Jeffery signed the last form for today with a dissappointed sigh. "Well, I guess there's no more paperwork to do. What time is it anyway..." He swiveled around in his chair to look at the wall clock behind him. "Yikes! I better go meet Kent to get Kimen and Lucass." He packed up his briefcase and scurried out of his office to find them.

Oboyo nearly ran into Jeffery as he rushed out of his office. "Oh, Jeffery. I was just coming to see you." Oboyo thumbed the envelope in his hand for a second before continuing on. "I was about to head off for the last meeting with everyone..but I wanted to thank you for everything that you've done. To be honest..as much as I trust Moit, I know how much he likes his money. And you've done a fantastic job running everything here, making it possible for the others to fight."

"Oh, stop it. I'm just doing my job." Jeffery coughs to hide his embarassment. "Moit is kinda stingy... Well, anyway, what brings you over to my office?"

"This." said Oboyo said simply before handing the envelope to Jeffery. "Don't open it unless I don't come back. It's very important, and I'm entrusting it to you instead of Elenor. Elenor's a strong and dependable woman, but she's a born strategist of war. She'd take a koopa's shell if it meant covering her bases."

"Heh, she's tried to push some absurd things through the budget before. As if we needed cannons on the roof with that giant robot out back." Jeffery chuckles as he takes the envelope. "Anyway, it's safe with me! But, uh... How will I be able to tell if you dont come back?" Jeffery frowns at the envelope before opening his briefcase and sticking it in.

"Simple enough. Either you'll see me riding in with my rune raised or in a body bag. You'll know what to do when the time comes." Oboyo then reached his hand out to pat Jeffery on the shoulder. "You're too good for Monotoli, Jeffery. Never forget that." With that, he pulled his hand back and turned around to go down the hall. "I've got a few more loose ends to tie up before I meet everyone. Try to get started on that gallery early, alright? I don't want to offend Demonicor."

"Heh, thanks. And it should be approved tomorrow, I just have to draw up the forms in order to spend the money for it." Jeffery waved after Oboyo before heading the opposite direction to find Kent, Kimen and Lucass. "Let's see, I should have the right blank forms in here..." He muttered to himself as he looked around in his briefcase while he walked; one of the few stunts he was really able to pull.

--Some time later, before Oboyo's speech with the entire Paranormal Deliverance Force--

The crowd consisted of more than just people associated with the Jinsaka Manor. Families of the warriors who have volunteered to go were present as well as various onlookers.

Upon reaching the deck of the Crusader, Oboyo turned around to face the massive crowd. One by one, voices began to soften into silence while he paced left to right, looking out over everyone. "Take a good look around you. THIS is what this world is about. No matter who or what you are, you've chosen to band together to fight a fight that no one else would. It was never about destiny or the stars..being that special chosen one meant to be here. It was about choice. You heard the truth and you chose to accept it. That's why you're here..that's why we're all here."

Lines and lines of black moogle warriors stood at attention next to soldiers from Cosmo Canyon and students from the White Tiger School. Boos and wasps floated silently in the air, hand in hand. "And we've lost some good people who gave everything to get us here. It's up to us to make it mean something and do them justice. The fog guide, the phantoms..they aren't a threat to us. They're a threat to everything, everyone. Those are the lives we're fighting for. That's the scale."

Off to the side, the Gitmidur's engine began to roar to life as Launchpad lifted the helicopter into the air. "It's been a long journey, and no one's coming out without scars. But it all comes down to this moment. We win or lose it all in the next hour. Make me proud..make yourselves proud. They want to know what we're made of? I say we show them, on our terms. And we'll bring our people home!"

By that time, the Gitmidur made its way above the Crusader, Egon throwing the rope ladder down just behind Oboyo. Raising the Spirit Rune on his left hand, Oboyo reached out to grasp the ladder with his right. The rune began to emit its bright cyan light as the helicopter began to lift him off the Crusader's dead. "This ends here, tonight! With us! For the saviors of the cleft!"

With that, Oboyo began to climb up the ladder while the Gitmidur flew him off. Those designated to the Crusader or the MK II began to make their way to the vessels, ready as they'll ever be to face a war that one could have never been ready for.

"Come on, Kimen! If we don't hurry, the Crusader will leave!" said Lucass as he pushed his way through the crowd gathered together at the Shrike docks.

Kent stood, ready to board the Crusader. While his armor usually looked battle ready, today definately looked more... intense. Kent sported leather gloves and a neck guard, which he hasn't been known to wear before. His hood was pulled up over his head, and his shield was strapped to his back. His sword's sheath was replaced by a strap on his belt, exposing the gleaming metal. Kent was ready for war, and everyone knew it.

Kimen was right at Lucass' heels pushing her way through the crowd along with them while protecting a small yellow box tied with twine in her arms. She didn't want to miss seeing Kent before he left, but it was going to be difficult to spot him considering the amount of people here. She hoped they would be able to find him in time.

Jeffery stood at the back of the crowd, looking for Lucass and Kimen. they had slipped away from him when his briefcase was knocked from his hand by a particularly upset wife of one of the departing soldiers. "Is that... Yep, there they are." Jeffery began making his way through the throng of well-wishers towards the children. "Hey, wait up you two!"

Lucass glanced back at the sound of Jeffery's voice, but they didn't have time to stop! When he finally got close enough, he spotted Kent waiting to board while Nanaki and Sutan were moving on the loading ramp. "Keeeent!" he shouted as loudly as he could to get his attention.

Kent turned his head to see Lucass and Kimen. "What are you kids doing here? You're supposed to be at the manor." He shook his head. "As much as I'd appreciate your help, it's not safe out there."

Kimen shook his head in response to Kent's words and held up the yellow box, offering it to the former knight. "I didn't want you to leave without saying goodbye. And I wanted to give you this." Kimen answered, looking up at him with a sad look. He really didn't want Kent to go, and he was trying really hard not to cry.

Jeffery sighed and hurried over to meet up with the kids and Kent. "Sorry Kent, they wanted to see the ship leave and got away when I wasn't looking. I'll take them back once you all leave, alright?"

"Knock 'em dead out there, Kent!..well, you know what I mean." said Lucass, stepping out of the way of a large Cosmo Canyon warrior.

Kent took the box in mild confusion. He stared at it quizzically, but upon seeing Kimen's face, leaned down to give the kid a hug. "I'm going to come back Kimen. Don't you worry." He didn't want to leave the kid unprotected, but knew that they could handle themselves. He stood back up, nodded a 'thank you' to Jeffery, and looked at the box. "Am I supposed to open it or is this enchanted with something?"

Kimen made a small giggle. Indeed she had thought about giving Kent something tied with a little bit of magic but she doubted Kent would keep or appriciate it very much. "Its a cupcake actually." Kimen replied, giving him a small smile. "I know it isn't much but I made it specifically for you. And it is completely enchantment free, I promise."

Jeffery stood back and waited for the kids to finish saying their goodbyes. "Alright, time to head back. We don't want to keep Kent here long enough to miss his boat, after all."

Kent smiled a bit. He didn't know that Kimen cooked, but it didn't surprise him given the fact that the kid had lived alone by themselves for so long. He also glaced at Lucass. "You keep Kimen safe, alright? And don't give Jeffery too hard of a time." Kent opened up the box to see what a specifically made cupcake looked like. He usually didn;t have too many sweets. Maybe that's why he's always so grumpy.

"I will, I promise." said Lucass confidently, taking a few steps backwards to join Jeffery. "See you when you get back!"

Kimen looked at Jeffery and Lucass, then turned back to Kent giving him one last quick hug before he returned to Lucass' side, trying to quickly wipe away a stray tear from his cheek before anyone would notice.

"Yeah, you guys stay safe out there. We'll hold down the fort here for you all." Jeffery smiles and salutes Kent. "Come on guys, let's head back to the manor for now. We wouldn't want to keep the rest of them here."

Kent looked at the cupcake in his hands, vanilla with a bit of confetti candy. Cute. He took a bite and waved to the three who came to see him, a little bit of icing on his lip. He might have been a big knight, but he wasn't the best with finger foods. He walked onto the Crusader with the others. Now, goodbyes have been said, promises have been made, and war was about to start.

And so, the Paranormal Deliverance Force departed for the Noctog Ocean. The sun was beginning to set, and Lucass sat at a table in the main hall feeling uneasy. 'So this is what it is like to have to wait while those you care about go to war..' thought the boy.

Kimen sat at the table as well, stomach feeling as though it was being twisted in a tight knot. He tried to push away thoughts and possibilities of what Mr. Kent and the others would be going through. Tried to think of happier possibilities but to no avail. Gloomy thoughts and worries kept creeping back into the childs brain no matter how many times he attempted to banish them. The only bit of relief Kimen had was that Lucass was here with him. At least that was a little bit of comfort.

"Alright guys, Since the cooks left on the Crusader I decided to try my hand at cooking." Jeffery walks back in and sets down two plates of stir fry in front of the kids. His smile dies down a little bit at their gloomy expressions. "Hey, don't feel so worried for them. They'll be alright. The only thing they'll be doing is kicking some ghost butt." Jeffery calls over his shoulder as he goes to get his own plate.

Lucass looked up and thanked Jeffery. Stir fry..that would be an accountant's choice for a quick bite. Lucass sighed after Jeffery left, "..It's so empty and quiet around here with everyone gone..I guess General Cray and Mr. Valentine are in the meeting room, directing communication between the three groups." noted Lucass, who had resorting to tapping his fingers on the table to maintain his sanity. The manor was almost desolate, save for a few hired attendants Lucass didn't recognize as well as a few that he did.

Ms. Kuporia must have gone on the MK II to keep Mogusao from misbehaving. He witnessed the maid discipline the dark moogle lord once from the shadows, a sight he would never forget. Perhaps even great warlords had their weaknesses. Servbot #1337 was around the western hall somewhere and Lym was probably reading in the rear courtyard. "Maybe..Lym feels the same way we do. She should be with Father Roche in case someone gets possessed. Can the phantoms even do that? Oboyo didn't seem to know.."

Kimen made a small smile at Jeffery's attempt to cheer them up, recognising and appriciating the effort, "Thank you. I'm sure you are right." She said, shifting her gaze down to the plate of food he had presented before them. The smile widened a little as she took a bite, listening to Lucass. "Dunno." Kimen answered the boy with a shrug when she swallowed her food. "I suppose it is a possibility, but I can't say for certain. I think lot of it might have to do with the world they originate from and its rules. Then again, this world has its own rules and it seems as though they can be adapted to." Kimen tilted her head to one side mulling the thought over while she took another bite.

Jeffery walks back in a moment later and sits across from the kids. "What was that about rules, Kimen?" He takes a bite of the stir fry and chews for a moment. "Mmm... Needs some salt. Lucass, could you hand me the saltshaker over there?"

"Hmm?..Oh, sure." Lucass leaned over for the saltshaker that Jeffery gestured to, sliding it over towards him. "And I imagine Casper feels the same way about his uncles and Lady Bow..I wonder what he's up to." Lucass groaned a little pushing his stir fry aside and resting his head on the table. "Isn't there anything we can do? Maybe Mr. Valentine can find something for us to do. I don't know, deliver something..anything. This waiting is killing me."

"Just that they are pretty much up in the air in this world. It is hard to say what can and cannot be done. With every person and piece it takes there lies the potential for new methods, abilities, magic and technology." Kimen answered Jeffery, staring down at her plate poking slightly at the food sitting there. It looked great, yes. But the child did not have much of an appitite. He was mearely eating because he knew he had to. "We could always go find out. There is probably still plenty of things to be done before everyone gets back. Maybe we can find some things for Casper and Lym to do as well while they wait." Kimen answered Lucass.

