Nanaya

Iris Ascendis

@Estylwen@ERode@Sifr@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses

AUDITORIUM

The young Bronsteel's eyes became bloodshot in rage, watching in shock as his would-be direct hit towards Iraleth was redirected, the oh-so-familiar shadow witch becoming its recipient instead. "You...!" He had no time, however. There was no time, not when a voice ripped through the auditorium and threatened to pull his heart out with its cutting words. An announcement, something so mundane in comparison to the lights and shadows displacing the room and the gunshots ringing through hoards of lifeless puppets. And yet, above everything else, Chunji's words in that moment made Gulliver's blood run cold, frozen as the words shot through him as keenly as a bullet through one of his servants. "How-"

Knock knock.

"Bah?!" With a startle and a jolt, Gulliver stepped a half-inch backwards from his place on the grand stage, confused and paranoid. In that moment, Otis would also receive a pang of acknowledgement that his knock had been received by both Gullivers - the one on the stage, and a separate pulse emanating from within the core of the giant. For the Bronsteel lordling, though, there was no time to dwell on matters of less concern than the righteous paladin charging right for his giant. The clock on the Foreteller's right arm reached a rumbling repetition of ticking and tocking throughout the room, its speed now allowing a full rotation of the clock's hands every half second, sounding as if something that had long been building in this fight was about to be unleashed.

Despite this, Gulliver clicked his tongue as Iraleth rushed towards the Foreteller - whatever he was about to unleash, it wasn't ready yet. It would need a few more seconds, much like how the shutters would only need those same precious seconds to fully close and cloak the room in darkness. The pale mage would take a defiant stomp forwards as Iraleth charged, his eyes wide with frustration, his teeth baring for her as electricity crackled and danced across his fingertips. "Buzzing gnat! I tire of your flailing. Let your struggles come to a whimpering end!"

As he charged another blast, this time doubling in potency from the last, fueled by his rage, another unexpected turn would reveal itself from the other side of the auditorium. A tall figure emerged from a wall near the front entrance, breaking through with reckless abandon. As the dust from the rubble cleared, the tall and looming figure of a Mannekin wearing a chef's hat and carrying a rolling pin the size of a greatclub burst onto the scene, scanning and only catching the exit of Otis. It seemed like the Strigidae was its primary target, and failing that, stomped its foot down in quiet rage, breaking apart a floorboard as it instead turned its gaze towards Chunji. It seemed to possess some recognition of the boy's contribution to the fight, and stormed straight towards him like a raging barbarian, lunging with the speed of a charging bull and swinging its rolling pin with the fury of a minotaur. The sheer air force with each swing would seem to break apart wood and stone it might haphazardly aim at in the crossfire, and it also proved surprisingly agile, breakdancing and backflipping to repel and mitigate attacks while attempting its own counterattacks.

Similarly, a Mannekin dressed in a kimono would descend upon Hildegunde, seemingly from out of nowhere amidst the crowd of puppets and chaotic explosions, lights and ever-growing darkness. As it descended, it would attempt an open-palm strike on her, following up with a flurry of kicks attempting to strike at her torso without losing so much as a half second of momentum upon landing, ending the unrelenting combo with a jumping axe kick that it would attempt to land right on the top of her head.

The speed of these Mannekin and the other less-notable grunts scattered about seemed to pick up with each strike, and as more Mannekin fell into pieces, the remaining ones seemed to become drastically more efficient fighters.

The Foreteller, meanwhile, grew more sluggish as its clock sped up and as it received more damage, to the point where it easily fell for the feints Iraleth had baited it into - an amateurish punch that met only air as Iraleth gouged into its chest. Its plate crumbled away layer by layer, surprisingly more brittle than it looked. Gulliver inhaled and exhaled rapidly, sweating and gasping for air as his lightning charge had reached its peak. Iraleth had reached the core inside, cleaving and ripping through the gears and wiring and piercing the rubbery cocoon that dwelled in its center, pained screams emerging from the Gulliver on stage in that moment as he began overcharging himself while maintaining a hateful stare, locked onto Iraleth fully as his lightning began to shock himself, becoming a swirling ball of blue electricity. It was at that moment that Iraleth saw the Gulliver within Foreteller's core, his eyes closed and blissfully unaware as if asleep.

"DON'T!" It was all the stage Gulliver could scream as he saw his duplicate ripped from the Foreteller, which went limp immediately in that moment, an inanimate giant in a heartbeat. "AAAAAAAAAAGH!"

