it's us," Harumi nodded her head. Millie turned to Harumi, scanning her. A second later, her sword retreated and converted to her arm again.
"Hello, Harumi," Millie nodded, "Security level clearance restored to 0," Her body seemed to relax, and her arms hissed for a second before she stood up with rigid posture, "What brings you to this location?"
"I need to talk to Andrus," Harumi nodded, "We need something from him."
Lloyd looked up. Andrus was turned towards Lloyd and Harumi, his face buried in his wrist computer. He began to frantically type away on it, looking around at it intently while he did. After a few moments, he flipped it down and instead walked right over towards Lloyd and Harumi. Lloyd opened his mouth to talk to him, but Andrus just walked right around them and over towards the edge of the floor, looking out over the city for a few moments. He put one hand up to his face and cupped it, looking through it. He shrugged and went back down to his computer.
"Uhm, Andrus?" Lloyd asked. Andrus remained focused. He continued to walk around for a good minute, ignoring everyone. When he finally stopped moving, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a little beeping blue pen.
"...Hold this!" Andrus suddenly spoke up, walking over and shoving the pen into Lloyd's hand. He took a few steps back as Lloyd held the device for a few seconds, completely confused. Andrus looked from screen to Lloyd a few times.
"Hrmmm… so you're not the only epicenter of disturbance in this area," Andrus nodded, yanking the pen back. He began to walk around the area again. This time, Lloyd began to get slightly annoyed, only for Tye to walk over to him and smiled apologetically.
"I'm, sorry for him," Tye sighed, "He's, well, he's in his own little world. My name is Tyler. I know this is all really weird, but I promise-"
"Tye!" Andrus called out, "Your name is Tye!"
"...Yes that's what you call me!" Tye shouted to Andrus, then rubbed his head and looked back to Lloyd, "I promise that he's, well, not dumb. He caught wind of some robberies at some old locations and pieced together his whole plot."
"That's about what I expected," Harumi admitted, "The first time I met him, well, I was working with the police to storm a place that was allegedly kidnapping people and such. He found out they were the endpoint of money coming out of Borg tech itself. That's actually how I met Tynda, now that I think about it…" Harumi shook her head, "He just gets himself into trouble a lot."
"Right… and, she is?" Lloyd pointed to Millie.
"I am model M-3000-K1," Millie responded, "Created by Cryus Borg as the personal protector and guardian for Andrus Borg. I am programmed to ensure his safety paramount to all else."
"Nindroid that his dad built him to keep him safe," Tye shook his head, "Don't… get her angry. I've seen her blow up a few buildings before just because Andrus was being dangled off them."
"Right… well, we need Andrus," Lloyd shook his head, trying to get back on track, "We need his DNA to get into the Vault."
"The vault?" Millie turned to Harumi, "For what reason do you need access?"
"Well…" Harumi shook her head, "It's a long story. Just, grab Andrus and let's get back to Borg Inc."
"Already on it," Tye walked over and put his hand on Andrus' shoulder, dragging him along. Andrus protested for a moment, but Tye was both stronger and faster than he was, "I'll call us a ride."
Within the hour, the five of them squeezed into a company hover car shaped on the sides into a large C on both sides with a large I on the front, Lloyd was able to take in what Borg had gotten up to in his time. Harumi informed him it would be far bigger than anything he knew, and Lloyd had at first been expecting to just see one larger than normal Borg Tower. They merged into the flow of hover traffic, and after nearly a half hour of driving, they emerged into a large open space where Lloyd was, indeed, able to see what Harumi meant.
Indeed, the Borg Tower he knew was still there, though perhaps doubled in height and now sporting a purely black and blue sheen that mingled together up and down its length. Structured in a large overhead C around it, however, were ten large lighter blue buildings that all had massive skybridges that connected to the main building. Beautiful lights were constructed all along the towers, making the massive set of buildings all the more beautiful to stand out. In contrast to the heavily urbanized city, the massive set of buildings comprising Borg Towers -as Harumi called it- were left alone in a massive space, with the ground below dedicated to massive bits of parks and greenery. Tye pointed out it was one of the few places in the city you could look up at the sky and see the sky among all the cars.
To ensure the space around the towers were indeed open air, massive blue force fields were erected in the form of little hovering blue discs that directed traffic in a massive roundabout around the space, only letting them enter in a straight line that entered where the gap in the C shape was. Once they got closer to the gap, Millie reached up to the automated driver seat and input a special code. One of the force fields turned off for a few seconds, letting her take control and fly them up and away towards the very top of the building. Just looking down when they had climbed to almost the very top level gave Lloyd a vertigo he wasn't sure he had ever felt before.
A small set of glass panes in the side of the building slowly opened up with a loud hiss, letting them gently land inside a large room that looked to be a cross between lounge and lab. The glass folded back into place behind them. The five disembarked, and once they did the floor opened up to let a pair of claws grab the vehicle and drag it down into the depths of the tower. They were left standing in front of a massive wall of holographic displays, bits of diagrams and blueprints pinned up onto them, and tables cluttered with various bits of blue, white and gray pieces of robots and builds among them. Lloyd drifted over towards them.
"Don't touch those!" Tye shouted, making Lloyd turn to him, "...Andrus has a system he uses to keep it all… 'organized.' So, well, don't touch them, he'll get mad."
