Cross Effects: Rebirth (2.0) The RP

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

"Ah. Good to see that you caught up so soon, Hunter! As for the penguins there is this convenient sign."

Paladin pointed towards a large sign that had a map of the entire zoo. "The penguins should be around here." Paladin pointed towards a little penguin on the map.
"It should take us a few minutes at most to get there."

With that said Paladin walked towards the penguin's home, and as he moved around the zoo he began to take in his surroundings. It was a noticeable change from the scenery he was used to. The buildings while numerous lacked the artistic flair the architects of his world gave their creations, but the biggest change was the people. They were afraid of the supernatural. Back home Paladin would give the average city a day before they exterminated any creature that dared to invade their home, but this was a different place filled with different people.

He broke away from those thoughts the moment he saw the little birds moving around their home. Now he just needed to wait for Archive Hunter to show up before beginning the sacrifice. It would be a shame for his friend to come all this way only to miss the miracle.

I kept a pace behind the Paladin, looking around the zoo. First time and all, I couldn't help but look around at the animals. They were... small.

"So," I started once the paladin halted in front of the penguins' cage. "Sacrifices. If you wouldn't mind giving a short explanation as to what it does spiritually and, well... supernaturally? For the record."

I hesitated to say the word. Goblins and wolf-people could be genetic engineering. Unlikely considering the age and style of the city, but still. What I was about to witness was a ritual sacrifice that actually gave the worshiper "favor" in a somewhat recognizable form, if last night's brief explanation on the subject had truth.

But then, some older texts of my world had people believing the same after sacrificing goats or men. I shook my head and pushed all those thoughts aside. I was about to witness the act, I could gauge the probability of what's what afterwards.

I pull out my notebook from my duster's inner pocket with my free hand, then squeeze the inferno revolver under my armpit and pick up a pen with my gun hand. I wasn't going to miss a thing, sham or not.

[Kat]

Ramesses only saw the surge of blooming red after it was fired, a blood-colored beam of lightning and pure fury coming his way.

'Shit!'

There was only securing his own safety now, as the rocks darted down but bounced off the lizard's newly manifested magical defense. A black turtle shell, belonging to the Holy Beast Genbu, came in the way of Ramesses and the beam of hate as a last-minute defense, but even as it held defense capabilities equal to those of great Noble Phantasms, it could not hold against the beam for more than a second or two before it gave way, weakened but still strong enough to send him and the Sphinx that protected him with it's body flying.

As the dust settled, the Lion of the Gods still took footing, even as it's right side was burnt horribly and opened up like a exploding plum. Nothing short of absolute destruction would put a beast this strong down. Even if it were to perish, as the personification of the King of Kings' might, it would return to his service again and again after death so long as he lived.

Snarling, the King above all Kings was furious, his first opponent, the armored whore, had taken a pragmatic approach and simply unleashed her Noble Phantasm to try and clean off all three other contestants.

"You little bastard... I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"

The ground next to the Saber gave way to massive claws on giant white-furred arms, tearing their way out of the pits of the earth. The female knight stood now face to face with the great Biblical Behemoth, the Primal creature of the earth.

Mordred gritted her teeth, as a pain surged through her body after the use of her Noble Phantasm. She had not fought before clash with Rider, so she had enough reserves to fight, just was unable to use her sword beam any longer. This did not look good. All she could do to defend herself against the beast, counting that somebody else would take out the Servant.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Asileron
Aegis building

"Ok, hold the hell up," the squad captain began with a hand up to gesture them to keep calm, "We don't need to start anything here right now. I didn't even get my morning coffee, and I don't wanna start this shit without it. Calm your jets, will ya?"

Asileron turned his head to look at the newest speaker. "I have no intention to start anything, officer. The only person who seems to be acting hostile is the man with the sword."

This would be interesting. If the man attacked killing him in self defence would be a viable option, and if he was unable to kill the man Asileron could simply stop attacking and defend himself. The former would get him a new soul and the latter would put all the blame on an enemy. Two ways to end any conflict in his favor. Asileron smiled.

[Arch-Magos Winter]

The bull's angered charge continued without restraint, destroying the concrete beneath every step of it's metal hooves, flattening cars and scaring off pedestrians as it obeyed the command of the King; "Kill". Unfortunately, the target proved to be even faster than itself, leaving it unable to gouge him or his metallic transportation device with it's god-fashioned horns.

As the target rounded yet another corner, it stepped directly through the building on the corner, leaving it naught but rubble as it's lungs took in a deep breath, it's vital functions generating a great amount of prana. As it exhaled it, a massive gout of fire came forth from it's brass jaws, missing but only just barely as the beam that melted the very road beneath just narrowly behind the target.

