The Carnival of Venice

[Kabane]

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The Carnival of Venice

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Black Order HQ

Komui takes a gulp of his coffee.

"Commander Hei Ashur has been kidnapped if you didn't already know." He drinks his coffee again.

"Reports from a finder said that the Noah named 'Nicole' --was it Nicole? no? Oh, Nicholas-- The Noah named 'Nicholas' has taken him to his hometown of Venice. Don't know why he did that, pretty stupid idea if you ask me. This one time I --"

Lenalee cleared her throat in an audible "ahem."

"As Nicholas was transporting Hei a couple of finders attempted to release Hei. Hei told them to run and he'll be fine."

There was a period of silence.

"Rest their souls."

There was another period of silence. Komui seemed to have forgotten about their conversation when Lenalee, again, cleared her throat.

"Oh yes. To Venice! I hear that the Carnival of Venice is going on right now. Wish I could go. It's a beautiful festival."

The exorcists roll their eyes at his lack of focus.

"Then who was the Hei with the other group of exorcists?" Jacques called from the back.

Komui became serious again.

"An Akuma, a Noah, we dont know. We have no communication with them either, we can only pray they realize it before it's too late. We've sent a finder after them, hopefully he can catch up fast."


--------------------

Piazza San Marco

A festive celebration rages on in the streets of Venice. The Carnival of Venice is nearing a close which coincides with the start of the Americanized Mardi Gras. In the Piazza San Marco women and men are wearing festive dresses and suits with accompanying masks. These masks are the highlight of the festival. In this festival, no one knows who anyone is. Celebrities, beggars, akuma, exorcist, all commune with each other in this porcelain masquerade.

"Kawachi! where are you?" A girl said. She wore a white mask with silver decorations in a familiar type of clothing.

"I'm right here." He says to her, nudging her in the back. Kawachi was standing right next to her, his costume apparently too different for even her to remember. "Mika, what are you doing in exorcist uniform. Do you want the Akuma to know we're here?"

"Um... I was never good at picking good costumes so I didn't get one. I found this on the ground ^_^. Saved a bundle!" She smiled as hopped in the air showing off her former-trash-made-treasure. Not only did Mika not have a fashion sense, she was cheap as well. Kawachi could only shake his head in disappointment.

"So... any luck finding clues as to Commander Hei's whereabouts?" Kawachi asked.

"Not really, everyone's in costume... someone wearing a uniform like ours wouldn't be out of the ordinary." Mika told him. She scratched her head.

"Well... apparently that Nicholas is quite the local celebrity. Blind and rich aren't exactly two words you hear to describe someone. People instantly knew who it was. They pointed me towards a person who knows how to get to his house!"

"Sugooiiiii... That's amazing!" She jumped in the air like she did before.

"Yeah.. now we just have to wait for reinforcements to come."


-------------------

Nicholas' Home

Nicholas' home was lavish and expansive. The adopted son of an oil tycoon Nicholas could only afford the best. The entrance was gated with elaborate decorations and plated in gold. The mansion that it guards was far more extravagant. As one drives up the walk way that could be best described as a botanical garden, one can see through the various windows that there are at least 18 separate rooms on the first floor, each with it's own personality.

"What are we doing here waiting?" Ruth said. She stood in front of a fire place looking at "family" pictures on top of the mantle.

"Nicholas is having his fun, he said to wait here." Xavier jutted, sitting on a chair sipping a glass of wine.

Constantine sat in another chair watching the other two talk. He seemed uninterested, as if he was waiting to leave the place.


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Sunken Aqueducts


Faint screams can be heard in an submerged aqueduct. Hei is dangling from the ceiling, his arms chained by thick shackles. His feet don't even touch the ground while the chains sway in a stagnant pool of water. He's panting.

"Ubi ignis..."

Nicholas twisted a knife into Hei's shoulder. He screams in pain masking the eerie noises of his shackle clanking together. Nicholas removes the knife, he still screams in pain, but eventually the pain subsides. Hei's breathing became extremely heavy. His face is drenched in his own sweat, his hair shiny and oily from the exhaustion.

"There are worse things I could do you know..." Nicholas unshackles Hei's right arm. He immediately tries to retaliate.

"ENREI!" He shouts, he points his palm forward, just inches away from Nicholas' chest. It begins to glow red and what looks like a fiery serpent emerges from the center of his hand. The bright fire casts a shadow on all that hide from it.

Nicholas raises his fingers, a mass of water extinguishing Hei's hand before the serpent can leave. Nicholas laughs.

"You're too tired to do that effectively. Besides... We're in an Aqueduct... water flows through here." He jests....

The laughing dies off and he snatches Hei's hand.

"I could do this..." Nicholas takes his finger and draws an imaginary circle around the tip of Hei's index finger, just below the edge of the fingernail. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then Nicholas snapped his fingers. The part of finger past the imaginary circle was sliced off. A clean-cut later of skin, nail, muscle, and bone was exposed to the salty air of the aqueduct. Hei's screams echo throughout the Aqueduct.

"We'll move inch by inch until there is no Hei left. Sound nice?"

Hei's screams echoed even louder the second time. It was like music to Nicholas' ears.



_______________

Rules:

-This is an Actual Arc

-Noah slots are filled

-Unlimited Exorcists slots

-Unlimited Akuma slots

-For exorcists to win they must retrieve Commander Hei Ashur, alive.

-First Task is to find Mika and Kawachi and get appropriate information. Make your way to Nicholas' house after that. More information will be revealed later.

-Any attempts to change the flow of the arc in an unintentional and/or counterproductive direction will result in the unconditional death of the attemptee's character(s). This disclaimer provides sufficient warning against such infractions and anyone found guilty of trying to do so is agreeing to the killing of his/her characters.

_______________

Participants:

Exorcists:
Hei
Jacques
Raphael

Noah:
Nicholas
Ruth
Xavier
Constantine


Akuma:
Styx

[Jasper]

Raphael

From a train to a cart and then finally a canoe rowed by a finder who accompanied the exorcists to the core of the city, Piazza San Marco. Raphael and Jacques, sitting opposite to each other opened their supply bags to find a couple of costumes and masks for them to mingle properly with the crowd. Drawing the attention of people towards them, specially akuma, might injure the innocent bystanders in the cross-fire. Pulling out his "knight of the templar" suit, Raphael seriously contemplated on whether he wanted to have this on while walking the streets of Venice. The finder rowing the boat happened to notice Raphael's skepticism of the outfit given to him.

"It'd suit you well, sir." Said the blonde man in a heavy Scottish accent, implying almost immediately to both Jacques and Raphael of his birth descent.

Unsociable as he is, Raphael replied with no words of gratitude, instead he chose to revise the mission's plans with Jacques and the finder.

"Mika and Kawachi have already been deployed to gather information for us, with any luck and given our endowed knowledge of the people in the area, we'll be able to locate Hei. The problem is whether or not we'll be able to walk out of there or not though."

Jacques patted Raphael's shoulder and smiled assuring their success. He drew his perforated mask from his bag and jumped off the boat a few meters away from the rendevous point. This was Reever's plan to make both exorcists look as inconspicious as possible.

Sighing before putting on his costume, Raphael readied himself to blend in with the crowd as the sound of the music and people's joyful cries grew in his ears. A minute before stepping away from the boat, Raphael rolled his eyes towards the Finder.

"Keep in touch with HQ, there's bound to be another exorcist coming to site. Lead him here and ask him to look for Mika or Kawachi if we're not around."

The finder nodded as Raphael moved away towards the bridge connecting the pavement he stood on to the central square.

Out of the people around here, he was supposed to be locate an exorcist girl and a guy who he hasn't met before.

"Fun."

[Fect]

Jacques hid under the bridge. He slid on a proper white mask, to his amusement that it looked like Guy Fawkes, which covered his face. It had a long painted black gotee, with a mustache that went from cheek to cheek. It was given blush on each cheek, and a slightly red lip.

'Oh, the irony.'

He put on a long black cloak and large-brimmed black feather hat. 'Is that finder intelligent or just insane? Jacques were the revolutionaires of France years ago, but to get a Guy Fawkes costume?'

He wandered on up walking behind Raphael, thinking about the conversation Komui had had with him.
------------------------------------------------------
"Jacques~? I've finally gotten everything in order," Komui chimed.

"Oh, good. I need to get out of here."

"Well, there's bad news."

"Hm?"

"Hei will be in your next mission..."

"The bastard will get what's coming to him."

"...As a hostage."

"Hu-what?! Then what about Angie?"

"She went with an unknown person. She's smart though, she can figure it out."
----------------------------------------

The lights were fabulous, and everyone else was in a costume as well. "Divertimento."

The two walked into the crowd. Two people wandered through the crowd, one wearing an Exorcist uniform, but he was held back by the people there. "We'll see them soon, Jacques. Let's not blow our cover yet," Raphael told him in a logical manner.

"Then, I'll go wander around. Maybe we can find something out, even if it's just mentioning the name of Nicholas."

A few people looked over their shoulders and Jacques kept a close eye on them. He walked through the crowd, yelling back, "We'll meet up later Raphael!"

He walked through, many people wearing Larva, Bauta, and Moretta Masks. The streets were filled, and a few gondolas glided under the bridge. 'A little peace and quiet...'

"Alright. I thought you were going to look for Hei."

'I will. But first, I need to find out where those kids went...'

[Kabane]

Just as quickly as it was chopped off, Hei's finger began to regenerate. It was like a lizard's tail separated from it's torso.

"Hm? A Healing ability?" Nicholas said, sounding surprised yet pleased. A smile appeared across his mouth as he thought about the enjoyment he could have.

"Does this mean we can have more fun?" Hei replied, with a smile of equal magnitude.

Nicholas eyes narrowed. "Yes, i suppose we can." He said in a curt and stern voice. Nicholas wasted no time in issuing painless and minute injuries. He drew a shallow circle around the girth of Hei's arm, right at the elbow.

[Jasper]

Xavier and Constantine:

"Check in five." Said Constantine, as he moved his knight from D3 to E5 on the mahogany chess table that Nicholas had in his den. The figurines were so delicately sculpted and later on glossed to give it that expensive, lavish look.

Xavier looked unbothered by Constantine's remark about the game. He had a plan of his own to follow.

"Check." He replied, his smile extending from ear to ear. The astonished Constantine did a double take at the unanticipated move that Xavier did. Xavier's bishop was in a position that allowed him to both check the King and threaten the rook. Giving into hopelessness, Constantine moves his King away from the target line of the bishop, allowing it to take his rook.

"Good move." remarked Constantine, as he moved his Queen to H7, in hopes of taking out Xavier's Rook or Knight. Xavier reacted hastily. He moved his other knight in between two of Constantine's pawns, giving it a chance to move in and take his bishop.

"Your turn."

The game continued, Constantine, did not hesitate to bring down Xavier's rook with his Queen. He later on gestured about how he plans on taking Xavier's knight after that to check his King.

"If those on the Earl's side were chessboard pieces, who'd you be, Constantine? Same to you as well Ruth."

Xavier's question was accompanied by an answer related directly to him.

"I'd be the black square bishop. I'd refuse walking into the light. No matter how many steps I take forward, I'll still want to go back to how it was before."

Constantine interrupted Xavier's cheesy statement with a sarcastic comment of his own.

"Oi, oi. You're not trying to make me lose interest in the game just because you were about to lose, are you?"

