As soon as the dark figure flew through the window, I pulled out my com-link. "Attack." A simple word caused the heinous amount of anarchy that occurred next. Triumvirate descended upon Diablo's mansion in no time, only ten were needed. I grinned, if they thought they could easily fight their way out of this they were gravely mistaken. With Damian occupied elsewhere, Topo running from enforcement, Gwen just recovering, and the Finder's sudden leave I laughed to myself how easily they would be overwhelmed. I silently scouted out the rest of the area, Damian was probably going after Diablo right now.

My father raised his sword, and grinned, "To kill you, of course."

I yelped, and began to back away. I drew my own sword, then said, "I don't want to kill you, father."

He grinned, "But I do." He swung, and I parried. He was old, not as strong, but he was still the better swordsman. He kicked me, and sent me tumbling down the stairs, and into the basement. He put his foot on my throat, and sword to my neck. "Goodbye." He swung, and dissipated suddenly.

I stood up, looking for him everywhere. Nowhere in sight. I raced out the door, unnerved. Then I noticed a small black figure racing down the slope. Then a few small figures. I zoomed in with my binoculars, then saw the unmistakable Morai patch. I immediately turn on my comns, and yell into Gwen's end, "Morai! Counting dozens. Coming in! Hold your ground, I'm coming right now!" After all, I was still employed by Gwen.

I sighed in frustration, the snarbolax had run through some of the Mora's most elite agents. Figures. The Morai were known for brute strength and swarm tactics. Time to see how well it worked. "I don't care who or what it takes, I want The Snarbolax's head on my desk!" I hissed angrily onto the com-link. The rest of the forces in the area converged on the mansion, and judging by the masses now coming down the slope, I'd say it was a good 4 dozen. But just as I was prepared to join the fray, I noticed fleeing figures, Gwen....with one of those blasted Owlites. "Not while I'm breathing..." I thought manically. Gwen had been a royal pain in my side for a while, payback time. Ensuring I got a running start, I flew higher then the two figures, then dropped. I landed with devastating force onto the back of the owilite. 5 shots from the destroyer later, he was falling straight to the ground looking much greener then usual. I then turned to Gwen. "Going somewhere?" I asked my voice a mix of malice, hate, and glee.

*Seatus mentioned Kirito in the last post*

*GWEN PAY ATTENTION! XD*

I just broke into a laugh. "You have no idea how much I DESPISE you." I said, my laugh coming back to being serious. "All of my life, I was overshadowed by you, even my own parents looked at you as a shining role model, leaving me in the dust." "And even before they died, they still looked at you like some embodiment of purity, but YOU were the reason they DIED!" I said going from a cool composure to practically shouting. "You and your "boyfriend" Kirito are the reason that they're dead."

"You think you're SMART?" I said, my voice finally returning to normal. "You're the idiot that actually trusted that maniac." "From all those mysterious deaths of valentines all around Isora, you never figured it was HIM?" "And to think you became queen...." The owlite becoming even more disturbed, pointed a fireball at me. I quickly responded by dispersing the energy from his body. "This, is where I END YOU." I said, shooting the destoryer in my left hand, and drawing my cutter and slashing foward.

(OOC: Axis pieced it together eventually, why many Valentine family members were dropping like flies. Also Kaiju, if you want to me to redact this post in favor of revealing this yourself, I'll do that immediately.)

I let loose a small chuckle. "You DO realize the second he gets through being enamored with you, he's going to kill you just like every single other valentine besides you, Diablo, Xin, and I right?" I said telepathically to her. "I'm not the person you should be fearing right now." Either way, I had pumped the owlite with enough poison to kill 5 valkyries, he'd have to seek out medical attention, and fast. My mind drifted back to the conversation. I had found it hilarious that she had blamed my parents death on me, obvious denial since she knew what REALLY happened. They had been murdered by a mystery assailant one night. I had my own alibi, I was stuck in council business the whole night to which every council member could attest to, except one. The only council member missing that night? Kirito.

I wake up to find even more Morai surrounding me. I feel completely better now. Sorry if I spare you the fun, Kirito. I say telepathically. I stand and expand the bubble, glaring at the ten people before me. Unlike the last group, they didn't open fire. Rather, they withdrew blades. Poisoned, guessing by how this is Axis's squadron. I noticed when I killed the last group, the Destroyers. I run, and find they run too. I slide beneath one's legs at bullet speed, shooting him in the back once I pass. I swing an arc with my arm, expelling thorns into a group member. One is suddenly beside me, and as he shoves his blade toward my shoulder, I jump onto it, shoving my sharply clawed foot into his face.

