Ziatoch nodded to Daemonus as he entered.

"It would seem I'll be taking a little trip," He said, "So I am leaving everything in your hands. Do not disappoint Me. If a threat should arrive..."

Ziatoch's smile grew.

"... use the Throne of Souls."

With His order complete, He teleported outside of Shayol Ghul and followed Donovan.

Edited by RisingDragon on December 5, 2006 at 10:05:55.

"So what's the plan?" Hugo shouted to Bahamut over the call of the wind as the group flew away.

"The plan is to get some sleep!" Matt shouted back to the Mettaur he now held. "I'm tired and pissed off!"

SSJDragonFire: Okay freak... *he cups his hands at his side* Kaaaa... Meeeee.... Haaaaaa..... Meeeeeeee.... *he brings his arms forwards, his palms pointing at the being, a blue ball of energy froms in his hands* HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! *he fires the ball in a beam of blue energy* DIE!!!!!

"Rest, friends," Bahamut rumbled, "You have all done well."

The King of Dragons continued flying long past nightfall, and the next morning, he touched down somewhere in midwestern Asia, which at the moment seemed to be the only safe region in the world. The dragon eased his passengers off of his back, and R.D., who had finally woken up with a sore and aching body, thanked the dragon for helping them after Alasea helped him down.

The dragon looked down at Matt. "It has come to my attention that a Gateway has appeared somewhere west of here," he said, "Perhaps it would be wise for you to investigate it."

"Hell yes!" Matt said, with a thumbs up. "Got any idea where it leads, or what's coming out of it?"

"I am not sure," replied Bahamut, "But it has been open for days, and nothing has entered or exited it. Perhaps it is what you need to continue on your quest."

Fleetingly, Bahamut's eye looked over at Alasea. The girl did not see the glance, but R.D. did. "And perhaps the rest of you will learn more about yourselves."

The dragon stood up on his hind legs, folding his wings. "Be wary, though," he warned, "As we are close to Maya's castle. While this region is secure, be discreet, as her eye is ever watchful."

"Be discreet was never my strong point," Matt said.

Hsien-Ko laughed. "Isn't that the truth!"

"Hey! You're not supposed to AGREE."

"I only hope that gate is where we need to go in order to return to our dimension," Mei-ling said, dispelling the momentary humor.

"We'll get you there, don't worry," Alasea said, smiling.

R.D. pulled off one of his gloves and looked at the back of his hand. A second symbol, different from the first, had appeared near his wrist, opposite of the thumb joint.

"So, two Ciphers down, huh?" he said quietly, as he only had vague images in his head of what had transpired after the unlocking of the Second Cipher. The only thing that really stood out was having mercy on Kalmar. Despite that he promised to return and finish what he started, R.D. somehow believed that sparing him was the right thing to do.

Bahamut nodded to the group. "To the west, then. With luck, we will meet again," the dragon said as he spread his wings. "Farewell!"

With a single powerful flap, Bahamut pierced the clouds and disappeared from sight.

Hugo hoisted his pickaxe. "I ain't walking."

"Agreed." Matt raised a hand. "I will conjure a ride for us! I summon you, convienent travelling device!"

Somehow, someway, something played a noise that sounded like someone passing gas loudly, only for a second. A banana now lay on the ground before Matt.

"God damn it." He waved his hand again. "Gimme a car!"

Instead, a long floating rectangle with the word BAR in big white letters appeared before him. "DAMN IT!"

"Give him a while," Hugo said to R.D. and the girls. "He'll get it right."

R.D. sighed at Matt's antics and sat down. Alasea sat down beside him.

"You okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Body aches like mad, though," he replied.

"You gave us quite a scare, you know. Matt wore himself out trying to get past the barrier."

"Barrier? Huh, I guess that's why you guys didn't help out. Who made it?"

"That white demon that keeps following us around," Alasea said, frowning. R.D. also frowned.

One of these days, Re-Tuul. One of these days.

"There must be a reason why we can't hurt that demon," Hsien-Ko muttered, also sitting down on the ground.

"He's a cheater," Hugo concluded.

Mei-ling folded her arms. "We need to know more about him...but where could we find out?"

"We could ask Matt," Hsien-Ko suggested.

Hugo scoffed. "What good'll that do?"

"The Omega Core can't just be for combat," the jiganshi argued. "Maybe he's got knowledge about the entire Multiverse, too."

"We might as well try," Mei-ling agreed.

R.D. picked up a small rock and threw it at Matt, bouncing it off of his shoulder to catch the Core host's attention. "Hey!" he shouted.

Kalmar continued walking, glancing at his disfigured arm every couple of minutes.

For what she did to me, he thought angrily, she must pay.. but how?

Suddenly a shrill voice cut through the air, "I finally found you." He turned suddenly, looking across the empty street, then scanned the rooftops.

"Has someone been bad to you," the voice asked mockingly, seeming to be right behind him. He spun quickly again, seeing the red-headed woman that he knew the voice belonged to. He backed up a few steps, watching a manaical grin spread across her face.

"Look what you did to me!" he shouted, glancing down at his arm then back at the woman. She only smiled coldy, moving forwards to stand face-to-face with Kalmar.

"You were supposed to be my perfect pet," she said soothingly, reaching forward to touch the arm. Kalmar quickly withdrew the limb, startling and angering the woman.

"But pets aren't supposed to run away," her voice was calm but her face displayed open frustration at the Demon Hunter.

"The people that supposedly love you aren't supposed to make you into some kind of freak, either!" he yelled in her face, thinking back to previous years.

Kalmar sat on a stone bench inside a rather large temple surrounded by forest, a red-headed woman standing outside on a balcony. He had just returned from demon hunting, his favored past-time. She had just greeted him home, angrily as always. Yet the way she threatened him whenever he snuck out didn't bother him much anymore.

