Field Trip to the Desert

If there was anything in this world that Chateau hadn't missed, it was the blazing sun screaming from above. He walked with his blazer on his shoulder, bag on his side. Dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants. His clothing would allow him to breathe...But this endless desert would not. He hated it. The memories of endless whippings. Constant work. He hated everything. The poverty. The suffering. He promised to never return to this land ever again. Even though he wielded a power unlike any other...he wasn't Chateau when he lived on this barren wasteland. But times changed over the past near decade. He was given a second chance. A family. Someone who saw in him something greater than anything here had. Chateau finally knew happiness. Love. A purpose to live. He learned of Xenia. The sacred code of Hospitality which told that the strongest power was the bonds that was forged.

And the person who gave him all of this?

Vanished. Disappeared a year ago after selling all of his famous hotels and properties to some mysterious man known only as Emperor Over. In the distant, Chateau noticed the massive towers of the Temple Oasis. One of the legendary Ramsay Escoffier's earliest work and one he held deep to his heart. Right in the heart of Alabasta, Alubarna. The Temple Oasis was where diplomats from across the world would stay. Chateau needed to remain inconspicuous. He'd received word that a small marine gathering was in order to discuss heightened security at Reverse Mountain. Either way, Chateau had his special pass on his person.

A grand ship, decorated with a flag of large blue and white letters spelling out the word HIPPO CAMPUS, arrived at the port town of. A beautiful woman with a large afro of brown hair and spherical glasses cleared her throat before placing her lips closer to a megaphone that she held tightly in her hand. "We have officially arrived at Alabasta! please form a single orderly line to exit the ship! and I do mean orderly!"

As a response to the woman's demands, moans and groans erupted from the ship. The floorboards began to shake violently as the students of Hippo Campus rushed to her location, all eager to spend their belly on meaningless knick-knacks that could be purchased from the various shops that Alabasta had to offer. At the very front of the line stood a young man of pink-colored hair. On his face he donned a bored expression. For those who knew him, this was a normal thing to see.

"Hey! wipe that embarrassing look off your face, Merrily!" the woman blared into her megaphone right into the face of the young scholar. It immediately brought life into his being. "Take a good look ahead. That's Alabasta, one of the twenty founding countries of the World Government! You can't possibly look at that and be bored with it."

"My apologies, Ms. Transom. I'm just a little drowsy is all. It was a dreadfully long trip." Rowing responded, rubbing some of the sleep from his eyes. "Of course I'd like to learn about this wonderful place." he lied.

A marine approached the woman and whispered a few words into her ear. Immediately, the woman lifted the megaphone back into place. "Alrighty, students! we'll be beginning our exit off the ship now! please stay within Nanohana! in two hours, you're to regroup at the entrance of Alubarna! that is where we'll begin our first tour!" she instructed. The students couldn't wait for her directions to end and as the last word was spoken they hurriedly pushed past her and Rowing and off the ship. Dazed and traumatized by the stampede of students, a hand reached down to Rowing.

"Need some help?" he heard from beside him. His tired eyes wandered to the face of the individual: his one true friend Braille. She smiled as she pulled him from the ground.

"T-thank you." he said as a tinge of red appeared in his cheeks. She giggled innocently and pulled him along, excited for the day ahead.


 * a place rich in good meals. The sound of delightful chatter filled the air, creating a welcoming and pleasant environment. Happily eating her food, Braille smiled with each large bite, being taken to a realm of paradise after doing so. "Mmm! Row-Row, you have to try this! Alabastan food is so much better than Hippo's. You'd think a top notch school would be able to afford better chefs, huh?"

"There's a lot of things wrong with Hippo. One of them being that their trips never offer real adventure." Rowing responded while playing with his food. In his mind, he knew the world had more to offer. It was a simple case of being bored with life.

"Eh? You've been saying that word quite often."

"What word?"

"Adventure. You're talking like a pirate, ya know?"

"And you're talking like someone who wants me expelled. Keep your voice down!"

