The Black Order ( base / faction thread, Open )

[Yu Kanda]

Information regarding the Black Order and their base can be found here

The first day within the Black order, Klaud took her new position as commander of the order. Sitting in a quiet room behind what one of her secondary friends referred to as a dataverse device. Apparently many primes and secondaries use this technology to be kept up to date. It was the perfect way for her to announce the arrival of the black order and what it stood for.
The blond leader was staring at the screen, hoping it would get the message across.

Greetings inhabitants of the Omniverse,

This is Commander Klaud Nine of the black order. No longer will evil or lawbreaking be tolerated within this world. We are all forced to coexist with one another and some creatures and individuals have been taking advantage of this.

The innocent and weak suffer, hate crimes against secondaries, unprovoked attacks, the torturing of primes for sport and the evil within creatures that haunt this place.

Well i am here to say, no more. No more will this be tolerated, not as long as the black order is here to do something about it. The black order will actively hunt anything that requires captivity or be sent from this world. There is no longer a place for evil to hide where we cannot find you.

To all the primes and secondaries out there that wish to contact us can do so through the Dataverse or find us at our headquarters within the Pale Moors. We shall never turn down a soul in need.

To the primes that wish to be affiliated with us and join the good cause you are free to visit us and go through the selection process. We have recruiters spread throughout the verses. You can easily spot them through their uniform black with silver lining and a rose cross on their chest.

To all other creatures...your days are numbered.
This is commander Klaud Nine, signing off.

The new commander sighed, "I guess this will have to do." She hit send and the message was out there. Now, the black order was officially announced to the verses, organizations and groups alike.

Klaud looked satisfied towards her screen and closed down the device. The new order felt like home, but running things will be difficult. She got from behind her desk and headed to the main hall where she was expected. Walking down the stairs she noticed General Kanda was already present together with the Exorcists that were summoned together with the tower. The commander's face was strict and didn't show any emotion when speaking towards the new recruits, "Today is a great day for the order, it lives once again. You all are part of a noble goal given to us by the almighty one himself. Whether you believe in this or not is no longer relevant. You are soldiers of the Black order, exorcists. And with that title comes allot of responsibilities. The greatest of all will be burdened upon your shoulders, you shall travel the verses, seek out people in need of help, find primes willing to be affiliated with us, and of course gather Intel on the Noah and other evil's roaming the verses. May God be with you on your journey."

The Commander's words were strong. The new recruits saluted her before heading out. Kanda observed the brave new warriors walking towards their new destiny.

"I hope they are strong enough." Klaud said with a worried tone in her voice.

"They aren't." Was the General's cold response before he walked back up the stairs.

[Marcus Wright]

Jan's familiar outfit of orange was just a shrug around his neck as he stood up from the fountains. He took one look at the small dataverse device he had acquired and got a message back from Klaud and nodded. It was best to keep moving on from the white space that honesty made him squint from all the light. He moved toward the "Pale moons" portal as he took the long walk over. As he noticed the white soldiers walking, he nodded and turned for a second. No need to cause trouble right away.

After he left, he stepped into the Pale moons portal and his eyes readjusted to the new place. At times Jan shuddered, feeling how dark and dangerous this place really could be. It was like he stepped into a bad Helghast film, yet the helghast didn't show up here. There was a eerie fog that trailed around darkshire but the walk took a little longer than expected to find Klaud's headquaters. He was looking for men or woman recruiters that had the pink cross on their coats. But the fog wasn't helping Jan find signs of the location.

Finally after traveling in circles, Jan stopped in front of what seemed like a militarish hq. Two men were situated in front of the gate and frowned "Who are you? Are you here to join the Black Order?"

Jan nodded and spoke orderly "I'm here to see Commander Klaud, Personal orders to see her. I personally know her."

The men discussed and immediately contacted the Commander "Commander Klaud, Ma'am, there's a Jan here to see you? He says he knows you. Shall we let him in?

[Yu Kanda]

Through the communicators Klaud was informed by a scouting party that Jan had arrived. Even though she was thrilled to see him once more she had to uphold her status as Commander, she couldn't show any sign of weakness when her men were around. Through the communicator she spoke to the patrol that was with Jan, "He is a friend of the Order, if he checks out at the gatekeeper send him through." Jan couldn't help but notice the cold and distant tone of voice over the intercom

"Alright, move ahead towards the Gatekeeper." one of the patrolmen said. Jan nodded and approached the strange gate ahead of him. The large eyes opened and started scanning the soldier.

"AOOOH Look at this, another fine young man, you wouldn't have anything to hide now would you?"

Jan who was still surprised to see the gate have an actual face just nodded sideways and stood in silence. From the eyes of the gate a green laser like beam went over his body, it wasn't long before the gate shouted with his voice, "All clear, no demon blood detected in this one." The gate opened up and allowed Jan safe passage through. Once entered the soldier did not know where to look first, the massive tower looked big on the outside but the inside was even bigger. He looked up ahead where a big set of stairs was his way in. When he approached he noticed Klaud was already at the top of the stairs with two unknown men.
"Welcome Jan, how great it is to see you again. You must be tired from travelling this far, these men will escort you to a room that has been accommodated to your needs. Feel free to rest up and explore. You are allowed to go anywhere but the basement. Once I am free I will come see you."

Once again her cold tone of voice stroke Jan as strange, this was not the Klaud he got to know during their endeavor. He wasn't about to go against her now, something was clearly up. The two exorcists walked up to him and motioned him to follow.

Walking several floors up the men escorting Jan started to talk, "Man she was cold before but here, she is even more of an ice queen."

"Yeah tell me about it, but I ain't the one to cross her, that's all you friend."

The two demon fighters were joking about their Commander as they led Jan to his room, "Here you go, this room is all yours to use whenever you find your way to the order. And just a tip, listen to the Commander and don't rub her the wrong way, she will come to you once she is ready. It's been a while since we've seen her this cold."

Jan walked in the room and sat down on a pretty comfortable bed, something was not right, why was Klaud acting like this? He sat and wondered, what should he do? Listen to her or go after her... he wanted answers.

[Koal]

The Tower was truly a sight to behold. Masterfully built, it seemed to exude a sort of strength and power. It reminded Malthael of the structures built y the Nephalem on Sanctuary. Ancient was also a word that came to mind when studying the tower. If one looked closely, they could see the ancient magic woven into the stones that were the exterior. It was a marvel of architecture, and Malthael resolved to study it closer when he had the time.

But he needed time to recuperate, his wounds had stopped bleeding but were not healing as fast as he would have preferred. The Angel of Death felt weak but still carried on walking up to the entrance to the tower, determined to gain asylum.

The door was very thick, and Malthael was sure it was heavily enchanted as to protect against those who would try and force their way in. Through small windows in the tower, The Angel saw the flickering tale-tell of torches. People obviously lived here, but he was not sure they would grant him the protection he sought.

Malthael had no other choice. The Aspect of Death fell to a knee and projected his voice. "Occupants of this tower, I am Malthael, otherwise known as Death. I wish no harm to you or your fellow mortals... I am injured and in need of shelter from the dark taint of this world. I implore you to open your gates." the empty hollow sound of his voice echoed off the dark stone, and in turn, Malthael could hear faint movement in the tower.

Malthael bowed his head and awaited their verdict...

[Yu Kanda]

The gate in front of Malthael spoke to the angel as he was leaning on his knee, "Greetings traveler, allow me to scan your body to prevent evil from entering our safe haven." Malthael did not expect a gate to actually respond, he was expecting a few guards that would come rushing outside, but not this. Then again, this world has been strange ever since he arrived. Without giving it another thought he responded as polite as possible, " Naturally, go ahead." And he bowed down his head awaiting the gatekeepers judgment.

From the guardian's eyes a green laser like beam created a raster over the angel's skin, it moved up and down as the ethereal creature patiently waited for the ritual to be over. "PASS! You may enter the Black Order, the Commander is waiting for you." Slowly the impressively large gate opened before Malthael's eyes. The wounded traveler pushed himself up, his body hurting in a way he did not experienced before. Forcing his legs to carry him onwards he entered the tower that is the Black order's headquarters, once inside he looked around him, only a few torches were lid. The faint light fell on one of the art pieces hanging on the wall. The painting was slightly torn but the image was still very clear, a lonely soldier of god standing in fiery red environment surrounded by black demons. Representing light in a dark world, the lonely fighter was standing proud and firm, showing not a shred of fear in the face of evil.

Malthael was looking at it intensely before he got interrupted by a voice in the dark, "Why should we trust an individual that refers to himself as death?" The female voice echoed through the large hall, the angel couldn't tell where it was coming from, so he answered upwards, allowing his voice to be carried to the upper floor, "I am but a wounded traveler, seeking refuge. I have no intend of harming anyone, so I thought it was best to be honest to whoever might be my host. Who do i have the honor of addressing?"

