Author's Note:

Get the popcorn, because things are going to get crazy soon.

Roman jerked rather unflatteringly awake when he felt Neo's elbow against his head, and felt his cap slide off the side of his head. His eyes opened, and he started to move without being sure what was around him. "What's happening? What's up?"

His vison was blurry at first, but he rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand, clearing his view. Neo was giving him a concerned look, something that he wasn't used to seeing, and that worried him considerably. It generally took quite a bit to frighten Neo, and he had an idea of what it was that was getting to her.

She pointed, wordless, as she always was, and Roman followed her hand. The ship that was being loaded when he had drifted off to sleep had just started to take off, but there was still a fairly large amount of people who had not boarded yet. It puzzled him at first why they would be leaving with so few having boarded, but then his gaze drifted to the side, revealing something that promised disaster for everyone who wasn't working for Cinder.

Cinder had come, and brought the whole crew with her. They hadn't reached the clearing yet, but he could see the signs of their approach. He could hear their voices raised in the distance, and he could see a large cloud of dust being kicked up behind them.

The people who had not yet boarded the only means of escape they had were starting to panic, chaos erupting among them. Guards did their best to contain the issue, scooping as many into Bullheads as they could, and trying to calm the remaining people. A few of the more desperate started to flee in all directions, either hoping to hide in the woods or swim their way to safety. They didn't have a prayer though, and Roman knew it. Chances were that they knew it too, but they wouldn't be persuaded to simply lose their minds sitting down.

Roman started to walk out from the trees, and felt Neo close on his heels. She didn't want to let him out of her sight, and her presence made him feel slightly safer with the prospect of confronting Cinder face-to-face again. Thinking of the last time still made him feel uncomfortable, but now he had something that would hopefully shield him from Cinder's little tricks. Naze had told them that Neo would be more resistant to Cinder's influence, but neither knew just how resistant she was, so it would probably be best if they stuck together. Maybe the trinket hidden under Roman's coat would offer her some protection as well if she was close enough.

Guards started readying their weapons and forming a defensive line as the demons started to come rolling down the path towards them, and Roman wondered if he should stop and watch the show, or keep going down there. He didn't fancy the idea of getting caught by stray bullets or, as was somewhat more likely for him, being a notorious outlaw, being singled out as a target if anyone recognized him.

When the horde of demons and their followers came into view, Roman felt like he hadn't prepared himself enough mentally for what met his eyes.

He had known that Cinder got popular in the city, but she was leading thousands upon thousands of people behind her, in varying states of what looked like horrific mutation. It was hard for his eyes to focus on what was wrong with anyone specifically, but after a few seconds he was able to pick certain things out of the crowd. A few arms ending in tentacle-like appendages, more than a few tongues extending well beyond the chin, and more bizarre things that made him unsure as to whether he was looking at a man or a woman. He had never considered that someone could be both, but it seemed that it was entirely possible.

Every person had a crazed look in their eyes, like there was something that they desperately wanted in each of those who had been left behind. What it was, he thought he could imagine, but he didn't want to think about it too hard.

Most of them were naked or barely clothed, and they seemed to bring with them a slight shift in the air. At first he expected it to be hot, and smell revolting. Instead, it was only a change warm enough to be comfortable, and the smell that accompanied it was sweet, and almost made Roman want to lie back down and drift off to sleep again. Not quite, though, and even if he had, he was sure that Neo would have some way to get him back to his feet.

Cinder seemed to draw his eye, she had changed much in the time that Roman hadn't seen her. He hadn't expected it, but she had the same insane glint in her eyes that the rest of her followers had. She was normally so aloof, even when she hadn't been serving a demon. It wasn't like her to let something like that show. She should've been at the back of the horde she drove.

She had changed physically as well, and to Roman, all of the new features looked rather beastly. Her hands were like claws now, and her hair hung messily off her head, falling down her back and showing that she had not cared for it in days. He would say that she was nude, except that what seemed to be a single shredded piece of her dress still somehow clung to her body, barely covering anything. He had always thought he would like to see Cinder half nude, but the circumstances he was currently in made the occasion rather hard to enjoy.