Braille giggled with cheekiness. It was always a hobby of hers to verbally poke at her childhood friend. "You're the one yelling. Anyway, did I tell you I'm thinking of becoming a doctor? It's a field I'm super interested in. I could patch you up whenever you get hurt, just like when we would play doctor as kids." The statement was enough to turn Rowing red from head to toe.

"That's a weird thing to bring up right now don't you think?!" he yelled while his cheeks burned from embarrassment, but that did nothing to Braille who was only giggling to herself. "B-but besides that... you'd make a great doctor." he responded after collecting himself. A soft smile formed on the young woman's face.

Suddenly, she was reminded of the time. "Oh my! Row-Row, we'll be late to the tour! let's get going now!"

After paying for their meals, the two hurriedly exited the restaurant and began to make their way to the entrance of Alubarna.

The capital. It was here that his family lived in poverty. Before being abandoned by his surely wealthy...Either way, these sands brought back painful memories of continuous hardships and strife. As opposed to his usual dressier outfits, which he left in a bag on his rowboat, Chateau was clothed in a hooded cloak which hid his face. His signature crimson war club, Bélier, hanging loosely on his back. The city, of course, was bustling with both tourism and military business. The conferences being held by marines attracted businesses from across the world. The sudden focus on Grand Line defense against piracy would call for more resources. Meaning a chance for a stronger economy and essentially more money to spend.

Regardless, Chateau snuck throughout the crowds towards the Temple Oasis. His eyes widened in a mixture of shock and horror. Whereas the former hotel had been built of beautiful limestone with gold decorations. Escoffier considered an overly focus on gold to be tacky. White stood for purity and deflected sunlight, creating a naturally cool building in a land of harsh sun. But in just a year, the Temple Oasis had turned into a golden mess. He could see royalty crossing the lobby, admiring the endless supply of gold and silver ornaments. Entire furniture sets made of the tacky metal.

His stomach churned. Chateau knew Escoffier would be turning in his grave, if he was dead. Still, he hadn't the time to reminiscence or complain. Instead, Chateau continued forward towards the reception. Of course security glared from across the hall. He pulled down his shroud to reveal his golden eyes and lowered lids.

"Welcome to the Temple Oasis, how may I assist you?" The well dressed woman asked.

"I'm here for a room. The Refreshing Oasis." Chateau replied. She looked at the ebony man with a sense of confusion.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how you know about that room...but its not a public room meant for sale. Its a private residence."

Chateau removed his bag and pulled out a special coin. A golden piece with a symbol on it. R.E. He then followed with a picture of younger Chateau and an older gentleman standing next to a painting in the room. "I'm sorry about the Cloak and Dagger. I am Mister Ramsay's adopted son. I believe he left that room in the name of our family." He could feel the shock overwhelm her.

"Don't worry Elizabeth, this man is genuine." An older gentleman spoke. He emerged from behind the curtain with a smile. His gray hair sending a familiar warmth through Chateau.

"Uncle Ackbar." Chateau greeted him with a firm handshake.

'Chateau, I never thought I'd see you here again. Come, lets hurry to his room." The older man lead his nephew up several stairs and through a secret passageway. After crossing several halls, they opened a massive red door which revealed a giant room overlooking the desert. At the center was a small spring surrounded by plants. Ackbar took Chateau to one of the seats and left to retrieve some drinks.

"I've been meaning to call you and Misses Ramsay. But I've been so busy here with...the renovations."

"I can tell." Chateau responded with a smirk.

"Trust me, I hate them as much as you do. But it's either that or our mysterious owner burns everything to the ground. I figured I could save as much as his legacy this way." Ackbar returned with a tray of drinks and snacks. He sat down across from Chateau and placed his head in his hands. "I don't know when things got so bad...I'm sorry I couldn't be there for her."

"Its okay, she knew that you were doing your best. But that's why I'm here." Chateau took a sip of his water and a bite of his sandwich. "She entrusted me with finding out the truth. The truth about Mister Ramsay. I was hoping you would know something, anything."

