Treacherous paths often yield the greatest rewards...

As benkei charged orge-1 with his pure lightning misra his plan had worked as orge-1 started to overheat from the constant on going energy and entered a cool down "Now Stellaaaa!!!!!!!". From above kuro and Stella had created a large misra hammer withe their combined efforts. They would slam down on the monsterus machine crushing it with the mad doctor. Benkei had caught stel in his arms as he jumped from rubble to rubble protecting her and reaching Stella and Kira who were fighting "where is idro!". In the smoke that was created from this massive battle he could hear someone coughing up and injured ",there he is.......". Benkei could see that the Duran traitor had stabbed idro in his chest but benkei would feel sorry for him "it ....did not have to be this way".

Room

The battle in the room was quit fierce. Zid had been able to hid amongst the crowd of children, sneaking past unleashing a devastating combo on Biggs. Anna couldn't bear to watch this any longer. She had finally stepped up released a large amount of Misra. "STOP IT!!!!!" She'd scream at the top of her lungs. A wave of misra had pulsated throughout the room. Biggs had looked to Anna in a cold sweat. Akita was at a loss for words. Even Koji would freeze up. Her power was unstable yet not completely out of control. Suddenly, some of the children would begin to fall one by one, without any reason.

Corridor

Ifrit had continued on it's path towards Ferdinand, who threw Virgil at it. The young man was surprised at the sight of the creature. He knew what this meant. With much control, it had maneuvered it's way around Virgil as if it had a mind of it's own. It was locked on Ferdinand. The attack would then crash into Ferdinand, who backed away from it initially.

"Why... are you here?" Virgil had struggled to get back to his feet. From the shadows, out came the person responsible for firing off such a powerful attack. It was Remi! "To save your ass of course." Remi had said arrogantly. Virgil let out a sigh. "Well... I can't really argue with this situation." The two would face the spot that Ifrit had came in contact with.

Group A

The machine had been decimated. Inside the crushed cockpit, Dr. Crane had been rendered a twisted and crushed body. Everyone had managed to avoid the shockwave, which had laid waste to the hangar. They all stood at the center of the massive hole in the ceiling, staring at R-6764, who had stabbed Idro. The man would cough out blood, pulling out the blood and collapsing onto his bottom. “It’s over.” Said R-6764. Idro had leaned forward, holding his stomach as blood seeped out. “I...I guess it is...” He said. Stella, Kira, Benkei and Shel watched on. Kuro had floated around the site, abosrbing the bodies that were scattered around.

The hole in the ceiling had allowed sunlight to enter. The rays had fallen on the destroyed machine, along with everyone in the hangar. Idro had managed to look up at the sun, closing his eyes. “I guess it is over.” R-6764 would crouch down, “Duran’s reign here ends Idro.” Idro opened his eyes, looking at R-6764. “I was wrong this entire time....” Tears hed begun forming at Idro’s eyes. “...I was only trying...I was only trying to keep my sister alive.” R-6764 had lowered his head. “I didn’t want to kill Kero...” The man’s lips quivered as he held back more tears. “Shilane doesn’t even know yet....” R-6764 looked up to Idro, unable to find words. “....Please, just take care of Sofia....Let her live please....Don’t tell her...Don’t tell her......what I’ve....don—“ Idro had suddenly leaned forward, landing on R-6764’s shoulder. His life essence had slowly faded away.

Kira had dug herself into Stella, holding her tightly. Shel had closed her eyes, “Poor bastard.” She said. ”His sister, we should probably free her and the others.” R-6764 had laid Idro down, shutting his eyes. “Go, free them. Sofia will come with me.” Stella had nodded, ”Let’s go Kira! We could also find information on The Oracle’s whereabouts!” Kuro had floated up to the group, finally ridding the hangar of the bodies. As the two women had left, R-6764 had turned to the spectre. “You, what you did to those bodies....Please, do to Idro here.” Kuro had looked down at Idro, ”Okay.”

