The Fall of Gods: Book I: Chapter II: Act III

[Albertasby]

Snowflake and Melody watched as Dugal entered the labyrinth. The corridor that came into view had echoes of the London dungeons, a tourist attraction designed to generate fear. This was real, and designed to strike terror into the hearts of the bravest of warriors. Shivers and tingles shot all over the body's of both Snowflake and Melody. Mother and daughter grabbed the hands of each other, heading in together.

As soon as they were in, a pit developed in their stomach. There was no turning back now. Melody was shifty. She didn't like this one bit. As Dugal mentioned which way to go, Snowflake looked at him. "Ready?"

[Agadar]

As soon as Snowflake and Melody entered through the grand steel entrance, it closed with a loud bang. Sebastian hastily turned around to look at the source of the noise, and saw how the dark grey colored doors were slowly being consumed by darkness. The entrance, or rather, the exit, had vanished completely. In its stead was now an impenetrable void, a wall of nothingness. There was truly no turning back now. The only option the heroes now had was to venture further within the labyrinth and descend to the lower dungeons, in their search for Bismarck's lost Apostle's Will. Dugal had managed to locate it, but it was far away, and it would be a mortally dangerous journey.

As the heroes continued strolling through the badly lit and almost medieval dark hallway, sounds of whispering became more and more apparant. Whispers of pain. Whispers of despair. They came from the souls of deceased prisoners, who even in death were roaming the labyrinth in their eternal quest for freedom. Some of the souls were hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years old, forever trapped in a punishment worse than the most horrible death imaginable.

At a certain point, the hallway simply stopped. In front of the heroes was a gigantic black void. This room seemed to be the source of the hundreds of whispers, which echoed across the gigantic and seemingly bottomless room. Thankfully, all of the heroes but Dugal were spared from actually seeing the souls, who cried so painfully and in vain, and who numbered in the thousands. From Dugal's perception, these tormented beings lit up the neverending void like a billion lights in the night.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"There is very little light that can truly penetrate the enormity of the darkness that this foul world utilizes to envelop living things into a spiral of despair. Humanity has stained and tainted the world, and in turn, the world has stained and tainted humanity. This very place and the echoes of pain and anger heard in here are nothing but a testament of this truth, this sad succession of events. In the end we can only hope that such small ammount of light will be truly able to penetrate the enormity of the darkness that envelkops us in a spiral of despair." Such were the thoughts that crossed Milus' mind as he silently walked alongside Dugal, having entered the cursed Labyrinth just behind him. The darkness of the void before him was indeed enormous, and in the presence of such a thing he felt that the only thing he could do was wait and follow Dugal's guidance, the guidance of the one with links to the world of the ones long since gone.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

In Rome, a familiar face appeared from behind one of the shadowy pillars. It was Harold Montego, who had a satisfied smile on his face. "Excellent. Your reaction speed has increased once again," he said. He eyed Cain. "I see you're already in your battle armor. Good. Take this." Harold tossed a blunt training sword to his pupil, after which he assumed a combat stance, holding a similar sword. "Come at me."

Cain retraced the vines he'd constructed around the statue, and caught the sword. He dashed at Montego with the swift speed on an Inquisitor. He was closing fast on his target, Montego. Sever feet before he reached it, however, he jumped into the air, flipping his his body around Montego's. He landed facing Montego's back, and took a quick slash at the back of the man's knee.

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal nodded at Snowflake when she asked if he was ready, Truth be told, Dugal was truly ready. He felt that putting his life at such a risk was the only he was going to be able to continue to justify his life free from punishment. He had to make up for what he did. Dugal had asked Christ for forgiveness and prayed for his sins, but still felt guilt. He had killed so many, for little reason. He had to make up for it for the rest of eternity, should he ever die permanently.

As the journey progressed, Dugal realized how far Peter's Will was. They had been walking for some time and yet it still felt like it was chasms away. During the walk, a soft whispering became apparent. Dugal heard the voices more clearly than any of the others in the group. They cried out in pain and despair, of being trapped for ages. Dugal began to see a light further down the hall. As they approached it became clearer and clearer. Eventually, they reached a dead-end. Dugal could barely see that it was all in some void, as the thousands of souls nearly blinded him with light. They writhed in despair and agony, trapped within the blackness. Some of the souls features had twisted to become almost demonic. Perhaps it was the result of centuries of entrapment.

Dugal tried to think of what to do. As far as he could tell, this void stretched on forever. It could all be a matter of perception though. Dugal thought about trying to enter the void, but decided it wasn't worth the risk. The Roman Inquisitors stood still, seeming unsure of the void themselves. Dugal couldn't think of a better option. He pulled out his sword from it's sheath, covering it in pure blue soul energy. He doubted the White Flame would matter much here. He blasted it towards the void, though trying to avoid hitting any of the souls within.

