DUST AND THE SWEEPER
Chapter 9 - Conqueror
Powerless. Neither Dust nor Blinx can free themselves from their bind on their way to Benito's throne room. Once they get up the lavish elevator, they're pushed by Tom Tom Guards into the long glass chamber where a dinner table built for 20, maybe 30 people is filled with an assortment of dishes. Some exotic, some familiar to Dust. Seeing how everything is for his enemy, Blinx struggles not to give him the satisfaction of seeing his hunger. Just when they think they can escape somehow once the shields are dropped, they don't. Instead, they merge with the objects in front of them as they're seated. Benito, perhaps to humiliate the two men, sits at the furthest end of the desk about to chow down.
"Don't be shy," Benito smirks. "There's plenty to go around."
"Seems awfully generous fo' someone who's askin' to get their snout pushed into their skull," scoffs the Time Sweeper.
Unphased, Benito takes a bite out of a piece of well-done steak. "Well, you're on death row. May as well give you a full buffet instead of a can of spaghetti-o's." He doesn't even face the Cat-Sith. He just gets to work prying off a piece of a huge turkey.
"To think the dude who went an' stole my bride once has been hanging out with some confused assassin and a sweet-obsessed bat thing."
"Dust ain't just some confused assassin," Blinx says. "He's my confused assassin. Right dog?"
Not hearing his friend speak, Dust focuses on the pieces of ham in front of him and asks, "Isn't it bad to eat a member of your own species? I mean, this is ham and bacon."
Quickly, the guards are mortified, facing each other along with the security drones.
"I'm guessin' your folks told you all about what I did, huh," Benito assumes.
"Yeah. They did." Blinx takes a bite out of the ham and scares the guard behind him so much that he immediately faints against one of the robots. "Gotta say, of all the dastardly plans ya went through, this is probably yo' dumbest one yet. How didja get the Big Crystal without the Time Momma's knowing?"
Benito hunches his shoulders. "Heh. I don't even know, man. I say it's my lucky day. Wanna know my guess? The whole regime thing probably kept 'em busy." After taking a bite out of his food, he pats his lips with a napkin.
"What about Gaius? What made you wanna capitalize off him," the Mithrarin asks.
"Oh, that's right. You weren't there. Well, I don't really know why he wanted to wage war in the first place. In fact, I asked him myself and his answer was 'Because…"
"...Cause what?"
" Exactly. But I knew you two would be back eventually. It's no secret. So I made a deal with him through your transmitter doodads. Right before I taught him what a cell phone was..."
"Cut 'em some slack," Blinx shrugs. "We're on a different planet."
"I told him about the things I could be supplying him if he just played the waiting game. Ya took out a lot of our products already, but we've still got plenty to go around, even if Aegis isn't able to turn 'em on for me."
"Oh, ok. I get the picture," Dust smirks. "You're a politician. I guess great minds think alike between you and the General."
Benito casually brings his fist to the table, clenching his fork. "Well look at this guy! The serious one's got jokes too, huh? Y'need to take some notes from him, Meow-Meow."
"No time fo' jokes when ya almost killed some hundred people with the first robot ya sent," Blinx retorts.
"You think I don't know that," Benito chuckles. "Unless a chick's involved, nothin's wrong with crackin' a few eggs. Hell, with all the treasure we've looted over the years, none of it compares to the Big Crystal and a world like this. It's LOADED with resources."
He leans over to his side to drop the remains of his food in a shoot opening from the floor, among other holes forming around the table big enough that a person could potentially fall in. But some of them don't close. Including one behind Blinx and Dust unknown to them.
"An' I'm guessin' yer enslavin' my brothers and sisters partly cause you couldn't figure it out?"
Taken aback, Benito hunches his seat backward. "Now that's a strong word there, Blinx! I prefer the term...uuuuuuh…confined. Because at least you know they're not stuck in the same position as last time. Besides, I'm the only leader they got now that your boss is iced. And my boys're still kickin'! Right guys?"