"Thanks." Jeffery shakes a bit on his stir fry and takes another bite. "Muff beffer." He swallows. "Something tells me that the general and Mr. Valentine wouldn't like us barging in there and pestering them. Tell ya what, I saw some of those frozen cookie things in the kitchen. Why don't we make those and have some ice cream with them for dessert?"

Lucass glanced over at Jeffery and gave him a dumbfounded stare. Did this office nut have any idea how young he was compared to Lucass? Although that dessert idea did sound pretty good. Lucass thought to test Jeffery's 'adult patience'. "Hmm..alright!" With that, he pushed the stir fry aside and rested his elbows on the table expectingly.
But before Lucass could give him a triumphant stare, one of the paintings on the eastern wall nearby suddenly came loose, crashing into the ground and sending a loud echo throughout the massive, empty hall. "Ack!" Lucass yelped, turning around to see what happened.

Kimen glanced at Lucass as Jeffery made his suggestion not sure if more food was the solution. After all, she had barely touched her dinner beyond taking a couple of bites. Then the picture fell, causing the child to jump in her seat and turn towards the source.

"Well, ok th-" Jeffery jumped in his seat when the picture fell. "What on earth..." He got up and walked over to look at it. "You two didn't move this, right?"

"Maybe there was a shift in the building or it wasn't hung up right?" Kimen offered with a shrug. A small tremor that they might have not even noticed might have knocked it off the hook. Maybe it was teetering and on the verge of falling all this time and they just didn't know it. Kimen stood up and pushed away his chair, making his way over to it to it to see if he could rehang it.

"New? I don't remember approving the purchase of a new painting..." Jeffery rurned around to check the hanger on the back before putting it back up there. "Wonder how it got here."

"Ohh? Maybe you missed it in all your notes here?" taunted Lucass, carrying a clipboard that he looted from Jeffery's briefcase. Seconds later, a chair nearby tipped over and the lights on the chandelier above went out. Lucass let out a 'Huh?' before putting the clipboard down on the table and glanced up at the chandelier. Meanwhile, a sword and shield affixed above the painting came loose, the latter landing harmlessly nearby and the former falling down right for Kimen's chest!

A small yelp escaped Kimen's lips as the chair fell and the lights went out, darkening the room. A painting falling was one thing but this... A flash of silver caught Kimen's eye but there was no time to react to it. The child's eyes widened as a sharp pain blossomed in their chest, she barely had time to look down and touch the blade that pierced her body before her vision clouded and the world slipped away.

"How di- KIMEN!" Jeffery dashed over and hovered over the impaled kid, not knowing what to do. "Um... Oh shit, what do I do!?"

Lucass' heart about stopped as the sword made its way through Kimen's defenseless chest. "K..KIMEN!!" He panted quickly a couple of times before he lunged out of his chair and rushed towards Kimen's body, shaking it and feeling the neck for a pulse. Nothing. Meanwhile, more paintings fell off the walls, vases tipped over, and the chandelier swung violently back and forth. "Wha..what the hell is going on?!"

Before Lucass could find an answer to his question, the chandelier detached from the ceiling and fell in his and Jeffery's direction. "Aaaaah!" shouted Lucass he turned his back towards it and held Kimen's body close, as if trying to save her from being crushed to death. A futile attempt.

"Oh, son of a-" Jeffery was cut off as the chandelier landed on top of him, bashing him on the head and pinning him to the ground. "Ohh..." The unfortunate accountant's eyes rolled back into his head as he passed out.



Kimen would soon hear a voice calling out from endless darkness. "Hey..are you awake?"

Awake? Kimen was sure he was awake but at the same time he was not so sure. How could he tell? The child stared out into the darkness, trying to make sense of what was going on. "I think so?" He replied to the voice... or so he thought he replied. He really wasnt sure if his mouth moved.

The source of the voice soon took shape of a man. He wore a red outfit and black sunglasses and had blonde hair that stood up and curved a little backwards. "I was wondering when someone around here was going to die. I already tried to help Steve, but..well, not a lot you can do when the whole town is coming down. You're Kimen, right? I've been watching you people for some time now. Before you start thinking 'Am I dead? Are you god?!', the answer is..yes, you are dead."
"But I'm not god and this isn't heaven. See? Take a look around." The darkness began to dissipate a little as the main hall came into view. Jeffery and Lucass were unconcious under the chandelier's weight, Kimen's body in the latter's arms. "Kind of a brutal way to go. Those phantoms are real jerks, huh? Surprised that some of them made it here. This is..bad. I saw some going down the eastern hallway, probably after Graham."

Kimen stared at the scene that appeared infront of them in horror, staring at Lucass as he held her body. Thank goodness he was okay! But then... Her eyes moved towards the chandielier where Jeffery lay, unconcious, but it looked like he was still breathing. Both were still alive. She was the only one dead. "Lucass..." It was a lot for a child to take in. and it took a moment for the mans words to sink in entirely. "Ah! Mr. Graham! We can't let them get to him! We ca..." She stopped. was there anything they COULD do?

The man nodded his head in agreement. "You're right. They'll take the Rune of Punishment to the fog guide, just like Lucass suspected." He seemed to get ready to do something, but then paused and slapped his hand on his forhead. "Oh yeah..sorry! It's been a while since I've talked to anyone other than Steve. For a while, I just kind of gave up..being dead in my world was bad enough, showing up here in the middle of my investigation didn't help either."

"Apparently my name is Sissel, and I'm, well, a ghost I guess. It's strange that Egon's devices have never found me, though. Anyway, you're right. We need to turn this whole thing around on the phantoms. I looked around a little while you were out. The PDF left Dr. E. Gadd's vacuum in Egon's lab..don't know if it was intentional or not, but it's good that they did. You won't have much time, but you need to warn Graham and get that vacuum."

Kimen blinked at the man, wondering how she was supposed to manage to do that. If she was dead then she was a ghost and could probably manipulate things as ghosts sometimes did, but getting someone to pick up an object? "How far is Mr. Graham to the vacuum?" Kimen asked, not sure how easy it would be to accomplish this.

"Far enough that you can't do both at the same time. Which is why you need to get Lucass and Jeffery to help. Nothing personal, but Graham might have an easier time listening to Lucass than you. You're going to have to explain very quickly and hope that he trusts you..which he should. I mean, you're good friends, right?" asked Sissel.

"A-alright. But how am I supposed to tell them?" Kimen asked, looking back at the scene with knit brows. "I mean, I am dead aren't I? And it looks like you were only able to speak to me because I am dead too. So in order to talk to them..." Kimen trailed off there, not liking the idea that came to their mind.

"Well that's simple. You have to be alive to do that. And to do that..we're going to go four minutes before your death!" Sissel smiled and seemed to focus, an all consuming red spreading out over the dark main hall while a round clock appears from his chest, rewinding backwards in time. He held his hand out towards Kimen's soul and whispered softly, "I couldn't save Steve, but I can save you. We just have to watch and wait for the right opportunity."

The child took the spirits hand, still feeling a little lost. Kimen smiled at the spirit though, feeling a little bit of their hope return at the promise of being brought back to life. "If you can bring me back to life again, I will do my best, Mr. Sissel. Thank you for helping me."

Looking out for a kid. Just like before. Sissel kept smiling as the setting soon changed, the main hall of the manor returning to state it was four minutes before Kimen's death.

"Thanks." Jeffery shakes a bit on his stir fry and takes another bite. "Muff beffer." He swallows. "Something tells me that the general and Mr. Valentine wouldn't like us barging in there and pestering them. Tell ya what, I saw some of those frozen cookie things in the kitchen. Why don't we make those and have some ice cream with them for dessert?"

Watching from Lucass' fork in the stir fry, Sissel spoke out to Kimen. "Watching this won't be easy, kiddo..but we have no choice. I can pass from object to object and manipulate them slightly, but I can't outright keep that sword from falling on you. Do you see anything we could use to keep it from landing on you?"

Lucass glanced over at Jeffery and gave him a dumbfounded stare. Did this office nut have any idea how young he was compared to Lucass? Although that dessert idea did sound pretty good. Lucass thought to test Jeffery's 'adult patience'. "Hmm..alright!" With that, he pushed the stir fry aside and rested his elbows on the table expectingly.
But before Lucass could give him a triumphant stare, one of the paintings on the eastern wall nearby suddenly came loose, crashing into the ground and sending a loud echo throughout the massive, empty hall. "Ack!" Lucass yelped, turning around to see what happened.

"It's too bad you went to go look at it..I don't think we can do anything to keep you from getting up. Even then, it'd probably just impale Jeffery instead."

"Hey, look. You can actually see the phantom now! Different from Casper and his uncles, huh?" said Sissel, pointing towards the picture frame where a faceless, ghostly red figure floated. It only stuck around for a few seconds before touching the sword and shield, disappearing into the wall shortly after.

Kimen glanced at Lucass as Jeffery made his suggestion not sure if more food was the solution. After all, she had barely touched her dinner beyond taking a couple of bites. Then the picture fell, causing the child to jump in her seat and turn towards the source.

"Well, ok th-" Jeffery jumped in his seat when the picture fell. "What on earth..." He got up and walked over to look at it. "You two didn't move this, right?"

"Hmm..early? We'd have to hit it with something heavy..it's actually attached pretty well, but whatever that phantom did to it, it was enough to loosen it the moment it fell down on you. However..what if we were to get you and Jeffery away from the painting?"

"Ah! Jeffery stop!" Kimen screamed at the man despite the fact that he wouldn't be able to hear him. The child frantically looked around, trying to figure out a way to make the man stay clear of the area. "W-what about his brief case? maybe we can open it? Shuffle around some papers? It might distract both of us." It seemed like a good idea as Jeffery seemed like a person who likes things kept in order.

"Maybe there was a shift in the building or it wasn't hung up right?" Kimen offered with a shrug. A small tremor that they might have not even noticed might have knocked it off the hook. Maybe it was teetering and on the verge of falling all this time and they just didn't know it. Kimen stood up and pushed away his chair, making his way over to it to it to see if he could rehang it.

"New? I don't remember approving the purchase of a new painting..." Jeffery rurned around to check the hanger on the back before putting it back up there. "Wonder how it got here."

"Ohh? Maybe you missed it in all your notes here?" taunted Lucass, carrying a clipboard that he looted from Jeffery's briefcase.

"Hmm, worth a shot. It's all I can do at this point without rewinding, anyways. Here I go!" With that, Sissel moved from Lucass' fork, to the clipboard, to Jeffery's suitcase. He manipulated the latches and caused the case to open, startling Lucass nearby. But out of reaction, Lucass merely slammed the case shut before putting the clipboard on top of it. "Gah! You're not helping, Lucass! But wow, did you see how quickly that thing opened? I wonder how much Jeffery spent on it."

Kimen groaned as Lucass closed the lid. Maybe if they had manipulated it earlier it might have had more effect. The child's eyes darted back and forth over the room trying to figure out the best options. "Make the chandelier fall before the painting? No, that might not be a good idea because we'd have to get everyone clear of it... If we could blow out the candles and the lights to make the room dark the painting might not be a priority to look at. if we opened the curtain afterwards..." Kimen groaned again. Hopefully they could get something to work...

The sword had begun to shift around, an after affect of the phantom's touch. "Uh oh..looks like we're running out of time. But hey, Lucass just put the clipboard on the brief case. I wonder if.." Sissel tried to manipulate the briefcase again, this time sending the clipboard flying towards Jeffery and Kimen and landing some short distance before them.

Jeffery blinks as the clipboard clatters to the ground nearby. "Huh? How did that get there?" He scratches his head as he walks over and picks it up. "Kimen, did you do something with that fancy magic stuff of yours? This feels like an elaborate prank."