Lloyd was quickly dragged over by Tye to stand on a small white disc shape in the floor. A moment later, a blue field surrounded them, and the disc was drawn up into the air. The ceiling above them opened up, letting them pass through it. When they stopped, they had entered into what looked like a far more formal room for a CEO, with a massive open space with various tables, chairs and such, and a large desk with a single computer screen and large white plush chair at it. Rather than a window behind the desk, though, there was instead a large holographic screen to display images and news headlines.
"Mission success," Andrus declared as he made his way over to his desk. He jumped into the chair, then reached down and began to type on the desk itself. The computer screen split in half and folded out and out until it was a massive circular display. As Andrus was once more lost in his work, Millie walked over to stand beside the desk in a protective fashion. Her body shifted, and the clothes she wore turned to look more like a simple female version of the company outfit that Tye wore.
"Erm… make yourselves at home," Tye gestured to the tables nearby, "He'll log this mission then, well, we'll see if we can help you. Sorry you had to come all this way just for this."
"It's nice to get out of the cave," Lloyd said without thinking. A moment later, Harumi nudged him.
"There are refreshments on the tables," Andrus stated. Lloyd watched in shock as Andrus twisted his left forearm, revealing that there were two screws embedded into him. He pulled a tool out from under his desk and unscrewed them. A moment later, the wrist computer slid off his arm, revealing the two holes that went all the way through his arm that had been holding it on.
"I need to make some adjustments to this," Andrus rubbed his forearm, "It's not suited for non humid environments. The dust out there is making it itch."
"I am obligated to say that you must get your arm repaired," Millie frowned, "The only reason I have not forced you to do so is you have insisted that it does not harm you."
"They don't!" Andrus insisted, "Just itch a bit. I'll fix it in time. Human bodies and machinery weren't made to mix. Hrmm… maybe if I made another-"
"Your father explicitly has banned any cyborg modifications to your body," Millie stepped forward and seized Andrus' arm, "Again, I have only permitted this because you have demonstrated that it is a technicality."
Tye, upon seeing Lloyd starring, smiled awkwardly, "It was an injury he got when he was out on a mission he shouldn't have been at!" Tye raised his voice towards Andrus, "Millie fixed it best he could, but, well… he went and did that so his 'wristop' wouldn't fall off during missions," Tye groaned out, "Personally, I say he should just get the reconstructive surgery."
"Y-Yeah," Lloyd gulped. Harumi, seeing Lloyd's reaction, smiled apologetically to him.
"I had the same reaction, don't worry," Harumi tugged on his arm, "Come on, let's go sit down. It's, going to be a little while before he notices us again."
Lloyd let Harumi guide him over towards one of the seats. Once there, she retrieved a small bowl of candies and slid them over to Lloyd. It seemed general business hospitality hadn't changed much yet. As the two took some time to snack on them, Harumi ordered them some water. Tye walked over to Andrus. Both he and Millie began to tap away on the desk along with Andrus, correcting him and filling in gaps. As Lloyd watched the three of them, he felt like he was seeing something completely different.
"So, now what?" Lloyd asked.
"Now we wait," Harumi sighed, "And just, hope that we get this done in the next hour."
Lulloyd stood guard outside of the entrance to the underground system. Beside him was Ren, who stood with near impeccable posture and poise. Lulloyd, meanwhile, had his mechdragon brick in his hands, running his hand along the printing on it and taking in the sights that it held for him. He focused on it, letting himself trace each line and color with his eyes. Both of them were sat upon a small ledge over the large pipe that served as the entrance, hidden to all but those looking from the most bird's eye of view.
"I do not think we'll be seeing anyone," Ren shook her head, "I believe we can call this shift. It seems that your pursuers did not find us after all."
"I guess you're right," Lulloyd nodded, "We should be able to relax now."
"I'll go and ask Mizuko to take over for us," Ren sighed, "That girl… she has more energy than all of us combined and somehow can work just as many jobs. I find her an enigma." She paused, "Ah, sorry, my own thoughts drifted out there, didn't they?"
"You'd, be surprised if I told you how crazy my family is," Lulloyd smiled gently, "I just learn to stop questioning things after awhile."
"Hrmm, well that can work," Ren chuckled, "I suppose that's one way to look at it. As long as you know why you are letting things stop confusing you."
"Trust me, there's only so many times you can get thrown down the Slope of Infinite Tumbling before you just kinda, roll with things," Lulloyd chuckled. The name made Ren blink in confusion, but, as if taking his advice, she nodded and turned to leave. It was the second that the two of them did just that when Lulloyd saw something right out of the corner of his eye.
Someone had walked right down the path towards the entrance. Lulloyd reached out to grab Ren's arm, making ehr turn around and look. Both of them flattened down and slowly crawled to look across the way, trying to see who it was. After a few moments to discern them, Ren blinked in confusion.
"Forte?" Ren asked, "...What is she doing here? She has a show tomorrow, she should be rehearsing."
Lulloyd took a few moments to focus. Forte looked normal, with her keytar on her back, walking with her normal little stride, and nothing about her put him off. But something about this didn't sit right with him. He could hear something in his head, something niggling at him. After a few moments to try to place why this made him so, on edge.
Anyone can be a door right into your base, son! Anyone! If your gut tells you something is up, trust it.
