[IC] Guilty Gear: X-tinction

[Salroka]

The time for talk was over. Raphaella had waited three days for the contingent of Holy Knights to arrive at the palace, and that was two days too long. "I'm leaving, father. If the Sacred Order doesn't want to help, I'll do it myself" and before the King could open his mouth, his daughter had turned and started running toward the nearest exit. He knew it was pointless to call the guard to stop her, as she had become an incredibly proficient fighter and would likely brush them aside like toys. And so he simply let her charge off, knowing she would likely realize her mistake soon enough.

Issun. The new destroyer. He who proclaimed he would destroy the world. Raphaella's ancestor had fought alongside Sol Badguy and a group of others to ward off such a threat over two centuries prior... but would the mighty of the world band together in such a way this time? That didn't matter right now. All that mattered was that this guy had threatened the world, killed people, and sent his minions to attack anyone who showed skill in combat or magic. Princess or not, Illyria or not, The Kiske family would not sit idly by and let this crime go unaccounted for... not while Raphaella still drew breath.

She rushed past houses, restaurants, shops, cars, and people... running as fast as she could. At this point, not even knowing where she would start. It was then that she ran into her first Minion. The being's face was hidden, and it spoke in a voice the had two different reverberating tones... one distinctly male, the other female. "Raphaella Kiske. We have been looking for you. Lay down your w-" Princess Kiske swung her massive sword at the foe, sending out a wave of electricity through the air. The minion was struck with the attack, but only stunned for a second or two. Taking advantage, Raphaella rushed in and planted to tip of the sword into the ground as she ran. This gave her a pivot point to swing her entire body around in a heavy kick that struck home... or so she thought.

The kick had not only been stopped, but caught by the odd being. It then sent a surge of flame over Raphaella's leg, which quickly engulfed her entire body. The pain was intense, but she had endured worse when training with the Knights. But then she was thrown through a nearby shop window. Glass shattered and pastries went flying as the Princess of Illyria was sent careening into the nearest table within the snack store. It seemed these minions were tougher than she thought. Standing up and dusting herself off, Raphaella failed to even notice the now terrified folks around her... she was too focused on the fight.

[Ontos]

The screams of terror was audible even behind the earmuffs Ontos wore. It lifted up its rifle up, looking to its back. The entire gun range acted like they noticed too, but they went back quickly to their shooting. Ontos glanced at its brother, sitting upon a lonely chair just beside the exit of the shooting range. Well, Winston was technically Edward's older brother by a year or so, but Ontos shared the same blood and genes as Edward.

Winston shared the same black hair and purple eyes Edward once had, but the brother of its host was dressed in a black business suit with blue tie, looking too formal for a visit to a gun store. He shared the same worried expression upon his face as everyone did a moment ago, though the moment for Winston refused to pass.

Ontos lowered his personal rifle and strung it up behind on its back, moving quickly to Winston's side.

"Did̕ ̢yǫu hea̧r ̷s̸o͠mèth́ing?" asked Ontos, removing the earmuffs from the sides of its ears.

Winston shot a nervous glance behind him. He couldn't see behind the walls, but he heard it, even with the earmuffs on. The gunshots of the shooting range, and the earmuffs, could not silence the panic of whatever was happening behind them.

"Yes, I think I did. And I don't think it's good. I heard screams, Ontos."

Ontos nodded. The little fingers on both of its hands disappeared, morphing into a pistols. Ontos handed one to Winston, and patted its adoptive brother on the shoulder as it smiled reassuringly.

"We'll͟ ch̶e̴c̸k ͢i̴t o̶u̧t́. Sta̛y sa͜fe,͘ Wi͞n̷st́on."

Every soul that comprised Ontos demanded acknowledgement. That was why Ontos referred to itself as 'we'. The dead usually did not speak, when they did, they were interested in not being forgotten.

The horrified feeling that hung around the entrance and store-front of the gun shoot failed to notice the short and white-haired Ontos exit from the gun range and out of its premises, pistol in hand and rifle on its back. The horror could easily be explained by the black-haired girl with the eye-patch and the huge sword she brandished. Standing in a pool of broken glass and with slight cuts everywhere on her, and considering the horrified expressions of everyone in the store, Ontos guessed that she crashed through the storefront. The souls in its mind registered the familiarity of her face to Ontos, but their attention quickly shot to the Minion that had smashed her into the store.

A snap decision dissolved both of Ontos's arms into 6 floating rifles, surrounding its body like guardian angels with superior firepower.

"O͠pe̴n fir͟e͞!"

Ontos liked to say that. Especially just before shooting.

The bullets sprayed in rapid, accurate fire towards the Minion. A few seconds later, the guns clicked with the dry sound of an empty magazine. A few of the bullets had struck the Minion, but it still stood upright.

"T̷h̕e͞ h͠el͘l͞.̀.͡." mumbled Ontos, retrieving the guns to his side.