Lawrence

The wave of heat scorched the Firebird's tires, the smell of burning rubber and pavement filtering right into the car itself as Law kept going, following the first rule of escape drivers - Don't stop for anything. Wherever that Master was, she was probably holed up nice now, and Rider would just ditch the bull if it threatened her.

Ending this game of Chicken then?

'Yep, just gotta keep it away from Mordred - shiiit!'

What?

'She's losing power. Mother of fuck.'

The ritual will take too long

'I know.'

She's out of the boneyard's range

'I know, but I could get back into it'

How? That bull won't slow down.

'Well, maybe I can cause it to cool off a little bit - narrow bridge ahead, low load capacity, let's fucking go for it.'

That won't work

'Well it's the only plan I've got so let's fucking just do it.'

As the Firebird zoomed over the narrow bridge, the Bull followed, losing ground. The metal thing it was chasing showed no signs of slowing, and was running away now. It huffed smoke from it's nostrils, pleased with it's efforts. The Territory it claimed had been defended. It was time for it to rest until the king needed it again. The Creature faded into the Reality Marble once more, though Law had no idea of this.

'...Did we lose it?'

I think we lost it.

'HAHAHA YES!' Law's ferocious grin as he drifted around a corner, narrowly missing another car as he floored it back towards the fight, would have matched any beast in the King of Kings marble in how many teeth it showed. The Stigmatic Boneyard popped open, still suppressed, but even suppressed it'd be enough to do this. Law poured plasm into Mordred, using the tether of their connection like a charging wire to keep the flow going. 'We're still in this fight. All else fails we're bailing her out.'

S&S

"Well that's certainly a dramatic way to put it, though I would expect nothing less from you", said Shirou, but his expression turned slightly puzzled afterwards, "Unfortunately, I can't claim to have read any of your works, Caster."

"Would you truly waste time on such things in our situation, Master? You know better than even me or Caster how important it is, so why use time on such trivialities?", responded Assassin in kind.

"It's fine, Assassin. Until the Hanging Gardens are completed, we have no true objectives to complete other than to find the ritual devouring the power of the leylines at a rapid rate. God has told me that that shall be our Grail. Acquiring it or the alliance of whoever made it is our only priority, and since we are not exactly in a rush, we can do that whenever we feel up to it."

"W-well, if you are certain then I shall not disobey", an unconscious stammer to her words. She'd never had it before, not when found by as a child, not when faced with King Ninus for the first time, not once, and yet her Master made her ever self-conscious and unsure of herself. What had he done to her? What was this feeling he brought upon her whenever he was around? Left in her inner confusion, she went silent.

Shakespeare

"Alack! what poverty my Muse brings forth, That having such a scope to show her pride, The argument all bare is of more worth Than when it hath my added praise beside! O! blame me not, if I no more can write!" Sorrow filled my voice, pride harmed by the beauties words, and my Masters lack of knowledge of my artistry. Truly, there was no more horrible situation. My ring showed my melancholy as I reached within my jacket, producing a well made tome, illustrated with a rather flattering bust of myself in my elder years. "Here, take mine words for your knowledge. I must not dwell on the great sadness your ignorance has caused me Master, for such things are fleeting like the mayflies."

With another flourish I produced a smaller tome of mine out of my sleeve, giving it to the fair Assassin. "Alas! 'tis true, I have gone here and there, And made my self a motley to the view, Gored mine own thoughts, sold cheap what is most dear, but fair lady, I have and wish nothing but the best for you." As I pressed the binding into her palm , I spoke in a voice low enough for only her flushed ears to hear. "Silence does not fit thy fair lips well. Use my lines within on the Master, sweet lady. The words of the Bard work their own magic, Queen of the Gardens."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Paladin
Nexus zoo

"When Stribog first taught the people of the North how to survive the winter he demanded something in return. The people slew the beasts of the North and offered the beasts as sacrifices to Stribog. Now the Order sacrifices to Stribog as a sign of our devotion to him, and in return he blesses us. It will be easier to understand once you see it in person."

With that said Paladin jumped into the penguin cage, and unsheathed his sword. Then Paladin began to carve a giant ritual circle within the habitat. The main feature of the circle was an enormous serpent carved in the center of it. Then the slaughter began. Each strike was fatal, and were delivered instantly. In a few minutes dozens of penguin had been killed and only 6 remained.  Then Paladin placed each body inside the carving of the serpent, fell to his knees, and began to pray.

