Tartys

Tartys nodded to Dora as she arrived, greeting her fellow commander with all the respect that she was due. They would not have won the previous battle were it not for Dora's fleet and the sacrifices that her people had made, and she was grateful for it. Now they just had to make sure that they did not waste the effort that had been invested to win the previous fight. At the very least, she would do her best to make sure it was not in vain.

With the arrival of Dora the meeting began, and her gaze rose as Tartys witnessed and listened to the words of her liege. Light seemed to fall across her soul, filling her with an awed attention as the Imperator praised their efforts and thanked them for the work they had done so far, a compliment that she would cherish. She only wondered what they had planned next, for her and those else who were here.

She would not have to wait long to find out though, and confusion flashed across her features before she calmed down with a rising hope. A rescue mission....It was daring, and certainly not what she had expected, but who was she to question the command of the Imperator. "If that is what you will," she replied with a firm conviction, intent on accomplishing this plan. they had all the resources of Heaven at their disposal, so surely they could succeed in a mission like this?

\She watched as the Imperator left their presence, before rising and turning to her companions. "I suppose we should begin planning then," she noted as she considered what had been offered. "Do any of you know about the castle we will be assaulting?"

@TheWindel@Lucius Cypher@Awesomoman64@Mega Birb

---

Tatiana Lorenz

"Excuse me...Pardon me...Sorry!"

Through the halls of the Machina capital raced one Tatiana Lorenz, moving with a hurry that emphasized the sheer speed she used. People had to scramble to get out of the way lest they be bowled over, as she made her way towards the throne room at top speed, to answer the summons that she had been given by High Queen Eos herself. A problem because sh was already late, unacceptable in her mind.

....Okay, so maybe using her flight thrusters to double as roller skates was not the best idea when one was in an enclosed hallway, but it would be worth it. Besides, as long as no one got hurt it would be fine. Right?

At last she arrived, her thrusters flaring for a moment before they powered down. She hit the ground with a thud, metal clanking against the floor in a manner that seemed like it threatened to crack, but fortunately it didn't. She stumbled on the landing but didn't fail, and she entered the throne room just in time to see Eos depart, her smile practically vanishing at the sight.

"Damn it, knew I should have taken that shortcut at building forty," she grumbled to herself as she walked in, the meeting seemingly over now that Eos was gone. At least the throne room wasn't freezing, the pumping of coolants ended for the moment now that the High Queen n longer needed them for when she was running the affairs of the entire faction by herself. That had to be terrible.

Of course she didn't look too great either, panting, her cheeks flushed, a bit sweaty from the exertion that it had taken to get here in time, but fortunately they couldn't see the wet spot on her back from where it had soaked through her shirt or something like that. "Hey guys," she said with a wave as she put on a smile once more. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was crazy." At the same time Endian took her leave, striding out of the room and headed who knew where. She watched her go before looking to the others who remained. "So, what did I miss?"

@Lucius Cypher@KoL@Mega Birb@Ryonara

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

@The 42nd Gecko@KoL@Mega Birb@Lonewolf685@Awesomoman64

---

Henry's eye twitched as Rufus made his latest announcement about the commanders of the next battle. It's been less than an hour since he resurrected and he has had to put up with so much shit. He learned that he had lost the battle and a promised reward first. Then Sliske invaded HIS HOME and damaged HIS PROPERTY. Victoire invades a MINUTE LATER AND thankfully makes up for it with tea. Balrog DESTROYS HIS FUCKING DOOR. Finally Rufus comes in and CLAIMS HIS THRONE, THROWS A FUCKING CHICKEN NUGGET DOWN HIS DOG'S THROAT, AND CLAIMS HE FAILED IN THE LAST BATTLE WHEN HE HAD DONE THE MOST WORK OF ANYONE THERE! But the straw that broke the camel's back?

He put his bodyguard in charge of him, without even consulting him about it. Henry doesn't give a FLYING FUCK who you are, his property was HIS to command! Nobody else! Henry decided what to do with his stuff! AND ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN HIS OWN DAMN HOUSE!

Henry's eyes flashed Silver and he roared in pure fury.

"YOU COCKY LOWBORN INBRED PIECE OF TRASH! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

A glowing silver broadsword formed in Henry's hand and he launched it at King Rufus's head just as he began to disappear. The sword flew ar ridiculous speeds for something so large, and impaled the spot where King Rufus used to be. He barely even noticed as Victoire disappeared into a pit of horny dogs, panting as he tried to calm himself down. He formed a massive hammer that vaguely looked like Mjolnir and began smashing the painting of King Rufus on the wall, not stopping until it was in hundreds of pieces all over the floor.

A minute passed and Henry took one final deep breath, straightening his clothes and brushing his hair out of his eyes. "So Miyu, I say we should probably get to work on rebuilding your Machina, you would be a really bad bodyguard if your combat efficiency was handicapped like it is now." Henry turned to Miyu and his eyes were still Silver, seemingly stuck like that as he leaned on the hammer he had made out of seemingly nothing. A cocky grin was plastered on his face as if he hadn't just had a complete meltdown in front of everyone.

