Brawl Ever After: Cinderscarlet

If The Lance Steams...

A fanfare of horns signaled the arrival of the Grand Duke Orion and his retinue outside the manor. Caspian and Lucien rushed downstairs, jostling over each other to be the first to greet him once he'd arrived. "Father! He's here!" Caspian exclaimed joyfully, wrestling his brother for a comb to fix his hair.

Volkov went to get the door. "Boys, remember this is your last chance so don't fail me!" he warned sternly. Then he threw open the door to reveal a messenger with a horn and the lance in a glass case.

"Announcing His Imperial Grace, the Grand Duke Orion." The messenger announced and stepped aside for Orion to enter, a battalion of guards waiting outside.

Volkov bowed low. "You honor our humble home, my Lord. Please, do come in." He stood up straight and gestured for Orion to step inside, who immediately swept his gaze around dismissively. "May I present my sons, Lucien and Caspian."

The boys bowed respectfully, trying to impress the duke. "Your Grace~" Caspian greeted with a rose between his teeth, making Orion cringe at his disgusting attitude.

"Charmed I'm sure," he replied dryly, taking no notice of either one.

Down in the dumpster pile, Cheddar poked his nose through every gap and corner, sniffing around to find anything that could be of use to Scarlet. He paused a moment when he noticed a large chunk of metal, lifted it with his mouth, and threw it down to Valkyrie.

Valkyrie gathered everything Cheddar found thus far and analyzed it carefully, throwing them to the other bots who formed a chain up to Scarlet's room as they passed each piece along. A screw, a bolt, a bar of iron, half an ounce of a gold alloy, anything they could get their hands on for Scarlet.

Scarlet worked hard, screwing the metal pieces back together and welding them in place, almost in a trance. Craig and Cogsworth helped her salvage any pieces of her old inventions, using whatever was still usable to fix up the hammer. She hoped it would still work when they were finished if they even had time.

Caspian stood in the training room, holding that strange weapon and staring at it without blinking. "What does this do...?" He murmured under his breath, trying not to look too nervous in front of his family and the duke. Poking around the buttons, levers, and knobs on the contraption, Caspian tried a few more times and finally got a hold of a lever, pulling on it.

Nothing happened, however, so he tried another and another and yet another until, finally, a blast of steam shot out from it. He stared in shock as the machine haphazardly flew around the room, blasting holes and sending objects flying.

"Look out!" Orion shrieked, jumping out of the way just in time. Volkov cursed loudly when the projectile whizzed past his face, causing him to duck while Lucien hid behind him. The blast sent Caspian tumbling backward, knocking him right into his elder brother.

Caspian straightened his mask and laughed weakly upon seeing the judging faces of his family and the duke. "You know what they say about gadgets like these, right?" he joked nervously, attempting to recover some dignity.

As the bot chain continued moving forward with the last of the materials, Cheddar squeaked out, pointing at something hidden behind a stack of scrap metal. A heat-resistant tube, the last piece Scarlet needed to complete her hammer. He tossed it down to Valkyrie, unaware of the shadow looming over him.

A roar outside made Scarlet's blood go cold, rushing to the window, "ONYX!" She screamed as the gargoyle chased her bots around. With each swing of her giant talons, they scattered in all directions, trying to flee from the beast.

Some of the bots threw whatever metal pieces they could find at Onyx but her stone-hard hide protected her form enough. Valkyrie held the tube away from the rampaging beast, determined to get it to Scarlet. Onyx's claws slashed around, swatting the bots away like flies as she roared with fury.