—————————

Room

Zid had overwhelmed Biggs with the fierce combo. He was just about to finish, until Anna had screamed, letting out a powerful surge of her Misra. The young boy had caught sense of this, turning to Anna as he stopped. “Anna...” He said lowly, watching as the bodies of the children had dropped. “....” The young boy did not understand what was going on, but the eye on his forehead had surveyed. One by one, the children rose. They had seemed disorientated. “W-Where am I?” Said one. They were slowly standing up to find themselves confused. What effect did Anna have on them?


Corridor

Ifrit had manuevered its way around Virgil, continuing on its path towards Ferdinand. “Hm.” He reached out towards the flames with his four arms, “HAAAAAAH!!!!!!!” The blaze would hit him, causing an explosion that’d shatter the wall behind him. Fire had engulfed the side that he had been on, leaving nothing visible for the moment. It wasn’t until Ferdinand emerged from the flames, his body holding a blackish purple tinge of aura around him. “I am impressed every second. I cannot believe I have met someone with the power to control the mighty infernal demon, Ifrit.” Ferdinand grinned, darkness particles suddenly began forming at the eye on his chest. “But you have not yet tamed such a being, and for that, you must die....” The particles had suddenly disappeared for a brief moment. Then, from the eye fire a concentrated beam of dark energy. “SIN!” Ferdinand said, directing the beam towards Virgil and Remi.

After firing the beam, he’d suddenly catch notice of what had been transpiring with Zid. He’d turn his head, turning around to exit through the hole made behind him.

Room

It would appear, Anna's sudden surge of Misra had rendered some of the children, unconscious momentarily. Not all but some had gotten up, uncertain of their whereabouts. Biggs had watched as the children rose. He had been confused just as much as them. He'd turn to face Anna who had been finally been calming down. The energy was no longer there. "What... what was that?" She'd speak softly. It was audible enough for the others to hear her. The young girl would soon collapsed from the release of that enormous amount of Misra. Akita had rushed to Anna, catching her. "Anna! Are you ok!?" She'd ask. Anna would simply nod her head, "Yeah." She didn't sound too believable though.

In the confusion, Biggs took the opportunity to sneak up behind Zid. He'd attempt to grab him from behind. "GOT YA!!" If successful, Biggs would hold Zid tightly.

Corridor

The attack had connected, creating a large explosion. Embers from the flames of Ifrit were scattered all over. Ferdinand had stood from the flames, more impressed with Remi's attack. He had then expressed how it was still not yet properly tamed. In mere moments after declaring he must kill her, An extremely condensed and concentrated dark beam of energy was fired out at both Remi and Virgil.  The young woman, with the grimoire in hand had waved her hands, forming a circular pattern. This would erect a shield of fire to protect them against the attack. The destructiveness of this attack was on par with the assault on Galatia.

After an explosion of energy, Remi and Virgil had been seen  downed. Remi was on a knee, with the free hand up and the hand with the grimoire down. She had been panting heavily. Virgil was on the ground struggling to get back to his feet. It'd take some time but he'd stand tall, stumbling a bit. "That attack..."Remi seemed to speak as if she knew the type of attack this was. "He can use it too!" Virgil thought to himself gritting his teeth.

As the machine was destroyed benkei could see the mad doctor was dead and sighed "I hate this senseless killing, it has no purpose here". In that moment benkei had noticed he was still holding stel in his arms "oh uh my apologies" he would put her down as the sunlight from the roof would shine down on idro . He would watch as idro coughed up blood and beg for forgiveness for his actions and not to let his sister know of what he had done "we can not forget what you did but you had good soul idro I wish things were different". Kuro was getting rid of bodies in a strange way but left it up to him and the Duran traitor "we should get going but first " benkei would walk to the destroyed orge ripped the core out "I'll be taking this and misra back ". Benkei would them follow Stella and Kira along with Shel to find the others.