As his body falls to the ground, two blades swing down at me. I grab each of them and pull, launching myself past them and shoving each of my clawed feet into their faces. I look at the six suddenly surrounding me. I withdraw dual thorns, and start on the defensive as they swing their blades at me. I duck, and cause two to stab each other in the chest. I look at the last four. I feel my human form returning, and I smile as my tinged-hair transforms into turquoise. Water explodes from the plumbing, latching on to each of their throats and choking them as it flings them into the walls, dropping their limp bodies. I turn to the next ten. I screwed up on my math. There should be-now that there's ten more dead-I'd say eighteen left. Yes, that must be it, since I felt four dozen entities enter the premises after the first ten.

I expand the bubble to let the ten in. I change back into my Snarbolock form, jump behind one, and shove my tail through him. I feel a couple bullets graze me, but I am much better than I was before. I grab the dead one's weapon, shooting two in the head and hurling the gun at a third's, knocking him out before I launch a thorn into the heart. I grab a fourth's head and slam it to the ground. By now the five left are shooting the hell outta me, but I smile. "Those can't harm me now." I say, as five thorns along my right arm turn green on the ends. I shoot two, leaving three, and they've stopped shooting. I'm not wounded except from bullet grazes. I shove my hands down twos' throats, and my tail raises above my head, pointing at the third. The thorns expel, and the bodies drop.

I've save my last attack for the last eight. As I let them enter, I crouch into a ball, red glowing from my fur. I feel the energy, the hope from this group that they think I've given up, that they can kill me. I feel their footfalls as they stomp forward, malicious thoughts running through their mind. They enjoy this.

I do too.

Thorns burst from my coat, skewering the eight of them at once.

I feel myself wake up, as if from a dream. A hallway of massacre lays behind me. They aren't dead yet though. Not really. Because I sense their souls, frozen in time, dreaming as if they were asleep. No one is dead here. Just temporarily disabled. And pretty soon, that disability will not exist, and they will either die, be captured, or ran from once my mission is over. I run back down the hall, towards Kirito. "So, anything we might need to be doing right now? Oh yes! I almost forgot! Saving Astraea..."

Kirito

We sat in silence inside of the mansion when suddenly, Gwen tapped the com in her ear and Top's voice alerted, "Morai are coming in by the dozens! I'm coming over, stay put!"

I sighed. "Awfully strange that he'd run away from us and then run back," I comment.

Gwen rushed to the window to see for herself. Without warning, an energy bolt whizzed past, singing a lock of her hair. She ducked behind the window and searched for a weapon. She turned a corner. When I followed her out, I saw a peculiar beast. An Owlite.

He was the strangest creature I had ever seen. He stood about two meters tall, and was best described as a very scholarly-looking bird-man. What was he doing here?

He bowed low and removed his hood, and spoke in a smooth, eloquent Isoran, "Hello, Gwenyvier. What are you doing here, in Diavolo's mansion?"

Gwen tilted her head and quipped, "I was about to ask you the same question."

The owlite chuckled and replied with the smallest hint of spite, "I was kidnapped and coerced to work on his despicable Crystalizer project as the elemental adviser. You?"

Gwen sighed and added, "I was kidnapped as well. I think he wanted to marry me off to a wealthy family so he could benefit."

My eyes widened and I made a mental note to add Diablo as the first on my little... Hit list.

The owlite bowed his head. "It would have been a great shame had he been successful." He held out his hand in greeting. "My name is Gray Feather."

Gwen took his hand and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you, Gray Feather." I couldn't help but grin. I actually saw a living Owlite in the flesh. I'd always wanted to see one since I was a boy.

Seatus appeared beside me and interrupted, "Gwen, I think this might suit you well. Try it out..." A thorn ejects from his body, and Gwen tentatively picks up the blade.

The Owlite sneers in disgust at the weapon.

Gray Feather scoffs at the blade. "Thorns? Really? You're both angel-folk, and you resort to such...inelegant weaponry? My dear Gwenyvier, have you never learned to snap a firebolt?"

Gwen blushed and looked at her feet. "No," she replied shyly. Gray Feather lifted up her head by her chin. "Raise your head, girl. Are you not the queen?" She shook her head. "No, Astraea is the queen now." The owlite sighed and snapped a firebolt. "It's easy. Do a snap weave."

Gwen sheathed Seatus's thorn and tried it. She got a small burst of fire, but no firebolt. "It's not working, Gray." But the elegant creature was ever-patient with her. "It's not enough to snap it into existence. You need to telekinetically hold it."

