Mission: Slaughter House- Enter the Noah

[Kenneth Steinberg]

Eight Hours ago:
29 Jan 2012
18:00

The town was, for a lack of a better term, breath taking. Situated in a green, forested valley with grey cliff faces towering over traditional wooden chalets and snow toped mountains clearly visible in the distance. The entire town was set parallel to a main road which ran perpendicular to the rail line that was the town’s key transport link. Its natural beauty made it a popular tourist spot and, unfortunately, a prime target for the Earl’s plans.

Ken sighed as he looked out from the darkened alley. It almost seemed a shame to disturb to such a peaceful evening, but orders were orders. Footsteps echoed as he moved out of the shadows and slipped in with the crowds milling up and down the main streets. His black hooded jacket covered his head, hiding his features in darkness apart from two cold topaz eyes that regarded the crowds of tourists calmly. They were all gravitating towards the town hall, some kind of festival was underway, but he would make his way there shortly. The real event would begin then, but first he had to attend to something. Striding into one of the local taverns he slowly made his way to the bar, drawing frowns from those already present. The barman turned to face the new comer, addressing a question in German to the lowered black hood.

“Bitte schön, Was möchten Sie trinken?”

The stranger was silent, a pair of white headsets and jet black hair visible underneath the bowed hood. A few moments passed and the bar keeper was about to repeat his inquiry in English, but his breath caught in his throat as Ken lifted his head. He stammered and backed off, his eyes fixed on Ken’s ash grey face and stigmata. Ken kept his eyes fixed on the terrified man in front of him, just as a man and woman behind them convulsed and dropped to the floor. The sound of ripping fabric and a sickening crack of bones was accompanied by the inevitable screams, as two Akuma emerged from the crumpled forms. Living weapons of magic, iron, blood and sorrow that looked like over inflated balloons bristling with cannons. The faces of the humans whose bodies the Akuma had taken over looked out emotionlessly at the chaos they had caused. Then they fired. Flashes of purple and explosions engulf the patrons of the tavern. Detonated wood showered splinters over those scrambling to escape. Ken remained seated, the screams and explosions blending in with the loud rock music in his ears. Then it abruptly stopped. The smoke cleared, leaving only tattered clothing and dust. Throwing off his hood Ken rose and faced the two Akums. Neither had “evolved” to their second level, but they were close. He slowly observed the wreck that was once the Tavern. As much as he wanted to avoid it, human casualties were vital to this mission. The plan had been to draw the Black Order to the town, but one was already here. It turned out that innocence was hiding in this mountain get-away and either an exorcist, or a finder, had already collected it. So not only did Ken now have to assess the exorcists that would eventually flock to defend this town, but he also had to contend with playing hide and seek with the member already here. He grinned as he ran a hand through his hair.
...This is going to be fun...

Explosions in the distance represented foolish villagers trying to flee through the town’s transport routes or futilely fight back. The appearance of the Akuma had thrown them into a panic. In comparison the appearance of a strange, grey skinned human wasn’t quite so fear inspiring. The stranger simply stood on the stage outside the town hall, with everyone staring at him, too shocked to talk
...not quite the entrance I’d hoped for...He took a few moments to survey his captive audience before giving them a sardonic grin. When he spoke his voice had a power and presence to it, one that carried it all the way to the back of the gathered crowd.
“Sorry to disturb your little celebration, but this town has been occupied by the Army of the Millennium Earl. All routes in and out are guarded and no one is to attempt to leave.”
As if to punctuate his point, a house exploded in the distance, an Akuma rising to eclipse the moon.
“Kandersteg now belongs to us...your weapons are useless against the demons you see before you. There is no resistance...all of you are now my hostages, to use any way I see fit. If you want to keep your lives then I advise that you stay within your houses and don’t come out. If you want this horrible event to end then bring before me the Black Order member and any Black Order supporters. That is all"
The town’s people and tourist exchanged confused glances as they all began to disperse, not many knew what the Black Order actually was. Ken watched as they disappeared.

4 hours ago

His vassal, a lv 2, bowed as she approached where ken was sat in the town hall. A brief surge of annoyance flashed across his face as he glanced at her, his head resting on splayed fingers.
“Emily, didn’t we talk about this earlier? Despite what the Earl said, you don’t have to bow to me...”
"I’m sorry, Lord Noah, but we have the people you wanted and the Skulls are ready to begin.”
“... and you don’t have to address me as lord, I have a name you know...”
He sighed before rising. Together they made their way back outside into the cold night, where a line of people of varied age and gender were kneeling blind folded. All of them had a common link. They were all supporters of the Black Order. A malicious smile broke across his face as he took to the now abandoned stage and leaned towards the microphone.
“Come out Black Order dog, I know you are here. I have your friends, so how about we make a deal? If you and the innocence come with us, I’ll let them and the rest of this town keep their lives. Is that not why your Order exists, to protect innocent humans? You have four hours to make your decision.”He leaned back into a standing position and gazed idly at the plumes of smoke that rose from the town’s outskirts. The military had tried to get in, unsuccessfully. They had been prey for the lv 1 Akum and had kept the simple minded weapons entertained. The lv 2s however were become a bit restless. Something twitched in the back of his mind, a sense of some great energy descending upon them. The Skulls had finally begun. A large, cube shaped object was slowly falling from the sky, until it encompassed the entire town. A voice echoed in the centre of his mind and an image of a grinning skull floated into his mind.
“Sir, it is complete”
“Good, report to the Earl that all is going well. Maintain the barrier and don’t let any humans in. However, when the exorcist arrive grant them a one way trip inside the barrier.”
“But Lord Noah....”
“That’s a direct order. You know the objectives of this mission. Report to me when they arrive.”