It remained quiet for a little while, until in the corner of his eye he saw an individual slowly making her way down the stairs. Her silhouette standing in front of the large round window. The window consisted out of several smaller pieces of glass, all put together they created the image of an angel with glorious wings that were spread wide. For a moment it appeared the female walking down had the wings behind her. Malthael walked towards her, holding his hand pressed against the wound.

The woman's outfit showed authority, her black military outfit combines with red linings and the rose symbol on her chest were all perfect, not a single flaw in the entire uniform. The blond haired female had an emotionless gaze in her eyes, her voice was even colder than her looks, "I am Commander Klaud Nine of the Black order, this here is our headquarters. We shall provide you with medical care and shelter for as long as needed. Once our medical experts have taken care of your wounds I expect to continue this conversation in my office." She snapped her finger and two of her medical staff came walking forward from the shadows, they were wearing a white uniform. The male supported the wounded angel and started to guide him down a corridor towards the medical bay. Once they were a bit further in the corridor the female started talking, "Don't mind the Commander, she really is a great person once you get to know her. Now let us treat your wounds so you don't fall over when we send you up to her.

[Koal]

Malthael was very impressed y the amount of discipline and uniform organization of this place. Not a thing was out of place, and Malthael could see that everything here had a purpose, nothing was just for show. The medical staff were very respectful and polite, trying to chat and make the Angel feel more comfortable, but He just had nothing to say.

So silent he remained, waiting for the attendants to finish dressing his wounds. Their human diseases held no effect on Malthael. His angelic blood would burn away the evil impurities likely transmitted to him during his several run-ins with the undead hordes that prowled the land. Malthael turned his head to one of the attendants, "What can you tell me about this place?" The Aspect of Death gestured gracefully around them, signaling that he was indeed talking about the Black Order.

The man beamed out a smile before proceeding to answer the Angels query, "Those are questions that will likely be answered when you have your audience with the Commander." Malthael nodded his head, acknowledging the young human's answer. He then proceeded to inspect the medical room that he was located in, and found it filled with strange instruments and vials of different liquids. Bottles with strange names on them.

Desipramine... What in the name of the Burning Hells was that? Malthael resolved to ask someone at a later point in time. Being the former Archangel of Wisdom, he hated not knowing things. He felt bandages tightening on his waist, and Malthael stood once they were secure. This was another anomaly that Malthael could not comprehend. Omni had given him a physical body, much like the human in comparison. His black hair and teal eyes matched his robes and armor, but the Angel was nevertheless unnerved by the changes. It reminded him much of his former brother, Tyrael, when he had cast off his wings and renounced his place among the Angels of Heaven. He quickly donned his armor and his robes, pulling his hood up to hide his face. He fluttered his wings just a tad, then folded them completely on his back.

"Where do I go to address this...Commander of yours? Or will she send someone to fetch me?"

[Yu Kanda]

Kanda was in his quarters, it had been a few days since the events of the Noah, he had the chance to recover and get things in order. The entire summoning really took it out on him. He started putting on his General's outfit, it was still strange seeing himself in such an outfit but it did show authority. With pride he would wear it for future endeavors. Straitening the last of the folds he was about to leave when suddenly his Dataverse device was going off. With a surprised look he noticed Birgitta's picture pop up on the small screen of the device. With a sigh Kanda answered, "What do you want?"

"Thank God you picked up Kanda! Don't hang up, there is something going on here, I cannot reach Guu or any of the others and a suspicious person showed up." The high pitched voice continued. The exorcist's interest didn't arose up until the point this suspicious person got mentioned.

"What kind of suspicious person?"

"He was human, or so I think, dressed real shady, lurking around like a creep! I don't like asking you for help but all the other primes are away, can you please come help us?"

Kanda sighed, "Fine, I'll be on my way, this better not be for nothing!" With that he ended the conversation. Exiting his room he went straight for the Commander's office, informing her about the troubling message he just got. He walked up to her door and knocked. From the other side he heard the commander speak, "Come in."

"Ah Kanda it's you, what can i do for you?"

"I just received troubling news from Ambrosia, apparently their leader Guu has departed the city and some shady folks have been spotted around there. I was requested to assist them on the matter"

"Hmm, this might be good for our contact with Ambrosia, go over there and help those people. Afterwards inform them about the order and what an alliance between our two factions will mean, how it benefits all." Kanda nodded and turned around. " Ow and one more things, we took in a wounded prime earlier, before your departure, please check on him and if he is well enough, have him brought to me. Once again the General nodded and walked off.

Following the stairs down he went to the lower levels where the medical bay was. With strong and quick steps he made his way through the well lit corridors. Without knocking he opened the door where Malthael was being treated. Both of the black order medical personal stood in attention when the General entered the room.

"Is this the wounded man that came to us earlier?"Kanda asked them as he observed the strange man.

" Y-yes sir! His wounds have been treated and he should be up and running in no time" The female spoke with a subtle stutter in her voice. Kanda walked up to the angel that referred to himself as Death and introduced himself, something that struck the personnel as odd, "My name is Kanda, a General within the new Black Order, Welcome and once you've had your audience with the Commander, rest up, it's a crazy world out there."

"Thank you, I greatly appreciate your assistance with all of this. And I would gladly accept the offer to meet with your Commander." The fallen angel said.

"Once he is able take him up to see the Commander, I will be going for a short trip." Kanda said to his fellow members of the black order and left.

"Well., it seems you get to address our commander sooner than expected."

Two exorcists came for Malthael, escorting him high up in the tower towards their commander. Neither of them spoke allot but their military background become quite clear. Whoever this Commander was, she ran a tight ship. One of his escorts knocked upon the Commander's door before opening it.

"Welcome, I am Commander Klaud Nine, the woman in charge of this organization. What brings you to this side of the verse?"

Malthael heard the doors close behind him, his got his request, he got his audience, now what?

***

Kanda went to the main hall where he took out his Dataverse device once more. Lucky for him he synchronized it with Ambrosia's recall station. With a few clicks on the device he started to slowly vanish from sight as he travelled to Guu's town

[Koal]

"Welcome, I am Commander Klaud Nine, the woman in charge of this organization. What brings you to this side of the verse?"

The Angel slowly strode around the room as he contemplated her question. His hand traced a painting on the wall, as he hummed an angelic melody to himself. It was of beautiful artistic value, and its obscure meaning was even more delectable. It depicted an agent of light holding a wave of darkness back, yet the light was faint and darkness encompassed it on all sides. As he gazed at the painting, his mind brought another scene forward; a memory. The Nephalem, standing at the pinnacle of Heaven, against the accumulation of all evil. Diablo himself. He shook his head, dispelling the memory, and his head rotated to regard the woman in the room.

"My mission here is very simple, Commander. I wish to restore the light to this verse." He rose to his full height, and his voice was full of bitter pride as he began to weave a story. His story.

"I used to be an Angel, back in my world. A servant to the light; the epitome of wisdom." His eyes misted over and his face gained a sorrowful expression. " But in my arrogance, I abandoned my position and became what you now see. Death." He began to pace the room once more as he inspected various artifacts and paintings on the wall; his wings fluttered on his back, and a light mist was emanating from his body, signaling his unease. "I must pay my penance for my past mistakes, and I have begun to do so already. Though my body is not exactly as yours, I am human now. Yet I am not; I am an outsider from both yours and my race."

"But Commander, I have a question for you." Klaud's head inclined slightly and a perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose along with it. "Why are you here?"

[Marcus Wright]

During the night, Jan laid on the bed and found himself staring at the ceiling. Something was very much up. Not only did Klaud sound cold, her body signals reminded her a lot of a past lover named Luger.

Jan hadn’t seen Luger since well… he mysteriously heard from Rico saying Luger was nearby…

This was very unexpected, he didn’t expect his team to be here as well.

But he had to question, what was the Black Order hiding in the basement that didn’t want to be revealed.

But that was against orders. Jan was very much a man used to following orders. There was akward silence, and Jan typed back to his teammates “Rico… Luger… If you guys are close, I need you to come to me..

The former leader of the ragtag group of the ISA stood up and was determined to find Klaud. However something was really making his neck hairs stand up.

He didn’t know what but he had a strange feeling reminding him of danger.

But wait, that was nothing right?

[Yu Kanda]

"Why am I here?" The Commander asked with her hands folded together underneath her chin. The question seemingly intrigued her, "I am here because the Order has risen again in the Omniverse. Because i lead an elite organization to protect the secondary's and primes alike. To protect people too weak to face the many faces of evil within this world." The Commander spoke proudly as she was slowly getting up from her char, placing both hands on the desk. She was almost offended by the question from the fallen angel. Yet she continued justifying their presence and goal," We are chosen by god as his warriors, chosen to handle the innocence energy that has been given to the human race in order to give us a fighting chance against demons. And we will not rest until every demon is slaughtered and every criminal brought to justice, -THAT- is why I,...We are here."