Xavier's laugh was quiet, arrogant and made him seem all the more indifferent to how things go. Reacting to this was a sigh from Constantine, who explained what chesspiece he thinks he'd most probably be.

"A Knight. Normally, I'm no threat to whoever's around me, but I can be quite malacious if the King knows my abilities well."

Slowly, Xavier moved his bishop across the board, taking out Constantine's source of pride and confidence in the game, his Queen. Reacting to this with an open jaw and a couple of dozen incomplete words, Constantine slapped his face with an open palm.

"Nicholas would be..." Xavier said, breaking the silence. The three Noah in the room replied simultaneously:

"Rook."
"Rook."
"Rook."

------------------------------------------------

Raphael:

Pretending to smile came as a feat for someone as Raphael, whose mind was packed with details about the mission. The fact that Hei Ashur was caught in the first place meant that this battle was by far a walk in the park.

In the distance, Raphael spotted a young girl a couple of years -or so- younger than he is. Her kimono and white fox mask stood out from the rest of the crowd as it was the only oriental costume in the gathering.

The new ones these days... Ugh.

He walked up to her, and dragged her from her arm. The girl was about to scream, had it not been for a prompt explanation from his side.

"Raphael is my name. I'm one of the two exorcists that came here before you did."

The girl stopped squirming in Raphael's grip, who was now on the look out for any other peculiar costumes. One came into sight, silver mask and very plain clothes. He body physique and height suggested that she was a female.

"Mika."

Pulling the girl with him gently, Raphael walked up to the girl he saw in the distance, dancing with a man in a British Naval Captain's suit. He removed his mask exposing his distinctive green eyes while looking at both the man and the woman with him.

"Mika and Kawachi, I presume."

The man nodded, and removed his mask exposing his pale facial skin and squinty eyes, proving the accuracy of Raphael's guess. The girl did the same.

"Raphael D'Alphonse. I was sent here by HQ. This is... Uhh..."

He pointed to the girl next to him and waited for her introduce herself to her audience.

"Exorcist Jacques Hook will be joining us shortly. Let us proceed to where he can easily spot us. I'm confident that he'll be able to detect me in this ridiculous outfit I am wearing."

[Fect]

Jacques was wandering through the streets. So far, he had managed to find someone who wanted to marry him but he did not share the feeling, a couple bottles of wine, and a sort of small wild monkey that sat on his shoulder.

"Please...?!" Asked the woman.

"I'm sorry 'mam, but I'm rather busy and uninterested," Jacques replied.

She sat down, clinging to his cloak. A bottle of wine flew backwards, hitting her in the head due to the manner of the costume. 'She did it herself...'

He wandered off. Then a small noise came over his golem, tucked inside his jacket. "Meet us at the Rio Della Verona. I found them."

Jacques immediately took off, and overheard a few people: "Is he some kind of magician or revolutionaire? An anarchist?"

'Oh great...'

Jacques went to the bridge, but no one was there. He slid his mask to the side and had a few drinks. 'I need to get a few more Pinot Noirs before I leave.'

[Fect]

Jacques sat there, pondering, standing on the bridge's side and giving a speech. A few people began gathering while he spoke:

"Consider a world in which cause and effect are erratic. Sometimes the first precedes the second, sometimes the second precedes the first. Or perhaps cause lies forever in the past while effect in the future, but future and past are entwined.

A man stands...absently emptying his pockets and weeping. Without reason his friends have abandoned him. No one calls any more, no one meets him for supper or beer at the tavern, no one invites him to their home. For twenty years he has been the ideal friend to his friends, generous, interested, soft- spoken, affectionate. What could have happened? A week from this moment on the terrace, the same man begins acting the goat, insulting everyone, wearing smelly clothes, stingy with money, allowing no one to come to his apartment...Which was cause and which effect, which future and which past?

In this acausal world, scientists are helpless. Their predictions become postdictions. Their equations become justifications, their logic, illogic...Scientists are buffoons, not because they are rational but because the cosmos is irrational. Who can say which in an acausal world?"

With that, he took a bow in his costume, the crowd clapping.

Within moments, a woman in the back began changing. A level 1 akuma appeared. Jacques threw a card-sized transparent green shield through its face, destroying it. The crowd clapped more; they thought it was a part of his act.

From there, he let his sleeves drop down, producing a large number of white sprite-like orbs, that danced around the crowd. They watched them, and then Jacques vanished, jumping onto a Gondola and sailing off, the crowd watching for the boat to appear on the other side, but it never did.

"I'll be waiting at the appointed place. Just contact me when you are there."

'Il est plus facile que un homme rejette les passions que pour les admettre, mais une fois admis, il est plus facile les a laissées le commander qu'il les commandent.'

[Jasper]

Raphael:

Not too far away from where he stood, Raphael heard the haughty Jacques delivering a speech to the public. Even though Italian was not a language he spoke fluently, people thought of Jacques as a messenger, listening intently to what he said, nodding their heads to every word he said and occassionally wiping a tear that rolled down their face.

"Ano... This isn't... Jacqu-" spoke Mika, who was interrupted by the sound of a crumpling fist and a withdrawn demonstration of anger from Raphael's side.

"Y...es. It is..."

Laughing slightly and pulling back from the aura that Raphael shot out at the preaching Jacques, Kawachi found himself in an awkward position. He spoke, breaking the silence between the three exorcists in the area.

"I have arranged with a gondolier to transport you two to Nicholas's mansion. It's quite the distance away from here. With any luck though, you should be able to travel there with ease since just about everyone is out of here in the Piazza."

Raphael awoke from his entranced state, he looked at Kawachi who seemed to be well prepared for this mission as opposed to his companion, whose meager appearance and happy go lucky attitude did not register high in Raphael's book of impressions.

"Well done. Jacques's show however, just made him all the more less noticeable in the crowd. I don't suppose either of you saw this coming, did you?"

Raphael's question was answered with a quick and energetic response from the girl next to him, who raised her hand in excitement.

"Hai hai! I can help!"

YOU?! Raphael thought.

Kawachi's eyes seemed to have read Raphael's thoughts at that particular moment. He laughed quietly again, this time rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

"Mika's innocence allows her to reflect light rays, in a particular area. If she boards with you for sometime, she'll make the gondola you two are on look invisible to the untrained eye. Of course, there's a matter of the ripples caused by the gondola while surfing across the water's surface, but I doubt anyone would be that analytical in a festive like this one. They'll probably think it's a school of fish or something."

The girl winked and did a victory pose as Kawachi spoke. Raphael couldn't help but think that today is the worst day of his life.

Blessed with two idiots. Ah... Life is never fair.

Agreeing to the plan set forth by Kawachi, Raphael boarded the gondola with Mika. The gondolier moved under the bridge where Jacques preached the public, his alertness and sight -luckily- were not impaired because of his position in front of the lights directed at him. Running towards the bridge and boarding the gondola seconds before Mika activated her innocence, Jacques was back in the company of Raphael.

"Just WHAT do you THINK you were doing?!" Scolded Raphael. He was just about to lash out at Jacques when Mika interrupted saying that her innocence can make them invisible, but not inaudible. Cursing under his breath, Raphael remained silent for a good portion of the trip until Mika left.

"The gondolier knows the way to the mansion. Don't worry, Kawachi has already paid his fee. He's been sworn to not to rat you two out if someone asks, so it's all A-O-K!"

I was fine not knowing all of that, but you saying that makes me all the more worried.

"Oh, Raphael-san! I'll be waiting for that date you promised me!"

Flustered and blushing, the bookman-in-the-making exorcist stuttered a "I never said ANYTHING about a date." The girl winked again, this time sticking her tongue out at Raphael as the gondola started moving.

"I never knew you were tha-"

"SHUT UP JACQUES! DON'T GET ME STARTED ON YOU!"

Observing their conversation, the middle-aged gondolier laughed as he continued propelling the gondola towards the mansion on the highest point in Venice. The massive iron gates blocking the way stood firm in the ground making it clear to whoever tresspassed that there will be reprecussions.

"I suppose this is where you drop us, right?"

The gondolier nodded, he dropped both Raphael and Jacques on the marble pavement that decorated the outside of Nicholas's residence.

"Makes me wonder why a guy with this much power and financial influence would ever support the Earl. Oh well, there's not much we can do regarding this matter."

Jacques nodded, his concern directed to how the two exorcists were going to position themselves on the other side of the gate.

Raphael did not waste time thinking, he came prepared.

"Hold on to this." He said, handing Jacques part of the long rope that dangled out of his costume. Rotating the hook in hand a couple of times before throwing it above the massive wall, Raphael had already arranged an entrance for himself and his partner.

"Smart." Remarked Jacques.

"Acknowledged, now hurry up and test the rope for safety."

Jacques pulled on the rope and climbed slowly up the wall, waving for Raphael to follow him once he was above it. Behind the 5 foot of stone was presumably a front porch, though the number and species of plants made it look more like a tropical forest.

"Yo! You sure we didn't land in greenhouse or a greenlife preservative, right?"

Raphael rolled his eyes to Jacques and shrugged. He has heard of people living the easy life, but this was just over the top. A long stretch of trees and plants was in front of them concluded by a yellow light that shone from the ground, exposing the exquisite design of the mansion. From it's size, Raphael estimated the property to be around one to two kilometers square in area.

"Shall we then?"

Running through the greenery, the two exorcists headed towards the mansion's front door. Before "knocking" on the door, Raphael noted the ease of the operation so far and sent the message to Jacques next to him. Nodding in compliance, Jacques chose to enter the mansion through another door in the back or the side silently while Raphael goes through the most direct of ways.

Using his irregularly shaped blade, Raphael slashed the pleasantly-odoured agar door, creating the loudest ruckus he could to draw attention to the mansion's dwellers. Guards swarmed at Raphael with their spears, swords and shields.

"So much for it being easy."

[Kabane]

Ruth

"It seems like we have some company." Xavier said, placing a rook down on the table.

"You can't d---" Constantine began before being interrupted by Ruth.

"Yes, now let's do the polite thing and greet them." Ruth said. She sticks her breasts out as hundreds of Ravenous begin to flow out. They flap their diamond pattern wings towards the source of the noise.

"What a grotesque woman." Xavier comments.

[kensei]

((lol, you make me sound like a hooker xD))

"Oh hush," Ruth grinned as a small swarm of the Ravenous flew from her chest, wings beating wildly as the scent of blood coming to the mansion was near. Had she released them in a festival, things would prove disastrous- to the humans of course.

"So what would I be if I was a chess piece?" Ruth began to untie her hair- a rare sight for anyone at all. "As selfish as it sounds, a Queen is the flexible one."

Constantine raised an eyebrow for a moment as Xavier chuckled slightly. "Is it only because the Queen's the only female piece?"

"Blame the sexist guy who invented it."

From a distance, it seemed the gardens were rapidly blossoming with blood-red flowers. Blind as they may be, the Ravenous's bloodlust outshone any other Noah as they rely on it to sense their prey. In their collective swarms they flew closer to their guests, ensuring them one 'red carpet' welcome.

[HolyMoon]

Athena..

"Raphael D'Alphonse. I was sent here by HQ. This is... Uhh..."

He pointed to the girl next to him and waited for her introduce herself to her audience.

"Athena," stated the girl shortly. After that, she remained silent as the other exorcists talked to each other; something about arranging gondolier for them.