[Agadar]

Dugal's burst of soul energy lit up the black void like a firefly in a dark forest. The souls in the giant room were scared by it and fled. Having spend so much time in the labyrinth had distorted their minds. Many of them believed that they were still alive. Even more simply feared being destroyed, despite the fact that it would free them from the cursed labyrinth and take them to the afterlife, if there was such a thing. Perhaps they feared that there was no afterlife. Or perhaps they feared that there was an afterlife, but that they would be going to hell and not heaven. But if there was such a thing as hell, would it be a worse place, or a better place to be than the labyrinth? The souls didn't wish to gamble on it. They would rather spend an eternity in terror, than risking plunging themselves into an even greater one.

With all of the souls gone and Dugal's soul energy lighting the room, the heroes could finally see what awaited them. The room was truly gigantic. It had a circular shape with a diameter of at least several kilometers. There were three truly titanic statues of what appeared to be ancient warriors standing with their backs against the enormous wall: one on the left, one on the right, and one right in front of the heroes. They were each at least a kilometer tall. Their mouths were open: it seemed that they could be entered. The mouths were also on the same level as where the heroes stood, which made it more than possible that they were standing in a fourth statue's mouth right now. Dugal and his companions now faced two dilemmas: which of the three entrances would they enter, and how would they cross the enormous gap inbetween them and their entrance of choice?

Rome
Montego smirked as Cain jumped over him. The lord inquisitor wasn't even turning around to block Cain's attack when the latter slashed at the former. And yet, something blocked Cain's sword. Montego grinned as he revealed that he had spawned a third arm on his back, which was blocking Cain's sword. "Improvisation. That is today's lesson," he said. He grinned, and then turned around quickly to slash at Cain with the sword he held in his upper two arms.

[Albertasby]

Snowflake was now beginning to worry about the safety of her daughter. It was evident that the labyrinth was slowly getting more and more dangerous. Already they faced a huge decision, one that would effect their fate down here. She stared at the room that appeared infront of them, paying particular attention to the statues. They were so big, the seemed to dwarf the heroes.

It then became apparent to her that the statues were their entrance to other parts of this gigantic maze. "So, the mouths of the statues are doors to more chambers and corridors?" she asked aloud. It amazed her how much time and effort the Romans had put into designing this prison. Then, the realisation of how to get across crossed her mind. "I can get you all across, trust me. You just have to tell me which way we're going, and I can build us a bridge made of rock."

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal watched as the souls fled into the darkness. The blast from his sword had scared them and caused them to escape. Dugal pitied the poor people who were trapped down here. Dugal couldn't do anything though. His powers only extended to Earth. He couldn't make souls move into Heaven. Though he seemed to be able to call to those in the beyond, like Max. Unless Max's soul had never moved on. Max hadn't specified.

As the souls left, the true contents of the room became apparent. The room was dominated by great statues, where the mouths were passages. Snow asked which they ought to take. Dugal focused to see where the Will was. He breathed slowly, and felt outwards. The Will was down the right passage. There was a expanse separating where they stood from the mouth though. Dugal wondered if he could still fly. He hadn't tried to do so since he returned to his body proper twenty years ago. When he had been in pure soul form, flying had been easy. He had also had generations of souls powering him. Now he only held the Will of Peter, plus Max's soul in the sword. Flying seemed unlikely. Then Snow offered making a bridge of rock. That would do.

"Snow, it's the right mouth. If you would."

---

California, USNA
Cat sighed and sat typing the keyboard. She was rather sad. Lucas was gone and still hadn't returned. It seemed like an eternity had passed. She had her work to pass the time, but without Lucas it just wasn't as fun. She had been lucky that Vlad hadn't paid her a visit yet. For now, it seemed he was satisfied with his half of the family fortune to fund his war. Though how long that would last she didn't know.

Cat typed a line, remembering what had happened. After the return to California, Cat quickly set the research facility as her new central office of the company. Within two months, her company was running more smoothly than ever and Lucas was fully healed. However, things changed. Lucas told her one day that he had to go. She pressed him for specifics, but he said he couldn't tell.Only that it had something to do with his mother. And he had gone, promising he would come back when he could. It was disheartening for him to be gone for nearly four months. She had realized she loved him. Loved him dearly. If only he would return....