Nothing delighted Omega more than hearing from the Imperator that they would be attempting a rescue. ”You got it ma’am. We’ll get those two outta there in no time.” Omega affirmed standing from his bow and giving a full salute. He was more than confident they could get the job done, especially since he and Tartys had already proven to be a fit team.

When Deva took her leave, Tartys raised a valid point about their mission; did anyone know of Henry’s castle? ”Hmmm.” The spirit began pacing the ground speaking his thoughts as he pondered their options. ”More than likely we’ve got something on it in the Grand Library, but searching through all them books could days and that’s time we don’t got. We do have those spies who got us this intel, but it wouldn’t exactly be wise to risk them any further by having them try and infiltrate. There are a number of former POWs who more than likely have been kept there, but I highly doubt they got a good look around, and even then I ain’t gonna risk making them relive anything traumatic.”

The restless spirit stopped his pacing when he finally had a plausible idea, ”What about Iona? The one who brought in the Eclipse Princess. To catch someone as elusive as her I reckon she’d have to go all over the Nexus. It’s certainly a long shot, but I say we give her a knock.”

@TheWindel@Mega Birb@Flamelord@Lucius Cypher

---

Hearing his wish of being apart of the next conflict granted Balrog raised his fist in the air and proclaimed, ”Balrog will bring destruction upon those who oppose us!” Though clearly the news didn’t go over well with Henry who immediately began smashing a picture of Rufus. When he was finished Balrog leveled his launcher and fired a single plasma orb disintegrating a good portion of the ruined picture. Nothing against the king, Balrog just can’t help but join in when people are breaking things.

Finished with his tantrum Henry began speaking to Miyu who Balrog just realized was the one he was going into battle with. ”This puny one Balrog’s ally? The large demon questioned as he moved in for a closer look. Kneeling down his eyes read over every detail of the angel. ”She look like angel. Reak of machina. Balrog see nothing demon. Why we trust her? Why no kill her!” The juggernaut placed his monstrous claw under Miyu’s chin glaring and the girl.

@floodtalon@KoL@The 42nd Gecko@Lonewolf685

@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@Mega Birb@KoL@Lonewolf685



To Victoire, before she got sucked into a poorly thought out hentai, Miyu continued bantering. After looking at the hellhounds and making a few sizing up gestures with her hand. "Well, for starters, that looks like the dogs would be in a lot of pain, so you'd need to ask Henry's permission. So, am I allowed to hide my fear behind a mask of endless sassery? Also, yes, totally, what we angels fear most about you demons is your.. punctuality. Also, teleportation is a thing."

To Balrog's entry, Miyu was taken mighty off guard, flinching despite Henry's protections, "By Sacchiro's Shining Titties, the construction crews must make a killing here in hell." She commented after raising lowering her protectively raised arm to survey the giant whole in the wall, and what caused it. Squinting a lot.

To Rufus's tongue comment, Miyu raised an eyebrow, and considered saying the line Are you implying that you're a decent conversationalist or that you give the Imperator oral? I'm not sure which one's more far fetched. However, she was still considering how best to wordsmith it, when he appointed her a demonic commander for the next battle, which entirely derailed Miyu's brain onto the ever eloquent track of Whuuuuuuuuuh

Miyu turned to Henry and was about to unleash another 'witty' bit of dialogue once she had recovered, when he started smashing stuff, and she shut her mouth, again. By the time Henry turned to look at her, she was whistling 'inconspicuously'.

And then Balrog turned on her. Miyu was raising her chin slightly nervously that this whole shebang was gonna get cut short by Balrog smash. The others, she felt would be held back by their intelligence and calculation and maneuvering, that made them predictable. But stupid? Stupid was hard to predict. "Um, well, first off, I'd like to visit the optometrist, so I can tell in more detail who I've been discussing with. I can't see shit right now. Like, who was the girl? I was assuming vampire because the whole drinking my blood thing, but she also kept going on about sex, so I was thinking succubus. Though, I suppose vampires are one of the most sexualized types of undead, for some reason. Er... ANYWAY, on the note of a new mech.. Um, do you guys have a mech factory or something? I pretty much just used pre-existing parts and stuff for mine. The only thing I customized was attaching the speedboat shoes, which were already pre-existing and I just figured out how to interface them. Also, how did king teleport guy know my name? Does he read minds or scry or something? Haha, I'm kinda babbling I'm gonna stop now."

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

@The 42nd Gecko@KoL@Mega Birb@Lonewolf685@Awesomoman64

---

Balrog fired a massive ball of plasma at the painting and Henry shrugged. He never liked the painting anyway, glad to see someone else didn't as well. Balrog questioned why they didn't just kill Miyu and Henry immediately drew his sword, ready to defend his property.

"We're not killing her because she's mine. See the collar? And unless you want me to chop off your arm, you're going to keep your hands to yourself." Henry glared at Balrog, nonverbally warning him that he was five seconds away from losing his fancy peashooter.

Miyu spoke up next and Henry smiled. "No optometrist, but I do have lots of pairs of glasses. And yeah, she was a vampire." A portal opened up nearby and at least two dozen pairs of glasses poured out, one of which had a bit of eyeball stuck on the frame.

