As the chaos consumed the entire Shop, Harvard would try to reach to the second room, seeing all the candies and toys of varying shapes and colors bundle themselves from room to room. Him and Criollo tried to check up on the House in case anyone would try to damage it. Their fears turned real once they'd hear a scream, almost deafening in pitch and volume, before one hearty crunch silenced it. The Cookie steeled himself, axes drawn out at the ready, while Harvard would cast Lemegeton, as he'd try to follow its perspective away from how he usually sees such figures.
Especially with who was inside, they felt strangely more like people than treats. Hearing those pleads and begging, only met with silence, would make his monstrous slits on his eyes tense up, dilating and staring forward, itching to face who was responsible. It was a time and place where they need a Hero.
Thump...
Thump.....
Thump...
Heavy stomps echo at the empty restaurant, crumbs that began to trail across the ground. Harvard would follow these crumbs, seeing it lead around to the counter. As he peeked over, he would find the head of the cookie left behind, its face staring at the sky in agony. The boy was quick on pulling Lemegeton, casting a monster into it as ammunition: Sandalphon. Criollo acted as look-out to track further on who was responsible, ready to tap at his ear so that Harvard can turn and fire at a moments notice. As the two were transfixed by their situation, knowing that the Old Lady must've been somewhat involved with it, another scream came, followed by another crunch. The child followed the noise, only to be met with a cookie's arm instead, sloppily eaten as well. Bite marks that look too jagged for regular teeth. The Guard was disgusted at such a mess, before a third scream emerged, one that was close by. Harvard immediately fired at that direction, hoping it'd hit the creature, but the bolts of lightning fired out would merely bounce to and fro, illuminating the dark area and showing the feast already finished, with a humanoid gummy bear near fully consumed, save for the ears left behind.
Then... He'd hear it.
A Hum. Motherly in tone. A soft embrace in comparison to the drastic murders before him. Harvard's body stiffened as he listened to such tunes, almost lulled into it. It was melancholic, yet it hold a sense of unease that would snap him back to reality whenever he wanted his mind to drift towards it. Criollo looked everywhere, walking from shoulder to shoulder, attempting to track down such a sound. One look upwards would immediately have Harvard's ear flicked. Something was up above. It lunged forward and tried to bite into the Child's head, yet he'd relent. Four shots, all of them landing at her body, electrocuting her from the inside out. He'd back himself away and stared at the beast responsible. When he did, he could feel his blood run cold. His heart was going faster. His eyes couldn't look away.
It was the Old Lady. Rather, it was her skin, now torn because of the free movement and the bolts of lightning. What was once old and wrinkled, is now sleek and metallic, as if she was more machine than man. Lizard-like legs and arms, alongside a perfectly spherical head, two segmented lines across it: one horizontal, the other vertical. She still donned the outfit the old lady had, notably the large sweater, now slimmer and perfectly wrapping around her body. A visible hole was seen on the chest, showcasing a bladed core, blending the air as it whirred around. The bonnet was removed completely, no sign of hair in sight. When she tried to open her mouth and sing her small tune, the two segmented lines parted, acting like a flower when it blooms out, small teeth shown across her lips. There was no doubt in Harvard's mind what this creature was.
The Beldam.
"Steel yourself, Harvard. You are not going to focus if you let your body be overtaken by-" Criollo's words cut short as soon as the Beldam leaped forward, her mouth opening fully wide, trying to bite into the child's head. Another shot was fired through her throat, electrocuting her once more, as he'd bounce off the wall and ran across her body, landing onto the counter. He'd cast a spell in the form of his mines and a virus to the confections nearby, tossing them one after another, letting the explosions set off and the virus to spread, hoping to corrode the metal and have her be too weak to fight back. In response, she'd slam down at the table, letting it take the full blow of the explosions, before bouncing up to the roof and shooting herself down, another lunge in the process. Harvard would be pinned as a result, but Criollo was quick to step in and leap ahead, aiming a heavy strike to her eyes, or rather the small glass panes that act as such. One quick slash was enough to break one of her eyes, forcing her to recoil back, snapping her fingers and quickly letting out a mass of projectiles from a different direction. The Guard would trigger one of his candies, hoping to catch her off guard so that they can escape without further direction. Unfortunately, due to her being such a machine, scent is not a factor in her internal system.
Harvard would be forced to hide behind the counters and copy her move, breaking parts of the shop and using it as shields to protect himself against the wave of damage, letting him take a few jaws and scatter its contents all over the floor. The Beldam gave chase again, but such contents would force her to scale across the counter and the other side, as Harvard began further defenses in the form of Hand Seal, a spell that was quick on vacuuming the virus-like fog, spreading it around him to act as both cover and deterrence. A wall of smoke to prevent further advancement. Harvard would try to peek up and see who was the one that fired those shots.
Before him, was a mass of toys. Dolls, plushies, action figures. All of them had different sizes and shapes, but all of them possess some sort of weapon at their disposal. The weapons themselves, however, weren't standard. Rather, it was an extension of what they wielded. A Teddy Bear had a jar of honey that acted as a cannon. A Fairy Doll had a wand that acted as a reticle for a sniper. A Barbarian action figure had two battle axes, its steel reflecting off from the light. Toys that gained sentience and act as foot soldiers, using whatever they have at their disposal.
Toy Magic.