Taipan hovered amidst the void. There were purple strands spread throughout the Dream Realm and the surface of the Nightmare Realm. She reached out, taking hold of, and following the strands, but they eventually vanished.
There was a slight surge of energy in her claw. She examined it, her brow furrowed.
Her purple-red body lit up, energy bursting from it like she were on fire. She turned to see a purple light pulsing in the distance, within the clouded world.
"There you are, my child,"
Chapter XXVII
Lynception
AKT VIII
Battle Amongst Echoes
The Grifters attacked Lyn. Beams shot from the pair of heads. Lyn dodged one, then the other.
They tried to convene on her horizontally. Lyn spun between the two, the beams barely missing her nose.
It spun its claws around 360 DEGREES counter clockwise! Lyn countered with her ruler, but was sent flying back, crashing through the nearest apartment building.
Lyn dragged her heels against the ground, "Now this is a game!"
---
The Grifters reached for Amara. Amara ran away to no avail.
The Grifters flinched! Someone shot their heads.
"I'm here to investigate reports of a hostile work environment-!"
Lyn leapt out and LANDED on the right arm of the machine! She darted up it, quick cutting and shooting!
"-Ahn I think this violates everythin'!"
IT SCREEEEAAMMMED! The force of the scream THREW LYN BACK!
She landed next to Amara, countering the rapid claws that came both their ways, making sparks fly, "Yer bosses 're terrible singers,"
"I'm…I'm not in the mood," Amara responded, turning her back to her.
Lyn double sidestepped a pair of beams, "No problem, I'll make this quick,"
She shhhot forwards. It did the spin attack again.
She jumped over it. It shot two beams at her.
Her whip was attached to the left of the two arms. She smirked and SWUNG over that way.
It FLAILED AROUND trying to shhake her off. It clawed at her with its right.
She jumped off the right and cut right thhroouugh the joint between the left claw and the arm. It pulled back and screamed as Lyn landed on the ground.
"Don't be too upset, time will heal all wounds!" she called out.
"Guess she's right Donna,"
"Indeed, let's repay her for her advice!" Donna exclaimed as the left arm became a turret.
"Ya need to work on yer one liners," Lyn shrugged.
The Grifters fired at Lyn full throttle. She summoned her papier stars and charged. There were too many shots for her stars to counter alone, so she used her rulers to cut through the extra.
It grabbed a whole building with its other arm and SWUNG at her from the side. She jumped through its window, furniture and knick knacks flying about.
"Oh lasses, I ain't buyin' this dump at these prices!"
She rolled out of the building, latching onto the right arm. She rushed up, cutting through her previous cuts to make sparks fly.
The heads beamed down their *own* right arm! She leapt off, grappling onto the neck of the right head before it SCREEEACHED AGAIN!
"That was certainly an experience! Here's me review!"
She made one massive star and THREW IT! With a spin, it pierced the left head!
Lyn got swiped away. The left hand had regenerated.
Lyn rolled across the ground, dust and dream fragments kicked up with each roll. She got up and dusted herself off.
"GUESS TIME WILL HEAL ALL-!" Adolpha roared.
In a white flash, a silver Sabre injected itself into the right head.
Armina leapt on top of it. She grabbed the blade and RRAAN down its face, cutting evermore! She reached the torso and kicked off of it, sending the grifters into the void below. She landed before the duo.
"Armina…?" Amara exclaimed, her eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of her sister.
"Nice eye patch guardian," Lyn observed.
Armina's hair was entirely white. She had a grey eyebatch on her right, and wore a thick, black coat. Her hands were completely armour like claws, heck she was armoured from her toes to her throat, but not like a knight. It was more like she had gathered little plates and pieces to throw on.
She stared at Amara with widened eyes, "after all of these years….,"
"thanks fer the hel-," Lyn commented.
She pointed her blade at her, "Let my sister go,"
"I chose-!" Amara exclaimed.
"No ya didn't! She brought ya to this realm without yer consent an' destroyed everythin'!"
"Trust me Guardian, I'm a pro,"
"Do Professionals unleash grey upon innocent minds,"
"I'm not innocent!" Amara interjected, trying to get in front of Lyn.
"Ya don't know-,"
"She's right. Yer sister's a Drescher supporter!" Lyn added, pushing herself in front of Amara and pointing her thumb back to her.
"That's right, ya know this-!"
"An' because of that yer mind deserves to be destroyed by the grey!? Or by this scum!?"
"What…?" Amara exclaimed.
"Oh please, it only takes a snap of me right fingers to bail this joint. It she were in danger, I'd be out in a flash,"
"She's hurtin' ya Amara! Tell 'er to snap those Omnes darned fingers!"
Amara looked down. She squeezed her fists.
"We have unfinished business. The Reaper knows what she's doin',"
"Thanks Patridiot," Lyn two finger saluted.
