[center][color=96EACE][url=https://fontmeme.com/fonts/grey-magus-font/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210709/2a2dce1458bbe0a0c7c16fa79e4752ca.png[/img][/url][/color][/center] [hr] Joseph nodded as Jake and Eva recognized him, the fact that that the speedster had gotten his name wrong not really annoying enough to outweigh the fact that they were both actually [i]alright.[/i] [color=96EACE]"Yep, John here."[/color] He grinned at the pair. [color=96EACE]"Sorry, would've called ahead, but I ended up rushing a little to get here after my meeting was over, so I guess it sorta slipped my mind... Guards outside [i]did[/i] seem to be pretty tense though, so yeah, if they gotcha on camera, I'd say they're probably already on their way."[/color] He nodded again at Jake's plan, more than happy to get through this without wasting too much time. During the brief period of time where they waited for him to check for traps, he couldn't help but overhear Eva talking to one of the others over the comms. He was about to say something about how Toreador might have potentially known Peterson wasn't the real one behind all this because he had read the man's mind, which she might be surprised to learn was actually a bit of a common tactic among mindreaders. However, before he could make his smartass comment, he found himself cut off as she rounded on him, chewing him out for coming to the mansion and messing around in their mission because he was bored of his. And maybe it was because he'd been caught off guard by getting cut off, or maybe it was more from the sheer amount of stress and panic he'd had swirling around in his gut from the moment Spencer had shown him the divinations of both groups being overwhelmed, but for just a moment, Joseph felt his persona slip. [color=96EACE]"Are you serious?"[/color] He asked, the smile he worked so hard to keep up whenever he was around other people disappearing completely from his expression, replaced by genuine anger. [color=96EACE]"I'm not here to screw around, I thought you guys were gonn-"[/color] However, before he could go any further, he managed to catch himself, forcing himself to bury the frustration and fear he'd felt. It was his own fault she thought he'd be here for something like that, after all. He was the one who put the act up in the first place, people thinking of Joseph Moore as nothing more than a lazy good for nothing was [i]the whole point.[/i] He couldn't go getting pissed at her for believing he was the person [i]he[/i] made himself out to be... And so, after taking a second to clear his head, he looked back to her, the lazy smile plastered across his face once more. [color=96EACE]"Uh, sorry, just... uh, just pretend you never saw that, yeah?"[/color] He asked, briefly ducking his head apologetically. [color=96EACE]"Pretty sure Jake would've taken care of any traps by now, so we should be good to get going, I reckon."[/color] Honestly, he couldn't deny that he'd kind of hoped he could just find everyone, get them in the van and get the hell out of there before something actually [i]did[/i] happen, because even though he was sure at this point that whatever Spencer had shown him was at least bullshit in the way that it clearly hadn't been taking place at that moment like he'd claimed, it [i]had[/i] still shown Jake and Eva in that wine cellar, in the middle of an assignment the other magus hadn't even been supposed to know about. So even if what the ICOSA agent had [i]shown[/i] him wasn't going to happen, odds were good that [i]something[/i] was, and he didn't want anyone to be caught up in it when it did... However, he also understood that the mission was more important than something which may or may not actually happen, so at this point he could only hope that they could get it over and done with quickly. This sentiment was only reinforced when they entered what was very obviously a workshop, and if what he'd seen in the three years he'd spent living adjacent to the Hag's workshop was any indication, this was almost definitely some sorta gearhead like she was... Though the combination of the generally 'villainy' vibe and what he was [i]pretty[/i] sure were bloodstains on the floor led him to believe this one might be just a little more evil than she was. Maybe. Either way, it immediately had him even more on guard than he had been already, eyes darting around the room, when he heard Jake's suggestion to go check up on the others while he stayed to keep watch. As much as he [i]did[/i] want to go find the others as well, however, he had absolutely zero intention of splitting the team up even more than it already had been and leaving the guy there on his own. Before he even got a chance to open his mouth and say as much, however, the door slammed shut behind them. He cursed internally, frustrated that he hadn't expected it to do that ahead of time, and taken some sort of measure to prevent it before letting Jake and Eva get caught in what he should've recognized as a blatant trap. His hand tightened around the handle of the white cane as the machines marched out, followed by an elderly man he recognized as Gholem. Perfect. The old man was the whole reason everyone was here in the first place, so all he had to do was take him out and they could end it right now! It looked like Jake was one step ahead of him though, going from standing beside he and Eva to beside Gholem within [i]maybe[/i] a second, tops. He then immediately proceeded to beat the man to the ground in a move that Joseph was honestly a little worried someone as old as him might not be able to survive, but he couldn't really complain, since he was planning to do pretty much the same thing if Jake hadn't. However, he'd seen those robots twitch as the old scientist had messed with that remote, and he didn't let his guard down, even though he [i]really[/i] wanted to... Unfortunately, there was no such luck, and he watched in horror as the robot beside Jake took a shot that would've killed anyone who couldn't move faster than the bullet being shot at them. Thankfully, Jake [i]could[/i] do that, and the team jumped into action, Joseph already dashing forwards before the speedster had even finished speaking. He heard Eva instructing them to avoid getting close to her as he ran. [color=96EACE]"Right, I'll take these ones!"[/color] He shouted back, rushing towards a trio who were a little further back. He held his arms in front of his head as they raised their gun arms, sending a volley of bullets in his direction. Luckily, Joseph had gone into this mission fully expecting to be shot at, and had therefore spent a good couple of weeks stitching multiple layers of defensive reinforcement arrays into each and every part of the outfit in preparation for it. As such, while too much damage would still cause the enchantments to burn out, and each bullet still [i]did[/i] hurt like hell, they didn't penetrate the fabric, bouncing off it and falling to the ground mostly harmlessly. Once he was close enough, he reached into his pocket and threw a runic tag at the closest robot, attaching itself to it's 'head.' [center][color=96EACE]᚛ᚈᚒᚏᚏᚐᚔᚅᚌ᚜[/color][/center] The rune immediately glowed a bright purple, before the robot started to spasm in place, sparks and other electrical discharge arcing across it's frame. Not wasting a second, Joseph ran right past it, instead dashing at the automaton to its right, white cane raised above his head as he shouted another incantation. [center][color=96EACE]᚛ᚈᚏᚑᚋ᚜[/color][/center] With his words, the last segment of the folding white cane glowed red with multiple strings of ogham, briefly increasing to well around fifty times it's normal weight as he brought it crashing down on the already barely armoured robot, literally [i]crushing[/i] it in half. To the electrified robots left, the third robot raised it's gun to continue firing at him. In response, Joseph reached back to the first one, deactivating the electric array and quickly dodging behind it, getting it shot by it's comrade in his place. From there, he simply spun around the now [i]thoroughly[/i] finished off first robot, swinging the cane back around and increasing the weight of the end again mid-swing to smash through it's torso with the sheer momentum.