Her legs appeared to have changed significantly, having much more muscle, and having changed to what almost looked like hooves. He could feel some part of his brain telling him that she was attractive, He supposed that she was, in the kind of way that you didn't tell your friends about. The more dominant feeling was a kind of disgust, and a sudden awareness of the medal around his neck starting to vibrate gently. That must've been it doing its job, something that he was thankful for.

None had noticed him yet, and he hoped that it would stay that way as long as possible. If they did see him, they might try to share the things that they had "found" which would be a very awkward and unpleasant experience, given that it wouldn't pervert him like it did others.

The guards of the clearing started to fire, and even a few Atlesian Paladins stepped from hidden alcoves, adding their firepower to the firing line.

The noise of the barrage was sudden, and quickly roused screaming from both sides of the forces, the charging cultists and the fleeing civilians. The effect of the bullets and heavier ordinance slamming into the line of approaching madness seemed to be nothing, A few people fell, struck down by occasionally fatal hits on their vital regions, or by being made unable to keep running, but many more took their place, simply trampling them without hesitation.

Roman was sure that he saw Cinder take a few bullets, but they seemed to deflect off her skin like they were nothing, not even leaving a scratch. They even whipped through her hair, but couldn't do so much as separate it from the scalp. He could also distinctly see a smile on Cinder's face, as she entered the final stretch of the charge.

Guards, both men and women, stopped firing before Cinder even reached them, turning to one another and doing things that he had never expected to see people in uniform doing. Not all did, though, and those who continued fighting did so until they were reached by the demons who approached, and then seemed to be forced into what the others were doing. All resistance was gone in seconds, and they appeared as insane as the rest of the crowd, doing what animals without any sense of modesty did.

The Paladins kept firing a little longer than the foot soldiers, but when the metal was rended apart, exposing the pilots to the same thing as their brothers and sisters. The followers of Cinder surged past, and started to overtake the civilians who had not yet made it far enough.

Roman watched with a scowl as his old master started to do things that even he thought were disgusting. He felt Neo tighten her hold on his arm, and glanced down to his longtime friend. She was watching, her eyes wide, horrified. Her irises were a dead white, showing that she was truly terrified of what was going on. He tried to follow her gaze, and found that she was staring straight at Cinder. She was often aware of things that normal humans were not. It was possible that Cinder had changed in some greater, more dramatic way that he couldn't see.

That didn't do much for Roman's confidence about his reunion with his previous boss, but there was nothing that could be done about that now. They had to meet her, and he doubted that they could get away without being noticed. He started to walk, but found that Neo was unwilling to move her legs. Her feet were dug into the ground, and the few inches of progress he had made were marked with tracks from her heels.

He gave an exasperated sigh, and said, "Oh, come on! I'm not looking forward to this either, but we've got to go! You remember what the skeleton said, we really don't have a choice here."

Neo didn't break from her being frozen, and instead started to tug Roman back towards the trees, a small, airy whimper escaping from her throat. It was about the most noise that he had ever heard come out of her, and showed just how afraid she was. Unfortunately, there really was no time for things like this.

He stopped trying to walk, and instead turned, kneeling down in front of the girl, and taking a hold of her head, turning her gaze away from Cinder with a little more force than he would've liked. It took a few seconds, but her eyes flicked to his face, and he made sure to hold them there. "Hey, hey, focus on me, alright?"

Neo swallowed down a lump in her throat, and Roman felt her eyes center on his. He gave as comforting a smile as he could, and let go, moving his hand to brush over the side of her face. "It's going to be fine, right? I mean, you're speedy enough to get away from anything she tries, right? So you've got nothing to worry about, I'm sure she's going to going to love you anyways. She always did."