Kimen watched as the clipboard went flying and was picked up by Jeffery. She watched herself stop at the man's inquiry and shake her head at him, "No, sir. Why would I do something like that?" She could hear a slight bit of irritation at the question. Perhapes because this was such an innapropriate time for such things.

Jeffery shrugs. "Well, can you come over here and stare at this painting with us? I still can't figure out where it came from and three brains would be better than two."

Kimen walked over to the painting to join Jeffery, doubting that figuring out where the painting came from had any sort of importance here. It was just a fallen painting after all. Kimen Cringed as the sword fell a moment later, piercing her body and mere breath of a second later killing her before she had time to make sense of what was going on. The child wished she could close her eyes. "W... we can try again, right Mr. Sissel?"

Lucass' heart about stopped as the sword made its way through Kimen's defenseless chest. "K..KIMEN!!" He panted quickly a couple of times before he lunged out of his chair and rushed towards Kimen's body, shaking it and feeling the neck for a pulse. Nothing. Meanwhile, more paintings fell off the walls, vases tipped over, and the chandelier swung violently back and forth. "Wha..what the hell is going on?!"

"Well..that didn't solve much. Guess we'd better turn back and start over again. But you know..even if we get you away from that sword..the chandelier is still going to fall over there. I'm sure Lucass and Jeffery would appreciate not being there when it does. Although I have to admit, it's kind of cute how Lucass is trying to protect you from it. I don't remember if I ever had a friend like that."

Kimen's shoulders sagged looking at Lucass as he was trying to protect his already dead body. "Yeah, he is a good friend." It was hard for Kimen not to say it in the past tense. The child didn't want to just accept being dead yet. They needed to be there when Mr. Kent returned home after all. And he didn't want to leave Lucass. Especially not under these circumstances.

With the snap of a finger, time began to turn back and the setting reverted to the state that it was four minutes before Kimen's death. "Alright, this time I'll see if I can hitch a ride on you or Jeffery. Do either of you have any objects I could go to? A watch, rings?"

"Thanks." Jeffery shakes a bit on his stir fry and takes another bite. "Muff beffer." He swallows. "Something tells me that the general and Mr. Valentine wouldn't like us barging in there and pestering them. Tell ya what, I saw some of those frozen cookie things in the kitchen. Why don't we make those and have some ice cream with them for dessert?"

"I am wearing a bracelet if that helps. And Jeffery might have a pen or a watch" Kimen answered the spirit worriedly. Sure he could hitch a ride, but then what would he be able to do? The only thing over there was just the sword and the paintings. "What will we be able to do from there though?"

"Well, I can move from painting to painting until I reach the light switch. Maybe that will get you two out of the way. Bracelet, huh? Alright, let's give it a shot." said Sissel, waiting for the painting to fall and for Kimen and Jeffery to leave their seats after it. He left Lucass' fork, traveling to the briefcase then to Kimen's bracelet. Once there, he went up the Dudbear painting then traveled along several others:

One of a lighthouse in Gold City, one of a wagon traveling the Luon Highway, one of a ranboob standing on an island overlooking the ocean, and lastly, one of a forest coated in snow before reaching the light switch. The red phantom had already touched the sword and left. "Lights out!" shouted Sissel as he manipulated the switch, turning the lights in the room off.

Jeffery groans as the lights go out. "Really? Of course the power goes out... Come on guys, let's go check the fuse box." Jeffery starts to walk out of the room, grumbling about being Punked.

Lucass shrugged, rising up from his seat to follow behind them. At the same time, he could hear the sound of something sharp falling from the wall and landing into the ground. The boy winced, hurrying along after Kimen and Jeffery. No telling what else was going to happen in there.

"Well look at that! A little simple, but it works! Alright Kimen, back to the living with you. Remember, you've got to get that vacuum cleaner and warn Graham! This place is about to get attacked!" said Sissel, the setting rapidly beginning to change.

"Thank you Sissel!" Kimen said, seeing the spirit fade away. From one moment it felt as though the child was floating, now it felt as though he was walking. He was alive again! And it felt great! The child reached up to touch his chest where the sword had pierced, only to stop and turn towards Lucass, remembering what he needed to say. "Come on!" Kimen took Lucass' arm and started pulling them, "I'll explain how I know this later but the chandelier is going to fall and we are going to be under attack soon! We need to get Graham the vacuum cleaner Egon left in the lab! There is no time to waste!"

"Huh?--whaa!" yelped Lucass as Kimen dragged him by the arm. "What are you doing, Kimen?" Lucass felt a sudden realization himself. So THAT's what she was doing. "Ohh, I get it. You're playing a prank on Jeffery! Hehe, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Jeffery was not amused as he ran after them. "A prank? Really?" He grumbles. "How did I get roped into this again?"

"Why would I chose now of all times to prank anyone! Why would I prank you guys with something so serious?" Kimen gripped Lucass' arm and looked at him pleadingly. Did they really think he would joke about something like this? "Graham is in trouble! We are about to be attacked!"

Lucass' expression suddenly changed. Maybe Kimen really was being serious..but why so suddenly? They were going towards the meeting room, alright. And not long afterwards, the sound of a falling chandelier echoed loudly behind them. "Wha?! What was that!?"

Kimen didn't answer Lucass' question, but rather kept on running towards the meeting room, "They are in the building and already on their way to him. We should probably alert everyone using the intercom in the meeting room. Graham is their intended target so they are priority. And getting them to that vacuum in the lab is important! Lucass, you need to tell him! I was told he probably wouldn't listen to me." Kimen pushed the doors to the meeting room open dragging the boy along after.

Jeffery panted as he ran into the room after the kids. "I should... really get in... shape sometime." He stopped to catch his breath.

"Uh..okay? But what do I even.." Before Lucass could ask, he was thrusted into the meeting room. The power was still on and Graham was sitting at a table with Rodger near the external communication equipment, tactical plans laid out before them. Jum and the other three ninjas were leaning on a wall nearby. Rodger spoke up first, "What was that noise?"

Lucass shook his head, "Erm, I'm not really sure. But Kimen thinks.." Lucass paused. If he was going to say that, why would Kimen have him speak in the first place? He just had to trust her. "..-I- think we're under attack! We were just in the main hall when the lights went out, a painting fell, a chair tipped over, and the candles on the chandelier went out!" Rodger glanced over at Graham then to Jum, who was holding a ghost tracker. Jum merely shook his head, indicating that nothing was showing up on it.

But before anyone could say anything to dismiss the kids, a red faceless phantom emerged from the wall with an ethereal blade in its hand. "General!" shouted Rodger as he rose up from his seat and reached for one of the three batteries that Helios had left behind and loaded it into a flare gun. He aimed carefully and fired a shot at the steadily advancing phantom, changing its appearance to resemble a lighter red. Graham, already on his feet, then held his hand out, his rune glowing a crimson red.

A red cloud of energy surrounded the phantom, emitting a shrieking howl before consuming the ghost and returning to Graham, a smaller crimson cloud eating away at his body. "General! Are you alright?!" asked Grigori, the other ninjas now taking defensive posistions in front of Graham. "..Yes..so it seems they came here after all. Jum!" Jum shook his head, staring at the ghost tracker. "I donnn't get it, sir. I was waattching it the eeeenTIIRE time! Not a single blip, sir!" Rodger grimaced and grabbed the last two batteries, loading them into the last two flare guns and handing one to Kimen and one to Jeffery.

"It would seem that Egon's trackers can't track them. Take these and zap any more that you see. General, we need to secure this building and get you to safety."

Jeffery takes the battery and clumsily loads it into the flare gun that Rodger handed him. "And here I thought we would be safe from spirits today." He grumbles. "Now, you mentioned a vacuum cleaner, right Kimen? The one in the hall closet, right?"

"Professor Gadd's vacuum is in Egon's lab! Do you think that will help?" asked Lucass, prompting a nod out of Graham. "I know..Lady Bow insisted that we did not bring it to the battle. Egon's lab is our first priority, we'll split up if anyone else is in trouble. We've only got 17 shots of Spirit Blasters left, so aim carefully."

Kimen looked at the flaregun in his hand, turning it over carefully. He saw Rodger use it, but it didn't seem to do anything but change the ghost's appearance a little. "The one Egon left in the lab. I was told specifically that Graham needed it." He looked from the flaregun to Rodger, "I am sorry, but could you please briefly explain how this works?"

Rodger nodded while Graham steadily made his way to the door, the ninjas waiting just outside for him. "Helios designed these guns to store some of Master Jinsaka's spirit rune energy. Once you shoot a phantom, they'll turn a lighter color. Then the General, Jum, Hiko, Grigori, or Kamus can personally reduce the phantom's ghostly matter until it dissipates. There are only six shots in a battery, so use them wisely."

Lucass followed after Rodger. "Don't forget me. I'll burn them up for showing up here!" Rodger glanced at Lucass when he reached the door and paused to think. "..hmm, yes..I suppose you can fight, too. Just stay out of trouble." 'Stay out of trouble'. Lucass nearly snarled at the young man as he stepped outside, waiting for Kimen and Jeffery.

Jeffery nodded and walked after Lucass. "Alright, let's get to the lab quickly."

Kimen looked at Lucass worriedly for a moment, wondering why they were so concerned with the boy staying out of trouble. She was younger than him! If they were going to tell anyone to stay out of trouble then obviously it should be her! First Oboyo and now this! Why did it seem like they were singling him out? "Um...To be quite honest, Lucass could probably be more effective in a fight then I could. And he really doesn't seem like the irresponsible sort, so I don't think there is any more need worry about him staying out of trouble than anyone else here." Kimen wanted to defend him, but the argument seemed weak as well as poorly timed. She made for the door, glancing at Roger with confusion as she made her way out.

Lucass glanced over at Kimen, a strong silence taking over his throat as he hesitated to say anything. Even in the face of disaster, she stood up for him! "Yes, of course. Come now, watch yourselves." said Rodger, holding his flare gun out. As the group traveled down the hall, Kimen would soon hear a voice in his head. "Hey, Kimen! No time to explain, some of you need to get to the Rear Courtyard right away! Lym and a few of the attendants are in trouble!"

"Huh...Sissel?" Kimen asked quietly, looking about the area confusedly and lowering his gun to the floor. If the child saw him he didn't want to accidentally shoot the spirit. He didn't seem to be around though. Maybe he couldn't see him anymore because he was alive again? "Got it." She said to him, then called out to the others, "We should split up! There are some people in trouble in the courtyard that need our help! I think we have enough numbers to help. One party needs to go with Graham to retrieve the vaccum the other needs to assist those outside!" Kimen's head sank a little as he realized what he was saying. Would the adults even listen to them?

Jeffery glanced over at Kimen for a moment. "Yeah, we should probably do as the kid says. Kimen was the one who first noticed the attack here, after all." He adjusts his grip on his briefcase. "So, who wants to go where? I'll go help with the vacuum."

"The courtyard?..Of course..the enemy would be more likely to be more numerous outside than inside. But splitting up wouldn't be wise until we're better armed." Graham lowered his arm and rested it on Kimen's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "We'll make that our priority as soon as we retrieve Gadd's vacuum."
Lucass grit his teeth anxiously. How did Kimen know this? Regardless, they were ignoring her! He wasn't about to let them treat her the same way they treated him. "Then we'll go ourselves! If Kimen thinks there's trouble, we can't drag our feet!" Rodger shook his head. "Out of the question. Are you kids trying to get yourselves killed?"

Lucass started to bolt down the hall ahead of the group, "Come on, Kimen!" Rodger sighed and gestured for Grigori to follow him. The ninja in blue nodded and drew his tantos, following after him. "Arrogant boy. Let's hurry, the lab around the corner a ways ahead. We'll double back for them once we have it."