[Prince]

"This must be why we're here... with all of this destruction, there has to be someone who knows..."

Although he would not say it aloud, it is what he thought. Most of his waking thoughts were spent wondering if he would ever uncover the mystery that was himself. Even surrounded by burning buildings and terrified civilians, the deepest thought in KoRe's mind was that question: Who am I? The question rang throughout him and the burning buildings and small pressure explosions didn't cease it. As a matter of fact, KoRe actually lessened the blasts. As he walked through the destruction, he absorbed concussive forces and redirected them to keep debris off those around him - all only using his Neocore K Assault technique. All he had to do was walk, trace through the streets in thought until he found either what was causing it or someone who might know...

"All this excitement, and you're just strolling through the place, kid! Find it! Find it! Find it! Fight it! Kill it!" screamed Kra(Ne) from within him. As with almost all circumstances, it was suppressed by the dominating authority of Stein and ignored by the perseverance of KoRe. Stein meanwhile simply observed, noting that if he or Kra(Ne) were needed, it was best to be prepared. Despite his deep-seated nature in thought, KoRe did manage a back-and-forth with Stein, asking what it might be, or what to do, only to be told that they would have to see. Not every conversation between them was deserving of words, even of Kra(Ne) always made his well-known.

It didn't take terribly long before KoRe did reach the epicenter of excitement; a girl and an odd-looking man with an odd-amount of strength. She was sent flying back by the cloaked-figured, and KoRe, possibly because of the influence of Kra(Ne), immediately saw a damsel in distress. Albeit, there was not much he could do. To the very least, she was in line of sight as she was flung through the air, and KoRe could siphon off a portion of her kinetic energy, but he was still too far away to stop her from smashing the table that she did. KoRe did draw the Neocore Katana at this point and slashed horizontally at the beast, still walking forward at a leisurely pace. As he hadn't absorbed a terrible amount of energy at this point, nor did he expend a large sum of his own magic, the kinetic slash he sent at the figure was weak, but that was fine; all he wanted to do was grab its attention.

"Don't die on me, miss. I have questions to ask you after this."

[Venom]

Jumping through the window shard closed the distance on her target, the man in the black cloak turned in shock as the glass shattered. He goes for a weapon within the robes! Shards is to fast shes already on him tackling the man suddenly to the floor. The man exclaims "The hell!" He would have likely said more but it knocked the wind from him. Shard rears back and then drives her fist into the floor beside his head, enough force to sink it into the materials. "Information on the spring gust now!"
.....
...
.....
The man stares at the girl with a confused anger. "WHY DIDN'T YOU USE THE DOOR?!" Shard sits back pulling her fist from the ground. "I wanted you to know I was serious." Once more the man stares with both confusion and intense anger. "Are you just that irrational? What if I would have shot you?" Shard stood up allowing him to stand as well. "Look after what happened the Spring Gust skipped town, he went into hiding." Shards face shows her disappointment. She questions him further, "Can you give me anything to go on? Friends tattoos....His favorite food? Anything will help." The man simply shrugs, "All he said was he would follow the breeze." Shard can barely contain her happiness! She claps her hands and punches the man in the shoulder! "You where a ton of help!" With that she jumps back out the window....The mans shouting follows her down the 4 stories.

"Girl! START USING DOORS!"

Two days, two days! Shard had been looking without rest for one of the supposed family members, but all she had to go on was an alias. She had honestly neglected herself to an extreme at this point so a small reward for her determination was needed. After all she had finally found one of them, or at least a really big clue! The code of heading with a breeze means to a specific safe house! Shard stopped at this small store, snacks being its forte, seemed like the most adequate reward for ones hard work.

She looked about to make sure no one that would know her was around, and ordered something a tad bit girly. "A strawberry sundae. With extra everything...please." How many months had it been sense she had a sweet treat? Shard imagined the flavor the small strawberries dancing about happily on her tongue, the cream soothing away woes. Treating both hunger and thirst at the same time. Ice cream in general is amazing!

The beautiful mountain of Strawberry goodness was delivered to her little table by the window. A toothy grin appears on her face, "Today has been awesome!" Grabbing her spoon, she is just about to dig in. "Thank you for the me" she is cut off by a sudden flaming duck and cake to the face. The urge to cry is suppressed by the mind numbing anger. The duck didn't remain long enough to apologize! She just went back to her game in the street!

Shard shook her face semi-clean of cake, but crumbs and icing stuck here and there. She stood up and cracked her knuckles "I am calm. I am serene. I am calm. I am like water. I AM GOING TO KICK HER ASS!"

Shard bolts to the street, ready to kick the girls face in...But the situation seems a little bit more complex than she had initially anticipated. This all seemed a little unfair, the poor creature in the middle getting attacked by three others! The guns still smoking, and the sword of the samurai! What a interesting turn of events! Some cake feel from her hair to remind her that she was angry at the duck! Who seems to be a huge sword toting froo-froo girl! Ignoring the situation she shouts out to her!