As the others set off with a middle-aged gondolier, she saw a person wearing a cat mask approaching her. She couldn't tell he is a man or woman since his body was wrapped by a large brown clothes, but when he was nearer, she saw his teal hair and remembered the man she passed when she walked out of the Science Department.

The young man stopped in front of her and took off his mask.

"Crescent Vell. Let's get on to the gondola..," said the boy as he placed his mask again, turning to the water direction; obviously, he had heard their conversation earlier.

"I'm Athena, and we'll use my gondola, it's easier that way," replied Athena as she pointed to her white gondola and walked toward it.

"Do you know the way to the masion?" asked Crescent as they started to set off.

When no one was looking, Athena activated her Innocence and made them flew through the boat and the passangers there. Crescent's eyes widened as he found that his body had had the same color as his surroundings, so did the boat and Athena herself.

"Maybe. I found a secret way into the mansion when I was 7 years old..," stated the girl as she row the gondola into a closed old tunnel, which was hidden if anyone didn't go to its side and found a gap big enough to fit a gondola.

'She had row a gondola when she was 7? ' Crescent sweat dropped to the girl statement.

As silence fell into them, they reached their destination and jumped out of the gondola. Crescent tied the boat to a firm pole that stuck out of the water and followed the girl.
Athena had jumped to a hole on the ceiling and arrived at a small gap between the ground above and the ceiling of the tunnel. She lifted up the room ceiling and jumped out, finding herself surrounded by the greenery.

Crescent had appeared on her side, and said in a low voice, "Thanks for bringing me here. See you soon."

And he ran around the place, searching for another entrance beside the front door which had been broken when he glanced on it.

Athena chose to take the front door, but hiding her pressence using her Chameleon.

[Jasper]

((I'm not sure if Prof's told you kensei, but Ruth currently has no opponent. Hopefully Shinju and/or Serenade should join to fight with Ruth)).

((I'm not too sure about how this is going to fit into prof's story, but I suppose Ruth can fight Crescent/Athena until the clouds clear up :).))

((poopy, he didn't tell me :p, oh btw Proffy, pm me, i won't be around during your times anymore :())

Constantine and Raphael:

"I was so close to winning too... Oh man."

Constantine grieved as he collected the chess pieces and alligned them just the way they were before he and Xavier played together. Upon the completion of the task, Constantine rolled his eyes at Xavier, waiting for any particular order he might issue.

"Front door rascal is yours. He should be worn out after dealing with a dozen guards or so, even if they are all rookies."

Said Xavier. Complying with his request, Constantine dashed out of the room and towards the front door. A long corridor decorated with 10 feet windows through which the moon's brilliance shone separated Constantine from his prey. He did not need to know who he was about to fight, so long as it pulls him from this state of never-before-felt boredom. Kicking door hard and flinging it wide open, Constantine found himself in the projection line of a corpse flying towards him. Blood spilled from the offender's victims tainted the expensive looking oriental carpet covering the polished oak flooring. Constantine raised the direction of his eye sight in an attempt to recognize his opponent. Red hair, green eyes, white complexion, funny looking costume and a black mask that stood out from the rest of his outfit.

"I think you're in the wrong party here mate. The Piazza is all over THERE!" Pointing southwards.

Reacting to the said comment almost immediately, Raphael tore off his mask and removed his feather hat. His flowing fiery red hair released from underneath the stifling hat.

"I hope this matches your tastes now, Noah."

Constantine wasn't surprised at man's knowledge of his leniage. His very presence tonight, in this mansion could only mean that he was one of the exorcists ordered to raid Nicholas's home.

"Please, Constantine. Fine then, shall we?"

"Indeed."

Holy Orders (http://www.esnips.com/doc/f0c02c87-72de-44b0-98a7-5a8c04531e66/Guilty-Gear-II-Overture---Holy-Orders-(Be-Just-Or-Be-Dead))

Both parties charged at each other, Raphael's body - warmed up from the exercise he got - allowed for its flexibility to overcome Constantine's normally superior agility. Slashing diagonally from Constantine's left shoulder to his right hip came Raphael's attack. The Noah's reaction allowed for decreasing the damage he sustained, but it could not dodge nor stop the attack. A big wound formed across Constantine's chest that slowly closed as Raphael retracted his blade.

"Ah, increased metabolism rates allowing for regeneration." Said Raphael as a sweat drop fell from above his eyebrow.

Constantine who was still surprised at the success of the exorcist's attack took a second to regain his normal level-headed attitude. Clapping for the exorcist he remarked sarcastically.

"Someone's been doing their homework. Now that you know about this, how do you intend on winning?"

Raphael's answer was just as straight and sharp as his blade is.

"By doing more damage than you can heal of course."

Constantine laughed, this time raising his plam in the face of Raphael. A dark cloud formed around Raphael's body immobilizing him. He quietly called out for his power to manifest.

"Nova..."

In that very second, the cloud condensed to a much more physical form that resembled that of a web more than anything else. Raphael found himself in a bind, literally.

"Now then, I shall have fun with you much like how Nicholas is having fun with his pet. What was he called again? Ah, right, Hei."

Snarling at his current state of helplessness, Raphael started thinking of an escape method while Constantine showered him with ravaging blows.

-------------

Xavier:

One... No two.

After issuing his command to Constantine, Xavier looked through the den's window for the shadow of someone trying to slip through the backdoor. As expected, someone did show up. Xavier was just about to head towards him when a headache suddenly struck him. The voice he heard during his internal battle with Le Blanc reverberated again, this time stating a different statement.

O' bearer of the Magus Arcana. Tonight, on the full moon shall thine powers be put to test. Fail it, and death will be your only condelence. Survive and our power shall be yours for the handling.

Shrugging off the pain in his head, Xavier looked at Ruth who had a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'll take care of the one to the back. Should anyone else appear then do not hesitate to finish them off. Also, Nicholas would appreciate it if none of the delicacies in his home were broken or irreversibly tainted. He's quite picky and you know it."

Walking out of the room majestically in his white fur coat that was embroidered in blue and yellow geometerical shapes, Xavier headed to the house's back door the size of which did not depict any of the stereotypes that Xavier had in mind for a back door. It was massive by all means and had at least three bolts locking it.

Breaking through the window is far more worthwhile than trying to break through this enormous structure.

Xavier awaited his accomplice in the dark. He looked through one of the windows in the room to the sky hoping to see the moon, his hopes however were met with naught.

"Are the moon Goddesses opposing me tonight?"

[Fect]

Jacques slowly appeared, the black cloak and hat hiding his face and the rest of his clothing. A level 1 Akuma appeared to his right, but he dispatched it very similar to the way he destroyed the one on the bridge.

Xavier's face was also seen because of the explosion as he watched out the window. All he saw though was a black figure with a Guy Fawkes mask. He bowed, letting his innocence-changed green hair be seen. Xavier seemed all the more interested.

Inside, a long metal bar held the door closed. Jacques approached it and levitated it, throwing it backwards, smashing into a marble column and cracking it. The black bishop on the chess board toppled over, falling off of the table. Xavier pushed open the doors, "You know, Nicholas won't be kind towards me after that little mess you caused."

Jacques pulled off his mask and cloak, revealing fully his exorcist uniform and face.

"Nor will God. Nous Commencent notre peu d'allumette d'échecs?"

[Jasper]

Xavier:

"Échecs?"

Xavier laughed loudly at the exorcist's remark. His coat fell off his shoulders as Xavier's head swung backwards from the joke of a statement that the exorcist directed at him.

Failure he says, hahaha!

"Je ne connais pas toi Jacques, mais je ne suis aucun échec."

Finding it comfortable to talk in his mother tongue, the Noah continued his ramble.

"Vous-avez jamais goûté l'échec cependant ? Ou c'est juste une expression que vous employez pour se faire magnifique sain? L'une ou l'autre manière, nous sommes clairement à différentes pages ici. Je te montrerai la signification de l'échec ici."

Concluding his speech, Xavier points with his index finger at Jacques while closing his left eye. He shoots his hand back in recoil like how it would have had he held a gun in it, and called for the spell's name.

Keep the Flag Flying - Xavier's Theme (http://www.esnips.com/doc/a8a35f59-b691-4121-94c9-92d0af57f8de/Guilty-Gear-XX-Accent-Core---Keep-The-Flag-Flying-(Ky-Vs-Order-Sol))

"Pâlir la fusée!"

Blackened the surroundings have become as if preparing for the scorching bolt that shot out of Xavier's finger and towards Jacques, lighting all that is in its way in a reddish hue. The bolt itself though was not composed of the same constituents that a lightning bolt would normally be composed of. It was magic that eluded even Xavier, its conjurer.

"Vous savez ce que il est de désespérer maintenant?"

Questioned Xavier as the ash from the spell's impact with Jacques receded.

((2-3 posts each Fect. Statless fight :). This is my first, so tell me if you want me to end it in the next post or the one after that.))

Constantine and Raphael:

SWISH!

Came the sound of Constantine's whipping punch that knocked Raphael's already bleeding face to the ground. Eyes swollen, nose and mouth bleeding, Raphael found himself on the losing end of things. Barely concious, Raphael remained idle thinking of a solution for the predicament that he put himself in.

Not yet...

Constantine's blows came swift, returning whatever remained of Raphael's conciousness back to feel the pain his blows incurred. Blood spewed out of Raphael the moment Constantine's knuckle came in contact with his face, dirtying his precious white leather glove.

"Look at what you've made me do now. I HATE dirtying my gloves."

Spitting out some of his own blood, Raphael smiled at the Noah sarcastically as he began regaining some control over his limbs. The effect of the Noah's manifestation was wearing off, good news after what seemed to be an endless night of jaw-breaking and skull cracking blows.

Constantine's flurry of attacks continued, a left hook followed by a right one and a straight punch after that all connected to Raphael's face who was occupied with freeing himself from the Noah's clutches.

In the minute that followed, when Constantine was about to hook Raphael again, a tight grip came and stopped the Noah's crumpled up fist, Raphael's right hand was free. Astonished at the exorcist's tenacity, Constantine paused his myriad of attacks giving Raphael the perfect opportunity to counter.

"It's been TOO BLOODY LONG!" The Exorcist remarked, his left hand punching the Noah away from where he stood.

"Not only have you completely healed, but you've dealt me a significant amount of damage. I honestly have no idea how is it that I remain standing in front of you like this, but that does not matter. Today, the Vatican shall record in its sacred books the defeat of a Noah. Constantine, the Noah of Avarice!"

Saying that, Raphael summoned his irregular blade to his hand and stuck it to the ground in front of him. The blade shone in a brilliant white light that engulfed the dim room as Raphael called out for his ultimate technique.

"GOSPEL!"

((Constantine and Raphael should be done next post :).))

[Tyekanik]

So that prick got tired of the games for a bit.

Ascending into the structure above, would be logical to assume he is still there. There seems to be a great gathering around these parts as well, many things could occupy his time.

I'm sorry, I wasn't really interested.

Rather than being a smarmy bastard, practice acquiring the heat through the atmosphere some more. It will be necessary if you truly intend to use my weapons. Which by the by, is still not recommended until you can properly summon the bearing techniques.

At this point I don't care. I need something stronger than what I have. We aren't going over this again AND WHO THE HELL IS A SMARMY BASTARD!

Enough. Choose a location, and withdraw all heat from it.

This still sounds like freezing things to me.