"I'll go and talk to her," Ren stood up. The second she did, Lulloyd grabbed her and held her down. Ren stared at him in shock, but Lulloyd reached his hand up to make a shushing motion. Ren, confused, looked down to where Forte was walking.
Once Forte was at the entrance, she stopped dead in her tracks. She looked around several times, and then turned around to face away from it. A second later, the space in front of her began to crackle and spark orange. The moment that Lulloyd saw that, his body froze. The space in front of her opened up, a portal to another location. And from that portal, Ophiod slowly slithered forward. He held his staff with the scroll on the edge, planting it firmly into the ground. A moment later, Prime stepped through, just him in his jumpsuit. Lulloyd watched in fear as the two looked around.
"This place?" Prime cocked his hips, "Really? Here?"
"Yeah," Forte spoke, her voice slightly dull. As he did, her eyes momentarily flashed orange, "This is an underground system we've used to hide out before. She's down there with her friends."
"Mhm," Ophiod slithered past Forte, looking down the darkened entrance, "You've done well then, Forte," Ophiod reached his hand up to Forte's head, pressing his palm to it, "...You will return to where we found you, with no memory of why you were here. In fact, you will realize you were late to your… performance, and need to get back quickly. Understood?"
"I do," Forte nodded. A moment later, she walked past Prime and Ophiod and around the portal, back into the city at large. Ophiod watched her go.
"I didn't know you could do that," Prime smirked, "Pretty useful, honestly."
"I prefer not to," Ophiod frowned, "A spell to bewitch the mind… it is dangerous and deadly. Asking her to lead us here already took considerable magic. She is a strong willed one. I would need to be more… forceful to extract more information form her."
"Well… if they're underground, I can't help much," Prime sighed, "I would have to outfit Invictus for that, and that's at least a day. If you want to go in now, you'll have to do this yourself."
"You will know when your time has come," Ophiod nodded, nodding to the portal. Prime took a moment to nod, then reached out and gripped Ophiod's shoulder.
"I'll get our backup, you stay safe until then, alright?" Prime nodded, "Don't take unnecessary risks."
"I know my mission, do not worry," Ophiod informed him, "I will see you shortly."
Prime hesitated for a moment, then stepped back through the portal. Ophiod banished it, and in turn he chanted a word to cause his staff to light up with magic. He held it in front of him as he slithered down into the depths of the underground. As soon as Lulloyd and Ren saw him leave, they shared a look of terror.
"Come," Ren ordered, "There is another entrance we can use to get ahead of him. We must get them out before he arrives!"
Lulloyd nodded, not daring to question what she meant. Ren led him up and over the ground, looking around as she did. She reached out as soon as she found a small spot in the ground, pulling on a small latch. Pieces of scrap metal and concrete slid aside as she opened it, revealing a completely black hatch for them to fall down. She looked around, then found a small barrel that she pulled rope out of. She tied it off and leapt out to grab the rope, sliding down after her.
The descent they took was far more straight down than anything. Lulloyd didn't even hear the rope land at the bottom until they had already been sliding for a few seconds. When they did land, however, Ren was quickly to focus and call upon her power, casting a small purple light around them. It wasn't much, but it worked. Lulloyd landed on top of his mechdragon brick, looking up to her and nodding to her.
The two raced down the tunnels, with Ren taking the lead. The entire time, Lulloyd expected Ophiod to appear at any moment, and bring with it a massive blast of magic. He drew his sword at first, only for the tunnel they took to get so tight he was forced to put it away again. Ren ran like she knew the place, which thankfully she seemed to. The two kept racing, knowing that any moment they wasted put their friends in more danger.
Finally, the two emerged into the hallway inside the warehouse. Ren took a single moment to catch her breath, then raced straight towards the main room. Lulloyd overtook her in seconds once he knew where they were, and when he emerged into the open space, he took only a second to pant before shouting.
"They found us!" Lulloyd shouted. All around the room, the various individuals turn to thim. Mage lowered Aevum from a practice session, while Over and Monty both turned to look at him from sitting opposite one another. Carnelian and Mizuko were the only other two girls there, and both of them jumped to their feet in shock.
No sooner had Lulloyd spoken, the main entrance to the space suddenly lit up with a beautiful orange light. The group scrambled out of the way as a massive blast of orange flames shot straight out from the entrance, nearly incinerating them where they stood Mage shot his hand out and his eyes went red to control the flames and stop their blast. As the flames subsided, the hazy air and smoke that began to fill the space produced the viper, his scales glowing in the light as he slithered into the space.
"And so we meet again," Ophiod declared. He placed his hand on the scroll, then yanked it open. His entire body began to glow with power as he spoke. A blast of air came off his body as he closed his fist.
Monty drew Ebony, firing a round straight towards Ophiod. The bullet burned up in open air as soon as it got near him. Over, Mage and Lulloyd all reached up to activate their wristbands and jump worlds. Ophiod, his eyes darting to see this, let out a shout. He thrust his staff out and spun his body, using the tip of the staff to draw a circle on the floor. When he completed it, ancient orange symbols glowed inside of it. Ophiod twisted his staff upside down and plunged it into the circle, seemingly phasing through the floor. A blast of orange lighting shot out in all directions, striking each of their wrist devices. The machines sparked for a single second, then died out with a hiss.