"Hey duck girl! Apologize! And stop picking on the monster, a real fight is one versus one! You guys should man up!"

[Sato Arashi]

It has been a couple of hours since Roy entered the capital of Illyria, having entered the city for the reason to set himself up for mercenary hiring. Hopefully get hired to be one who goes to confront the destroyer who has proclaimed the end of humanity. How exciting that would be, but it was very unlikely that there's someone out there to hire him into doing that. Would be nice to get some amount of money from it, but at the same time it would be useless if the proclamation ended up becoming true, it'd be all for nothing if no one comes to stop him. Roy would at least take the chance to go and kick his butt and save the world, just like two centuries ago.

Walking down a street, Roy was looking down to a portable holographic device, looking up at the news to see if there has been any kind of development about Issun. So far, it seems like there hasn't really been much, but attacks has been reported all over the world. More towards specific people rather than the public masses. "Thinning out the chances of any retaliations, with someone like him, not just anyone can fight him off, only those who knows how to fight to a high degree has at least a chance, and he's after them to assure his destruction..." Roy stopped walking as the wind picked up, blowing past him and sending his ponytail and coat fluttering behind him. Unusually with something grim like that, there would be worry, but Roy maintained a calm impression, something akin to determination. Having set his thoughts together, he continues on walking.

After walking a couple of blocks forward, he caught sound of a large crash and glass shattering. He advert his eyes towards the direction where he heard all of this, seeing that it was coming from a snack store over to his right ahead of him. From where he stood, he could only see two people outside, so he ran towards the chaos to find that more people involved. He saw the destruction that was involved in the snack store, the shattered pieces of glass lying on the ground. One person was in the store, seemingly have smashed into a table, though recovered from it and stood up to shake the dust off. Further look on the person, it was a woman in white with an eyepatch on the right eye, and a large weapon in her hands. It took a bit to jog his memories, but the woman seemed to be familiar. Roy looked around though to see what was going on, quite a bit of other people out in the streets; one person in particular catches his eyes though, the person hooded in a black robe, covering up its face.

Roy started walking towards the group, turning towards the citizens in the snack store. "Go! It's not safe here!" His voice rang in the store, calling them to their senses to get the idea to start running from the scene. He turns back towards the group, listening to a girl ranting towards the one in the store and two other guys about a real fight. Roy gave a small scoff, thinking that she sounded a little ridiculous. "That's quite something you picked to say. I'd say that you're a little ignorant of what's truly going on." Roy commented before his attention turned to the hooded person. "Hey, you a minion of Issun the Destroyer? If so, is he still at the U.K.?" asked Roy. The minion, who remained so calm despite being out numbered, gave him no answers and raised his hand towards the woman and was preparing to fire something at her. A large fireball shot out of his hand and was heading towards the woman. Roy, however, rushed in front of it with his Vorpal Sword drawn in front of him. He raised the sword up, a black length forming between the blades. After the length was completed, Roy struck down his sword, sending a vertical blade beam towards the fireball, effectively cutting it in half. The two halves went past by Roy, scorching his shoulders a bit before dissipating. "So, not the type to answer huh? Guess I'll have to beat it out of you." Roy smirked, unfazed by the scorching of his shoulders and held his sword in front, ready to strike at any moment.

[Taka]

The Minion was causing quite the stir in the city street. Fighting Raphaella and whoever else decided to jump in. They didn't seem to be fairing as well as they should have been. Maybe it was worry for the people around. Maybe the Minion was just that much stronger then everyone here. Dio didn't really care about the people losing to the Minion instead wanting to test his own blade against it. Perhaps this Minion would be able to shed some light on Issun and if Issun knew anything about Sol. Oh what Dio would do if this could lead him to Sol. Suddenly all thought was lost when the white haired gear looked upon the Kiske female. Oh he remembered her face. The girl that attempted to impale when he took FireSeal from her kingdom those many years ago. Fortunately the hood of his vest was covering his face for the moment.

"Oh my. Nice.......chest you got there." Dio commented, leering down at Raphaella's chest that appeared to be attempting a prison escape from her outfit.

Dio grabbed another chip from the bag of original potato chips that he had been munching on the whole time. One chip at a time to savor the action in-front of him. The crunch of the chip corresponding to the sounds of battle. He was enjoying this almost too much but he knew he'd have to join in on the fun. Sol wouldn't let some chump endanger all these people so, Dio would uphold that regardless of how much he could care less for the innocents that got in the way. Reaching down to pick a piece of debris, the man possessed clever idea to throw it at the Minion. It shattered on his head, getting his much needed attention.

"HEY ASSHAT! LET'S ROCK!" Dio gripped the hilt of FireSeal, flames bursting along the blade.