Know you nothing of heat transference? Cold never moves, it is ALWAYS heat. He who controls heat controls all temperature. Freezing is merely the absence of the heat. Stop thinking of it like that, you are limiting yourself mentally, which with the limitations you already have will be fatal at this juncture.

Can I trade you in?

Focusing all of his hampered mental facilities, Hei chooses a location, and attempts to draw the heat from that space into his own body. The second step was directing the absorbed heat, but first Hei needed to clear step one, which he had been unable to do.

In his current state it was most difficult to keep a single train of thought in line.

At the location of his choosing, heat waves became discernible as the local heat was forcibly withdraw and pulled inside Hei. Soon thereafter, the chain link he had chosen was void of heat, and brittle.

"All right!" A quiet cry of victory from Hei, as he rattles the chain as a test. With a *chink* the chain develops a crack through one side of it.

You utter incompetent moron. WHY did you choose a spot Nicholas would notice...

With his victory trodden by his own innocence, Hei begins to practice elsewhere, a stone here, a section of air there, doing all he can before Nicholas arrives again.

You didn't say where...you know...

[Fect]

((End it when you want Z))

Music - 21 (http://www.esnips.com/doc/10a07651-1b4c-4842-b8c7-66ffb6139200/21)

Jacques eye saw the bolt for what it was. A dark core, which would burn the soul, surrounded by fire to burn the body. 'Defend the soul.'

The orb on the back of his hand glowed a deep, dark red, much different from the outside of the attack. He put his hand in the way, charring it. The dark energy residing dispersed behind him.

He flew backwards, the fire destroying the sleeve of the Exorcist uniform he wore, and charring the flesh but only a little. He was thrown back because the fire had lost its core, but he landed on his feet. 'You did that?'

"Can't have you dying yet."

"L'échec est pour ceux qui laissent d'autres choisir leurs limites," Jacques taunted. "Avez-vous entendu le cri de la terre, Xavier? Il pleure en raison des anomalies que nous causons. Pourquoi est-ce que nous, comme mages, choisissons-nous de détruire le monde au lieu de le protégeons? Pourquoi pas séjour vrai à ce que nous avons été à l'origine censés pour faire; protégez la terre et ses personnes. Étendez la perte aux structures, mais protégez le peuple. Nous sommes les révolutionnaires, mais seulement quand nous voulons être."

Satisfied with what he was trying to tell Xavier, Jacques said further, "Le soleil se lève et le soleil se couche; dos qu'il retourne à son endroit et monte là encore. Le vent souffle des sud, le vent souffle du nord, rond et rond il disparaît et renvoie le plein cercle."

He stuck his hand into the ground, which acted like water, his pointer and middle finger fully extended and sinking. The Earth rippled.

"Pays Ruiné Se réveillant, Catharsis," Jacques finished, withdrawing his hand. A small white circle shone on the ground. Then, it expanded, the circle easily encompassing the battle the two were having. It gave a warm, soft white glow; the earth was a home, a peaceful place in this realm.

Jacques then created Lamia in his right hand, and declared: "Le Feu Du Ciel."

A bolt, streaming white and red, flew towards Xavier.

"Pourquoi ne pourrions-nous pas être des amis?"

((Z, you keep it going, and to everyone else, you can include the effect of Catharsis or not. It's going away after this battle... so have fun with it if you want. And sorry if the speech was a bit bad. I need to work on my French.))

[Wacer]

Dimitri paced up and down the train car, he was like a live wire for some reason. He had the jitters and he just could not sit down and rest much to his annoyance. That is why he was currently pacing from one car to another, getting the odd look from the passengers every now and then. He was hoping all this pacing would give him some peace of mind but it was not helping in the slightest.

"Are we there yet" Dimitri huffed starting a few nearby people.

"The answer is the same as five minutes little master, we still have a ways to go tell we reach Venice" The finder that replied in a calm voice

"Hn" was all Dimitri snorted as he continued his pacing

After a few minutes later one of the train attendees came up to Dimitri, he must of gotten the sort end of the stick when it came to addressing the the now temperamental Exorcist

"Sir" the timid worker called out.

"What" Dimitri snapped making the guy cringe a little

"Some of the other guest are complying about all the notice you are making, something about the clank of metal as you pass there room's" he said

Dimitri looked down at his hands and indeed the chains that where attached to each finger where making quiet a ruckus as he stomped down the halls. He glared at the worker for a second but then turned around and stormed off to his room. The finder gave the worker a quick bow and hurried off to catch up with the fuming Exorcist

[HolyMoon]

Athena...

The girl was running through the hall which was full of elegant looking vase or paint. But her way wasn't as clear as she expected; some level ones were wandering around the place but they couldn't see her since her Chameleon was still activated.

She leapt through the level ones while swinging her ribbon around, slashing them quietly as she proceed to the depth of the mansion; searching for an exorcist who they were supposed to take back.

---------------------------
Crescent...

The boy manage to get into the house from the back door. He felt some of the exorcists had started their battle with some Noahs.

Extending his Sixth Sense, he tried to locate Hei.

((someone can fight Crescent. :) ))

[Lethe]

Although the trip to Piazza San Marco was far shorter than the one to the Asia headquarters, riding on Shinju’s shield all the way to their destination still left Serenade rather sore in the legs.

Standing up to stretch his limbs and while Shinju was busying herself with her shield-shaped charm, Serenade surveyed their surroundings.

The Carnival of Venice, huh… He looked down at his midnight black cashmere coat and back at Shinju’s snowy white kimono.

“We stick out like sore thumbs here,” his companion voiced the concern that showed on his face.

Shinju grinned and crossed her arms.
Staring off into the distance, her Innocence began glowing beneath the black choker.

“Mmm… Since the Black Order had already dispatched a few other Exorcists before us, the two informants should have already met up and left with them.
However, where there’s a target, there’s bound to be a trail.”

“But with this many people around—“

“—it will be more difficult to pinpoint the trails – a simple challenge to a tracker.”

Serenade sighed. “You know that’s not what I meant, Shinju.”

Beneath the gentle veil, he knew of the history behind the deep aversion that she had towards the cities and their human populations.

Unfortunately, Venice was no exception.

“Will you be able to control yourself?” he gently inquired.

A few different emotions played across her sapphire blue eyes.
Shinju frowned and looked to the clouds.

“That depends.”

Slightly surprised, Serenade raised an eyebrow. “On what?”

“On how well they can control themselves.”

She motioned towards a ladder that led to the rooftops.

“You coming?”

[Wacer]

The festival was in full swing as Dimitri made his way though the streets Piazza San Marco. The festivities where all around him as people of all ages danced and enjoyed them selfs to there fullest. It was quiet a sight to see but he was there for a reason and one reason only, get commander Hei back.

"So how are we supposed to find this place he is being held at" Dimitri questioned the finder that was following at his heals.

"Well I think someone here is supposed to help us get there"

"I know that but who are these people and how am i going to find them" Dimitri huffed as he continued to weave his way though the crowd. The finder gave no response as he was unsure of how they where supposed to proceed as well.

Dimitri snorted in annoyances at the lack of info, he knew it was not the finders fault but his temperament had not much improved since the train, in other words he was still sour. Dimitri was about to snap at the finder again when two masked figures materialized from the crowd and steeped on ether side of the duo.

"You are being followed, lose your tail and then we will help you" one of the masked figures whispered in Dimitri's ear. Dimitri just "Hned" and the mast figures melted back into the crowd.

"It appears our little birds dont like the group of akuma that been tailing us" Dimitri said to his finder without looking at him

"We where being followed" the finder asked in surprise

"Ya, I noticed a little while back but they did not seem like much of a threat so I ignored them" Dimitri explained to the finder. As Dimitri said that they turned a corner into an empty ally.

The group akuma that had been tailing the Exorcist thought this would be there chance to catch the the duo unaware and rushed after them. As the akuma rounded the corner to the empty ally that Dimitri had just entered they burst forth from there human skins but the only thing that greeted them was dead end in front of them.

The click of chains above them alerted the akuma to a presence but it was far to late for them. As they looked up as the electrified chains pierced them and the exposition washed over the abandoned ally

"Stupid akuma" Dimitri scoffed as his feet touched the ground

Dimitri heard footsteps behind him and thinking he had missed one jerked his chains to attack. He stopped them just in time though as they hovered not cm away from the two masked figures that had helped him earlier.

"wow aren't we the testy one" said the one that had a white mask on

"Hn" was all Dimitri said as his chains wraped once more around his arms and disappeared back under his uniform one more. The two pulled off there masks revealing a boy and a girl

"Well you must be here to go after Nicholas as well, i am Kawachi" the boy said

"And i am Mika" the girl said

"Nicholas you say, so that twisted noah is leader of this, figures" Dimitri thought

"So you know how to get to where the place is" Dimitri asked

"Ya we already helped a couple of others that have came before you, they should already be there" Mika said

"You will be going by gondala, with everyone out at the festival it is the easiest way to get Nicholas mansion" Kawachi said. The grouped weaved throughout the town and came and in no time they where at the gondala

"He knows where to take you, It should not take you that long to get there"The two told them as Dimitri and the finder got on

"I must give you thanks, i might not of been able to get there without your help" Dimitri said to the pair as he gave them a very warm smile

"No problem, glad we could help" and with that the two ran back into the city streets

With that the gondolier pushed off and they floated noiselessly down the rivers of venice.

[Nightvision]

Mizaki:

Mizaki stepped off the train when it had reached its destination. He then looked down towards his paper and read what first objective was.

After reading the objective he made his way to the first empty gondola.

"Piazza San Marco."

He then sat there patiently as the gondola started on it's next destination.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Along while later.

Mizaki got off the gondola and paid the man the cost.

"Mika and Kawachi, two exorcists."

Mizaki tried his best to look around for anyone that wore about the samething as his Black Order uniform was.

Underneath the big white scarf that was coving his face, his Golem started moving as if it was waiting for any near connections. While it was searching for any sort of communication with other exorcists, Mizaki started making his way towards the town square.

((tell me if there something wrong with my post. I am a bit confuzzled n lost.))

[Jasper]

Xavier:

((Right, I'll ask you to post at least once more after this :).))

Xavier witnessed the Earth changing beneath his feet to a much more liquid-like form. Engulfed by its warmth, Xavier heard the whispers of the Earth in his ears for the first time ever since his powers have been bestowed on him. Her voice was calm, soothing and serene. Xavier could not help but close his eyes and raise his hands up as he sunk his knees into the rippling Earth.

"Il est ce salut?"

He said just as the white bolt shot from Jacques pierced through his shoulder blade. He felt the recoil of the attack, saw the blood pouring profusely out of his body, but felt no pain. Whatever doubts he possessed about the authenticity of his surroundings were gone. This place is really his salvation.

"Amis, que vous dites ?" He spoke, after staggering back on his two feet while holding his left shoulder with his hand. His hair drooped down on his eyes obstructing his vision. He held his hand up high and called upon the spirits of the air to unleash their wrath on Jacques. He was met with silence however. Pin drop silence.

"Ah... Je vois..."

So long as he is held captive in this realm, no magic attributing element would heed his call. A mage without magic, the irony. Luckily however, his blood and lineage did not abandon him. His wound, albeit slowly, began to close bringing back his sense of the pain he should've incurred.

"Ce n'est pas la première fois que j'ai été trahi par ce que c'est que je me tiens le plus étroitement sur moi. L'air a tourné le dos à moi quand son ancien propriétaire est venu pour le rechercher, et maintenant à ceci. De façon ou d'autre, je ne suis pas étonné."