"If you keep going out, one day you will be no better then those you are hunting, dear," she turned to snarl at him, venom dripping from her voice clearly.

"You are just sore, because you know you cannot stop me," he muttered, seeing her body tense, "and because I would rather risk my life then stay here with you."

With that, she spun and a bolt of dark energy lanced out and struck him in the chest. She stalked over to where he had fallen on the ground, standing over him as a hunter over her prize. "You promised to love me, and never leave me though," she practically spit in his face as she glared at him.

He quickly picked himself off the floor, "That was before I knew that you were psychotic, dear. His voice mocked her earlier tone, and she stormed off, leaving him alone to wonder what she was preparing.

I'll show him, she thought as she rummaged through her spellbooks, looking for a potion, Ah, here we go. Picking up her spellbook, she went into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.

Kalmar, unaware of what she was planning, came sluggishly to dinner, yet was still eager to begin eating. She sat across from him with her signature grin on her face, watching him eat what she had prepared. He glanced up at her, seeing her grin moments before the pain hit him.

He collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood as his skin slowly lightened to a pale color, his hair graying in platinum streaks, and his eyes shifting from their usual light blue color, turned red as blood.

"What have you done to me!" he shouted as he struggled to sit, but was struck by another wave of pain.

"My pet," she cooed, "my perfect pet.. I have implanted the soul of a powerful demon inside of you." She grinned again, watching his face contort with horror. "Yes, you will soon become no better than the things which you hunt so dearly."

"Never!" he shouted, throwing his right arm across the table, scattering their meal. He ran through the door and into the sunlight, quickly escaping from their home.

He shook his head, regaining his sense of self. "Your plan didn't work, did it.. dear?" His voice dripped of venom, just as it had all those years ago.

----Xobelisk----

Daemonus smiled darkly beneath his helmet, "Yes master."

"OW!" Matt turned toward the others, a bad crayon drawing of a car fluttering in the air-his latest attempt. "What the hell was that for?"

"Quit whining, you've taken worse hits and lived," R.D. said, then jabbed a thumb over at the three women. "They want to try something with the Core."

===Xastra's Castle===

Ziatoch landed gracefully one of the many rooftops of the castle and waited for Donovan. This had better be good. I have no desire to deal with the Child any more than I have to.

Boom, boom, crash. Was what had echoed through the streets of far off Italy. Demons had decided to try and make Blazen thier next meal. Blazen was backpeddleing in a hopping fasion as the demons had continued to make an attempt at his life. For each that lunged, a powerful flame crashed into them and then them into a wall to burn to ash.

Blazen continued to hold them back easily enough. "C'mon you hell spawns..." He mumbled as he continued to destroy them. However for each he destroyed it seemed two more took its place. Even with this Blazen did give any signs of discouragement, fear, or fatigue.

"I assume you speak of the name 'Xastra,'" Ziatoch said, looking into the entrance of the castle. He could sense a battle between two superpowers below.

Kalmar heard some crashing off to his side, and turned to look but he didn't see anything. He glanced forward to look for the red-headed woman and saw her glaring at him.

"You have ruined my life enough!" he screamed at her, turning to walk away.

"I didn't ruin your life," she yelled after him, walking quickly to catch up to him, "I simply sought to fufill my own will."

He turned slightly towards her and held up his disfigured arm, "Do you see what your will has done to me!? I am done with you, and your witchery."

A dark mist suddenly formed around the red-headed woman, solidifying into a black dome. The dome blew apart violently, but the red-headed woman was nowhere to be seen.

"And good riddance to you." With that he started walking towards where he had heard the crashes earlier, clenching and unclenching his disfigured hand.

Edited by Fallen on December 28, 2006 at 21:51:40.

Blazen now grew annoyed of the demons. He jumped away from them and gave himself some nice distance. He dug his heels into the ground and spred out his hands. Two orbs of fire formed in each. He then brought them together once they were finshed. A massive beam of fire shot out, incinerating the demons.

"Ch." Blazen let out as the ashes fell onto the ground and some black spots appeared where the demons once were. He walked forward where the demons once were, nothing of importance he thought seeing only ash and ruble.

Kalmar continued walking, wondering what had happened to the city.

It looks at though something big happened here.

Suddenly a huge explosion could be heard rocking the city, and he turned to watch the sky light up. He shook his head, making sure he wasn't imagining things.

Looks like i'm not the only one here, he thought, wondering who it could be. He continued walking towards the source of the light cautiously, watching the rooftops and alleyways for signs of any enemies.

Blazen stopped dead. He could feel a dark manifest behind him. Flashes of the evil man laughing was back in his head. He winced in pain, his head was hurting again. Blazen could almost hear words now with the laughter. Take it...take the darkness behind you...become stronger. Blazen put a hand on the side of his head, trying to subside the pain.

The pain came down after a moment. Blazen's hand fell down to his side and they both went to his pockets. Without a word, Blazen began to walk forward. Trying to ignore the dark manifest behind him.

Kalmar turned a corner and saw a boy walking with his head down and his hands in his pocket, so he quickly hid.

That must be the being that caused the sky to light up, he thought, thinking quickly to jump on top of the nearest building. He layed flat, watching the boy walk by.

"So much for making friends," me muttered, suddenly wondering what he was doing on the rooftop.

Blazen had continued on. He stopped again and looked up to a rooftop to see a disturbance, and like a faint outline of a figure. "Hmm...Rather popular I am." Blazen mumbled. He shrugged. "That one will show himself once ready...I'm sure." He said calmly as he continued on, ignoreing the darkness behind him still.

Blazen had thought he had distracted what was behind him. He quickly threw a large red ball of flame. It would explode on impact as well as give a burning effect. He barely took a moment to look at what was behind him before throwing the fire.