BATTLE MUSIC

The flames' more magical nature allowed for a more physical boost like a jet engine, propelling Dio forward like a rocket right past everyone. It was very reminiscent of how Sol would use the sword for a few of his attacks. Spinning his body around allowed him to bring his foot around into a magnificent kick that collided with the Minion's face. The force caused the Minion to slide back into the car behind it; its body was firmly indented into the car. Dio landed smoothly kicking up dust around his feet and grinning from ear to ear. "PYROMANIA!" A yell that matched the actions of Dio swiping FireSeal along the ground conjuring flames that guided along the ground before converging on the Minion. The Minion and car were both engulfed in flames.

"Now that's how you do it!" Dio exclaimed in a gleeful tone.

[Salroka]

First the Minion was hit with a barrage of gunfire. An annoyance, to be sure... as well as fairly painful. And before it could do much to the young man who shot it, another individual attacked with an odd slash that was similar in form to that of the woman it had thrown moments ago. "You are a-" A screaming and irate woman interrupted it and demanded an apology. "Foolish girl. You c-" Still another with questions appeared and decided to interrupt. Enough was enough, and the Minion hurled a moderately sized ball of flame at the newest man.

Raphaella was about to stand and join the battle again when someone started yelling at her. Before she could retort, however... the woman bolted out and started screaming at the Minion, too. And then, just her luck, Dio Badguy decided to pipe up and comment on her chest. "What the hell are YOU doing here, criminal? You better return the Fireseal to its rightf-" the man before her picked up and chucked a piece of debris at the Minion, and hit it in the side of the head. The minion turned toward the newest combatant just in time to take a heavy kick to the face and be sent skidding into a nearby vehicle.

The Minion was prying itself from the damaged vehicle when Dio's flames hit home and set it and the car ablaze. "Y-You are all... invited..." the vehicle's exploding fuel tank cut the Minion off and sent it flying spine-first into a neary utility pole. Powerful or not, it had taken significant damage before the explosion, and THAT caused even more damage. Smashed into the pole hard enough to snap it in two, The Minion simply lay motionless. "... to... d-d-d-die... at the hands of Issun hims........" the combined damage had been enough to silence the being and end its rampage before it got out of hand.

Raphaella walked out of the snack shop and looked around at the damage. She was honestly surprised that it wasn't worse, given the strength of the Minion. When it threw her and set her on fire, she could feel the depths of its power... if only for a moment. ""As I was saying, YOU can return the Fireseal..." she stared directly at Dio, who had proven instrumental in defeating the Minion. "... AFTER we deal with this crisis. Understood?" without waiting for a reply, she moved toward the center of the area to better speak to all the newcomers.

"On behalf of the Kingdom of Illyria... I, Princess Raphaella Kiske, thank each of you. You no doubt were of some help against this threat. But now I must ask you all what brings you here. After all, such a gathering of skilled fighters at such a time is rather... convenient, don't you agree? How am I to know if you aren't in good with Issun and this now-dead minion?" And indeed, she was curious. Especially in regard to Dio... who was reported to have fled the kingdom when he took the sword several years ago.

[Prince]

As more warriors of skill made their appearance, the collateral damage escalated exponentially. KoRe was left absorbing the kinetic energy of explosions, mostly those caused by the side-effects of the gasoline spill. KoRe, if anything, was attentive to the destruction they caused, even if in defense of the common good. KoRe was unable to hear the words uttered by the minion as it drew its last breath; in the nature of his ability, all the kinetic energy he stored, he had to release, and he did so simply by launching pointless slashes of kinetic energy into the air that dissipated and ultimately hit nothing. To those whom did not know the nature of his abilities, his actions may seemed linked to lunacy.

KoRe may have not been the first to combat the minion - as the self-proclaimed princess Raphaella and the gunman were both in conflict before he entered the scene - but he would definitely be the first to reply when asked what brought him there, for, in fact, KoRe was there for them, most specifically to ask questions. KoRe, having released his stored energy some time prior to the speech of Raphaella stepped up with an obvious eagerness to him. With the mentality that you can catch more bees with honey, he sheathed his sword and performed a quick bow to Raphaella before answering her question:

"My name is KoRe, and I know nothing else. I know not who I am or who I was, and that is what I search for. Over a year ago, I woke within the isolated forests of the South - far away from here - with few clues as to who I am. Or, who I knew. I have searched, pried into the past, and found nothing. The bracer on my arm is a little outdated, but it was once mass produced in larger cities. With my abilities and it, I could only assume I - at one time - was a warrior or a soldier from somewhere important, but no city knows of me. I came knowing of the spread of the minions with hope that I may find something..."

With his speech given, the same one he had gave a dozen times over to a dozen different cities and towns, KoRe looked around to those who were around them, but considering none of them initially noticed him, he doubted that they did now. Regardless, he had to follow up his speech with the same question he had asked so many, "With no ill-regard to your question, Raphaella, I have one of my own to ask... does anyone here know me?" Before anyone could answer, KoRe looked to Raphaella and with the same hollow, desperate eyes one may see in a homeless mutt on the streets begging for scraps and gave her an answer, albeit an indirect one, "I cannot know who I am in good with if I do not know who I am..."