Even the guards hesitate. One of them gulps and quickly nods his head while the other mouths the word "No" at Dust and Blinx.
"I'm still at a loss," Dust says. "You have all these resources, but what is your objective? To conquer the world?"
"Conquer," the pig laughs loudly! "AHAHA! I already did, Dust! Look around you. I've got me a castle, subservient workers, and troops to send out on a dime. I have everything…except you two."
Blinx raises an eyebrow and folds his arms and Dust squints.
"Elaborate."
"Did it ever occur to you why I kept sendin' soldiers your way? Blinx, I already knew you had to be out there somewhere. But Dust, you shouldn't even be alive! Definitely not like this."
"Gee, thanks sir," he scowls.
"I can't keep my business afloat with you two in the way. So I had all this set up just for you and your fancy sword. And here I thought you'd be happy I put this much thought into everything."
"Oh yeah," Blinx rolls his eyes. "I'm impressed that'chu practically imprisoned my brothers, put an entire village in danger, an' robbin' the planet of its stuff."
"There you go with the enslavement an' junk," Benito huffs. "Look, I already got you where I want you. I'm not gonna kill anyone per se. More like, changin' management once we figure out what to do with your new home, and whatever other towns there are out there. Turns out the Remnant's been comin' from a capital city that could use a new boss like me. Pretty soon, the whole planet's gonna be under one roof!"
"Definitely a wide one," Dust snarks.
"Besides, it's the least I could do for 'em after tippin' the Mouse about that old factory. Plus the-"
BANG!
Enraged, Blinx shoots up from his seat and rams his fists against the energy shield gritting his sharp teeth and sharpening his eyes! It startles both Benito and his Tom Tom guards, and Dust, equally angered, sits up glaring at the conqueror!
"You'll be a plate of honey-glazed ham and bacon when I'm done with you," Blinx growls.
"Oh, you didn't know," Benito mockingly asks. "When I heard there was a corporate empire in the works, I wanted them off my territory. So we struck a deal. I tell them about the kittens so they don't start any trouble, and they let me take over this place." He claps his hands very casually with a smirk. "See? It all comes full circle, doesn't it?"
"You allowed the deaths of trillions of innocent people," Dust snarls. "And for what? Because you got some intel about a backwater planet?!"
"Well, what can I say? For an indie game, it's full of untapped potential," Benito nods. "Speakin' of, where's that weird fork-sword you got? I haven't heard it talk yet."
"The sword," Blinx asks lowering his lips.
"Oh yeah," the wolf palms his face. "I must've dropped him when the Time Hunter exploded."
"That'll do it," the Cat-Sith nods. "Guess yer gonna have to go check on it, Ben."
Benito squints his eyes and says in a serious tone, "…You're hiding it, are you?"
"What," Blinx shakes his head. "No, how can I even do that?"
"With your Sweeper."
"Ahrah can't fit in dere!"
"Bullcrap, cat," the pig snaps! "You know it can hold anything. Even something bigger than itself! Give it here."
"No."
"Give it here!"
"Nyo!"
"GIVE, IT!"
Blinx steps back, putting his seat in front of him and holding Mick's Sweeper against his chest. "First ya almost drive my family extinct an' now yer accusin' me of lyin' to you?! You're outta yer- MEEEEOOOOOW!"
Instantly, the Time Sweeper exits down the shoot behind him, not knowing it was even there! He falls so fast, Dust doesn't have time to react! Soon as Blinx screams his way down, the floors close.
"Drat," Benito shouts, balling his fists! "Almost had him…! Knew I shouldn't have connected this room to Aegis!"
Deep into the recesses of the tower, the Cat-Sith plummets through the dirty shaft for what must be miles, bumping into the garbage and plates of rusted metal, ruining his already tattered clothes. The stench forces him to dig his lips into his mouth and avoid using his nose, shutting his eyes in a vain attempt to ignore the fall. That is right until he comes slamming down into a pile of old pillows amidst the rest of the hills of steel, bones, and mud. Or at least what he hopes is mud. Getting his bearings, the Time Sweeper tears off his ruined jacket revealing his t-shirt and searches for his borrowed weapon containing Ahrah, finding it severed next to a pink RC car with a plastic flower on it.
