LORE ART FINALLY

“You remind me of myself, and what an honor that is!” He passes me, head high. “What a wonderful partner you are! If only we could be like this forever.”
He pauses and I watch his unmoving body in the silence that follows. I turn to the stained floor and the spilled mechanisms of the spawn point.
“Forever… In doomspire? Fighting?” I ask.
”No, no.” I hear his neck turn in all its machinery. “It’s something deeper—more personal, spiritual, even.” Prince slides his hand over his hair and turns to me. “We both have the drive to win, yes? To overtake this…“ he pauses. “…Oppressive Industry that enslaved me.” He begins to circle me like an animal circles its prey. “Do you know how the spawns work? How they can seemingly bring something from nothing?”
I lower my head and think. I know they are run by the ‘oppressive industry’, I know they can bring you back to life, and I know I hate them.
He answers for me. “Of course you don’t, Ivory. But I can show you.”
He somehow got behind me and slid me into his cold grey arms. I try to jerk away but his body is unmoving again. “Stay. Without the pesty teams in our way, without the fear or the stress of the cannon! We can run this show our own way! Our very own circus, Ivory! How could you say no? After everything I’ve done for you?”
I’m panicking now, because I can’t get my feet on the ground right and I feel his fingers weaving their way tighter through mine.
“I—I’m not even on your team Prince,” I try staying calm. “We can’t just stop.”
“I have access to everything here. I can give you money, I can take it away. I could kill you, or I could let you live. I could blow this whole place to bits if I wanted!”
I watch his soulless face and I feel helpless.
”Everything’s up to you, doll. You make your choice, or I will.”