[Taka]

Dio scoffed at Raphaella's attempt to pass blame on everyone that helped fight the Minion. Seriously was she that hard-pressed to find out about Issun that she would suspect anyone that could fight. Suddenly Dio just burst out laughing. It was uncontrollable how hard he was laughing. Civilians began to stare at the group of warriors, more specifically Dio. "YOU SERIOUS, PRINCESS?!" the silver haired gear was hunched over holding his stomach. A moment of silence passed before he straightened back up. "And how do we know you weren't in league with him and this is all just a ploy?" he spoke in his brash tone once again. Raphaella had best choose her words wisely as Dio wasn't one to take having the finger pointed at him for things that he did not do nor care for.

It had been quite awhile since he had returned to the kingdom and a royal member was already accusing him of something. He took a seat on the hood of a car that was behind him, legs kicking against the front tire. "Before you answer, after all this you aren't getting this sword back." oh how the princess would realize the fragility of her actions if she did dare to take it. His eyes shifted between the few people that could actually make a difference today. The same look that Sol once gave him when they first met; Dio was now giving this look to these people. An instinctual look that he inherited from Sol Badguy.

Even if they were in league with Issun, what did Raphaella expect to do? Was she going to fight them all off? Attempt to lock them up? Sure it was difficult to trust in this day and age when you have a evil overbearing figure sending people to murder the world. Honestly all this did interest him slightly when he thought about it. He had been training for so long to perfect his abilities and now there was a world threat lingering on the horizon. A certain thrill sent a shiver right down his spine. Oh this could be honestly way more fun then he at first realized. Maybe I could break some faces and find Sol at the same time. a vague thought that was waiting to become reality.

[Ontos]

Ontos cocked its head at Raphaella. The mysterious Issun, mentioned by the minion, was the problem of Princess Raphaella. The royal who sported a ridiculously large sword that would have implied infertility if a man held it launched accusations outright at those who provided her assistance. It perhaps thought that Raphaella might excuse itself from these assumptions of wrongdoing, considering Ontos's noble status, but when it could hardly recognise any members of nobility, perhaps Raphaella could be excused from not noticing.

The accusation, however, struck a nerve in some of the souls within itself. They called out for blood, something to take out this anger on. As the guns reformed around Ontos's arms back into something more human-like, the obvious anger in Ontos turned its face red. When its hand reformed, Ontos thrust a finger at Princess Raphaella, scowling.

"We ̶ha̵v͏e͟ a̵ss͝i̵st̕e̡d̡ y͜o͜u. No͠t ͢j̸us̛t us̀,̀ bu͝t all ͡o͠f͟ us͏ a̸r̡o͏u̸n̨d ͢y̷o͜u ̀a̵t ̨thi҉s̢ v͝e͡r͡y̴ ̀mom̛e̶nt!͏"

Ontos shot an angry glare towards KoRe and Dio. KoRe's polite attitude felt wrong, considering the gravity of accusations that Raphaella had just landed them upon in. Dio would have made more sense to a calmer Ontos, but such times weren't the situation at the moment. Its indignant gaze went back to Raphaella, as it resumed to talk.

"A̴ ma̵n hel̡p̴ing̷ ̸a͞n ͞inj̀u͢red vic̷t̡im o̡f̢ ̀a͏ ͠ro͘b̕be̕r̛y s̕ho҉ul̸d no͝t͡ bé a̸cćuśe͠d of̛ ̛be̵ing̶ ͢a͠n ąccom҉p͡l̶ic͝e!"

[Salroka]

Something about the one calling itself KoRe caused Raphaella to feel a tinge of sadness in her normally stone-solid heart. To not even know who one was... was truly a tragedy. "No. I do not know who you are. But you are clearly someone of some notable skill, to deflect things in such an... odd manner. Though I must say you s-" Then Dio chimed in again. Gods, she wanted to tear his lips off and cram them up his ass. "Yes. Let me tell you how I am all for him attacking Illyria. And at the same time, I'll regale you with the story of how I WILL be taking that weapon home once this is all settled."

Lightning arced over her body as she shouldered her massive blade. "You want to tak-" Ontos interjected, stopping the Princess from unleashing her anger for a moment. "If you would kindly shut th... Edward? Is that you? You look and sound... different. Whatever. Anyways, I know you'd never betray our land. Back to..." her eyes returned to Dio, the big man on campus, or so he liked to think. He was a thief and a fugitive, nothing more. "You really want to do this, Dio? You, who tarnish Sol's name by using it like it's some kind of mask for your ill deeds."

She was ready to rock, but should they really be spending their time and energy fighting each other? Probably not. But the rivalry between Ky Kiske and Sol Badguy seemed to be rekindled in these two young fighters. Maybe they couldn't help themselves... maybe it was fate... but regardless of what it was, tensions were running high this day. Not just from the fact that the group had just defeated one of Issun's minions, but due to the very real threat of Raphaella and Dio erupting into combat... much like their predecessors. Would anyone attempt to ease this hostility, or would the two come to blows?