"I refuse to let you leave!" Ophiod shouted, "You will face me today!"
"Carnelian, Mizuko, Ren!" Over shouted, his voice firm and commanding as he brandished his staff, "Run, now! Find Harumi and Lloyd and tell them of what has happened!"
"I will not allow you to escape!" Ophiod shouted. "Vas thrarar, ZA!"
Ophiod brought his arms across his body. His eyes widened as magic shot straight up into his body, causing every cell to feel as though he'd burned straight through it with power. He reached down and pulled his staff out of the ground, brandishing it behind him. He brought his other hand up, drawing a shape in the air. A second later, the floor underneath all of them began to burn and churn. Carnelian thrust her arms down and blasted flames out of them to grab Mizuko just as the floor itself turned to slag and began to froth and churn like lava.
Over's body lit up, dark wings sprouting from his back again as he shot himself across the space to bring a blast of dark power down towards Ophiod. His staff struck an orange wall in front of him, his power sparking against it. Ophiod twisted his hand and thrust it forward. The wall suddenly turned liquid and wrapped around Over, trapping him and his blast of power inside. Ophiod shouted another word, and Over was sent hurtling across the space. Only with a timely flap of his wings did he save himself from falling into the lava-like floor.
Lulloyd had leapt up and plunged his sword into the wall, holding onto it precariously. He turned to see Ren doing the same. Mizuko and Carnelian were using blasts of water and flame to stay in the air. Thinking fast, Lulloyd saw small circular containers on the wall that hadn't been melted. He gathered his breath, then leapt out and struck them. Ophiod blasted magic towards him, magic that caused the wall to decay the moment that it touched it. Lulloyd landed on the container and clung to it, gasping as he dragged himself up. Before Ophiod could blast him, Monty blasted across the surface of the lava and drew the SoS to slice at Ophiod in a clean slash. Ophiod's staff caught the tip of it just in time.
Once his grip was secured, Lulloyd struck the containers, turning them into bricks. Before they could fall down, he rapidly kicked off the wall to build them into a massive pair of stilts he shoved down into the lava. He gripped the wall and kicked them, sending one across the lava towards Carnelian and the other to Ren. Ren leapt off and grabbed one, quickly getting on top to balance. Carnelian and Mizuko did the same, balancing theirs by getting on either side. For the moment, they were safe.
Ophiod wasn't paying attention to this. Instead, he brought his tail out to strike the SoS and knock it back, then threw his weight towards to grab hold of Monty's solidified hand, spin him around, and throw him back. Monty stabilized in the air, but when he did he saw the lava was moving. Ophiod took hard breaths, each one drawing the lava around him in, then spreading out. The sight was enough to make Monty dart over and throw up a massive wall of air, just as Ophiod gathered the lava into a wave that shot across the underground chamber. Monty's air caught it and blasted the wave apart, but the wave of heat was enough to even make him slightly anxious.
Above Carnelian and Mizuko, Mage appeared. He landed on top of them and grabbed their wrists, taking a deep breath and turning all three of them to smoke. The three shot across the room and around Ophiod, landing in the space behind him that hadn't turned to slag yet. Mage gasped for air as he reformed them. He turned to see Ren still clinging to her pillar. With a shout, Mage struck the ground, causing a rumble and the rock under the lava to rise up in a path right to where Ren clung. Ren let go and stumbled right onto the rocky path, racing across it towards Mage.
Ophiod, not willing to let them go just yet, spun around and chanted. An orange field began to surround the three, blocking their escape the way the Viper had come. The field dissipated, however, when the shadows along the wall shot out and wrapped around Ophiod's outstretched hand, wrapping around it like a sticky glove. The shadows began to crawl up his arm, seeking to consume him. Ophiod inhaled, and in turn the magic around him shot up and blasted out around his amr to blow the shadows away. When he looked, however, Mage had already taken off with the three girls out of the chamber.
"Was it wise to come after us on your own?!" Over shouted, flapping his wings to hover on one side of Ophiod. Monty blasted over and did the same, leveling his gun at the snake. Lulloyd inhaled and then jumped, running across the wall in an arc so he could leap off and over behind Ophiod. Ophiod trained his focus on the two immediate threats, while Lulloyd set his mechdragon brick on his back and took off after Mage.
"It is you who have made an error in judgement," Ophiod frowned, "Choosing to stay and fight me as you have now!"
Over shouted hard, bringing his staff behind him and spinning it. Darkness of flames born of the abyss began to flare up on the end, stretching out towards his hand until his entire staff was a spinning disc of nothing but pure and deadly shadow. Ophiod twisted his head towards it and shouted another word, causing his magic to fire out across the surface of the now lava-fied floor and fire up as orange chains to grasp at Over's body. Over dodged them and whipped his body around, launching a massive black disc towards Over that crackled and hissed through the air.
Ophiod inhaled, thrusting his left hand out to his side and exhaling. Magic began to form inside of his palm, to which he raised his hand up in the air to counter. A magical shield formed in the air in front of him, which the darkness blasted into. The two attacks burst open in the air. Ophiod, however, came flying through it, his body propelled by his spell. Over, thinking fast, split his staff into the four swords and took one in each hand, catching Ophiod's staff on them. Ophiod spun his body around, his tail striking out to hit Over in the side. The action stung, and when he looked to see why, the magic Ophiod had around him had formed a magical blade over the tip of the tail.