"As for the Machina, I recovered as much of it as I could after you blew it up. I have also been collecting a lot of broken Machina stuff, the only reason I don't use it is because I can't. Giant robots are surprisingly hard to repair." Another portal opened up near his throne, this one dumping out what was left of Miyu's mech, plus a bunch of additional robot parts that Henry had collected over the years.

If Miyu looked closely enough she would find several high quality mech pieces, including a unbroken shield projector, the Aegis IX. A lot of it would take some time to repair, but she should be able to repair her mech by the next battle, possibly even making it better.

Omega and the others who followed him would learn that Iona used to be found in a very particular location on Celestia, while not engaged on any of her duties. The sanctum inhabited by the archangel was one of the oldest parts of the Realm of Heavens, one that few actually gave any importance to as the War had most looking forever before them, not to the the past.

"It's about time you arrived, envoys of the Heavens. If it's help to rescue those who have been captured that you seek, I can provide both my knowledge and an extra hand to fight beside you." Iona said as she felt the presence of other beings even though she was knelt in meditation, with her back turned to the gates that led into this sanctum, while contemplating the golden rays of the perpetual dawn that permeated the old ruins. Iona had been expecting the ones tasked by Deva to the rescue mission to come see her sooner or later, after all there were few beings on the Heavens with so much knowledge of the Nexus as she.

An orb of golden light, containing a map of Henry's castle appeared before them just as Iona said, "That is the map to the location you seek, take it but, don't go on your mission without first enlisting the help of Flos, the fallen angel. Even though his light doesn't shine as bright as it once did, his righteous fury shall be invaluable on your quest and future battles. He should be returning from an expedition to the aftermath of the Battle of Ruthria, right now. Tell him your mission involves breaching the gates of the castle of a Demon Lord and he shall come to your aid."

"Now then, if there's anything else you would like of me, please name it. Otherwise, I must tell you to hurry, the sake of this realm rests on your hands." Iona said. In fact, what kind of hideous atrocities could the Demons be doing to the captured Angels at this moment? Certain things were best if left unspoken, this was certainly one of them.

---

Sliske remained seated as the hulk known as Balrog entered with a mighty smash, his coattails flapping slightly from the force of the falling wall. To him, the sound of falling bricks was a welcome change from the sass of Miyu and the lustful tones of Victoire. In an attempt to be civil, he lifted the bricks back to their original settings with his magic, the door flying back into position a moment later and clicking closed. While Rufus began what was obviously going to be his grand exit, he crossed his legs politely and sipped at his tea. If one looked close enough, one could find his blank eyes closely following the King's movements, taking in every single action he made in that moment. The incubus was planning something, but what was a mystery in and of itself.

However, when he announced that Miyu and Balrog would be the commanders for the next battle, every muscle in the demon's body tensed. The teacup in his hand exploded into a cloud of sharp, porcelain dust, lacerating his hand in the process. He stood up abruptly and launched a fireball directly at Rufus, or rather, where he was seconds before teleportation. The ball exploded on the throne, melting the inlaid metals and burning the wooden frame. He growled as his canine teeth seemed to lengthen, his silver tongue flashing as his rage overtook him. "RUFUS, YOU ARROGANT FUCKHEAD!" He stormed out of the building, but not before giving Miyu a swift clawing across the left cheek, half-hoping to incite Balrog's rage and half-hoping to take half her face with him. While her skin didn't come as clean off as he hoped, he managed to tear out part of her cheek and leave a nasty wound. "If we lose this battle, I'm cutting your wings off and throwing your goddamn glasses into the ocean!"

The incubus continued on his way out, the door he recently repaired falling again as he blasted it open. He stopped on the doorstep and pulled the silver whistle from inside his coat again, a shrill, ear-splitting note sounding as the phoenix landed beside him once again. "Handle this fight on your own! I'm gonna burn a few Machina settlements to the ground, turn myself into the only capable demon in this fucking army!" With that, he took off into the sky, soon disappearing into a large rift and arriving on a semi-rural planet in Machina territory. This world would burn, all thanks to the immortal bird he rode to the horizon.

@TheWindel@Lonewolf685@floodtalon@Awesomoman64@KoL@The 42nd Gecko

---

While the envoys of Heaven had gone to some lengths in their search for Iona's guidance, they were not without a pursuer of their own. A figure with the lower half of a serpent slid forward along ancient stone, silent as the grave until she rested upon her coiled tail behind the group and spoke in a voice which surprisingly did not stretch out its S's.

"If I may be so blunt as to insert myself into this discussion, I would hazard to suggest you not go foreword in rescuing our your comrade in such a direct manner." Ananta said, pausing a moment to allow any of those who were so enamored with Iona as to not detect her before them. She observed each of the assembled Angels evenly until settling upon the radiant archangel the group had first sought."Do you not believe it would be more beneficial to engage with the Demon Lord through a more diplomatic negotiation then by sending off half of our most capable soldiers to rob a Greed demon of their newest and certainly most interesting possession? If but one of them is captured in the endeavor, then the entire mission was a fruitless and this doesn't even begin to fathom the ramifications of two or all three joining their sister in servitude to the Demon."