Gwen shook her head again and whined. "I don't know how to perform telekinesis."
---

The Morai had infiltrated the mansion. Gray Feather said, "The Morai are upon us. Come!" He summoned a forcefield at the door to hold off the Morai, then fireblasted a hole in the wall. He took Gwen by the arm, summoned his vast wings, and swung her onto his back as he jumped out of the hole, leaving me, simply staring.

I sigh and walk out as Seatus decimates the incoming Morai. I snarl. He just couldn't leave any for me, now could he? Vogdammit.

Seatus spots me and says, "Gwen's safe, I sensed her leaving the premises along with something else."

I nod. "The Owlite."

Out of the corner of my eye, a small regiment of four dozen soldiers converged on the mansion. About time I had some lunch.

Suddenly, Seatus runs out to spoil my fun -again!- and takes out all but ten Morai.

Ten enemies left.
No, ten snacks ripe and ready to eat.
I won't even need teleforce.

But guess who comes in before I can enjoy myself? Seatus!

Eventually, he ends up killing the last man with a rather powerful smack. I scowl at him and snarl, "Will I get no chance to fight someone?"

Seatus decides to take a nap, and when he awakes, we're surrounded. Again. He yawns in my mind, "Sorry if I spare you the fun, Kirito."

And yet again. Another battalion of tasty snacks is stolen from me. Seatus claps his hands and says, "So, anything we might need to be doing right now? Oh yes! I almost forgot! Saving Astraea... Come, Kirito." I nod.

I've completely forgotten about Astraea! Sh*t. I didn't take into account the fact that Damian might have trouble fighting Diablo. Seatus and I race off, and I smash down the door to Astraea's enormous cell with an immensely powerful kick. Damian and Diablo are duking it out, and as the battle unfolds, Seatus and I sneak over to Astraea.

She snarls, gnashing her teeth as if she wanted to bite me. She probably did. "What took you so long?" She hisses?

The Queen of the Valkyries does not sound pleased at all.
____

@Gzilla: well. That's a good idea. I'm thinking that Axis is suspicious of Kirito (and vice-versa) for the whole story, and at the end, he proves that Kirito killed the Valentines, therefore leading to the Council member's banishment.

Abaddon looked at the body he was in. It was physically fit, and what's more, held all the powers he once had. Except he actually knew how to use them well. Abaddon turned his piercing, yet somewhat alluring(from Damian's looks) gaze to a regal-looking man who was presumably unconscious on the stone walls of the mansion. But he spoke in a friendly, sarcastic tone. "You know Diablo, I really do have to thank you for this opportunity. By putting that desire for power into his body, you indirectly allowed me to possess Damian. Though I can only possess him for a short amount of time, I feel the need to... return you the favor." With that, Abaddon immediately teleported behind Diablo, kicked him hard in the spine, and controlled one of the many dark chains surrounding him in midair, thrusting it at Diablo's heart with immense precision, and thus impaling him. Abaddon retracted the chain from Diablo's injured body as he brought Diablo's face mere inches away from his. "You think I'm on the same level as you? You must be kidding. That's like comparing a Proto Sword to a heavily upgraded Gran Faust! I could kill you right now if I wanted to. In fact, I-" Abaddon's speech was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, followed by the appearance of a Snarbolock and an Archangel. Abaddon grinned slightly, before throwing Diablo's limp body towards the ground.