She turned to Armina, eyes narrowed, "Ya heard the lass Guardian,"
"This is bigger than you 'r me, *scum*. If ya ain't gonna do this the right thing, we're doin' this the hard way,"
"Good fur ya Guardian, I can't think of any one good liners," she tried to remark, pointing her ruler. "So lets play, aye,"
"Try not to hurt her," Amara urged, placing her hands on her Xiphoid Process.
"No promises," Both responded.
Lyn smirked, Armina's eyes sharpened. In a flash, the pair's blades clashed together.
Lyn pressed down on her ruler, trying to push around Armina's thin sabre. Armina pressed her knee against Lyn's torso, trying to break her down.
They stepped back and forth, trying to break down the other. They entered a sort of spin, sparks coming off their blades as they struggled. Faster and faster they moved.
Eventually their blades created so much friction they caused a minor explosion.
The two separated. Lyn blew some smoke off of her hood, Armina shook flames off her hair.
Lyn fired upon her. She dodged the shots and fired back. Lyn did the same.
"Ya seem really skilled. How instead of fightin' we work together?!" She called out.
No response.
"Suit yerself, Guardian!"
Time to reload. Armina dragged her blade against the ground and SHOT strikes of white at Lyn to stop her.
Lyn countered with a giant papier star. Both strikes were destroyed.
Armina shot through the explosion, cutting at Lyn. She ducked down, avoiding the strike, a cocky grin on her scarf.
Gritting her teeth, Armina cut down on Lyn. She shot herself up using her whip and a tree as she shot down on her.
Armina countered, cutting through the shots. She pulled the base of said tree with her own whip.
Lyn let go of that tree and ran along the walls, "Nice play, if ya 'Ere a bit more motivated we could-,"
"SHUT UP," she responded, wide swing a MASSIVE CUT at the building.
Lyn pushed off the wall, dodging the strike. The building crashed down behind her.
She cut down on Armina. Armina jumped back and quick spun her blade before cutting at Lyn's…throat area.
Lyn back cut, redirecting Armina's strike. She jumped and kicked Armina away before shooting at her.
She countered that shot, but it was too close. Armina's gun was destroyed.
The armour around her right arm was destroyed in an explosion of yellow. She shrugged it off.
"Now yer motivated!" She called out. {Reference to DMC Memes about Vergil}.
Armina threw her remaining ammo Lyn's way. It hit one of Lyn's shots and BOOOM!
Armina shot towards her, through the smoke, her blade ready to stab her. Lyn sidestepped, ready to slash and- CLASH!
The blades united again.
She kicked at Lyn's feet. She jumped over the kick. Armina knocked her back with the hilt of her blade.
Lyn's whip was wrapped around her leg. Armina's eyes widened.
With a flick, Lyn THREW her into the air. She cut herself free and CRASHED down to the ground.
Without even a break, she rapidly sent more cuts of light Lyn's way. She danced through the strikes, only getting a few cuts on her scarf.
BAM! A purple shot went through, sending Armina's sabre flying.
Lyn cut at her, stopping her ruler just short, "I think that's black-,"
Armina SLLLAPPED her hand out of the way.
She kicked Lyn in the stomach, sending her back. She moved in for a punch.
Lyn rolled and SLAMMED her head into her stomach armour. She somehow left a dent, smirk on her scarf.
The two entered a battle of fists. Amara, meanwhile, watched on, her eyes slightly glazed over.
"The Mondgreif will see you now," called out to her.
Eyes widened, she looked up to her right. There was a white, wooden door surrounded by grey lights. Her heart thumping, she backed away.
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE YOUR CRIMES!" a pair of metallic voices yelled.
Adolpha and Donna rose again from the depths. They screeched, shaking the entire world.
Armina and Lyn ceased their- too late! The two grifters SMASHED THEIR CLAWS INTO THEM, SENDING THEM FLYING THROUGH MULTIPLE BUILDINGS!
"And youuuuu," they growled at Amara, transforming one of their claws into a hand. "Don't forget the price you owe! What *you did*,"
Her hands shaking, Amara tried cutting at their hand. Unfazed, they wrapped it around her.
"ARMINAAAAA!" she screamed.
---
From the rubble, Armina exploded, a white aura emitting from her entire body. In a flash of light, she picked up her sabre and shot after the grifters.
The grifters transformed into a bolt of grey lightning and darted away. Armina followed along, but she was always several steps behind them
Lyn got up from the rubble, dusting herself off. She looked at the darting lights. She slouched and sighed.
"Frick me,"
She raised her right hand.
She brought her fingers together.
And she placed her pointer and middle fingers on her forehead.
A great purple light erupted from her body. She grew taller, her eyes sharper, and her scarf longer. Purple and white leaked out of her body like rapidly forming storm clouds.