He realized a second too late that this was perhaps not the best way he could've said it, but the damage had been done. Neo's eyes widened again, and she lashed out towards him. He couldn't move fast enough away even if he had wanted to, and before he knew it, Neo had his head in a vicelike hug. He sighed again, cursed himself under his breath, then said, "You know I didn't… oh forget it. Look-" he did his best to slowly disentangle himself before continuing, "-you've protected me for a long time, right? And I'd like to think I've saved your skin a few times. This is no different, I'm not going to let her touch you."

Neo slowly let him go, and looked him straight in the face. She still looked scared, but now only one eye was white. She could tell he was telling the truth, though, and that he wouldn't let the slightest harm come to her. She let out a deep breath, and nodded, wrapping her arms around Roman's. She didn't want them to get separated, for any reason.

Roman breathed a small sigh of relief. It was hard to convince Neo to do anything she didn't want to. Now he would just have to convince himself. He started to walk, and put an arm around Neo. No one was going to touch her, that was a promise he would make good on.

They started to make progress down the hill, and were spotted by a few of the demons and followers. They started to sprint towards them, but Roman put his cane above his head, and shouted, "Hey, back off. We're with Cinder! So back off, I'd like to have a word with her!"

At the mention of Cinder's name, an excited look came across her followers, and more turned their attention towards them. A large number even started to approach, and he felt Neo's arms tighten around his. He hoped that she wouldn't break the bone, or do so much as bruise. He hated when things like that happened.

He did his best to keep his cool as the demons and cultists came within a few feet, doing his best to not react. He desperately didn't want to think about what would happen if he continued to walk leisurely, instead of turning and running as fast as he could, like any sane man would. He couldn't do that, though. There was a certain image that he had to project, and he knew that.

Just as her lackeys were almost falling on him, Cinder called out a single word that brought them all to an abrupt halt. "Stop!"

There was something oddly sultry about her voice, but Roman was sure that it was more of the demon she served making her more a suitable servant. Though, now that he thought about it, she did always had the air before, too. The crowd stopped just a few steps away, hot breath lapping against Roman's face. It didn't smell quite as good as the air that they had brought with them, but he didn't concern himself with that too much. When he got a close up look at the faces of the people, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

They all looked like they weren't really entirely aware of what was going on. Many of the humans and faunus were salivating uncontrollably, reaching out towards him hesitantly, or doing things that he avoided looking at, generally below the waistline. He was glad that he was a tall man, and felt sorry that Neo likely wouldn't be able to ignore it like he did. But that wasn't what made Neo nervous, he was sure. What had her on edge was Cinder. Something was definitely up with Cinder, and not in the weird way that he had come to expect recently.

He kept walking with Neo, and a path started to form in front of them. Still, hands reached out towards them, like it was almost impossible for them to hold back. Neo pressed closer against him, fearing the same corruptions that befell the people before them. The path that opened in front of them met with one that had been opening in front of Cinder, and the two stared at one another for a few seconds before Cinder put her arms out towards him and said, "Roman, it's been too long."

If she wanted him to touch her, she was going to have to bear disappointment. He wasn't risking catching the countless diseases she undoubtedly amassed from her followers, or the demon possession.

He put a hand up, and took a small step back. The sound of shuffling feet told him that the path behind him had closed, and that he was now completely trapped. Fingers brushing against his back startled him, and he turned to find the dazed and longing looking people still reaching out for him.

He raised his cane in the hand that wasn't around Neo, and made a few swipes at the fingers. There were a few satisfying yelps from several of his targets, but more than a few unsettling moans. He looked down, and saw Neo shrinking away from another pair of hands. This time he didn't care if they enjoyed it or not, he simply struck out.

He wasn't sure if it was really the crack of bones that he heard, but he sincerely hoped that the slightly scaled, purplish fingers would be so bent out of shape that they wouldn't be usable for whatever it was that they were normally used for.

The hand withdrew immediately, and he pulled Neo a little closer, trying to let her know that he had her back.