The child's breath was caught as she ran down the hall after Lucass to try to stop him but to no avail. Her steps slowed and then she came to a halt just a few yards ahead of the rest of the group. Kimen looked back up to Graham, for a second a look of helplessness crossed her face. What could she do? What SHOULD she do? On the one hand she wanted to go after Lucass and make sure he was protected, on the other Mr. Graham was the priority. The ghosts were targeting him! If Sissel was going to be helping and providing information, then wouldn't it be best to stick with the larger party? Besides, it was possible that not everyone was outside at the moment. "Mr. Graham. While it is true that the enemy could be larger outside, it might be benificial to us to assist the group out there in order to secure our numbers. With everyone gone, we are already not a large force nor are we all capable of fighting. The vacuum is a priority, yes. And I do not believe getting it is what you need to concentrate on first and foremost, Mr. Graham. But wouldn't it be wise at least send one more person to help? Even if it is just to help secure a route for them to retreat?" Kimen swallowed, clentching her fist and looking down the hall again. Graham was a general and he probably knew what would be best in this situation, but then again not going after Lucass felt like she was stabbing him in the back.

"Weelllll, isssn't the little kiddy-widdy full of ideas?" taunted Jum. Rodger waved him off, guiding the group down the hall. Rodger shook his head at Kimen, "We can't--" but before he could finish, Graham spoke over him. "Go on, Hiko. We'll be fine." Rodger stopped and glanced at Graham, sighing. "I made a promise to Grigori and I intend to keep it. Go on." ordered Graham, the green ninja drawing his nunchucks before departing.

Kimen would then hear Sissel's voice in her head. "You didn't want to go with them..? I suppose that makes sense..still, I need to get out of your bracelet. Do you think you can take me to that intercom along the wall there? I haven't scoped out the western side of the manor yet, and I don't see why an intercom can't work the same way as a telephone. If I can make it back, I'll let you know what I see."

"Whoa..that loud noise before was THIS? Good thing we got out of here before!" Lucass turned around, only to find Jeffery and Grigori. "Huh? Where's Kimen?" Before either could answer his question, a red phantom emerged from the ceiling, charging its crimson sword towards Lucass. "Geez!" shouted the boy, diving off to the side and narrowly avoiding the deadly charge.
"Shoot it, Jeffery!" Grigori remained silent, gripping his tantos while waiting for the phantom to become tangible. Hiko somersaulted his way into the main hall, spinning his nunchucks around and waiting for the right chance.

Jeffery shakily pointed his flare gun at the phantom and fired, hitting the ground near it with one of the charges. "I think that worked! Get 'em!"

"I wanted to." Kimen answered, voice soft and wavering a little as he was on the verge of crying. You have no idea how much I wanted to." He wished Graham would have told him to go instead. At least he wouldn't have this weighing so heavily on his conscience right now. He wasn't so sure if he had made a good choice here or not. Sure it sounded like the most responsible choice but was it really? Kimen moved closer to the intercom on the wall to let Sissel travel to it. "Good luck."

"Right on! We'll leave this one to you, er..Greggor, right? Thanks! Let's go, Jeffery, Piko!" Grigori and Hiko rolled their eyes as Lucass bolted for the rear courtyard with Hiko in tow. Grigori ran forward on the balls of his feet, leaping into the air to stab the phantom with his tantos! Unfortunately, the phantom turned around just in time, swiping at Grigori and sending him to the floor. The ninja mumbled and kicked himself up, eyeing the phantom for another opportunity.

"Thanks. Watch yourself, kiddo. I can't bring you back anymore if you die. I'll tell you all about it later..assuming Sylvere lets me stick around." With that, Sissel's voice went silent as he traveled through the intercom's systems. Jum watched the rear of the unit while Kamus stuck in the front. The group eventually made it to Egon's lab, where a pair of phantoms were demolishing the storage chamber that once stored Casper's uncles..and that still contains the giant colored ghost from Cosmo Canyon.
"Ggh! Stop them! We can't let that ghost escape!" shouted Graham, holding his hand out, ready to use the rune if needed. Rodger aimed and fired at one of the phantoms, one of which bolted off to the side as soon as it heard Graham's voice. Kamus proceeded spin his tonfas around as he closed in to strike the tangible phantom while the other translucent one circled around the group. Jum took a defensive position while he waited for Rodger or Kimen to shoot it.
Once close enough, Kamus unleashed a flurry of strikes with his tonfa, breaking down the phantom's ghostly material until it dissipated.

Jeffery nodded. "Right, lets go Lucass." He dashed after the boy.

Kimen took aim at the translucent phantom, drawing in a deep breath. She had never used a weapon like this before, it seemed rather odd that she would be trusted with using it... but then again, the other men seemed to be better off fighting considering how they weilded their weapons. They weren't exactly steady with it though. It was heavy and not meant for a childs hands. The child pulled the trigger, hoping to hit the target.

Once outside, Lucass spotted Lym standing in front of three attendants, one of which lied still on the grass. Her eyes closed, her arms were stretched out and she was chanting something in a mysterious language, an otherworldly glow eminating around her as three phantoms seemed to be merely watching her. "Lym!!" shouted Lucass as he ran closer. At the sound of Lucass' voice, Lym opened one of her eyes as she tried to shout out, but her voice was barely audible. "I can't..hold them..any longer
"Jeffery! Shoot them!" With that, Lucass held his hand out, the rage rune glowing red and a fiery symbol rising above it while Hiko rushed up to Lucass, spinning his nunchucks and waiting for his chance. Aware of the presence of rescuers, the three phantoms turned around to face them.

"Right!" Jeffery took careful aim and shot into the center of the ghosts. "Alright, have at them!"

Grigori stared into the faceless phantom before him, daring the spirit to make a move. The red ghost shrieked loudly as he charged towards the blue ninja, who moved hastily to the side, parrying the phantom's blade with one tanto and taking its arm off with the other. Defenseless, Grigori twisted his hips and threw a side kick at the before thrusting its tantos behind him over and over again until the ghost disappeared into thin air. With a breath of relief, Grigori made his way out the back door.

The phantom became tangible as Kimen's shot makes contact, prompting Jum to cackle gleefully as he performed a dance with his katanas, slicing the phantom up to pieces until it disappeared into thin air. "Good work. Kamus, are we in danger?" Kamus scrutinized the machine while Rodger headed to the table to retrieve E. Gadd's vacuum. The red ninja turned back to the general and shook his head, seemed the group made it just in time. "Good. Give me the vacuum, Rodger."
Rodger nodded and turned the device over, gripping his flare gun as he made his way to the lab's exit, patting Kimen on the head before stepping out with Jum. Kamus and Graham followed slowly behind. "Let's head for the courtyard to meet up with the others. But in the meantime..I'd like to know what's going on, child. How did you know about the vacuum? Who 'told' you to find me?"

"Get down, Lym! Alright, Rage Rune! Let's show 'em how to 'stay out of trouble'!" With that, Lym released her otherworldly barrier and collapsed to the grass while a massive vortex of flames left his fingers and surrounded the three phantoms, the intense heat melting them into a puddle of ectoplasm. Hiko eased his stance as he stared at the puddles while Grigori emerged from the back door, catching up to the group.

"Sheesh..Kimen was right. I wonder how she knew about this?..Are you alright, Lym? What were you doing, standing there like that?!" asked Lucass, lowering his hand to help her up, his eyes darting towards Jeffery and the other two attendants cowering behind her. "I..don't feel like explaining right now..what's going on? Why are there phantoms here?"

Kimen smiled a little when Roger patted them on the head, but it didn't do much to relieve the knot in her stomach. She was a little surprised when Graham slowed to ask her what was going on. She expected it, but not this early. "Well I know this might be difficult for you to believe but I ended up dying just before I came to find you. I came to, and there was a ghost there by the name of Sissel." Kimen scratched the back of her neck nervously, "He told me about the vaccum and that it was important to get it into your hands. And you didn't have a lot of time since the ghosts were already on their way to you. He even pointed them out to me. He had this ability to turn back time and manipulate things, and he used it to change things and save me. When I was alive again, Lucass, Jeffery and I went to look for you. Sissel even told me about the fight in the courtyard. He is checking out the western side of the manor for us right now."

"How..bizzare." noted Graham as the group turned around the corner by the meeting room. "Do you think one of the phantoms is trying to help us, General?" asked Rodger. "Unlikely..but whatever the case, they don't seem to be a threat. Rodger, go inside and send an emergency call through the manor. We'll start heading for the rear courtyard."

Rodger nodded and proceeded inside; he wouldn't be very far from the group nor would he be in the meeting room for long. He leaned over the intercom equipment and called out to all personell to meet in the main hall.

"I helped!" Jeffery brandishes his flare gun and his briefcase triumphantly. "Now, let's go meet up with the others."

"Thank you too, um.." Lym paused, staring at the accountant until her eyes gazed over the sticker on his shirt. "..Jeffery. Thank you. Have you seen anyone else?" Lucass nodded and started to guide the others back to the main hall. "Yeah, Kimen, Graham, and his unit are inside. We need to meet back up with them. Come on!"
But before Lucass could reach the door, the sound of three shrieking phantoms echoed from the fountain, rapidly closing in on Lym and the attendants. "Agh! More of them!" shouted Lucass as held his hand out and waited for Jeffery to take a shot, Grigori and Hiko taking similar stances in front of Lym and the attendants.

That was what Kimen had expected them to say. Considering everything he had told the child was true so far it didn't seem like there was any sort of ultirior motive. If anything they had more of an advantage against the phantom's now thanks to him! "I disagree." Kimen said quietly, turning her eyes to the floor, "If he isn't helping, then what is he doing?"

"Never take an action at face value, child. That's the first lesson of war." said Graham before halting in his tracks. Two more phantoms flew out of the walls of the hallway, floating ominously towards him. "Well then, shall we try our new weapon?" Graham flipped the vacuum on, but nothing happened right away. It seemed the device needed time to warm up. "..Ngh. Make them tangible, child!" commanded Graham, holding his hand out while Jum and Kamus took up posistions in front of him.

Jeffery took aim and fired from behind all the people with actual combat skills before ducking behind them. "Go get 'em!"

Grigori and Hiko shouted out as they engaged two of the phantoms with their weapons. Grigori took a swipe along the left leg while Hiko sported one across his chest, blood seeping through both of their garments. "No! Stay back!" shouted Lym, though not in a panic..but rather, in a commanding voice as she held her arms out and closed her eyes, an ethereal glow forming around her.

The third phantom came to a quick halt before her, inches away from driving its blade into her chest. 'How is she doing that..?!' thought Lucass as he focused his energies on his rune, forming a stream of fire towards the halted phantom. The ghost wailed loudly as if in pain before it was reduced to a mere puddle of ectoplasm. "Piko! Greggor!..Agh..Jeffery, take Lym and these two inside!"

Kimen was about to say something in reply but then the phantoms appeared. The child watched as Graham tried to use the vacuum, but the device seemed to do nothing to aid them. Had Graham been right about Sissel? Or had the ghost just been wrong about the item's capabilities? There wasn't time to think about this for more than a brief moment though. At Graham's signal Kimen held the gun up and fired it quickly, sending two shots in the phantom's direction.

Made tangible thanks to Kimen's shot, Jum and Kamus engaged the phantoms while Graham took some steps back, placing his runed hand on Kimen's shoulder to gesture the child to the same. Jum spun his way towards the phantom on the right, his katanas meeting the ghost's saber until he slipped up and received a gash across his right arm. Kamus twirled his tonfas around skillfully until his phantom approached, deflecting the ghostly saber with one and taking the spirit's arm off with the other. Defenseless, Kamus beat the phantom down until it dissipated.