"Aw dang," Blinx bemoans, lifting the cartridge of the Sweeper. He presses the eject button to shoot out Ahrah, grabbing his hilt in the air.
"Even I can't stand the stench here," says the sword.
"Benito got us good, Ahrah. I think Dust is still up there, but at least you're outta his hands. Last thing we need is fer him ta use you as a carving knife."
"We must act quickly if we are to rescue our friend, Blinx. Can you locate an exit?"
Blinx scans the dumps surrounding him, trying to find a single exit point in the room when he notices the large roof and wall compactors moving to crush the metal. One of them slowly comes near him and Ahrah, forcing them away from their position before they get mashed! Suddenly, a voice beams through the comm unit on the busted Sweeper, barely removed from the rubble.
"Hey Mick, y'there," asks Aniki on the other end. "Did Blinx make it?"
Blinx quickly responds, picking up the device, "I'm here Ol' Boss!"
"Blinx? Oh shoot, we never gave you a commlink! Are you ok?!"
"Could be better. I lost my Sweeper so Mick lent me his."
"Woah, what" Pelon beams from his own channel. "How'd you lose that?!"
Blinx, still looking around sighs, "Got knocked out my hands. Anyway, look. Benito's plans're a lot bigger than we thought. I've been separated from Dust, but I still got Ahrah with me."
Lena chimes in, "What did you learn?"
"Benito's the guy who told the regime about the Factory. An' they let him takeover Falana so he could have all their Time Crystals!"
"That son of a…," Aniki growls. "It's even worse than any of us could've imagined!"
"He's plannin' on expandin' to the rest of the world once he's sure we're all dealt with."
"That won't happen," Lena reassures him. "We are going to make sure he doesn't even have a chance to take off! Which way are you now?"
"I'm uh…," Blinx continues to scan his surroundings. "I'm in some sorta trash pit. I dunno which floor I'm on an' Aegis is still out."
"Hang tight, Sweeper," Aniki says. "We'll come find you. For now, just find an exit so the stench doesn't kill ya."
"Easier said than done," Blinx snarks before he hangs up.
"Blinx…I'm sensing a life nearby," alerts Ahrah.
"Where…? Is it a trash-monsta'? I don't wanna go through what Luke Skywalker did."
"No. To your right."
Seeing a gap toward a rusted wall and a strange tubular device at the end, Blinx carefully takes large steps to examine it before the compactors to the side can close in. Looking at the glass, ventilation, and the Sweeper insignia on it, he instantly realizes…
"A stasis pod." He braces his spine against it from behind. "Gonna need to put my back into it!"
With one push, he knocks the machine down to the front, then pushes it out before they're crushed by the walls beside them! All that's left is to open it, flipping it to the front so the Cat-Sith can use Ahrah to break off the locks. But inside is not another Time Sweeper, but instead a bearded member of the Tom Tom Gang without their traditional red goggles, wearing a tattered striped shirt, torn green shorts, and boots.
"Now why would one of Benito's own men be discarded like this," Ahrah ponders.
"Probably disposable," Blinx shrugs, right before getting choke held by the pig!
Blinx grasps the Tom Tom's arms, pulling him back as he gags!
"I WARNED YOU I WOULD… Wha…?" He loosens his grip and falls against the pod trying to process what he's seeing. Blinx, still alive and well, standing before him not with anger but concern in his eyes, missing his Sweeper but holding a sword instead.
"Hey, buddy," Blinx says stroking his neck. "What's up?"
"I…I don't understand. I thought you were…" Very quickly, the realization strikes him like lightning. "Oh God, Benito really did put me away! You and I haven't spoke to each other I don't think. I'm, Cino, Benito's right-hand man, who considering we're in a waste dump, isn't exactly appreciated."
"You were his partner," Blinx asks leaning back. "Least you didn't end up like Ugo with the whole cyborg thing. What happened?"
