Amelia could only watch as Nora comforted herself and tried to remain calm. If she was being honest, Amelia felt the exact same way but she had been given assignments enough to remain calm during them. Though a part of her wished she could go along and help the others, she knew she was nothing more then a burden at this point. The fact that Nora had a sacred gear meant that even though she was new, Nora was probably more powerful then Amelia by default.

Pushing such thoughts aside before she got too lost in them, Amelia turned her attention to Nora as her companion addressed her.
"It could, but I don't know exactly what we'll be able to do. Talking is the best option and finishing off that cake while Ixy is gone might be another one. Though, if our target attacks here for some reason, it would be rather bad if we ran around with full stomachs." Amelia said, her tone thoughtful. "So, I guess just talking is our best bet, unless you can think of something else we can do."

Hakuryu had spent much of his time scouting the ground away from Auriola and Dimitri. He'd thought it best if they didn't stick too close together. He was quiet, surveying the area, paying close attention to his surroundings as he'd been taught. Maybe, it was sheer coincidence. Maybe, it was the draw of a magic. The fact remained that he'd felt... Something. Something was pushing him towards one building in particular. The old library. He took a breath as he approached it. There was an odd air about the area. It felt horrible, terrifying really. But even so, Hakuryu felt excited. He couldn't explain it. He knew it was dangerous, but even so he threw a small flare, a little firework you could easily get your hands on and forced his way through the door.

A devil using the front door. Who'd have thought? He chuckled quietly to himself as he moved forward slowly, cautiously goingfurther into the depths of the library. He knew he should have waited for Auriola or Dimitri or somebody to come as back up, but he couldn't help himself. He kept pressing onward until he saw something. A girl standing over a large circle of some kind. "What is that?" He asked, his voice hushed as he attempted to make sense of it. He was hiding behind one of the stacks, though as he pressed against it, a loose book from one of the shells fell off. Even so, he was so entranced that he didn't even notice it.

@AdmrlStalfos19

Auriola let out a tiny smile, before she ruffled Dimitri's hair for a moment. "That's adorable...don't worry, we can talk all about it when we're done. I've read plenty of guides on how to make a date go smoothly for research purposes. And, women are tricky. I cannot say for sure, since this outer shell is really only made to look female, but I'll do my best to assist you. For now, yes, the mission takes importance," the gynoid said before one of her fingers started being tugged at, eyes going a bit wide. "Target found." she said, as she started following the direction of one of her Observers.

---

@Demon Shinobi

As Hakuryu observed the girl at work with the ritual, the book that had fallen was deftly caught by a silent observer, a miniature copy of Auriola in the likeness of a cylinder-bodied doll. Having found Hakuryu, and the strange ritual occurring, the Observer figured that it was best to call for backup, and as such plucked on the almost invisible string that connected her to Auriola. Having felt proud at keeping Hakuryu's location a secret, she figured that now, she should be a distraction for him.

Gingerly placing the book down, the observer glided along the ground silently, before reaching another bookshelf, hurriedly climbing atop it in order to make sure that she could be as distracting as possible. Grabbing a glass from a nearby table, she quickly smashed it against the ground, before gliding away, slow enough to make sure the ritual caster was aware of her presence, hugging a corner and staring at her, crimson eyes gleaming in the dark.

"So you've come have you like moths to a flame," Prelati said her voice soft carrying a bit airy in tone. "I'm afraid I can't let devils run around in my soon to be paradise so I must ask you to leave and never grace this place with your presence again." She continued staring at the ones who intruded but seeing nothing in her line of sight beyond a fleeing doll? "Ah I see using toys to do your scouting certainly something else but nothing that I haven't prepared for." With a snap of her fingers suits of armour stepped out ranging in various sizes from a hulking towering figure easily able to scrap the ceiling with its head to more human-sized ones and finally a smaller one no bigger than a small dog. With a nary a word but a snap of a figure, they moved searching the library for any other intruders as the smallest one went after the doll that was spying on her. "I won't let you devils ruin my plan not yet not till it's too late." She said with an evil grin spread across her face.

@AdmrlStalfos19 @The Irish Tree @Demon Shinobi

---

"That's adorable...don't worry, we can talk all about it when we're done. I've read plenty of guides on how to make a date go smoothly for research purposes. And, women are tricky. I cannot say for sure, since this outer shell is really only made to look female, but I'll do my best to assist you. For now, yes, the mission takes importance."