Cinder made a small noise, perhaps a giggle, making both Roman and Neo look back to her. She shook her head, a small smile on her face, and said, "That wasn't very nice. I thought I taught you to play nice, Roman. What happened?"

Roman shook his head and said, frustrated, "Maybe I would be a little more friendly if it were just you, me, and Neo talking. Then I think I could be much nicer."

Cinder gave him an impish look, then another nod. "Alright, fine. In the meantime…" she gestured behind her, to the airship that had started to make its escape. Feminine demons rose off the ground, into the sky, bearing people on their backs who looked to Roman like they were absolutely insane. He knew that the airship hadn't gotten far enough to be safe, and that the demons would soon catch up.

Next Cinder gestured to the crowd around them, saying, "Leave us to our business, please. We've much to discuss, I'm sure."

The crowd did as it was told, and started to thin. People went about whatever it was that Cinder had brainwash them to do, Roman didn't particularly care what it was. Not as long as they did it quietly, and where he could ignore them. After several moments the crowd was mostly gone, and Cinder started to walk towards them.

The sashay in her hips drew Roman's eye, and he felt the thing around his neck start to vibrate harder, and grow warm. It wasn't uncomfortable, but did seem to be slightly ominous. He tried not to let that show, and kept his eyes focused on Cinder's face. Her eyes burned with something that he had not seen before, and that was far more unsettling than the changes to her physical body.

He was nowhere near the mind-reader that Neo was, but he was sure that what his aura told him was no lie. It wasn't exactly that he could see something in her eyes, but he could without a doubt feel it. Something was swimming behind her eyes, growing in strength and magnitude, like some kind of waiting monster. He got the feeling that whatever it was, it was something that would be very, very bad to let out.

If that was the thing that scared Neo, maybe it would be better that he couldn't feel it. Then he wouldn't be paralyzed in fear. But, the possibility was also there that he should've been scared. He had no idea what Cinder had become, but for once in his life, he was sure that he was doing the world a favor. It was a funny feeling, and he didn't think he liked it, but he was sure that he would like the feeling of being killed by a corpse older than the rocks he stood on much less.

Cinder came within a few feet of him, like she always used to do, but this time she didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. "Well Roman, we are alone enough. What is it you wanted to talk about?" He didn't have a chance to answer before she took another step closer, bringing her a little closer than she used to get. "To tell you the truth Roman, I've missed you. You always had this way about you, so confident, and assured. I want to know that again, and I want more."

With those final words, she pressed her lips against Roman's, and pushed the rest of her body against him like a jigsaw piece. For a brief second, he felt his mind leave him, leaving only pleasure in its place. He had never known that he could feel something so intense.

Then, as soon as it had come, the feeling was gone, and his eyes rolled back into their proper positions. The amulet around his neck was now vibrating violently, and felt like it was going to scorch his skin before too long.

He jerked back, and felt Cinder's hands leave his back. Neo stumbled back with him, ready to catch him if he fell. He was disoriented, but didn't seem like he was going to topple. A hand went to his head, making sure that it was still attached to his body, and he tried to tell if anything had changed. Would he be able to tell if he got corrupted?

He looked down to Neo, hoping that she would be able to provide some answer. Her eyes were wider than he had ever seen them, and dead white. He could even see small tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

He blinked a few times, then said, "Well, that was weird. I don't feel any different."

Neo smiled, and shot out in another rib cracking hug. This time Roman found it much less endearing, what with Cinder so close, watching. He got the feeling that they should be very careful what they showed around her. He pushed her away, and she got the idea immediately, stepping away from him, then immediately stepping back to his side when she looked back at Cinder.

Cinder, for her part, had stared on with a rather amused expression. When Neo retook her place at Roman's side, she giggled again, and said, "Oh please, don't mind me. If there's something you two would like to do, don't let me interrupt."

Roman shook his head clear. The burst of pleasure was difficult to get out of his mind, but he didn't really know if he wanted to. It felt good, that was sure.