"I was supposed to design new robots before Benito locked me in here when I was done. It doesn't take a genius to know he's full'a crap when he says it's for my safety. Probably took all the credit, as always…"
Blinx nods, "Eh, it does sound like him." He reaches his hand for Cino's and lifts him up.
"How're you still alive, and what're you doing here," the pig asks. "I heard you were sent to deal with the regime and never came back."
"I joined a resistance an' helped take the joint down. Turns out my pal from dere's also a resident of this planet. The Mith guy."
"Mithrarin," Ahrah clarifies.
"Yer boss is still in charge an' got my boy with him. Those robots you built're off, but they're still waiting for deployment. Since the Remnant's gone, Burrito's plannin' on takin' over for himself."
"Well…let's get to work cleaning his mess."
Shocked, Blinx's eyes widen and he asks the Tom Tom, "You wanna help me out, even though I'm a Time Sweeper?"
"You may not believe it, but I've always felt Benito's methods were unwise, like his leadership. See how he treated me? I don't care if you're a Cat or a Warmblood. I'm gonna get him for this, and I have a pretty good idea how. But first…we need to get our butts outta here."
Ahrah asks, "You haven't had any luck finding an exit yet, have you Blinx?"
"Not yet. Y'got any ideas Cino?"
"Should be an emergency hatch door along the walls. Judging from where I've landed, it should be right…" Cino circles his sights around the room to the far corner where a hill of trash blocks the path. "There!"
Swiftly, Blinx takes a swing with Ahrah, releasing a powerful wind gush that scatters the mound away from the door, even breaking the locks off!
"You're a sword-bearer too," Cino asks in astonishment.
"Well it's kinda Ahrah doin' the work, but I'm practicin'."
Right before the next piston can smash the three, they exit through the hatch and climb up the ladder to the main halls of the facility at the bottom deck. Backup power keeps the red spotlights on, though it's very hard to see what's behind the dark gaps between them. Blinx, fortunately, can see through them with his goggles, recognizing Aniki and Lena's teams coming to their aid. Mick and Picaro accompany them, and Mick cheers
"BLINX!"
Picaro reaches his friend, patting his shoulder saying, "Phew! Thank God, you're…" He freezes and covers his nose. "Woah, you really did fall into the pit, didja?"
"Yeah," Blinx nods. "I suppose I have."
"Is that a Tom Tom," Pelon asks.
"Don't shoot gents. Cino here wants Benito brought down as much as us."
"There is a way to disable the Big Crystal without getting to him directly," the pig says. "But we'll need the Administrator's help."
"But he's not done rebooting," Mick counters. "Been like this for an hour now."
"Don't worry. That's part of the plan," Cino smirks. "See, his brain is connected to everything in the tower, including the Big Crystal. Backup power from the mines below keeps it running in case he goes offline. But what it can't do is protect it from a power surge. And you know how much processing it takes to keep Aegis going?"
"Yeah…," Aniki begins to agree. "Yeah, I see what you're getting at…!"
"You'd just better not be lying," Lena warns. "You're one of the lackies who took me hostage one day and now's definitely not the time to get on my bad side."
"If I wanted that, I wouldn't have been stuck in that garbage dump," Cino replies. "The boss knows what we could do if word ever got out about that one overlooked detail. And don't worry. The surge won't hurt Aegis. But it'll definitely hurt the boss's operations."
"Well in that case, we can knock two birds with one stone," Blinx grins. "Get rid'a that crystal and go save my bro!"
"Good. NecoJi, Chron, Picaro, on me," Lena commands. "We'll go with Blinx to rescue Dust. The rest will head to Aegis' brain and help Cino sabotage Benito's plans. Sound good?"
"You read my mind," Aniki winks. "Let's do this."
"Just don't do nothin' funny, y'hear," Blinx orders Cino.
"Like I said, I've got beef with the boss too," Cino says back. "You go ahead and save your friend. I have a feeling he's in hot waters."
