Ryu Senko, activated

“Julian Draven,” Victoria said with equal amounts of hate and respect in her tone. She of all people knew the danger of Julian; the thirty five year old Daeva also had the additional reputation in the circles of Ut Puri and the Illuminati as Ut Puri’s answer to her power. She was skilled for sure, as the Exemplar of the Daeva , but Julian’s sheer level of power made him a dangerous foe for all but the strongest of Sovrumano, which include Justinian, Raven, Skylar, and very few others. Even that list narrowed down once you separated those people into allies and enemies, so the gravity of the situation definitely wasn’t lost on her. “Not the individual I would send to collect a relic like Soulbreaker.”

“But the perfect plunderer if you wanted to erase an island the size of Rhodes,” Raven said as he subconsciously cracked his neck. When you put a near monstrosity like Julian Draven into the equation, it severely narrowed down the list of people the Illuminati could send to approach him. The weak would perish in a conflict with the skilled Daeva, so it would take a warrior at least on the level of Julian, and that wasn’t counting the force Julian had with him, both the mass force and the Justicars’ private guard. “We can’t sit by idly and watch this happen,” Raven said as he looked to his fellow Exemplars. “We cannot let Ut Puri defile Rhodes, nor can we let them acquire Soulbreaker. I don’t even want to think of what could happen if Julian ever got his hands on a weapon like that.”

“We will send word to Alexandria,” Victoria said with a grin, looking to Santana, who fidgeted in her gaze. “I’m sure Siobhan would love to introduce Julian’s men to the power of the Alexandrian church.”

“And cause a scene?” Justinian asked with a chiding tone. “Despite the threat, we have to still use caution. The art of war isn’t based solely on the strength of the combatants. Sending a battalion that large for one man would turn heads, and despite his record as a worldwide criminal, you know how the United Nations would react.”

Everyone in the Pharos, Santana included, knew what the reaction would be. Politicians loved to cover their own asses, and these guys would find a way to expel the blame from themselves, even though in all technicality, the United Nations was neglecting its task to protect the world out of fear from Julian’s power. It would lead to the secret coming out, with the existence of Sovrumano being made public. Julian might have met his end in the strike, but when it was all said and done, the ramifications of exposure, especially at this point in time, would set the Illuminati back from the strides it had made to gain back some of its lost influence. That way of ‘skinning the cat’ wasn’t worth it in the end, despite the threat Julian posed simply because he was alive.

“Then what do we do?” Saraya asked. “We have to think of something.”   

“Let me go,” Raven said suddenly, drawing the attention of every occupant in the room to him. “I’m one of the few we have that can not only match Julian, but I can best him.” The feeling that permeated from Raven was one of convincing confidence; it was almost unheard of in Raven’s twelve years as an Exemplar for him to personally request any mission, but he did have a 98.3% success rate when it came to said missions, each one of the highest classification. “Besides, for this Nestor to request this from us Exemplars, tells me that he will not relinquish the relic to no other. And, I am perhaps the only one here that can make this mission significantly easier, if you give me free rein to accomplish this by any means necessary.”

“By any means necessary?” Saraya asked with a confused look. This was a first; she had never seen Raven look or sound this focused, almost desperate. “You sound desperate; you of all people shouldn’t have to fear Draven.”

To the other Exemplars, Raven’s words sounded desperate, but the High Exemplar’s eyes suddenly brightened with mischief, knowing those words to be a classic trap that Raven used at times to get nearly anything he wanted out of the two oldest Exemplars. When the phrase ‘By any means necessary’ left the lips of Raven, they tended to bend for him, knowing that he was prideful enough to not ask for help unless he truly needed it. Raven might have truly felt he needed that kind of assistance, but with the look of mischief in Raven’s blue orbs, he knew that this time, he had used his key phrase to get what he wanted in a big way. ‘They never learn,’ Skylar thought, shaking his head as he laughed to himself.

“Do whatever you want,” Victoria said, not too thrilled with any thoughts of her combating the Daeva murderer. “Just as long as Soulbreaker is retrieved.”

‘And there it is,’ Skylar said, smacking his head in disbelief at how easily the woman had fell for Raven’s trap. Losing the little bit of hope he had left in the foresight of his Exemplars, he leaned back to watch the events unfold. ‘I wonder,’ he thought, suddenly craving a snack before the impending fireworks were lit. ‘How stupid is Victoria going to feel once she realizes that Raven just duped her. Eh, might as well get this over with.’ Skylar looked to Raven with an impassive gaze, watching the amusement dance in his eyes. “What do you need?” Skylar asked, subconsciously bracing himself for the explosion that was soon to follow.