"I tribute the lives of these beings to Stribog, The Guardian of Paths, The Lord of Winter, The Protecter of the Broken Circle, The Shepherd of Wolves."  As Paladin spoke the carving began to glow all light blue and the temperature dropped drastically. Clouds moved to block the sunlight near the zoo and layers of frost began to form over the penguin cage. Then a suffocating presence filled the air, and a figure appeared. A tall humanoid made of ice. It stared at Paladin for a moment and then it turned to look at Archive Hunter. Seemingly satisfied the being disappeared and the presence dissipated. Then the temperature around the Nexus dropped and it began to snow. It was almost like the Nexus was in the middle of winter. Paladin finally stood up, and as the blue light faded he asked Archive Hunter, "How was that?".

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

"How was that?".

The manifestation observed both its worshiper and me, contorted its face into a picture of vague satisfaction, and left, the snowy gift of winter enveloping the city as he did.

I snapped my notebook shut.

"Couldn't have asked for better," I managed to blurt out. The goblins, ogres, wolf-people and assorted had done little for me. This scene, that being, the snow... it was the first thing that actually made me feel like, well, magic was real. The ceremony itself was a lot less long-winded than I thought it would be, though. Very succinct.

I couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Whoop dee doo, magic is here in the house, time to turn your chariot into a pumpkin.

"Heh," I started, unable to not begin a sentence with a chuckle. "Do we leave the blood around, or is cleaning sacrilegious in some ways?"

[Knick]

Shiro

There was no bloodlust, simply an impossible biting cold in the air.

“I will say this once more Demon.” Shiro has not moved since the demon entered. “Out of respect for those that own this building, leave. Otherwise I will not be held accountable for my actions.” He paused for a moment, “I am showing amazing restraint as it is. Do not test my patience anymore.”

His words were said with no malice. They were simply absolute fact. It was obvious to even the most casual of on-looker that he was doing no less than warning the demon and informing those in the building.

Should it not leave, he will act. And he would not be responsible for his actions due to the ample warning.

[Puck-Chan]

Mary

Aegis Building - Reception/Lobby

It is clear that this morning is going to shit the moment these two stepped inside. Mary palmed her face at the obvious enmity from the priest and that whoever this... chained thing is, it wouldn't mind trying to "fend" him off in "self-defense". She knew that thing wouldn't mind baiting the man while pretending innocence. That kind of thing ticked her off. Her coffee is definitely going to have to wait.

"A'ight, 'cause both of you are about to ruin this beautiful morning," Mary began with hands on her hips, "I want you both set up a schedule with Jackie here and come back for a different time. Separately."

She jabbed a thumb back at the reception desk to emphasize her suggestion.

The soldier called out behind the Aegis receptionist, "Oi. Jackie, git your Excel out and call the Bossman about when his Excellency is available."

The bespectacled lady at the desk grimaced and glanced back at the computer screen near her while making deft clicks with her mouse.

"Capiche?" she asked them with a stern frown.

[MissingMandible]

Chosen Undead
The two of them were outside walking about when it started to snow. The Knight hated the snow...

It makes him cold and wet, along with a bit of tiredness. As an Undead, he craves warmth. The sooner Caules decides where he wants to eat, the sooner the K
Knight can get to some place warm.

Azmortchal'um, as a pack of Bane Wolves

Last night was a decent harvest, especially when a pack of his Bane Wolves stumbled upon a vampiric nightclub with all its members mulched. The partygoers' minds were gone and there souls long departed; their voices will never join Azmotchal'um's chorus. However, their bodies will still find a use. Through the Bane Wolves, the Angry Night collected as much biomatter he could.

By the time the sun rose, the three Bane Wolves were already heading back to one of the various hidden entrances to the Throne in No Man's Land (Using the cave in Shawnee Park as the sole entrance would be foolhardy, afterall). Passing by that orphanage, the Priest's absence was quite noticeable to the Great Devourer. Children locked in a building would be easy prey at first blush, but the potential gain would not make up for the loss of biomatter it would take to overrun the building's defenses. Having the Priest as an enemy right now is not ideal, either. So, the Bane Wolves kept moving, paying no heed to it. When the time is right, they will come back...

[YOLF]

Fate

In hindsight, Fate should've taken the hint of sourness in his coffee as a sign of something. Especially given the call he got immediately after in regards to certain guests. The camera feed from the lobby unfortunately confirmed his worries. While the digital images should offer nothing in the way of transmitting the feel of the atmosphere, it was easy to discern the chill of the air between the priest Shiro and a looming figure covered in chains that vaguely reminded him of the more monstrous demonfolk.

Culling his interest in the latter guest, Fate let out a sigh. It would be extremely inconvenient if a fight broke out right in his lobby, and even more so if it antagonized one strong potential recruit for AEGIS. It seemed he'd have to do something.