Present:

Ken sat leaned against the podium of the stage, one of his legs swinging absentmindedly. Time was up. Take the microphone in hand, he rose and brought his cold topaz gaze upon the line of the condemned.
“Obviously the Black Order does not value your support, or your lives...execute them.”
He glanced away from the lv 2 Akuma as they descended upon their victims...that should sate their hunger...As his eyes caught the caught the glow of the moon, he grinned lopsidedly. They had arrived...

[Keera Ufton]

Keera groaned. She’d left the other Exorcists behind her, hurrying to reach the town. She knew little of what was going on, but all attempts to contact the Exorcist and Finder currently inside the town had failed. She was still trying now, her golem flapping along beside her. Every minute she’d try to contact the pair, almost shouting. Normally, this wouldn’t have been such an emergency, but the last reports had been of a massive, overwhelming amount of Akuma swarming the town. Being the closest, she had been contacted first. The over Exorcists were a couple of hours behind her, meaning that she would be going in alone.

Not a comforting thought, she mused, dashing along the road. In her hands, she clutched her Innocence. The two fans were not active, but she was ready. Ready for whatever awaited her. At least, she hoped. Her face was dead set, her eyes sharp and shadowed. The General uniform flapped slightly, her speed carrying her effortlessly along. Her feet where in thin soled shoes, allowing her to clutch the ground with her toes and morph her feet to give her the best balance.

The town was coming into view, but her very instinct told her that something was wrong. Once she had neared it, she called to her golem. “I’m going inside the town. If you lose me, you know where I am.” Her voice was monotone, and she didn’t seem too tired. In all honesty, she was slowing down in order to preserve some of her energy.

Keera nodded when she received the words from HQ, before striding into the city. A strange feeling, small but noticeable, washed over her. She could feel it, the reason that she couldn’t contact the Exorcist. The General turned around, pressing a hand against the air that she’d just passed through. Sure enough, her hand stopped, impossible to turn back now. “The Gods do hate me,” She muttered, turning her back on what lay behind her. “Hey, HQ, you getting my transmission?” No response. The woman made a face. There was really no way back. Dark brown eyes surveyed the town. She flicked the fans open, activating Aingealeite with ease. The black fans glowed with an eerie green light, and the little straps around her gloved wrists tight.

Everywhere she looked, there were Akuma. Her skin crawled, but she strode forward. Her walk quickened to a jog, then a run, then a sprint. She was dashing through the town, desperate to reach the action. The Akuma seemed to get more and more the closer she got to the center of the town. Her feet pounded on the ground, and she could feel each lump as she ran. Her eyes settled on building after building. One seemed pretty surrounded, and she stopped. After kicking the door down, she entered. It was empty, just a few piles of dust and ashes.
“Damn it,” She tore her eyes from the sight, and she continued further into the town. Every now and then, she would spot a living person. They were alive, albeit with blanched faces and trauma etched on their faces.

The town hall, of course. Her eyes narrowed, and she sped up. So far, she’d left the level one Akuma behind, speed more important than killing them right now. The other Exorcists would handle that. As she neared the town hall, there was a scream and the unmistakable sound of death. Keera almost froze, but she forced her muscles onwards. Crashing through the door, she slammed the activated fans together. A great gust of wind ripped at one of the level two Akuma, cutting and slicing. It wasn’t enough to destroy it, but it distracted them. They turned towards her. A smirk curled her lips. “Wind, dance.” The air around sped up, rubbing against the monsters. She concentrated, and one of the two started to smoke, before a gust of wind tore it to shreds. Keera’s black and gold uniform settled, as the wind did. “Isn’t there a Noah here?”

[/blockquote]

[Kenneth Steinberg]

The exorcist’s speed had surprised him. Coming out of nowhere the figure had burst into the clearing in the town center, a harsh and unnatural wind searing round what remained of the black order’s supporters. A glimpse of gold on black, along with the quick reactions and battle readiness, confirmed his suspicions. The Order had sent one of their best, a General had arrived. He stood watching her face off with the level 2’s present, a smile tugging at his grey lips when one of them exploded...This one will do nicely...

“Isn’t there a Noah here?”

As the dust cleared the level 2’s prepared to descend again upon on the General. The lonely figure stood defiant against the large hulking forms of the Akuma, the moonlight illuminating a slim and unmistakably feminine figure clothed in the almost militaristic uniform of the Order. But before the Akuma could move the sound of fingers clicking and a voice reached out, resonating with power as it travelled around the town centre.

“Stop”

The Akuma froze momentarily, before parting to reveal the stage and the man that stood in front of it. Two topaz eyes regarded Keera with a cold curiosity. A lopsided grin tugged at one corner of mouth, showing the white of his teeth in contrast to his ash grey skin and jet black hair. Footsteps echoed as he slowly approached Keera, his white gloved hands clapping slowly.

“My, my, I knew that they would send an exorcist, but not one so skilled...”