Ananta clucked her tongue, acting as though she were disappointed that this endeavor were even contemplated. "You are aware that even in war, diplomats will still find employment? Spies can deliver missives of peace as readily as they steal battle plans? If you truly wish to recover your compatriot, and not hamstring the Angelic forces in the process, then perhaps you should play upon the demonic inclination for making deals? Heaven is sorely lacking in interned persons of interest to someone like a Demon Lord, but prisoners are not the only goods or services you could exchange for a peaceful resolution."

"Though whether or not you heed my advice or Iona's, I do strongly suggest you be quick about your decision before it is taken from you by the captive herself. A greed demon is very likely to lavish their belongings with all sorts of things to keep them content in their captivity. Regardless of who holds it, everything is still within their power, so it would be no great loss for the Lord if it meant the Angel refused to leave his side, rescued attempt or otherwise."

This was all fairly standard knowledge if one deigned to look at the history of Avaritia family, whose noble status among the Demons ensured great detail was put into the studying of their tendencies through the generations, and made for a rather interesting read as a period drama if one focused upon their recurring tendency for the child to usurp the parents and claim their power for themselves, resulting in marked increase in lethality with each generation.

They'd best hope Miyu doesn't wind up producing Henry the 3rd, or the Heaven's will wind up with yet another Demon Lord to contend with.

---

The group started their walk back, making their way back to the city after ensuring the no-mans-land was clear. Disappointing really, no follow up scramble, no attempt at surrender, just not one single demon in sight to vivisect and butcher. Instead they were going backwards, not one step forward, just crawling back behind the safe walls instead of following up on their supposed great victory. Moral was high amongst the angels, and even the most dim-witted of military officers would be able to suss out that another attack could cripple them.

But alas, Flos was confined to join those on the same duty back into friendly territory, frustrated by the cowardice shown from all sides. It tempted him to go rogue and head back into the field alone, but he knew the consequences and quite frankly, he at least wanted to see Mazreal is some form, dead or alive, that was the end goal. He looked at everyone around him, and as expected the focus was away from the black sheep.

He'll find a way to head back into fights, he just needed to buy some time and be patient, and if it didn't work then his fellow comrade will be proven wrong.

---

@TheWindel, @KoL, @Lucius Cypher, @Flamelord, @Ryonara, @Awesomoman64, @Mega Birb, @floodtalon, @The 42nd Gecko, @DriveEMOut, @Lonewolf685.

While the Heavens planned and Hell schemed in regards to their future conflicts, the Machina were concluding lingering business that began in the Dianax Valley with the Elicitor's purloined cargo. The Machina Queen's treasure, now commonly known as Bastion, had finally reached her intended destination, though the chains were not planned for. Within their fortified capital, the corrupted treasure lay unconscious upon a metal slab, limbs restrained for safety's sake but doing nothing to alleviate the tension in the quartet of guards stationed around her.

It wasn't easy to make a machine 'twitchy', but Bastion's power was well established and had the GRNTs on high alert. There weapons were still trained upon her limp form when the sole entrance opened to admit a peculiar figure. Despite her dated style of dress, the Machina snapped to attention the moment she was before them, her dull gaze peering down onto Bastion's sleeping face. "You have done well in watching over Bastion, but I will have to remove the seal upon her. Leave us."

The GRNTs stared at the new arrival, some even training their guns on the woman. Who was she and who gave her the authority to deal with the Queen's Treasure? Yet one of them must have put two and two together because the motioned for the others to stand down and train their guns elsewhere. There were rumors of a mysterious benefactor always by Queen Eos' side, someone that eluded the awareness of even Stark Zealot and Marquis. Apparently these rumors had to be true if this woman was walking in from the very shadows and ordering them about.

As the GRNTs soon departed like they were tasked to do, Bastion twitched about on her makeshift bed. Her body shivered as flesh met the cold steel that was the slab she rested upon while her arms and legs instinctively strained against the chains holding her down. She was still recovering from the effects of the demonic capture method Hibiki had used on her, and so she was out like a light. Even now, she slept in fitful slumber beneath the woman dressed in kimono's gaze.

"Hmm, fitful slumber?" Eos' benefactor noted flatly, moving around the table to observe Bastion from every angle. "It was not my plan for you to wind up in Demon hands, but I must imagine you enjoyed the experience, no? You have always been one to enjoy...forced hospitality. Yes, I do believe that was the term we agreed upon."

Her cadence and demeanor appeared to be wholly uninterested, possessing the sort of detachment which had earned the nickname; The Eel, though there was a fondness to her words. "You may want to sleep through this process, but I would rather a live audience. It has been some time since I have had to break a seal like this." The Eel reached into the folds of her kimono and withdrew a case from a hidden pocket that she rested upon the table outside Bastion's reach and opened it, revealing calligraphy brushes and a reservoir of ink.

"But with a canvas like your supple flesh, how could I resist the challenge?"

The strong scent of the ink wafted to Bastion's nose and she suddenly coughed from the potent fumes. Blinking awake, she realized that her body was once more pinned down with a strange face looking down on her. This was starting to become too often to deal with and she immediately glares at the kimono-clad woman with mismatched eyes. "Great. Let me guess, you're gonna do something to make me fight for you now?" she said, already straining at the chains that held her down. "Hurry it up then so I can make sure to kick your ass when I escape."