Her speech caught the angelic figure by surprise. For a woman, she had a large flame of passion burning within her soul. Malthael recognized this passion as it was once his own. The two shared a moment where neither one spoke but simply looked at each other. It was Klaud who broke the silence, "If you were once an angel, you know our cause is just. You know what evil lurks within the shadows. And for whatever reason Omni has brought you here you will need a goal in life. Here with the order we don't judge race or species, it's an organization with a single goal and will do anything to achieve this. If, you are worthy, we might have use for a man of your skills here within the order. We can offer you strength, allies, a purpose." Klaud stood proudly as she attempted to read Malthael's non verbal pose, alas it was futile, he didn't give a single hint to what he might be thinking.


Death stared back at the woman, she had spirit, offering an actual job to someone like him. He had to admit, having a goal in this new life would be welcomed. The former deity was thinking, even though the woman made a good point he was still weary. There was still one question on his mind, "what do you mean with worthy?" He finally asked.

"Worthy of calling yourself a warrior of god, a member of the black order, worthy of becoming one with innocence to protect the innocents and fight the evil within our world. Walk the path of redemption and prove yourself. Because there is a nearby town that called for help, apparently there have been attacks by an unknown creature, and we are shorthanded." The commander implied.

The fallen angel stepped up towards the Commander, it seemed he had his answer at the ready.

***

Deep within the order a guest was sneaking through the dark hallways. Jan knew Klaud had given him his freedom to wander around at this place. The tower was large enough to get lost in, and lost he was. Following the Hallway he found his way to a pair of stairs which were heading down. The soldier's questions were getting the best of him, what was Klaud trying to hide? Looking behind him he saw the hallway was empty, but still got the feeling of being watched. This place gave him the chills.

Starting to make his way down he started to get cold, he was not comfortable at all. As if eyes were focused on him. Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs he witnessed a large iron door with two small barred windows in it, it looked like the entrance of an ancient dungeon of some sorts. From behind the heavy doors Jan heard screaming. Not any kind of screaming, no agonizing screams that would make anyone's neck hair shiver upright. With some degree of hesitation Jan slowly walked towards the ominous looking door. A few more steps before he reached it.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" An unknown voice shouted from behind Jan. He quickly turned around and saw two men dressed in the same uniform as he saw Klaud in earlier heading towards him.

[Marcus Wright]

Jan was lost, there was no doubt about that. His creeping through the dark halls had made him shiver more than usual and even that was saying a lot.

His instincts and morals pointed him toward his own curiosity lead him toward the stairs. It had made him even more cautious but he had to do it, he saw with his own eyes a iron door of some sort, with barred windows. Some sort of dungeon or jail cell or some sort.

But something unnerved the normally calm, obedient soldier. Loud screaming was coming from behind the door he stood in front of, carefully reaching for the doors handle to see what the hell was the screaming was. He was stopped by two men in the same uniform he saw.

Jan snapped into his military training and eyed the men. The soldier frowned and said “I got very lost and this place is huge.” But there’s another matter on hand. “My name isn’t important, what’s important is what’s really going on here… Why is there screaming? Isn’t this place supposed to be innocent?”

[Koal]

"A purpose, or rather, a chance at redemption..." The Angel's words were quiet and softly spoken, yet resonated loud enough for the Commander to hear. Malthael inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, his mind listening to the souls of this world. They chanted for justice and revenge for their wrongful deaths, yet the most overwhelming emotion he picked up was fear. Fear for their children, their family, their friends; the fear that they would be subjected to the same torturous existence.

"They don't deserve this kind of life."

"Help them, please."

"You owe it to us."

 Malthael basked in the pleas of the dead, and for once let logic fade to the background, let the emotions guide his actions. His breath came in short gasps, the whispers of souls were a strange thing, but it was their regrets that really affected him. He swore their cries would never be unheard. 

"I would be a fool not to accept this commission, My Lady." Malthael lowed his hood and transfixed his teal eyes on her's, willing her to give him her full attention. He tried to discern her feelings from her body language, allowing himself to look past the image on the outside, and allowing his mind to go to work. Her face was stoic and emotionless, a mask, crafted out of years of discipline. The rest of her body was of similar disposition, and Malthael couldn't get anything from her. Her hard eyes were driving themselves into his, her gaze unrelenting and cold, yet not entirely hostile. She believed that she would be able to make a difference, and Malthael believed in that kind of drive. 

He clenched his armored hand, the dark metal shrieking as it ground itself. It was a sharp and ominous noise, and Malthael could feel his mood darken as the souls began influence the Aspect further. 

"Where do I start?"

[Yu Kanda]

Klaud sat back down behind her desk, not showing she was in fact quite pleased with the answer the angel provided. The Commander sat upright and proceeded, “Your sense of duty does you honor Sir, i will keep it brief as these people are in dire need of assistance. About an hours walk from here is a small town that is being attacked by what they call a strange creature of the night. So far our scouts have been unable to identify this terror. Your mission is to travel to this town, find out what kind of hellspawn has been killing the villagers and take it down. Do you think you are up for the task?”

Maltheal listened carefully to every word the woman shared with him. It seemed she wasn’t the kind of woman that likes to repeat herself. He simply nodded in a respectful manner to her question.

“ Very well, you will be accompanied by one of our scouts. He will lead you to the town and will keep an eye on you.” The office door opened and revealed Maltheal’s partner, a young man, barely 20, stood in his military black order uniform. His brown hair was shaved, uniform spotless and a scar on his cheek was clearly visible. “Reporting for duty,Commander.” The man said with an emotionless face.

“Maltheal, this is Endo, he will be accompanying you during your mission. He will guide you to the village. I wish you best of luck on your first assignment. You are free to rest in your assigned quarters or leave immediately, the choice is yours.”

The angel bowed respectfully towards the Commander, “ Thank you, i will not let you down.” Both Endo and Malthael left the office, closing the door behind them. The duo walked in silence down the hallway, where another exorcist past them in a hurry, rushing towards the Commander’s office. They stepped aside as the black order representative ran by. Endo turned his head towards his new partner, “So what do you want to do? Rest or head out immediately?”

------


With great force the door of the commander slammed open.

“What is the meaning of this!” The Commander roared at the sudden interruption.

The man was out of breath but managed to squeeze several words out throughout his panting, “Our guest,..captured,...basement.”
Klaud’s eyes widened, she felt anger deep within her. The one thing she asked him not to do. The commander slammed her fist on her desk ,”Take me to him!” She shouted with an angry tone of voice. The black order trainee got startled at the sound of the slam, but quickly responded, “ ye-yes ma’am”. And quickly led the way.

A few levels below Jan was still throwing a fit,” What's going on in there? I know i heard screaming, what are you trying to hide?” both guards were holding Jan in place, preventing him from going anywhere. From behind him he heard the oh so familiar voice, and she didn’t sound pleased, “ What in god’s name do you think you are doing!? I asked you one thing, -ONE- fucking thing, and first chance you get, you dishonor my trust. What on earth were you thinking by sneaking down here, in MY house. Explain yourself?!” the woman’s fury even scared the guards who loosened their grip on Jan, who suddenly found himself on Klaud’s bad side.

[Marcus Wright]

The guards held tight to the fiercely loyal Interplanetary Strategic Alliance soldier, as he cried out in anger. The perfect soldier, only a war dog here in front of a unknown Commander who was trying to make him bow to her.

Sometimes, just sometimes, maybe Jan’s sense of justice got the best of him in front of situations such as this.”

“Klaud, what is the meaning of this?!”

He could find himself squeezing his fist. In his own loyalties, he had thought Klaud and him were on the same side.

Jan gritted his teeth, he thought through anger.

After the betrayal of so many ISA soldiers, it took a burden on the man’s shoulder.

The guards held stiff to the soldier as he pulled back

“KLAUD, I THOUGHT WE WERE ON THE SAME SIDE!”

“We weren’t supposed to be at war with each other, we were supposed to love each other, but not everything is fair in love and war I suppose.”

“Don’t act like Radec, Don’t be like Luger.”

PLEASE!

[Yu Kanda]

Klaud's anger was clearly visible, not even attempting to hide her emotions. A vein on her forehead looked like it was about to burst. Jan's words didn't seem to help the situation. Before Jan or the guards got a chance to further act the commander's temper exploded, "Who the hell do you think you are Jan?! Coming into this place, disobeying the -ONE- rule I asked you to obey while staying here, and then try to claim the moral high ground?!. NO! We were on the same side, up until you broke my trust! If you acted this way around Radec and Luger I can imagine what happened to them!"