Leaving what was left of his coffee on his desk, he stepped into a small pool of water that spread beneath his feet and disappeared into it.

An instant later, there was a splash of water in the back of the lobby that fell away to reveal Fate just before it evaporated. In an immaculate white suit and black tie, he strode forward to meet the group of three that was the center of attention, a serious expression on his face.

Analyzing the unforseen guest closer as he walked, he took note of a sensation similar to that of demonic power exuding from him. So, if not a demon the likes of which he was used to, at least a form of demon from a different world was a likely hypothesis. His eyes went over the priest next, recognizing icy resolution in his expression.

Fate's shoes clicked against the floor as he stopped and addressed Mary.

"Lieutenant. Is there some sort of problem here?" the mage asked.

[Arch-Magos Winter]

There was a loud crash in Forest's bedroom.  "Bloody hell," she said before throwing her door open.  In the corner of her eyes she can see the various shades of violet that made up her bedroom, but before her was the ruins of her four poster, canopy bed and the man laying there.

She looked around, noticing that he had crashed from above but there wasn't any marks from her ceiling. 

Sighing, she walked over to the guy, getting an impression of leather, red fabric, and the guy laying there was big.  She could smell something like a foundry in the air, forge smoke tinged with blood.  "Are you okay?" she asked, moving throw away broken pieces of bed away from the guy.

Archer, sprawled out in the broken remains of the fourposter, tilted his head up to see who was helping him out now. "I think I am." Wincing, he cracked his neck, clambering out of the wreckage into the very, very purple room. Whoever the blonde was she seemed to have an obsession with the color. "Sorry about the bed." Looking around, EMIYA had a sinking feeling he wasn't in Fuyuki anymore. "And mind telling me where here is? I'm a little lost at the moment, if you couldn't guess already."

[Puck-Chan]

Mary's ears could perceive footsteps drawing closer to the group. She reared her head back where the sound was coming from, only to see her employer arriving to the scene with a serious look on his face. The soldier saluted him as he continued to walk towards them.

"Lieutenant. Is there some sort of problem here?" the mage asked.

"Affirmative, sir," she nodded grimly. Oh they had a problem alright. A priest who's being a bit feisty and the other inviting it.

Mary glanced back at the duo before continuing, "It seems these two are at odds with each other. I suggested that they come back at a different time separately to avoid conflict."

[Elf]

Oh.

Forest wondered if the Archer upstairs had a twin brother.  The faces were identical, but the man before her was at least a good twenty pounds of muscle heavier than Hakuno's body guard.  On second glance, she reasoned they weren't exactly identical. 

Their scents had subtle differences.  There was something about this man's scent that made her want to bury her face into his neck and just inhale.  Then there was the haunted look in steel gray eyes that the other man didn't have. 

Not to mention this guy was a little bit snarkier.

She smiled at his flippancy, shrugged and said, "You're not the first person to have this happen to.  Well, you are the first person to crash land in my bed.  This is Nexus City.  Sort of think of it as a place between worlds that sometimes people, places, and things gets thrown into. Which sounds like crazy talk, I know."

******

Gabriel had been heading to the kitchen when he heard a crash come from his Godmother's chambers and a knock on the door.  His mother tilted her head, smirked, and said, "It is the werewolf.  You see if your dear Godmother hasn't done something ridiculous to harm herself.  I will see to Mister Teems."

Then she shadowed away, leaving Gabriel to shadow to the bedroom.  And he smiled at the sight of his godmother appearing fairly dumbstruck with the man who had just crashed into her bedroom before moving to where he wouldn't be noticed.

******

Wynn smiled as she opened the door, leaning on it ever so slightly.  She said, "You look well, Kyle."

[Arch-Magos Winter]

"Not so crazy, considering my experiences. And I'd be rather surprised no man has ever broken your bed before." Archer was starting to default into a snark mode, with answers coming in. A place inbetween, huh. Maybe he'd escaped, finally, from that living hell - no, unliving, he corrected himself, he wasn't exactly alive during it - his service to the world had been. Then again, that'd be a nice thing to have happened, and it seemed that reality tried its hardest to deny him what he'd like most.  "Seems I'm rather lucky in that regard."

[Elf]

If she had been able, Forest would have blushed at that.   

Then of course, her thoughts trailed to, Well, I would have been happier if you broke the bed when I was in it . . . She quickly banished the thought, shook her head, and replied, "That's me full of bloody surprises . . . I'm Forest by the way."

There was a flicker in his gray eyes, a slight flicker of light as his voice changed sightly when he proclaimed his luck.  "Well, if you're not an evil monster then maybe?"