His voice was mocking and dripping with sarcasm as he stopped. His eyes coldly looked over her, accessing and calculating...
Those two fans must be her innocence, and by her last display her power revolves around wind. This should be fun...
An explosion in the distance drew his attention momentarily before he turned back and addressed his vassal.

“That’ll be the other exorcist. Leave me this one; she’s too strong for you. Take half the Akuma force and retrieve that innocence. Leave the rest guarding the entrances into town; I don’t want us to be disturbed by other exorcists. Now leave, all of you.”

A simple nod from the young girl and the Akuma took to the rooftops, leaving the town centre oddly empty and deserted. His vassal looked back, concern etched on her face, but Ken simply smiled and waved her off before turning his gaze back upon the General. The two figures stood staring each other down, before Ken shrugged off his jacket. Despite the cold night air he was wearing a white shirt, grey waistcoat and black trouser and shoes. The jacket would have just got in the way and as a Noah he didn’t really feel the cold. When he spoke again his voice was serious and slightly sad, lacking its previous sarcasm.

“It’s a nice night, don’t you think? I almost didn’t want to ruin it, but orders are orders.

He took a few steps closer.

“I apologise, where are my manners? My Name is Kenneth, truly named Joyd. I am curious , you know of the Noah, but what do you actually know about us, Lady Exorcist....?”

[time12108]

A Week Ago:

"Yo, Finder. You don't have to follow me," Arlen yelled back to the Finder from his current position on the mountains beside the town of Kandersteg. Arlen had arrived in town a few days ago. The Finder had immediately filled him in, and Arlen had gotten to work. It hadn't been to hard getting information from the people in town. He was now climbing the mountain with the Finder tagging along.
"I'm fine. I can keep going," the Finder called up. Arlen just lifted an eyebrow and turned to look toward the top of the mountain.
He looked back down with a smirk already in place. "If you say so. I'm no waiting up though." He then started climbing again. He could hear the Finder's yelled pleas to wait, but he ignored them and kept climbing. He wanted to finish the mission and get back as soon as possible.

Arlen reached his destination in no time. He could move faster when he didn't have to worry about the Finders. He took a deep breath and looked around. He was standing on a cliff near the very top of one of the taller mountains. His calculating eyes swept across every visible inch of rock before him. His hand darted back to the scythe resting on his back. The chains rattled a bit when he grabbed it, but he was so used to the sound that he didn't really hear it. A growl from a barely visible cave drew his attention as he lifted the scythe off his back. 'Time to get started then.' An emotionless mask appeared as the Exorcist began his quest for the innocence.

That Morning:

Arlen heaved a heavy sigh before collapsing into a seat at a family restraunt. He had finally gotten down from the mountain that morning. The climb up hadn't been that hard. Finding the innocence hadn't been much of a challenge either. The climb down and securing the wolf innocence had been the hard back. Arlen was racked by a violent shudder at the memory of the entire ordeal. The Finder hadn't made it down either. Arlen let his head fall onto the table with a small thud. His next sigh held a trace of pain from the impact of the table and his head.

On the way down Arlen and the Finder had met up with some Akuma. They wouldn't have been a challenge if a level 2 hadn't been amongst them. Arlen had devoted all of his attention to the level 2, and the Finder was a pile of ashes before he knew it. Another violent shudder ran down Arlen's spine as he thought back to when he saw the Finder burst into ashes. It only reminded him of the family he lost to the Akuma. He let out an annoyed growl.

A bell sounded through the restraunt as a waitress walked up to Arlen's table. Arlen picked his head up off the table to turn and look at the newest costumer to the family restraunt. As soon as Arlen's eyes fell on the costumer an uneasy feeling appeared in his gut. He quickly got to his feet. He barely avoided running into the waitress that had opened her mouth to ask what he wanted. She fell to the ground. "I'm sorry." He left the restraunt as soon as he uttered that saying to the fallen girl.

Once on the street Arlen disappeared down a dark alley. 'There are probably more Akuma around. I should be careful. I'll leave town in a few days. That will give me time to figure out if more Akuma are around or not.' The lone Exorcist looked toward the sky with a frown on his face. The teen knew better than to make rash decisions even though he was known for those. He let out another heavy sigh while leaning against one of the brick walls that created the alley he had run into. 'If only the golem hadn't been destroyed while I was coming down the mountain.'

Arlen was gone when another person walked into the dark alley. He was now situated on the roof of a store near the town hall. A small smile appeared on his face as the wind played with his reddish blonde hair. He hated the color, but he loved the feel of the wind playing with his hair. He just had to wait for night before he began moving around again.

Four Hours Ago

Arlen's eyes narrowed as he listened to the Noah standing on the stage below him. He was currently situated on one of the taller buildings near the Town Hall. He had been moving around trying to avoid being seen by the Akuma. His scythe rested on his back once again. He let out an annoyed growl as the supporters were lined up in front of the Noah. He nearly jumped down to save them then, but his brother's voice echoed in his head. 'Len, don't jump into things. You'll end up dead.' Another growl ripped through his throat as he watched. He barely paid attention to the words of the Noah, but he knew he didn't have much time.

Present:

Arlen leaned against a wall trying to even out his breathing. He had no idea when the first Akuma had spotted him, but he hadn't had a break since then. He turned his head silghtly to see a young girl and a little boy staring at him with wide eyes. 'They're younger than me, and they probably just lost everything like I did.' Arlen's eyes closed for a second. That second would have meant that the two could possibly still be alive. In the second he blinked an Akuma had shot, and the children were now ash.