A stream of lightning intense enough to flash throughout the entire auditorium, blinding all in its path, became a concentrated beam of hatred-fueled force directed and arcing towards Iraleth. His scream of frustration was drowned out by the deafening sound of thunder that followed the blast, whether it hit or not. He seemed to have no regard for Foreteller, making no effort to waste time aiming around it, seemingly blinded by rage such that he was willing to scorch his guardian, Iraleth and his own doppelganger - a sorcerer throwing a toddler's tantrum.

The air was hot and charged, the wall on the other side of the auditorium slowly crumbling away from the force of the blast - a spell that would not stop at its intended target, but shoot clear through to char the opposite wall. As he panted while watching the result of his attack, his Mannekin continued their assault on their respective foes. At the same time, one more crucial factor would come into play.

Only one shutter remained before the auditorium was plunged into darkness.

JRPG-inspired magic school RP with a heavy focus on story and characters!

Aw, this looked like it could've been fun to join. Oh well, better luck next time I suppose.

If a spot does ever open up though, feel free to give me a nudge.

@Xaltwind

I may also be doing other RPs in this setting in the undetermined future when I feel confident I'm up to managing multiple RPs at once; unless it's specifically the school setting that interested you, in which case, that is unfortunate.

But I will also keep you in mind if a spot does open up!

Iris Ascendis

Sorry for a later reply, been sick the last few days. Here's hopin' it gets better soon, but it won't stop me from posting for long regardless!

Iris Ascendis

@Estylwen@ERode@Sifr@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses

AUDITORIUM

"What in blazes-"

Gulliver averted his gaze as the flash of Otis' shot went off, gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath in frustration. A scowl crossed his expression as his vision recovered, taking in the puffs of teleportation darting about the room, his Mannekin being dismantled one by one. Many remained, but it was clear that the casualties were not within his expectations - or perhaps, at least, not quite so quickly. He clenched his fist, a vein appearing on his forehead as he looked upon vermin scurrying about his auditorium, his rightful kingdom.

Ting.

All at once, a satisfied smirk returned to Gulliver's features, hearing the sound of a strike being repelled by his barrier. He turned to look down upon Ciara, condescension mixed with leaking spite across his unfeeling gaze. "No one is dying, girl. You will all be defeated, dreams crushed as you return to your homes emptyhanded, but you will not die. It is only by the cruel hands of the outside world that such a thing would occur, but not from one as considerate as I."

Chunji's phantom blade would seem to have no effect on the giant apart from scratching its plating, confirming that the being was either unthinking or unfeeling, if not both. By peering into Foreteller, however, he would notice something else odd: buried under layers of metal, gears and wiring, at the very center of its multiple layers of steel, he would see Gulliver in an almost cocoon-like object inside. Yet the boy also remained firmly planted atop the auditorium's stage, rambling on about his heroism. Each seemed perfectly identical.

From elsewhere within the auditorium, a scream of passion could be heard. "AAAAAAAAAH! Alright, I'm fired up again, Otty McGotty! Your medicine really does work wonders!" Davil jumped to his feet with his chain katana in hand, parrying a Mannekin at the last second and proceeding to cleave it in half with a decisive horizontal slash, exhaling deeply as a small puff of cold winter air exited his mouth. "Mint flavored too, to keep my mouth icy fresh!"

Davil would nod and sprint into Otis' portal without hesitation, realizing time was of the essence and that hesitation would lead to defeat. "If anyone's got a handle on things around here, it'd be you for sure. Let's see the plan then!" And with that, Davil vanished into Otis' workshop, a thumbs up to show his commitment. He only briefly paused as he looked back to see a burst of light from what almost looked like an angel to him, in the heat of the moment. "A-Ah, that's probably fine," was all he'd mutter, realizing that wasn't his fight for now.

A laugh echoed once more - the same punchable, pretentious chortle emanating from Gulliver as he saw how Iraleth had been riled up by his actions. With a wave of his hand, he seemed to almost physically deflect her words from himself. He glared at her while adjusting his collar, ruffled from the force of the explosion of light. "The only filth here is the earthworm I gaze upon that believes she can truly fly," he would explain with a hint of pity, hand to forehead in tragic awe. "She looks upon caterpillars breaking free into butterflies and wholeheartedly deludes herself into such grandeur - the thought that, surely, she will be the same some day? The tragedy being that she was, all along, no caterpillar, but instead an earthworm. A simple mistake, really." Yet even as he spoke these words, a small drop of sweat fled his cheek, looking on at the divine charge towards his Foreteller. It was obvious that he had not seen a gathering of essence so large before, and even he watched on, wondering what would happen. His Mannekin tried to assemble to stop her, but the burst had knocked any potential thwarters to this charge away.