Group A

Stella had walked beside Kira, who had her head lowered. Shel was on the opposite side, walking with Benkei, who had taken the core powering the Ogre-1. “What will you do with that?” She asked him. Stella had remained quiet, leading the group back to the main floor. In the background, Kuro had absorbed Idro’s body, floating back to join the others afterwards. R-6764 had turned back, watching the others leave, “Thank you...” He muttered to himself before exiting through the door Idro had split open.

As the group walked through the hallway, Kira had looked up to Stella. ”Aren’t we going to free the prisoners?” She asked, unable to recognize the setting. Stella had nodded, ”Yes, but before doing so, we should gather any information on the whereabouts of The Oracle. They should have a central room in this facility.” She said. ”So keep your eyes peeled. Once we gain a lead, we’ll free the prisoners.”

Group B

Back with Nir and Kane, a crowd of villagers had gathered at the marketplace. They had been cheering for the visitors, who had liberated them from the clutches of Duran. Nir had been sitting atop a barrel, smiling as children gathered around him. Kane, had been wrapping his arms around beautiful women of the village. ”This is like a dream come true!!!!!” He said as two women kissed him as he stood in between. As for Joseph and Edward, they had no wasted any time in celebrating. The two men had been holding mugs in their hands, singing along with other villagers.

Group C

Back with group C, Tobias was finally conscious again. However, he had not been able to stomach the amount of bodies and blood. The old man was bent over, hand leaning on a post, throwing up everything he had. Ada had been standing beside him, covering her mouth. “Grooooossss!!!!” She said. Tobias would wave his hand, ”Please! Do not look my lady! This isn’t a sight for a young woman like—BLAAAH!!!” Dan had approached Van, who was to himself. “Hey! You did good back there...” He said, holding his stomach. Van had stood silent, his eye closed. “So, I guess you’re the cool and quiet type...” Dan smirked, “I used to be like you. A solitary soul who wanted nothing to do with anyone else. Just in it for himself, no care about nothin’ but a thrill.” The smirk had slowly faded. “But that didn’t get me anywhere. It just led me deeper and deeper into a dark hole.” Van had opened his eye, turning towards Dan. “Until I met my friends. Shel, Ada, Edward and Joseph. They became the light that pulled me out.....” Dan sighed. “I guess I’m just trying to tell you that I see you have that same light. The people you arrived with, your friends, they’re what will get you out of that dark hole.” Van closed his eye, smirking. ”They aren’t my friends, and I don’t need your opinion.” The young man would stand up, walking in the direction of the town square.


—————————

Room

The energy exrted by Anna had bewildered Zid, causing him to drop his guard. This allowed Biggs to rush the young boy, grabbing a hold of him. “What!? Let me go!!!” Zid yelled, kicking as he tried to free himself from the young man’s grasp. The children had watched on, beginning to grow afraid. Some had started to cry. “Let go of me!!!” Zid yelled once more. All of the sudden, Ferdinand’s massive frame had appeared behind Biggs. The man had towered over him, casting fear into the hearts of all the children present. One of Ferdinand’s arms had grabbed for the back of Biggs’ neck, where he’d attempt to hold him in the air as he looked upon the children, slowly resting his eyes upon Anna. “So, you’re the one who did this?”

Room

The sudden appearance of Ferdinand had brought fear to all the children present, including Anna. Biggs had been grabbed by the back of his neck. This would cause him to lose his grasp on Zid, allowing him to break free! In this moment, Ferdinand directed his attention to Anna. Koji had stepped in front of Anna to defend her from the menacing man. Misra would begin to flow from the wolf pup's body.

Akito who had been quiet and motionless the whole time had been behind Anna. He'd suddenly reach in from behind and grabbing her. "A- Akito!?" The little girl would struggle as she cried out. "What are you doing!?"Akita would also express her emotions. "Anna!!" Biggs could only reach out for Anna as he could not break free from Ferdinand's grip.

As benkei and the other would run through the halls Kira wondered if they would free the prisoners but Kira wanted to find a central command to find out information of the Oracle "that's the right attitude but is that okay with you lady shel ? I know your people have suffered but the gate of the world might be at stake ". As the ran about in circles benkei caught eye of a huge door that was sealed "uh ladies and uh kuro I think we found our door ,kuro do you mind uh sneaking through the door to see if we might be in the right spot before I bust down this door?".