His amulet gave another increase in its vibration and heat, then a sharp shock racked his body. His muscles locked for an instant, preventing him from reacting. It was sharp enough that he thought twice about wanting to remember the pleasure, at least. He was sure that it was probably the point, but he would've thought that Naze could find a less painful way to do it.

His muscles relaxed again, and he involuntarily put a hand to his chest. Cinder saw the motion, and gave him a mock-puzzled look, saying, "Are you alright, Roman? You look like you just had a heart attack."

He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, doing his best to feign that nothing had happened. "No, no, I'm fine. What I wanted to talk about, though, is what's up next. I mean, what are we going to do now? You got Menagerie, and you're trying to get another airship, so I'd assume that you're going for somewhere else. Anywhere in particular?"

Cinder started to walk towards him again, but he didn't move. She'd take that wrong, he was sure, or it would cause suspicion. Not that his questions weren't, of course.

She gave a small laugh, and draped her arms over his shoulders. "Oh Roman, whatever happened to that wonderful, doglike attitude of yours? You used to just follow orders so well, and now you need to know things?"

Her face drew closer to his, and he felt her hot breath on his cheeks. "What changed?"

Thoughts of the last kiss he had gotten returned, but this time his trinket didn't zap him. Instead, it seemed to produce an almost revolting smell, enough to kill any mood, unless the mood was decomposing already.

That was just the shot of reality he needed, and he leaned back, saying, "I'll think about that one. Now, I'd really appreciate knowing where it is that we're going next. I can't go on ahead if I don't know what we're targeting."

Her face drew even closer to his, threatening another kiss, but she opted to speak instead. "But Roma, must you go on ahead? It would give me such pleasure-" she placed a fair amount of emphasis on the word "-to have you at my side again. Wouldn't you stay just a little while longer?"

If she weren't so close, Roman would've cursed the Lich under his breath. He had to agree, and yet be sure to resist her. He sighed and nodded, careful to make sure that his face was far enough away. Cinder gave his body a squeeze, and his eyes bulged out as he was almost crushed. He couldn't help but let out a breath as it was squeezed out of his lungs, and fight against her arms with all the strength he could.

Her grip was like iron, and it was clear that he could not do anything against her. She was stronger even than Neo, a comparison that he had never thought he would make. After a few seconds of thinking he was going to die by being choked out in the arms of his old boss, Cinder either seemed to realize that she was on the verge of murder, or decide that she had had enough fun suffocating him.

She let him go, and smiled as he stumbled back a few paces, Neo going along with him, positioning herself behind Roman. As Cinder allowed her focus to shift, she started to walk towards Neo. She had never done things like this before, so what had changed? A few ideas came to her mind, but nothing she was sure about. And besides, it didn't really matter what had prompted this new reaction. As that mattered to her was that Neo had a new fear.

"How have you been, Neo? Still keeping Roman safe, I see, but why do you cower now? You know he couldn't save you if I wanted to do something, right?"

The short girl looked up to Cinder, scared, but Cinder had no intention of really hurting her. She wouldn't be too useful if she was broken. Instead, she wanted to see if she would be able to resist as well as Roman had.

Of all the people who might resist her, she didn't expect Roman to be one. She had never thought of him as someone with extraordinary amounts of self-control. He was full of surprises though, she couldn't deny. Neo had also been full of surprises, even more so than Roman. It was for that reason she wanted to test Neo.

Neo was clearly torn between staying at Roman's side, and fleeing like her life depended on it. The conflict made Cinder smile wider, but she put her hands out towards the girl in an inviting manner. "Come now, why so scared? I could show you such delights, there would be no more space for fear in that pretty little head of yours. Come on, I'd love to share."

She stopped, watching to see what Neo did next. She continued to stare, almost paralyzed. Cinder took that to mean she invited her presence, and continued to approach. Still, she clung to Roman like he was the only thing that would be able to help her.

He tried to get back to his feet, but the damage that Cinder had managed to do to him was too great to allow him back to his feet. It was nothing that would last, of course, but he wouldn't be able to intervene.