Iraleth's strike would be partially blocked, the Foreteller raising its left arm in that moment in an attempt to divert its course. However, the sheer power of an Ethos unleashed with reckless abandon and ignored limiters pierced straight through it, knocking the arm away, chipped and dented by overwhelming essence and momentum. Its head was wide open, and nothing else remained to stop it. Iraleth's sword collided with the giant's head, splintering it apart, tumbling to the ground like useless charred scrap while the rest of its body remained upright. In this moment, panic ensued on the stage, Gulliver waving his glowing ring around and jumping in place. "Eeeeee! R-Repair Operation, commence with haste! With haste, damn you! Patchwork!"

The Foreteller had stopped ever since its head had been ripped apart, but around a dozen Mannekin had suddenly broken into pieces in that moment. The glowing cores at their center, now the only parts intact from these spontaneously exploding Mannekin, floated upward and towards the exposed neck and chipped left arm, and within seconds, Foreteller's head and missing arm chunks had returned. This time, however, it was made of crude wood similar to the Mannekin. It began moving again, but slower and more sluggish this time, and it was now stomping straight towards Iraleth with its full focus, attempting to swat her with its arms. All the while, the ticking clock on its right arm was growing louder and faster.

Gulliver's eyes darted about nervously as he saw shutters closing and lights breaking, his body language reflecting paranoia even as the essence barrier around him held strong. "Y-You think me one to fear the darkness? I-I will not be deterred by the shadows! My father fought Umbralists during the Five Year Apocalypse, a-and I will continue his legacy by opposing such things! I know not why that one wretch's Ethos is of darkness, but is an omen of times long past! If there is anyone I cannot accept to attend here, it is that vile shadow witch above all others!"

"...But first, the earthworm." Despite his obvious fear, he would raise his hand towards Iraleth. A crackling bolt of lightning would surge out of his fingertips, pulsing and electrifying his barrier for a moment as it hurtled towards Iraleth - seemingly in combination with the rhythm of his Foreteller, blasting at her in places it seemed likely she might dodge to and accounting for his giant's blind spots.

At the current rate, it would likely take another twenty or so seconds before all the shutters in the auditorium were closed.

Iris Ascendis

How does this thing compare to standard-issue Rekordian mechs? And also, how many sources of light are in this room right now?

@ERode

It would, at least upon its debut, seem comparable to a low budget or older model of Sword-grade Gearvein in size and destructive power - Sword being the Gearvein tier expected to fight on the front lines as a common foot soldier. In the grand scheme of things, it would in theory be capable of going toe to toe with an average Rekordian grunt pilot and maybe winning, at least from what can be gauged of its size and movement capabilities. The main oddity would be the ticking clock on its arm, which has an unknown function as of now.

As for light sources, windows do line the walls and back of the auditorium, roughly a dozen overall, letting sunlight in through them.

Iris Ascendis

And like that, the party has come together.

Avengers assemble!

Iris Ascendis

---

@Estylwen@ERode@Sifr@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses

AUDITORIUM

Davil's features sharpened, nodding at Otis' orders. It seemed the mention of rising up against a tyrant appealed to the boy, thoughts of heroism clear as day across his face. "You can count on me, guys. And if I don't come back, tell my wife I love her." Having already gotten into character, Davil gripped his chainsword tightly, turning towards the door with the intent to storm in as the chosen warrior to fell a power-hungry king.

"...Huh?"

That was, of course, until he looked to his right just in time to see another group zooming towards the same door - the familiar flying knight at the forefront, leading this charge. "Oh fuck," Davil would exclaim, losing his cool in a blink as he dodge-rolled to the side, freezing up as he watched the others disembark and breach the door. "That wasn't part of the plan! Wait, that's not how this was supposed to go, oh gods above!"

Seeing no other option, Davil would shrug his shoulders at Otis and Ciara in a desperate, cold sweat, and then rush his way into the auditorium shortly after the other group had entered. "Onward! To victoryyyyy!"