[Ontos]

The mentioning of that name, the name of its host, sucked all the anger out of Ontos's face. From anger, the souls within itself collectively shifted their thoughts towards Edward. Forbidden Beasts were normally supposed to share a body with their host, but Ontos was all alone in Edward's body.

The self-proclaimed maker of Forbidden Beasts in these times, a man by the name of Hawk, the man that Edward's father contacted, mentioned a few other Forbidden Beasts that ended up as the sole user of their bodies after their hosts. It must have been a lonely life, thought Ontos. At least Ontos had the many voices in its head to keep itself company.

The way Ontos sank onto the floor seemed like Raphaella had shot a needle into its proverbial puffed-up balloon with her words. It sunk to the floor and curled up in the middle of nowhere.

"W̧e͞'̛re n̴o̶t ̴Ed͟wa͠rd͝." Ontos whispered to itself. Its body trembled, and it tried not to cry.

"We ͟can'̨t ͝be.̀ H͡e's ̛de̶ad."

A single tear rolled down its face, which it scraped off with a finger. The screams, the wailing of the souls within itself calmed down after a few seconds, enough for Ontos to stand up again. It coughed, to clear the throat, and forced a weak smile at Raphaella.

"Pardon."

It was only then that Ontos got a grip on the situation beyond an inaccurate name used. Raphaella, and the white-haired strange man in the red jacket were prepared for combat. In each other's direction.

"W̢hoa͠, wh͞ǫa ̀w̢ho̕a!̸ Ca̢l̡ḿ do͜wn̴!͞" shouted Ontos, looking at them with worry and panic etched on its face.

[Prince]

They ignored you...

The words of Kra(Ne) echoed inside the mind of KoRe, reflecting off the walls of his mind and only gaining strength as it did. KoRe was serious in his question and the only one whom even seemed to care was Raphaella. Ignorance did not perturb KoRe, but a blind eye to his passionate curiosity did. Ignoring the question as to who he was insulted KoRe far more than ignoring the existence of who he is now. Or, maybe it was Kra(Ne) who was perturbed by the sentiment. It was definitely Kra(Ne) who was urging KoRe to act on his rage. Stein was either silent or suppressed, for his voice of reason was not silencing the voice of rage within KoRe...

The entire atmosphere around KoRe seemed to change as he lifted up his sword and aimed it at Dio. Although he did not position himself any closer to Raphaella, an unsung melody of assurance made it apparent that he would support her. If she was prepared to fight Dio, KoRe was prepared to kill him. KoRe was irrational at the moment, as the voice of rage echoing within him pushed aside his regular regard to those around him and he was all but forced to embrace the murderous intent within him. He need not say any words to commune his killing intent for Dio. His eyes, although hollow and black, somehow poured out a rage as ferocious as any forest fire and his stature communed his aggressive intent even further. If Dio spoke another word, another phrase of disrespect, KoRe would not need a notion from Raphaella or even Kra(Ne) to attack; KoRe was intent on lunging forward and plunging the Neocore Katana through Dio... repeatedly.

[Venom]

Shard had been watching the events unfold with a childlike excitement. Despite being lectured about her lack of information, Shard found herself unable to protest it. Particularly after the Minion began to retaliate. She mentally scolded herself for, as per the norm, coming to an assessment based on a glance.

Despite the new-found urge to aid the group, she stuck to her guns. But when the white haired fellow entered the fray...Shard had an almost overwhelming desire to cheer. He was clearly someone who knew what a good fight was, and he had mocked the and it just felt right to her when the man made light of the woman clad in white! No sooner had the man said his piece his abilite had he stolen the show! He attacked in a manner that was so flashy, And the resulting explosion left Shard smiling!

""As I was saying, YOU can return the Fireseal..."

Shard had been a little slow on the uptake, but for some reason that statement from the entitled princess...It was almost enough to make shard burst out laughing, thankfully all that escaped was a "tch." Clearly she was the type that needed to be an absolute control, a type of person that honestly needs either a bottle of sake or a kick in the ass. Princess had kept going, spouting out what honestly sounded like whining. Shard gathered this Dio person took something from Princess, and she was far to weak to take it back. The thought had barely been coherent when the princesses had a much more aggressive air about her, Clearly she was prepared to throw down with Dio!

As the rifleman attempted to diffuse the situation, While one of the strange swordsman raised a blade? Shard had kept her mouth shut for a while, however this time, she was not about to stand around and watch the fighters. Taking a moment Shard made use of her speed and 'appeared' by the side of Dio. Her gauntlet wagged a finger at KoRe "Oi! This is hardly a way to treat somebody who just helped you out. Not to mention this seems to be a lovers quarrel, its rude for you to interject." Shard then proceeded to allow what appeared to be steam come from the back side of her gauntlet. "I am not telling anyone what to do. I am asking you to sheathe your blade." Despite the passivity in her words shard was prepared for aggressive peace talks.