Cinder got close, and Neo put up a hand in hopes of protecting herself. Unfortunately for her, Cinder simply shot out with her own hand, pulling Neo up from Roman's side.

Neo was strong for her size, but she was nowhere near strong enough to pull away. Cinder pulled her in close, and relished everything about her friend. The way her muscles tightened as she tried to escape was incredible in a bizarre, inhuman way. She could feel through the glove that not only were the muscles beneath incredibly strong, but they were also starting to shift their positions in ways that no human should've been able to do.

Cinder's eyes widened again, and she felt her tongue start to slide out of her mouth towards Neo. Her efforts redoubled, and some sense started to return to her body as her fear started to peak. She struggled and thrashed, too afraid to strike Cinder, but too frightened to stand still.

Cinder's lips raised, and two long fang-like teeth extended from her top row of teeth. They already dripped with venom, and she intended fully to use it. Her greater body allowed her to move before even Neo could react, and the fangs penetrated the fabric of her clothes and delivered their warm ichor into her veins.

The concoction was something that Cinder knew wouldn't affect Neo too much, only make her more cooperative. Now Cinder would be able to test her more easily, without having to battle her. Roman made a few groaning noises from the ground, trying to get back up, but he couldn't. Cinder grinned again as Neo's struggles weakened, and Cinder started to drag her away. She could feel her reaching out for Roman, hoping that he would be able to save her, but he was immobilized, and she was made too weak.

She would make sure that Neo knew what she was missing. Even if she made the unthinkable decision that she didn't want it, she would experience a small taste. She owed it to her for the help she had given Roman, anyways.

Amber's eyes were plastered on the floor, and she fought the urge to shrink back. She knew that Solace wouldn't like the suggestion, but she had to make it. To her, it was the only way that The Order would be able to help. There was simply no other way for them to get into the fight, and help the world.

She could feel Solace's eyes drilling into the top of her head, and couldn't help but feel stupid for suggesting it. She had known that he would hate the idea, but she had hoped that he might be able to see her reason on the matter. He had been so reasonable about other things, but this was a sticking point.

She understood that the undead couldn't be trusted well, but Yang had started to change her mind on the matter. She had been more relatable than any of the others had, and her message made sense.

She didn't think that Solace liked the idea of working with the undead. The silence since she had said it started to grow too large, and she felt the urge to look up. Her hood blocked some of her vision, but Solace was directly in front of her, so he was unobscured. His arms were crossed, but his face looked frozen.

Slowly, she straightened up and took a small step towards him. "Please, sir, I just want the best for the order. There may be no other option, and be cannot just sit idly by while the world is corrupted by demons!"

Solace put a hand to his chin and turned around, starting to think. Whether this was good or bad, Amber couldn't tell. "Please Sir, don't be too mad! It seemed to be the only way I could help! I know I shouldn't have gone behind your back like I did, but there was no other option."

Solace nodded, but remained silent. The silence was starting to grate against Amber's nerves in a new way, conjuring anger inside of her. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Couldn't he see her reasons? This attitude was exactly why she thought such radical action was necessary.

She took a deep breath and tried to dismiss the annoyance. Solace was stubborn, but he was also fair. If she made it clear why she said it, and why she thought that it was right, he would have to see at least some logic in her reasoning. Tears of stress started to flow from her face as she started to consider the impacts that this could have. Would she be expelled from the Order? No, certainly not. But that didn't make the thought any less terrifying. Her emotions were gradually quelled as she tried to steady herself with the Light, reassuring herself that nothing would go wrong.

"I only-"

Before she could say anything else, Solace shook his head and turned back, holding a hand up. His deep voice cut hers off softly, not wanting to upset her anymore. "My apologies. I should not have reacted that way. It's simply that, well, I never thought I'd see the day a priestess suggested working with the undead."

He swallowed down the lump in his throat, ran a hand across his face, and gave her a smile. She thought it looked forced, but she wasn't about to say anything about it.