All present would hear the laughter of the boy, now from his own voice rather than some kind of phantasmal projection of such, and those looking inside would see a pale boy dressed in lavish whites and blues, decorated with a billowing white cape held up by the finest silk threads. He raised his left hand, a crystalline white signet ring flashing with near blinding light.

"I had prepared myself, initially, for the others. But barbarous ones like yourself are all the more fun to watch thrash about. Dance and sweat for me, squire, and mayhap come graduation day I will take you under my employ. For now, though..."

As the light faded, a being would seem to take shape amongst its fading rays. As Iraleth charged forward, the Mannekin in the auditorium appeared to be made of sterner stuff - whether it was the materials or some other factor, those that rose to defend their lord in the auditorium took longer to repel and pierce through than those she had tossed around outside. Some even clung to her as she flew, attempting to jab at her limbs with various blunt objects or even their fists. Ultimately, though, their intent seemed to be to hinder rather than harm.

"Upon the name of House Bronsteel, this chosen heir invokes the name of Eligor, compelling Him to battle once more against hounds of hubris. Rise, Foreteller!"

As these words landed, laced so potently with essence that the vibrations of the boy's voice could be felt, the light exploded outward from the center of the auditorium, sending shockwaves in all directions that knocked some Mannekin prone as well. In the center, the light fully dispersed, was a golden clockwork giant that cast a grim shadow over much of the auditorium with its ten meter height - and equal bulk to match. An ornamental clock on its right arm began to tick, and it would begin slamming and smashing at anyone and anything that wasn't a Mannekin or its summoner, not holding back in destroying the ground and chairs around it, splintering wood and ground as makeshift shrapnel aimed towards its foes as well.

The boy, meanwhile, had a barrier of visible essence surrounding him now as he proudly posed and laughed atop the grand stage of the auditorium. "This is a finale worthy of a hero! I, Gulliver Bronsteel, will become the hero these lands need! With my Foreteller and these Mannekin alike, all will become just and righteous upon my steps! Thrash them all, my servants!"

The Mannekin would move faster, seemingly becoming more realistic copies of true warriors with each passing second as they swarmed to attack any of their lord's enemies with precision and coordination unlike any Mannekin that had come before. Davil would be defending the best he could, barely managing to swat away a few while taking strike after strike, slowly being worn down.

"Doesn't sound... very heroic to me, actually. Where do you get off, anyway, trying to stop us like this?! All we want is to take our seats and attend classes, and you're so far in your own ego that you can't even allow that?!" A moment of distraction, lashing out in frustration with a glare towards Gulliver, was all it took. Leaving himself wide open in the heat of it all, a Mannekin that seemed to mimic some kind of open-palmed martial art struck Davil square in the stomach, sending him winded and sprawling backwards as more shrapnel from the golden giant launched towards him in the crossfire.

"Ghhhh," he would grunt, doing his best to defend from the onslaught. Gulliver, meanwhile, would simply stare at him with cold, sadistic spite, like watching an insect squirm through its last moments of life.

Iris Ascendis

@Sifr@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses

PLAZA

Upon taking in the building in front of him in full, Chunji would see a chunk of the building near the back that matched his idea of an auditorium. It was a wide room with undoubtedly hundreds of chairs in rows and a stage at the front. The only part that might come as a surprise would be the fact that the auditorium was packed. Most of the chairs were filled with bodies, seated and obediently facing towards the stage, where a boy seemed to be moving about the stage as if practicing a speech and reciting lines. Judging by the familiar glowing cores in each seated individual's torso, it was obvious that each and every single one, apart from the boy, was a mannequin.

Apart from them, there was a trio of individuals holding off a horde of mannequins in a hallway near the auditorium - students that clearly managed to get the farthest ahead of the pack, so far, and have presumably been wandering beyond the plaza for some time now. To reach both the auditorium and the trio, Chunji would see that the proper path would be to follow the right walkway until reaching the town square further in, and then taking a left into the first door before running straight.

Even without this sight, however, the plaza trio of Hildegunde, Iraleth and Chunji would hear the sounds of battle raging further on down both walkways. All hell seemed to break loose, with rabid mannequin warriors descending from the rooftops and from out of windows to assault the desperately dashing students. Despite the student conflicts largely coming to a close after clearing the bridge, danger still lurked, as those trying to cross through either walkway would have to contend with the stray attacks of gods-know-what Ethos attacks and magic alike. The entire campus became a fireworks show shortly thereafter, the ticking clock signifying a no holds barred rush for the finish. No consideration was given to property damage or friendly fire, absolute chaos and unrepentant violence becoming commonplace on school grounds as each minute flew by.