---

Somewhere in the Rockies
Lucas dived underneath a rock, barely missing getting shot. Bullets ricocheted off the rocks, creating loud noises. Lucas leaned out from behind cover to blast his assailant with electricity. It hit directly, but as per usual it did little to nothing. He hated battling the Agent. The Agent fired again, prompting Lucas to go back behind his cover. He couldn't keep this up much longer. He sighed and rolled down the mountainside, picking up speed. The Agent began to run after him, expression not apparent on his face. His sunglasses hid his eyes well. Lucas swiftly approached a ridge, and tried to slow down. He grabbed onto trees or rocks, but couldn't get a good enough grip. With a yell he went over.

The past few months had been hard for him. Garrent had called him soon after his recovery, to remind them of their deal. Lucas begrudgingly left Cat to once more search for the object. The trail had gone long cold though. The Agent had done an effective job of sealing anyways for Lucas to find the object. Until he caught a break that even the Agent couldn't stop. Lucas had found a parchment at the one home of a researcher, detailing the object concerned. The Moon Stone.

The Moon Stone had been a subject of fancy for this researcher. He had extensively documented all findings. Which helped Lucas a bit. The researcher had determined that the Moon Stone was bound to be hidden somewhere in the Rockies, based on geological and astronomical records. It was at that point that Garrent sent someone to help Lucas out. Lucas never saw the man's face, as he always wore a full suit of high tech armor. It was equipped with many fancy gadgets. He only went by the name Dr Bishop. Lucas was annoyed by his mysterious nature, but appreciated the help. For the past two months, Lucas had been searching the Rockies with Dr Bishop for the stone. The only thing they could find was the Agent. Apparently the Agent had come to the same conclusion they had. They had run into him multiple times throughout the mountains. Lucas barely survived each encounter. He had improved his strength, but it was still little to the Agent. Dr Bishop was only strong enough to help ward the Agent off and escape. The months had passed, with no luck in the stone.

Lucas yelled as he fell when Dr Bishop caught him, flying off. His suit had rocket propulsion boots, which allowed them to return to a town each night to sleep. It also allowed him to catch Lucas when he fell off ridges. Dr Bishop flew across the Rockies, before going downwards and landing them somewhere on the mountainside. Dr Bishop dropped Lucas to the ground and crossed his arms. Lucas got to his feet, brushing off.

"Couldn't have given me a warning huh?"

"My mission is not to give you soft landings Lucas."

Dr Bishop still spoke with coolness and calm, but Lucas could tell that they had formed a bond of sorts. At the very least, they were mutual acquaints. Dr Bishop turned on his heel and began to walk across the rocks. Lucas smirked and followed, as the search continued.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Rome
Montego smirked as Cain jumped over him. The lord inquisitor wasn't even turning around to block Cain's attack when the latter slashed at the former. And yet, something blocked Cain's sword. Montego grinned as he revealed that he had spawned a third arm on his back, which was blocking Cain's sword. "Improvisation. That is today's lesson," he said. He grinned, and then turned around quickly to slash at Cain with the sword he held in his upper two arms.

Cain slid between Montego's legs, grinding to a stop five meters away. "Works for me." Cain said, forming a platform beneath Montego's feet, and flipping it sending him flying toward the statue. It was not unusual for these lessons to occur in more unorthodox manors. For instance, once, to teach Cain to detect different poisons, Montego had put small amounts in every drink he consumed for a week.

[Agadar]

Rome
Montego smirked as Cain jumped over him. The lord inquisitor wasn't even turning around to block Cain's attack when the latter slashed at the former. And yet, something blocked Cain's sword. Montego grinned as he revealed that he had spawned a third arm on his back, which was blocking Cain's sword. "Improvisation. That is today's lesson," he said. He grinned, and then turned around quickly to slash at Cain with the sword he held in his upper two arms.

Cain slid between Montego's legs, grinding to a stop five meters away. "Works for me." Cain said, forming a platform beneath Montego's feet, and flipping it sending him flying toward the statue. It was not unusual for these lessons to occur in more unorthodox manors. For instance, once, to teach Cain to detect different poisons, Montego had put small amounts in every drink he consumed for a week.

Montego was pushed into the air, but with the instincts as sharp as a cat's he landed on the side of the statue with both of his feet, and pushed against it to give him momentum towards Roseblood. Whilst flying through the air, another arm wielding a blade appeared from behind his coat, adding another arm and blade to the three others.

[Albertasby]

Snowflake began to concentrate hard as a loud rumbling began to occur. As she stood there focusing, the ground began to shake and instinctively Melody ducked to the floor. Soon, the shaking began to become so violent that the others should really think about ducking low so as to not fall. Dust began to fall from the ceiling above them as the shaking began to take a hold of the labyrinth. Within a few moments, the shaking had stopped, and silence descended up the group. Snowflake was panting, but stood there in front of them was a stone bridge to the next entrance.