…
It doesn't take long for Blinx's team to reach the other end of the building where several large machines remain frozen without Aegis online. The conveyors have stopped moving, but the giant gears moving the clock outside continue to function. Soon the squad reaches a tram ride docked and ready to go. Curious, the princess taps her commlink on her wrist.
"Mick, did you have any intel on Benito after Blinx's capture?"
"Nata," he replies.
"Oh Hell…," she sighs. "Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. We'll need to make our way up the tower again. Find out where Dust is ourselves."
"Last time we were here, the elevators got blown up," Picaro says.
"Good thing I picked out the tram then," Chron smirks. "Beats running through corridors every time."
"This baby goes up? Not just in circles," Blinx wonders.
Picaro tells him as he enters the ride, "Think of it as a beefy roller coaster. We'll be up top in no time, so long as there're no…"
Opening the sliding doors, the interior lights up and Picaro comes face to face with two rows of deactivated combat robots sitting in the racks to the sides.
"…droids…"
"S-should be fine so long as no one touches anything," Chron stutters.
WARNING, AEGIS CENTRAL PROCESSING REBOOT AT 80%. RE-ESTABLISHING DROID CONNECTION
Blinx's ears flop down. He anticipates an attack the second the warning was told, but nothing happens. The tram ride starts moving and quickly picks up speed when it enters the tunnel, heading upward. Carefully, the squad walks to where there's more room when the racks move, blocking the exit. Knowing the machines will respond to noise, they listen out for the ones reactivating in preparation for an ambush. In moments, the tram passes several pillars, scratching the rails with a loud squeal as it makes a steady turn. In the middle of that squeal, Blinx catches wind of a clicking noise, slowly turning his gaze at one of the robots moving its gun barrel. Lena had heard it too, quietly putting on her helmet and nodding.
All is silent. No sudden movements. No signs of tension apart from Chron's sweatdrop. With one final click of a blaster barrel, Blinx slices off the nearest robot's head so quickly it didn't even have time to shoot when it aimed for his chest! NecoJi's mobile turret easily grinds the reactivating machines into scrap metal, shattering the windows and floor panels while Chron ducks beneath him to shoot the legs of the droids! One of the bots gets a hit on Picaro's bionic shoulder when he turns and blasts through its torso! Lena, on the other hand, goes full hand-to-hand when her two guns are shot out of her palms! She dodges one of the shield robots, punching so hard half its face is ripped to pieces, then she back kicks into another coming in behind her! Close to Blinx, a few of the sentinels activate their sabers to attack head-on. But Ahrah's whirlwind easily blows them to the back of the train car and crumbles them on impact! Right on time, the door there opens revealing more enemy passengers about to flood in. NecoJi and Picaro begin mowing them with their guns but slowly, more of the units start crowding the room as the squad's pushed back. A few shots from the attackers are blocked by Blinx, albeit clumsily, seeing as even the other car behind him has droids there too. They're all boxed in, but Chron notices an escape hatch above them that they can jump through. He shoots the locks off, causing the door to pop open for Lena to hop and climb up. While maintaining her balance from the speed of the train, she grabs NecoJi, the second tallest one, who then lifts Picaro, who then holds Chron along with Blinx with both hands as a blaster bolt strikes Chron's leg!
"OUCH," he shouts, holding his shin!
"Chron," Blinx panics!
"Don't worry. I'm not dead. That's the important… LOOK OUT!"
Chron points to the other train car where one of the bots gets out of the roof and shoots at Blinx's foot! The shot barely misses him, but it makes the Cat-Sith lose his balance off to the side. Unable to plant himself against the speeding tram, he goes falling off the roof just before Lena could grab his hand!
"BLINX," she screams!