@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@Mega Birb



Balrog's pressure was quickly taken off Miyu as Henry intervened, to which Miyu breathed a sigh of relief, before she got smacked in the face again, this time taking her enough by surprise to knock her off the dog. Miyu's response was to blow a kiss, her grin decorated with yet more fresh blood, "Sure thing love, threatening me with things that've already happened before. Just promise me that you'll let me look you in the eyes as you tear my wings off so you can see JUST how badly you're losing. Not that you'll get the chance."

Then Miyu got the chance to sift through the glasses, trying one after one, looking up at Henry after each, "Nope, no, NOOOOOooo, eh, alright, no, nope, ok, this is kinda fine." finally picking up a pair that seemed decent, and beginning to flit over the mech parts. "Still like to visit an optometrist eventually.."

"Cut in half... cut in thirds... cut in half... obsolete when it was new... cut in half... You really like to cut through all the weapons you fight with that stupid cheating cut through anything blade. It's gonna be hard to find a matching blade for a Diasho set, thankfully you only cut through my sheath..." Miyu muttered as she sorted her way through the pile of mecha sized weaponry. Well, picked through the weapons at the top, more like, as it was too heavy for her to shift the giant metal parts herself.

Looking over the pile for a moment, Miyu glanced back at Balrog, and inspected him closer, "Saaay... I don't suppose a big strong demon like yourself could help me with this? In return, I think I can make a few upgrades for your gear. It doesn't look like it's been maintained in well, eeever. So, I can clean it up, and then I think I can upgrade a few things. The base parts are high grade, so I can't really do much more than clean those up, but they seemed to have underestimated your physical strength, if busting through that wall is any indication, and I think I could slap on some additional cooling and redundancies for greater durability and rate of fire. I'm gonna need an extra hand or two, and if it's strong enough to lift fusion reactors, that's a plus, and anything you break probably was too fragile to want it in my mech. It's like a crane and a stress test in one!"

Then Miyu glanced back at Henry. She wanted to test what their relationship was, and wanted to see how he'd react with her psuedo-flirting with two others. She figured him for the jealous type.

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

@The 42nd Gecko@Mega Birb@Awesomoman64

---

Henry frowned as Sliske fixed his wall. He wasn't going to say thank you, not to that arrogant prick. It's a good thing he didn't either, considering his violent departure. Henry made a mental note to shoot him in the kneecap the next time he saw him, but otherwise he let him go.

Miyu found a good pair of glasses and then began sorting through the weapons and parts he had gifted her. She asked for some help in a flirtatious manner, prompting Henry to look at Balrog.

"Help her out please. It's the least you can do after destroying my wall." He noticed Miyu looking at him weirdly and Henry tilted his head and squinted slightly, trying to figure out why she was looking at him. His face just seemed to scream 'What? Is there something on my face?' He pulled out a small hand mirror and checked to see if there was blood on his face or something.

He was unconsciously edging his hand towards his sword though, definitely subconsciously annoyed by Miyu's flirting or the massive reminder of Balrog's entrance.

Torag hung onto every word Imperator Deva said, drinking in his leader's intoxicating voice like one would a glass of wine. She was the supreme authority in his un-life, and the only person he could answer to outside the battlefield. Simply put, he had an undying admiration for her, and he would stop at nothing to fight for her and Heaven as a whole. That was all he knew in this life. When the Imperator ordered that he and Dorafraki, the lightly-clothed weapon beside him, would be the commanders of the coming battle, he clapped his arm across his chest, a dull thud sounding as his gauntlet collided with his chest. "By your orders, Your Holiness. Our enemies shall fall before us in droves." He stood and kept his head low, pulling his hood over his head to conceal the horrid condition of his body once again as he turned and made his way for the exit of the room. His slow pace would keep the room silent even after his ominous presence passed the door to the hall, where he intended to wait for Dora's eventual exit.

@TheWindel@Lucius Cypher

---

Marquis plugged in the large tank of bright blue coolant as the image of an Orobouros flashed in front of the High Queen. It was right about now that he had a serious moment of deja vu, as if he had seen that symbol before in his lifetime, or more likely, it was embedded deep in an inaccessible part of his coding. He shrugged off the feeling for the moment as he secured a number of tubes to the supply and the iconic whirring of a machine activating sounded. He listened to Eos' words as he worked on setting the tank, nodding to most of what she said, including the choice for commanders of the next battle. Shizuka and Hibiki were a capable pair, and he personally believed this to be a wise selection for field commanders for the coming conflict. However, the order was given that Endian would be serving under the pair at the request of Stark Zealot, he froze up for a moment, a half-turned valve in his hand as his robotic voice sounded. "My queen, I know it counts for little, but I do not trust Stark Zealot. Something malevolent lies within his personality, I am sure of it." He resumed the task at hand while he waited for a response, and ended up being left disappointed at the lack of one.

With Eos gone and the room getting warmer, the AI turned to Endian and finished securing the tank. "Well Endian, we have a demon to hunt. Best we be off!" He stepped for the door and retrieved his weapon, tucking it under his arm as always and taking a direction for the nearest transport dock. He lacked an ability to teleport, which most had for one reason or another, and would need to indulge in the mundane travel of a vehicle. While he walked, he was very much open to a conversation with the only comrade he had in the area.