Jeffery nodded. "Right, come on you guys." He led Lym and the two attendants back inside the manor.

With exceptional finesse for a wounded man, Grigori shouted loudly as his tantos took his phantom's arm off, leaving it vulnerable to a series of stabs until dissipating completely. Hiko kept on the defense of the ghostly assault, taking a few swipes in the process. Lucass held his hand out and grit his teeth. His magic wasn't very effective when allies were too close by, but he had to do something! He formed a fireball in his hand and launched it towards the phantom, but the fiery blast zoomed past both it and Hiko.

Kimen took a couple steps back with Graham, letting the ninjas handle the fighting, tensing as he saw a few drops of blood splatter to the floor. How many more of these phantoms where there? If things kept up like this, The battery in the gun was going to run out of charges. Then where would they be? "Mr. Graham, is there any other way to fight these things?" Kimen asked hurriedly. He was pretty sure Kent didn't go into battle with one of these weapons

Lym and the attendants nodded and followed Jeffery inside. "What do we do now..? Should we wait here for them?" A scream echoed across the left wall of the main hall as a ghost flew through it, but Jeffery's group would find it to be different from the others. "Look out! They're right behind me!" shouted Casper as two red phantoms emerged from it.

"And you led them here!?" Jeffery aimed and fired a shot between the phantoms before leaping at one, poised to bash it on the head with his briefcase.

Traveling from a nearby intercom system, Sissel's voice rang through Kimen's head. "Hey, I--oh, looks like you're busy. As soon as they take them out, the servbot is in trouble in the third room down the left hall to the right! He's..the only one left. No one else needs help down that way."

The phantom in front of Jeffery rose its blade up to strike the accountant down as he dared to stand up to it, only to find itself bonked in the head by his mighty briefcase. Part of its ghostly material broke down, but plenty remained. Making no differentiation between combatant and non-combatant, the phantom rose its blade once more to tear Jeffery apart. "Watch out!" cried out Casper as he floated back towards Jeffery, charging into the phantom to push it aside.
The other phantom descended quickly upon Lym, who shrieked and ducked to avoid the ghost's ethereal blade, a portion of her hair becoming removed in the process. With an angry glare, she rose up and stared the phantom down as it swooped around for a second strike. "No more!" she commanded, summoning the same mysterious energies she has used before to protect herself.

Glancing over to his ally on the fence, Grigori charged at the ghost and performed a jump front-snap kick on it, driving it back. With a clear shot, Lucass concentrated on his rune and created a stream of flames from his hand, keeping it trained on the phantom until it melted down. The boy panted heavily as he released the flames. "C-come on..if any more show up out here.." Lucass didn't want to finish the thought, he made his way to the back door and returned to the manor's interior with Grigori and Hiko in tow.

Graham shook his head at Kimen. "No..this is why Oboyo is leading the fight with the Spirit Rune. We should be thankful that Helios and Demonicor even managed to come up with these." At the same time, Jum screamed wildly at the phantom as moved like a blur, his razor sharp katanas tearing through his phantom in an act of vengeance. The way to the main hall was now clear, and Rodger could be seen running up from behind.

Jeffery's nostrils flared as his attack didn't do nearly as much damage as he wanted. He promptly opened up his briefcase and pulled out a zippo lighter and a can of Old Spice spray on deoderent. He pulled the protective cap off the Old Spice and flipped open the lighter in one movement before taking aim at the phantom. A jet of flaming awesome shot at the phantom a moment later. "Ha! How are your back taxes now!"

Kimen stepped into the main hall following everyone else, their hand reaching out to take a hold of Graham's sleeve. "Sissel just told me that there is one last person in trouble in the third room down the left hall, to the right!" Even as the words came out of her mouth Kimen expected that Graham would draw the line here and not risk his men any further. "I Under--" Upon seeing the ghosts Kimen stopped, their gun instantly brought up to target the nearest phantom. There were only three more shots, and if they missed any things would become far more difficult for them. Their arms shook, partially from nerves and partially from holding such a heavy weapon for so long, but they hoped at this distance, none of that would hinder their aim too much. Once ready kimen squeezed the trigger, firing.

Casper detached himself from the phantom before he could get hurt, floating back to look around..but not before Kimen's shot hit the already tangible phantom, its clouded effect rendering Casper tangible as well. "Huh..? Weird..why am I brighter..?" Casper asked himself, shaking it off. Seemed Lym was okay..for now. And there was Kimen with some other survivors! Casper gave the child a wave while floating over by Lym to check on her.

As flaming awesome as Jeffery's deodorant stream was, it served to only partially break down the phantom's ghostly material. Jeffery would then see a fireball race past him, missing the phantom by a mile and leaving a hole in a nearby painting. Lucass snapped his finger at his aim while Hiko charged forward unleashed a barrage of nunchuck strikes on the oldspice flaming phantom, finishing the job.

Lym grit her teeth as she eyed the faceless monster before her. Whatever mystical energy she was channeling, it had clearly begun to take its toll. Grigori shrugged off his wounds and charged at the stationary spirit, jabbing it from many different angles with his dual tantos until the ghost broke down into nothing.

"Hold your fire, child." said Graham as he stepped forward into the main hall with Rodger, Jum, and Kamus. Seemed the others had everything under control.
"Grigori..Hiko..well done. Seems we've gathered quite a group here, General. What do we do now?" asked Rodger. Graham started to make his way to one of the tables, carefully moving around the fallen chandelier. "We hold our ground in here until all the survivors are safe, then we retreat out front. We need a group to go down the western hall, particularly to the third door on the right to bring back any other survivors."

Rodger peered at Graham for a second before acknowledging his order. That decision was unlike him..the old Graham would have ordered everyone to pull out right away. Why did he take Kimen's words so seriously?

Jeffery pants heavily for a moment before smearing his throat and adjusting his tie. "I'm sorry you all had to see that. That was totally unlike me." He carefully returns the zippo lighter and the can of Old Spice to his briefcase before closing it again. "Right, lets go get those survivors then."

A small whimper escaped Kimen's throat and she lowered the gun. She had been so on edge that she didn't even realize that the ghosts were already perfectly tangable. The precious shot was wasted, and even worse, some of it had effected Casper. Much to the child's surprise though, Graham listened to her again and even she was not too sure as to why. "I only have two more shots left. I am not sure about the others." Kimen looked at them... all of them, eyes going from the injured ninjas, to Lym, to Jeffery to... Lucass. Kimen quickly averted her gaze when she got to him, still feeling the pang of guilt for earlier. "Ideally, it would be best to have able bodied people split up. Some remaining here to hold our ground in the event more phantoms show up while the others rescue the servbot." Though this was probably obvious.

Sissel's words rang through Kimen's head, as if he wanted to get them out of the way before that group was decided. "..Hey, Kimen..listen..I won't try to stop you from going with them, but I don't think you should look inside that room. The sight's..not very pretty."

Graham nodded at Jeffery and Kimen, looking over the four ninjas. "Jum and Kamus, go with.." Graham paused and squinted his eyes as he looked towards Jeffery. "..Jeffery. Secure the entire hall then come back." The black and red ninjas nodded, gesturing for the accountant to follow.

"What about the vacuum, sir? Does it not work?" asked Rodger, moving over to look at the device. "I'm not sure..no one in the PDF has even used it since we got it from Steve. It seems to be warming up, so we'll keep it on while we wait. With any hope, it'll be more than enough to secure the manor."

Jeffery nods and hurries after the ninjas, pulling a handkerchief out of his briefcase and mopping his forehead while he runs.

"Why? What is in there?" Kimen asked, knitting his brows in confusion at the ghosts words. How could they help anyone if they listened to Sissel about not looking in the room? What had happened in there that was so terrible? In either case, it seemed like a better idea for them to go. Roger was going to stay with Graham and he didn't seem to have used the gun very much in the time Kimen saw them. And they assumed Jeffery was down at least two shots, maybe more after the encounter outside. To keep the rescue party better prepared for anything they might encounter, it seemed better to go with them. "Alright. I'll go with you guys." Kimen said, nodding to Jeffery, Jum and Kamus.

Kimen's going..? Well that settled it for Lucass. "Alright! Let's go!" said the boy as he walked by Graham to follow Kimen, only for the General to grasp him by the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?--" Graham shook his head and held his other hand up, the Rune of Punishment clearly affixed to its back side. "You're not splitting up from me anymore, Lucass. You need to pacify this rune if something happens to me. That's the entire reason Oboyo made you stay here."

Lucass gave Graham a rebellious stare. Since when did he care about pacifying the rune so much? "But..Kimen.." Graham shook his head. "Your friend is a strong child. Stronger than you. You could learn a thing or two, you know. Now go take up lookout at the back with Grigori."

Lucass watched as Kimen, Jeffery, and the two ninjas pressed on without him. Why did she have to go? Couldn't they take their own strategist jerk? With a defeated sigh, Lucass made his way to the back door with Grigori to keep lookout.

"I see..I guess you're going anyway. Well, take a deep breath before you enter." said Sissel, seemingly still resting in Kimen's bracelet.

"Yikes!" shouted a child-like voice from the third room. "Waaaah!" it shouted again. Upon arriving, Kimen, Jeffery, Jum, and Kamus would find the room littered with bodies of attendants, some missing various body parts. Two phantoms were chasing the elusive servbot, attempting to chop it up and add it to the pile. "Hehehehe..just like in Tinto, huh Kamus?" laughed Jum as he looked over the mass of decaying flesh.

The red ninja merely shook his head and readied his tonfas, waiting for the flare gun wielders to take their shots.

Jeffery blanched at the sight of the corpses. "Thats..." He took aim and fired at the ghosts without another word. "Get rid of them. I have some forms to sign for these people." Jeffery pulled a stack of death certificates out of his briefcase and started filling them out.

"..General..if I may ask..why are you placing so much trust in that kid? This isn't like you." asked Rodger after the rescue group departed. Graham let out a deep sigh, gazing over his prosthethic hand. "What have noticed about this world, Rodger?" The young strategist gave him a puzzled look, unsure of what to say. Graham answered for him, "Countless beings have come here. Magic unlike our own thrives and anything can happen here."

Graham paused for a minute to rest his head on his metal hand. "Maybe this is where innocent souls are reincarnated." Rodger gasped silently, saying no more. "..the kid -is- pretty spirited."

With Jeffery's shot making contact, the two phantoms left the servbot to engage the ninjas. Jum moved quickly, circling around his phantom in a blur, cutting it apart from behind with his katanas. Kamus remained in a defensive stance until the phantom drew close enough, knocking the blade away with one tonfa strike and spinning the other tonfa to remove the spirit's arm. Unable defend itself, the phantom faded away after a series of extra tonfa strikes.

"Eeeeek! I was sooo scaaarred!" cried the servbot as it ran towards Jeffery, grasping for his leg. Kimen would then hear Sissel's voice in their head. "..Sorry Kimen. I didn't know how else to put it..you'd better tell them to head back so you guys can get out of here. Now you see why I said the servbot was the last one.."

Jeffery pats the servbot. "There there, it's all over now." He signed the last form and put the stack back in his briefcase. "Now, lets go meet the others and get out of here." He stood up and started to head back.

Kimen crouched down by one of the bodies, staring at it. One small trembling hand reaching out to touch their shoulder. The child closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing, "We should head back now and escape with everyone."Kimen said, looking up at the others from where she was crouching. And then she added, quietly. "Thank you Sissel. You have done a lot for us."