Xavier smiled, his eyes now locking with those of Jacques who stood not too far away from where he was with an orb floating around him.

"Un ami est quelqu'un que vous confieriez à votre vie à. Honnêtement, je suis heureux il étais toi Jacques. L'a eu été Rave, j'aurait eu des sentiments mitigés à ce sujet. Vous d'une part… Juste disons que j'apprécie votre venir ce soir. Cependant..."

Lowering his hand from his injured shoulder and positioning it over his heart, Xavier's manifestation grew. With an uproar of his soul, the French man unleashes his most dreadful spell, using his own soul as a catalyst.

"Il y a la présente partie égoïste de moi qui veut vivre..."

Where his words amidst the explosive environment he created around him. A beast, red in the eyes, and ethereal in presence with a slight resemblance to that of a wolf grew out of Xavier's body and lunged at Jacques attacking him not physically, nor mentally, but spiritually. The wolf disappeared after going out of Jacques's back and into the moonlight of the gardens outside.

"Au moins mon âme n'a pas été maudite par les déesses de lune..."

Xavier fell to the floor, his mind, body and soul exhausted from the battle he had with the French speaking exorcist who possessed a power similar to his own. Struggling, Xavier looked for the exorcist as his spell dissipated returning them back to Nicholas's mansion.

"Hei est dans l'aqueduc sous cette maison. C'est le bout que je vous ferai pour la faveur vous êtes sur le point pour me faire maintenant. Le rends rapide, mon ami."

((Jacques is not KO'ed or anything of that sort. I'll leave how he took the damage up to you to describe Fect. Also, you're free to choose to leave Xavier die from his wounds or finish him off with your sword. Personally, I'd prefer the latter :).))

[kensei]

The red mass above the mansion fluttered about, with certain spots beating their wings much violently than the others. Ruth giggled as she jumped down from the veranda, forming her sword Sacrilege, walking towards one of these spots.

The blind bloodsuckers they are, the Ravenous' wings would beat furiously when spotting its prey. Most obvious was the front, while another was in the back door, where Ruth headed.

Not bad for puny ants...but as long as you're under this cloud...

With a quick sweep of her hand, the Ravenous above their targets began to swoop down in a spiral, overwhelming their targets with their mass numbers. They targeted their faces and their limbs- the more blood lost in their hands and feet, the weaker those exorcists would be.

As soon as Ruth opened the door in the back she charged towards the boy exorcist's ankles, using Sacrilege to slash his left foot and right hand- all while the boy was distracted by the swirling swarm of the Ravenous.

Ruth wasn't going to take any prisoners. Of course she must respect the house-owner's wishes and rid the place of unwanted guests.

[Fect]

Jacques walked forward, coughing up blood from the last attack Xavier made. He walked forward with a sword.

"Attaquant toujours l'âme, je vois. Bien, je suis heureux il est moi, et pas eux. Le sang est la devise de l'âme, et vous avez dépensé le vôtre et le mien. Il est temps pour ceci de finir..."

Xavier lay on the floor. Jacques stabbed him through the heart. He let go of the sword, and knelt down next to Xavier; he felt kinship with a fellow mage - and yet, he felt alone again. "Seulement si nous pourrions avoir joué un jeu au lieu de jouer la mort..."

He closed Xavier's eyes. "Je me dépêcherai à lui comme je souhaite, mais pour maintenant vous soyez dans ma charge. Si vous pouvez, me parler."

He waited closely as Xavier's heart stopped beating.

((You can say something or you can just have me go inside.))

[HolyMoon]

((err... I'm not sure.. but Ruth is fighting Crescent right? If not, I'll edit my post. :) ))

Crescent.....

Crescent quickly pulled his concentration as he felt a Noah was coming after him. He activated his level 2 Innocence and released his Blood Cage right when the Ravenous were about to hit his face; trapping most of them inside the barrier and destroying them.

Then the slashes came from the Noah; he tried to avoid them by teleporting to the side, but eventually, he still got a cut on his right hand.

‘It’s strange.. I didn’t feel any pain..,’ thought the boy when he felt no pain from the wound, but he ignored it and started to counter attack.

He stepped to the wall behind him while collecting a little mount of air on his foot and dashed towards the Noah in a great speed; one of his guns had become a mid-length katana, while the other remained a gun. Both slashing and firing the woman’s heart and stomach as he passed, he leapt backwards and turned to face the Noah again.

Athena...

The girl had taken off her Chameleon ability and fought the level ones that got in her way. Jumping from one place to another, she swept her fan around as a rain of solid color in the shape of a crescent fell on them.

Then came the bullets made of water, shot towards her. She kicked one in front of her and landed gracefully while the end of her long white kimono flapping on her sides.

Not stopping there, Athena dashed toward the one who released the water and slashed it using her little fan; it was a level 2 akuma in the shape of a green kappa.

She didn't even flinch as she starred at it since she was used to water animals. Changing her fan into a long thin white sword, she charged to the kappa and managed to make a cut on its head. But what happened next was unpredictable; the floor beneath her gave away as it changed into a deep wide pool.

Athena fell into the water and dived deep into it, while the akuma hanging in the air.

"Gyahahaha... the little rat drowned!! My master would be very proud of me!!!" shrieked the level 2 in excitement.

But it stopped laughing as the water surface below him began bubbling. Before it could reacted, the level two's head had rolled off and fell into the water and turned to ashes. It was Athena who had changed into a mermaid and leapt to the level 2's back and slashed its head from there.

Landing to the ground once again, her Transformation began to ware off and she began to walk on, still searching for Hei whose whereabouts was still unknown.

"Disgusting... that kappa thing...," muttered the girl as she used her Transformation ability to change her wet clothes into a well-made maid uniform.

[Wacer]

The mansion came into view slowly as the gondola that Dimitri was in floated closer and closer to the destination. The distant sounds of battle that reached his ears told him that the battle must already be under way.

"Cant this thing go any faster" Dimitri urged the guy who was steering the boat. The silent guy did not answer though and just calmly keep on steering towards the intended destination.

"I am sure he is going as fast he can" the finder that was next to him assured

"Well i am just trying to give the guy a little inspiration to speed up" He said while glaring at the gondolier but to no effect. The gondola touched ground a little away from the mansion and the ever impatient Dimitri was off in flash,The poor finder hot on his heals.

"Dont you think it better if we have some sort of plan before we go barging in there" The finder suggested

"No time, for all we know commander hei could be dieing as we speak" Dimitri huffed as he neared the mansion

Summoning up his powers, Dimitri's energy crackled and he formed the thunder titian with him standing on it head

"While i take on the noah that are there you see if you can find commander hei" Dimitri yelled to the finder and took off to join the battle. He could already see the red cloud that was hanging over the mansion.

"Time to have some fun" Dimitri though to himself. His giant giving a howl as it broke though the outer wall surrounding the complex, Dimitri posed at the ready on his head.

[Jasper]

Xavier:

Lost Heart (http://www.esnips.com/doc/e6aa4ddc-b31a-42e4-b666-7a56d6464909/12.-Lost-Heart)

"J'attendrai avec un échiquier dans après monde toi, évêque blanc."

Were Xavier's last words to Jacques. His eyes caught a glimpse of the shining blade to pierce through his chest before closing off on their own due to his excessive loss of blood. The sword plunged deep into his body, puncturing his his heart muscles and allowing for the blood trapped in his right atrium to run loose out of his body. His death was instant, painless and most importantly it was dealt by someone who Xavier considered worthy. Entrusting his life to Jacques, was what made Xavier's day... No, his life.

In a transition between life and death, just as Xavier's blood poured out of his body, in that second of life that was followed by inescapable death Xavier's memories rushed back to him. The Earl, Tyki, Road, Skin, the Jasdevi twins, Cassandra, Nicholas, Constantine, Ruth, Dies, Christopher, Styx, Cain Nightroad, Allen Walker, Rave, Hiro, Jacques, Hei, the curious red-haired exorcist, and finally Le Blanc Dupont, who stood there in front of him in a frilly rose shirt with a glass of red wine in his hand that he tossed over to Xavier. The man smiled and welcomed him towards a big red door with golden handles and borders. With a slight push, the door opened exposing a vast ballroom full of males and females whose foreheads were all marked by the Noah's crosses. A girl, barely 6 or 7 of age came up to Xavier holding a flower in her hand, she gave it to him who accepted it smiling.

"Welcome home, brother." She said energetically. The whole room raised their glasses at Xavier, accepting him into their sanctuary.

"Il semble comme... Je suis finalement à la maison" he said in French. This is "home" or so it seemed to the Noah. Once seekers of light, puppeteered into the dark against their will.

((Thanks Fect. I don't suppose you can proceed per se given that the Nicholas vs Hei fight is one only they can settle, same applies to the Raphael/Constantine one. Umm... Take a tour? xD))

[Kabane]

((Rawr, tye, use this time to escape))

Athena was getting far too close to the entrance to the aquaduct.

Nicholas washed his hands in a small isolated pool away from the main stream of the aqueduct. Blood spatters and mud drippings were all over his clothing. It was then when he felt a foreign presence in the water. It was not one of the akuma he had placed to protect the entrance, but an exorcist who seemed determined to find Hei.

A problem... this was something Nicholas needed to deal with now. Here, where this exorcist wasn't given the opportunity to enlist the assistance of one armless Hei, well... semi armless, he'll grow it back. Nicholas walked on top the water, making sure not to make splashing noises or ripples in the water.

"Leave." Nicholas commanded, his voice resounding in the darkness.

Nicholas was slightly intrigued by the exorcist' appearance, it was not your normal dress, it was a maid's uniform, one of those french maids with the protruding breasts and the short skirts. Nicholas ignored his intrigue however. This wasn't the time for childish fantasies.

((This is vs Athena...I think Athena is near? I'm not sure. :x))

[Fect]

Jacques rose slowly. Then, the white cloak over the earth began to pull together, overwatching Xavier. A woman stood there, dressed in the cloak, which was gold and pale silver.

"Magi, you have broken the contract. You have spilled blood on this earth. A purge of the earth, but then it is soiled. As a cost, I revoke your contract and the abilities you required to gain it."

Jacques knelt again, saying, "Fine."

She laid her hand on his head, placing a seal.

She withdrew and vanished. 'That's the price paid, eh?'

He wrapped up the dead Xavier in the black cloak and brought his body inside; there, it laid, inside the door, sitting on a couch. Moving to his left, he saw a large room with a chandelier. Down on the table, he saw a set chess board, except for a black bishop. He looked under the table, grasped it, and set it to the side. He moved the white pawn forward. "J'attends notre jeu."

He turned around to a set of winding stairs. He walked down the tight corridor, then muttered, "Mais Quelque chose Doit Être faite."

[Tyekanik]

The benefit of having one arm removed and reformed was it was no longer in a shackle. A minor bonus however as the shackles were not a real problem, Hei was ready to remove himself from the immediate vicinity. Things seemed to be picking up, Hei could detect several new sources of heat, as well as Nicholas moving off to find one of them.

Resorting back to the broken link, Hei withdraws the heat from within it, causing the temperature to all but disappear. A quick snatch on the chain and the link broke all the way through.

Dropping to the floor, Hei's balance is a little off from the previous ordeal, and has to place a hand on the wall to steady himself.