A loud blast betrayed Monty firing Ebony at Ophiod. Through reflex alone, Ophiod thrust his tail up over his head and let the bullet bounce off the scales on his tail. He winced as it fell into the lava below and sizzled apart. Monty hefted Ebony up again and fired several more shots, each one a small cannon blast that sent its massive rounds across the space at him.
Ophiod thought fast. The Viper flattened himself down on the 'ground,' which his orange magic illuminated to form a foot above the lava. Over flapped away from the bullets, but by then Ophiod had thrust his tail upwards and struck Over in the chin. A bit of purple blood went flying in the air as the magic blade sliced across his cheek. Monty rocketed across the air, skating his way over and spinning his body to fire at Ophiod's prone form. Magic, however, stopped each bullet in the air. Ophiod's eyes widened, and with a compression of his tail, he 'slid' himself through the air to then backflip his way back upright. His tail curled around him, the tip around the bottom of the staff. Ophiod took a hard inhale.
"Scroll!" Ophiod shouted, "Hear my words! Bury these two under the ground where they have chosen to face me!"
Ophiod focused hard, his mind straining to reach out to it. Slowly, the scroll began to unfurl. He focused, pouring his mind into it to try to utilize its power. His palm opened and shut, and in turn small orange lines began to appear across his body, all spreading out from the point where his tail and hand held the staff. He focused, and in turn the scroll began to burn orange at the tips far more readily. Yet the scroll's power fought against him, giving time for the others to figure out what was happening.
"That's our cue!" Monty snapped at Over, "You wanna run for it?"
"What, and see what sort of ancient magic he has in store for us?" Over spat back at him.
Hearing them, Ophiod thrust his arm out. He raised his hand up to the ceiling, shouting another word to send a blast of orange power up into it. Web-like lines shot across the ceiling over towards the entrance that Lulloyd and Mage had used, and there the rocks heated up. With a loud crackle, the rocks fell in, sealing the entrance. Ophiod twisted his hand, causing the magic to fire down like a portcullis, sealing the entrance.
"Good job," Over brought one of his arms in front of him, "I'll break us out of here, you keep him busy!"
With a loud hiss, Ophiod sucked his breath in through his body. With another cry of magical words in a tongue Monty couldn't hope to understand, Ophiod brought the staff over his head. In turn, the entire chamber began to rumble. Magic began to seep up the walls like hands, grasping hard into the walls and melting it down where it stood. The entire 'warehouse' soon began to melt, and, in turn, the massive amount of dirt above them began to weigh harder on them. And above that dirt, being concrete, this place was going to become a tomb quickly.
Monty drew the SoS, looking into it. The only thing that reflected in it was the orange glow of the lava around him. He hissed at it, his eyes fixated on it. As he saw the magic arcing off Ophiod, though, he knew he had to act.
"What, you don't think dropping you in lava will hurt you?!" Monty spat, building up wind in his feet.
I can withstand that, as well as being buried, The Sword stated calmly, As can you.
"And that'd mean I'd lose-" Monty cape flapped as he growled, "Forget it!"
Over charged up darkness in his hands, holding them upwards and focusing on the ceiling, ready to blast their way up to the surface. Monty blasted straight across the room, his wind spinning his body in a spiral to slam the SoS straight down into Ophiod. A small shield of magic once more stopped him. With a hard growl, Monty increased the pressure his wind was giving, trying to jam it right down into the Viper. The walls continued to heat up around them, and, in turn, Ophiod thrust Monty backwards. A portal opened up behind Ophiod that he fell into, closing a moment before the walls caved in and the tons of dirt over them came sliding in.
All of this was just a sound of slowly decreasing noises for Lulloyd, however. He was running through the caves that wound up towards the surface as fast as he could. He clung to his sword and brick. He looked down at his wrist, trying to see if the device would turn on. The screen, however, was completely black. Whatever Ophiod's magic had done had fried the thing.
Soon, he saw light. With a leap and a roll, Lulloyd landed on three points, sword drawn up behind him. He sat up, looking around for danger. Mage stood with Ren, Carnelian and Mizuko, the three of which who were panting from it all. Mage quickly raced over to Lulloyd and looked him up and down.
"Are you okay?!" Mage asked, gasping, "Where's Over and Monty?!"
Lulloyd opened his mouth to speak. Instead, a loud hiss followed by a massive slam behind Mage stopped him. Lulloyd blinked as he saw what looked like two massive robotic feet behind Mage. Both of them looked up to see Invictus, its arms crossed over its chest with Prime standing on the thing's shoulder in a similar pose. The shadow that the mech cast blotted out the neon lights of the city that stretched for hundreds of feet above it.
"So Ophiod's spell worked!" Prime laughed, "I knew he could do it! Just what I expect from someone like him. Now then!" Prime's eyes narrowed, "Let's get down to BUSINESS!"
A hatch opened, and in turn Prime slid straight down into the mech. A second later, Invictus moved, a whirling of gears and parts that hurt the assembled group's ears. The mech grasped its knives and sent energy down the arms, turning them into the two massive energy swords. Carnelian lit her fists on fire, but Mage acted faster and instead shrouded them in light so they disappeared. Invictus brought the swords down as Mage accelerated them out of the path with speed. When they stopped, they were all thrown down onto the ground as the swords cleaved down into the ground, cutting through the entire above ground pipe they'd used as the entrance with a sizzling hiss of burnt material.