Much of this, however, could be severely mitigated with flight.

---

@Estylwen@ERode

MAIN BUILDING

"Hmph. You really think I'd fall for such taunts, little girl? You have a vast gulf of experience to cross to reach my level of mental fortitude. I would be generous enough to take you on as my underling in the art of diplomacy, were it not for our shared fate as foes in this game of life." His words were snide and slimy, clearly reveling in this authority he felt, looking down at students from on high from a place of safety - a status quo he wished to maintain shamelessly.

His snooty laughter was quickly drowned out by a single word. "Calm." With but a simple phrase and some clear and thought-out intent poured into essence, the horde of Mannekin relented. As Davil crawled his way back to safety, giving a grateful nod to Ciara upon having his katana back, he looked at Otis with confusion. "Are you... a power word user? You should've told me sooner, dude! That's really awesome, I can't believe you just did that! Ahaha!"

Davil skipped and hopped over to the nearest Mannekin, hands at its sides, idling mindlessly, and tipped it over with a flick of his finger. "Guess they just couldn't handle the might of Otis and the Davster! The Dav!" He'd pose with his katana as if he were a proper samurai, before getting caught up in the moment as his eyes met Ciara. "Oh, and you too, actually. You were really great, uh, whatever your name was? Digging the shadows, real 'don't mess with me, punk' kind of vibe off of that."

As Davil gave a thumbs up, he almost fell over, not noticing as the Mannekin he had just shoved over had already stood up and moved past him. He took a swing in a panic, somehow missing the target that was moving at a walking speed, as it kept on moving towards Otis and eventually around him and further down the hall. The other Mannekin followed shortly behind, their weapons discarded, all moving in orderly lines down the hall and turning a corner, moving left to continue further down another hall.

"...Fine," the snobby boy's voice would crackle to life, sounding dejected. "Because of that little stunt, all interior units are being recalled, and you may follow them if you so wish to find your precious auditorium. I will be there, waiting for you all. If you value your lives, you will not follow, though. I will not hold back the moment I bear witness to your miserable faces in person. I will crush you, one and all, and become this academy's only student - the true hero of Vaal Nero!"

The sounds of battle would rage on outside, audible even from this hallway. Explosions and screams would ring out, alongside the sounds of scattering and breaking wood from Mannekin collapsing by the dozens. It was apparent now, for better or worse, that the hallway trio would not be alone for long one way or another.

Iris Ascendis

Dear god, the speed. Next round in a few hours!

Iris Ascendis

@Sifr@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses

PLAZA

Upon Iraleth's charge, rending foe after foe hurling themselves in her path to block the wizard, she would find her blade meeting a barrier, the casting Mannekin conjuring a field of defensive essence around itself to halt her charge. This clash would persist for a moment, before a thundering boom would ring out across the plaza from behind Iraleth and Chunji. In the next moment following this hair-raising jolt, a small hole in the barrier was made apparent, alongside a new hole through the wizard's head that was not present before. In that exact instant, the barrier all at once shattered like glass, the brief moment of lost concentration giving Iraleth all that she needed to break through. The wizard was run through and smashed aside by Iraleth's might, tumbling away in pieces, landing among the remains of its brethren as nothing but a torso, head and arm.

Chunji, meanwhile, would see small stones radiating essence inside the chest cavity of these wooden warriors - a clear sign of the target to aim for in order to most efficiently incapacitate them. Cuts to their joints would hinder and slow them, but Chunji would notice an immediate limpness upon a Mannekin's chest stone being run through; yet, for a brief moment, he would notice one key difference from the wizard Mannekin before him, now cast aside and tossed to the ground in a heap: it had no such stone.

The broken wizard slowly levitated just above the ground, its body seeming to catch fire as it raised its staff towards Iraleth from behind, a ball of flame twice the size of the last now gathering. "iT'S... nOt... oVeR..." In a muffled, distant voice, as if trying to speak underwater, it would grunt these words with the most emotion that an emotionless doll could perhaps muster. In the moment in which these flames were conjured, Chunji's vision would see something forming inside its chest cavity - a stone that seemed to light itself aflame while forming.