A savage growl tore through the hot headed Exorcists throat. The silver scythe that had been leaning against the wall next to him was in his hands. A fire burned in his blue eyes as he muttered, "INNOCENCE ACTIVATE!" Blind fury took over as chains attached his hands to the scythe. No thought passed through his fury clouded brain as he attacked the Akuma. He was lucky it was a level 1.

Arlen landed on the ground and turned to watch as the Akuma exploded. He didn't have time to be proud of his victory since the explosion gave his position away to other Akuma, and he had just slipped past quite a few of them. Arlen started taking deep breaths and counting to ten in his head. The normal exercises that Ervin had made him do when they were younger. His fury disappeared and the normal emotionless calmness that came with his innocence activating reappeared. Blank mask in place and scythe in hand Arlen turned to watch the approaching Akuma. 'They'll probably be wanting the innocence. Too bad. I don't feel like sharing.'

[Keera Ufton]

Keera tensed as the level two’s began their descent again. Her left leg swept back backwards, enabling her to stand more firmly. Her arms came up before her, the glowing fans held in two different positions. The first held defensively before her chest, the second offensively in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, glancing at them. Just as she tensed to spring at them, the sound of fingers clicking echoed around her. It was followed by a voice that held power and authority in the single spoken syllable. The one word was an order, one that the Akuma obeyed with no problem.

As they parted, Keera caught sight of a young man with ashen skin and dark hair. The sight of the stigmata on his forehead confirmed her suspicions. There was no way that something this complicated was planned by Akuma. But the hope that there hadn’t been a Noah here was something that the woman had hung onto. Those hopes trashed now, she grit her teeth and stood firm as he walked towards her. She knew that he would try and bait her; in the long run it would work. She had a temper, and she’d never been great at controlling it.

Her mouth was clamped shut, to avoid snapping at him. Her dark eyes regarded him with resentment and glittered with hatred. Her attention was snapped away as there was an explosion in the distance. Her head span around, searching for any sign of the location. She knew that it would be almost impossible to outrun him, but reaching the other Exorcist – or rather the Innocence fragment – was a priority. Her eyes searched, but she found nothing. “Tch,” She closed her eyes, willing the other Exorcist to do what Exorcists did best. While her attention was split, the Noah ordered the Akuma to leave. It seemed that he thought pretty highly of himself.

She turned back to the Noah, staring at him. She was willing him to give her a moment to slip off after the Innocence, keeping it safe was vital to everything. She watched him closely, as he removed his coat. He spoke again, stepping closer to her.
“Joyd,” She muttered, glancing up and down. The honest answer to his question was ‘we know nothing’. Revealing that, would mean that the Black Order had lost its edge. Instead she stayed quiet.

“We know all we need.” Not strictly true, but they knew that they weren’t normal, that they were the enemy and that they were higher up the pecking order than Akuma. Enough to Keera’s mind. She frowned. “What you care about isn’t of any concern to me either. I couldn’t care. At all. What I do care about is getting rid of you then collecting that fragment. So, if you’ll get over yourself that would really help.” She smirked at him, her eyes glinting slightly. He could take it, or he could have a hissy fit.
Keera lifted one fan to her face. She was tempted to go full on, obviously he had impressive abilities if the Akuma listened to him with so little question. Taking him down quickly was the best idea, but she knew nothing of his powers. Going in with something like Hell Fire would be too much, so she nodded to herself. “It’s a cold night.” Her response was similar to someone talking to a stupid child.
The wind picked up, directed at the man – or thing – standing before her. An ability that increased wind speed to generate harmful friction, that’d do nicely. “Wind dance,”

That done, she turned and sped off. “Innocence...”

[/blockquote]

[Kenneth Steinberg]

Idiot!

Up until that point she had been doing well. The chance to assess and test a general was more than he could have hoped for. Whilst it was clear that she wanted to snap at him, the exorcist was controlling herself quite admirably. She even managed to remain glib and sarcastic in the face of the unknown. .Ken had to say he was impressed, but then these characteristics were to be expected from the best that the Order had to offer.

“Get over myself?
Mental note: just the kill the next exorcist you meet, they don’t seem to appreciate common courtesy...

Ken’s smiled widened at her comments and at the resentment in her eyes. Such hatred this one possessed, she could only be General Keera Ufton. The Earl had kept his eye on her. He also suspected she was also lying to him. The Earl already knew that the Order’s historical records were in chaos, the reason and extent of which was yet unknown. His suspicions were confirmed when she directed a pitiful attack against him. His heightened senses detected the change in the winds, the increased speed at which they swirled around and towards him. He had seen this attack before; it had been used when she had first arrived in the town centre. So he already knew what was coming. But he waited. He tensed. Energy flowed through him, ready to allow him to phase through the floor beneath him. But still he waited. The moment Keera turned away from him, not seeing whether her attack even made contact, was when he disappeared.
Being able to choose was a sensation of freedom that no human would understand. It was like being able to fly, which he could if he so wished. The ground below him gave a small resistance, like pushing through a thin wall of water. As he sunk completely beneath the street he quickly ran a quick check. The exposed skin on his neck felt raw, so did the flesh on his upper arms and shoulders. So he hadn’t escaped completely unharmed, but a little pain was nothing to worry about. Rejecting the particles around him, he streaked under the ground beneath Keera’s feet. The ground rushed past and whistled in his ears, a sensation not too dissimilar to sticking your head out of a car window. When he was several feet in front of her, he resurfaced. Springing out of the ground like an ash coloured jack-in-the-box, a feral smile displayed all of his teeth as he looked the shocked general.