[Prince]

"That bitch just got in our way...

KoRe was already under the influence of Kra(Ne) and the interference from Shard was of no help. He did not allow his gaze to falter for a second, barely listening to the girl as he had his sword still raised at Dio. It wasn't until the girl named Shard actually appeared beside Dio that Kore became perturbed on an even greater level. It was that moment when the words of Kra(Ne) began echoing inside him, bouncing off the walls of his mind with even more ferocity than words before. The rage inside KoRe was building, and was about to be unleashed.

This bitch just tried to tell you what to do...

KoRe only needed the steam off of her gauntlet to set him off. With a wicked downward slash, KoRe attempted to cut through Shard like hot butter. Additionally, he began absorbing the kinetic energy from the air, making it slightly harder for her to move through it. KoRe had all intentions on ending her life right then and there and was going to steal her kinetic energy to slow her down for every part of the fight. His entire body was tense, his mind set in stone. Stein was not intervening, for whatever reason, and that left KoRe to fall into a dark place where Kra(Ne) had immense influence. Kra(Ne) wanted a fight; he wanted blood. The minion died far too fast for his taste, so he intended on taking his time cutting up Shard."

As just as KoRe felt himself give in to his desire to completely slaughter the girl, he was tugged back into reality. It was as if being pulled out of water and feeling the refreshing breeze dance along his skin. The visions he had just saw swirled into a whirlpool of befuddled confusion. Stein had stepped in and forcibly snapped KoRe out of his delusions caused by Kra(Ne), although he could not save KoRe from his new found hatred of Shard, Stein could only stare at the girl, his blood running cold and for a moment his entire body and mind hollow. The hatred that flowed through him began to dilute, but not disappear and he returned to his original nature.

"KoRe, do not go to that place. That girl can help you and the one in front of you means nothing..."

KoRe, although in disdain of the thought, dropped his sword to his side. He then gently place his hand onto the shoulder of Raphaella, partially for his own sanity and partially to try and keep her from conflict. "C'mon. There are more important things, miss."

[Taka]

"Sol?" Dio's tone had lost its cool nature and he inhaled heavily. What did this princess think she knew about Sol? What could she understand how much Dio looked up to the man? He cared not for what was unknown to her nor anyone about the time he spent with Sol. FireSeal was only ever used in Sol's legacy; a tool that Dio treasured more then his own life. His muscles tensed in response to his quick temper, fingers literally digging into the car's hood. Before he leaped from the car, the voice of Edward lashed out to tell the two warriors to calm down. The situation couldn't be cooled from just words alone; that wasn't how Sol taught him. Action first and questions later when your opponent was laid broken before you.

"FINE THEN PRINCESS!" The white haired gear peered past his hood and bangs with wide eyes and a intimidating smirk. He leapt from the car, earth shaking slightly beneath his feet as he landed with all his weight and leg strength. Peripheral vision caught the one known as KoRe holding tightly onto the grip of his katana. It was aimed directly at Dio's throat. The bloodlust almost oozed all over the gear that held FireSeal. He wasn't afraid of this guy either. If he wanted to fight then he would. There was so much going on in this small spot. Next the girl known as Shard made her appearance beside Dio, speaking up for him. To think there was someone here that was actually on his side. A nice gesture but it was cost her the ire of the katana wielding man.

KoRe moved quick and Dio caught it once he saw the movement of elbow. An attempt to move made him notice that he was a bit slower than usual. Luckily Shard was right beside him and Dio was able to become the wall between Shard and KoRe's katana. Metal clang against metal. A counterattack had already entered the mind, muscles were ready to strike, and the air became tense. KoRe unfortunately decided to sane up and drop his katana to his side. The white haired gear couldn't anticipate what was going through KoRe's mind and he honestly just wanted to drop kick him in the chest. "Awww you ended the fun. Go ahead though. Probably would have been too weak anyway. I'm out of here."

[Salroka]

Raphaella disengaged her "Greased Lightning" technique as Dio turned around. If he didn't want to fight, there was no point in staying powered up. She turned to the others who intervened to stop her imminent brawl with the Gear. "I appreciate the intervention. Dio really is a son of a bitch." she stomped her foot firmly on the ground as she uttered the word "bitch", and not a second later several pillars of electricity charged particles erupted from the ground in front of Dio. "However. He's one TOUGH son of a bitch... and always itching for a fight." The pillars of energy died down as quickly as they appeared, but it was likely enough to cause the FireSeal's wielder to turn toward the group again. "Isn't that right, Mister Badguy?"

