[endermage]

Demeter sighed, "It's not a problem, it's just a fact of life. Usually we don't have any problem. But Ptolemy is a worry wart.  We've been attacked four... maybe five times...."

"It's seven. And the third and fifth one had special ops teams." said Ptolemy sighing.  

"Well okay... but we were able to take them out.... with relative ease." said Demeter.

"Yeah... except not. Last time we had to use the last of the flash bombs." said Ptolemy, "The next time we may not get so lucky. Fortunately for you folks we have arrived at the drop off point." Ptolemy pointed ahead to the cathedral that the panes were to be delivered.

As they made their way to the building, some eyes were watching the group. They were cold and unfeeling.

[55]

[AnimeTheia]

Seishin mused silently, he didn't like to hear of these nice creatures having been attacked so many times, or the fact that evil corporations existed, he wasn't idealistic he knew the world wasn't always a good place, but it was never nice when you were reminded just how dark and evil it could be. Still they had almost completed their job, and he looked forward to receiving some pay which he could take back to the zoo and add to the dwindling pile of keystones in the money safe. Other than that he could only hope that Demeter and Dr. Ptolemy would be okay, and that they would take him up on his offer if they ever needed to. He didn't notice the cold stares of the watchers in the shadows, he wasn't attuned to sensing danger or maybe he'd have felt their presence.

Ahead of the group Keeki almost tripped over her own feet as she meandered along staring up at the cathedral in awe, causing Seishin to cringe, it would be just typical if she broke her box of glass now when they were so near to their goal, "Careful keeki, pay attention to what your doing, once we're there we'll be able to take off that harness and you can look at the cathedral all you want" he reprimanded her gently, and Keeki abashedly looked away from the tall walls and brilliantly coloured glass windows and back down in front of her again.

[endermage]

Ptolemy smiled as they turned in the sheets of glass. They would look beautiful inside the Cathedral. The Priest and Priestess smiled as they handed Ptolemy the reward. He went back to the others and gave them their share. "You guys were great. Thank you."


Demeter waved as they started to walk away. They didn't get out of sight before several men in black uniforms emerged from the buildings. Demeter and Ptolemy had been surrounded.

[56]

[AnimeTheia]

"It was great meeting you both" Seishin called to Demeter and the Doctor as they headed off, whilst Keeki wobbled on her back paws beside him, both front paws waving frantically at her new friends.

He was turning to suggest to Keeki that maybe they could take a tour of the cathedral before going back home, when he noticed the black garbed strangers circling Demeter and Dr. Ptolemy, it took him a few moments to realise that these must be some of the evil people the pair had told him about. He pushed Keeki back, gruffly telling her to stay away from the men, before he charged head first at the group.

Even as he ran he spotted a little cream, brown and pink ball of fluff go whizzing past him. Keeki didn't know what was going on, but she could tell from Seishin's tone that it was something bad and when she had seen him charging for the black men she had decided that she had to help Demeter. She sped past Seishin and threw all of her small might into a headbutt at the nearest man, all her fear and shyness forgotten in an instant.

Moments later Seishin leapt at another man nearby, he didn't have time to tell Keeki off or make her stay back, all he could hope was that she would be okay and the best way he could make sure that she was would be to help her and the others to defeat the evil men.

[endermage]

The black ops agent that Keeki attacked was caught completely off guard. There was no amount of training that could have prepared him for the small angry puff of rage and fluffy fury flying directly at his face.

Demeter raised a force field around herself, attempting to shield Ptolemy as well, but he was too far away. Ptolemy attempting to grab his handgun found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle.

[57]

[AnimeTheia]

Keeki curled into a ball and rolled a couple of feet as she hit the ground. After a couple of seconds she raised her head and looked up, slightly surprised that she had managed to take out the guy by herself. Feeling brave and mighty, she looked for the next target and threw herself towards him, only to find herself hanging in the air by her tails, in the clutch of one of the dark suited men.

Seishin meanwhile, had backed his guy up against a wall, he changed back into a Lucain and growled menacingly, lowering his shoulders and aiming his wingblades at him. Unaware of Dr. Ptolemy and Keeki's plight.


((Hope you don't mind me taking control of a couple of the men?))

[endermage]

Demeter called to Seishin,"Be careful! Everyone else has been captured!" Ptolemy had his hands raised staring down the barrel of a high powered rifle. "Dammit." he said under his breath.

