China folded his arms, "Alright, we're here. Are you going to tell me why you needed to use me as an excuse to come here now?"

"Not telling~" Russia answered in his usual upbeat voice.

"What the hell?!" China responded, "I covered for you, and you won't even tell me? What are you looking for down here anyways?"

Russia contemplated divulging this information, "Hmm... I'm looking for more papers like the other ones we found in the annexe."

China looked a little confused. Why did he have to consider telling him that?... There was still something he wasn't saying, China deduced. Very well, he'd ignore it for now, but if it raised issues later, Russia would be hearing from him first, "Alright. I don't know why you're so interested in some papers, but I'll help you take a look around."

China began to explore the room rifling through the bookshelves and picking up loose papers that were scattered on the floor. Nothing really stood out. They were just old texts. Some containing old folklore, others were more like an encyclopedia. About what you'd expect from an old house like this. It was a little frustrating since he felt like he was wasting time. He looked over at Russia, who was leafing through an old book. Strange, he never pegged him as someone who loved reading.

"Aiyaa! I don't even know what I'm looking for! This is pointless," China complained.

Russia didn't even look up. What did he have to say? It's not like he was going to tell him anything.

"I'm going to check out the other room now, let me know when you're finished," China responded annoyed.

Russia wandered around the room for a bit. Rifling through papers and books. "He said it would be here," he thought to himself. After a while of nothing he managed to make his way over to the bookshelf in the far right corner of the room. The bookshelf was oddly turned away from the room, and there were faded scuff marks as if it had been pushed."Maybe it is here? Hnnng... it better be. I hate being lied to."

Russia pushed one side of it wood scraping against wood, making a heavy screech. Once he had it pushed far enough to see he inspected it. Second shelf down, to the right of the last book, a stack of papers jutted out. They were handwritten and hard to read, but they appeared to be some kind of architectural papers.

Russia smiled, "oh here it is... ...better keep this safe from the others." He stuffed the papers in his coat.

China looked around the small room. It was fairly vacant, save for a small table. And on the wall to his right was a large switch. The lever was by far the most interesting thing in the room. However because of this, China decided he should probably wait until he had checked out the rest of the room first, so he wouldn't forget to.

He skimmed over the surface of the table, a few pages were scattered about it, as if someone had been studying them. There was no dust in the room, but he assumed the papers had been set out like this for a long time. Come to think of it, no where in the house had they ever found dust. It must be because the building being set out of time.

Something in the corner under the table caught his attention. A glowing orb of light. "This is... England's magic?" China carefully picked up the glowing orb. He didn't think there were more down here. In any case this could be quite useful. England had lost so much of his power earlier that he'd lost his eyesight as well, maybe this could help him get some of it back?

China carefully tucked it in his pocket. Alright, there was just one thing left in the room now... The lever. China inspected the device. Unlike the one on the fourth floor, this one only moved two directions. From up to down, and from down to up. As it was now, the switch was pointed up. China had an uneasy feeling about pulling the switch though which made him hesitant. As his hands gripped around the metal bar in preparation to pull the switch, the door to the room opened.

Russia trotted in smiling as always. China let go of the lever momentarily, "Oh, it's just you... Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, not really. But it looks like you've found something pretty interesting, da?" Russia prompted.

"Yeah, I just got this weird feeling about this lever," China answered looking it over, and putting his hand on it once more.

"Hmm? Well let's just see where it leads da?" Russia asked.

"You're right, we can prepare for it, once we figure out where it leads. China struck his hands down, pulling the lever down. A rumble erupted through the room resembling a small earthquake. A doorway opened up on the back wall, directly adjacent to the lever.

"Ah! We've made a new breach!" China exclaimed in excitement... before their "friend" decided to join the party.

A terrifying monster that was so huge it was almost to big to fit through the doorway emerged. It was a pale grey, it's skin loose, flabby, and dead-looking. It watched them with soulless uncaring eyes. As it moved closer, a step at a time, not running, but still fast enough they couldn't both get away. And it was these features in particular that made it such a fearsome monster.

"It looks like we weren't the first to find it," Russia commented.

"This isn't the time for jokes," China scolded Russia. "Prepare yourself for a fight," He added pulling his Wok from off his back.

"Uhuhu. I already know," Russia answered having already drawn his pipe. The one he had Japan specially craft for him, so it's bottom half extended as a sword.

"YoU...WOn't...ESc...aPe..." The Monster snarled, baring it's ugly fangs in twisted toothy growl. It's long claws raking the air to swipe at them as they got closer.

Russia grew more serious in battle. His usual smile vanished to reveal an expression that had been hardened for war. He and China both ducked out of the way avoiding a dangerous blow, and leading the creature into the room. On the creature's right, Russia held out his pipe horizontally, a purple aura erupting around him like a wild fire. Russia let his emotions control him, bringing the aura to it's peak, a brilliant vibrant color enveloping him and his pipe. China distracted it by dodging and hitting it when he had the chance.

Russia smiled when he felt his strength reach it's peak. A small smirk glinted across his face. He charged the monster head on. Putting the full brunt of his attack smashing the thing to pieces. The monster turned just in time to get hit directly in the eye. The blade end of Russia's pipe stabbing through it's thick skin, as it attempted to blink the blade away. Blood, not the same as a human's but blood nonetheless oozed out of the blinded eye. Russia merely shook off the grotesque bits of eye that clung to his pipe. Both he and China, had simply gone through this too many times to really feel one way or another about something like that.