While falling, Blinx's claws scratch out his cloves when reaching for the panel to the side of the roof, only to break it off and release the cables inside! Within an inch of his life as he comes milliseconds away from death via tram ride, he grabs hold of the wires, using Ahrah on his back as a shield when he lands on the tracks! Looking around while holding on back first, the Time Sweeper notices the line extending as the panels break off, bringing him closer to the end of the attacker's car. The middle portion between each room gives him enough wiggle room to motion himself underneath it, further scratching Ahrah's finish! Letting go with one hand, he grabs onto the locks, lifting both himself and Ahrah from imminent doom. That is besides the other robots already training their guns on them from behind the door of the car beside them. Blinx springs to the safety latter to the end, narrowly avoiding the bullets flying out the windows, still shielded by Ahrah on his back. Quickly, he cuts off the locks connecting the tram to push the enemies back further down the track! As he climbs back onto the roof, a saber shoots out from inside right next to him! Another one pokes from behind, then another in front in vein attempts to stab him! Seeing his friend in distress, Picaro cocks his weapon, shooting down through the hatch with full auto on! Up ahead, however, a post just barely above the roof slowly comes into view!
"DUCK," NecoJi shouts!
Immediately, everyone gets down on their backs and stomachs narrowly avoiding the parts above them! So close that it misses Blinx's nose by centimeters, causing him to sneeze when it passes by! When he lifts himself up and brushes off, one stray shot from the car ahead strikes him in the shoulder and almost throws him off the roof again! Lena responds firmly with a blaster shot directly at the face of the soldier blasting at them! Another panel, this time a wall, comes to view, forcing everyone to sway to the other side. Again, the Princess shoots at the attackers toward the end of the train and keeps her eye on any more obstacles.
"Anyone got a clue which floor we're on now," she asks.
"40," Ahrah answers.
"40?!"
Once again, everyone ducks under a huge sign above the ride!
"Now it is 41," the sword snarks.
"I'd hate to speed this up any more than it's going knowing how much of the same enemy npc's we've been fighting are in this building," Chron remarks with worry.
"Dust's a pretty tough dude," Blinx nods. "I'm sure we can make it to him in good time. If only I had my sweeper to speed things up without-"
The sounds of bullets patting on the metal get closer from behind everyone, coming from the rocketing security drones! Without a second thought, Blinx unleashes storm-force winds from the sword so powerful they slice the machines in half!
"Pretty handy with that thing, lad," NecoJi cheers, patting Blinx's back.
"Thanks! Learned it from the best in the biz."
"Look," Chron points with his gun. "There's more!"
A swarm of robots come floating toward the tram, already training their guns on the Sweepers on the roof!
"Off the car," Lena yells!
Starting with Blinx, the whole squad makes a mad dash for the front of the tram ride, not even thinking to jump back into the cars knowing the possibility of there being more droid soldiers still online. As the hover bots get closer and their shots align to the front of the track rather than the middle of it, eventually one lands at a crucial component. The locks. Blinx is almost struck when it passes by when he leaps to the other side. Soon, the train separates itself, and Blinx opens the hatch door. He summons a gush with electricity from the wires inside to disable any troops lingering about, then hastily climbs down.
"Phew! That was a close one, right Picaro? …Picaro?"
The huge rush of the action was so much for Blinx, he didn't even realize his allies were still on the other train car when it separated! Seeing through the window of the control booth door, Blinx is forced to watch as the rest of the ride falls into darkness while he continues to ascend up the ginormous tower.
Feeling a wave of shock, Blinx mutters to himself, "Oh slag…"
"Do not worry Blinx," Ahrah calmly voices. "We've all survived a lot worse. Now we must complete our mission."
"Yeah…I guess yer right," the Cat-Sith says with a sigh. "Let's go."
Many floors pass until the hazardous journey up top finally comes to an end. Not quite the upmost level of the facility, but still a good place to stop. Blinx exits the ride with Ahrah in his hand and quietly gets back on track. Inside the port, multiple security drones continue to monitor the corners as the Time Sweeper calmly sneaks past them. A holographic sign marks the direction to Benito's office, guiding Blinx into another elevator room where he can take the lift upward. When he begins his ascent, however, a familiar once computerized voice asks in a much less artificial tone…
"Hello? Are you there?"
"Aegis, there y'are," Blinx grins. "Hang tight. There's gonna be a squad comin' for ya soon. We're just gonna go find my wolf pal."