"It's the least I could do..I've been wanting to help you guys for some time, but I couldn't. If those phantoms ruined the world, then I wouldn't have been able to find any clues on how to get back to my own world. Moving around hasn't been easy..you only find phonelines in Shrike." said Sissel.

As the rescue team returned, Graham rose to his feet but nearly fell back as the vacuum cleaner roared to life. Casper yelped in shock and floated behind Lym. "At last..alright, everyone! Jum, Grigori, you take the lead. Jeffery, you follow behind with the girl and these two." said Graham, pointing towards the two attendants.
"Lucass, you and Rodger are next, followed by Kamus, Kimen, and the ghost boy. Hiko, you're with me. Our destination is the docks, we need to get to Guardia. We'll come back to secure the manor with the others later. Let's go!"

Jeffery nodded. "Come on, then. Lets not keep Guardia waiting!" He motioned for Lym and the attendants to follow him as he headed after Jum and Grigori.

With their orders given, the remaining members of the Paranormal Deliverance Force took their posistions and made a safe retreat outside the manor's walls. If any phantoms remained, they didn't give chase. Lucass sighed in relief as the manor disappeared from sight, focused on a single image burned into his mind before leaving out the front door. Tipped tables, fallen paintings, destroyed paintings, shattered vases, scorch marks, a fallen chandelier, and even some wet blood.

But past all of that, a single notable object stood without a scathe, symbolizing that which cannot fall under such circumstances. An object that Lucass felt bad about leaving behind, but he knew it wouldn't fall under the occupation of the spirits. Standing victoriously over the rubble was the Tablet of Promise with the names of those destined to fight against the phantoms and save the cleft, each in their own way.

----Meanwhile...----

Deep within her Rest Cycle, something disturbed the War-Droid's consciousness, a glitch in the relay of sensors and camera across the manor which her mind was connected too even now, flickering in and out of awareness. A mental gesture brought up the requisite data. Mind analysing the intel as it came in, a security breach, that much soon became clear, but who, and why now. The manor was almost completely empty, most of its residents having left for the various war fronts.
...There, running analysis, Ghost, subtype 'Phantom' multiple contacts...Mentally letting loose a string of binary in the odd, yet therapeutic, Bioform practice referred to as 'cursing' Deim began emergency boot up protocols for her physical shell. This was bad, very bad.


Skidding to a halt near the last, confirmed sensor sighting, Deim paused as her boot thrusters cut off, giving the area a sweep with her own, modified sensor array. While the modification was experimental, it in theory should provide her the data needed. 'Curious...The presences are fading. Long range scans detect several forms retreating..Why, what were they after?'

Frowning thoughtfully, the War-Droid took in the corridor she was in for the first time, its location and who were designated chambers nearby. Ser Jinsaka's personal quarters and those of several trusted advisors. Frantically tapping an ear-fin, she checked the sensor-logs, finding faint evidence of Phantom presences detected near the younger Ser's chambers.

Even as the data fed across her vision, she began to move, blurring as she speeded along the corridor, pausing only fractionally as she found the door to young Ser A.J.'s chambers securely locked. Bursting through the impeding barrier in a shower of splinters, she moved to the wide, spacious windows facing south, offering what was no doubt intended as a panoramic view.

There, out across the city sky, faint, ethereal spectres barely visible even to her optics, and clustered in their midst, another, more solid presence. As the data filed in, Deim felt a distinct need to curse again.


Clenching and unclenching her fists rythmically, Deim glowered as she moved through the corridors, faint, hazy emerald flames fanning out around her periodically. Inside, a heated debate was going on, her final orders as her compatriots marched to battle, had been to safeguard the manor, guard the fort, yet this would mean ignoring the young Ser's abduction.

She had ignored chances to disobey orders and join the conflict before, but had never hesitated to follow orders, knowing she was of more value ensuring there was a home base to return too. And yet, following orders now, would leave the young Ser at the non-existant mercies of those spectres...
Tossing her head with a distasteful grimace at that thought, Deim moved outside, once more not bothering to notice wether the door was locked, or seemingly even noticing it had in fact, been there. Blinking, the War-Droid cast a curious glance around. Noticing for the first time her steps had taken her to the landing pads, she gave a twitch of her lips, a ghost of a smile.

It seemed that while her consciousness was battling in uncertainty, her body atleast was certain and sure of its course. Cracking her knuckles before her, she strode purposefully towards where her bike was parked.

Fondly running a hand along its sleek lines, she swung a leg over and straddled the machine, swiftly and with practiced motions starting up the ignition sequence. As the engine cut in and the hover bike began to leave the launch platform, she shook her head, casting a last glance towards the Manor, before turning her bike towards the Ocean.

'Screw the orders..This time, I have to go..


----And so, the group headed for Truce, where they formed their next plan at the Rabite's Promise Cafe----

Kimen sat at the one of the tables in the Rabite Cafe staring quietly down at its surface. Just a few inches away sat a tall icecream sundae complete with various toppings, whipped cream and a cherry placed on top. It was placed in front of him along with a clean silver spoon and a napkin, but Kimen wasn't sure who had ordered it, or if it was just placed before him by one of the waitresses who wanted to cheer up the glum looking child. Kimen hadn't touched it though, and it was already starting to starting to melt. He was trying his best not to dwell on everything that had happened earlier, but the thoughts kept sneaking back reminding him of everything that had just happened.

The silence was shared by the other members of the Paranormal Deliverance Force as well. Lucass continued to glance over at Kimen endlessly, curious as to why she chose to sit away from him. He tried to break the silence by asking Lym what those powers of hers were, but she merely shook her head and ignored him. The four ninjas sat together, drinking smoothies and drawing stares from other patrons in the cafe.

Rodger sat at a table with the two attendants and #1337, who played with Gadd's vacuum cleaner like a toy. Sissel kept quiet, idling inside of Kimen's bracelet after he was ignored for pointing out the ice cream in front of her. The only one not present was Graham, which soon changed as he entered the Rabite's Promise and approached the group. "..Jum, Kamus. I'm going to ask you one last time. Are you -sure- you didn't see him there?"

Kamus and Jum nodded their heads, the latter speaking up to confirm their answer. "Suuuuure didn't, sir! Lots of messy little bodies, but not one of them being the little young master!" Graham didn't respond at first, choosing instead to gaze over the rest of the group. So safe and isolated now. "..I see. The phantoms must have taken him, then. Perhaps I wasn't their target after all."

Sissel's voice rang out in Kimen's ears. "Of course I did. Who are they talking about?" Graham then turned his back on the group and took a few steps towards the cafe's exit. "That child was entrusted to me for safety, and I failed him. Grigori, Hiko, stay here with everyone else. Jum, Kamus, and Lucass, we're going aboard the Red Rose to the Noctog ocean. If the phantoms specifically came to the manor for A.J., then they're up to something and we need to go after him."

'Stay here with everyone else.' He was going to leave Kimen behind again! Lucass shook his head at Graham. "I'm not leaving K..everyone else here! Why don't we all just go together?!" Graham kept a firm gaze on the boy. "And expose everyone here to danger, when we stayed behind to avoid the phantoms in the first place? Where has your sense of reason gone, boy?" Lym stood up and walked towards Graham with the intention of following him out.

"I don't care anymore. I'm going. Roche needs to know the truth about..things that I've discovered recently. And if the phantoms are after A.J., then perhaps he and I will be needed after all." Rodger was next. "I agree, General. I cannot stand by and watch you idly plunge yourself into the enemy's hands knowing the rune has you drained." The other two ninjas shrugged and stood as well. Lucass cracked a bit of a smile, glancing over to Kimen and moving over to extand his hand out.
"Come on, Kimen..we're all in this together. Maybe we'll see Kent from the Red Rose's deck!"

The hand reached out to him, and Kimen lifted his head again looking up to meet the boy's eyes. The shock of Lucass' action written clearly on their face. The child wanted to reach for his hand and take it but was it the right thing to do? Kimen looked at everyone else. No one else seemed interested in staying. And in truth they didn't want to stay either. "I... I want to go too!" Kimen admitted, taking a hold of Lucass' hand and looking at the general.

"I have to agree with everyone else here, Graham." Jeffery said as he walked in from the back room. "Besides, I'm worried about everyone out there too. If the ghosts made it to the manor, no telling what happened to everyone out there." He adjusts his grip on his briefcase. "So, I think the majority rules here."

Graham sighed and continued on for the cafe's exit, making no move to stop the others. "..So be it. Come then, we must move quickly. The enemy is already far ahead of us." With that, the other members of the PDF followed Graham out to Rocket Town, where he made arrangements with the concierge to get on board and head straight for the Noctog Ocean. A request that didn't come cheap.

Once on board and in the air, Graham designated room 3A as the meeting point and suggested that everyone make themselves comfortable before arriving.

Kimen stepped out of the room and onto the deck, caught off guard at first by the rush of the air that nearly shoved them back inside. With the falling night there was little to view outside at the moment, but the view wasn't what they were looking for. She mearely wanted to give herself some peace for a moment and a chance to think.

Watching Kimen leave the room not long after Graham made his suggestion, Lucass dropped his shoulders and stared at the closed door. Why was Kimen acting so weird? What did she see? Should he go try to talk to her or just leave her alone? Where'd she go anyway? All these questions just made Lucass feel more miserable, until Lym poked his arm. "Aren't you going too? Kimen's your friend, right?" Lucass began to sweat nervously. "Erm.."

"What's the holdup? Go on, be a good friend." said Lym, leaning over to push Lucass out of his chair. "Err...yeah! I'm g-going!" he stuttered loudly, running for the door but slamming into it first before slowing down and exiting properly. Lym rolled her eyes as she relaxed back in her chair. "Weirdo."
Meanwhile, Sissel's voice echoed through Kimen's ears. "..I shouldn't have let you go in there."

Kimen shook his head, "If I didn't go with them and one of the shots missed a phantom then where would they have been? I had to go with them in order to help them if they needed me to." Kimen answered Sissel, looking down at the bracelet around his wrist. It didn't really matter if he saw the bodies or not, the fact remained that he thought he was needed there. Still it hadn't been something they wanted to see nor ever have to see again. "Besides, you did warn me. You can't blame yourself because I didn't listen."

"Rodger should have gone. I--oh..looks like you've got company coming. I'll just..oh hey, I can connect to a ceiling fan beneath you. I'll be back later, alright?" said Sissel, waiting for acknowledgement before moving out of Kimen's bracelent and into the airship below.

Lucass experienced the same sensation Kimen felt as he stepped out onto the deck, except he actually was shoved back. After pushing himself up, he headed out to the deck with greater determination until he reached Kimen's side, resting his arm on the railing and looking out over the ocean. "..How are you feeling? I..er..haven't spoken to you much since we were at the table with Jeffery..so I was worried about you."

Company? Kimen was about to ask who it was that would cause the spirit want retreat to elsewhere when she saw Lucass step up beside her. She was dreading this moment, and yet it was surprising to her that he didn't seem to approach her with any anger for what she had done. "I'm....Fine." She replied, her answer nearly drowned out by the gustly wind on the deck. She tilted her head down. She needed to apologise to him, but at the moment it seemed almost painfully difficult to express just how sorry she was.

"Oh..well..that's..good..erm..I'm glad you're okay." said Lucass, resisting every urge to smack himself. Why was it that sometimes he felt comfortable around Kimen and at others, extremely nervous? "So..how did you know we were under attack? One second, we were eating with Jeffery, then..suddenly you were like a different person entirely."