The commander took a deep breath after her initial breakdown. Both guards stood in place, not having seen the commander act like this before, neither spoke a word. She could see Jan was upset, but right now, she couldn't care less. As the head of the Black Order she could not tolerate such behavior.

"Jan, I'm giving you a choice right now. Leave this all behind and never ask any questions about this ever again, perhaps in time I can forgive you for this insubordination. Or defy me again and you will truly know what will happen if someone crosses me or the order." The threatening tone of voice was unsettling.  Jan was unsure what to make of this all, was this really the same woman he shared the adventure of a lifetime with?

"Klaud, can you really expect me to simply let this go? I'm not an idiot."

The commander forced herself to calm down and took a deep breath. The long exhale that followed created some tension for what was to come next.
"Guards, take this man to a cell and await further instructions. He is not to be released by anyone else but me." Before she could finish talking Jan interrupted the blonde, surprised and shocked of what he heard.

"A cell?! Klaud what the hell are you doing?" The grip of the guards tightened around his arms as they started to drag him back up the stairs. "Klaud! You can't do this! What happened to you?! Release me now!" His voice contained shear panic, whatever was happening here, he was powerless to fight it

From a distance Jan could see the figure of his beloved. Her cold stature broke his heart, not a single glimpse of emotion was seen on her face, none other than wrath. The ice queen returned to her former self. Klaud became blurry as tears started to fill his eyes, from deep within he felt his spirit break as the guards dragged him through the headquarters. Jan gave up and stopped resisting, the only thing through his mind was what just happened. He was unsure wither he screwed up or she overreacted. Whichever the case was, he drew the short straw. His escorts finally released him in front of a steel door, "Please go in, before we have to force you." The guard seemed to feel for Jan, having witnessed the entire scene. The soldier obeyed and walked inside, behind him the steel door slammed shut and he was left alone in a small room with nothing more than a bed, chair and a small window. "Tsj, how did I end up in this mess." Jan sat down on the bed and sighed, staring at the grey stone wall in front of him.

Klaud returned to her office, finally empty. She sat behind her large wooden desk, took another deep sigh, attempting to stop her hands from shaking. There was no time to show weakness not now. She clenched her fist and slammed it down, "That idiot…"

[Yu Kanda]

The frustrated Commander of the black order was behind her dataverse computer. Her fingers were typing but her mind was elsewhere. Still thinking about the man she put in holding, the man that stole her heart when they were on their quest to find Omni. And now, he betrayed her. He had no business going there, especially after she explicitly told him not to. Her mind kept wondering about the event, until suddenly a knock on her door snapped her out of her daydream.

"Come in." The woman spoke loudly.

When the door opened one of the guards stepped in, "Ma'am, great news. Our research department just send word for you. " The guard proclaimed. "It seems they've done it."

Klaud looked up from behind the computer screen, her eyes expressed her surprise, "They succeeded?" She didn't expect it done for another few months. Without a moment's hesitation the commander got up from her chair, straightened her uniform and with military posture she started moving towards the hallway. The guard followed her, attempting to keep up with her high pace. Her heels are heard throughout the hallway with every step. Several exorcists that she passes by in the hallways stand and salute her. Her legs carried her swiftly down the large stairs leading towards the basement. Approaching the locked steel door she caught Jan the other day brought back the emotional feelings, but her military training managed to quickly suppress it. She had an obligation towards the Order, a duty towards a higher calling, she had to move on without distractions like Jan.


The two guards stood up straight as Klaud approached, her reputation as ice queen was well known. One of them opened the door for her, allowing her to enter the closed off area within the order. Following the long semi-decent lit hallway she came at a split and turned left, allowing her to step in a large hall filled with scientific equipment. The R&D department of the black order has always been known for their inventive ways to find new ways to fight against the Noah and their Akuma.

"Section leader Reever?!" The commander stated with a stern yet loud voice. Allot of heads turned towards their leader. Some tried to look away, others couldn't help but to look straight towards her, drawn to the danger like moths to a flame. From behind  a group of scientist the Section leader appeared, "No need to yell Commander, I'm right here." The laid back tone of the scientist  was the direct counterpart of Klaud's. Reever was a middle-aged man, his spiky blonde hair combined with his stubble beard always made him appear sort of aloof. With his hands comfortably in his white lab coat's pockets he approached the Black Order Commander, "I take it you heard of our progress?" Anyone could tell he spoke the words with pride. Reever was always the one to take pride in whatever his department would come up with, and wasn't shy of showing it.

Klaud's stern facial expression never changed, it was difficult to tell whether she respected him or he was simply getting on her nerves. Whatever their relationship, the commander seemed to have high faith in the man, allowing him to retain his position of Section leader of the research and development department. 


The commander's eyes glanced passed the section leader, "I was informed that you completed the assignment, is that the prototype?"

Reever walked up to the blonde and stood beside her, "Yup, that's her. First of a kind. One of our finest achievements yet. Johnny! Come and brief the commander about Roxanne here."  Klaud glanced over to Reever, "Roxanne?"


The scientist couldn't help but chuckle, " Yeah, it seemed fitting you know? One of the most dangerous weapons ever to be created by the black order, you have to give it a woman's name. Very ominous this way." A single cold look from the Commander was enough, both knew what was going on. "Ahem, anyway, Johnny? Get your ass over here."

A higher pitched voice came from behind the prototype, "C-coming Chief!" From behind the machine a much smaller man appeared, his frizzy hair, large round glasses and his anything but manly voice fit the description of geek scientist perfectly. He was losing papers while struggling to find his way the people in charge. The klutz  tripped over his own feet and fell right in front of The commander and his chief, the scene was anything but gracious. Klaud looked down, her face was emotionless but her eyes were screaming annoyance. The section leader beside her was holding his hand over his forehead, face-palming, "Just, breathe Johnny, and tell the commander about our little project."

Johnny got up and readjusted his glasses with his index finger, pushing his glasses higher up on his nose. "R-right, well, Commander Nine, you requested we found new ways to combine the exorcist capabilities of using their innocence power with the omnilium of this world. With all the threats in this verse, and the soldiers we are preparing, we thought the order could use an edge out there. And this is our answer." Johnny raised his arm and pointed towards an enormous exoskeleton, "This is our answer. This machine is being powered by a single exorcist, their ability to use innocence is what powers the machine. It's arsenal consist of a gun capable of shooting energy blasts which are a combination of innocence and omnilium. It also comes with a blade coated with the same energy as the blaster. They have full high speed Arial capabilities and we are training exorcists to fly them as we speak. It's the weapon you have been waiting for Commander."

Klaud walked up towards the machine. The knight like machine was impressive to say the least. If it was indeed as powerful as Johnny proclaimed it would surely make a difference in the fight against evil. "Well done Reever, it would appear your research has been paying off. How soon can an army of these be ready?"


Reever started scratching the back of his head, "Well, we first have to properly test this one, allot of diagnostics to run and don't even get me started on our pilots. They would require intense training through simulators, physical training, Mental prep-.."

"How long Section leader?" The commander interrupted his rambling, her cold stare locked onto him.

Reever guessed time period,  "Six months?"

Klaud didn't reply, nor did she change the way she was staring at him. Her cold emotionless gaze continued as if implying she was waiting for something.
The scientist continued , "Maybe five?" Yet it didn't resolve in a different outcome. The ice-queen didn't move an inch.


"Oh come on Commander, four months is impossible even for our standards." A final desperate plea from the section leader.

"Five is fine." The commander finally replied. Across the area there was an obvious sigh of relief, " I expect to see some results soon."

"Of course Commander, we will keep you informed."

It would seem everything is going according to plan, Klaud thought. Now it's time to see if he is ready. Klaud turned around and headed back towards the entrance. She had seen all she needed to see. And even though she didn't show it, she was pleased with their work. Never in her wildest dreams did she think Reever would been able to build something as powerful as that thing she just saw.

Johnny walked up to Reever, "Man, I never get used to her. This place really changed her, I knew she was cold before, but this? This is a whole new level." Reever stood beside him with a satisfied smile on his face. The grin was almost annoying. "Why the grin?" The glass wearing scientist asked. "Wasn't it obvious? She hasn't been this proud of our department ever since we set up shop in this place." Johnny couldn't help but stare at his leader with numbness.


Klaud continued her journey through the order, the two guards that were accompanying here had to keep a high pace in order to keep up. A few feet ahead of them the commander was seemingly in a hurry.  Without turning her head she spoke, "Where is he?"

"Commander?"

"Barry, where is he?" She quickly followed.

"In the training facility on the third floor ma'am."

"Time to pay him a visit."