Solace took a few heavy steps towards her, and put his hands on her shoulders in a comforting way. "I'm happy that you felt you could come forward with this idea, even though you knew I wouldn't be quite agreeable."

Amber shrugged. "I did wait a long time, though. I felt…" she shook her head, and gave up trying to explain. Of course he'd understand.

Solace removed a hand from her shoulders, and moved her hood back, exposing her face to the light from the ceiling. They were in the "Chapel" when the lockdown had started, and not left since. Disturbing whatever was going on out there wouldn't help anybody.

"It's fine, you needn't justify yourself. I suppose…" he sighed heavily, and his other hand fell from her shoulder. "I may appear somewhat uncaring at times. Stoic, towards accepting such a deal. But please, consider my view; the undead have always been remorseless monsters, and only the most powerful have had any semblance of consciousness. The things that the Lich proposes are so unheard of, I can't even begin to describe how insane it sounds."

He nodded again, as if confirming his words to himself. "But I am rather behind the times, aren't I? And, in addition, so little is known about him, I must be forced to confront the fact that he may be telling the truth."

Amber's eyes lit up with hope, but Solace was not yet finished talking. "But even if he is, I cannot bring myself to bend a knee to such a vile thing. It is an affront to everything Holy. I would disgrace everything that I once stood for."

The pit returned to Amber's stomach, and she felt like she should have expected such an outcome. She found that he still wasn't done, though, as he continued again. "But you are the purest symbol of what I hoped for my people. Open-mindedness, and freedom from such a curse. If you think that we should, I will follow you, and you can depend on the strength of my hammer. On the strength of all of us, I'm sure. You need only say the words."

Amber was taken aback. The sudden responsibility seemed to add weight to her shoulders, as though Solace were pushing down on them, but his hands had returned to his side. She met this new weight with resolve. Just because she was given the final choice didn't mean that she would buckle.

She nodded. "Yes, we should cooperate with Naze, if only long enough to repel the demons from this world. They are clearly a larger threat than he is, and he himself has offered to help. For the good of the world, not our order, we will fight with them."

Solace nodded, saying, "So it shall be. I'll notify everyone of your decision immediately."

Amber nodded. She hoped that they would all be as understanding as him. They held most of his convictions almost as dearly as he did, but maybe they could be convinced more easily. Even though they had trained for it, they had not had the experiences he had, and wouldn't have the same oppositions.

Penny wanted to help the large number of guards who were swarming around the compound, but there didn't seem to be anything that she could do. Whenever she offered, she was simply told "Go back to your room." or "Please, just get somewhere safe." She knew that they had her best interests in mind, but it was beginning to get frustrating.

She had managed to slip away from her personal guards, and had to keep constantly on the move to stay ahead of them. She was sure that they would catch up with her eventually, but until then, there had to be something that she could do. Ironwood was in his private room again, probably commanding large numbers of people, like he always did. It couldn't just be what was going on in the city, or else there would've been far more going on out there. From what she could tell, things were fairly still.

He had to be doing something else, but she had no way of finding out. She rounded a corner, and then saw one of her bodyguards. He was faced away from her, talking to another guard about where she was. She zipped as quickly as she could back around the corner, and gritted her teeth. It was so irritating. She was being blocked everywhere she tried to help. If only someone would listen…

As if on cue, an echoing voice came from behind her, and she thought she recognized the wavering tone. "You wish to help, correct?"

She placed a finger to her lips. "Be quiet! I'm hiding." She peaked around the corner again, making sure that her bodyguard had not caught any of the sound. He didn't appear to have, and she went back around the corner.

The shimmering, translucent figure of the Shade was the same as the other times she had seen them, but that didn't make it any less startling. Nonetheless, she did want to help somebody. "Yes! I could do so much, but no one will let me. Do you have something I could do?"

The Shade shifted, like it was nodding, then continued, "Something simple, but no less important. Adam Taurus, a White Fang leader, was held here for a long time. His weapons, Wilt and Blush, are still here. Bring them, and you will assist the plan greatly."