Someone else is drawing near, an Exorcist.

Well, good timing I suppose, I'd like to find Nicholas alone if possible.

Still with that foolishness, you can not handle my weapons properly, yet you insist on settling some score.

Thats the thing about humans, we are very irrational beings.

Unfortunately you are more so than the previous incarnations.

You chose me, deal with it, prick.

Exiting the aqueducts secluded room, Hei notices movement. A bit too late to try and hide, he only prepares himself for battle should it come to that. There was no need, it was Jacques.

"Eh, Jacques? Didn't know you were here. Thanks for showing up though!" Grinning widely, Hei approaches the other exorcist.

[Jasper]

Constantine and Raphael:

"GOSPEL!"

Hiding his face from the light the exorcist's innocence shone at him, Constantine gathered power from the light waves emitted in an attempt to throw it all on his opposition. The moment the innocence's light faded, Constantine thrust his energy filled palm into Raphael's chest arching the exorcist's body from the attack's power. Something felt different about the attack though. His palm connected with the exorcist's body a 110%, the reaction he felt upon the impact was present, yet it looked like Raphael was unscathed. If anything, the exorcist's wounds were healing.

"How'd you like it Noah?" Said Raphael in a conceited tone while raising an eyebrow at the crouching Noah. He sent his sword slashing against the Noah's chest in the opposite direction that his first slash ran, creating an "X" across Constantine's chest. Taking a few steps back in recoil while covering his wound, the Noah remarked:

"Impossible. You HEALED?"

"I'd explain..." Replied Raphael, "But it's going to take quite a long time to explain it to a numbskull like you. Besides, I shouldn't be giving away my innocence's power description to just any random stranger, don't you agree?"

Wounded and bleeding much faster than what his regeneration can catch up to, Constantine was now on the losing side of the battle equation. Luckily for him however, he hasn't played his trump card unlike the exorcist who so foolishly revealed his.

I'll overwhelm him with Ares... I have no time to waste on small fry like this guy here, besides... I fear for Xavier...

As if reading his mind, Raphael swung his unusually cut blade behind his back, as if charging for a powerful attack to end his battle with. He spoke to the Noah whose closed eyes and focused look on his face gave him the impression that he was preparing for something big as well.

"Let's end this with a coup de grâce now, shall we?"

Constantine nodded in agreement. For the first time, he and the exorcist were on the same page. A couple of seconds later as the malice-filled energy took the form of a yellow orb in his hands, Constantine opened his eyes looking at the exorcist whose blade shone in a frightening crimson hue.

"Shall we?"

Using that as their attack cue, both figures jumped at each other throwing their best blows at their opponent. An explosion that took out the entrance with its antiquities and decorations resulted from the immense clash of both parties.

Dust, sand and rubble seclude the area Raphael and Constantine fought in, only one's silhouette remains standing, and that one had a sword in his hand.

"Looks like I won... Noah."

-----------------

???

A shadowy figure approaches the mansion. He sneaks up the broken back door only to find traces of blood covering the expensive marble.

"Xavier..."

[Fect]

Jacques was taken by the sudden noise. He looked straight at Hei. Smiling, he walked forward. As he drew closer, he saw the blue energy fill the room. Once he was standing next to him, he clenched his fist, then hit Hei square in the nose like he had done earlier. "Remember?"

"Remember what?! What was that?!"

"Good to have you back," Jacques looked down, offering his hand to pick up Hei, who was sitting the in Aqueduct. Jacques then put a small amount of pure white energy into Hei; which would normally be undetectable. He looked down to see Hei's arm, which was slowly healing. The muscle and bone were completely exposed, but they slowly were growing back, the skin coming over them from his elbow.

Next, he began to lay a trap at the stairs. First, he collapsed the aqueduct's ceiling, putting ice between all the cracks. It then went into the ceiling, holding a large portion of it together, which would fall if the rock were removed. Even if the enemy found it, they'd have plenty of time to get away.

"We should leave," Jacques told him as they went up the flight of stairs.

[Wacer]

A veal of silence now settled over the mansion as Dimitri came up to it, it was like the quiet after the storm you could say. Kicking down the side door that was in front of him, he proceed inside with care. Inside was he found all the things you would expect from someone with this type of wealth and even then it was still a little extravagant.

Room after room was decked out lavishness, furs and painting adorned the wall and floors around him. Peaces of art work and suits of armor lined almost every hallway he came into.

"Gezz Nicholas sure does like to throw around his money" Dimitri thought as he checked room for room to see if the commander was being held in it. But it was too luck as every room he came up to was empty

"Just where is this place" Dimitri yelled in frustration as he pushed open the door in front of him and stepped into the main hall of the place. He knew it had to be the main hall from the size of it and the many pathways that lead to the each wing of the house, A breathtaking large and beautiful chandler hung in the center of the hall.

"Great, this is getting me no where" Dimitri fussed as proceed down the steps and stopped in the center of the hall

"Hay of any of you noeh are still here you better get your butts out of hiding" He yelled at the top his lungs and his voice echoed thought the hall of the mason. The straightforward plan was always the best to him and what better way then to have the noah lead him there themselfs. Well they might not be so willing but he would have just have to change that mindset

[Nightvision]

Mizaki walked around the square seeing many different kinds of stuff people were selling. He then suddenly saw something suspicious when he was not very far from the gate of the Mansion. The ground was nearly destroyed.. He went into the front to find an Exorcists and a Noah clash together. After the explosion was gone, there was only one man standing, the Exorcist with the sword.

Mizaki only took a few seconds to realize what just happened. He ran up next to the Noah that fell on the ground. Mizaki was speechless, this Exorcist just took down a Noah.

He then approached in front Raphael. "Are there any other from the Black Order here?"

[HolyMoon]

(( @Prof : Urm, I think so... She just wander around thought... :) btw, Athena is just 10 years-old, she don't has that big boobies... :p hehe.. ))

Athena...

As she enter a room full of water, she saw a Noah was standing there. She immediately activated her Innocence and took defence position; she once again activated her Chameleon, blending her body color with the surroundings and hid her aura.

[Tyekanik]

Heading up the stairs into the interior of the house after Jacques set some form of trap, the two exorcists Jacques and Hei are at last out of the aqueducts. Well at last for Hei, Jacques hadn't been in them for long.

"Nicholas will probably come looking soon, that prick is going to have a rough day before I leave Venice."

"Yes well, there are other Noah about as well." Jacques had a point

Hearing a shout from somewhere in the mansion, the two venture in that direction.

It was Dmitri. Yelling his head off for some Noah, which the other two were trying to currently avoid.

"Ah, hey there Dmitri." Say the two exorcists.

[Wacer]

"Commander hei you are alright" Dmitri exclaimed as he ran over and gave there stoic Commander a friendly hug

"well we wont be if you keep trying to draw the noah out like that" hei explained nonplussed

"Well I though if i could get a noah to come out they would lead me two you, It sounded like a the fastest way to get to you" Dmitri responded with an embarrassed chuckle

"Did you really think you could beat a noah into telling you where hei was, you really have to start thinking a little a little more Dmitri" the ever logical Jacques added

Dmitri was just glad that hei was alright and gave one of classic grins to the two other, his sour mood he having been replaced by the now cheerful one.

"So how should we get out of here, i dont think Nicholas is going to let his prize go so easy after working so hard to get it" Dmitri asked

((I know short post but i did not want to use you guys too much, it is hard when there are three people. I hope it is alright i used them for the conversation))

[Kabane]

((SHE'S 10?! *vomits*

also, this battle wont last very long, maybe one more post. rofl. plotkai and everything))

The exorcist looked startled to see Nicholas. She was only ten, it was a natural reaction.

"You seem a bit young to be fighting in this wa--oh?" Nicholas voice changed from intrigue to surprise.

Athena raised his fists as her image began to fade. Soon not even the ripples from her movement were noticeable. She jumped from the water, which hardly moved at all, to the western wall.

The room in which they were to battle was majestic. Nicholas stood on a deep pool. The water beneath him ran 15 feet lower and slanted up to a shallow 4 feet. In front of the pool was a stone fountain, which depicted two dolphins dancing around each other. Behind Nicholas was a waterfall that seemed to appear from nowhere. The waterfall concealed the entrance to the sunken aqueducts, where all this water flows to. The ceiling was too high to see, the very top concealed by a thick fog and mist created by the waterfall.

Athena clinged to expensive white tile, they were imported from france and carved by the most skilled carpenters.

"Of all the hundred-fifty rooms in this mansion, this is the worst room to try and hide from me. If the mist didn't tell me where you were, I would just flood the room. Please try and not to mess up intricate etching, it was expensive to import."

Athena gasped. Nicholas knew where she was. Concealing her presence was her forte, but due to environmental circumstances, that ability was trounced. She leaped to a mist-less section of the room right at the border of the pool.

"Let's not be foolish now... if you're not in the mist or the pool, that only leaves one place for you to be."

She gasped again. She began to get worried. Her breathing began to get heavy. A sweat drop trickled down her cheek and fell into the pool.

"Now you're sweating..."

Nicholas raised his arm towards Athena's direction, a large pillar of water being fired. She raises a pink shield, protecting her. The pillar of water stops but it leaves her Chameleon ability inactive.

Athena waves an elegant fan in her hand creating what can only be described as a ray of red towards Nicholas. From beneath the water, a suit of armor pops out from the water. Styx reflects the attack back towards the wall, creating a large hole and accompanying explosion.

"....

Styx...

I have this under control."

Styx stands on a patch of ice Nicholas created behind him.

"Where was I. Oh yes..."

Nicholas looks at Athena, who is trembling still holding her shield up. Nicholas, this time, raises both arms and motions towards Athena, the bulk of the pool water being shot towards her. The water breaks through her shield and sends her flying through the wall.

She lays on the ground coughing up water. Slowly, Nicholas walks to her.

"Like I said, too young to be fighting in this War."

He puts his foot on her neck and forms a spear in his hand. She coughs and squirms as she tries to remove Nicholas from her neck.

A bolt of electricity just grazes Nicholas' face.

"Leave her alone." Jacques commanded.

"You're in no position to be demanding anything." Nicholas said, pressing his foot harder on her neck.

"Your battle isn't with her, it's with him" Hei said, coming from the back.

"Hei, I told you not to come out"

"Hei! I felt you leave, but was in the middle of a battle. Jacques, I thank you for bringing him to me."

"Let her go, Nicholas" Hei asked.

"And If I don't?" Nicholas said, his spear slightly lowered.

Hei bit his lip.

"You won't leave here alive, It's three against one." Hei said, motioning to Dmitri and Jacques.

Nicholas assesses the situation.

"I'll make a deal with you." Nicholas said.

"A Deal?" Hei replies.

"Yes... I'll trade you for this girl here." Nicholas said, pressing again.

Jacques whispers in Hei's ear. "We can take him, you don't need to do anything."

"But we can't risk her life." Hei replied.

"We'll do it." Hei said, this time audibly.

"As expected." Nicholas gloated. "Go through the waterfall, keep walking for 1000 feet then stop. I'll know when you stop, then I'll release the girl. You have 1 minute."

Hei eyes Nicholas, his stare continuing as his image becomes obscured by the mist.

"Let her go" Dmitri commanded.

"Not yet... almost almost... there." Nicholas releases his foot.

Athena runs to the other two exorcists when Jacques releases a bolt of lightning. Nicholas dodges the strike and runs into the room. The exorcists run after him only to be greeted by a wall of ice.