@Flamelord@KoL

HIBIKI & SHIZUKA

Hibiki and Shizuka were at the hospital resting when they received Eos's message. It surprised the two of them that they would be commanders, considering that neither one of them has any experience leading others. Sure Hibiki could organize a group of maids to clean up a house, and Shizuka has her way with animals, but leading an army was quite different. However they weren't going to tell Eos they couldn't, but Shizuka was worried. Hibiki was getting fitted with a mechanical leg, and she worried that her sister wouldn't be able to fight at her full strength. As if reading her mind, Hibiki put a gentle hand on Shizuka's head.

"It's fine sis. As long as you're with me, I have nothing to worry about. Now, we have a lot of work to do. Once I'm done here, there are many people we need to go see."

Holding her hand to her face, Shizuka looked at Hibiki sadly before standing up and giving the doctors their space. Hibiki would be laid up for a while, but she would be ready for battle soon enough. In the meantime Hibiki gave Shizuka a list of things that she needs her sister to do. Since they were within the capital city of the Machina, Shizuka would have much more free reign then usually, if only because if Shizuka did anything, she'd be quickly taken down. First Shizuka needed to check their weapons. Hibiki lost most of her weapons trying to capture Bastion, so Hibiki needed some new ones. Second, Shizuka needed to figure out what exactly they were going to be hunting down, and what intel they have about the Angels. Hibiki had some ideas how to deal with the angels, but she needed more about the demons. And lastly, Hibiki wanted Shizuka to research her holy rituals. While Shizuka has largely ignored her powers in favor of Machina equipment, Hibiki wanted Shizuka to study her powers. She said she'll need it for their next battle.

Getting the weapons checked was easy enough. Same standard issue pistol and plasma cutter. For a rifle, while they could still use the Cerberus, it seemed like Hibiki had another rifle that was just finished while they were at battle. It was something called a "Biotic Rifle", but what it does, Shizuka didn't know. She put it in Hibiki's equipment locker and would tell her about it later. Next Shizuka headed to the Machina headquarters and tried to gather some intel there. With any luck Shizuka might be able to meet with some of the others and see if they knew anything, or could help Shizuka.

It wasn’t hard to locate Iona, and upon arriving it was clear she knew they’d be coming to her. Before Omega could even say hello she began giving them all the information they needed; along with the name of another individual who would join them. Omega tipped his hat to the archangel, ”Much obliged, Iona. Rest assured we’ll have them out in no time.” the spirit said as he attempted to depart only to find his exit cut off by a snake woman who had somehow snuck up on the group. She wasted no time in explaining her presence suggesting they would be better off trying to negotiate with the demons rather than launch their rescue mission.

Resting his hands on his belt and looking straight at the half serpent Omega replied with his usual calm western voice, ”With all due respect, ma’am, I’ve more than considered diplomacy. But I faced this demon in question and let me tell you; from where I’m standing we’re in no position to offer a deal. In one battle alone I saw him use all sorts of weaponry ranging from a sniper to all sorts of magical weapons and that’s not counting the many explosives he tried, so I don’t think he’s hurting for any new gear. And if he won’t take any equipment what are we left with? We don’t have any prisoners to trade and there ain’t no service we could offer that he couldn’t force Miyu to do already, so I don’t rightly see how we could get him to hand her over.”

Omega began pacing around Ananta and continued expressing his doubts, ”But that’s just one. In case you weren’t aware we’re out to rescue another angel as well; Diana. Now while she is currently sitting in Henry’s castle, she ain’t his to trade, she was captured by the vampire Victoire. Now, I’ll admit, I haven’t even laid eyes on her before let alone faced her head on, but I think we’re all aware of the rumors. I don’t know about you, but I can’t come up with one thing she’d love more than having a live sex doll, which means once again we don’t have any footing in opening negotiations.”

”So, while I appreciate you trying to help, unless you know something I don’t or have overlooked, I suggest you mosey along and let us go about our plan dangerous it may be.” Omega stopped back where he had started keeping a firm gaze with the half serpent. Though he showed little emotion in his words, deep down he hoped she did have something to offer as the chance of negotiation was still much more appealing than busting the door in.

But worst of all was the lingering feeling that she could be right about Miyu. The angel always did enjoy technology and other non angelic items. Her being suade to the enemy team was not out of the realm of possibility.

@KoL@Flamelord@Lonewolf685

---

Balrog almost laughed at Henry’s pitiful threats, but even the most simple minded demons understood the rules of respecting other demon’s “property” and moved his arm away from Miyu. Almost immediately after Sliske slapped the angel which made Balrog smile a little as all violence towards the holy beings did.

Much to Balrog’s surprise, the angel appeared neither frightened or intimidated by the towering beast asking for help while also offering to do maintenance and even upgrade some of his mechanical parts. Henry himself even agreed with her reminding Balrog he did owe him for breaking the doorway. Though still hesitant about the situation as a whole, it was hard to argue that his equipment was still in good shape since hell didn’t exactly have a mechanic on hand for routine check ups.

With a low growl and a nod Balrog agreed, ”What you want Balrog do?”