Melody ran up and held her mother. Her powers were beginning to take the toll on her, and it was becoming evident that her energy levels weren't going to last if she had to keep using her powers. Melody looked at her mother, and noticed her ageing looks for the first time. Her eyes were tired and the stress was beginning to become clear. "Mum, are you okay?" The concern in Melody's voice was apparent.
"Yeah, I'm fine! Just not as young as I used to be!" she panted. "Anyway, let's go!"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

As the rumbling began, Milus began using his control over kinetic energy to counter the vibrations around him caused by Snowflake's own Geokinesis, thus being able to maintain his footing without much effort. He began trying to assist the others in the same manner as well, and when dust began to fall from the ceiling, he had it get sent away so that it would not block their view in any way. Soon enough the shaking stopped, and so did Milus, no longer using up his own concentration. Afterwards he looked ahead at the stone bridge, and then at Snowflake and Melody, and chuckled at the small exchange of words between the two. He then simply stood there, waiting for the only man who could lead the man, Dugal, to go ahead.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Cain slid between Montego's legs, grinding to a stop five meters away. "Works for me." Cain said, forming a platform beneath Montego's feet, and flipping it sending him flying toward the statue. It was not unusual for these lessons to occur in more unorthodox manors. For instance, once, to teach Cain to detect different poisons, Montego had put small amounts in every drink he consumed for a week.

Montego was pushed into the air, but with the instincts as sharp as a cat's he landed on the side of the statue with both of his feet, and pushed against it to give him momentum towards Roseblood. Whilst flying through the air, another arm wielding a blade appeared from behind his coat, adding another arm and blade to the three others.

Cain crouched and dashed forward, just barely missing Montego's third arm. He was now standing in front of the translucent platform he'd formed earlier. It was one inch thick, and 5 feet in diameter. Cain plucked it up off the floor, and hurled it at Montego with cat like grace. In mid air the platform broke apart, forming small needles. Cain also erected a wall directly behind Montego, should he decide to try to out run the needles. They wouldn't harm Montego, of course. They would stop several micrometers in front of him, should he not find a way to avoid them.

[Agadar]

Montego was pushed into the air, but with the instincts as sharp as a cat's he landed on the side of the statue with both of his feet, and pushed against it to give him momentum towards Roseblood. Whilst flying through the air, another arm wielding a blade appeared from behind his coat, adding another arm and blade to the three others.

Cain crouched and dashed forward, just barely missing Montego's third arm. He was now standing in front of the translucent platform he'd formed earlier. It was one inch thick, and 5 feet in diameter. Cain plucked it up off the floor, and hurled it at Montego with cat like grace. In mid air the platform broke apart, forming small needles. Cain also erected a wall directly behind Montego, should he decide to try to out run the needles. They wouldn't harm Montego, of course. They would stop several micrometers in front of him, should he not find a way to avoid them.

With a wicked grin on his face, Montego swung his left arm forwards and his right arm backwards, firing shockwaves towards both the incoming needles in front of him as well as the wall behind him, completely shattering both of them in one violent attack. The dust of the temple clouded the vicinity as a result, though both assassin masters would retain their vision. Montego smiled satisfyingly as he sheathed his blades and retracted the two additional arms he had grown during the course of the sparring session. "You've improved once again, Cain," he said. It had become more and more apparant during their time together as master and pupil that Harold, or rather, the Will of Iscariot, saw a potentional candidate in Cain. Thus far, the young assassin had shown no limits to his growth. Perhaps one day, should Iscariot's current body fail, the Will would choose Cain to become its new host. Only time would tell. "Have a seat," Montego said as he himself sat down on a marble bench in front of the statue of Jesus Christ. He looked at Cain. "You've done nothing but training for these past few months. It's time to put that training to the test. Are you ready for a new mission?"

Labyrinth beneath Vatican City
Snowflake's rocky creation was a succes: it connected where the heroes stood to the other statue's mouth. She and her allies crossed the custom made bridge over the seemingly eternally deep void beneath them. The four gigantic statues imposed their shadows upon the band. Sebastian and Karl watched them carefully. They did not know what to expect, not in a place like this. It would not surprise them if the statues came to life. Thankfully, their suspicions remained just that. The heroes entered the mouth of the next titan of stone without any of the massive statues making the slightest movement. They were statues, and nothing more. The group continued down a hallway strangely similar to the last one, until they reached yet another enormous room. This one was as dark as the last one, but instead of four enormous statues, there was one long and ruined though still usable bridge spanning across what at first glance appeared to be a massive man-made circular lake, but on closer inspection it would turn out to be a lake made of pure soul energy: the remains of souls so ancient that time itself had disintegrated them. On the middle of the bridge, several hundreds of meters removed from the heroes, stood a man. In one hand he held a long blade, corrupted soul energy surrounding it. Most definately a Neo-Weapon. The mysterious man wore an old, decommissioned suit of armor belonging to the Palatine Guard: the papal bodyguards. But this was not just any armor. It was the traditional battle armor the Lord High Paladins had always used, before it was replaced with a newer and upgraded version almost eleven years ago. Dugal would most definately recognize the armor, and if he were to take a good look at the wearer's face, he would instantly know who he was dealing with.