No, Kimen was not okay. They had been a terrible friend to Lucass and for that he didn't believe he deserved the boy's friendship. "I died." Kimen answered, not looking up at him. "And when I did I met a ghost who told me about the attack, and the vacuum that Graham needed to get. He was able to turn back time a little, and he used that to turn off the lights and get us out of the room before the sword and chandelier fell. From there I continued to hear his voice in my head.
He told me about the people who needed help in the courtyard, and the servebot who remained in one of he rooms." The child wrapped his arms about himself and closed his eyes, less from the cold air and more due to the knot tightening in Kimen's stomach. "I've been a bad friend to you, Lucass."

Lucass blinked a few times. Sure, it sounded crazy..but the way Kimen said it, there was no way it was dumb joke. It matched up; Kimen knew things she shouldn't have. Lucass didn't even care anymore if he was being duped. He never wanted a reason not to trust Kimen. "Y-you..did? Oh Kimen..that's horrible. I can't imagine how you must feel..I can hardly believe a ghost can do that to save someone! I wish I could thank him for saving you..and Lym, and #1337."

As Kimen seemingly appeared cold from the powerful winds, Lucass waged an internal war that would put the Dunin Unification War to shame. Would it be so strange..if he just wanted to keep Kimen warm? That surprisingly bothered him more than Kimen's confession itself. "W..why do you say that?" It was sort of chilly..even Lucass could feel it through his long sleeved robe. Every other second, he fought the urge to wrap his arm around her. Not yet..

"Even when I was dead you...You still protected me, Lucass" Kimen at last looked at Lucass, her face expression held all the shame and pain she felt over her actions, "And then afterwards when it came down to choosing between staying with Graham and following you out to danger, I wanted to go with you but in the end... I abandoned you!" The words came out loudly, mixed with tears. "I abandoned you and I am sorry! I do not deserve a friend like you. I was not by your side when you needed me!"

"I..did?" asked Lucass, pondering the scenario. If he actually saw Kimen die, what would he have done? Check to see if she really was dead? Scream at her to wake up?..Tell her not to go, that he loved her? Lucass' face began to turn red. He had no idea what Kimen could have actually seen. "You..is THAT how you feel? Oh Kimen..sure, I wish you could have been with me..but someone had to stay with Graham, right? Jeffery probably didn't to put you in danger."

Lucass continued on. "And really..I just wanted you to be safe, too. It was dangerous outside; Grigori and Hiko got hurt and if it wasn't for Lym's..weird powers..geez, I'm -glad- you stayed with Graham. You could have been killed! I'm the dumb one, trying to drag you off to danger like that..after Kent asked me to look out for you, too! S-so..take that back, Kimen. You're the good friend!..I'm the bad one..I abandoned YOU when Graham asked me to stay put!"

Kimen rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hands, trying to stop the tears but they just kept coming. He shook his head at Lucass' words. No matter how dangerous it was out there, they probably could have helped him. Maybe even helped to prevent some of those injuries. Graham didn't really seem to need their help while Lucass had! And yet here he was saying it was his fault now --That HE was the bad friend! How could he be? "You are not the bad one, Lucass." Kimen could understand why he left.

After all he had been at the manor longer and probably knew everyone there! He only ran out there to try to protect people he knew and cared about. "No matter how dangerous I should have been with you."

Lucass felt his heart knot up as he watched the tears rebel against Kimen's hands. Was she crying? And was it his fault? "H-hey..it's okay, Kimen..don't cry.." The boy could feel tears welling up in his own eyes. What should he do..? He yelled at her, and now she was crying. For a second, Lucass moved his foot back, as if to leave Kimen alone. To run away. A coward. But Sir Mekis and Mr. Hastur wouldn't approve of that. He made a mistake, and he had to fix it.

He pulled his foot back as a thousand needles stabbed his heart while he reached his arms around Kimen, squeezing tight. "L-listen..we were scared, alright? I-I was scared too. I-I'm still scared, even though I'm s-standing right here with..you. S-so let's m-make a promise, alright? T-to stick together from now on."

Kimen slid her arms around Lucass, openly crying now despite the comforte his embrace was providing. "Me too!" She admitted, clinging tightly to him and nodding. Her voice waivered a little a she tried to choke back a sob, "I am scared too! And I d-don't... I don't want to ever do that again! If you are in trouble or in danger I want to be there! I promise, Lucass! I...I will will make sure I stick with you no matter how bad things are."

Lucass smiled and tried to wipe a few tears off of Kimen's face with his robe, but wondered if that would be like trying to burn a water rune user. "Good..good..me too, Kimen. I promise..I won't ever let you down again." With that, he closed his eyes and rested his head on Kimen's shoulder. At the same time, Sissel moved through the fan and into Kimen's bracelet, eager to talk about a cat he saw chasing a mouse downstairs before he changed his mind and slunk back under the deck.

Tears wiped away, Kimen closed his eyes and rested his head on the other child's shoulder as well. Save for the occasional sniff he remained silent for the most part; just simply taking the much needed comfort in their embrace while his tears slowly began to subside. Though the child would never be certain if they made the right decision or not in the manor, at least now they knew that Lucass was not angry at them for it. And that was what was most important.

Lucass continued to hold Kimen a little longer before pulling his head back and letting her go. The one thing he couldn't take at the moment was for Kimen to try to push him away. After a moment of silence, Lucass decided to ask more about Kimen's savior. "..So..what was he like? That ghost who saved you..is he still back at the manor? And, um..I didn't..say anything after you died, did I?"

"Sissel? He is really nice!" Well, he did save Kimen after all as well as everyone else in the manor. You really couldn't get much nicer than that. "He said that he had been around for a while waiting for a chance to help us. He actually tried to help someone else who died before too but... I guess they couldn't." Kimen held up her arm showing Lucass the bracelet around her wrist, "He moves around from object to object and can sometimes manipulate them. When we left, he came with us on my bracelet but... he kind of left when you showed up." Kimen frowned at this. This would have probably been a nice opportunity for Sissel to Lucass. As for his last question, Kimen had to think for a moment. The questioned seemed a bit odd. "As for saying anything, you did yell my name and asked what was going on."

"Oh..that's it then? I didn't uh..say anything else? Well, that's good..I mean, I must have looked really sad, right? Haha..ha.." Lucass scratched his head nervously. "So Sissel's his name, huh? Gee, sorry for scaring him off..I hope he comes back soon. Do you think he could talk to me, too?"

"No, I didn't really hear you say anything else. Why?" Kimen asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion at the boy. What exactly was he expecting himself to say under such circumstances? "And I don't see why not he...oh! No. I am not sure if you can directly now that I think about it." He frowned as he came to this realization "If he could talk to anyone then it would have made sense for him to talk to Graham himself. Or anyone for that matter rather than telling me to find Graham and send him to the lab."

"Oh..n-no reason..I'm just curious, that's all." said Lucass with a goofy smile on his face in an attempt to change the subject. "I suppose that makes sense..I hope he comes back soon, Graham might come looking for us."

Sissel's sudden voice in her head took her by surprise and made her jump. Kimen looked down at her bracelet, assuming the ghost had returned there. "Huh? What do you mean?" Kimen glanced up at Lucass, next realizing that she might need to explain her reaction. "Um...Looks like he is back. He just mentioned something about feeling a weird sensation earlier."

"Basically? I saw a cat chasing a mouse. I don't know why, but it kind of..reached out to me. Maybe I owned one at one point. Anyway..that's not really important. Now that you're feeling a little more chipper and not in immediate threat of danger, I can answer some questions for you." said Sissel. Lucass casually stared at Kimen. What was it like to be the only one who could speak to a ghost?

"Oh! Maybe you will remember a bit more eventually then? That is good news!" It seemed a bit odd though that the ghost wouldn't remember anything about their life before death. the child was pretty sure they still had all of his memoried intact when he came to after the sword went through his body. Maybe the longer someone was dead, the more they forgot? That thought saddened them a little. Still Kimen smiled and looked between the bracelet and Lucass, "Mr. Sissel says that since we are not in any immediate threat or danger he can answer some questions for you."

"Oh! Uh..tell him I said 'hi' I guess.." said Lucass, thinking about what to ask. "Uh..yeah. I can hear him. Hello, Lucass. Not that he can hear me. Only people I've revived can, and that's you."

"Oh, I see..oh yeah! Who was the person he tried to help before that he couldn't?" asked Lucass, glancing down at Kimen's bracelet. Sissel's voice paused for a second. "...Steve. He should know who Steve is..but I'll tell you to save him the trouble. Steve was..a guy with a bad hand in life. He made the best he could out of it, but he still managed to get in trouble. When I tried to help him, the only solutions led to the deaths of the women he tried to save. So he told me to forget it and let him go. He said some other things, but..I think you've got enough burdens on your shoulders, kiddo."

Kimen listened to Sissel's words quietly as he explained who Steve was. "His name was Steve and he said that you should know who he is." She said to Lucass after a long moment. Then to the spirit she said, "Are you sure? I know that you might think it is adding a burden on our shoulders, but if it is something we need to know it might be better to tell us now while we have a chance." After all, it was dangerous where they were heading. Sissel had mentioned that he couldn't save her if she happened to die a second time. And if Kimen died there was the chance that he might not have anyone to talk to people for him until he was able to revive someone else.

"Yeah..I'm sure. Maybe after all of this is over." answered Sissel. Lucass waited for a moment, watching Kimen's face to see if she was listening to Sissel before speaking up. "Er..he's not still talking, is he..? If not..ask him how be brought you back to life? Can he do it for other people?"

Sissel would roll his eyes if he had any. "He doesn't listen well, does he? Well..have you ever heard of one 'Sylvere'? Apparently, he's some kind of..time god in this world. You're the first one I used my powers to succeed at reviving, so when I did that..he got a little upset. Said something about creating a future that couldn't exist. He let me off the hook since I had 'noble intentions', but I promised not to do that anymore."

"He said that he upset this worlds time god Sylvere by reviving me and creating a future that couldn't exist. But he was let off the hook since he had noble intentions and Sissel promised not to do it anymore." Kimen frowned after repeating what the spirit had told him, feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry Sissel. I didn't mean for you reviving me get you in trouble with one of the gods here! It was nice of him to let it slide though."

"Hey..don't blame yourself. I had no idea it would happen, either. Besides, your cute little face is probably what swayed him. If it were Steve, who knows what he would have done to us." said Sissel. Lucass waited a moment before speaking again. "Huh..well that's pretty cool, Sissel. I'm glad you've been watching us trying to help out. I guess you're like Kimen's guardian angel or something now, huh? Heh heh..it's strange that Egon's devices haven't ever seen you, though."
Sissel's voice rang out again. "I guess so..well Kimen, if that's all, then I have a request."

At the mention of Kimen's 'Cute little face' a small blush creeped across the child's cheeks. "Sissel says if that is all you want to ask him, he has a request he wants to make."

"Sure, anything." said Lucass, keeping quiet until Kimen let him know he could speak. "Now, don't feel like you should have to listen because I helped you..I did that because I wanted to. I won't hold anything against you if you decide not to help me. But as you've probably figured out by now..I have trouble moving around. Being in your bracelet is really useful, and on top of that..you're my only link to the living."

"I'm okay with being dead, but I want to find out who I was. I was in the middle of an important investigation before I showed up here and a handful of people were counting on me. I've heard that leaving this world is impossible, but I'm not so sure. I'd like to check out the Etansel Library for clues, but..I've forgotten how to read. So how about it? Can you two find time to help me?"

Kimen smiled and shook his head, "That really isn't too hard of a request, Mr. Sissel. Lucass and I were already planning on visiting Etansel Library when this is all over as well as a few other places." Kimen looked at Lucass, "What do you think, Lucass? Would you have a problem with Mr. Sissel coming with us to the library and helping him research finding a way for him to go back home?"