“If you hadn’t noticed, this is a war we’re in. Since I have the feeling we’ll be encountering each other often, I have a word of advice. Never take your eyes off the enemy. Not unless you know they are dead.”

He landed on the ground, bracing his knees slightly at the impact.

“ I suppose you must be a modern day Winters Zokalo, never understood why the Order made that man a general. He was more of a monster than we were...anyway...you’re not leaving this dance until I'm finished.

He turned his palms facing the Exorcist with his arms stretched out in the form of the crucifix. Purple butterflies began to sprout and unfold from his body, before they burst forth in a great tide and swarmed towards the General.


Mean while:

Emily, Ken’s level two vassal, sat silently a street away from the exorcist. She turned briefly towards where her Lord was fighting the enemy general. She hoped he was ok; she hated not being able to fight by side. But he had given her orders to carry out, and they would be completed. The plan had come to her in a flash a brilliance, an inspiration from god even. She would pretend to be an innocent, to fool the exorcist. Based on his previous reactions, he would be unable to resist coming to rescue her then. Then she would kill him and bring the innocence to her master. Turning to face a level one Akuma, she nodded to indicated she was ready to begin. She screamed as load as she, before backing away from the bullets of the Akuma.

“HELP ME!"

[time12108]

"HELP ME!"

Arlen paused. His arm stretched out into front of him and his back arched. The call still hung in air around him. It hadn't taken him long to manuever through the few Akuma that had gathered since the first explosion, but many more were appearing. 'Why do I always get myself in these kinds of situations? Ervin would scold me about being rash.' No emotion slid onto his pale face even though his thoughts were a million miles away.

Arlen shook his head quickly to rid himself of unneccessary thoughts. The call flashed back to the front of his brain. It had gotten pushed back when Arlen started thinking about his dead twin. He turned his eyes toward the direction the sound had come from. 'Is someone still alive? Guess I should go see. Hmm... Guess I get more fun with the Akuma.'

"Blood Moon!"

Arlen's scythe glowed red, and the Exorcist seemed to be absorbed by the red haze that seemed to flow out of the sword. The haze crawled across the land like the Wandering Jew. This time the attack was to be left incomplete. Arlen was only staging so that he could get to the one that had called out faster. The call flashed through his mind again as he turned to stick his tongue out at the Akuma still staring at were the red haze continued to stream out from. It reminded the Exorcist of a waterfall. He set off in the direction of the scream without another look at the spewing waterfall of red haze or the Akuma.

Arlen made his way down a rather gloomy and depressing alley. He paused at the end of the alley. He immediately caught sight of a girl being aimed at by a level 1 Akuma. He narrowed his now poisonous looking blue eyes. His grip on Aengus tightened considerably as he glared at the Akuma. He needed to move, but Ervin's words haunted him. He just rolled his eyes and muttered, "I'm the rash one. I don't plan. I act." A wild smile appeared on the normally emotionless face as he turned to look at the rusted metal ladder beside him.

Arlen placed the silver scythe back on his back. The chains were once again wrapped around the annoying weapon. It was more of a pain when he tried to go on trips. He began climbing the ladder as quickly as he could. He didn't want the Akuma to shot while he was preparing for his hero-like entrance. It was always good to impress the ladies. The emotion slid off his face again as he climbed onto the top of the building. He knew that the windows and most of the bottom floors were unstable. One stray bullet and the building would collapse. "Good thing I'm not staying here long."

Arlen once again lifted Aengus off his back. The chains once again clanked and clattered as they attached his hand to Aengus' softly glowing shaft. Arlen smirked before walking to the edge of the building. He didn't really have to worry about being caught now. The Akuma already knew he was there. He stopped at the edge of the building and looked down at the Akuma and girl. 'Time to get to work.'

"Crimson Chains!"

[Keera Ufton]

Keera frowned, she suspected that losing him wouldn’t be so easy. She never expected the ashen figure to practically pop out of the ground before her. Like a sinister cartoon rabbit, he had just risen from some unseen whole in the ground. She skidded to a halt, her eyebrows knitting together with both confusion and anger. He didn’t seem to be one that she could deal with quickly. She stood before him, her fans raised defensively once more. His smile almost sent shivers down her spine. He was, by far, worse than any Akuma she had come into contact with.
He landed back on the ground, opening his mouth to speak again. Keera normally found words trivial in moments like this, but this was the first encounter with a Noah since records had been lost. She’d be expected to report every detail back. He told her everything she knew, and a little more. She knew that showing him her back was not wise, but she didn’t see the distinct disadvantage. If he meant about fazing through the floor... well that could be a problem. He even compared her to Winters Zokalo, not an ideal comparison. For a moment she looked affronted, but returned to the determined face in seconds.