Group A

The group had been led to a massive door, pointed out by Benkei. ”That must be it, Benkei.” Stella said, placing her right palm against the metal. Kira had walked up to Stella, taking a look at the sealed door. ”I wonder what’s inside....” Kira asked. “It’s best if we find out what’s inside here. I have a feeling there will be a lot of useful information to both parties.” Shel said, turning around and crossing her arms. At the same moment, Kuro had floated over to the door, taking order from Benkei. ”Alrighty, leave it to me.” He said, seemingly floating through the mettalic door. Both Kira and Stella had looked surprised. ”What the!? He’s like a ghost! It’s so creepy!”

The door had suddenly began shaking. It’d cave in, as if pulled from the inside. ”That takes care of that!” The ghastly form said, floating in front of the four. ”Wow....” Shel had stood there with jaw wide open. Inside was a command station, with maps and large table with chairs. There seemed to be many papers scattered across the table.

Group B

The celebration had been stopped. Everyone in the crowd had suddenly turned towards Nir, who had called out for them to heed his words. The young man was standing on top of the barrel. He overlooked the crowd, ”Why are we celebrating now!? This isn’t over yet my friends! Duran still retains its stronghold. We must finish it in the Northern facility!” He called out. People in the crowd nodded their heads, conversing amongst themselves. Both Edward and Joseph had lowered their mugs, turning to each other. “Bro, he’s right!” Joseph said. “I know, bro!!!” Edward replied. Kane had raised his arms, turning to the two women. ”Ladies, I’m afraid he’s right! We aren’t done here!” With the attention of the crowd, Nir had dropped from the barrel. ”People of Alden, let us reclaim what’s yours!” The villagers had cheered. They’d begin moving out towards the square.

—————————

Room

Akito had quickly moved to grab Anna, alarming Akita, and also worrying her. Zid had stood there watching. The children around them had continued to cry. To some, Anna was their only hope of escape. Ferdinand had grinned, “Ah, it’s good to see that one of them still works.” Zid had turned to Ferdinand, looking back to Anna afterwards. “Anna, do not be afraid. You will have a new family soon enough.” Ferdinand had suddenly thrown Biggs against the wall. He’d walk over to Anna, crouching and placing his finger under her chin. “You will become like us.” The massive eye on his chest looked to Anna, piercing into her soul with a glare like no other.

Benkei waited for kuro to return until the doors opened themselves and caved in crashing with a loud thud "oh well, I guess I was not needed at all ". As the group entered the room, it was filled with boards and papers everywhere, showing Duran locations and other facilities "well it seems they are busy bees and look here ". Benkei grabbed a few papers "transport logs and what is more curious is it's not ground transportation it's air! It says cargo is a individual of great importance that has to be here". Benkei kept looking for something more recent and was in a panic looking "please be okay please".

Room

Akito had a firm grip on Anna, not saying a word. Biggs had also been tossed to the wall. He had struggled to maintain consciousness, holding on to the wall, attempting to hold himself up. Akita was hesitant to make a move as Ferdinand had approached Anna. The young girl was much too frightened to resist Ferdinand's approach. It was as if she was put under a spell. Koji had then jumped in between Anna and Ferdinand. A dark greenish and blue Misra would begin to emit from the wolf pup. He'd leap at Ferdinand, biting at his hand touching Anna. Afterwards, Koji would face Ferdinand. The demeanor of the wolf pup was much more aggressive than before. His body was tense. The room felt as if it could collapse from the Misra pouring out of the wolf pup.

Group A

The group had entered the room, walking by Kuro. ”It’s a mess in here.” The spectre said, grinning. Stella had walked over to the table, watching as Benkei sorted through the papers. He appeared to be in a panic, desperately trying to find something useful. ”Don’t worry Benkei, we’ll find something.” Kira had looked at the walls, looking at different porject titles that Duran had been working on. ”What’s all of this stuff?” Shel had been at the other end of the table reading through some documents. “Those bastards! They’ve been abducting women and children all over Galea! We’ve managed to find one of their hidden outposts in Paleides alone....” Stella had turned to Shel, ”Just what are they trying to do? And what does this have to do with The Oracle?”