Lucass bit his lip. How could he say no? But he was really looking forward to traveling with Kimen alone.. "..oh, of course! Sure, having information like that would be good to have!" ..would it? Lucass had no desire to leave..but what about Kimen? She wasn't cleft born, right? Would helping Sissel mean..possibly losing Kimen? Lucass began to wonder about agreeing to help.

"Thanks..I really appreciate it. We'll have to get you a light-up bracelet or something so you can see when I'm with you. I imagine having a voice in your head all the time is pretty unnerving, so I'll keep to myself unless I really need to say something. I feel strangely comfortable with that..guess I didn't talk much when I was alive."

"Its not really all that unnerving, Mr. Sissel. But I imagine some people might look at me oddly if they saw me talking with no one there. And considering what this world is like already, by some people I mean Mr. Kent." Kimen giggled. Of all the people she could think of, Kent would probably be the most concerned about the situation. Though if he accidentally caught her talking to Sissel she was sure she would be able to pass it off as talking to an imaginary friend or something. Thinking of Kent though, she dropped her smile and looked out ahead in the direction the ship was flying. Kimen hoped he was okay out there.

Kimen would see two enormous ships as specks in the distance. The Red Rose was rapidly approaching its destination. "I'll be sure to be careful, then. Looks like we're getting close..you two better head back to Room 3A." said Sissel. Watching Kimen look out over the ocean, Lucass turned his head to do the same. "Oh! That might be them! Come on, we should go back to Room 3A!" Sissel's voice rang out in a mumble. "That's going to get annoying."

Kimen drew in a deep breath when he noticed the two ships in the distance, trying to gather up his courage for whatever they would find when they got there. "Alright." He said to himself, reaching out for Lucass' hand, "Lets go back inside and tell the others we are almost there."

Lucass nodded and took Kimen's hand, heading for the room the others were waiting in. The four ninjas were sitting at a table playing poker with Rodger, who kept a firm gaze on them until they were ready to show their hands. Jum: a full house Hiko: a straight Grigori: three of a kind Kamus: two pairs. Rodger's facial expression remained static as he laid down a royal flush. Lym stared wide eyed at the ninjas as they roared and threw a fit for losing to him for the fifth time in a row.

"We can see two ships on the water up ahead. I think we are close." Kimen announced when she entered the room, gripping Lucass' hand a little as she stood with him. "We should alert everyone and get ready."

The others in the room turned towards the door, acknowleding the warning and putting their activities away. "Graham should be back shortly." said Rodger towards Kimen and Lucass, not bothering to detail that he went to tend to business with mother nature. Lym stared at Kimen and Lucass for a second with a wide smile on her face. How -cute-! Lucass found a..boyfriend? Girlfriend? She wasn't really sure before and thought it'd be rude to ask.

Lucass caught her stare and tilted his head, as if asking what she was looking at. Lym merely giggled, something she hadn't done in some time, and leaned over to wake the two sleeping attendants up.

Kimen didn't notice Lyms giggling or her staring for that matter. Instead, the child simply made his way over to one of the empty seats to wait, dragging Lucass along behind them.

Not too long after being dragged to a seat by Kimen, Lucass watched as Graham entered behind them. "Oh, Graham! We're almost--" Graham nodded and cut Lucass off halfway. "I'm aware. Let's get ready. When we get close enough, I will signal the Gitmidur. Launchpad might be confused, but he'll make his way over to us." Assuming the Gitmidur was still flying, of course..

Kimen was determined that she was not going to let Lucass out of her sight this time no matter what happened down there. She was not going to abandon her friend again! "Are you ready, Lucass?" She asked him quietly.

Lucass nodded, squeezing Kimen's hand tightly. "Yeah. We're in this together, not even ol' Graham's going to split us up this time." whispered the boy softly. Graham gave the order to head to the deck, heading out the door while Lym went to wake Jeffery up. Once on the deck, Graham held Kimen's flare gun up and fired off the last spirit blast to get the Gitmidur's attention.

Kimen smiled lightly, though deep down they were really scared of what they would encounter. More red phantoms? More dead? He really could honestly say he didn't want to see anymore of them tonight nor ever again for that matter but at this moment it didn't seem as though the child had much choice in the matter and they mentally braced themselves for what was to come as Graham fired the last shot from her gun, staring off ahead towards the ships hoping for a reply.

"..is that the Red Rose? Gee, what's it doing way out here? Guess they're going on a tour, hehe." Launchpad said to himself, maneuvering the Gitmidur past a group of phantoms engaged with Stretch, Stinky, and Fatso. What caught him off guard afterwards was the appearance of a flare rising out from it, and a spirit flare nonetheless. "..huh. What are they doing? Uh..hey, Mr. J! Are you there?" asked Launchpad through the radio equipment, receiving a loud response from Oboyo.
"I'm a..LITTLE BUSY right now, Launchpad!" The sound of explosions and Egon screaming echoing in the background. Launchpad winced and removed his finger from the transmit button. "Oh gee..hope they're okay. Um..I'll be right back, Lenai!" With that, Launchpad broke away from the aeriel chaos and headed for the Red Rose.

"Looks like it worked, General." noted Rodger while Graham gave a slight nod. "Alright everyone, line up. Kamus goes first, then the kids, attendants, the us." With that, Lucass nodded and stood behind Kamus. Once close enough, Launchpad's face lit up. "Wha? Mr. Cray? What are you.." Graham shook his head. "No time to explain! Throw down the rope ladder, we're coming on board!" Launchpad blinked a couple of times before looking back. No one else was in the chopper to do it for him.

The pelican shrugged widely before letting go of the controls and standing him. "Hehe, wouldn't be the first time." he said to himself, seemingly referring to instances of reckless piloting. He stepped over to the rope ladder and released it, flinging it out the open hatch that Dos forgot to close behind him. The helicopter began to shift and descend towards the Red Rose before Launchpad rushed back to the controls to even it out.

"..are you..sure you want to be in the same vehicle as that bird?" asked Sissel. With the ladder down, Kamus grabbed hold of it to test its safety. He climbed up a bit before beckoning Lucass to do the same, reaching the top and turning around to offer a hand out to the other climbing into the Gitmidur.

"I am sure it will be fine! Launchpad flew Lucass and I around Shrike without any problems!" Kimen answered Sissel, taking a hold of the ladder and beginning to climb up after Lucass reached the top. It was the latter he was more concerned about. One slip and he could be in for a nasty fall. With each rung Kimen gripped the rope tightly, feeling a great sense of relief when he reached the top.

With Kimen on board, the others followed suit while the Gitmidur left the Red Rose behind. "Take us closer to the ship. There's been a complication." said Graham. Launchpad scratched his complied, bringing the Gitmidur back into the battle zone. But before getting too close, a large cyan beam shot up through the fog ship, sending all of the phantoms into a state of confusion. A sizeable hole remained in the ship's deck, leading to the source of the beam.

"..was that the Spirit Rune? Look, the phantoms..!" noted Rodger. "Take us over that hole! Rodger, stay here with the kids and attendants. Lucass, you're going down there with my unit and I." Lucass grit his teeth. Graham was going to separate them again! But no, not this time. He made a promise. Still..the situation gave him a sort of advantage. "..Alright, Graham. I'll be right behind you! I'll be back soon, Kimen!" said Lucass with a wink.

Once in position, Graham leapt out of the chopper onto the fog ship, followed by Kamus, Jum, Grigori, and Hiko. "Let's go, Lucass!" shouted Graham from below. "I'm coming!" he shouted back, reaching his hand out to Kimen. "Come on, he can't stop us now. Let's go together! It might be dangerous, but we made a promise, right?"

"Right!" They made a promise. Kimen was not going to be separated from Lucass again so long as she could help it and the child had quite enough worrying about the people she cared about tonight. If she could do anything to help them, then she felt like she should be with them. If Graham had any objection then... Well... she would say something probably!

"Ohh, you devious boy! In that case, I'm coming too!" said Lym, rising up from her seat and hopping out to the fog ship. "Wait! Where are you..!?" shouted Rodger while Jeffery shrugged and grabbed his briefcase. "I guess I'd better write up those tax transcriiiiiipts!" shouted the accountant before jumping out as well. #1337 cheered in happiness as he jumped too. "Yay! Wheee!" Casper floated out after them. "Wait for me!"

Rodger sighed and shook his head mumbling, "Sorry General.." before hopping out with the others. "What is the meaning of this!? Lucass!!" shouted Graham from below as Lucass approached the open hatch with Kimen. "No turning back!" he shouted as he hopped off.
Graham seemed to be on the verge of exploding. What the hell just happened?

"..Unbelieveable." he mumbled as he shook his head and hopped into the hole, the others following suit.

Kimen jumped and landed, a small smile on her face. This was not something she should have done. Perhaps it would have been better logically for her to remain behind where it is safer. She would expect punishment of some sort later for this, and she would probably deserve it. But she could honestly say that she would not regret it.

---Meanwhile...---

Pulling her bike to a stop, Deim gazed dispassionately at the scene of chaos beneath while the vehicles engine kept her afloat in mid-air. If her internal coordinates were correct, this was the scene of the final conflict. The pandemonium her sensors were relaying to her, certainly fit such a phrasing.

Tapping an ear-fin while keeping herself steady with the other hand, she cycled through the various com-channels used by the PDF "Calling any PDF members on call, this is Allied Unit Commander Deim, requesting status report. Over." Turning her vehicle to hover over the admittedly intimidating vessel, below while her broadcast was sent out, the War-Droid spotted several cells of resistance on deck, at least one such group entering the ship itself.

Just as she was about the descend and engage, a static crackle filled her still open com-link. "Golly..that you Ms. Deim?..unchpad, hehe..else went inside..a moment ago, a..cyan light filled the sky!..hole on the deck of the ship..General Cray could use your help!"

Checking which channel the message had arrived through, Deim tapped her ear-fin again, adjusting her com-link to it to deliver the response optimally. "Understood. Be adviced Command, unit was in Persuit of younger Ser Jinsaka. Captive from Home Base. Last reported sighting, heading towards these coordinates under heavy enemy escort."

"Gee..in trouble? You gotta help..Deim!" echoed Launchpad's voice from her com-link. "I intend to. Over and out."
Cutting off her com-system, as there was no further time to explain matters if the all-engage had allready been issued, she tilted her vehicle down for a steep angle of approach, and gunned the engine for all it was worth.

Careening closely along the deck, the petite War-Droid made hasty calculations and altered her course abruptly. Leaning to the side caused her vehicle to tilt, and the dark bulk of it rammed into the dazed phantom that had appeared in her path, yet her momentum carried her clear through it as it burst apart unexpectedly upon impact.

Having calculated for considerably more resistance, and for the impact to bleed of some of her considerable approach speed, it was not unsurprising that her vehicle soon entered an uncontrolled spin and began to scrape dangerously close along the ship's deck.

Jumping clear at the first, opportune moment, Deim rolled to a halt in a ready crouch, wincing sympathetically as her bike slid to its own less graceful halt further along the deck, the steady thrum of its engine fading as it lay on its side. "That..was most unpleasant.."

After ensuring her emidiate surroundings were clear of more of the creatures, she checked the state of her bike. Finding it to be in remarkably good shape, if slightly banged up, she offered it a silent apology for the misuse and set it on a longer diagnostic in case of hidden engine problems, leaving it in stand-by as she herself advanced to the nearest entry point into the ship itself.

Powering up to combat-readiness which each step, she was soon wreathed in a corona of flickering emerald flames. Gazing down the hole blasted through the deck and into the dark heart of the ship, she cracked her knuckles and gave a small, grim grin before hopping down into it.
The final conflict of the War was here, she was a Planetary Defense Droid, and it was time to show these interloping phantoms that this, was her planet now. Time to have some fun...