"Oh thank goodness," Dimitri breathed a sigh of relief as Auriola added that last bit. Anything to delay talking about how spectacularly he failed with that one night stand, he could appreciate. Right now, though, he too should concentrate on the mission.

Now that he thought, Dimitri did send a swarm of bats to scout out the entire town prior to their conversation; with each one hovering around the outside of each building looking in. Not the most effective way to gain information, but certainly more subtle than homing the entire swarm on just the old library. On top of that, it covered the off-chance that Prelati would not be there at the library any more. Perhaps this time, Dimitri could actually spot the target before...

"Target found." ...perhaps not. The vampire could only shake his head.

"You beat me every time," he stated, before putting on his game face, "Alright, then; let's go."

...

About half-way into their sprint towards the old library, the bat that had previously stationed itself there returned to Dimitri, and perched itself on its shoulder. There, it was able to show him what it had saw; the first thing he noted being Prelati's new body.

"Wait, hold on... I strictly remember Prelati being male," Dimitri said, perplexity evident in his voice, before turning to Auriola, "Was that not what we were informed?"

There was additional, more important information that the bat relayed. Prelati had also managed to amass an army of autonomous suits of armor, all of various sizes. Most were about the size one would expect, but there were also some very small suits, and even one whose size the library was barely able to contain. It was likely Prelati made this army in response to having been discovered, in which case Dimitri and Auriola would be in for a fight the second they got there. Information obtained, Dimitri turned to the bat on his shoulder.

"Go now; contact Ixveria and let her know we've engaged the enemy," he instructed as he ran.

Sure enough, the bat took off, flying back to base.

...

Dimitri and Auriola managed to make it to the old library, and would already be staring down the brigade of armor suits. Hakuryu had also been there already by the looks of it, which as of this moment was probably a good thing; they needed all the help they could get.

"I've got this overbearing one," Dimitri informed the others, "Auriola, Haku, can I trust you two to cover for me?"

A simple nod of the head would've sufficed as an answer, but in any case, the fight was on. Dimitri looked up at the gargantuan suit of armor. He was easily the tallest of the three peerage members that were present, yet this autonomous suit that he was challenging was even able to dwarf him of all people. But he wasn't afraid; after all, the bigger they were, the harder they fell.

Dimitri began by gathering the swarm of bats that he summoned earlier, and having them converge at attack the giant suit's head and shoulder area. Their strikes wouldn't inflict much damage, especially not to a being that size, but it'd be more than enough to serve as a distraction. Then, while the suit would be futilely swatting away at the bats, Dimitri charged straight for one of its legs, and aimed his shoulder and Shadow Blinked just as he was closing in, his body turning corporeal again right when said shoulder would make contact. The idea was that, between his superhuman strength and the sheer speed his body was travelling at through the effects of the Shadow Blink, Dimitri would crash into the suit's leg with enough force to trip it over, where it would be infinitely more vulnerable.

No, no. Talking is fine. I don't mind talking," Nora replied, flattening the skirt of her school uniform to give her hands something to do. If Amelia hadn't already figured it out, she was quite the nervous wreck when it came to interacting with almost anyone. "So how did you first meet everyone here? Did you... die too?" she asked.

As she listened to Amelia's story, despite whether it was long or short, Nora would find that her uniform was already too tidy to do anything with and chose to switch to eating more of that leftover cake. Otherwise she would just begin fidgeting and feeling more awkward trying to simply communicate with her classmate.

Amelia was silent for a few seconds before after Nora asked her how she had met Ixy and if she had died. After the pause, the young Dhampir let out a harsh laugh.
"No, I didn't die. If I had, it would've been a mercy." She said before her expression softened and she looked rather pensive. "Please understand, I wasn't born human. As well as being a demon, I'm a Dhampir, a half vampire. My mother was human, my father was the vampire. And vampires are less the pleasant people at the best of times.

If you really want to know my story, I'll tell you. But the short version is that I'm more sensitive to sunlight then the rest of my kind and after some event, my father chained me to a rock in the middle of the forest where the sun would always shine on me and I suffered for many days before Ixy found me half dead and almost burnt to a crisp. Needless to say, I accepted her contract when it was offered to me."