He knew her name. That was a thought that swam through her mind as she watched him send what seemed like a small legion of purple butterflies swarming after her. “Tch,” She frowned, dark eyes glinting. Usually she would just go for a normal attack, brush them out of her way, but these things had come from inside

[/b] the Noah. They weren’t normal, that was for sure. “Chránič,” The word escaped her lips almost silently, the invisible shield of air cocooning her. It served to stop the butterflies from getting to her.
She was tense now, aware that defeating this Kenneth, or Joyd, would take more time than she had. Releasing the shield, the air dispersed. Keera stood, facing the male with steel in her eyes. “That’s quite a speech." Her voice was clipped, British. “Now, let me make my own.” One hand stayed before her, but the other fell to her side.

“Comparing me to the old General Zokalo, that’s quite an insult. He used to enjoy killing the Akuma, he found it fun,” She spat on the ground. “People like that are rubbish. They don’t deserve titles like General. As for how much I know, the same could go for you. How much do you know about me? Other than my name, which isn’t my darkest secret.” She moved the fan to cover her mouth, tossing her hair out of her face. Beneath the fringe, her eye was tired. The place where an eyebrow had been was now red, raw and burnt. “I’ll leave this dance, when I say so.”

Keera closed one eye, calculating. He seemed immune to things. Like gravity, like how solid the ground was. It was an ability that would be a problem. He also seemed to be able to generate a small army of purple butterflies, but what they did she wasn’t sure. Both of these were hard to see through. Her eyes slid to where the golem flapped, watching it all. Good, she smiled behind the fan, it’s recording.
She resumed her more sturdy position once more. Flicking her right wrist slightly, she built up energy and used her Innocence to direct a strong gust at Kenneth. Then she bent her knees slightly and jumped into the air, falling towards him. As she did so, she drew her fans around, spinning so that the metal edges would smack the enemy.
“I doubt a newcomer like you could kill this body, kid.”
[/size][/font][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Kenneth Steinberg]

She didn’t destroy the teez, is she unable to?

Some had been obliterated on impact; the rest had created a swirling cyclone around the exorcist before dispersing. They hung, slowly flapping their wings in the cold moonlight. Turning his attention back to Keera he barely managed to stop himself laughing when he saw her reaction. Obviously comparing her to Winters had struck a nerve.
He tilted his head as he listened to her. She was partially correct. He may not have known much about her, but the Earl did. Millennium had kept an eye on this exorcist; Ken wished that lardass had been a little more forthcoming with his motives. But then that was how the Earl was, at least at this stage. Ken had the impression that there were several avenues of choice for The Earl to take, but he hadn’t yet made up his mind. At the mention of dark secretes Ken’s interest piqued and he focused back on her, curious as to the unusual scar above her left eye. He followed her dark eyes, noticing for the first time the small form of Keera’s golem.

Hmm, I didn’t know one of those things was hanging around. Last thing I need is the Black Order science divison picking apart my abilities. That thing is going to have go!

He grimaced and hissed as a strong gust of wind flowed past his already raw skin. His topaz eyes flicked back to Keera...or at least where she had been. His face blanked before registering surprise.

Damn it, stay focused! Where did she go?

“I doubt a newcomer like you could kill this body, kid”

He looked up, in time to see her falling towards him out of the blue night sky.

At least she isn't running away this time.

Time seemed to slow as Keera fell through the air, her jacket rippling in the wind. The sharp edges of her fans glinted in the moonlight as they were angled towards Ken. Standing impassively he simple watched her approach. His arms remained at his side for a moment, upturned gloved palms surrounded by a deep purple corona. At the last moment he raised his arms above his head, palms facing up and slid his left foot back across the cobbled street to brace against the impact.
His palms met with the sharp edges of Keera’s fans, causing sparks and what looked like discharges of green and purple electricity. The sound of a small explosion echoes around the town centre, followed by a wave of pressure as the two opposing energies collide and struggle to overpower the other. Ken’s feet slide back and the muscles in his arms screamed at the jarring impact and sudden weight. He grimaced, grinding his teeth as the impact travelled along the raw flesh of his upper arms and shoulders. Dark mauve lightening coursed between his hands, forming a network that solidified into an unsheathed, black blade that resembled a Japanese Nodachi. For a moment time stood still, Keera remained suspended in air above Ken, held up by his inhuman strength. Two topaz eyes slowly regard her with curiosity before a genuinely warm smile spreads across his dark face.

“When did I say anything about killing you? The Earl would be very disappointed in me if I did that, your important to him...for some reason or another. Plus, you are the first Exorcist I’ve fought who’s given me a challenge and has not died within the first 5 minutes.”

With that he gave way and the two combatants slowly fell towards the ground. But rather than hitting the ground and having Keera land on top of him, Ken phased through the floor, the white of his smile being the last thing Keera saw before he disappeared.
Within the ground things were quiet. No explosions, no founds of battle, only the pounding of the blood vessels in his ears could be heard. Keera was finally beginning to get interesting, but unfortunately he did not have the time to see what power she truly possessed. That would have to wait for another encounter. Time was running out. He needed to destroy the innocence fragment and to do that he would have incapacitated Keera. Rising from the ground he resurfaced behind Keera. His voice rang out, serious and calm as he reached for her hair, with the intention of grasping it and pulling her towards him.