Groups B and C

The two groups had met up at the square, with Group B leading a massive crowd of villagers. At the front, Nir and Kane had stood out. On the other end, Van had been leading the others. ”Holy shit! Is that Van!?” Kane had stared wide-eyed, shocked by the amount of blood that he was covered in. ”Goodness Van, are you okay?” Van had remained quiet, allowing Tobias and them to catch up. “Yeah, he’s okay, but the other guy isn’t.” Dan said. Tobias would smile widely, ”Oh thank the heavens! You’re all okay! We could finally go save the girls now!” He’d then look behind them, noticing the crowd. ”And we’ve got reinforcements! Perfect!”


—————————

Room

Before Ferdinand could touch the small girl, Koji had snapped at his finger, causing him to pull back. “You little runt!” It was then that he felt the immense surge of Misra coming from Koji. “What? Where is this coming from?” Ferdinand was taken aback, but came to his senses, smiling. “No matter, you won’t stop me from taking the girl.” Ferdinand had motioned his finger, controlling Akito to take the girl towards the entrance. Zid stood idly, watching the young girl.

As the group kept searching for information Benkei sighed " she is a powerful figure they can use for just about anything, they will abuse her power and her influence to make a army ". Benkei punched the wall looking at the papers " I'm sure this is about her but these reports are dated two days ago that's all I got right now". Benkei looked to the others and kuro "what about you guys anything we can use for a miracle ? ".

Room

The intensity inside the room grew exponentially. Ferdinand had already begun his move to take Anna. He’d motion for Akito and Zid to take her and flee the room. This was so that he could deal with Koji. The two would have a stare down before making any moves.

At the time Zid and Akito got to the exit, both Remi and Virgil had been standing there in the doorway. They both looked pretty beaten. The two of them would explore the room with their eyes. It was clear what was going on and it didn’t take then long to figure out what to do. Virgil has used his gravity manipulation in his right hand to motion a pushing gesture at Zid. This would throw Zid into the wall. Virgil would then redirect his had to Akito. “Put her down.” He wore a more serious expression.

Group A

Stella had continued reading the papers, trying to figure out where The Oracle could be. ”Hmmmm.” She had then come across more flight logs and destinations. ”Oh no....” Kira had turned to Stella, wearing a worried expression. ”What’s wrong Stella?” Stella had turned to face the others, ”These are the flight logs. A high security subject is being transported. It seems they’re taking the subject to Valkor.” Shel had rubbed her chin, “That must be The Oracle.” Kira had nodded, ”Yeah! It must be!!”

”It could possibly be. The problem remains, however, that the subject is being taken to Valkor. That’s no longer in Paleides.” Stella had placed the paper down, closing her eyes. ”That’s Duran territory.”

Groups B and C

The massive crowd had mobilized. They were now heading towards the Northern facility, ready to fight if they had to. Nir had been leading the charge, with Kane and Van walking alongside him. ”I pray they’re okay.” Nir said. ”They’re fine.” Van said, assuring Nir of the safety of their friends. ”If Van said they’re okay, they must be.” Kane said with a smirk, inhaling smoke from his cigar. Tobias would catch up to the three from the back, ”So Kira is okay!? Oh, thank the heavens!!! We are blessed!”


—————————

Room

Before Akito could leave the room, Virgil and Remi had blocked them in. Ferdinand would turn his head slightly, watching as Virgil used his magic to knock Zid back. The young boy would hit the wall, sliding down to the ground. Akito would then be targeted afterwards, told to put Anna down. The young boy stared at Virgil, not reacting one bit. Ferdinand grinned, turning around. “Don’t you understand? The boy is under our control. The others were too, until your little friend broke them free.” Ferdinand would look to Anna, “She is special, worth investing in....unlike the others...” The children were afraid. They could not move in the presence of Ferdinand.