----------

"Phew...." Nicholas said. His palm on the wall of ice. He was only five hundred feet away from Hei, meaning that the ice wall was thicker than five hundred feet. Nicholas takes his palm off the frozen water. He begins to close the distance between himself and Hei.

[Tyekanik]

"So, water sprite. You've gone through a lot of trouble for this, and put me through quite a bit of aggravation. I hope you have some pseudo noble speech for it all." Slanting his eyes at Nicholas, Hei forms his lance.

"Oh it isn't..!!" Ducking to the side to avoid Hei's thrown lance, Nicholas creates a few ice-spears in his own response and readies them.

"I should have expected that from you." Mutters Nicholas.

"After all you've done? Probably." Charging forward, Hei leaps and he swipes a newly created lance down towards Nicholas. The Noah controls his own airborne lances almost as well as if he were gripping them, defending the strikes and retaliating with his own.

Pressing forward, the Noah tries to tie up Hei's lance with a concentrated sideways strike and a downward thrust from above. The Exorcist rather than falling back, where there was another lance, noticed the difference in heat so spun his body along the initial ice spear, holding his own lance vertical to keep it from connecting.

Swinging his right arm, Hei creates another lance, however the Noah is not that easy of a target to strike. Nicholas is able to create a shield in time before the lance reaches his throat.

"Tsk tsk Hei, you should know better than to put yourself between weapons like that." The spears began to converge on Hei's location. Dropping the lance he held in his right hand Hei releases five smaller Enrei's from his fingers and thumb, which wrap the aerial spears before incinerating them.

"Eh, new trick I see, I'd wonder when you learned that if I cared." Nicholas was as smarmy as ever.

Stepping back and facing his opponent, Hei levels his lance at the Noah, "Not like it matters either way, we know what we know, and use it when we will. Don't worry though, soon enough I'll have something interesting enough to show you."

Once I can actually do it. These weapons of yours aren't easy.

[HolyMoon]

((yeah. She is 10, that’s why people always look down on her and that’s why she try to be stronger. J btw, that’s a good story you wrote, Prof. X! =D))

Athena...

She still trembling from head to toe as she watched the Noah ran after the exorcist who she figured as Hei.

‘Again.. I was said to be too young or weak..,’ Athena gritted her teeth, she was now trembling because she was angry. She clutched her arm to take control of her body and tried very hard to hold her tears.

She took a deep breath ‘Control yourself, Athena.. or people will say you are too frail again.’

“I’m sorry for being weak.. It’s my fault that that exorcist is trapped there with the Noah..,” said Athena to Jacques who stand in front of the ice wall.

[kensei]

"Tch."

Ruth frowned as for some reason the little insect dodged both her attacks and counter-attacked. More and more spots in the swarm began swirling around and diving towards their targets- the boy in front of her included.

"Quite inappropriate exorcist, a lavish place like this in a lavish country like Italy begs for a swordfight, and those things just aren't very fitting."

Wasting no time, Ruth began to wave her hand as the Ravenous formed a rectangular shape around the male exorcists, as the Ravenous transformed into a large room.

"Have fun in the Hall of Screams.." Ruth spoke in a cold tone. She was bored of the exorcist and proceeded to leave the room.

The exorcist's eyes darted from one wall to another- bearing the same patterns as the wings of the Ravenous. Soon a blood spear began to form from one side and pierced the victim's shoulder as it reached the other wall. Soon more spears began to form, one piercing his knee as the little insect screamed as new spears began forming endlessly.

Ruth began to sit down in the next room, contacting her fellow Noah brothers in the mansion.

Any of you need help at all? My opponent is boring me to death..

Ruth then began to frown, as she couldn't feel Xavier's presence at all.

Xavier?

[Kabane]

((Thanks HM. :3))

Nicholas

Hei stabbed at Nicholas' face. Unable to move his spear fast enough, he moves back. The wall of ice is in the way causing him to side step, the spear piercing the wall of ice. Nicholas pushed his hand forward, the spear attempting to strike Hei's chest.

Hei spins over the spear and stabs at Nicholas' again. Nicholas ducks, the spear striking a wall this time. This close of a range wasn't Nicholas forte. He needed to get to a bigger area.

"Enough of this. We're moving." Nicholas pressed his fists forward again. 50 feet worth of water surged from the wall and carried Nicholas and, though to his protest, Hei down the aqueduct. The water that flowed brought everything that it hit with it and drained into what looked like the center of the Venetian Catacombs. Nicholas and Hei washed onto a platform along with several rocks, the chains Hei was bound by, and a dead akuma.

Surrounding thie platform was a moat, a circle of water that is fed by several ancient aqueducts that fall from the ceiling.

Nicholas moved the face of the akuma.

"I believe that young girl did this..."

"Why did you bring us here?" Hei asked. His spear up in the air.

"More space. I like space. Also, Styx is here."

Immediately, Styx plows throw Hei from behind and stood in front of Nicholas.

"I have no moral qualms about having a 'fair' fight, this is a mission, nothing more." Nicholas said as he raised Styx' helmet. Slowly he placed it on himself.

If Hei were to have any feasible chance he needed to do it before Nicholas and Styx fused. He charged forward, and jumped looking to stab. A golden light encloses Nicholas and his image is completely obscured. Hei thrusts. It clanks against the metal of a body-fit armor.

"kekekeke." A cackling voice said.

[Fect]

He looked down at the young girl exorcist. He patted her and smiled; she looked up and did the same. "I'm going to need you go leave with Dimitri."

Drawing his sword, he cut through the ice. It reformed itself with each gash. He took a deep breath, and the sword gave off a warm soft glow, like the earth had when he fought against Xavier. Swinging it horizontally against the ice, it turned back into water. 'So, he changed the entropy and enthalpy.'

Each slash granted him another 10 meters or so. The original ice wall then closed in on itself at the doorway. Athena looked in. The ice closed in behind him, but he pressed forward.

He managed several hundred meters of wall, and it began to thin. 'Something's wrong. The Dark energy is being pulled out of the walls, it's losing it's core...'

"A great calamity is to be unleashed."

Each slash granted him more and more walking space, as the walls turned to water in front of him, and were recreated behind him.

Finally, he appeared at an empty room. The walls around him flowed with water, which spun around.

Jacques walked over towards the wall, then walked into the spinning water. He lost his ability to sense where he was, but he fell, to hear a cackling Nicholas. He sat down, cross-legged, and took a sip from one of the bottles he had bought earlier.

'What the heck is going on...?'

[Wacer]

((HolyMoon I am taking Athena with me since i cant just leave her there))

"Come on Athena lets try and see if we can reach the city, i sure Jacques has some plan on how he is going to take care of Nicholas, your heath is more important right now" Dimitri said as he went to help the little girl that they had run into. Turning away from the ice wall in front of them the duo began to make there way back out. With every step they took Athena seemed to regain her composer.

"Dont worry about, Nicholas specialty is getting into peoples heads, I think you did quiet well under the circumstances" Dimitri said trying to brighten her mood. With that they reached the main hall of the mansion once again and where going to wait outside for hei and Jacques should they need back up

"They should not be long, both those two are smart, they will get Nicholas somehow" Dimitri said to Athena

"Really now, you think Nicholas would let his toys get away from that easy" said a booming voice that echoed thought the halls. Both Dimitri and Athena where on alert immediately there eyes scanning the room for the new guest

"So jumpy, you little kids arn't afraid that the boogeyman is going to jump out are you" The voice said as the hall echoed with laughter.

A flock of butterflies burst forth from the front door and converged in front of them and they parted reveling a ohh so familiar face

"Athena i want to hide in the hall behind us to get your head level while i keep her busy, When you are up to it we will take her down together" Dimitri whispered to her.He could tell she was did not like the idea but she was in condition to fight as she was.

"What cat got your tongue" Ruth mocked

"No i was just wondering what trash the cat dragged in"Dimitri said as he Athena ran behind

"Aww the little girl does not want to stay"

"Naw i thought it would been in unfair advantage with her here, no need to overwork ourself now" Dimitri grinned as the chains unwrapped them selfs from his and arms and body and slid out of his uniform.

((I dont know if you want a stat fight or not so i will stop it there and let you make the first move))

[kensei]

"Well ain't you the nice one? Lately all you little exorcists seem to want to gang up on us," Ruth smiled as she drew Sacrilege. Without waiting for an answer she drove the butterflies, encircling Dimitri- target his upper body.

The exorcist was trying to shrug them off but met Ruth's Obsidian Tears attack, as the black and red wave dug through his skin.

Ruth appeared behind him, pointing her sword to his right shoulder, as she began to dig its blade towards his skin. The exorcist's eyes widened, knowing this could not be a good thing as he jumped away from Ruth before she could fully slice his arm.

Dropping to one knee, the exorcist panted, clutching his right shoulder. As painless it was, his right hand felt heavy and limb, not performing as he would like to.

[Wacer]

Dimitri's battle theme (http://www.esnips.com/doc/847e6b85-830c-4c32-9ca4-dfa6df7aed97/Guilty-Gear---Simple-Life)

His right hand felt funny but it was something he could live with it.

"They always told me to be nice to the ladys but whether you qualify as one i am not so sure" Dimitri smiled and that was all ruth saw as he disappeared in flash of speed. Hearing the click of chains behind her, she brought Sacrilege down being her but only hit air as Dimitri had already moved. The chains bashed into her left side and the electric shock pulsed though her body.

Ruth was able to recover and land on her feet but the click of chains to her left told her that she had been to slow again and she threw up Sacrilege to defend but the chains just weaved around it and hammered he once again The electric pulse once more strobing though her body. This time her chest seeming to cram as she was thrown to the other side of the room.

When she looked at Dimitri once more he was smiling just like always from across the room as a little blood dripped from his right arm. Ruth was about to make her move but her chest beat once more painfully and with a cough blood came out her mouth.

"I would be careful if i where you, every hit from my chains sends a special pulses right to your heart and the more you get hit the more eraticly your heart will beat, causing quiet a bit of damage i hear" Dimitri said to ruth

In a flash Dimitri had closed the gap and and was back on the offensive, he had the speed to dance around the noah, he just hoped that was enough

[Jasper]

"Yes, I am not the only one if that is what you mean." Replied Raphael, his sword's glow decreasing in magnitude as Gospel's effect wore off.

Raising his eyebrow due to his unfamiliar face that showed up to the battlefield, Raphael questioned the man's identity.

"And you are?... I see."

After having received a sufficing answer from his companion, Raphael looked around the scene for a way deeper into the mansion, the slightest clue would do.

The river!

Yes... There was a river that poured into a lake right outside of Nicholas's mansion. An intricate structure like that one would surely require the delicate architecture of an aqueduct.

"Come along now. We'll try to meet up with the rest. I suspect they've gone far."

Walking through the ruckus that he himself caused with the downed Noah, Raphael and Misaki passed through a series of long corridors decorated with expensive paintings only to find themselves in between two doors later on. One that led to a lower level, and the other into what looks like a room. A long trail of blood pointed to the closed room leading Raphael off track for a second.

"Go ahead of me through that door. You should find an exorcist called Jacques there. Tell him Raphael sent you and that he'll be catching up with you soon."