Invictus twisted its swords and sliced them outwards, cleaving across the ground. Mage gave them all a massive burst of gravity, sending them up into the air over them as the hissing of the sword made their hair all stand on end. They fell to the ground with a hard thud, the impact causing Mage's focus to break and the light to fall away. Lulloyd took up the action instead, throwing his Mechdragon brick out and letting it rapidly unfold. Before Invictus could get another swing in, Lulloyd leapt into the air and leapt back and forth up his dragon into the cockpit, starting the machine up with a loud roar of his beast. Even then, he looked like a bird compared to the human-like mech. Mizuko thrust her arms out, grabbing Ren, Carnelian and Mage with tentacles of water to throw them up into the dragon. She latched onto the dragon's leg with her water just as Lulloyd took off, blasting up into the air. As they passed the mech, Lulloyd swore he could feel Prime's gaze in the cockpit sour as he watched them fly away.
"Hmmph!" Prime shouted, "You think that'll be enough to let you get away from ME?!"
Invictus fired up its jets, soaring up into the air and rapidly gaining speed as it pursued Lulloyd. The mech was barely big enough to fly between the buildings that made up the densely packed city, and Lulloyd tried to use that to his advantage. He rapidly wove his dragon's fluid form back and forth through buildings, but no matter what Invictus refused to let him go. In fact, it seemed Invictus was even faster than he was, as each time he looked behind him, he was getting closer.
Ren and Carnelian clung to the dragon as tightly as they could. Mage was holding onto one of the dragon's spikes, his body being made to bounce up and down with the dragon's rippling body. Mizuko was doing the same at the base of the mechdragon's tail. The wind that rippled by them was almost enough to drown out the mechanical and electric noise of Invictus behind them.
"Don't fly higher!" Ren shouted, "The crowds are larger around layer twenty!"
"I don't know where I'm going!" Lulloyd shouted back, "He won't get off our tail!"
A few sparse citizens hanging around the lower layers looked up in time to first see the form of the mechdragon flying by, followed by the roar and smashing force of wind as Invictus flew after them. The people that saw it quickly scattered, rushing to try to get away from the sight. Lulloyd gunned his controls, but he couldn't go faster than he was. Going higher meant more people, but going lower would be more dangerous. He couldn't risk it!
"...I-I might have an idea!" Mage shouted, "But it's really dangerous! T-That thing runs on lightning, right?! Get me close!"
"Electricity!" Mizuko shouted. Mage shook his head.
"...I-I trust you!" Lulloyd shouted at Mage, then turned to Carnelian, "If Ophiod and Prime are here, they might be going after Harumi! Do you know where she might be?!"
"I do!" Ren shouted. Lulloyd looked up to see one of the large glass layers above them.
"Go find Harumi!" Lulloyd shouted, "I'm going to let you three jump off there! When I say so, jump!" Ren nodded her head. Carnelian nodded as well. Lulloyd waited until the head of his dragon was just passing under the layer above them, then twisted his controls around. The dragon shot up vertically in the air in a beautiful summersault. Lulloyd went upside down as the layer above them came into view.
"JUMP!" Lulloyd shouted. Ren and Carnelian both let go, Mizuko doing the same. The two girls fell and hit the layer hard, their visions both momentarily going red from the impact. Mizuko overshot the layer, but used a whip of water to grab the edge of the layer and yank herself back upwards. Ren looked up to watch Lulloyd go right for Invictus, who didn't stop his assault. Instead, the arm cannons on the thing's forearms began to charge up.
"DO IT!" Lulloyd shouted at Mage. Mage opened his eyes to see Invictus about to fire.
Mage looked to Lulloyd, then gave a nervous smile. Mage rubbed his hands together, sparking a charge in them. His entire body suddenly burst into a web of lightning, but that wasn't all. Mage reached out, feeling for the power that ran through Invictus, namely that of the 'lightning' inside of it. Invictus fired its cannons, and Lulloyd swerved down towards the ground to avoid them. The second he did, Mage jumped up into the air. Lulloyd's eyes bulged as Mage thrust his body back to just barely avoid the blasts from frying him. Instead, Mage let out some of the lightning from his foot, rocketing himself towards Invictus. As soon as he was close, he focused and yanked on all of the lightning he could feel inside the mech. Power charged up inside of Invictus, then blasted out the cracks of its armor and right into Mage. With all of the raw power flowing through him, Mage wound up his fist and threw them forward, augmenting his attack with all the blasts from Invictus that he had gathered up.
The result was Mage and Invitus flying apart as a massive blast of blue illuminated the sides of buildings. Invictus smashed into the side of one, lodging there. Mage, instead, was sent hurtling through the air and instead struck the side of one. Only a last minute application of metal, once more, saved him from breaking apart. He skidded across the interior of what looked like a storage room. The two crashes knocked both him and Prime about, with Prime stumbling in his cockpit as his systems sparked and Mage as his body rocked with pain.
