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Where once stood the estate of the Von Helson family now stands the Gambino Mansion, transplanted all the way from Isle de Gambino.

Gambino Mansion itself has specially designed rooms meant to accommodate leisure activities of a various kinds, along with a hall, two or three salons or drawing rooms, dining room, breakfast room, morning room, study and numerous bedrooms. However one often finds the place short of bathrooms, often only two or three in a place of 20 plus bedrooms. In addition to the principal bedrooms would be far more for the staff usually on the uppermost or attic floors. It also boasts a conservatory, greenhouse, an indoor swimming pool, and an arts & crafts room with extravagant north-oriented windows. There is even a large room to house a private library, while at the same time having a large room designed for home cinema is a must. The mansion is rumoured to have been built with integrated domotics, perhaps to excess.

• Head northeast to reach Durem Strip.

You see it was rather lucky that Athan used his other shoulder. Because getting rammed into a door head first like a battering ram would have really hurt. The door had almost been the death of him except for raw luck.

His throat hurt and he had stopped screaming. Now he was just all...trying to be very, very quiet and still and continue his internalized mantra of, 'It will all be over soon. We will probably die, but at least it will all be over.'

...Normally he would have been extremely happy to bust into this expensive place.

Athan kept going, and going. Right through a couch, then a wall, then a conveniently opened door, and finally the barrier started taking effect. Except it was sort like a rubber band. He could feel himself slowing down, but there was an increase in pressure in front of him because of it.

Uh oh.

"Everyone off, now."

He dropped Tweak, and assuming Angel listened to him, she'd drop off his back the moment his forward momentum stopped.

And, like a slingshot, Athan would be sent flying back through the mansion, only making a separate hole above the door, and out into the front lawn where he'd skid a good twenty feet or so before stopping.

Angel already knew what would happen when Athan hit the barrier. The odds were he'd be slung back. She just wasn't sure how far or how fast.

When he yelled for everyone to get off, she was jumping off his back and hit the floor with a roll. It was more then a couple rolls, quite a few. The room was pretty much spinning.

Also, when she jumped from his back the shield broke, but it was too late. She already heard the crashes followed from Athan getting thrown back through the mansion.

Hearing Tweak, she moaned. "He got shot back through the place." She tried to stand and stumbled. "That was worse then a rollercoaster ride."

Athan was back in the doorway, bits and pieces of wood, grass, and dirt all clung to his bare arms and clothing. He looked through the holes he had created before he began dusting himself off, wiping most of the debris off his arms and leaving the rest where it was, including a large clump of grass and soil that was stuck in his hair.

"So..."

He placed his hands on his hips and popped his back. Groaning out of relief when the pressure was suddenly relieved.

"Anything cool in here?"

He seemed pretty nonchalant for a guy who had just gone through a door and two separate walls. But judging by the shape of the guy, he was probably used to this kind of thing.

"Wow, already? You guys are pretty fast."

Athan started into the room, but when he reached Angel he noticed that Tweak wasn't exactly stable, just sort of walking around like a drunk. And Angel, well, she looked a little angry.

Sarcasm, the most potent weapon in an infuriated person's arsenal.

"...You didn't find a marble, did you?"

Speak of the Devil. Tweak brought it on the all.

From above came the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly. Up the stairs, there was a man. Large, dark suit, black shades, a listening device in his ear. He held a black rod in his hand, tapping it slowly against his left.

Looters, in the mansion. Surely they didn't think they could just break in a run amok. Only techies ever got to do that.

He started down the stairs quickly, taking them one at a time, and at a rapid pace, though there seemed to be no realy hurry to him as he beared down on Tweak, the closest of the Looters.

She punched him, and as a result, his upper body turned slightly. He wasn't sure what she was going for, but as she smiled, he shrugged his shoulders and did the same.

He followed her out of the room, finding no real need to draw his sword at that particular moment, he kept along with her conversation.

"I think we'll encounter a..."

He looked up the stairs to see somebody descending from them rather quickly. He cleared his throat, reached up, plucked the grass from his hair, and tossed it to the ground.

"This guy."

He didn't seem to care too much that he was heading right for Tweak, but Athan stood there all the same. He didn't attempt to cover up anything. Only one person in their little crew could have been held responsible for busting down a door and a wall. And it sure as hell wasn't Tweak.