@floodtalon@Mega Birb@The 42nd Gecko

A small smile cracked on Mu-01's face when Eos mentioned a "powerful demon". If it was anything like the Leviathan, Mu-01 was certain that Grafdakka would want to redeem himself from the last battle and face it head on. Though she was more surprised to hear that the two maids were given a promotion, and that Endian was demoted into serving them. Made sense he suppose; aside from that short stint in helping him capture one northern territory, Endian hardly contributed to the battle even with the control of the Contender. But then again, neither did Grafdakka. A spark of conspiracy awoke in Mu-01. "Perhaps I should speak with her..."

Once the Machinas were dismissed, Mu-01 went to find Endian. She had an... Idea of how to make the former commander more useful for their cause. It was experimental of course, but what a better time to test it then now? All Mu-01 needed to do was find one of Endian's bodies. Ideally the most advanced one available, but any would do really. If Grafdakka was going to become the new head commander of the Machina forces, he would need a trusted lieutenant. The Mecha Maids would have their uses, but Grafdakka wanted someone he could control. Krieg wanted a new body to inhabit. And Endian's body was ripe for the taking.

@Flamelord

---

Dora was quiet as the Imperator spoke about their next battle. She supposed it made sense that they would be attacked so soon, and of course Dora wouldn't be given a moment to rest. That just meant Dora would need to enjoy what little downtime she had before getting back to work. Signing, Dora bowed to the Imperator as she thought about what preparations they would need to make. "As ye command, Imperator. If there's nuthin else, I'll take me leave." While saving Miyu and Diana was also important, Dora couldn't do that while also preparing the defenses against the Machina and Demonic forces. She'd have to leave that to Torag, or whoever else was interested in doing that. At least with the new resources from Rutharia, Dora had a lot to work with. A few projects she's been meaning to pursue, but now was the golden opportunity to actually put them to practice.

But first, a stiff drink and maybe a few warm bodies to lay with. Once she was sufficiently rested, Dora would get right to work. It was too bad some of the other angel's she knew were strange, ghostly or wraith like creatures. But that just meant that Dora's partner for her R&R would have to be Tartys. Walking over to the girl while she was still in this room, Dora put her good arm around the taller woman's waist. "Tartys, I got plans fer you an' I. Come with me." Of course around that time two bothersome creatures showed up. Iona, Heaven's little Hall Monitor, and Avaritia, the Snake-Tongued Slut. Pretty much what one may imagine the forces of Heaven to be, which was powerful, holy, and as abrasive as burlap panties. Of all the ways those girls could rub you, they do it in all the wrong ways. Dora promptly ignored them and continued to drag Tartys away so Dora could hurry up and get ready for the next battle.

@Flamelord

---

"Oh ho ho! What's this, a new toy who plays with toys?" Falling from the ceiling, Fran landed with surprising lightness in front of Miyu. The succubus's practically naked body was presented to the angel, most tellingly was her forward tail which poked Miyu in the chest. Fran but her nose close to Miyu's chest and took a deep whiff, smelling her essence thoroughly. "Mhmm... An Angel ripe with the scent of machina. I wonder how many times you've ridden one of their great, big robots? Kufufufufu..." Fran already knew the jist of what Miyu was here for, and Fran was mostly just here to sass and bother her. Sure this might piss off Henry, but what was death here in the Nexus? It just gave Fran an excuse to be extremely foolish.

Of course Fran couldn't ignore the big guy in the room either. Looking up to Balrog Frag waved to him in a friendly manner. "Hey big guy! This angel bitch going to touch your monstrous cannon too? Be careful and don't shoot too soon!" Fran then turned her attention back towards Miyu, waging her hips in the girl's general direction as a flirtatious smile grew on her face. "Maybe you can check out my gun too while you're at it. Might not be as big as this guy's here, but just wait and see what I have loaded..."

@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@The 42nd Gecko

Tatiana Lorenz

Tatiana looked around as everyone began to exit the throne room, huffing in annoyance as her cheeks puffed out momentarily. What, was she nothing to these people? It was perhaps understandable in the grand scheme of ranks and hierarchy and the like, but it was still slightly aggravating. At the very least they could recognize her existence, rather than pretending that she was just empty air.

"Fine, I guess you don't need my help after all," she grumbled as she turned to watch them all walk out the door, apparently more fixated on Endian at the moment. She had no idea why, when it wasn't like the robot hadn't fallen from grace if the rumor mill was any indication. Not to put too fine a point in it, but she wouldn't be comfortable relying on her for anything important.

But that was fine. If they didn't want her help, then she was under no obligation to give it. Thrusters activated once again as she rose off her feet to hover into the air. Turning, she quickly focused before rocketing off once again to return to the city proper. She could think up something to do, that was no problem. For now, she planned to relax and do a bit of flying. That would definitely get her mind off of things after she wasted so much time racing here in the first place.

---

Tartys

Having posed her question, Tartys was not surprised to see Omega quickly turning to the problem of actually finding out where it was they needed to go, and planning out the rescue operation for Miyu. It wasn't like this sort of thing was unheard of, but it was definitely going to be difficult. Especially in a demonic stronghold. At that point Omega headed off, intent on finding someone who could help them out with this particular dilemma, since there had to be someone who could, with all the resources of Heaven available.