Abaddon reappeared next to the Archangel with black wings and whispered,"Boo." before kicking him with so much force that he crashed through the wall and landed somewhere close to Diablo. Abaddon slowly turned his face to look at Seatus. "You're next."

~~~

If you guys are wondering why Abaddon is so powerful, I'll explain it in lore.

Abaddon was originally a very talented angel, being good at everything. But he fell into evil. So, the Great Spirit sent him into a dimension dubbed the 'Darkforce Dimension', a dimension of pure darkness. Abaddon soon learned how to control the darkness, and it led to many things, like teleportation through the Corridors of Darkness, or even the materialization of solid dark objects! After an almost perfect soul was born(Damian), Abaddon decided to come to Isora through the Corridors of Darkness, meeting a huge army of Morai. He completely decimated them all, but one Morai soldier managed to get a sample of cells from him, and it was dubbed 'Matter X'. It was later put into Damian(when he was in his fetal form), and as such merged with his growing cells, allowing for access to the Darkforce Dimension, which in turn, allowed for control over darkness. But in the Darkforce Dimension was Abaddon as well.

You guys can figure it out.

Abaddon's also a villain. So yeah(completely merciless ftw). Since Diablo put that desire for power in him, Abaddon managed to control Damian's body for a short amount of time, and since Abaddon can control the darkness better, he is far more powerful than Damian.

I scowl. "You're annoying and premature since the last time I saw you. Yes, but you can't remember me. Everything get's cleaned up when I leave...right then. Abbadon, the underside of reality. But you were cast deep enough that you had no idea others were with you in there. Don't even bother trying, Angel of the Damned. I rather talk. You currently have no reason to attack me. So I rather we talk until we find out something we disagree on. Also, though you may have all your powers, this body can only last so long." I say the last line as I press his head down until we are both sitting on the floor. (@Ultima I am tying the darforce dimension **EDIT: TO THE UNDERSIDE OF REALITY** to Abbadon for some character development, for yours and mine. AND NEVER KILL THE MAIN VILLAIN XD!)

OOC: Hey guys. Sorry, I won't be posting here for 5 days, so keep the posts down, pwease? I want to catch up. Anyways.... To explain my absence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

I shivered, still cold from the freezer experience. I shifted his position to Gwen, then wrapped my arms around her. Warmer....... Suddenly, Gray warned us, "Brace yourselves, there's some turbulence." Right on cue, the wind blew right at us. Gray lurched, and suddenly I was falling... then a sickending crack.....

(Third person mode)

Topoyzada flew head-first at the ground, and off the owl. He hit the ground with a sickening crack! His neck was broken! And he still has traces of Hyperthomia. Unknown to Gwen and Gray, who were already descending, Topo had been sent into a coma..... for approximately 5 days, by an unknown force.

Urgh... My head hurts... Today is just not my day is it? Or, was I out for more than a day? Where was Gwen and the others? I saw a nearby building and decided to head in. I saw two people in the room, one of which was cleaning glass. "Hello?"

"If your definition of well is the feeling you have when you get hit by a brick, then yes. What happened here?". I asked. I hope no one got hurt.

(The moment I decide to start doing again and I get RPers block.)

"Well sir, we seem to have lost the targets..." the Triumvirate had been scouring the area for a few good minutes. I sighed in frustration, this was going to be a long night. But just as I thought this would be a game of cat and mouse, another spy in Almire reported in. "They seem to be headed to Al'Goth as we speak, probably going to Brandell's keep." I laughed, Brandell's fortress was well built, but nothing that couldn't be broken. I quickly flew to the Crystalizer site. I knew they had some experimental weaponry being held at the compound. But when I touched down? Ground zero. It appeared that the device had gone haywire, and had absorbed energy from the surrounding area along with some of the research and development team.

I quickly touched down, and immediately discovered CE canisters scattered around the base of the facility. Grabbing a discarded hazmat suit from the wreckage, I quickly picked it up. It not only seemed to radiate much more energy then standard CE, it seemed to interact differently. I grinned at the new prospect. I quickly called in some of the valkyries working for the Morai. "Get on the hazmat suits and pick up the CE, I want this all dropped into my base, get research teams on this immediately." If all went according to plan, I could weaponize the CE, but I would need time. "I Want another squad of you assaulting Brandell's fortress with anything you've got. That's when the Triumvirate could break through and take care of the council members. And with that, the air raid began, and I flew back to base, with enough of this new CE to power a warship.

Astraea

[Screw] all this [crap]. No, I mean it. I should never have taken this [accursed] job. First, I'm taken from my kind parents and comfortable home without so much as a warning. Next, I'm appointed to the highest, most responsibility-demanding position in the world -I only accepted because of Takiza's amazing cooking.

Don't forget the free snacks. Oh, the snacks. And the people employed at the Council Building are so cheerful and nice. Not to mention Kirito Nee-San and Gwen Nee-San.

Just when Kirito and Seatus were about to break my shackles, Damian teleported over and kicked Kirito away like a rag doll. He sneered at Seatus, "You're next." I scowled. He had just been trying to help me. Why was he attacking Kirito and Seatus all of a sudden?