Lulloyd covered his face as the wave of blue passed through him, causing his dragon to momentarily go on the fritz. Thankfully, he stayed in the air. He rapidly looped around to fly towards where he saw Mage. Mage stumbled up to the hole he'd made in the side of the building, a small sliver of blood running down the side of his mouth. Invictus began to stir, a screeching and hissing noise as it tried to get back into action. As Mage looked up to where Lulloyd was hovering, he realized something and quickly shook his head.
"Go!" Mage shouted, coughing as he did, "He can't chase both of us! RUN!" Mage drew Aevum from his hip. He reached out to the concrete he'd broken through and levitated it in the air with earth. A slash of Invictus slowed time in the air around them, causing the rocks to form a pseudo-shield as Mage took off into the building, dragging himself along.
Invictus twisted, freeing its arms and drawing one of its pistols to fire at where Mage had been. The rocks that were trapped in slowed time were shredded apart, and the bullets as well. The time effect vanished, and instead all the bits of concrete and bullet rained into the room. Mage, however, was gone. Lulloyd, realizing what was happening, twisted the Mechdragon in the air and shot away from the sight, hurtling through the air to get away from it all as quickly as he could.
Prime, in his cockpit, lowered his arm. He looked over to see the mechdraogn flying away in his viewscreen. He groaned out and raised his other hand up to his head, pressing down on it. A magic spell connecting him to Ophiod activated, and in turn as he forced Invictus to get up, he shouted at the Viper.
"Did you get them?!" Prime shouted. Off in the distance, Prime heard a loud rumbling, followed by the sound of cracking stone in the magic spell he was using. A few moments later, he saw the barest glimpse of Over and Monty flying in opposite directions up into the air.
"No, I didn't," Ophiod shook his head, "But I just spoke with Skales. He's going to go after the boy. You go after Lulloyd. I'll take-"
"No!" Prime spat, "I'll go after Over. I won't let him get away from me. We can leave the ghost, he's not important. You go after Lulloyd."
"Are you sure?" Ophiod asked.
"I'm sure," Prime growled, then realized how he sounded. He took a few deep breaths, then shook his head, "Over's power is too much for you, Ophiod. You can take Lulloyd, easily. And Mage is clearly injured. Skales will take him on just fine. Trust me… as your friend."
There was a long pause from the other side of the magical comm, then Ophiod awkwardly stated back, "Then… I will trust you, as a friend. I will go after Lulloyd. Tracking his dragon will not be hard. Over flew southwest."
"I doubt they'll leave the city," Prime declared, "And if all goes according to plan, it looks like we'll have them all in our grasp by the end of the night!" He smirked, "And if Oni does his job, we're in the clear."
"If he does," Ophiod declared, "Stay safe." Prime let the magic die out with that, fully freeing Invictus from the building. He turned in the direction that Over had gone, then blasted the mech's jets off. Within a minute, he was hot on the pursuit of Over, and soon flying straight through the city after him.
"Hrmm, that's odd…" Andrus scrolled through the items on his screen, "What's this?" He pointed at a picture taken from blurry cameras on his screen of what looked like a large white mech, "Odd. Most odd. Find me more data on it!"
"As you wish, Andrus," Millie nodded, leaning in to open her palm and cause a port to open up and plug into the computer, scrolling rapidly through data. As she did, Andrus finally sighed and stood up, a grin on his face.
"So!" Andrus clapped his hands together, "Are we ready to discuss whatever you interrupted my operation for?"
"Are we?!" Lloyd groaned as he sat up inside of his chair, "We've been here for two hours! What were you doing?!"
"Trust me, two horus is tame compared to some of the stuff he's pulled," Tye walked over with two small cups of coffee, passing them on them, "Plain iced for you," He slid a cup branded with the CI logo on it to Harumi, "And just a plain one here for you too," Tye slid one into Lloyd's hand, "Sorry again for waiting so long."
"That's fine," Lloyd shook his head, "I don't drink a lot of coffee."
Harumi threw her head back and downed almost all of her cup in one go before smiling at Tye and turning to Andrus, "Andrus, we need to get into the Vault. That Vault."
"Hrmm… Vault 00989IO-K56-BORG-1080?" Andrus asked.
"I… yes, I think so," Harumi nodded, "The one that my parents entrusted to your dad. The one that only you can open."
"Then that Vault," Andrus nodded his head, "I'll take us there right away, then!"
"Wait," Lloyd blinked, "You're not gonna demand anything?"
"My instructions were clear," Andrus flipped his wristop up and nodded, "In the event that a descendant or named next of kin of one Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon were to come to me or related party, I am to open the Vault only upon demonstration of a sufficient need to do so."
"Wait… I did all that?" Lloyd asked. Harumi ignored him.
"Yes, and we have a need of it now," Harumi stood up, "The Time Twins-"
"Are causing spatial energy deviations all across Ninjago?" Andrus asked, looking down at his wristop, "I've had Millie help me monitor them. They started almost four months ago. It appears that whenever a certain impetus occurs, a discharge of energy happens that creates a very unique wave pattern that can be analyzed and traced to a similar yet foriegn one to our own!"
"Uh… that's us," Lloyd waved his hand, "We travel universes. And, well, you're reading the energy from that universe when we open a portal."
"I figured as such," Andrus lowered his arm, "Given that you're a displaced version of Harumi's father."