“I feel something much bigger is going on here,” Raven said, a smile on his face as he saw the look in Skylar’s eyes. The man knew him like an open book, but Raven had skipped over the personal plan he had made up with the information he had gleaned from Santana’s report, opting to draw attention to something else that had stuck out in his mind like a sore thumb. “Think about it; Siobhan has kept the Mediterranean region in check since she took the position of Judge Magister. Something like this would have surely been on her radar. Santana, besides your excursion to Rhodes, has anyone else been sent to the isle from Alexandria? Any countermeasures at all?”

“Not that I know of,” Santana answered. “I came straight here, so I’m not exactly sure myself. I did however, send word to Alexandria, but from that, I haven’t gotten so much as a confirmation.”

Now Raven was even more suspicious; Siobhan should have gotten the message by now. Knowing the woman personally, Raven knew that she would have answered back at the very least, especially given the circumstances. “That settles it,” Raven said definitively. “A brazen move like this by Ut Puri, and even Siobhan is in the dark? This sounds like a power play.”

“A power play that can’t go unchecked,” Justinian said, noting the calculating look on Raven’s face. “I know that look; you already have a plan of action, don’t you?”

“I do,” Raven answered with a nod. “But it’s twofold at the very least.” Raven paused for a second as he cast a glance at Santana. “And I’m going to need his help.”

“What in the-” Victoria started, clearly shocked by the announcement, but she was cut off by a startled gasp from Santana himself, who gaped at Raven as if he had grown two heads.

“Excuse me?” Santana asked in disbelief. “With all due respect sir, I’m just a Corporal. How do you need my help?”

Raven simply looked at Santana with a trusting gaze. “Even the lowest of us can make a difference; you did so just by coming here to deliver Nestor’s message. I’m simply asking you to do that again, by being a guide of sorts.” The sure tone in Raven’s voice did well to eliminate the self-doubt in Santana, but his words had replaced that with confusion, so Raven explained what he wanted to happen. “You know your church better than most of us, doubly so in the case of our newest Exemplar.” At that, Saraya’s eyes widened, finally catching on to what Raven had planned. “I need you to accompany Saraya to Alexandria as her personal guide. Show her around so she doesn’t get lost; this will be her first time visiting the Alexandrian church. Saraya, your place in my plan is to find out what’s going on there; I fear that they may need an extra hand, if you know what I mean.”

“Give us a week,” Saraya said with a grin that Santana could have sworn he felt from behind. “If Ut Puri has anything to do with the lack of an Alexandrian response to Rhodes, Sio and I can take care of it.” She then blurred from view, quickly leaving her seat in a display of speed to wrap Santana from behind in a flirtatious looking hug. “And this cutie will make sure pretty little me keeps her sexy, won’t you.”

‘You’re going to milk this, aren’t you?’ Santana asked as he narrowed his eyes in a glare at the Exemplar that was nearly hanging off his back.

‘Get used to it,’ Saraya answered as she flashed Santana an amused grin. ‘Raven just gave me a boy toy; I’m taking full advantage.’

“Saraya,” Raven said with a half-hearted glare of his own towards the girl, recognizing the look on her face. The last time he had seen that, his wife had had tried to kill them both, and Raven wasn’t even at fault. Saraya, however…  “That’s not an excuse to molest him, alright. Business before pleasure, alright.”      

“Aww,” Saraya mock-pouted, knowing that she was busted, before retrieving some of her professionalism to speak once more. “But what about you in Rhodes? You’re not exactly one of Ut Puri’s favorites.”

Raven balked at that. “Saraya, even Ut Puri’s leaders fear me enough to respect me.” Raven’s eyes suddenly took on a glowing blue hue as the Exemplar brought a small amount of his ki to the surface to make his point. The invisible display wasn’t lost on anyone, especially Santana, who was currently on shaky legs, struggling to stand from the pure force of Raven’s presence. “And besides,” Raven said with a small smirk, one that suddenly set off alarm bells in Victoria’s mind.

“No,” Victoria said suddenly, deadly serious in her tone as she leveled a suffocating glare in Raven’s direction.

“C’mon,” Raven said with a smile, half begging in his tone as he held his hands up in a praying gesture. “You already said I could use any means necessary. Justinian, help me out here.”