I cough loudly, and Seatus quickly slices my bonds in half. Just as he finishes, though, Damian encases him in some type of dark barrier and flings him across the room, sending the "Snarbolax" flying into a wall. [Screw] it. Now I had no backup.

Whatever. I don't need any.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, flexing my fingers and shaking the blood back into my numb legs. I scowl and produce my Divine Avenger from its sheath at my hip. I breathed slowly, steeling my nerves.

Seatus slowly rises to his feet, blood dripping from his lips. He sneers, "You're annoying and premature since the last time I saw you. Yes, but you can't remember me. Everything get's cleaned up when I leave...right then. Abbadon, the underside of reality."

Wait... what? This was Damian. Was Seatus mistaking him for someone else?

"But you were cast deep enough that you had no idea others were with you in there. Don't even bother trying, Angel of the Damned. I rather talk. You currently have no reason to attack me. So I rather we talk until we find out something we disagree on. Also, though you may have all your powers, this body can only last so long." .

I blinked. What the hell just happened? Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Diablo rolling onto his knees. Blood sputtered freely from his mouth and a large gash marred his forehead. A sinister laugh escapes from his throat as he sneers, "You've already lost, Abaddon."

"His name's Damian, you [goofnugget]." I cough.

Diablo pays me no attention. "Nothing in the world now could stop me from ruling the world. Destroying you would be easy...like crushing a bug. I don't have to be alive to see it happen."

He laughed again, coughing up blood as he did so. He looked at Seatus with a crazy look in his eye. "You'll not be rid of me so easy." He summoned his enormous wings and jumped through the hole in the wall.

Suddenly, I felt the air begin to grow hotter. My skin felt as if it was being charred where I stood, and Seatus looked just as uncomfortable. Damian, Abaddon, whatever he was, seemed to think of it as a mere itching feeling. A roar of rage escaped from the rubble Kirito was buried in, and- oh crap. He made Kirito mad. A blast of flames erupted from the debris, and Kirito walked over to "Abaddon" with a slow, grim determination.

In one fell swoop, he was on him. He made no noise as his hands began to crush Abaddon's windpipe. His arms glowed a violent purple as he... Oh dear. He was using an ancient form of energy weaving called "Dark-Kata", a technique that siphoned the very life force out of a victim. Damian's face was slowly of color, and I could tell he was going to die soon. I didn't know why Damian attacked, but I didn't want anyone dying today.

I forced Kirito off of Damian's limp body and slapped him until he calmed down. He blinked at me, unsure of what was happening.

Seatus announced, "We need to leave. Abbadin will wake up soon, and I don't want to be there when that happens. We can check on the other Council members. Gwen and Topo are safe. I also want to get Otto. He's a good mercenary. We'll make the stop and I'll grab him, and I'll meet you and Kirito at Brandell's fortress." Kirito sneered and nodded in understanding.

He spread his majestic black wings and scowled. "We'll, Astraea, aren't you coming?"
____

I only edited some stuff in your post, Seatus. Btw, where the hell is Ultima? He left us again after he beat up Diablo....

NOTHING TO SEE HERE

Nothin' to see here

"Sir, we've located Gwenyvier." one of the valkyries said. My face turned from a tired glare to a horrendous grin. "Where?!" I barked, my patience worn thin from working on trying to weaponize the CE, or as it was more appropriately named, dark matter. I had successfully integrated the canisters into my armor, creating a much more powerful and efficient power source. The only drawback was if they were to rupture. "We were informed by citizens of her helping some of the Spiral Order's knights and a cloaked figure that could use teleforce near the capital." "I want everyone in that area to close in on her, she IS NOT escaping this time." I spoke, my voice bordering on paranoid. I inserted one of the dark matter batteries into a calibur. A once mundane weapon used by the order, now fully completed. I also grabbed my destroyer, new shells had been made for it. Instead of holding poison, it held energized dark matter. I quickly suited up in my armor. The almost dull glow from the armor was a murky blue. My original had been upgraded with more plating, and of course the dark matter. Instead of a hood, I wore a full helmet, displaying half of the Valhallian crest on the right, and half of the Morai crest on the left.

I quickly flew to the capital, and saw the group of knights, accompanied by Gwen. Just as they were making the home stretch, they were interrupted by a squad of valkyries, wearing the same crest I wore. "Where do you think you're going?" the captain asked in a sarcastic tone. I grinned, she wasn't escaping from this, the knights were weak, and Gwen herself couldn't handle seven valkyries at once.

I quickly gather myself together, the faint trace of Gwen's teleport lingers through the air. If I can track it fast enough, I can keep up with the group. I quickly take flight again, and track my quarry to an alley. The woman in the hood opens a portal, and starts something about stars, suns, and safety. I silently laugh at this, they wouldn't be so safe with Gwen making a novice mistake of not covering her trail. I quickly formulate a plan and call in more valkyries, but I needed to keep the group here for now. I pull out a small bomb that looks like a blast bomb, but looks can be deceiving. I throw the dark matter bomb into the alley, and all that could be heard for blocks was a deafening explosion, followed by a murky blue haze.