“Time to finish this, General Ufton”

Meanwhile

It didn’t take the scythe wielding exorcist long to find the Akuma. Emily’s blue eyes stayed transfixed upon the boy as he stood on the edge of the building, the sound of his chains causing the Akuma to turn and regard the boy emotionlessly. They exchange stares for a brief moment, before the Akuma roared and fired. Its first salvo shredded the lower levels of the building, causing it to begin collapsing. It carried on shooting, its shells moving further up the crumbling carcass of the wooden house until they reached Arlen's position. A smile broke across Emily's olive skinned face.

There's no way he survived that...

[time12108]

Arlen raised one eyebrow a the Akuma began to shot. He cast one look down at the girl on the ground before turning his eyes to the destruction. He almost let a smirk slip onto his face as he watched the bullets getting closer to his position. He held his scythe by the chain and just watched the destruction coming closer and closer. A smirk did slip onto his normally emotionless face as he jumped up.

Arlen continued to smirk as he swung the scythe toward the bullets. He was no longer standing on the roof of the building, but he would still be in harm's way if the bullets hit. He barely kept himself from laughing as Aengus' blade cut through the bullets. He wasn't paying attention to how far from the ground he was though. He hit the ground hard with his feet, but his legs gave way. He landed with a loud thud and a bruised pride. 'That hurt.'

Arlen looked around with narrowed blue eyes. He wasn't in the mood to put up with the Akuma after his disappointing landing. He turned his eyes to the girl and watched her for a few seconds. 'Len, don't forget about the enemy.'[/i] Ervin's ever constant and nagging voice brought Arlen back to his senses. He quickly hopped to his feet and turned his anger filled blue eyes to the level 1 Akuma.

"Did you really think that would be enough, stupid Akuma?" he asked in his creepingly cold voice. The voice he only used when addressing an Akuma. He did use it with superiors sometimes though but only if they really annoyed him. His smirk had oce again disappeared, and he was now shooting the Akuma with his best death glare. His face was once again almost completely emotionless. "Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson."

Arlen tugged the chain connecting him to Aengus, and the scythe immediately started flying toward him. He caught it with a well practiced gace before letting his face turn completely blank. 'Time to pay for all the damage you've created, Akuma. Without another thought Arlen once again launched himself into the air. This time he planned to just straight out attack the Akuma. He didn't feel like trying out anymore fancy tricks on the pathetic Akuma. He just wanted it gone as soon as possible.

[Keera Ufton]

Keera frowned, her fans pushing against Kenneth’s palms. Her Innocence glowed, sparking against his purple hands. She was horribly aware that, even though all of her weight was pressed down on him, it would be so easy for him to turn the tables on her. She frowned, watching his face, then his arms, then what she could see of his legs. Her grip on the dark fans tightened; her knuckles white. As she watched, the purple energy created what looked like some sort of Asian weapon, an unsheathed sword. She met his gaze, surprised at his smile.
He spoke, but the only registered as words. Their meaning not clear. Then, she was crashing down to the ground. She fell, landing on her front. Pain wracked her body, her knees bruised. Her hands, she took a moment to release the fans. They hung from her wrists by black straps, dangling there. In the green glow she could feel bruises already forming, the material of her left glove ripped, a little blood staining the fabric. The injury was nothing new to her; it was the downside of using fans, but so early on...

“Tch,” She muttered, her teeth grinding together. She flipped her wrists, catching the fans as they flew to her hands. Although the metal was comforting she was on edge, her heartbeat racing. He had mentioned that he wasn’t going to kill her, because the Millennium Earl was... interested in her? That thought alone was enough to make anyone shiver. It was curious, but not in the good way. Then, he had... praised her? No, that wasn’t right. He had mentioned about how she had given him a challenge. ‘Well, I should, being a General,’ She reminded herself, her expression creasing into the familiar frown.
Kenneth had sunk into the floor. Again, this was a disadvantage. She had no idea where he could be, and she stood, looking all around. From what she had seen so far it was impossible to tell where he was once he’d vanished like that, but he was probably still in the floor. If that was true then she would be better off in the air. Suspending herself was not something she had tried before, but she closed her eyes for a mere second to concentrate.

“Eh-!” Keera yelped, pain flashing through her eyes. Something, or someone, had grabbed the braids that hung behind her head. Using that, she was being pulled backwards. At the same time, Joyd’s voice rang out, clear and calm. She cursed under her breath. She was not about to cut her hair now, not for this piece of rubbish. “I thought I told you earlier,” Her voice matched his calm, although her eyes would have betrayed her had she been facing him. “I’ll leave when I say I will.” Ignoring the pain from her head, she twisted, a leg reaching out to kick him in the side. She didn’t know how well something as simple as that would work though, so she flicked her right hand, sending the airstream from his left towards him. If she was right, it would push him further into the kick.
The Innocence fragment. It was close by; the sounds of battle weren’t just coming from where she was. She was worried, what if the Exorcist couldn’t hold his ground against the level two’s Kenneth had sent after the fragment. Despite everything, the goal of the two fighting was the same. To obtain the fragment. The only difference was that Kenneth would destroy it. Each fragment was important, each fragment could be the heart. Keera gulped, trying to put what little faith she had into the fighting Exorcist.