But Tartys wouldn't be able to come with. She had been prepared to follow, only to find her arm caught in the grip of the Dwarven Commander from the last battle, Dora not hiving specifics but indicating that she had plans for her. And if it involved the dwarf, those plans probably involved a lot of drinking, and more boisterous atmosphere than Tartys herself was used to. But she didn't get a say in the matter as Dora started to drag her away.

"Slow down Dora," she called, doing her best to keep up as the dwarf dragged her along. "There's no need to be in a hurry." It wasn't like the next battle was going to be any time soon.

@Lucius Cypher

@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@Mega Birb@Lucius Cypher



~Is that a reaction? I'm not sure. Huuuh.~ Miyu thought to herself, as Henry pulled out a mirror. Then she shrugged and put her mind back to the real task at hand.

Miyu turned back to Balrog, "Alright, first thing's first, I need..."

And then Fran happened.

"Ok, really? Really? I mean, I know sex is your thing, but WOW you're playing that card hard. Allow me to demonstrate via angel stereotype how hard you're playing the succubus stereotype." Miyu flitted a few feet, up into the air, so that she could imperiously look down upon them... Other than Balrog.

"BY THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT IS HOLY I WILL PURGE YOU UNCLEAN DEMONS! I COME TO HELL ITSELF TO JUDGE UPON YOU! I WILL IMPERIOUSLY IMPERATOR IMPUNE UPON YOU IMBECILIC IMPLING INTERLOPERS! GRRR FANCY WORDS GRRR JUSTICE GRRR I'M BETTER THAN YOU GRRR JUDGEMENT!" Miyu waved one hand around in exaggerated gesticulations while the other filled the role of fake mustache.

Miyu landed, and resumed back into her normal, opening her mouth to speak again but stopping short. She glanced at Balrog, just to check something. ~Does Balrog understand that was not for realzies? Best make sure.~

"Regardless, I've got work to do, helping out Balrog and myself. Giant mecha don't build or maintain themselves unless you're like, robots building robots. Which now that I think about it is pretty much the "Human" faction at this point. Hmm. I completely derailed that formerly snappy aphorism." Miyu started off relatively strong, emphasizing Balrog and giving him a nod. And then it trailed off into "Miyu is not yet a master conversationalist" land.

"That said, you are kinda legendary among the rank-and-file back home, so I might make a moment of time for a little bragging rights." Miyu reached for the base of Fran's neck and her hips, stepping in with her leg to entwine it with Fran's. And then, as Fran hopefully surged forward* into action, judo-ish throwing Fran into the giant pile of mecha weapons behind Miyu. Miyu had no illusions about actually damaging the legendary rape-warrior with her meager physique who was known for brushing off holy weapons like it was nothing, but a harsh shutdown via skill might work for at least bragging points.

*Though Miyu had also planned for and was ready for pushing Fran backwards onto her rear for a notably less flashy but hopefully still effective move if Fran decided to pull back and make Miyu work for it. The only thing Miyu THOUGHT she wasn't prepared for was if Fran just stood there like a limp fish. Also, yes, she is Mantle of the Unconquerable Sun-ing the literal fuck out of herself to avoid any potential lust-magic-touch that is generally rumored to be in Fran's arsenal.

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

@The 42nd Gecko@Mega Birb@Awesomoman64@Lucius Cypher

---

Balrog agreed to help Miyu out with repairs and maintenance. That was good. What was not good was the 4th break in, in less than an hour. Francisca, literally the last person he wanted to deal with today, dropped from his ceiling and began flirting with Balrog and his property immediately.

"Alright, fuck this. Francisca if you don't apologize for entering without permission right now, I'm going to chop your fucking dick off and feed it to my hounds! I am so fucking done with this bullshit!"

Suddenly Miyu went off on a random rant as she imitated a stereotypical Angel, complete with floating in the air and grandiose hand waving. "Is that really how the Angels talk at all times? I thought they were just trying to be scary looking on the field. God that's dumb."

Then Miyu judo flipped Francisca.

"OOHHH SHIT! THAT WAS FUCKING RAD AS HELL!" Henry ran over to Miyu and quickly raised her arm forcefully, high fiving her afterwards and smiling like a madman. "I chose such a cool fucking bodyguard! Hell yeah!" Henry took a moment to compose himself and looked at Francisca. "In all seriousness though, I will chop all your limbs off and give you to my hounds as a chew toy. Don't touch my stuff and don't break into my house."

Balrog wasn’t amused by Frans comments toward his gun. ”Balrog only shoot when Balrog want!” The large demon snarled at the succubus clearly unaware of the sexual nature behind the remark.

It would become even more apparent that Balrog had little understanding of sarcasm as Miyu flew into the air and began claiming Angel superiority over Demons. The barrel of his arm cannon began to glow with a slight hum as he considered shutting up the annoying rantings of this angel with a few well placed shots which would also stick it to the succubus as well. However, Miyu was quick to drop the facade and stated she was ready to get back to work. The warm glow dispersed and the humming ceased as Balrog figured he would have to shoot her. Yet.

And then before anything else could really transpire, Miyu judo flipped Fran which made Balrog laugh. ”Little angel not as weak as she look.” He said genuinely impressed she managed to pull it off.

@floodtalon@The 42nd Gecko@Lucius Cypher