"Unfortunately, I know nothing." He sighed. "A year ago, I received a letter with a contract attached. Mister Ramsay signed away all his properties to this Over guy. I tried to reach him but couldn't." He took a sip of his wine. "I don't believe...I won't believe he abandoned everything. I've known Mister Ramsay since he first arrived here from Reverse Mountain. Somethings wrong and I'm afraid it's too late..."

"We received the same contract a year before. But he also sent us a letter. I...believe theres more to this than the world was let on. I just don't know where to begin."

"Well...there's someone who would know. Someone closer to him than I."

"You don't mean Ms. Ann?"

"She was the one who trained him. If there's anyone who would know what happened it'd be her." The older man rubbed his cheek.

"Listen, stay the night. Drink and eat till your heart's content. Whether too much time has passed or not, I don't care. I want to know the truth...and if there's a slim chance you can save Mr. Ramsay, or even his legacy, I'm willing to bet anything on it. You're the only person who can carry this legacy. If you continue to fight out there, I'll make sure that this palace will remain the last place that holds onto his dreams."

Chateau nodded.

Nearby, at a different wing of the massive palace, there was a room guarded by several man cladded in military uniform. Decorated with ribbons and medals, they watched for any disruptions with a heightened sense. The captain told them that what was in that room was of the utmost importance. An item that would allow him to procure the duty of protecting Alabasta from pirates.

No item of importance would be true to their value if there weren’t a few parties interested on it. The sound of expensive woman’s heels reverberated through the corridor that led to the heavily guarded room. The footsteps drew closer and closer, until the sound seemed to stop right outside the room. A minute passed, then three more, and the guards, who would’ve clearly heard the approaching steps were getting anxious. Suddenly, a soft knock was heard on the door.

“Who’s there?!”, exclaimed one of the guards, but no one responded. Once again, the soft knocks were heard. “This room is off limits, I suggest you leave, whoever you are!”. The same guard approached the door, and through a small looking hole he saw their mysterious visitor. It was a beautiful young woman, in a very short dress, with quite a wide cleavage. The guard instantly was overwhelmed with many dirty thoughts, but before he could turn around to inform the rest, the woman pulled out a gun right from her chest, and shot through the looking hole, blowing the guard’s brains out, and the bullet almost hitting another guard that was almost right behind the one who was shot.

Without a second of hesitation, the rest of the guards opened fire as it was clear what was going on; someone had come to steal the valuable item. They shot at the door until their rounds were empty. A few seconds later, the door opened, the woman revealing herself to them, completely unharmed. “What the!? Are you responsible for this!?,” a guard exclaimed while he pointed at the dead body before them. She ignored him and entered the room, stepping on the corpse on her way. “One more step and we shoot you!!!! “, every guard on the room reloaded their weapons, other drew their swords while they awaited for the mysterious visitor to reveal her identity.

Meredia said nothing. And continued walking with a teasing step. One of the guards dashed at her, sword in hand, aimed at her neck. At the last second, she easily dodged, leaving the man to keep moving forward with his momentum, and she inserted both hands on her chest. From it she pulled out two guns, and immediately shot at the group of guards, slightly before they shot back at her. As her bullets made way for the men’s forehead, she dodged the array of bullets, which decimated the man who had charged with the sword, and at the same time her shots killed almost everyone present so swiftly that those who were not shot at couldn’t even react to what was happening before their eyes.

As Meredia landed on the ground once again, bodies began falling one by one. While the few left alive charged at her with their melee weapons. Same as before, she easily dodged each and every one, acrobatically jumping around them and kicking them in the face with her heels, knocking them back, leaving helpless and in disbelief, while their faces were covered in blood.

“Shit! Just...who...are you!?”

“I’m merely a weapon used to serve my “bosses’s” desires. That’s all you dead men need to know.” In another blink of an eye, the remaining men where shot dead with one, precisely aimed kill shot to each.