Fillipo Moretti, who had served as the Lord High Paladin during the Omega Crisis and who had driven Dugal away when the latter had tried to assassinate the pope as a HUNT commander. Fillipo had disappeared more than fourteen years ago, and now here he stood, inbetween the heroes and their path towards the Will of Peter, with a wicked grin on his face.

"Have you come back for more, Dugal?" Fillipo whispered, though everyone in the room would be able to hear it, even from hundreds of meters away. There was something wrong with this man. Very, very wrong. His presence alone instilled fear within the souls of everyone near him, and his eyes harbored the corruption of the Neostigma.

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal led his allies down the darkened mouth. It led down a stone hall, seemingly empty. And yet Dugal felt a great uneasiness, despite the lack of any obstacle. Many dark things hid in the depths of this place. As they walked, Dugal continued to feel the Will of Peter ahead. It was the only guidance in this dark place. The walking continued, until the hall opened into another chamber.

Right away, Dugal felt things weren't right. He felt something dark stirring. He looked down to see a bright pool. It was pure soul energy. And yet Dugal could see no soul in particular. The souls had been there so long that their individuality was gone. They had become one vat of pure energy. Then came another shocker. Standing in the middle of the wooden bridge that crossed the chamber was somebody Dugal had never expected to see again. Fillipo. He held a sword full of corrupted soul energy. The souls within the sword shuddered at Fillipo's words. Something was emanating from him. Some darkness. But Dugal couldn't tell what it was. He saw that Fillipo's eyes looked as Ansed's had when he first spread Neostigma. Black and bottomless.

He remembered his last fight against Fillipo quite well. When he had been an assassin for Londim, he had tried to kill the Pope of the time, to weaken Rome' morale. Dugal had done a fairly good job, infiltrating the Papal Mansion and getting past most of the guards. However, Dugal hadn't expected the strength of the Palatine Guard. Fillipo led them at the time and personally fought Dugal. Dugal had proved the weaker against Fillipo's powers of perception manipulation. He had barely escaped with his life. And now so many years later, this man stood in his way again. Dugal was stronger than he had been the first time, with the Will and soul powers. But would it be enough? He wasn't sure, but it was clear that Fillipo had gained power too.

Dugal turned towards the others, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Please stay back. His power is unnatural. I will handle him alone."

He turned back around and slowly walked towards Fillipo on the bridge. When he was ten feet away, he stopped and stared at FIllipo. Darkness clouded Fillipo's soul. Dugal couldn't tell what was wrong. It was like he had Neostigma, and yet different.

"Greetings Fillipo. It has been awhile. Things have changed since we last met though. I know not why you are here, but listen. We are here to retrieve the Will of Peter. Pope Bismarck had been forced from his body and placed in a different vassal. Bartolt has been manipulating everything. If you remain loyal to the Pope, allow us to pass and do what we must."

Dugal stood awaiting a response. He doubted this dark entity would listen to such reason, but he could try.

---

The Rockies
Lucas and Dr Bishop walked among the mountainside, continuing the search. Months of searching had uncovered nothing. Despite their best efforts, the Moon Stone lay hidden. The records indicated that the Moon Stone had landed in the Rockies some time ago, deep inb the past. The soil of various areas had been effected by it's properties. Plants had become strangely mutated and the like. It was supposed to have a unique energy signature, yet Dr Bishop's scanners picked up nothing.

Lucas kicked a rock, which tumbled over the edge. He sighed and looked among the mountainside, searching for some sort of crevice. Anything that could indicate the Moon Stone's presence. Dr Bishop kept silent as usual, looking everywhere around him. Lucas had been growing frustrated. Months of searching for nothing. Nothing except run-ins with the Agent, whatever he was. Man or machine, Lucas couldn't tell.

They walked downwards, careful avoiding slipping. Lucas knew Dr Bishop would save him, but didn't want to perchance Dr Bishop would be too slow. Lucas was almost able to fly using streams of electricity, but it was shaky at best. His control was too imprecise. The sun moved across the sky, as the search went on. It was nearing dusk. They usually went back to town after the sun set. Right as the sun began it's final descent, Lucas saw something. A narrow tunnel opening in the side of the rock. Odd he thought. It didn't look naturally formed. He walked to it, feeling the side of the rock. It felt smoothly cut. His eyes widened. Could it be?