Following the hallways of the order Klaud found her way up to the third floor. The two doors leading up to the training room stood wide open. The closer she came, the more clear the sounds that emerged from within the gym like area were heard. Grunts of men and women giving it their all trying to lift weights, attempting to finish their training, becoming the best versions of their selves. One sound was thundering above all others, it was the sound Klaud was coming for. The dull sound came forth from leather punching leather. The sound itself indicated there was brute force behind every impact.

As the blonde entered the room became allot more quiet. The black order members all turned towards their Commander. Sweat was dripping down their tired bodies, across their faces and falling to the ground. The impactful dull sounds continued, their source of origin was in the corner of the training hall. A bare chested man, wearing sport shorts and a set of boxing gloves was hitting the sandbag. The heavy piece of training equipment was send flying with every swing. The muscles on his back were clearly visible, the sweat rolling down of it accentuated the intense training the man had been through even more.

"Captain, a word" The commander said when she closed in on the man.

"Almost,… done here,… Commander" The officer said in between breaths.

"I Said a word Barry. That means now, Captain."The punching stopped.

Captain Barry "Fist" was an exorcist that made his way to the Omniverse not too long ago. He had short dark hair, a body so well trained it was as if god himself had sculpted it.  In their world he was part of the European branch. Klaud never heard of him but he has proven himself over the last couple of months. The man was a natural leader, but even he had his shortcomings. His disregard of discipline was annoying Klaud more than she was willing to admit.

With the disappearance of General Kanda a few months back he was the one who stepped up. He battled with Akuma, demons and the beasts of the moors. An experienced fighter and someone to look up to, that’s what was needed back then. He truly earned the title of Captain.

Klaud took Barry to a private room in order for them to talk. Barry closed the door behind him, "So what's the problem Commander?"
The woman sat down in one of the chairs, "Section leader Reever has had a breakthrough, the machines will be up and running within months. How has the training of the troops progressed?"

The captain wiped off the excessive liquid on his forehead with one of the white towels that were laying around. "The troops are in great shape, they can be ready at your order."

Klaud responded with an acknowledging nod. "You did well Captain. It seems everything is going according to plan. I expect a full report on their training by tomorrow and I will do a personal inspection by the end of the week."
Barry continued to casually wipe himself off, "yeah, sure thing there Klaud."
The femme fatale walked out of the room, "That’s Commander nine for you Captain."

Barry waved her off with a half-assed salute, "Aye Aye Commander."
 
-------
 
The commander sighed as she sat back behind her desk. It would seem today was full of surprises. Her dataverse device was blinking. Apparently she received a message. Klaud sighed as she placed the device down on her desk. She was in no mood for another one of Reever's messages, instead she logged into the dataverse, always keeping an eye out for whatever lurks out there. Searching if the help of the order was needed anywhere.

After a good hour of reading messages about Dante's Abyss and searching for any clues regarding the Noah's whereabouts. The continuous blinking green light on her device started to annoy her and finally she picked it up. Klaud started pressing the buttons that would allow her to hear the message. From her device an old familiar voice started shouting and screaming at her.

“Get the fuck away!” Was the first thing she heard. At first Klaud thought it was a prank, but as the message continued she started putting the pieces together. It was someone from her past in the Omniverse. “Hello? Hello? I don’t really know if anyone can hear me, or quite who this is, but I need fucking help. Oh shit I need more than fucking help… I’m about to be-” Klaud's eyes widened, "Christa is that you?"
The words didn't seem to reach her, the hectic yelling continued. “Please, if anyone can hear me, I’m in the Vasty Deeps on an island, shit, shit, the roof is caving in. Track this signal. More than my life is at stake… Fuck, get your fucking stone hands off of…” The adrenaline started to rush through Klaud's body. Christa was in serious trouble.

“Shit… They’ve got a hold of me… There isn’t much time.” Every blink they got closer, every blink, they snared her, “Klaud wherever you are, you better fucking find me.”

The message ended abruptly, a long beep was all that remained of the message. Klaud stared towards the door, processing what just happened. "GUARDS!" The door was opened and her loyal guards walked in her office, "Commander?"

"Get Section leader Reever and Captain Barry, now. Tell them it's an emergency." The soldier of the black order nodded and rushed off, leaving Klaud to stare at her device. It was truly a day full of surprises.

------------------

"you better fucking find me.” The message ended once more. This time Reever and Barry were at Klaud's side.

"So who is this Christa? She hot?" Barry asked casually. Klaud responded with a death thread concealed in her glare. No words were needed, the captain started sweating bullets, regretting ever asking the question.

The commander did answer his initial question, "She is a personal friend, someone who I accompanied during my journey to find Omni. And now she needs my help once again. Reever, can you trace the call?"
Reever nodded, "Shouldn't be a problem."

"Get me that location within the hour." Klaud ordered her scientist.

The captain stepped forward, "Are we sending a squad?"

Klaud shook her head, "No, I will be handling this alone. Me and Lau Jimin will be leaving as soon as Reever gives us the location."

Barry looked confused and attempted to change her mind, "Do you think that is wise? Leaving the order now that General Kanda is out as well?"

The commander seemed to have already made up her mind, "General Kanda should return to the Order soon enough. Until then, I leave you in command, Captain."

Reever stood by flabbergasted, "Leaving him in command? With all due respect commander, are you insane?"  The scientist turned his head towards a grinning Barry, this was his chance he was waiting for. Running the Black Order.

"Barry will do fine, he knows what will happen if he screws this up. Don’t you Barry?" The female leader spoke in a threatening manner, making sure the captain knew what was going on. For the first time this meeting he made a good decision and simply nodded.

Klaud seemed to be in a hurry and started urging Reever to provide her with the location, "You have fifty five minutes left. Get me that location Reever. Now."
 
 

[Marcus Wright]

Jan eyed the cell he called “home” or at least a temporary home Klaud had forced him to step inside. From his holding area, he could hear a extremely hardened Klaud yell orders at her men and woman.

He firmly believed she wasn’t the same woman she once was, as something else changed her for the worse. He wasn’t going to find his team sitting in this cage waiting for his untimely death… again.

It left Jan fuming. It wasn’t his fault he ran into the truth.

The guards around his cell shook as they ran to Klaud’s room to figure out what the hell was going on.

But even though Jan’s heart was broken, his will to fight and find something better still burned. He pushed himself off the bed. It was a lose lose situation if he stayed here with Klaud, his lover no more.

Luckily for the ISA solider, he still had something small Luger had given him over time. It didn’t look like much but he took the small item and jammed it into said jail cell keyhole, moving it up and down until a “click” sound was heard.

The jail cell was slowly opened as he licked the paper clip, locking the door behind him.

He gritted his teeth, for once perhaps he felt like his own best friend, Rico back home.

Now he had to rely on his own soldier skills and training, remembering everything from his team.

The base probably would be brimming with Black Order cross agents. But from Klaud’s yelling, he could hear something about them moving out, leaving Jan the perfect opportunity.to escape.

The guards were scared enough they accidently left the door cracked open, perhaps the guards actually felt bad for the soldier anyways.

Once everyone was a safe distance away, Jan bent down and listened for guards still around. Turns out they had all went with Klaud with her latest creation.

Since the castle door was open, he ran up the stairs, remembering the base’s own halls like his own hand thanks to Klaud and his military training in the ISA, being the best 10 percent in his class.

Perhaps this would be a taste of her own medicine.

A bitter taste of cough medicine left by the ISA.

Maybe she’d miss him around in time.

The doors busted open and Jan started his own way through the pale moons, picking up a dropped com on the floor, locking the doors behind him.

“See you later, Ice queen.”

Jan ran until his legs gave out and hoped to whatever god this verse had pointed him toward a gun shop in the Pale Moons. He had to tell someone…

Anyone.

[Marcus Wright]

The pale moors was a dark, desolate area. One full of unimaginable horrors if you thought of it too long. Once thought of a “safe haven” for the soldier, was now painful memories. He had to watch every step carefully or risk being discovered, or even worse, death.

Jan’s boots slipped through the cautious area of the pale moons following every step, each pathway he had followed away from Klaud’s base: The Black order. His instincts screamed at him everywhere to keep moving away.

The area was giving him a very sickening feeling, his hair stood up on his neck and he felt almost stiff. He was just lucky to grab a gun before leaving the base.

Monsters who he previously thought of in his nightmares crawled through his mind’s imagery as he bit his tongue, taking one small break and then kept running until he saw a small sliver of hope in a road leading to a glimmering big blue portal on a mountainside. It would take some time but he had to keep going.

The dirt road seemed to be old as he followed it, carefully making sure he left no tracks behind him.

Tracking up the road, lead him up to a more mountainous area. He didn’t care where the portal lead but he found his way into the new area.

He quietly slipped into the Camelot portal, and then went to try and blend within the various folks of the medieval kingdom area.

“Halt, what brings you here, stranger?”