When those nearby arrived after the gunfight had ceased, Meredia had already blended in with the crowd, carrying a bag with her. She had successfully acquired the important item, and left behind a complete massacre.

Chateau had donned his disguise once more and decided to go for a walk. He hadn't been here for almost a half a decade...and now this once magnificent palace was being ruined with tacky decorations and horrible service. He watched as waiters and servers focused upon the royalty and travelers, leaving commoners to feel like second class citizens. Under the laws of Xenia, all guest were equal.

Commotion? Panic? He could feel the beating hearts around him. Something was going on. Blood was being spilled. Lives lost. He was always sensitive to these kind of things. Anger. Hatred. Bloodlust. How could someone kill beneath these ceilings?! Chateau needed to stop this...he could feel it happening on a distant wing where the marines were supposed to be gathering. But can he really involve himself with this matter? Chateau hesitated. What would Escoffier want?

Something caught his attention and interrupted his thought. A calmness. A river of stillness fading throughout the crowd. He'd noticed it from a nearby window. A sudden massacre. A sudden attack. She might know something about Over. Chateau thought. A farfetched lead but a lead nonetheless. And so, the shrouded ebony man jumped from the window and followed the curvaceous beauty.

Meredia walked with a radiating confidence. Her step not to long, but not short, just the right balance. Even though she had just murdered Marines in cold blood, her pulse was as if she were enjoying a day at the beach. The massacre was just “today’s lunch”. This cold-blooded killer had vast amounts of experience doing just that sort of thing, also espionage, going undercover, and smuggling were just a few skills that she had as part of her arsenal. After all, she worked for a notorious underground organization based on the New World, and compared to the level of enemies she had faced on that sea, those guards were like blind, indefensive babies in front of her.

Again, she struck her hand in her chest...yes, her hand went inside her body, from what it seemed, and pulled out a Baby Den-Den Mushi.

“Hello. Connect this line to the boss,” she said. As it was a long distance call, the receiver of their current call would have to be nearby, at least somewhere on the island, and with a stronger signal, this receiver could connect her call even as far as the New World.

“Yes? Meredia? Hmm...has the item been retrieved?”, someone responded from the other side of the call, a voice that surely belonged to a woman.

“Omelia? Tch! I meant to speak with the REAL “boss”.

“Listen...I AM your boss...as well. Besides, he is dealing with some other stuff, so he won’t be available for a good while. Now, I’ll ask for the last time, has the item been retrieved?”

“Yes, bitch, the item has...” Meredia suddenly stopped when she felt a strong gaze leering down on her. She knew. She was being followed. “Talk to you later, something has come up”. She hung up and steadily increased her pace, in order to see who else would follow suit, as this would reveal the identity of her follower, which then she could eliminate.

In order to facilitate things for her, she pulled out a gun, shot someone on the leg and just as swiftly and accurate as her shot she hid the gun again, all in order to create chaos and commotion. She decided if her follower was good, this wouldn’t detain him, but it would reveal himself or herself. The crowd became rowdy and agitated, as people began to look for some sort of sniper or shady looking individual to accuse for shooting a woman.

She hurried along with her quick but steady pace, attentively observing around her any sudden changes. This woman was definitely a professional at what she did.

"Fucking..." Chateau growled. The agonizing scream of the poor man boiled his blood. He wanted to grab the crimson rod on his back but decided against this. He needed to keep things calm cool collected. But this meant she knew she was being followed. Not shocking. Chateau wasn't the most inconspicuous person. Still, he followed the girl. Dancing around the busy crowd.

This time, she got him. She hadn’t gotten a clear look at her pursuer, in fact, she hadn’t even looked back, but she knew two things: He sucked at tailing someone, and he was a man. She could “feel” it in his step.

She quickly grabbed a robe from a nearby market stand, and covered her head and body with it, in order to blend in as one of the locals. She then turned to look back, and just as the side of her eye caught a glimpse of the silhouette prancing around the crowd, she shot at him, even without having a clear view at her target. Still, she knew the bullet would hit her mark. Even if her pursuer dodged, someone behind him would almost surely suffer the shot, and along with the sound of her gunshot, even more chaos would be created. If the follower was capable of it, his best option would be to block the bullet, but that would make him draw attention to him.