"Yo Doc! Check this out!"

Dr Bishop turned and walked towards him.

"What is is Lucas?"

The metallic tone was annoyed. No doubt he was tired of searching too.

"Look at this opening. The rock is completely smooth. Do you think...?"

Dr Bishop pressed a button on his wrist, and his visor turned from red to green. He faced the opening for a few moments, then his visor returned to red.

"Well done Lucas. The rock contains traces of a strange energy signature. This could be it. Let's go."

Before Lucas could speak, Dr Bishop crawled into the tunnel opening going into the darkness. Lucas sighed and followed, ready to face whatever laid inside.

[Agadar]

The Labyrinth
Fillipo's eyes twitched, as if he wasn't in control of himself. "Bismarck?" he whispered loudly and madly. "He is a traitor! Have you not seen what he has done to us? What he has done to me!?" A shockwave of furious energy departed from the centre of Fillipo's body, briefly shaking the entire bridge. He quickly calmed down again. His mood seemed to be swinging up and down constantly. Fillipo was not his normal self, that much was certain. It seemed as if he had become engulfed with madness: the same madness which had almost consumed Ansed when he had become infected with the Neostigma. "He threw me in here! That monster! That beast! Where is he!? Is he with you!? Tell me, or I'll cut you!" The madman proclaimed as he threatingly pointed the tip of his sword at Dugal.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Cain crouched and dashed forward, just barely missing Montego's third arm. He was now standing in front of the translucent platform he'd formed earlier. It was one inch thick, and 5 feet in diameter. Cain plucked it up off the floor, and hurled it at Montego with cat like grace. In mid air the platform broke apart, forming small needles. Cain also erected a wall directly behind Montego, should he decide to try to out run the needles. They wouldn't harm Montego, of course. They would stop several micrometers in front of him, should he not find a way to avoid them.

With a wicked grin on his face, Montego swung his left arm forwards and his right arm backwards, firing shockwaves towards both the incoming needles in front of him as well as the wall behind him, completely shattering both of them in one violent attack. The dust of the temple clouded the vicinity as a result, though both assassin masters would retain their vision. Montego smiled satisfyingly as he sheathed his blades and retracted the two additional arms he had grown during the course of the sparring session. "You've improved once again, Cain," he said. It had become more and more apparant during their time together as master and pupil that Harold, or rather, the Will of Iscariot, saw a potentional candidate in Cain. Thus far, the young assassin had shown no limits to his growth. Perhaps one day, should Iscariot's current body fail, the Will would choose Cain to become its new host. Only time would tell. "Have a seat," Montego said as he himself sat down on a marble bench in front of the statue of Jesus Christ. He looked at Cain. "You've done nothing but training for these past few months. It's time to put that training to the test. Are you ready for a new mission?"

Labyrinth beneath Vatican City
Snowflake's rocky creation was a succes: it connected where the heroes stood to the other statue's mouth. She and her allies crossed the custom made bridge over the seemingly eternally deep void beneath them. The four gigantic statues imposed their shadows upon the band. Sebastian and Karl watched them carefully. They did not know what to expect, not in a place like this. It would not surprise them if the statues came to life. Thankfully, their suspicions remained just that. The heroes entered the mouth of the next titan of stone without any of the massive statues making the slightest movement. They were statues, and nothing more. The group continued down a hallway strangely similar to the last one, until they reached yet another enormous room. This one was as dark as the last one, but instead of four enormous statues, there was one long and ruined though still usable bridge spanning across what at first glance appeared to be a massive man-made circular lake, but on closer inspection it would turn out to be a lake made of pure soul energy: the remains of souls so ancient that time itself had disintegrated them. On the middle of the bridge, several hundreds of meters removed from the heroes, stood a man. In one hand he held a long blade, corrupted soul energy surrounding it. Most definately a Neo-Weapon. The mysterious man wore an old, decommissioned suit of armor belonging to the Palatine Guard: the papal bodyguards. But this was not just any armor. It was the traditional battle armor the Lord High Paladins had always used, before it was replaced with a newer and upgraded version almost eleven years ago. Dugal would most definately recognize the armor, and if he were to take a good look at the wearer's face, he would instantly know who he was dealing with.

Fillipo Moretti, who had served as the Lord High Paladin during the Omega Crisis and who had driven Dugal away when the latter had tried to assassinate the pope as a HUNT commander. Fillipo had disappeared more than fourteen years ago, and now here he stood, inbetween the heroes and their path towards the Will of Peter, with a wicked grin on his face.