Room

Upon the reveal, that the children were all mostly under Ferdinand's control, it left a most shocking expression on both Biggs, Remi and Virgil's faces. "That's right!" In that moment Remi had a realization. "After leaving that corridor, I held back those people after us. It turns out they were children." Remi had a disgusted look on her face, towards Ferdinand. "That's true. I noticed it too while trying to get to Anna." Biggs had added in. He had stood on the opposite side of the room where he was thrown. "So then..." This would now have Virgil realize what was going on. "This missing children from the village. It was you this whole time!" This had angered Virgil.

As benkei gave up kira would find security flight logs suggesting that the high security logs was heading to valkor but that was out of paleides and into Duran territory "dam that explains the logs from two days ago because that's how long it takes to get their I bet but if she is in Duran territory that means we need to find a way to get in there ". Benkei would slam his hand on the table angry as well as fustrated "she is getting further and further away everytime we get so close to her ,I can not lose her ". Benkei would look around and at the others "we have to tell the others ,I want to believe their is still hope but it's hard even for me" benkei looked around and though "this technically is a Duran facility well not technically it really is soooo we could take things here and infiltrate the Duran city and pass as normal Duran people can we not?".

Group A

The women had looked to Benkei, who expressed his frustration with the current situation. There was no telling if The Oracle was in Valkor already, let alone if the The Oracle was the subject at all. But they’d have no choice to carry on with their search. Stella’d fold the papers, placing them into the pockets of her pants. ”I don’t know Benkei. I’m not sure it’ll be as easy as infiltrating Andel.” She looked to the wall, walking over to the map that was posted. Both Kira and Shel had walked over to her, looking to the map. ”As you know, Galea holds the five great continents: Paleides, Golmir, Valicia, Hyporea and Magdos. Legends say, that they are named after The Five Great Kings, who quelled the darkness in The Time of Sorrow. They were Palidos, Golmen, Valic, Hyporean and Magdolos.” Shel had turned to Stella, “Do you actually believe in that?” Stell had nodded, ”Yes, I do.” Shel looked back, crossing her arms. ”We currently reside in Paleides, with Galatia being the capital of the continent. Valkor, on the otherhand...” She slid her finger across the map, running into the continent of Golmir. ”...Resides in Golmir. In Golmir, you will find the empire of Duran. They hold military control there.” Kira had rubbed her chin, ”So, what are we going to do?”

Stella smiled, looking back at Benkei, ”We’ll accomplish our task. Have faith Benkei. Once we present this information to Nir and the others, we’ll plan our next step.” Shel had snickered, “You’ll need the gods for this.” Stella had turned away from the map, ”The Almighty watches us. He will lead us to The Oracle, I know this to be true.” Stella turned to face the other three, her smile remaining bright. Even during this time of doubt, she maintained her faith. ”Now come, let’s go free the prisoners and meet with the others!” She said, turning around to exit the room. ”Right!” Kira said, following with Shel.


—————————

Room

Ferdinand had grinned, “Why yes, it was indeed me.” The man had stood erect, reaching out with his four arms. “My master required a flock, and I brought him forth the sheep.” The children had cried, gathering together in fear. “I told you already. I shall guide yet another lamb to the shepherd. This time...” Ferdinand’s eye had slowly shifted to Anna, “...The lamb is much more special.” Zid had stood up, dusting himself before looking to Ferdinand. In an instant, the beastly man had vanished, appearing in front of Anna, where he’d grab at her cloth. He’d snatch her from Akito’s grasp, raising her into the air. Akito would step in between Ferdinand and Virgil. “These others are dispensable. Lambs of sacrifice...”