Lloyd froze in shock as Andrus started tying away, "In fact, from what I can read, you're almost an identical version, aside from the energy signature that I've gotten from you. Given what I've been able to deduce from the energy readings, you're likely a version from a world that hadn't advanced to our point. And, likewise, your-"
"Wait, how did you figure that out?!" Lloyd gasped.
"The seat you're sitting in has been scanning your biometrics for the last hour," Andrus turned around and walked back to his desk, "And I decided to cross reference that. I was curious as to why you resembled images from our servers. And now I have my answer."
"...He was, you made us wait just so you could confirm a theory?!" Lloyd gasped, "You could have just asked me!"
"Yes, but data is more likely to yield a correlation that can be used in conjunction with anecdotal evidence," Andrus tapped Millie, letting her disconnected from the computer, "Alright, we're all ready to go then!"
"Go?" Harumi asked, "How do we get to the Vault?"
"This," Andrus informed her, pressing onto his desk. In turn, a scanner came up. Millie walked over and pressed something, causing it to scan her as well. The two of them, combined, caused the desk to begin to rapidly blare up with blue lights, then stop and retreat into the floor. A moment later, it returned as a spinning blue disc on the floor, much like the one they'd ascended into the office on.
"This is a teleportation device that will take you to the Vault," Millie informed them, "The location is currently not known to myself or Andrus. This teleporter is the only way to get there. It was constructed such that its location will never be changed. Andrus' DNA is used to activate it. It will not allow passage without it. Furthermore, the device itself will only allow Andrus and two others to go with him. I will stay behind to ensure that the device is safe."
"Three people?" Lloyd stood up, "Then that works."
"Wait," Tye stepped forward, "Are you sure about that? Maybe you should go, Millie. He'll get himself into trouble if you don't."
"Harumi has been designated as a protector of Andrus for her previous actions," Millie stated firmly, "Likewise, Andrus shows no distrust towards Lloyd. We will allow him to go."
"Don't worry, I'll be back in just a few minutes!" Andrus waved his hand, "This will take us right into the Vault."
"That information is good to know," A deep voice caused Lloyd's body to go cold.
Collectively, the group turned to see who was there. A man with dragon-like arms and legs, demon-like horns, and large claws walked into the room, holding a purple mask. On his hip was a deep orange mask, both of which Lloyd was intimately familiar with. The door to the room closed behind him, and, once he was there, he gave a long growl.
"Oni?!" Lloyd shouted.
"Yes," Oni declared, "I have come to stop this, whatever this may be. I am prepared to use any force needed to do so. If you stop now, I have no quarrel with you."
"Intruder detected," Millie's body went rigid. Tye quickly scampered back towards Millie, getting behind her. Millie pointed her right arm out and converted it into the cannon that they'd seen earlier, hefting it at Oni, "I have no record of you accessing any checkpoint in this building. Why were you given clearance to this floor?"
"Your machines are not built to handle things that are not human or snake," Oni raised his left arm, letting the dragon-like scales and claws shift to the sleek, black carapace of a true Oni, "I will not allow for you to continue your mission. The last time you made an excursion like this, you created a weapon to attack Invictus. If you are planning something like this again, I will stop you."
"Lloyd," Millie spoke out, "Recognizing verbal indication of past interaction. What threat does this man pose to Andrus?"
"He's… he's incredibly dangerous, he's not human," Lloyd took a step back. Just looking at Oni made him feel cold, vulnerable and, in some ways, exposed, "He's strong enough to topple a three story mech."
"Understood," Milile nodded, "Security Clearance Level 3 granted. Accessing internal storage. Acknowledged. Limiters 10 through 31 unlocked. Engagement commencing."
Millie brought her arms over her head. Her other arm converted to a cannon and, form both of them, a long flat sword extended. Her shoulders opened up to reveal small lasers inside, which charged up blue beams of energy. Millie thrust her arms forward, and Tye ducked. The two small lasers and cannons fired, massive blasts of blue light filling the space. Andrus grabbed Lloyd and Harumi and yanked them towards the teleporter.
Oni grabbed the table in front of him with his claws, yanking it in front of him to shield himself. The lasers collided with it and shattered it apart. The smaller cannons on Millie's shoulders continued to fire, however, and in turn Oni was struck by them. He slid back across the floor, his torso smoking for a few moments.
"Let's go!" Andrus yanked Harumi and Lloyd onto the small disc, "She can handle it, don't worry!"
"Wait!" Lloyd shouted.
"Teleport, START!" Andrus shouted. In turn, the world around them suddenly began to turn blue. A massive feeling of electricity shot through Lloyd, and an old metal taste filled his mouth. In a flash, the three were gone.
Oni slowly stood up, looking at Millie with his unblinking eyes. He raised the mask he carried with him to his face. As he fitted the Mask of Deception onto it, his body suddenly began to glow all over. He twisted and convulsed for a few seconds, before stone began to encase him in full. When he finished, a strange purple light filled the cracks in the rock. His horns grew up and through the mask's top, becoming far more pronounced. The orange mask remained on his hip.
"You have made the wrong decision," A muffled, distorted version of Oni's voice sounded from the mask, "I will remove you and ensure that I succeed."
"Acknowledged. Clearance Level 4 granted," Millie thrust her arms out, her body glowing as blue power began to fill her, "I will protect Andrus with my life. I will ensure you do not succeed, trespasser."