Out of nowhere, however, the flames dispersed all at once. The rock inside its chest burned to ash, and the wizard was now a smoldering pile on the ground. The fireball it conjured shot into the sky, where it exploded safely out of reach, but clearly exploding in all directions by dozens of meters. Embers slowly rained upon the plaza, giving the area an almost sunset afterglow.

Students began navigating around the spreading flames around the bridge, and by the time that the wave of warriors led by the fallen wizard was vanquished, dozens of students were now flooding the plaza and dispersing in all directions in a desperate dash for the auditorium. There appeared to be three main paths for those in the plaza: the cluster of red buildings that these mannequin had emerged from, and walkways to both their left and right that seemed to lead to other areas of the campus.

---

@Estylwen@ERode

MAIN BUILDING

"Got it, Otty, but I don't think we need to be using our invoices right now. We're not in a library, after all, hehe," Davil would exclaim with an enthusiastic salute as he followed Otis through his dimension. Gawking at each and every item on display as they walked, with various 'oooh' and 'ahhh' noises emitting from his awed mouth, he straightened himself up upon hearing that he'd be playing hero. With a huge gulp of anxiety clearing down the lad's throat, his saucer eyes looked upon Otis with sudden nerves. "W-Well, if you say so... right! Then I guess I'll do it like that!"

He marched over and grabbed the chainsaw katana with both hands, nodding. "It's just like the Shoguknights from Western Rotid... this is badass, dude, seriously! Oh wooooow~! Squeeee!" Davil would continue this fanboying as he swung it around a few times with various 'kachaaa' or 'whishhhhh' noises, before running to keep up with Otis, following him through a door to the unknown. "Time for another adventure with my good buddy Otis! The Otster!" With a half-stumble outside, Davil followed Otis into the hallway, sword in hand, and yet there was not even a single enemy within range to swing at - him disappointedly noting the already fallen Mannekin at the hands of Otis' revolver. "O-Oh, yeah, that's fine too I guess."

Were Otis to study the Mannekin, he would find it rather trivial to override its prior controls and become its new master. Having seemingly been crushed into a state of inactivity moments prior, it would prove far easier than if it were still active and moving in defiance. That being said, it would not move very well in its current state without additional repairs to its body. Meanwhile, more Mannekin took to the halls, rushing after them.

Meanwhile, Davil was simply petrified for a brief moment, not even processing the Mannekin descending upon him before being smacked away by shadows - instead looking at Ciara with a small blush. He'd lean in and whisper to Otis, "Otty, you didn't say it was going to be a pretty girl, downright divine, and now I don't know how to perform...! What do I even do?!"

Shuffling his feet, he greeted Ciara with a wave. "Hi, I'm Davil! My deal is that I'm the guy who's gonna save us, so don't worry, your troubles are all over now!" With that, he'd rush forward towards the next group of bat-swinging Mannekin, including another one wearing a pompadour at the back of the new wave, crackling with lightning. At any point, should Ciara look upon Davil's aura to gauge its 'taste', she would be met with the sight of overwhelming darkness swirling about the boy. Unlike many people who had a fairly even balance of light and dark within them, by her Ethos' estimate on things, it seemed as if Davil's 'balance' was shifted entirely towards negativity and shadow.

"It was something like... thiiiiiis!" With the push of a button, grease shot out of the katana Davil was holding, the revving of the chainsaw growing louder, thundering throughout the corridor. However, in a moment of either great misfortune or immeasurable stupidity, the grease shot onto the ground in front of him, tripping him up as the sword fell freely out of his hands. His body flailed as he performed a backflip, landing on his head onto the grease pile while the chain-katana skidded out of control across the hall like a spinning top, chopping off the feet of the first Mannekin at the front of the pack. Slathered in grease, Davil hurriedly clawed his way back towards Otis and Ciara, panic in his eyes. "Help, please, I'm not a hero, I lied! It was all a joke! A glorious jest! I'm just chums with Otty and nothing more, I sweeeeear! Help meeee!" While these pleading cries went on, the Mannekin would be closing in fast.

To add insult to injury, in the midst of all this, the snobby voice of the boy from earlier would crackle over the invisible speaker near the trio. "Ouch, wipeout. There's no way this is your help, right? I mean, that would just be downright sad. Real men don't need to rely on Rekordian tech to solve their woes, you know. Real men can conquer the world with nothing but their mind. Men like me. Heh."