---
"What in tarnations is that?" Arturia asked, heavily pulling at Arnold's sleeve.
"I'm checkin' I'm checkin', dya have to rush?" he groaned.
"Is Armina alright?" she insisted.
"Its too Omnes darned cloudy, I can't effin' tell,"
"EVERYONE, GET THE SHIP MOVIN'!" She ordered, turning to the rest of the crew.
---
Lyn finished collecting her things and leapt below the shattered ground. Even if she couldn't see where the pair were darting, she could still predict where they would be based on their movements.
Speeding through the air, she shot their direction.
---
Armina stumbled, falling to the ground. Her white aura blinked out like a flashlight running out of battery.
She scrambled, reaching out for the light evading her, tears falling from her face.
A purple light intersected with it. Another light followed.
---
Lyn broke out of the ground, darting straight towards the grey bolt, "GOTCH-!"
She was sent off course. A purple-red claw gripped her from below.
Taipan grabbed onto her neck, "Found you, my child,"
Both of their glowing lights faded. The grey bolt escaped downwards, into the abyss.
Lyn struggled, trying to break free, but her grip was unbreakable. The world grew dark, all lights being drained away like water draining from a tub. Lyn kicked against her aggressor to no avail.
In a flash, a MASSIVE white cut went right through Taipan. It was Armina.
Lyn dropped down, Taipan reached her echo claws for her. She quick cut them down.
She landed on the ground and back-stepped away just as Taipan shot down to the ground. She placed her ruler at the ready, her back next to Armina's.
"I thought ya wanted me out Guardian?" she remarked.
"Shut up, yer responsible fer this mess, yer gonna help fix it,"
"Ain't that the truth,"
Arrays of echo claws came their way from all sides. Back to back, the pair rapidly cut them down.
Taipan broke through the ground, splitting the pair up. They hopped away, her claws attacking them and pushing them further apart.
"Don't she ever run out!?"
"Wouldn't that be nice?!"
When they got far enough from each other, Taipan darted straight for Lyn. In response, she quickly made a portal in her direction. Taipan easily weaved around it and picked Lyn up by the throat.
"My child, did you think I would be so reckless?"
"'Course not, but ya still ain't the real Taipan,"
White Armina appeared in a flash! In a HARD KICK, she separated the pair and sent Taipan into the portal.
Lyn closed the portal. Taipan's claws attempted to pry it back open. Lyn flinched, holding her fingers steady.
Armina looked around. The whites in the environment started to turn grey.
"We need to move, the hidden Nightmare world-,"
"Should be open for a wee bit. If only we had-,"
"ARMINA!" Arturia called out from the ship.
The pair nodded at each other.
A rope was let out for her. Armina grabbed onto it and climbed up the ship.
"'Re ya all-?" Arturia exclaimed, placing her hands on her face.
"I'm fine, I just needja to turn this ship straight down.
"Where's Amara?" Arnold exclaimed, looking around, his face already knowing the answer.
"Where we need to be,"
The ship turned straight down. The formally sealed world began to fall apart, grey overtaking it. Lyn watched, trying to keep her balance as the ground shook.
Below, the ship headed straight towards the grey void. A great metal wall started to form between the two realms.
"We're not gonna make it!" Arnold exclaimed.
"Bow, put more power into the ship!" Arturia ordered.
"Aye aye cap'n!" Bow saluted.
"(come on scum…come on…," she muttered, her eyes narrowed.
Lyn checked her watch. It was spinning like mad.
"Sorry to take a raincheck, boss, but it's gamblin' night," she exclaimed, barely smirking.
She LEAPT off the breaking world. She dove down, right at the ship.
The walls were close to closing. Taipan darted after her from behind, her claws inching closer and closer.
Lyn spun her papier stars, slowing down the claws, but unable to actually hit any of them. She wasn't gonna make it.
She grabbed onto the ship and PULLED herself forwards. There was a very slim space for her to fight through the walls.
She grabbed her whip with her teeth and flattened herself. Just barely, she scraped through the closing walls.
Taipan crashed into the walls, clawing at them, slowly breaking away at the outside, but still not getting through too soon.
---
Lyn hung from the back of the ship, "Oy, can I get a lift!"
Armina pulled her up, "Yer so annoyin',"
"Why thankya,"
"Armina, what-," Arturia exclaimed, looking at Lyn in shock. "We're gonna need 'er help I'm guessin',"
"Catch on quick Divarcee," She commented, patting her on the shoulder.
She gestured to Arnold with two fingers, "Put on a tune Divarced,"
Lyn walked up to the front of the ship and stood on the figurehead.
"This is one rad casino,"
Before them was a glitchy, mechanical world filled with grey fog, and bright glowing Drescher logos. Those logos weren't just for show, but parts of mechanical giants that filled the Realm.
To Be Continued...…