 Justinian didn’t comment at first, instead taking note of the expressions of rage and confidence on Victoria and Raven’s faces. For a minute, he was at a loss for words, not seeing what had suddenly gotten Victoria riled up, but upon seeing the equally amused looks on Skylar and Saraya’s faces, he finally figured out why Raven was so confident. He laughed to himself for a few seconds before giving Raven a firm look. “You know,” he said in an even voice. “The whole purpose of this is to not cause a scene. If I throw my support with you, can you give me your word that he won’t break anything this time?”

'Seems like Raven already has his mind made up,' Saraya commented as she saw the unflinching stare Raven was giving the Angeli, with Santana swearing he could feel the former’s amusement.

'I'm lost,' Santana said as he too watched the exchange between the Exemplars. ‘Who is this ‘he’ that Lord Justinian is talking about?’

 Saraya giggled in Santana’s mind. ‘Oh, nobody special,’ she said, even though her tone spoke otherwise. ‘Just the Nycest, ever.’ With that small tidbit of information, Santana’s eyes widened, absolutely stunned as he stared and pointed at Raven, struggling to find the words that could describe his utter disbelief. ‘I take it you see the resemblance,’ she said, knowing that same reaction from personal experience. She laughed a bit in her mind as she made the attempt to rationalize Santana. ‘Yep, perhaps the only person that Raven truly trusts to have his back: The Nycest, his own brother Jasper.’

Santana was still struggling to comment when Victoria lost her cool. “I refuse!” she yelled, standing as she shook in anger, glaring with so much intensity at Raven that she was subconsciously channeling her ki, shown by her fiercely glowing eyes. “That buffoon isn’t even affiliated with us! He has no respect for the Illuminati, no respect for us Exemplars, and he’s reckless!”

"Silence!" Skylar suddenly yelled, himself standing enraged made evident by the sudden explosion of golden light surrounding him in a flare as the High Exemplar stood to his feet, consciously focusing his own ki as he leveled a glare that Santana would never forget at Victoria. "This is the Pharos, a place of enlightenment. You talk about his lack of respect, yet you give none yourself!"

"But Skylar!" Victoria said, not willing to give up just yet. “How can you-!”

She was stopped mid-sentence as the hand of Skylar wrapped around her throat, the High Exemplar somehow moving with a level of speed that was undetected by everyone in the Pharos. The Daeva woman gasped for breath as Skylar held her above the ground, looking straight into her eyes, and his anger evident. “One more word,” Skylar said dangerously as he squeezed tighter, not caring about the roll of the woman’s eyes to the back of her head. “And I will end you, like I did the last Exemplar foolish enough to challenge my authority.” With his piece sufficiently spoken, Skylar released his grip, letting Victoria fall to the floor in a crumpled heap as she gasped for air. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before turning his attention to Raven, who watched on with an impassive look. “I trust your judgment,” Skylar said as their eyes made contact. “You said by any means necessary, well you have it. Go, bring Soulbreaker back home.”

“I will,” Raven said with a nod, never breaking eye contact with his only true superior.

“And Raven,” Skylar said with a small grin tugging at the side of his mouth. “Tell Jasper I personally said to give ‘em hell.” Raven laughed out loud at that; not that kind of permission his brother really needed, but it was always good to have the full backing of Skylar when you were potentially going into a warzone.

Santana watched the entire display as Skylar chastised Victoria into submission, and he immediately made it a point to remember; he did not want to be in Victoria’s shoes, at all. ‘What was that about?’ Santana asked, trying to get some sort of background from what had just taken place between the two Exemplars.

‘Victoria and Jasper don’t get along,’ Saraya said. ‘On a professional or personal level. Jasper isn’t the type to fight for a banner that isn’t his own, and Victoria sees that as a defiance towards us. However, she hates the fact that she can’t dictate his actions, as he isn’t an actual member of the Illuminati, despite the power he wields.’

‘Then why is Exemplar Raven and Lord Skylar so sure he will help out?’ Santana asked. He, like many of the younger Illuminati members, knew of Raven’s brother, but only by his moniker as ‘The Nycest.’ A Draco known for his immense strength and skill in the ring, he was more of a hermit than anything, never trying to insert himself into the affairs of either organization, and preferring to stay neutral. However, the few times that either group had tried to recruit him, or in the case of Ut Puri, force him to their side, they were met with various methods of refusal, which usually involved the unfortunate emissary being hurt in some fashion. He was like the lion that was king of his pride, but was content to lie down and observe rather than manipulate; relatively harmless unless you made the mistake of angering it.