But she, on the other hand, had nothing to worry about, because as soon as the bullet left the barrel of her gun, she opened her hand, sending the gun right then and there flying somewhere else. She continued to blend in until she reached a back alley, and using the two buildings on each side to aid her, she jumped all the way to the top of one of them. Now with alabasta-style robes wrapping her entire body, she awaited for things to calm down, or for her pursuer to catch up, if he was capable enough.

Chateau had no time to think. Whereas he could've moved out of the bullet's path, he couldn't risk letting someone else get involved. His body, entirely on reflex, generated an invisible wall of force which knocked those around him onto their backsides. Still, he felt the burning sensation of the bullet cooling in his arm. Disrupting the bullet's trajectory was the best he could do. It turned a killing blow into a flesh wound.

"I'm sorry!" Chateau screamed to the handful of people struggling to stand up. His badly covered strategy had been blown. He dashed through the commotion and into the alley. Although she tried to hide, the ebony pursuer had a knack for feeling things well beyond his normal senses. He reached the rooftop and leapt upward. Almost falling towards the sky. His body readjusted as he landed before his would-be killer.

"Stop right there!" Chateau ordered. "What're you doing here and why did you attack the Temple Oasis?! Did Emperor Over send you?!"

Before the commotion had erupted at the palace, Rowing began to feel his bladder overflow. To prevent himself from having a horrible accident in front of Braille, he hurriedly excused himself. He found solace at the closest alleyway next to the palace but was immediately shooed away by people who considered the palace sacred. This occurred multiple times and it would push him further into the town. "This has to be some cruel sick joke." he spoke to himself angrily as he undid the buckle to his pants. Without warning, a stream of urine poured from his lower region making Rowing shiver in ecstasy.

As bullets began to fly nearby, he failed to notice. They were all drowned out by the relief of release. Minutes passed by before he decided he should be heading back but just as he was, he began to hear a voice yelling above his head. It sent him into panic, as he thought he had been caught again. Slowly and shamefully, he turned around and looked above him but couldn't see anyone. He decided to respond anyway.

"I-I just had to pee, sir! I thought this would be far enough so that I don't disrespect the temple so.. I-I'm truly sorry for desecrati-- wait, who's Emperor Over?"

Standing on the rooftop, her dress and face covered by a traditional alabasta desert robe, she turned towards the man confronting her, face still covered under the shade of her robe’s hood. As she lifted her head, one of her eyes became visible. What could be felt was a cold gaze, one who’s heart doesn’t waver at all in situations like this.

“You’re quite stubborn, and more capable than I thought? I like that but, sadly, you’re not my type of man. I would’ve respected you more if you’d let the bullet hit some bystander. “Sigh”...I guess it’s difficult to find men as interesting as him.”

She removed her cloak, and her gaze turned towards the alley to the side, as she had noticed the man down below who had responded to Chateau’s accusations. The sun shone on Meredia’s voluptuous chest, and her standing pose made it even more difficult for anyone to NOT focus on her cleavage, as she put one of her hands on her waist, straightened her back, and lifted her chest even more, her breasts slightly bouncing up and down in a hypnotizing way.

With her other hand, the one holding the bag, she pointed back at the direction where the hotel was. “I don’t know who this “Oven” person is. And I didn’t attack the hotel itself or the staff, just the people who stood in the way of my mission. Just so you rethink your actions, I’m contracted by an organization far more powerful than you could fathom, so I’ll give you another chance to walk away, or else you’ll force me to silence you.”

Meredia once again, struck her hand inside her chest, and pulled out a large barrel gun. “That goes for you too!!! Scram and I’ll let you leave!” She screamed at the man below, even though she hadn’t seen who it was yet. She once again directed her gaze towards Chateau. “Now that I take a closer look, you are quite good looking. So, I also hope you have the brains to come to the right decision, because if you keep interfering, that flesh wound will be the least of your problems.”