@AdmrlStalfos19 @Demon Shinobi

"It seems to be a trend going on; Famous historical figures suddenly being found to be women. We can assume Ixveria's information was based on interpreted history...or maybe this little thing before us is just something he made on his deathbed." Auriola said, before she relized that they'd been spotted.

The tiny observer in Auriola's image was delighted as the tiny suit of armor chased after her, giggling slightly before it stopped, flinging itself into a hug. Regardless of whether it was impaled by a sword or not, the doll would suddenly glow brightly. "Bye-Bye!" it sung in Auriola's voice before detonating, the force of the blast completely destroying the armored thing before her, the doll left as nothing but a pile of ash. Feeling her connection sever, Auriola recalled all her dolls in an instant, before returning to her Zero Drive.

"Hakuryu. Do not worry about us. Right now, we are in need of someone to stop whatever it is that Prelati is doing." she said, before she held her right arm out, the mass turning into a gargantuan sword once more, before a bubbly air overtook Auriola's disposition. "Don't worry Demi! Chastity-chan's got your back!" she almost sang, swinging her sword hard against the stomach of one of the knight armors, completely cleaving it in two as if it were made of paper. Dancing gracefully through the battlefield, her sword aim could use a bit of work, given that a few of Dimitri's bats would find themselves almost split in two as well. Hakuryu might find it safer to go after Prelati than to stick close to Chastity at this rate...

Regardless, she'd cover Dimitri to the best of her abilities. And cover the ground in scraps of metal. And almost collapse the building from all the collateral damage.

Hakuryu had been shocked by the sudden appearance of the mini droid, one of Auriola's he'd remembered. Lucky he hadn't attacked. However, the voice of Prelati brought him back to his sense. And then, as though the shock of the little bot hadn't been enough, he immediately came face to face with one of the many suits of armors that filled the library.

"Tch..." he sucked his teeth as he turned quickly. He put his right hand up, using his forearm to block a swing from the suit of armor. He brought his left fist up in almost a single fluid motion. "Fudou Sajinbaku!" His fist seemed to spin as it made contact with the suit of armor. Nakajima-Sensei might have obliterated the armor with this move, but he wasn't quite there. He felt it as soon as he made contact. Even so, the Armor, though it was a bit larger than him, lifted off the ground and flew up into the ceiling.

There was another, it wasn't too big, but a smaller one had already gone after the drone. Now, Roundhouse Kick. He then though as he shifted his weight, swinging his leg in a semi-circle like motion. The kick that connecting with the mid section of the armor sent it sent it flying into the stacks to the right of Hakuryu and the armor itself. The young man took a breath, satisfied with the move as the stack began to tip over. It would fall, but likely knock over another suit of armor or two. However, he wasn't so stupid as to believe he could win this battle on his own. Though, the sound of the first suit of armor crashing down onto the floor just after his attack on the second suit was quite the confidence boost.

Still, he was lucky that Dimitri and Auriola arrive almost immediately as he turned back to face was was easily the largest suit of armor there. Dimitri seemed determined to take on the hulking behemoth right away. He could likely handle it. "I'll back you..." he had begun his confirmation of dimitri's orders, but stopped when Auriola spoke. She was right. Somebody would need to stop Prelati.

"You're right Auriola." Hakuryu said with a quick nod and a smirk before running past the group. "Sorry about the mess by the way!" he called back to the two noting the fallen book stacks and mess of armor pieces on the floor. He was charging right ahead, prepared to stopped Prelati. Though he had no idea how to do that. Maybe all he would have to do is put her out of commission himself.

"Prelati, if that is who you really are, I'll give you a chance to surrender." He said simply. "Or I'm gonna have to put you down."

Prelati - Abandoned Library

"Silly devils you far away form being able to beat me," Prelati said a hand covering her mouth as she lets out a laugh. "Than again you silly devils always had a habit coming like moths to the flame always drawn but what you think is right or invading your territory your pride demands it after all. But it makes you predictable oh so predictable but I guess that's just how your filthy race is." She continued rattling on like a stereotypical villain. Though she was by far defenceless as she was doing this golems came out of the woodwork more crawling out. Each golem was the size of a human clad in armour that looked like a mix of the traditional knight and centurion armour. Each golem stood in front of her a sword in front of them in a knights salute. For all her talk she there was little doubt she was able to back her bravado in numbers.