"Have you come back for more, Dugal?" Fillipo whispered, though everyone in the room would be able to hear it, even from hundreds of meters away. There was something wrong with this man. Very, very wrong. His presence alone instilled fear within the souls of everyone near him, and his eyes harbored the corruption of the Neostigma.

"As always, I welcome a challenge." Cain said, taking his seat next to the statue. Training was growing tiresome, though he was as productive as possible. Cain grew restless, and was eager to prove his worth once more, after his failure in London.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Milus followed Dugal closely as he and the others crossed the great stone bridge that Snowflake made, which had seemingly left her exhausted. But at least it had granted them passage. A reasonable exchange, or so Milus thought. However, worrying was the fact that the hallway they had gone into was just the same as last one was. Unlike Karl and Sebastian, Milus was worried that they might be walking in circles due to some obscure magic or other means. It was unlikely, but, as far as he knew, possible. However, such a thing did not happen.

However, as the group crossed into another large circular room, Milus could see standing in the middle of a great bridge a man tainted and corrupted beyond any kind of salvation. He immediately took a defensive position and watched the exchange of words between Dugal and Fillipo. However, he relaxed slightly when Dugal said that he would handle everything, though he did continue to listen. It could help to pick up some background, he thought.

[Albertasby]

As Snowflake and Melody walked over the stoney bridge, Snowflake's energy returned to her. Slowly but surely, her age was beginning to show and using her powers was beginning to take its toll on her. Melody, on the other hand, was exuding energy and youthfulness; mirroring a young Snowflake when she first fought HUNT. The memories took her back.

Upon entering the next chamber, the pair listened into the verbal conflict going on between Dugal and this estranged man. Snow couldn't help but relate his condition to that of her husband's, and she knew the only way to free him was to drive him almost to death. Yet she couldn't be certain what this man had was the same thing Ansed had suffered from all those years ago.

When Dugal announced that he would fight this man alone, Melody became angered. Yet again, she felt that they were underestimating her, and excluding her from everything because of her age. As her anger grew, the temperature of the chamber began to drop rapidly as ice began to form around them. Within seconds, electricity began to spark from her fingertips. Her rage was beginning to disturb her powers and only she could calm herself down. She turned to Dugal; "I am not to be underestimated!" she boomed.

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal could tell Fillipo's was quite mad. He wasn't in conrtol of himself. Whatever Bartolt had done to him, or Janner perhaps, it had ruined him. Dugal felt pity for the man. He could tell trying to reason with the man would probably be useless. Yet he tried again.

"Fillipo!! I told you, that wasn't Bismarck! He has been taken control of by someone else!! It was Bartolt and Janner! They are responsible for making you like this!! Place the blame on the people responsible!"

At that moment, Melody exhumed some power. She was irritated it seemed. Her powers cause the temperature to drop. She shouted angrily at Dugal. Dugal rolled his eyes on the inside. Foolish girl he thought. He shouted back at her without looking.

"Melody! Calm down!! This isn't about you or your age!! I've asked all of you to keep back! Fillipo's power is more than any of you can handle. Only I can do this."

At least Dugal hoped he could. He was having a hard time detecting Fillipo's power. It was clouded by that dark force that scared the souls within the sword. Dugal had gotten stronger with Max's soul within his sword, but he still didn't know if he could handle this kind of fighter. He wished, not for the first time, that his ancestors souls were back in the sword. With that power he had been nearly unstoppable. Even King Reznov had fallen to him. He awaited Fillipo's reply.

[Agadar]

Slowly but surely, Fillipo's mouth curled into a grin, which then evolved into Fillipo bursting into laughter, his head held up high. He looked at Dugal. "You think you can handle me, boy?" he said, much more controlled and less crazy sounding than before. "You are nothing! My eyes... they see everything! They see into your very soul!" The great pool of soul energy underneath the bridge turned from bright blue to dark black. Eyes from various sizes appeared upon the surface of the lake: some as small as a normal eye, some as big as a car. They stared at Dugal and his allies. The blackened soul energy began to climb and crawl up the walls of the great room, taking the eyes with them. Slowly but steadily, the dark goo began to envelop every bit of surface of the chamber, the horrifying eyes gazing upon the heroes within, all the while Fillipo stared at Dugal with a wicked enthusiasm.

Bismarck, who had remained silent up to this point, whispered to Dugal: "He was my friend and ally once, but we cannot save him, not without the Will of Peter. Do what you must, and give him a merciful death. Free him of this madness. The old Fillipo would be grateful to you."