[/blockquote]

[Kenneth Steinberg]

He couldn’t help but grin like a hyena at Keera’s plaintive little yelp as he pulled her by her hair. The sudden elation he felt whilst inflicting pain on this Exorcist was a sign he was enjoying himself too much. Despite his superior strength he held back, trying not to tear out any of her beautiful hair out. Entwining his gloved hand through her soft braids, he was surprised that he could feel his own blood coating Keera’s black hair. The impact on his palms had caused his gloves to rip and had torn the skin of his hands. They were shallow, nothing serious and the pain held focused his mind like a razor. Several similar wounds were staining the sleeves of his shirt a crimson red.

As he continued to pull her towards him, he was surprised by her sudden movement. Especially with the wind from her innocence pushing him towards her approaching leg. These factors, however, did not improve its chance of success. Letting go of the dark blade in his free hand, his other hand shot towards Keera’s leg. Something burst from his palm, leaving a wake of vaporised blood hanging in the air as four large, red and black striped wings unfurled from his palm. Keera’s leg made contact with his mid-rift. However, instead of a jarring impact that would cause Ken to move sideways and let go of her hair, her leg simple passed through the muscles of his abdomen, where it was caught by the blur of Ken’s hand. Grasping her shin with strong, thin fingers, the skeletal face of the teeze pressed against the fabric of her tights. He left it there for a moment, allowing her to feel the teeth of the teeze trying to bite into her flesh, before twisting her head and briefly lifting his palm away from her leg so she could see. The golden skull of the teeze squeaked and chattered its teeth as its single, purple eye focused on Keera’s face. Gripping her leg again, he slid his hand up towards the band of exposed skin, grasping the muscles of her thigh.

“You have no choice. Look at you! You’re nothing, your innocence enhanced strength is pathetic compared to that of a Noah, your life belongs to me! You have no idea how easy it would be to kill you right now, Keera. Whilst I’ll admit, you have been an excellent dance partner, I am afraid that I’ve given you enough chances and now you have run out of time.

I bet you're wondering what just burst out of my palm. They’re called Teeze. They're golems that the Earl made for Tyki Mikk, over a hundred years ago. They have a beautiful design, don’t you think? They are the same as the little purple ones, but they have a much bigger appetite...and do you know what they have a special taste for?...Human flesh...”

Meanwhile...

Emily sat and watched the fight with an insatiable curiosity. Despite initial impressions, the exorcist was taking a long time to deal with this weak and stupid level one Akuma. Maybe this would be easier than she thought. At this rate he might simply be killed by the Akuma, leaving her plan of ambush unnecessary. Watching his movements she wondered if his new approach of charging head on would yield him any results, other than a pointless death. As Arlen launched himself at the Akuma, it levelled all its guns at the approaching figure and fired. A blinding indigo flash enveloped the street, temporarily blinding all those who looked at it.

[time12108]

’Perfect.’ That was the only thought that passed through Arlen’s mind as the Akuma shot. It would have been better if he feared for his life. Prayed to be forgiven or begged for mercy. Those things weren’t befitting of an Exorcist though, and his pride wouldn’t allow him to do such things. He couldn’t even bring himself to imagine such things. The images were powerful enough that he wouldn’t be able to look his superiors in the eyes for weeks -- maybe even months. He just couldn’t bring himself to do things like that… especially not with a level 1 Akuma. He had killed enough of them that he wasn’t really worried about his current opponent. He was just looking for a game to play, and his victim seemed like a good playmate. He was positively pissed now though, and he didn’t care for his game anymore. Someone else would have lasted longer and humored the poor Akuma some more, but Arlen had had enough. The light from the Akuma’s barrage of fire was just what Arlen needed.

The boy’s fit landed on top of the Akuma. His training wasn’t a joke. He knew how to kill Akuma. He wasn’t a weakling. He had spent three long years with the Black Order already, and he wouldn’t allow himself to die from a level 1’s bullet. The boy’s face was completely blank. No emotion even filtered across his eyes. He seemed to be hollow now. A being without a soul of his own. Or possibly a person that had lost their reason to hang onto life. Arlen had lost his reason once, but he had a new one. He wouldn’t be losing to some pathetic Akuma any time soon. He had a mission to finish, and he would finish it. He wouldn’t let some pesky little bullet and pathetic Akuma beat him. He had spent too much time training to let that happen, and he still needed to avenge his family -- even if he had hated them. He still owed them… especially Ervin, his twin and the one that kept him from going through with all his stupid ideas.

Arlen let the scythe tap the Akuma. He had to let it know he was still there. He let a smirk settle on his face. He didn’t feel anything though. He was just going through the motions. He had learned the motions long ago, and they now occurred automatically. He let the tip of the scythe’s blade tap out a small rhythm against the Akuma. He wanted the Akuma to be extremely aware of how close to death it was. A little game he played. A game he actually enjoyed most of the time. He was only going through with it now because of habit. He was in his most passive state now, but he was somehow finding it easy to go through his normal ritual. ”I think I’ve been underestimated.” The teen tilted his head to the side with a sneer replacing his smirk. ”It isn’t good to do that, pathetic little Akuma. It leads to your death. It always does. Are you ready to die now?” The last was a rhetorical question. He didn’t expect an answer. The Akuma’s death would be answer enough, and the death would be the answer he wanted to the question. He didn’t care what the Akuma thought. The soul would only be able to move on when the Akuma was killed. The pale young boy held the scythe in front of him. His eyes focused on the Akuma below him. He kept a firm grip on the scythe’s shaft as he brought the blade toward the Akuma.