The creature screeched in pain, throwing itself backward into the wall. A moment later it lashed out, hitting China in the side. China was knocked back several feet but managed to regain his footing. He paid it back in kind for the injury. China pulled his anger to the tips of his hands. China was normally rather slow, but that speed did not apply in the heat of battle, he would move as fast as he needed.

He struck the creature at eight of its major pressure points: the back of the neck, both temples, the back of its knees, its inner elbows, and then the chest. Performed on a human it would cause extreme paralysis. However this creature had little reaction to it. There was a cracking sound and a screech as it broke its paralysis, lashing out just in time to catch China as he tried to get away. The creatures giant claws scooped him up like a rag doll, batting him across the room. The sharp jagged claws shredded China's left side tearing through both clothes and skin. The brute force of the attack knocking him against the wall.

Russia took over while China was temporarily out of it. The purple aura still emanating around him as he charged the creature, swinging the pipe over his head. It may have been drawn out on the bottom edge like a sword, but he still moved it like a pipe. Crashing it down on his opponents head. The weight with which he brought it down, and the sharp edge slicing deep into the creatures head, created the biggest impact. The deep cut slicing in at an angle, going into it's head a good three inches. The thing reared backward, ripping the pipe from it's head. The pipe soared through the air landing away from everyone, and away from the battle scene.

To prove it's indestructible power, the creature continued to fight, regardless of the head splitting injury. In fact it only seemed to make it angrier. It lashed out again. This time for the temporarily unarmed Russia. Russia dodged the attack but only barely, as he tried run backward to retrieve his pipe. A second swipe and that would be it. He had no means to retreat far enough in the time it would take. And no means to block it. Just one stretch of the arm for the monster before him, and everything would be over.

However, they had grown too strong to fall into simple traps like that now. The creature did lunge, but it did not hit Russia. Instead the deadly claws scraped against China's Wok, like a shield. SsCCrrReeEEEeeeEECCchHhHH! The nails scraped across the metal pan, in like a sound closer, louder, and more high pitched than nails against a chalkboard.

Russia took these seconds to grab his pipe. Once he had it, China jumped back, letting the creature trip forward for a split second. "NOW!" China shouted to Russia giving him the word to begin the plan they had silently conducted.

China took it's right, and Russia it's left. The creature was too confused as to which one to follow, especially with only the one good eye. China hit it in the head with his wok disorienting it, and forcing it to turn its attention towards him.

Russia meanwhile took his place behind it, turning his blade like a spear. When it was in position He charged it, stabbing it through the chest, in the place where it's heart did not exist. It's skin was thick and stretchy, so it made a popping sound when it finally snapped, allowing the blade edge of the pipe to pierce it. The creature reared backward falling further into the blade.

However even an attack like that wasn't quite enough to destroy this beast. Before it had time to even pull away from pipe it had become impaled with, China acted. The distraction by pain from the back provided China with a perfect opening to attack from the front. All he had to fight with were his hands and his wok. And this time, it was his hands, that were more suited for the task. While the monster was distracted he charged forward, hitting the creature in it's other good eye before it could even see him coming. The feeling was cringe worthy, although China remained indifferent to the experience. The creature blinked a second after China's hand gouged into it's giant eye. The eye itself was roughly the size of his outstretched hand, and disproportionately large compared to the rest of the monster. It's eyelids - thick grey skin that lay over it's soulless giant eyes - closed around China's hand. Holding it, but not immobilizing it.

China instantly withdrew, Russia pulling back at the same time. The goo that eyes were made of still clung to China's hand. He merely shook it off and rubbed the remainder off on his clothes. The monster, having taken two simultaneous attacks, losing it's eyesight, and suffering several other major blows, finally faded away. It's body ghosting before disappearing entirely. It let out one final curse before it vanished, "diE..."

The two panted heavily. "Phew, I was worried the two of us wouldn't be enough to take out that monster now that it's this strong," China responded.

Russia leaned against the wall, the energy he'd wasted fighting that creature finally catching up with him. The same happened to China. He bit into a rice ball to regain some strength, but he could suddenly feel the severity of the gashes on his side. He winced in pain.

"China?" Russia asked, "Are you ok?"

China finished the rice ball in one bite. His hand reached down to inspect his side through his somewhat torn clothes. The two major cuts were still bleeding, although they weren't deep. He still had some time to get it bandaged up, but he should do so quickly to avoid infection. "I'm fine," He answered Russia, "I just need some basic first aid."

"You should head back to the room then," Russia suggested to China.

"Right let's get going aru," China turned to leave the room, but halted when he didn't hear footsteps follow him, "... Aren't you coming?"

Russia smiled and waved China ahead, "I'll catch up with you in a minute. I want to take a look at this new room."

"B-but-" China was cut off as his wounds shot him a jab of pain, "ack."

"Don't worry about it," Russia continued to smile, "China needs to take of his injuries. I'll be fine. It won't appear here again so quickly da?"

China knew he wasn't going to win this argument, and Russia was right, he needed to get some medical treatment. But Russia was dead-wrong about it being unlikely to appear so soon after it had been defeated. Although perhaps he knew that, and was just trying to find himself a good excuse. "Just be careful alright?!" China said before letting him have his way and leaving to return to the room.

By the time Russia answered China had already left the room, "Da... I'll be careful."

He pulled out his cell phone and put in the first number on his speed dial. It rang twice before he got an answer, "Da, it's me... I found it..."

NEXT PART: CH 17 - ITALY