Chateau had'nt noticed her cleavage.

It's a good thing she talks too much. Chateau thought to himself. Using her monologue as time to deduce a plan. He needed to not only assure that this women had no connection to the mysterious Emperor, but also steal back whatever was stolen in the first place. Doing so would win favor with the marines in regards of the Temple Oasis. Which meant continuous business and future contracts. Thinking like this did annoy him slightly, for, Chateau wasn't one to involve himself in heroism or criminal activity. He'd used his blessing for more selfish and supportive purposes his entire life.

But times change. And days become nights.

Chateau took advantage of the talkativeness of the girl, raising his hand in a defensive position. Producing gravity was like breathing to him. It radiated from his body naturally, almost as if sweat. But the invisible force packed quite the punch. Trying to command it mentally was like trying to control a gigantic sneeze welling from within his stomach. And he wanted to make sure that no one else got hurt.

His hand started to vibrate, gathering a slight purple aura as he gathered the transparent energy at his palm. Chateau exploded with a palm thrust forward. The gravity erupted in a outward wave meant to send the woman flying off the roof and into the wall behind her. He'd hoped that the charging force would also help defend against any bullets she'd try to fire.

Pont-levis!

Meredia got annoyed at the man simply ignoring her. "tch! Typical men, so single minded." As soon as the individual began charging his attack, Meredia sensed a strange pressure around them, and instinctively, she shot several bullets at Chateau. When his gravity thrust exploded forward, her bullets were made useless and simply were pushed back because of the incoming wave. She recognized the danger, and because it was a straight line attack, she used her insane speed to move to the side, although part of her was grazed by Chateu's thrust, which made her stumble a bit.

Nonetheless, she recovered quickly, and closed the gap between them with astonishly blinding speed, and attacked with a side kick unto the man's head. The heels she was wearing weren't ordinary. They were incredibly durable and tough, and designed for her combat style, which revolved mainly around the use of her deadly gunshots with precise accuracy, and powerful kicks enhanced by her special heels and superhuman leg strength. Chateau would definitely feel a strange aura emanating from Meredia's high heels. Indeed, the "top piece or heel cap", which is the back support of the heel, and the outer part of the toe box and the outsole, where covered in a thick layer of kairoseki. Her high heels were dense enough that the kairoseki parts didn't affect the rest of the heel, nor extended to her leg, thus avoiding any negative effects on her.

'"Decapitation heel strike!" '

But the kick wasn't the only thing Chateau would've have to be worried about. As her powerful kick approached his head, she balanced herself on her other leg, while lowering her upper body under Chateau's midsection, and pointing the arm in which she held her gun, she shot directly at Chateau's chest area and face, all in a swift, acrobatic and coordinated fashion. Even if her kick missed, she'd try and make sure her shots hit her mark, paying close attention to the mysterious man's sudden moves.

Chateau was neither a speed demon nor master assassin. However, Escoffier taught him that the most important thing to a guest was the seventh law of Xenia. The duty of hospitality which meant safe travel, food and drink. Food and drink were the easiest to give. But safe travel? Especially on the hellish seas of the Grand Line? The only way to fully fulfill the seventh law of Xenia was to train oneself to be able to protect those who they were escorting. And such, the ebony adventurer was able to react with urgency.

Rather than try to fight against his assailant, Chateau weaved from the kick. A gunshot was one thing. In fact, it was easier to heal a gunshot wound than it was to heal a knife wound. And such, he took the bullet to his right arm. Shit! Chateau spat as he tumbled from an explosive maneuver. This would make holding Bélier difficult against the speedy assassin before him. But he couldn't use his bludgeon in this fight. No. Guns were always faster than a metal rod.

Rather, from the explosive tumble, Chateau spun on his side and sent a wide kick. Using the gesture of his legs to guide the gravitational wave as it soared forward. Purplish force with enough power to knock her off her balance. He quickly returned to his feet to follow with another thrust forward.

