Malantau Eremus Fault

[Goat]

Rabid quips readied themselves on Astrid's tongue, chomping at the bit to be chosen over the rest. Chained in by a quiet frown, Astrid chose none of them. Her contempt had washed away with her adrenaline and blood. With victory over unambiguous evil.

But there was one thing she did want him to hear before he was gone.

"The moment you turn against them... this will be you! Do not... give them this victory! Cease... your aid!"

"This will not be you," she promised Powehi with a face of iron. "Not ever."

 

[Namohysip]

Alexander scowled at Nova. In particular, there was a feeling that he hated the Silvally more than anything else during that fight, for one reason or another. Perhaps encountering someone so unbreakable was... a reminder of someone else.

His eyes flicked to Bellatrix. He looked like he wanted to retort, but only had so many seconds left. Alexander stared at Mhynt again. His eyes were looking dull. He had very little time left. It seemed he wanted to make it count, even as Mhynt stepped toward him with her blade aglow.

He stared at the blade, looking almost insulted. Mhynt watched curiously, though she nodded when he stepped away from him. "...You're a bigger 'mon than I," she told Archie. But, despite these words, she approached the demon's head anyway.

"Well, Mhynt," Alexander said between slow breaths, "I hope you... enjoy your... vacation here... because--"

Shkk.

In the end, Alexander never got to complete his sentence. A blade of light went directly between his eyes and out through the bottom of his jaw. His eyes retained a perpetual, guiltless stare, his smile frozen permanently for however long his remains would last. Mhynt released the blade slowly, leaving it there for now, and turned around.

"Thank you," she said, "for the well-wishes."

Facing Powehi and the others, she said, "...I felt... something. I think he's truly gone." There was... the slightest rise of her shoulders. Perhaps some weight had been lifted. Revenge usually left one feeling empty; for Mhynt, there was an exception. "I don't think we're needed here anymore. You can clean up... whatever happened in the other Dungeons, but Powehi, from what we'd discussed earlier... Some of us would like to see Owen with no delays."

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova's crest tightened a bit. "So quickly?" He looked around. "I, uh, don't suppose there's still a path to Terminal One?" He pawed at the ashen soil with his gold claws. "Kinda promised I'd let a couple of folks know I'm still in one piece. And I don't see them here, so..."

The silvally shook his head. "But if we're going right this second, then I guess someone can tell Gladion and Sage for me?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

“Funny how things work out. Guess I’ll just have to keep on living.”

Seth – the last of his battle-fervour now spent – watched from a respectful distance with approval. This part of the fight wasn't personal for him, as such. He was looking out for Archie, really.

"Nice one," he said, with a little reserve.

What more was there to say? He wasn't a speech-giver, let alone in moments like this.

"Good riddance," he added, with a sniff. "Guess that's... That's me done here. Time to head home, find my boys—"

He winced, glancing at Leona, who couldn't do the same. If it bothered her, her stoic face didn't show it.

Seth looked around himself, searching for something else to say.

"It's, uh... Well. You know how it is..."

Leona smirked affectionately at him. "Bittersweet," she filled in for her somewhat less emotionally-intelligent counterpart.

"Yeah. That thing. Kinda sucks to have to leave. But... I'm gonna."

The Wolf, for all his theatrical wrestling heel bullshit, couldn't figure out how to say what he wanted to. He'd never had to do this before.

---

"This will not be you," she promised Powehi with a face of iron. "Not ever."

Powehi bowed his head to Astrid in a gesture of respect.

"Never," he agreed. Then, after a moment's contemplation, "That wyrm was mastered by his worst impulses. My own worst impulses are quite different... If his soul was formed by contempt and self-ambition, then mine is made of grief, longing, and remorse. This world shall never see a tyrant in Lethe whilst I endure."

Powehi, from what we'd discussed earlier... Some of us would like to see Owen with no delays."

"I, uh, don't suppose there's still a path to Terminal One?"

"There is time enough to speak to your friends after this matter is laid to rest," admonished Powehi, gently. "But a message will be passed to them, and they may join us, if they wish it."

With a turn of his wrist and a quiver of his sensors, the Lucario opened pathways between spaces in the world. One to Terminal One, for Seth and any others who needed it. And another through which – as if through a skylight in the air – was Owen, mere yards away...

Elsewhere, voidlings stumbled into tiny paths then led them back to Terminal One. Great distances away, cell blocks in the state of Prosper suddenly adjoined to dormitories aboard the station. Cipher would be returned to Earth – though not every lost soul was within Powehi's reach, the masses of peons had Shadow enough between them for Forlas' Dark Matter to reach them.