Misaki nodded, he went through the cellar's doors just like how Raphael asked him to, while he himself opened the dark room's doors wide open. The silhouette of a dark figure, with an eye red like blood and the other green like his own stood on top of a familiar corpse, Xavier's corpse. He did not know what the stranger was up to, but the question that he asked made him doubt that he was the one responsible for Xavier's demise.

"Were you the one who killed him?"

Fearless and indifferent at the man's subtle, yet threatening voice Raphael responded saying that Xavier was not his target.

"I see..."

Though courtesy did not come by as part of Raphael's upbringing, he realized that he was an unwelcomed presence in the room and decided to leave the man with Xavier's corpse, knowing well that it was probably Jacques who did stab him judging from the mortal sword wound that Xavier's heart took.

Raphael walked down the cellar only to find another door leading further down into the aqueduct he suspected. There he found an exhausted Jacques sitting down with a bottle of wine and an exorcist to his side.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were drinking on the job now Jacques." Remarked Raphael at Jacques's helplessness.

"Hei's on the other side of the ice," he pointed northwards "with Nicholas and his pet akuma of course."

"And the little girl?" Raphael asked.

"She went ahead with Dmitri, apparently there were three Noahs aside from Nicholas in this mansion. That Komui needs to work on his debriefing skills."

Raphael would've smiled had the circumstances been brighter, but after seeing that guy in the room with Xavier, he began having his doubts about the success of the mission.

"We're going to have to break this ice, no matter how thick it is so give me a hand here. The more time we spend here doing nothing, the less are our chances of walking out of here alive."

Raphael pulled his blade as Jacques readied his stance. They were about to continue breaking through the ice had it not been for the untimely intervention of a certain someone.

Dark miasma shot out of other end of the duct where they all came from. A man in a blue navy suit that he wrapped around his shoulders and a Japanese hakama came forth weilding a 5 foot katana, the surroundings of which were as dark and sinister as the projectile that was just shot out at them.

Readying himself for battle, Misaki activated his innocence and covered for Raphael and Jacques while they broke the ice. The person opposing them was probably an akuma.

He's not the person I saw up there though....

((Jin is going to fight Misaki. Seeing as how all the other battles were done without stats, I suggest we do the same here Trainer.))

[HolyMoon]

((@animewacer : yeah, it's okay animewacer-san.. :) thanks! ))

Crescent... Inside the Hall of Screams..

As the butterflies began to form a wall around him, the blood spears began appearing. He watched them cautiously, Innocence ready on hand. But before Crescent could react, a spear had pierced through his shoulder.

‘This time I felt pain…,’ thought the boy as he dodge the spear which directed to his knee, but it still brushed again his skin regarding to his reaction speed; it was quite hard to avoid an unpredictable attack.

‘Maybe the attack earlier was a special one.. ‘

Even though he didn’t feel any pain from the wound he got at the outside of the Hall, he knew that his blood still flew out from the wounds, realizing him to end the battle quickly.

“Unicorn Blast,” said the boy as he lifted his gun over his head and released an immense tornado around him; destroying the spears and the butterflies as it proceed.

As soon as the wind abated, Crescent expected to get some attacks from the woman, but to his surprise, no one was seen around him.

He stood there and did an anime sweat-dropped. ‘I really am a weak person, huh…? A Noah even left me behind in the middle of a battle…’ Sighed the boy as he proceeded to the other rooms.

Then he felt the aura of an exorcist, fighting the woman Noah who he fought earlier, and there was another one, smaller…

‘The girl, Athena?’ He thought as his mind flashed to the girl wearing a white long kimono and wearing a fox mask.

As he arrived at the room, he saw many level ones were surrounding her. And Athena’s condition was strange…

Athena…

She bent over to the wall and hugged her knees as she heard the ongoing battle across the wall she was sitting on. Bullied, that was normal for her life back at the orphanage, but what she experienced earlier was something more scary and brutal than any other she got.

Flashback…

“See.. girls are weak.. just do this to them and they would cry like a baby!!” laughed a boy as he throw pebbles to a little girl with long teal hair who running in front of him.

The girl glared at him and changed her ribbon to a long white stick, using it to defend herself.

“What now? Cry, you little monster!!!” shrieked the boy in excitement as he grabbed a hard wood from the ground and charged to her. His other friends began cheering and looked with large eyes; the girl would cry any time now, thought them.

But Athena even didn’t drop any single tear; she looked coolly, if not darkly, towards the boy in front of her. The boy felt taken back for a while, but he kept running to the girl.
Sighing, Athena changed her stick into a long white sword and kept it in a right position in front of her.

The boy and his friends saw it clearly now; Athena had just changed her stick into a sword, it was not a trick or something. Halting his way, the boy changed his direction towards her friends, who ran for their lives.

“Hey!! Wait for me, you moron!! Mother!!!” cried the boy, running away from the girl as fast as he could.

Sighing, Athena changed her sword into a ribbon once again.

‘They wouldn’t dare to come near me anymore..,’ thought the girl as she hugged her book and set off to a peaceful place to read ‘But that means I wouldn’t get any friend now..’

But she tried to ignore the last sentence which came to her mind; she was able to live without her parents, but would she able to live without any friend?

End of flashback…

She got her answer now; she couldn’t live without other people, her world would felt empty if she wasn’t accepted by everybody, like when she still at the orphanage. But here being exorcist, she felt welcomed though she wasn’t sure if what she felt was right or not.

Getting up to peer on the battle, she stopped halfway as she felt the presence of other creatures around her.

“Innocence activate,” said Athena as she picked one of her hair; which glowed white light and formed a long ribbon. She touched the wall and looked up to the ceiling “Chameleon”

The high ceiling lit up as she changed the color of the wall around her, showing a lot of level ones and twos hiding there.

((err… I don’t want to interfere you battle, animewacer-san.. so I’ll run around fighting level ones and twos… J ))

She tried to jump among them, but her legs were failing her; one of them was already swollen and red. Glancing back to her enemies, she saw that a rain of bullets was ready to hit her, but to her surprise, she was left no harm; a shield in the color of blood had appeared before her, and a figure wearing a cat mask was appearing from one place to the other in front of her, taking care of the level ones and twos with his bullets.

Then a winged cat appeared before her, healing her wounded legs until its color turned to shade of pink. The boy himself had finished the last level two by slashing it using his katana. Whipping it from blood, he changed it back to his gun and put them on their holder on his upper hand.

“Are you okay?” asked the boy as he distinguished the shield; Venus returned to his shoulder and disappeared.

“Yeah, thanks for rescuing me..,” replied Athena.

Then there was a silence; for both of the young exorcists weren’t good at talking to other people; both were the silent type and they wouldn’t talk if they didn’t need it.

((sorry… I don’t know how to end this… =,= ))

EDITED
@Kensei_Viz-san : Okay! XD it's edited! gehe..

[Fect]

((I was done with the ice, or so I thought.))

'The wall isn't any thicker than another twenty feet. It's so weak we can get through with one strike.'

He swung his sword like he had before, destroying the ice before him. He took another swig of the wine, then let the empty bottle hit the floor and shatter.

Walking forward, another shot rang out, grazing his cheek. He turned around and threw a small cross into the ground in front of him. He heard the noise, and the bullet stopped mid-way. And the miasma retreated back towards where the man was. Jacques sat down and watched Hei and Nicholas fight, one eye open, the other closed.

[Tyekanik]

Musics (http://www.esnips.com/doc/7147b9a7-0467-41eb-96d3-4a557e58c5bd/06-break-the-sword-of-justice)

"And there you go again, wearing your help." Hei is mildly irritated by the now combined duo, though it was to be expected afterall.

"Kekekekeke" For some reason, Nicholas seems to get a bit more loopy when he dons his armor, there must be something going on Hei was not aware of. Nevertheless, things were not changed by much, still an opponent and still a fight.

Again Hei's lance was deflected by Akuma-armor, though being made of an Akuma the lance was capable of at least leaving a nice gouge. Problem being it was too small a victory to count.

He'd need the new weapons, and soon.

Forming the water-blade, it seemed Nicholas fancied some close combat. Lunging forward, the blade came near enough to Hei to slice through a portion of his coat, which was fairly ruined anyway.

Throwing the blade from his body using the shaft of the lance, the blade comes again. This time Hei uses his latest technique and forcibly removes the heat from inside the blade of water, turning it into a blade of ice. The ice is shattered as it meets the blade of Hei's lance.

This too is a minor victory, Nicholas makes another one.

"I could do this all day Exorcist, kekeke."

"Wouldn't that be amusing." Neither of them could disarm the other, things would definitely be settled by other means. Nevertheless, close combat was intriguing in its own right, as the two repeated a cycle of clashing, disarming and reforming.

Soon Nicholas grew over anxious and shot a large quantity of water towards Hei, though when he was in the midst of sending it, Hei pulls out the heat causing it to form awkward shapes of ice, which he is able to shatter as they draw near.

It half worked actually, some of the ice shards still tore through pieces of Hei's leg, though the damage was greatly reduced from what it would have been.

Hei falls to one knee, Nicholas cackles maniacally again, and creates a rather large pointed block of ice, which would work rather simply and effectively. It would be too large for Hei's lance to shatter, and could crush him before he was able to reform his injury and escape the trajectory.

The impending shard of ice approaches, and Hei pulls his card, as well as discards Ryuujin Senka. "Cthuga, Ithaqua!" In his right hand, a blade of overwhelming heat. In his left, a blade which is absent of all heat. This accomplished a sudden influx of heat from his own innocence and the local environment, transfered to Cthuga from Ithaqua, and discharged from an arc between them, splitting the block of ice and causing it to pass on either side.

Nicholas glares at Hei, and at his new weapons. What he didn't notice yet was the side effect of using them too early.

Hei's own hands were being burned from the contact, not even he was able to withstand the temperatures. These should be able to make it through that armor though, if would be able to approach properly.

((rawr, got out the woods to make a post :p now I have to leave again >.>))

[Kabane]

((lol, you realize that Nicholas still has full control over water even in ice.))

A block of ice here, a crystal whip there, Nicholas' attacks seemed to be becoming less and less original by the second. With those strange blades, Nicholas did not want to get anywhere near Hei. Projectile attacks seems to be the only viable method at the moment.

"How about we try something new?" Nicholas said.

He giggled, the generic "keke" sound he always makes when wearing Styx. Nicholas ceased all attacks for a second. Hei stood defensively, the two swords defensively positioned in front of him. Nicholas extended his arms out, his hands about stomach level. He opened and closed his fists several times, trying to loosen the tension.

"And off we go"

Nicholas snapped his fingers. The bricks that lined the walls of the aqueducts began to shake. One by one, a few of the bricks shot out towards Hei, who was conveniently situated in the middle of the platform. Walk left, dodge right. Hei twisted and contorted to avoid the incoming bricks. Nicholas snapped his fingers again.

This time, Bricks from the ceiling came crashing down. Eventually, Hei had to start striking them with his swords, though the bricks began to break down into smaller pieces, those smaller pieces only moved quicker, albeit less powerful, and it just became harder to deal with them.

[kensei]

((HM: The painlessness ability is only from her sword Sacrilege. In the Hall of Screams, people scream because of the pain, thus the name :)))

"Are you surrounded by that much cross-dressers you fail to notice one's gender?" Ruth smiled, as she retained her poise, swinging her blade downwards splattering blood over the marble floor.

Dimitri darted across the room and began to use his chains to take an offensive approach. Ruth only blocked with her blade easily, but her eyes wide