Rome
Montego grinned. "Good, good," he said gleefully. He reached into his inner breast pocket and took out an e-reader, which he handed over to Roseblood. "There is a certain organization which has managed to become significant enough to appear on my radar. It is called the 'Red Hand'. Because Rome has never really bothered with this group up until these past few weeks, we have little intelligence on them. The goals of the organization are vague to us at best, and the only ranking member those dimwits over at the IISA* managed to get their hands on, escaped without revealing anything." Montego took a small pause to fret over the apparant incompetence of the IISA, after which he continued his story. "We do already know certain things, however. The core members of the organization revere their leaders as if they were gods. In a sense, it's almost a clergy. [...] The organization itself seems to be gaining more and more support in Europe, mostly in Germany. Its supporters are typically low-income, anti-Roman civilians. More details, such as how they fund themselves, can be found on the e-reader." Montego paused to allow Roseblood to process the information. "Though it is probably nothing, I still want to know more about this organization, even if it is just out of curiosity. And if they turn out to be a threat, then we'll have them swiftly dealt with." Montego stood up. "Because this is a level four operation, I'm going to give you full freedom as to how you're going to handle it. All of the inquisition's resources and members are at your disposal. You are free to pick your own partners, or go in alone. I'm eager to see whether you're as good at leading an operation as you are at fighting."

* Imperial Security and Intelligence Agency

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal watched with revulsion as the soul energy crawled along the walls. Fillipo's trademark eyes opened up all over the energy, staring at all of them. Dugal's skin crawled as he remembered their previous battle. He was still unsure how his powers worked exactly, but it couldn't be good. Fillipo had been able to use these eyes to predict all likely battle patterns. Dugal was smarter this time around, but he still had to be cautious. The key to winning would to not show all of his battle patterns right away. The eyes would pick up on them and then predict every move he made. Dugal nodded at Bismarck's grim words.

Dugal pulled his sword from it's sheath as it became wreathed in Soul Flame. Dugal eyed Fillipo who stood with a smirk. His skin look corrupted as well, similar to how Ansed's had been. Dugal's eyes narrowed. He displays all the symptoms of Neostigma, but doesn't have the disease. What could it mean? He cleared hid throat and raised his sword. He drew upon the power of the Will and the Soul Flame glowed brilliantly. Dugal's power filled the chamber as well, helping to stifle the darkness of Fillipo a little bit.

Dugal pointed his sword at Fillipo and blasted a Soul Flame stream at him. He was testing to see Fillipo's reaction to his powers. Dugal didn't have those last time.

[Agadar]

Fillipo moved aside, dodging Dugal's attack with ease. The way he moved was unnatural. It was as if he had floated aside instead of stepping aside. His feet were touching a strange shadow: the corrupted soul energy, which was slowly but steadily enveloping the bridge. The blackness covered with the horrifying eyes was definately something best avoided, but how could the heroes possibly do that? They had no where to go. In front of them stood Fillipo, and behind them, the bridge had already been covered with the terrifying eyes. "I see everything, Dugal. You cannot defeat me. Not in my palace," Fillipo said eerily. He extended his arm, pointing his corrupted blade at Dugal. "Give up and let your mind be taken over by mine. Join me, Dugal. Join us! We're happy together. One big happy mind! One big happy family!"

[Jedi8246]

Dugal frowned as Fillipo easily dodged. Dugal noticed more of the blackness covering everywhere. He had to think of something before victory became impossible. Contacting that black stuff would not be a good idea. Fillipo offered for to surrender. Dugal looked across with a blank face. Finally, he nodded.

"Very well Fillipo. You may have my mind."

Dugal walked over to Fillipo and kneeled. He placed his sword on the ground before them. Then he looked up and shouted:

"MILUS! BLAST HIS SWORD!!"

Dugal put his hands up to hopefully catch the sword. He would release the souls within, hopefully changing the balance of power slightly. Milus's powers were psychic based, meaning Fillipo's eyes couldn't track what they did. When the sword blasted loose from Fillipo's grip, hopefully he would be able to grab it and release the souls.

Milus would remember Garrent's orders before he used his powers. The orders to let Dugal die if a good chance came up. Now would be a perfect time to let Dugal fall and leave with Dugal's sword. The question was, would Milus do it?

[Albertasby]

Melody had calmed now, and returned to her mother's side. Although she still felt as though the band overlooked her because of her inexperience, she had to let this battle slide. There was no way that Melody could fight with Fillipo, so she would have to grant Dugal his wish. Her emotions were still slightly edgy, but she had to remain calm. If her powers went out of control again, Fillipo could easily use this to his advantage and defeat Dugal.

As the cavern was enveloped by first a black goo and then evil looking eyes, both Snowflake and Melody had the same reaction; fear. It was not something either had seen before, and both felt unnerved by it. Quickly, the use of the eyes became apparent. Fillipo could see exactly the moves Dugal was about to do. It was scary to think that this was just the first of the villains they would have to face in this labyrinth...