"Dr. Hargrave. So nice to see you again..." said one of the masked individuals. He removed his mask revealing his below average face, his nose was crooked, his eyes were small, and his face was pock marked. "Pevert..." said Ptolemy, frustrated and angry.  "Too bad you weren't ready for us this time...." said Pevert, his smile contorting his face.


[58]

((Naw...it's no problem. Do whatever you want with them! Except, not Pevert.))

[AnimeTheia]

Seishin looked around at Demeter's shout, he quickly took in the fact that Dr. Ptolemy was being held at gun point, whilst Demeter was thoroughly surrounded and poor little Keeki was hanging from her tails in some mans grasp, looking shocked and afraid. He also noticed that a couple of the other men were slowly advancing on him, with a large piece of canvas, obviously intending to trap him under it. Full of anger at seeing his little charge in pain and starting to cry (though she was clearly trying to be brave for the others), Seishin turned back to his cornered man, snarling savagely and acting most unlike the gentle, caring man he normally was.

He was just in time too, as the man who was still backed up against a wall, was in the process up pulling out a stun gun from inside his jacket. Seishin's eyes shone with a cold light, he leapt and smashed the man against the wall with his whole body weight, stunning him, causing him to fall to the ground and sending the stun gun flying, then he positioned one of his windblades under the mans throat, stalling the men with the canvas that had begun to run to stop him.

Seishin was hoping for a stalemate, hoping that this lead guy Pevert, might not want to lose one of his men, Seishin could not be safely taken down without the stunned man being either badly hurt if not killed in the process, and he could easily view the other three from his new position.

[endermage]

"Lucain!" yelled Pevert. "Give up or your little furry friend and the good Doctor take some lead to the face."

"You've got to stop Seishin..." said Ptolemy,"Demeter is the only one they need alive. If we aren't careful they will kill all of us."

"True. But only if Demeter come's quietly. Otherwise...lead for everyone."  said Pevert.

Demeter's eyes glowed," Pevert. I will not allow you to threaten my new friends. I am tired of running. Ptolemy has protected me long enough."

A burst of green energy blew back the forces around Demeter. "Now you will see the true power of an Incarnation!"

Ptolemy disabled the surprised soldier who had the rifle in his face and grabbed his hand gun.

[59]

[AnimeTheia]

Seishin looked around uncertainly as Pevert delivered his ultimatum, he wasn't sure what to do he was a healer not a fighter, not that he couldn't or wouldn't fight if it came to a matter of necessity as it had but when it came to delicate situations such as this he had no idea what was best. He was about to draw away from the man he had pinned on the floor and surrender when the tides suddenly shifted starting with Demeter. He watched wide eyed as the events began to unfold in front of him, not understanding the power that Demeter had wielded or where it had come from, but grateful all the same that things seemed to be going more in their favour. Then he joined into the fight, keeping his 'hostage' pinned the Lucain kicked out viciously with his back paws catching a man that had both foolishly stood too near to him and had stupidly taken his eyes off of him to look at his boss during the talking. The man certainly regretted his mistakes as he sailed backwards through the air landing roughly several feet away. One more down, several to go.

Even Keeki joined in the fray, though at first she had thought she was completely helpless in her swinging predicament, her childs mind had finally thought of something she could do though it took her all this time through her fear and shock to think of it. Even though it pained her terribly she swung herself up as the fighting started once more and unsheathing her claws she tore through the flesh of the evil hand holding her. Her captor dropped her immediately howling in pain, but she landed safely if a little unsteadily on her paws. She ran for cover and peeped out from behind an empty crate nearby as she gently rubbed her sore tails and backside. This child was something special it seemed, so young and yet such a fighter when it came to protecting her friends.

[endermage]

"You wretch." said Pevert, pulling himself off the ground,"Never making it easy for yourself. I don't care what happens today but your friends will end up in body bags."

He snapped his fingers and runes on the each of the 6 black ops necks began to glow. The agents made cracking noise like breaking bones and rending flesh. One of them turned to Pevert and begged him to stop.

"You joined up, you wanted power now you pay the price." said Pevert chuckling.

The 6 agents gravitated toward each other, their flesh fusing them together into a mass of screaming mouths and limbs.

"This is really bad." said Ptolemy, looking as the coiling monster taking shape before him. The monster raised one of it's massive limbs and slammed Ptolemy into a building.

Demeter turned away, the sight horrified her.