Room

Ferdinand had continued on to confirm what Remi and Biggs said to be true. Virgil had had all his attention on Ferdinand. "Do you... have any idea, what it's like to lose the people you care about?" Virgil's fist were tense. For some reason, he had felt more strongly about this whole situation. The man was making more remarks concerning Anna where he had swiftly appeared before her. He'd take the little girl from Akito. With Akito stepping in front of Ferdinand as if defending him, Virgil had no choice but to use his magic on him. Virgil waved his right hand, throwing Akito at Biggs. In that moment, Biggs panicked since he wasn't ready for something so sudden. Virgil had then rush Ferdinand. At his fist, a visible dark purple Misra had form around his hands. Virgil would go in to throw multiple punches at the monstrosity of a man. Remi on standby had already been focusing her Misra so that when Ferdinand makes his move, she can fire on him at anytime. She would act as a supporter while Virgil is the aggressor.

As benkei struggled with all the information Stella and Kira would go through the information of the Duran empire and the difficulty it would take to infiltrate their facility "I know it's not going to be easy but I figured we could make it easy with all the stuff here ". Benkei would rub his shoulder and back in a bit of pain "urgh these wounds I got here in this town still haven't fully healed since the lashings". He would look at Stella as she made a speech of hope wanted to find the others to relay the message of everything they found "your right we should not give up and nir and the others need to know everything we discovered here but we must be careful we are not out of the woods yet with the little Duran forces still running around ". Benkei took the lead in leading the girls and kuro out "by the way ....." He would look at kuro with a Stern look "are you some kind of demon cat looking thing that is friends with van? And what exactly are you anyway ?"

Group A

Benkei had lead the way, guiding everyone to the prison, where they’d release the prisoners. While walking, Benkei had asked Kuro of his affiliation with Van and of his origin. The spectral form floated in the air, transforming into a black cat to walk beside them. ”Demon cat thing? I’m no demon, but I guess you can call me a cat now. Hehe.” Kira had looked down, placing both hands on her cheeks. ”Oh my gosh! He looks so cute like this!!!” Shel had looked as well, arching a brow. “So weird...” Kuro’d walk upwards, beginning to take steps in mid-air as he floated. ”I guess you can say Van and I are friends. But to answer your question on what I am, I don’t know!” Kuro quickly transformed back into his spectral form, floating around Benkei. ”I’m definitely not a human though.”

The group arrived at the prisoner, where a handful of women and children remained. ”Oh, thank the heavens! There are still survivors!” Stella had ran over to the bars, where the women and children had looked to her. They were feeble and weak. Some of them were pale. “These people have been here like this?” Shel asked. From inside the cell, Sofia had stood up, running over to the bars. “Kira!! Stella!!!” She said. Kira ran over, locking hands with the small girl. ”Sofia! We’re here! You’re all going to be set free!!!” Stella had looked to Benkei, ”I would ask you to break these bars for us, but you need to rest Benkei. I’ll have Kuro do it.” Kuro would float over to the bars, ”Step back please.” Kuro said. The two at the bars would take a few steps back. The women and the children stood up, happy to see the help. Kuro’d quickly sweep through the bars, in a buzzsaw-like manner, cutting through the metal and forming a hole in the cell. ”You’re free!”

Groups B and C

The crowd gathered at the entrance of the facility. Villagers held anything they could use as a weapon. At the frontline, Nir had stood watching the main gate. ”Look at all of these bodies.” Nir made reference to the multiple Duran bodies that were laying about. ”Looks like the others had no problem getting in.” Kane said, smoking his cigar. Dan, Ada, Edward and Joseph had emerged from the crowd, joining the four. “So....what’s the plan...?” Asked Dan, holding his stomach. He had been leaning on Ada. “I hope Shelly is okay!!” Ada said. “Big sis Shel is a fighter! There’s no way she’d lose to Duran snakes!” Edward said. Tobias would look to Kane, ”So if Van says they’re okay, does that mean they succeeded in their mission?” Van had sighed, ”Just wait and see old man...”