By then Jan took a breather, trying to catch his breath. “I.. I’m wanting to start a new life…”

The guard shrugged and pointed him into the cities, letting the previous soldier try to blend in within the olde’ bar.

First things was to earn some cash around here, and buy some new supplies and clothing.

[Yu Kanda]

Several months later….

A cold yet gentle wind carried a handful of leaves passed the portal in the Moors. Months had passed since Klaud set out with Lau Jimi to find the source of the sos message she received. Even with the brilliant Reever’s help it was a futile search. Mentally defeated the commander returned to where it all began. It was here they set up the black order Base in order to fight evil. It was however quite a while since she had radio contact with anyone from the order. Not even Kanda replied, so she gave up a while back. She was dreading what she would find once she got there. Passing through the shadows covering the town of Darkshire, Klaud felt as if she was being watched. It didn’t matter, if there was someone stupid enough to make a move against her, that person would pay dearly. On her shoulder Lau Jimin chirped as he pressed his fur against her cheek. Something had him spooked. It was unlike the creature to express fear, as an innocence weapon it fought many strong akuma in the past. However, the presence of this specific dark aura wasn't anything like the presence of an akuma. Is was like Death itself was stroking her skin with his cold fingers. The duo was nearing the border of the town, towards the dirt path,which passes by for a road around these parts, towards the tower of the Black Order.

The first step outside the town border send a chill down her spine, almost as if whatever was protecting the folks in the town was no longer there to look after her. Lau jimin felt the same sensation overtaking him and visibly shook his entire body. “Sshh its ok. Whatever it is, it will have to show itself if it intends to harm us. We will be ready.” Lau chirped and nodded. For a capuchin he was remarkably smart, the innocence that binds him to Klaud definitely had an influence towards his intelligence.

Steadfast the duo continued their journey home, it wasn’t until hours of walking through the deadlike forest that they both felt the aura once more. They were close to the tower, did it come from there? This time however, the aura came paired with a shadowy figure up the road. The hair of the white capuchin all went upwards as it showed his fangs towards the unknown entity. Klaud’s exterior stayed calm, “ Who goes there? Show yourself.” Something resembling fear snuck into her, which hadn’t happened since her journey with Christa, Jan and the others.  The shim moved towards them, unreluctantly Klaud took a step back. From the dark shadows of the moors a skinny old man appeared leaning on his stick. He had a long ungroomed grey beard reaching down to his stomach, and his hair to match it. His left eye had several scars where the eyeball should have been. Covered in rags and walking with a limp he came closer. “Do not fear me child.” The cracking old voice said, “This old man means you no harm.” The sentence was followed by several unhealthy coughs. If it was death Klaud was sensing it would be here to claim this poor man’s soul. Appearing to be more dead than living he stumbles forward, his soul had clearly glimpsed the other side. And yet even after seeing the state this man was in, Klaud couldn't shake the feeling something was off about him. “What brings you all the way out here mister?” She carefully inquired. The man continued to struggle his way forward, “Oh, everyone needs to stretch their legs every now and then. Hehehe”  Even his chuckle was creepy. Klaud didn’t want to be known as the woman that beat down a helpless old man, for that reason alone she simply remained on guard.

“Your fancy uniform, you wouldn't happen to be one of them exorcist boys would you?” With his cane he pointed directly at the black order symbol on her jacket. With a sense of pride in her voice she answered, “Yes i am, i am Commander Klaud Nine of the black order, who might you be?” The old man coughed what sounded like a man’s final exhale ever a few more times before ignoring the question entirely.
“A shame what happened to those black order folks, a real shame.”

“Why? What happened?” Klaud’s curiosity got the better of her. “What happened to the Black order?”

“You haven't heard?” The old man continued “They were attacked a while back. The person in charge was overwhelmed by the number of enemies storming the tower. After a few screams the tower became quiet. Those things took over and it has been haunted by those monsters ever since. Those men that called themselves exorcists scattered throughout the Omniverse. You can imagine my surprise when i saw a single exorcist all the way out here in her lonesome.” the last part of his sentence felt more sinister than Klaud liked. Lau Jimin on her shoulder felt the same and showed it by letting out a growl.

“Feisty little fella ain't ya?” He extended his hand to pet the capuchin, yet had to quickly retract once the animal snapped towards him. Even the old man did not expect this reaction, and for part of a second a skeleton shim with shiny blue eyes appeared over the man’s face. Klaud instinctively reached for her weapon strapped to her belt. Before she was able to draw the even faster reflexes of the old man grabbed her wrist, making sure the weapon stayed where it was. “He doesn’t like being touched by strangers, and neither do i” Klaud explained in a threatening tone whilst attempting to break free from what appeared to be a beastly strong grip. The stranger released his grip, “ Oh ho, excuse me there miss. Seems this old body still has some juice left in it. I meant nothing by it.” Klaud did not buy the man’s act and took a few steps back before drawing out her whip nonetheless. The long leather weapon was activated and coated the brown exterior with a layer of pure innocence energy. The air was filled with the electricity like crackling sound of the weapon, “Enough of these games, who are you? And what do you want from us?”  The man responded as calm as ever, taking a step back and reaching his one hand to the air while the other was still leaning on the crooked kane, “ Oh Hoo, now that is quite the spectacle, you clearly are one of those exorcist folks.” Klaud responded with a loud and vicious crack of her whip,” Don’t dodge the question old man, i want answers.” A very soft untrustworthy grin appeared across the stranger’s wrinkled lips, “I think you have other things to worry about miss.” He nudged towards her right hand. On her hand Klaud felt a burning sensation, it started off as mildly annoying though it started to become more painful as time passed. As strong as the commander was she did not take her eyes of the real threat. It was as if her hand caught flame, even with all her determination and strength Klaud was unable to hold on to her weapon. The uncontrollable shaking in her hand made it impossible to do anything with it but cradle it with her unaffected one. The exorcist winced in pain, falling to her knees she bend over forward, pressing the affected limb against her stomach. The hand itself was cold to the touch, her senses were telling her otherwise. The agonising sensation started to move, from her hand to her wrist, to her lower part of the arm arm, across her elbow, all the way to her upper arm. Klaud’s scream scared away any wildlife that was in the vicinity. Finally it started to subdue, breathing heavily, Klaud was on the ground, her face so red it looked like it could explode at any time. “What did you do to me sorcerer?” she panted. Her stare was shooting daggers at the unaffected stranger who seemed to casually clean his ear with his boney finger. Before answering the beat down prime’s question he flicked whatever filth he extracted from his ears against a tree. “Just a little something to make sure you listen to what i have to say. Have a look, i’m quite the master artist don’t you think?” With a slight sense of panic in her movement Klaud pulled down the exorcist coat over her shoulder, revealing a mark on the side of her bicep. From what she could make out it appeared to be several drops of black liquid sliding off of her arm, if one were to look close enough they might see the image of half a skull. “What is that?” She asked with desperation clearly noticeable in her tone. “That dear child, is my speciality known as ‘the death curse’. I know what you are thinking, ‘whatever gave it that colorful name’. Well i'm not telling yet, it's a surprise i save for later.” Even though he, technically speaking, had Klaud in a corner personality remained unchanged. With a bit of effort she managed to get back on her feet, Lau Jimin was obviously worried, his baby doll eyes looked at Klaud as if he wanted to say ‘everything will be alright’. It had a calm effect on the exorcist. She stroked through his white hair and offered him a smile before returning her attention to the sorcerer that was here to ruin her day. “It seems you got a bit of strength back. We should get moving.” He said while the bones inside his body sounded like a haunted house as he was stretching. “Where are you taking me?” Her question received a questioning look,”Why, the black order tower of course. Isn’t that where you were heading?” Klaud nodded to confirm his question, this whole encounter was a setup. She just didn’t know why, yet.

The old traveller was leading the way, yet his pace of walking was so unbearably slow it started to get to Klaud. “If you’re so powerful how come you don’t move faster? Or summon a vehicle, are you even a prime?” The man did not respond until he managed to get over the branch that was blocking their path. “You have many questions child. None of which answers concern you at this point.” Klaud sighed,”Can i atleast know your name so i know what to call you?”