A slight confusion crossed her face, but she dismissed it quickly. She had worked with Naze in the past, and everything had turned out alright. She could trust him.

She nodded, smiling, and gave an enthusiastic salute. "I'll do it. The only problem is that I don't know if I'll be able to get past the guards." She thought for a moment, then shrugged. It didn't matter anyways, she supposed. It was only a matter of time before she was found again.

She looked back up, meaning to say something to the Shade, but it was already gone. She was left alone again, but at least now she had a goal.

If they still had the weapons, they would likely be in an evidence storeroom. Those were near the cells, and probably wouldn't be guarded in a situation like this. Not while the cells were empty. She set off, walking quickly, doing her best to stay clandestine. It would be terrible if she was offered a chance, then failed.

Her journey to the cells was quick, and relatively untroubled. By the time that she managed to get to the evidence rooms, she was sure that her bodyguards were starting to close in on her. The door was locked, and she didn't want to force it open, but to help Naze, there was no other option. She had to have those weapons before her guards found her.

Her foot impacted the doorknob, and the lock was broken, sending the door swinging inward rather loudly. Voices down the hall indicated that she was about to be found out, and she stepped inside quickly. Several boxes sat innocently, but one had to contain what she needed. There was no time to bother with locks on the boxes either, so she was forced to simply pry the lids open. The first box contained only what looked like a few small devices, she was able to identify a few of them as makeshift grenades, or other similar items. Each was inside of a clear plastic bag, with a note on the side, but she didn't care.

The next box dented when she kneed the lock, and as she opened its lid, she smiled. The long blade sat at the bottom, almost peacefully, waiting to be removed. She took it deftly in one hand, then turned back towards the door. Now she only had to get rid of it. But where was a good place to do that? She could hurl it over the perimeter wall, but she would certainly be seen if she tried that.

The voices and footsteps of her guards drew very close to the door, and she looked around frantically for something she could use to escape them. The door was the room's only exit, so she was trapped if she couldn't use it.

Her eyes flicked back to the grenades. One had been a concussion-style grenade, she was sure of it. Something like that would stun the men long enough for her to get away.

She didn't want to do it, but they gave her no choice. She jumped towards the box, and hurriedly tore the plastic away from the thing before pulling the pin, dropping it, and turning the other direction, her hands over her ears.

Her timing was perfect, as a fraction of a second after the footsteps started to enter the room, the explosion happened. The wall she faced was bathed in a bright white, and for a brief moment everything was silent as her ears were tricked into adjusting to a much higher ambient volume. The effect was gone quickly though, and she turned again, pushing past the now stunned men. "I'm sorry!"

It was no good, they couldn't hear her, but she figured that she may as well try. She really liked them, and normally she would've never done something like that, but she needed to help Naze. If he was contacting her, then it was something that needed to be done.

She did her best to avoid knocking them over as she passed by them, and once back out in the hall, spied another Shade-like thing hovering near a window. She was going to run towards it, hoping to speak, but instead a voice said somewhere over her left shoulder, "Throw it."

A quick glance revealed that it was the shade from before, and she followed its instruction. She stopped running, dropped her shoulder, cocked her arm, and launched the thing towards the poltergeist, doing her best to aim so that it would land in front of it.

The weapon hit where she had meant it to, but skidded along afterword. It didn't skid for long, though, as the poltergeist scooped it off the ground with countless little limbs, and started to carry it off.

A deep breath left Penny's chest. She'd done a good thing, she was sure.

But she doubted that Ironwood would see it that way.

If she wanted to be safe, it'd be best for her to return to her room. There, she was sure that her actually complying with what she was told to do would soften whatever punishment she would get. She wanted to make sure that her bodyguards were alright first, though. Now that she had done everything she could to help, she didn't want them to be angry with her. It would be an awkward explanation, she was sure, but she owed them that, at least.