Meredia slightly grinned after landing a shot on his assailant, but it was cut short after the man retook his balance, and launched a kick again with a powerful, mysterious force. She quickly tried to evade it, but still she took the full force of the attack which mostly hit her left side, making her spew blood after it apparently did some damage to her stomach.

She stared at Chateau with her bloody mouth, while he launched another thrust. “Open box!”, she exclaimed. Suddenly, from her chest and abdomen area, two lids, reminiscent of box lids, opened and took the gravitational thrust, sealing it inside. “Heh! I think I’ll use this later.” Meredia was indeed, a Devil Fruit user, essentially being a box or storage human. She can store almost anything inside her body, with the exception of live beings, while also having several other abilities. Her storage space wasn’t unlimited either. But essentially, she had “stored” Chateau’s gravitational wave inside her storage space.

She grinned again and stood straight, cleaning her mouth of any blood, while again pointing her gun at Chateau. “Nice power you got there...But I’ve gotten the hang of it.” She dropped the bag, and with her now free hand, she pulled out another gun from her storage. The gun seemed to be a limited edition, colt revolver with a large barrel. “You see, one good thing about working for the Underworld, is that you can acquire all sorts of neat gadgets.” She began walking towards Chateau. “I have a few special toys I use whenever I face off against devil fruit users. Like this revolver, which carries eight Kairoseki bullets...”

She clenched her stomach area with her left hand, still holding her other gun in that hand while she continued walking. Suddenly, she ran at incredible speeds to Chateau’s left side, pointing both guns at him, and shooting four more bullets with the regular gun. She tracked any movement and had her right arm ready for the man’s counterattack with her revolver.

"Kairosek?" Chateau remembered that word from his days by Escoffier's side. He'd overheard marines discussing a special weapon against devil fruit users. A stone which radiated the ocean's energy, essentially weakening their abilities. To think that this women had such a rare weapon. He couldn't fight her head to head. Not with her strange ability and almost limitless weaponry. Plus, she would only continue to absorb his attacks. No. Chateau had to use something else. The ebony explorer launched himself forward, seemingly exploding with a concussive propulsion from his feet. Sadly, the three stone bullet tips which grazed his body felt as if he'd been cut by a sword. It was perhaps the most painful thing he'd ever experience in battle.

There was no way he could continue to keep fighting head on with an unlimited arsenal. Not without gaining some type of proper leverage. I need to drop her guard...Figure out her weakness. Chateau noticed the dropped bag and smiled. She's an assassin for sure. But even assassin's need to get paid. And so, the oh so important bag was sent flying off the roof to the ground below. She could easily take care of Chateau...but that would risk the bag falling into the wrong hands. After all, the marines would surely be surrounding the area looking for the mysterious loot.

"Sorry." Chateau said mockingly with a sly grin. This fight wasn't over. He quickly got to his feet and ran towards the roof edge in hopes of getting to the ground first.

“You fucker!”, Meredia yelled as Chateau’s ingenuity would prevent her from relishing in the pain he was in, as a result of her bullets grazing him. No, she was pissed at how this stubborn stranger was trying his best to get in her way.

He had an advantage over her, as he had leaped with tremendous force while also having pushed the bag to its fall. Still reeling from pain, she dashed at Chateau and the roof’s edge, but even though blindingly fast, she had gotten slower, given her injury. “Damnit I can’t let this bastard propel himself again and grab the bag!”, she thought as she closed in on Chateau.

When she was close enough to him, once again, opening the doors of her “storage”, she released Chateau’s previous thrust of gravity towards him, while sending an iron chain in conjunction with it, in order to capture and prevent her increasingly troublesome opponent from claiming her bag. Whatever happened, she had already leaped from the roof while she sent her attack, and had not planned for how to make a safe landing, given the tension of the situation. She also forgot for a slight moment there, the man below on the alley they were falling in.