With all the commotion, Raphaella's mind didn't immediately process what Edward had said. ... wait... dead? Then how..." The confusion was plain as day on her face. Her attention had gone from Dio to Edward in an instant. "You look almost exactly like him. Yet you're not him? Did the LeStrade family have another son they kept from everyone or something?" Stabbing her massive blade into the ground again, she used it as a small wall to lean against... being a bit winded from the Greased Lightning technique she had used seconds earlier. She waited a bit for Edward... or whoever he was... to explain what was going on. Whether or not he responded, she would soon turn to each member of the ragtag group and begin speaking.

"So what we know is this..." she tore the sword from the concrete and shouldered it. "This Minion was clearly sent here to Illyria for a reason. And if you caught what it said, we were all 'invited to die'. Now call me what you will, but if a minion of Issun attacks, you beat it, and it invites you to die..." her expression now was even more intense and menacing than when she had been about to attack Dio. "... I think that means he's interested in at least one of us, don't you think?" Of course, it was up to each person here if they would meet such a challenge or not. But even if no one else was up to it, she knew at least Dio and herself would go. "So I think we should all stick together and go see why he's so interested. What do you all think?"

[Ontos]

Ontos said nothing when Raphaella first referred to Edward's family. It stood quietly, holding its right elbow as if Raphaella's words struck its body physically. There may have been correct explanations, correct things to say at this point that could clear the air of confusion, but Ontos knew not what the things to say were.

It listened intently to Raphaella as her words changed direction from Ontos to the whole group. The melancholy upon its face was gone, though. The implications of their victory upon one of Issun's minions could not be ignored. There was more to do, it agreed silently. The souls within Ontos clamoured for action. They screamed for validation of the little skillset they all shared. The ability to wage battle.

"C̡o̶unt u̢s ͠in̛, p̷rince͡s̛s.̨ W̸e w͝ill do͟ o͢úr͡ p̡ar͞t," said Ontos. From the corner of his gaze, it saw a pistol fly towards its body. And an older man than its body chased after it.

"Ẃinst̸o̡n͡!̢ ̀W̢e'l̀l̢ ca̶tch u͜p!̢ G͘o ҉a̢h̛ea̢d͜!" it yelled back. Winston caught what Ontos said, and ran from the scene. His direction seemed quite random, but the two knew where he was going. Winston and Ontos did not leave home this day for a simple walk, but for business. Fortunately, Ontos was only there to watch and learn. The family did not really favour Ontos's strange propensity to refer to itself as 'we', and nothing persuaded the Forbidden Beast to do otherwise.

[Venom]

Shard was prepared for the rush, what she wasn't was the sudden appearance of Dio. A lot of thoughts went through her head, but the most prominent was how weak the situation made her look. But to do anything about it now was just going to paint her a fool. All she could do was force a smile and be appreciative that he didn't seem to demand thanks for his actions.

The Princess seemed all to determined to keep the group together, despite Dio's best attempts to leave. Shard was forced to acknowledge the woman as a worthwhile combatant due to her rather flashy way of getting peoples attention. As princess asked the group about her plan, Shard couldn't withhold her scoff as she asked what people thought of her recommendation. "I think your the type to phrase a demand as a question."

She points at Dio for a moment. "You just tried to fry this guy for leaving, then ask if he wants to be a traveling companion? Not to mention I feel like the two of you trapped within a city of each other bodes poorly for all of us..." Shard clears her throat and crosses her arms. "But you have a point. You just really gotta work on your delivery...honestly." Shard looks over at the aggressive samurai type from earlier and questions the princess once more. "I don't have to worry about him killing me in my sleep do I? He seems a bit more aggressive than your average psychopath." In Shards mind, she had gathered KoRe to be the woman's attack dog.

[Taka]

Dio stopped in his tracks when Raphaella's surges of electricity shot forth in front of him. Turning around to being pummeling the princess into the earth was the very first thought that swung into his mind; a thought that was almost instantly stopped by common sense. Common sense not being the norm for Dio. Oh how a fight could make him feel better and maybe Raphaella could bring him a better opponent then anyone else here could provide. A sigh reverberated through his throat and out his mouth as he decided to stay put. His head turned just enough for him to see everyone with his left eye whilst the shadow of his bangs and hood covered the rest of his face. It was a wonder just what she could say to halt Dio's departure.

"Invited to die, huh?" Dio commented in a rather smug tone. The Minion's invitation did intrigue him. Such an invitation had to lead to challenges that could very well test all his abilities. It was a beautiful prospect alongside possibly meeting up with Sol once again. Then Raphaella began spewing words about sticking together and how Issun would be interested in the people that had defeated his minion today. Shard answered pretty quickly before he could muster up his words. This Shard chick peaked his interest. She was quick with her words and completely right in his eyes. If everyone else felt that this would be a good idea then he could give it a chance.

"Fine....I'm in." Dio responded to Raphaella while turning to face her. He took a more casual stance reminiscent of Sol with his hand on his free hand on his hip. "So what's the plan of attack? How do we go about meeting this Issun chump?" there was only a small bit of hope in Dio's words that Raphaella had more of an idea on what to do next.