[60]

[AnimeTheia]

Seishin watched dumbfounded, he had no idea what was going on. What he was seeing seemed impossible, but no matter how much he shook his head and blinked his eyes the strange spectacle wouldn't go away. All he knew was that they had to get away from here, but he couldn't leave without Demeter and Ptolemy. He realised that this Pevert guy didn't really care about his people at all, and the guy that he was pinning down was no longer of use to them as a stalemate hostage, but Seishin couldn't bring himself to kill the man. Leaping agily over the man the Lucain positioned himself with his back paws by the mans' head, with a vicious kick to his temple Seishin lay the man out cold, at least that way he couldn't cause them anymore trouble and he didn't have to die. "Run Keeki! Get as far away from here as you can!" Seishin shouted at Keeki, at least he could buy her the time to get somewhere safe and with any luck he could help Ptolemy and Demeter too, though all he could do right now was try to take out as many of the men as possible whilst steering clear of the mass of body parts.

Keeki shivered with uncontrollable fear behind her crate, she barely heard Seishin as he shouted to her. She didn't think she was capable of moving let alone running but she managed to stand shakily. She thought about what was happening, she thought about Seishin and Demeter and the horrific thing in front of them. Fresh tears streamed down her furry little face. She couldn't do it, she just couldn't leave Seishin and her new friends, Seishin was the only one she trusted at home, what would she do without him?

Seishin glanced back at Keeki and saw that she had barely moved, "RUN!" he screamed at her, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Keeki began stumbling backwards, away from the men, away from the danger, but her legs were buckling beneath her, she tried so hard to do as Seishin wanted, but she just couldn't make her feet and legs move properly.

[endermage]

Ptolemy pulled himself off the ground, his head bleeding slightly. He tried to remember all the things that were going on. Demeter was in danger. That was all that mattered. The huge monstrosity had cornered Demeter next to a wall. He raised his gun and fired, unfortunately a protective barrier of runes blocked the shots.
"Frak. Seishin pick up Keeki and get out of here!" he cried, attempting to distract the thing with several more meaningless shots.

"Too late." said Pevert. He stepped out of the road just slightly. The beast raised two of it's multiple deformed arms and created a glowing light. The light responded to runes that appeared on the ground creating a binding circle. They were all trapped in 150 feet magic barrier.

"The only way that barrier falls is if the creature dies...or I tell it to drop the field. Enjoy your last moments of terror." said Pevert, safely outside the circle.

[61]

[AnimeTheia]

Seishin stopped his headlong charge at one of the suited men, he looked at Ptolemy unsure as what to do, the healer in him told him that he needed to help Ptolemy and Demeter, that Ptolemy needed some first aid. But the father figure in him told him that he needed to protect Keeki and get her away from here. Finally he decided to grab Keeki and get her somewhere safe, then he'd come back and help the others.

Keeki was still stumbling slowly away from the horrific creature and the evil black suited men, Seishin ran to her, he was just about to pick her up by her scruff when the barrier appeared just a few feet away from where they stood. Keeki buried her face into Seishins' fur and whimpered quietly, whilst Seishin looked back to see what had happened. He saw that they were all trapped, thinking quickly he gently put Keeki into one of the crates, then he put another crate on top the one she was in. He knew it wasn't really much in terms of protection, not to mention that everyone had probably watched him doing it so they would know where she was, but he hoped that it would at least stop the monstrous beast from going after her. If the thing couldn't see her it would probably concentrate on the three of them instead.

Lowering his shoulder Seishin rushed at the monster, maybe it will be more susceptible to physical attacks, he thought. But his wing blades bounced straight off of the rune shield, flinging him back several feet to land roughly on his side.


((I hope I got the right idea?))

[endermage]

"Crud. This is really, really bad." said Ptolemy, "I freaking hate magic."

The mutated fists slammed into the ground, shaking everything. Demeter coiled away, avoiding being slammed herself. One of the fists slammed near the crate where Keeki was hiding, and Demeter gasped. The monster took full advantage and raised his fist over the crates ready to smash Keeki to paste. The fist decended with so much speed and force, you could hear as it cut the air. There was a crash, however, the crate was intact. Demeter had thrown herself in front of the blast, using a massive portion of her energy to raise a force field. The field smashed apart like glass, sending aura shards everywhere. Demeter was pinned under the fist. She coughed loudly.

"Run...everyone...." she said as she began to black out.
[62]