‘Because,’ Saraya said simply. ‘Raven and Jasper are brothers. Despite their personal views, they’ll always back each other up when needed. Their bond transcends the Illuminati; Edge men are more family oriented than anything.’ Santana caught the edge of familiarity in her tone, as if she knew both men on a far more personal level, but he didn’t bother to ask. ‘Even if Victoria would have gotten her way here, she wouldn’t have been able to stop Jasper from getting involved if he so chose.’

‘How so?’ Santana asked, hearing the amusement in her tone.

Saraya chuckled as she glanced at Victoria, who had finally picked herself up with a scowl etched on her face. Victoria responded with a glare before glowing, instantly turning into a shadowy figure of herself before blinking out of sight. ‘Jasper would have done worse,’ she said with an annoyed grin, inwardly wishing that she was the one that had nearly choked Victoria out. ‘The only thing that irks Victoria more than not being able to control him, is the fact that the one time she had tried to, Jasper had trounced her with little effort, and that was with Victoria giving her all. The strength of the Draco as a race is daunting, but the level of power that the Edge brothers can wield is borderline absurd.’ 

Santana whistled in appreciation; despite not particularly liking Victoria as an individual, he still respected the power she had as an Exemplar. For someone not even affiliated with the Illuminati to trounce an Exemplar was nearly unheard of. ‘Well,’ Santana thought. ‘They do say that the Draco are inherently the strongest of all Sovrumano.’

“Santana!” Raven yelled, drawing the teen out of his thoughts from his position next to him. The kid had not been paying attention as Saraya had been filling him in, so he jumped upon hearing the louder than expected yell. “Time to go. It’s damn near seven, and I’m sure you need some rest from the trip.”

“Cool,” Santana said with a grin, which instantly flipped itself at the sound of a loud growl coming from his stomach.

“And some food I see,” Raven said before turning his gaze to Saraya. “Saraya, you coming or what?”

“Already there,” Saraya answered before taking on a red, ethereal glow herself, fading from the view of the two males. “See you outside!”

Raven clasped a hand on Santana's shoulder as he took on a similar glow, only his was a soft, electric blue. "Lord Skylar, Justinian," he said, throwing up a peace sign as his blue colored ki surrounded Santana and himself in a translucent sphere. "I bid you adieu." Raven and Skylar shared one last glance before the blue sphere's glow rapidly increased in intensity, finally disappearing in an instant with no traces of the two in sight.

Once Raven and Santana had disappeared, Justinian turned his attention to his fellow Angeli Exemplar with a look of realization. "Raven never told us his plan of action," he said, taking note of the reserved look on Skylar’s face. "But still, you trust in him. I haven’t seen you have that kind of trust, or respect, for anyone else."

"It is well placed," Skylar said with a humble smile. "Raven has the mind, the heart, the skill, and the humility needed to take my spot once I tire of it. He’s a leader, one that other leaders would feel comfortable with giving a little extra leeway."

"Right," Justinian said with a nod as he went into deep thought. “So, is there anything I can do to help the cause?”

Skylar rested his head in his hands as he leaned forward on his pedestal, before a glimpse of inspiration hit him. “As a matter of fact,” Skylar said, giving Justinian a look that for some reason gave the Exemplar a bad feeling in his gut. “I have the perfect thing for you.” Justinian’s bad feeling only got worse as he saw the look of humor on Skylar’s face. “Raven’s going to need a sub.”

That one sentence was enough to turn Justinian’s day upside down. “Damn you Raven!” Justinian yelled bashing his head in frustration on the desk of his podium to the amusement of Skylar. It was no secret that Justinian had a pet peeve when it came to teenagers; he didn’t have the patience to argue with a person who refused to admit when they were wrong. That went double for college kids, as in his mind, they were nothing more than teens without a leash. ‘Why does he always get the good missions?’ he thought, sounding more like a whining kid than the near century old man that he was. Obviously, he wasn’t thrilled, but he resigned himself to his fate after a few more bashes to the podium, which would be needing a replacement.

“Have fun,” Skylar said with a grin before teleporting away himself in a brilliant golden orb. ‘I wonder,’ Skylar thought as he left. ‘How long is it going to take for him to snap?’ Raven had so kindly told Skylar about his Sovrumano group of students in a side conversation prior to arriving at the Church, especially Riley O’Connor. If Raven’s description of Riley was to be believed, then Justinian had his work cut out for him.

No sweat off his back; that was Justinian’s problem.