"How are you?"
Since the lift is still taking a while to get to the throne section of the building, Blinx finds it a good time to let out his burden. "…Mixed feelings. Dust told me he didn't wanna bring his folks out here if it meant they got hurt. Startin' to think maybe they should've come. Help us out a little. I messed up royal…"
"What will you do?"
"I'll do what I told'ja. With any luck, Dust got away from Big Ben an' is out lookin' fo' me. Don't worry about it if yer still bootin' up. I'll get him soon."
"I understand, Penelope."
"I'm Blinx," he chuckles. "Heh. Guess we're still getting' usta names again, ain't we?"
"The throne room is just above the next floor."
The elevator comes to a halt in a wide room fashioned to something of royalty. A combination of the Tom Tom Gang's original pirate-themed technology and the purple and gold metals of General Gaius' forces. Perhaps built after the tower's construction with parts from the Anti-Moonblood capital. Strangely, in this gorgeous section of the facility, there doesn't seem to be anyone here. No one besides the Cat-Sith and the blade of Elysium. Though the rest of the tower is still put under backup power, this area is firmly lit by large windows, mosaic glass, and chandeliers. Perfect for displaying a stone bust of Benito, portraits, and various valuables behind see-through casings. While looking at the statue of the Tom Tom Leader, Blinx gets a message from the intercom, seemingly coming from the statue itself.
"So there you are," Benito announces. "You've been keepin' me up when I got the itus, Blinx. And I don't like it when I don't get my beauty nap!"
"What'd you do to my boy?!"
"Nothing crazy. In fact, he's especially happy to be out of a bind now. We had a really good conversation about his business with you and Gaius. And he's on his way to come see ya."
"I swear, after all the things you said, an' if you hurt him, I WILL turn you into tonight's dinna'!"
Then you won't have to look far.
Hearing Dust's calming voice behind him, Blinx quickly faces back to the largest window at the end of the corridor and finds his best friend standing firmly, unharmed and ready.
"DUST!"
Overjoyed, Blinx trots over to the Warmblood who still keeps himself planted where he stands, getting hugged tight by the Time Sweeper who keeps Ahrah strapped to his back.
"Ol' Sport, I knew ya had ta be ok! An' sorry bout the smell. Got trapped in a trash pit. Ya hurt?"
The masked warrior chuckles, "I'm perfectly fine Blinx. In fact, I think I'm feeling better than ever seeing you again!"
"Aw, quit it sportsy," Blinx blushes. "You can just have yer sword back an' we can get down ta business."
"That won't be necessary."
"…Huh? Why not?"
Dust pulls out another sword from behind his cape. One closely familiar to him, fashioned like Gaius' blade, but much older in age with a different fiery color scheme.
Left utter surprise, Ahrah musters up the name, "Fafnir…!"
"Did you say FNAF," Blinx asks in a snarky tone.
"Of course not. Fafnir is another Blade of Elysium. One that I never would've guessed would be out here!"
"Benito found it deep in the mines beneath this place," the Warmblood explains. "Guess he felt it right to give it to me."
"Yeah, sure, give it to ya," Blinx rolls his eyes. "All he did was give you a way to fry him into a thick piece'a bacon. Can't wait to make it happen."
"I can't either. But priorities always come first. Especially now that we have a rather fair fight ahead of us, Time Sweeper."
"Ohoho, totally." Suddenly, the Time Sweeper freezes. This doesn't sound like the Dust he knew at all. Surely it isn't an illusion and perhaps he's simply joking, or stunned from the experience. Just to be sure, Blinx asks, "A fair fight, y'said…?"
"One that is long overdue, Blinx. Consider it…a change of plans."
"…Yer not Dust," the Sweeper squints, tightly gripping Ahrah's hilt. "You're like a clone of him or somethin'."
"I'm afraid he is, Blinx," Ahrah somberly says.
"Say again, boss?"
"Indeed, this is Dust's body. But his mind is…fractured. I can sense it. Who you're speaking to isn't whole, and nor is it Jin. …This is Cassius."