 

[canisaries]

Andre sighed in relief. It was over. That son of a bitch was finally dead, at least on Forlas, and Mhynt even got to be the one to finish him off. He was happy for her.

Something had happened in the midst of the action, though - something that they hadn't had the time to deal with yet, but should definitely be addressed.

Andre trotted through the battlefield towards the 'Hexagon Brothers' and cleared his throat. "You there. Mind explaining just who the hell you are?"

 

[Butterfree]

Dave sat down to catch his breath after they'd downed the dragon, legs still shaking with adrenaline. He half-expected Alexander to just dissolve into black smoke, never to be seen again. Instead, Mhynt decapitated him only for the head to be talking on the ground for a bit afterwards, and he looked away; why the fuck were they all taking so long? Just do the fucker in if they were going to. Not like he wasn't an irredeemable cartoon shithead with zero loved ones that weren't canned fucking soup, destroying literal worlds; if anyone deserved it it was him. Get it the fuck over with.

Finally a last rasped sentence was cut off by a squelching stab.

"Okay," he said. "Good riddance. Let's get home."

 

[Weazel]

“Sure I can’t convince you to stay?”

Arms folded again, Archie shot the red Lycanroc a wry grin. Of course, he didn’t actually mean it. Probably. He wouldn’t be the one to keep Seth from rescuing his Eevees, at least. And Cipher still needed its ass beat on the other side of the portal, as well. Still, bittersweet was right, and honestly, the Dewott probably wasn’t any better at goodbyes than the wolf was.

“I’ll miss you, Seth,” he said, more earnestly.

 

[Namohysip]

Andre trotted through the battlefield towards the 'Hexagon Brothers' and cleared his throat. "You there. Mind explaining just who the hell you are?"

One of them yelped in surprise, already recovered from the initial blast Alexander had dealt them. "I--I wasn't trying to impersonate you and then gather intel from your team to sabotage your efforts or anything!"

"Y-yeah, it's not like it worked anyway!"

"Agh! Cripes! It's the real one! Brothers, form up!" the reddish Mimikyu called.

And just as quickly, suddenly there was another Mhynt, another Andre, and so on and so forth scattering around. It seemed that during Powehi's attempts at gathering up the peons... their disguises were so good that the automated process was missing them.

"Y-you should let us go! We helped here, too!"

"Yeah, and, uh, well, we still have stuff to do here!"

They were already trying to flee, though... without Cipher to lead them proper, were they really any threat? It was hard to tell. Certainly a nuisance...

Mhynt considered giving chase, particularly at the one making a mockery of her form, but she had bigger priorities. "Thank you," she said to Powehi, and then swiftly made her way to Giovanni's hideout.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova gave the weirdo mimikyu the stink eye. He scooped a void rock(?) off the ground and chucked it at one of them. Then, chuffing, he turned and followed after Mhynt, muttering something about those dummies needing matching accessories branded with "The Idiots" on them.

 

[Goat]

"Goodbye!" Astrid called and waved to the strange fellows booking it towards the horizon. It was a lot friendlier than the one she'd given Alexander.

 

[canisaries]

For some reason, Andre was quite offended that someone was copying his appearance. Not just unsettled but offended. He realized it was the same feeling as if someone had traced over his art, which made no sense, because he'd had no influence over how he looked on Forlas. If this was art theft, whose art was it? Mother Nature's? Betel's?

Nevertheless, Andre sighed and turned to the others. "Should we do something with them?"

 

[Tetra]

Alexander was never coming back. Not here, at least. Gone forever. Good.

Mhynt had looked relieved, too. Good. At least she didn't have to worry anymore about him. "Do not look for me."

In an effort to divert the swirl of confusing thoughts and emotions pulling at him, he turned his attention to the bizzare fake "Wayfarers", his lips curling in a slight snarl. Seeing a double of himself was... bizarre. Still, they seemed like more of a nuisance then anyone else. He guessed they were the weird thing... Andre? had mentioned about the fake Gerome. Whatever. Seth could decide how to handle them.

"They're going back where they belong," he said firmly. At least they didn't seem like too much a threat compared to the rest of Cipher.

He spotted Seth, beside Archie, looking... different somehow. Lighter? Koa wasn't sure what to make of it. Maybe the fight at Terminal One had gone well. Maybe it really would be okay.