School building - Ixveria

Ixveria sighed as she got the quick notice it seems Prelati was proving he was worthy of his legends after all. With a quick nod to the bat of Dimitri, she set out but first, she had to grab Amelia and Nora. It was time to show this alchemist that this was her territory and she did not appreciate him on her land. "Amelia, Nora get ready they need reinforcements" Ixveria called out to her remaining pieces in her left hand her favoured sword a Muramasa blade appeared in her hand. It was time to go with little thought she jumped up and walked towards the door.

Nora's eyes widened in shock and pity as Amelia told her story. She could never imagine her father doing anything as cruel as that to her, even if the man somehow discovered that she had now become a devil. How anyone could ever override their maternal or paternal instinct and commit such a grievous act was beyond her. "I... I'm sorry to hear that. I can't imagine what something like that would be like. It sounds excruciating."

As the newbie Rook tried to think of something more to say in the hopes of showing her deep sympathy for her fellow devil, Ixveria's messenger bat would suddenly fly through the window to the club. Having been told to defend their home at all costs and seeing something suddenly enter unannounced, Nora's immediate response was to jump up in fright and attempt to use her sacred gear. A trail of crystalline stalactites would rush toward the "invader," though it would be flying much to high for any to actually hit their target.

"Bastards!" Hakuryu shouted as he continued his charge forward. Prelati wouldn't be easy to get to. He might have hated this kind of a battle of attrition. He'd much rather go head to head. "Hide behind these piles of junk all you want!" He shouted as he drove a powerful kick into side of a knight that attempted to get in his way. Even so, another row of them came to him. "We'll get you either way!" He growled a hint of aggression growing in his voice. He stared down the row of knights and cracked his knuckles. This was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.

First Stance: Basaltic Fist. Hakuryu took a breath, his eyes closed. He could feel an attack coming at him from one of the knights before him. Then, his eyes snapped open. He stepped forward his left arm extended partway, bent at the elbow the palm side of his fist facing upward a he pivoted his body. He turned at the waist thrusting his right fist forward to deliver a powerful punch to the chest plate of the armor, interrupting his enemy's attack. Second Stance: Phoenix Kick. He continue forward. Hakuryu had shifted his weight onto his left leg, lifting his right only to bring it down before him. He kicked the ground, the force creating a powerful shockwave. The knight before him was surrounded by the wave that rose upward from the ground. The knight was a bit too large to be lifted off the ground, which might have happened with a lesser being, but it was still rocked off balance. And so, Hakuryu pressed forward.

A few knights came at him as he continued his assault. They would attack all at once. He needed to be very careful as he moved on. Third Stance: White Tiger's Dance. He began with a punch, transitioning into a high kick, lean back, dodge, right punch, forward, twist and left kick, chop with the right, left hook, forward, right low kick, right upper kick, left body, right punch to bring them down.

The teens movements lulled for a moment as he prepared for the next stance. He didn't have much time, but he could do this. He practiced often. And even though he had been accumulating damage, cuts and bruises here and there, he wasn't about to back down now. Fourth Stance. With the first three forms he'd created the flow of air. He had to take control of it. The young man moved to manipulate it as he'd been taught, as he'd seen his master do on multiple occasions. Blue Dragon's... He swallowed, moving to drive the "dragon" forward in the direction of his mental opponent. Storm! The flow of air, the beast he'd created, became something of a driving force. It "ate" through the series of armors standing in his wake as it moved towards Prelati. It was powerful, though not as powerful as when his master performed it. He still had a long way to go. Even so, it was impressive to watch as it hurdled towards his target.

With any luck it would hit her and end this mission, but it was possible a large enough armor would stop it. That wouldn't stop the wanton destruction it caused throughout the library. He was sure it wouldn't hurt Auriola and Dimitri. But even so, normally, Hakuryu shouldn't have, and wouldn't have taken that risk. He was acting strange. It had been happening occasionally whenever in the middle of a spar or battle. His aggression rose and he became more reckless, more ruthless. He didn't seem to notice on average though and he was back to normal almost immediately. It was something that might warrant investigation if anybody noticed.