—————————

Room

Now having Anna in his grasp, Ferdinand was able to control the situation. He had struck a nerve in Virgil, causing him to go on the offensive. With a single push, he had sent Akito flying back into Biggs. Zid would turn to Virgil, “...What magic is that?” He asked himself. After sending Akito flying, the young man charged Ferdinand, sending a flurry of punches. The massive man had turned towards Virgil, grinning. “I don’t know, and quite frankly, I don’t care...” He said, beginning to parry all of Virgil’s punches with two of his arms. One of the other arms still held onto Anna, lifting her high into the air. “You aren’t going to win here. You aren’t strong enough boy.” Ferdinand had quickly switched to the offensive, using the free fourth arm to quickly deliver a palm thrust.

Room

Virgil's attacks had been blocked rather easily by Ferdinand. It had seemed as if the man was toying with him. He'd claim Virgil was not strong enough to defeat him. This would turn into Ferdinand countering with his own attack. Virgil had been able to react just in time. He'd raise his left arm to the side protecting himself. For added measure, he'd use his other hand to stabilize himself. The attack would be absorbed by Virgil's efforts. "Now's my chance!" This had allowed enough time for Remi to fire at Ferdinand multiple blast of fire. Remi would gathered her Misra forming a ball of fire. It would change it's shape to resemble a bird like creature. "FIRE BIRD!" She had shot multiple fire birds like missiles at Ferdinand.

As benkei and the group were trying to reach the cells of the captured woman and children kuro would try to answer benkei question "you have no actual form but you can take the shape of many ? You like some ghoulish specter but can touch physical objects how interesting". Once the reached the holding cells Benkei was horrified to see how these women and children were treated, some look malnourished others looked bruised and battered "dear God they were treated like animals". Benkei would attempt to break the bars but stel had asked kuro instead so as to not strain benkei any further " lady stel I still wish to help ,look at these innocence this is no way to live "benkei would use his misra magic to use the metal bars and plates around them to construct a wagon "those who can not walk please get on, those of you that have the strength follow these ladies to the exit, child first on the wagon please". Benkei looked to kuro "uh I'm going to need a small favor from you kuro" benkei would look at kuro than then wagon to give him a hint.

Before Kuro could even split the bars open, he was beat by Benkei. The monk had used his Misra to manipulate the metal, warping them to create a wagon. ”Wow!” Kira said. Kuro had floated there, looking at the wagon. ”What a show off!” Stella had walked over to the women and children, helping those who had no energy step into the wagon. ”Good thinking Benkei!” Kira had mounted the wagon, helping Sofia on. “Thank you Kira!” She said.

”That’s everyone.” Stella said, looking to Benkei. The monk would proceed to hint at Kuro pulling the wagon. ”Ahhhhh, I see what you’re getting at. Leave it to me!” The spectre formed into the small cat, biting onto the handle and pulling the wagon forward. Stella walked beside the wagon as they headed for the exit.

Inner Chamber

Back in the inner chamber of the hideout, Ferdinand had connected with Virgil. The young man was able to hold his ground, absorbing the thrust. This had given Remi an opening to fire an attack to support Virgil. She’d form a fireball, which had fired multiple blasts that were in the shape of birds. The eye on Ferdinand’s chest had quickly moved, catching Remi’s attack. “You think these attacks will work on me?” He grinned, using his free arm to aim at the incoming fire attack. From his fingertips shot out purple energy, forming a massive web. The projectiles of fire would hit the web, being caught by the energy. At the same time, Ferdinand’s other arm would sent a right hook at Virgil’s face.

Room

It was incredible how Ferdinand was able to not only continue the offensive but to defend against Remi’s attacks. Fortunately Ferdinand hadn’t paid enough attention to her, focusing on Virgil. Before the hit would connect, Koji had appeared before the fist and Virgil. Using his head, Koji countered the punch! A surge of energy would be released from the impact. “Koji!!”Virgil had been stunned for a moment to see Koji protecting him. As the clash subsided, Remi had not been finished with her previous attack. The web Ferdinand had casted was only able to block against the frontal assault. She had enough Misra control to redirect a few other fire birds at Ferdinand’s back while he was distracted with Koji! If this attack were indeed to hit, Virgil would seize this moment to pull out his bow and fire a dark arrow!