“ You can call me,... Macda.” As the name left his lips a cold breeze appeared out of nowhere, offering both Lau and Klaud a chill down their spine. The rest of their journey was mostly silent, every now and then Lau jimin chirped as the woods provided some strange noises in the distance. Klaud was mostly occupied with her own thoughts, ‘This is bad, who or whatever this thing is, it got the drop on us. Did i let my guard down or was he truly this strong?’ she rubbed the mark on her arm, ‘And this thing, i can still feel its presence. I will get rid of it even if i have to cut off my own arm.’ Her thoughts got interrupted when she noticed the tall dark tower appearing through the mists. No torches were lit which gave the view quite a ‘haunted house’ vibe. Sadness overcame Klaud to see her beloved home in this state. This was not how she left this place. “Come now my dear, it’s not going to come to you, you know?” the sorcerer was already a bit ahead while Klaud was feeling sorry for herself. She continued to follow her unwanted guide until they finally reached the gate. A big hole in the stone was, were used to be a big wooden door, the gatekeeper of the order was no more. Splinters of wood were still to be found all around. Something forced their way through here, something powerful. The black burn marks on the surrounding stones indicated it was a single strong blast which send the gatekeeper to the afterlife. ‘May god watch over his soul.’ Klaud stepped inside, she felt the cold gaze of the man burning in her back, she could even feel the creepy deadlike grin which he had on his face. Almost as if he was enjoying it. The front door, located but a few meters behind, was a metal one. -was- being a keyword, the portal was all but blown out of his hinges. A few bits and pieces were scattered across the small courtyard. The same black marks appeared on the pieces of debris. With a single glance over her shoulder Klaud noticed -him- still leaning on his kane. His wild beard covering the almost dead face made it difficult to read the man. The exorcist thought she saw a glimmer of satisfaction in his one good eye. Not a good sign for what is to come. The commander took a step inside the main hall and froze in place. Blood splatters coloured the hall red, banners ripped from the ceiling, holes in the ground, however not a single corpse was to be found. Horror overcame Klaud, this scene was straight out of a nightmare. Her companion pressed close to her, she could feel the poor creature trembling. “Hello?! Is anyone alive?!” a desperate cry. Her voice echoed through the empty halls of the order, it was met with a soft chuckle from her guide. The mocking noise continued until he was throwing full blown laughing fit. “What the hell do you think you are doing?! This is funny to you?” Klaud’s arms motioned around her. Pointing out the horrific scene which unfolded here, there was nothing but dead to be found here. “It is funny to me you think there is anyone left here to answer you. We are all alone here little exorcist, just you, me and that little monkey of yours. Oh and that tiny little demon which is lingering outside. Not to worry, he won't come anywhere near us.” The commander's eyes looked at him, then passed him towards the door, the only way in and out. “oh ho. No child, you won’t be leaving through there.” Just as she thought, whoever this man was he was either responsible or at least partly responsible for what happened in these halls. And for whatever reason, Klaud was brought here to finish whatever job there was to finish. She had to stall, think of a plan to get out of this. Finally she uttered a few words which didn't seem snarky. “What happened here?”

“Finally she asks the right question.” The sorcerer said as he limped towards her. Both Klaud and Lau remained on guard but allowed him to come closer. Klaud noticed the mark on her arm becoming more clearly visible as the man came closer. ‘Is he activating it again? No...i don’t feel anything yet. It seems there is a range on this curse thing or at least i hope so.’ breathing heavily the unknown entity stood before her. “These old bones aren't what they used to be, hehe. Here let me show you.” Before Klaud could respond a dark ball of energy formed in the drifter’s hand and pressed it against the exorcist’s forehead. She gasped for air, opened her eyes and there she was, standing in the middle of the black order hall, fully in tact.

Around her exorcists were rushing to the door, behind her she heard Barry screaming out orders, “ We hold this door! We are not letting this thing come into -OUR- home! We are exorcist!! This is what we do, we vanquish evil. Well then lads….let us vanquish some evil!” Klaud rushed towards him,”Barry what’s going on?” He looked straight passed her, completely ignoring her existence. “Barry!” She said in her most authoritative tone. The replacement commander walked down the stairs, straight through Klaud as if she was a ghost. That was it, she wasn't really there. He was showing her what was happening. A loud pouncing sounded upon the metallic door. The blonde turned her attention to the door, where there are several warriors ready to fight to protect their home. She saw bravery yet fear in their eyes. A second pounce was heard, shaking the entire tower. It was like a small earthquake was knocking on the door. “Steady men! Activate your weapons!” Barry shouted to the men. Around her weapons were activating, lighting up the room. Even though she knew where this ended up she felt pride. Proud that these men stood their ground against an unknown evil. A third loud bang was heard and with it the door was shattered in every direction? Hot metal flew in every direction. From the dust a new horror appeared. A skull with crystal blue eyes surrounded by a dark grey cloud flew inside the room. From the clouds dozens of cloth strips shot into every direction, grabbing exorcists and throwing them through the room, some got ripped into bloody pieces, others choked. One of her comrades burst into flames when he got wrapped in the creatures cloth. Within mere seconds half of the forces gathered got slaughtered, they didn't stand a chance.”Run!” shouted Klaud in desperation, she knew she was a mere spectator to the horrorshow but couldn't contain herself. She saw barry shooting off his weapon towards the foe, like throwing a ball of yarn against a rock it bounced off. The screech the undeadlike monster produced was unlike anything she ever heard before, as if she heard the agonising helpless screams from the doomed souls of hell. More and more brave exorcist lost their lives in this futile fight. It ached her seeing her comrades lose their lives like this. Only a few more left, she looked at Barry, he clearly lost hope. Finally he gave the order she was waiting for, “ Retreat! Every exorcist retreat and relocate to the safe houses. Pull back now!!!!” He kicked his ball towards the wall and blew a hole in it. The young commander pulled one of the warriors out with him. ‘At Least some made it.’ She thought as the image was fading, she found herself back where she began. Looking at the now old hole in the wall she realised there wasn't anything they could have done. A chirp of Lau jimin reminded her that they weren't alone. “So how was it? Enjoyed the view?” He mocked. “How dare you sully their sacrifice with your mockery?!” Her anger only seemed to amuse him as if he was savouring a fine meal. “ It's time for you to tell me what this is all about. Why are you here, here with me?” “You haven't figured it out by now? Its to finish what i started.” it was the awnser Klaud was expecting and fearing. Lau Jimin made his way towards her whip, a simple and gentle touch was enough to activate it, and with it surge the innocence power through hee companions body, allowing him to enter his battle mode. It took the sorcerer by surprise, that fraction of a moment was enough for the huge fist of Lau Jimin’s battle mode to connect with the broken old face of the traveller. A loud bang sounded as the old body flew all the way back to the entrance. Klaud rushed towards the other side of the chamber, creating as much distance as she possibly could. With a crack of her whip she kept Lau fed with innocence, allowing him to stay in his form. From outside the door she heard the creepy laugh, the entrance started to fill with a dark grey cloud, with in the centre two crystal blue lights. It was him after all. “Why did you attack us?” Klaud shouted while she was standing in defence position. The undead creature screeched with a high pitched voice, “Because your kind doesn't belong here exorcist! Parading around claiming you hunt demons. Summon all these weak secondaries to hunt your so called akuma. Those things aren't demons, they don't even come close to the real deal. I've shown them a demon a proper one, and it shall be the end of your order. The black order has died, the exorcists have died and with it the Moors have become what it always was, my playground of the undead. Now die and join the other of your kind!” He started his charge. The exorcist duo replied in kind, a firm crack of the whip sen lau Jimin forward, the agile creature rushed towards the undead. Combined with a chilling battlecry the skeleton send several of it’s enchanted cloth strings forward. The combination of the ape’s agility and Klaud’s whip commands guided Lau through the minefield of magic. Klaud noticed the mark becoming more clear during the charge, she needed more distance between them. Lau jumped forward and pushed his right foot between the perfect blue gems of eyes. Pushing the creature back once more, the energy charged punch that followed won them a few more meters. Her mark started to burn, she needed to act quickly before he could work his magic. Wrapping around Lau’s foot one of the cloth pieces started to get a hold. With a single fluent move the undead send the primeape flying towards Klaud,”Insolent creature!”.

The exorcist turned around, “Lau! Long range mode!” She fed the beast a large surge of innocence as it struggled through the debris. He stood upright and prepared to execute the command. The energy was surging inside him. They had to hurry, Klaud started to feel the burn in her arm becoming more and more painful. “Anytime now Lau! Fire!” Another surge of the divine energy was enough, Lau was locked and loaded.” The hall started to fill with the ashen undead smoke, no longer was it a singular cloud of despair, it was growing. It’s eyes nowhere to be seen. “Hold Lau! We only got one shot at this. “ Struggling to keep the energy contained Lau held on to whatever he could. He was clearly in pain. His long range mode was never intended to store energy. Klaud dropped to her knees, the mark was doing it’s dirty work. The ever expanding toxicity of undead mist filled the entire hall. On top of the stair the duo was holding out, both dealing with their own ordeal of pain. Klaud had trouble keeping her eyes open, the pressure of the burning sensation was near unbearable. “Welcome to inferno.” Macda proclaimed loudly. A shimmer of blue was all that Klaud needed. With her shaking hand she pointed towards the Klaud, “Over there! Fire!!” With every drop of innocence power in his body Lau released the divine beam towards where his master pointed. The fading screech indicated it was a direct hit, even the fire that was felt on her arm became bearable again. Lau returned to his normal capuchin form and jumped upon her shoulders,”You're right, let's get the hell out of this place!”

Rushing through the hole in the wall that Barry left for them the duo found their way outside. Klaud bit through the pain and started sprinting. As fast as her legs could carry her she ran as far away from the sorcerer. From behind her a final message echoed through the air, “Run my little exorcist. You will be back, remember, you carry my gift!” Even though she was glad they got away, those last words had her worried. What exactly was this thing she was branded with? Better run now and worry later.

Klaud didn't stop running for over an hour. She was exhausted but fear is a strong motivator. The capuchin fell asleep in her hands, he really gave his all back there. Klaud looked at him with pride, without her comrade she would have never gotten out of there alive. Another glance at the mark she noticed that is was barely visible yet still there. Her knowledge of demonic magic was very limited, she knew how to fight akuma, though magic curses and hellfire demons was an entirely different thing. Her running turned into walking, for a while she was wondering where she would go. The order has always been her home, in and out of the omniverse. Thinking about what she had seen Klaud remembered Barry getting out, together with a few others. She tried to contact base and Kanda, but she hadn’t tried contacting Barry. It was going to be the next step once they reached a safe space. There was but one place left in the moors where they would be even remotely safe, Darkshire.

[Yu Kanda]

Broken and beaten the former commander reached the city of Darkshire, entering the settlement felt like a burden of shame dropping on her shoulders. On her arm she carried the resting body of Lau Jimin, the poor creature was exhausted. Gently stroking the fur on top of his head calmed her mind. During her trip back to town Klaud was putting the thoughts of recent events in order. A lot happened, none of it positive. If it wasn’t for Lau she would’ve been one of many corpses in the now abandoned order. For a single, unique moment, Klaud stood there, with a gentle glinster in her eye she watched the capuchin sleep on her arm and forgot the world around her. Her moment of peace got interrupted by the growling of her stomach, she hasn't eaten in a while, didn't seem like a priority with everything going on. Her abdomen protested a second time. It was time both her and Lau got something to eat, after all she was only human. The defeated warrior continued her walk of shame, none of the people here knew what happened, however, the fact that they were ignorant didn’t suppress the burden she felt on her soul. Her eyes were focussed on the ground, avoid eye contact at all cost. Up ahead she noticed a tavern, a place where she could eat, drink and perhaps even find a place to rest. With hastened step she proceeded towards the establishment, hoping to finally be able to rest for the first time in god knows how long.

The floorboards creaked as she shifted her weight on top of it. The tavern was one of the older buildings in town, the aged lumber clearly had marks of deterioration. The door’s welcomed the duo with a squike from the hinges that clearly have lacked maintenance throughout the years. It alerted everyone in the already silent tavern of the new visitors. A few heads turned to see what troubled individual sought the comfort of the hostelry. Most random strangers inside promptly returned to their own business, the bartender however provided Klaud with one of his most hospitable smiles, “Welcome stranger, how may i help you?” The overly cheerful man did not fit the depressing setting of Darkshire. Against better judgement Klaud went with it and walked up to him, “I’d like to order something to eat, whatever is fast, please.” The friendly Barman gave her a firm nod before yelling to the back,”Can i get a chicken soup special!?” Klaud had no idea what made the soup special, she was just interested in getting some food in her stomach. One of the tables nearby wasn’t a complete germ infested nest like most others, the exorcist decided to sit down and place the still sleeping capuchin on her lap. The silence was enjoyable, it gave her a bit more peace at mind. The metal clanging in the kitchen, the smell of fresh food arriving at her nostrils all made it a perfect. Before the meal arrived Klaud started putting recent events in order, the fall of the order, the powerful being that destroyed the tower and what it stood for, the curse that fell upon her. So many questions but no way to answer them. She lifted her sleeve to check on the black mark, even though it wasn’t near as clear it was still visible.

“Now that’s a nasty mark.” A high pitched voice spoke up. Klaud snapped out of her focussed thoughts and turned her head. Next to her stood a small, blonde, woman, or perhaps even a girl. Her age was hard to determine with her size and tone of voice. She was wearing some sort of robe made if light fabric, combined with a large hat. The entire ensemble looked ridiculous and out of place, though in some weird way it suited the youngster. At first glance she didn’t seem dangerous, but Klaud learned her lesson and kept her guard up, “It’s nothing, just something from the past.” Hoping to make the nosey kid go away the commander quickly turned her head. However, a stroking touch across the mark made it snap right back, “What are you doing?” The ice queen snarked with a sharp disapproving tone. It did not seem to affect the youngster, her eyes were fixated on the black markings deep embodied into the skin. It started to become creepy, even for Klaud. “For a nothing this thing is quite powerful, and magical on top of that, where did you find it?” She asked as if it was a nice summer dress. The floors squeak once again as Klaud pushed the chair back in order to stand up, she towered over the few feet shorter girl, “You know of this thing?”

Her imposing posture involuntarily forced the young trainee a few steps back, her curious and cheerful voice started to break up, “No...I...sometimes i just notice things. I’m just an apprentice, i don’t know what i’m talking about.” Klaud dismissed her attempt to escape the question and kept pushing.

“You clearly know more of this thing then you are letting on, what is it and how do i get rid of it?” Her voice slightly raised this time, it even woke up Lau who was still resting. The stretch of the little creature was caught by the girl’s eye, who immediately seemed to forget the situation she was in, “OH HE IS ADORABLE!” She screeched as she rushed to hug the still sleepdrunk creature. Lau got crushed in a hug while giving Klaud a look, the commander clearly didn’t know what was going on either. Instead she decided to take a different approach, intimidation clearly wasn’t working, as an alternative she rested her hand on her shoulder, “What’s your name little one?” The girl looked up with eyes closed and a big smile on her face, “My name is Tilcy, wizard apprentice of Camelot, pleased to meet you.” Klaud returned the smile, hoping to fix whatever damage her shouting did earlier, “Pleased to meet you Tilcy, i am Klaud Nine, and this little fella is Lau Jimin, he is my partner. He is however still recovering, so could you please set him down?”

Tilcy opened her eyes with a hint of shock in them, “Oh i’m sorry i didn’t know! I’m sorry Lau.” She said towards the capuchin who still seemed clueless.

“Here you go miss, fast food.”interrupted the bartender.””Will there be anything else?” The meal was placed on the table, hot steam coming off from the plate. The aroma was so strong you could taste the meal without actually eating it. Tilcy eyes seemed to pop a few inches from her skull. The roar produced from the girl’s stomach that followed said pop clearly indicated she was as hungry as she looked. Klaud looked at the Bartender, “One more please.”

Having joined Klaud at the table young Tilcy was devouring the meal, it was as if she hasn’t eaten in weeks. The former commander was just sitting in awe, never before did she see this much food disappear in such a small body. In the end the feast disappeared like winter’s first snowflake in the sun. “Thank you so much for the meal miss Klaud! I was starving….literally!” Klaud nodded, “Don't mention it. Now, Tilcy, i could use some help with this. You clearly know more of this thing than me, what is it?” Rubbing her hand over the mark made clear what she was talking about. The girl wiped her face,”Well, i don't know that symbol in particular but i do recognise a curse when i see one. And this one gives me all kinds of bad magical energy vibes. How did you get it?”

Klaud rolled her sleeve back down, seemingly disappointed, “Some strange creature lured us into a trap, a single touch was enough to brand me with this, and it seems i am stuck with it.”

“ No curse is forever, for everything evil there is something good. This curse can be removed, just….not by someone like me. You need a experienced sorcerer, someone who has dealt with this sort of thing before.”

Klaud’s interest was peaked,”Do you know any of these sorcerers?” The girl excitedly nodded,” Yes i know several, there are many where i study magic in Camelot, they could totally help you, i’m sure of it.” The words gave Klaud hope once more, she knew where to go now. “If you come to Camelot you should come see me, i know someone who would be very interested in this curse. But, i have an assignment right now and i need to hurry, thanks again miss Klaud, hope to see you soon!” A grey cloud surrounded the young sorcerer and vanished, as quickly as Tilcy appeared in Klaud’s life, she also disappeared. Camelot, that's where she needed to go. She reached for her dataverse device and glanced at the screen, ’A message? I wonder who it’s from. Klaud checked her unread messages, it was Reever! She hadn't heard from him in ages. There was no words, just a map, a location. Was it a cry for help? Was this where he and the others from the order were hiding? Unfortunately for the commander it was nowhere near camelot. Her curse would have to wait. Tomorrow morning she would set out to Reever, after that, deal with the curse and avenge the black order. Even though the organisation is no more, and the tower became nothing but another haunted sight of the moors, there was still hope. Demons would never win.