Cross Effects 3.0 - November 16, 2014—April 13, 2015

[YOLF]

Sarse

Sarse stopped in the middle of pulling the jeans up, hesitating at her touch and words.

Why did his life have to revolve around choices? The price of being a Word-bound, he supposed. Even if this was not the kind of difficulties he would have guessed in his future as someone meant to further the idea of choice.

The angel let out a chuckle as he tilted his head at Ann.

"You are a hopeless tease." He said, their faces separated by very little distance. His brow was still furrowed, but his lips curled up a bit as he continued, "Can't remember the last time I was so worked up over senseless little things on Earth."

Worked up in more than one sense, really. At this point.

He asked, "If I say yes, you're not going to leave me half-naked here afterwards, are you?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Ann

Death smirked at the angel's question. Ann's hand moved and her fingers ran along his shaft for a few seconds. "It's the clothes or me, Little Angel, however if you prove adequate I may share my cloak with you when we're done."

[Kaze]

EMIYA SHIROU

Damn it. Mia had gotten some strange idea in her head and decided to steal Forest’s phone and run off with it at speeds well beyond human. Biting down a curse, Shirou ran back up the stairs to try to find her. He found her standing on the roof, trying (and failing) to use it to talk to Saber.

“Mia, I need that phone.” He walked over to the girl holding out one hand, the expectation clear that the object be handed over. His tone was soft, but his expression was serious.



LANCELOT

A fireball that the mad warrior couldn’t see slammed into his makeshift shield, but the car, now granted conceptual power on the level of a Noble Phantasm, easily endured the blazing heat, protecting the man behind it.

When the ground suddenly turned into boiling mush, he barely even noticed at first. Then the boiling mud started to cling to his feet, dragging his legs deeper and hindering his movement while burning everything it touched. It was more painful than actually damaging, but if he remained for very long his own armor would be turned into a makeshift oven, roasting him inside. There was also the fact that his progress toward the Servant had been slowed, enough to give the enemy another chance to attack before he could get inside of the caster’s range. He instinctively knew that hindered as he was, it was better to take the initiative out of the enemy’s hands than risk being attacked.

Yowling in fury, the berserker dropped his appropriated street sign for a moment to grip his stolen car with both hands, lifting it up over his head before hurling it at the man hovering above the hospital roof. It made a poor throwing weapon, but his strength and skill made up the difference, and 1,400 kilograms of super-empowered modern transportation flew towards the magician like a blast from a cannon.

Taking his improvised weapon back from the tar where he dropped it, Lancelot madly powered through the hellish goo bent on slaughtering the enemy. Making it to the end less than three seconds later, he sprinted to the nearest wall of the hospital before making an implausibly high jump, even hindered by the weight of his armor the barbarous strength in his muscles carried him over halfway up the side of the building before gravity clutched at him, halting his ascent. Refusing to be denied, the mad warrior grabbed at a windowsill, thin but enough for his armored gauntlet to grasp. Bracing his feet on the wall, he launched himself the remaining distance and easily cleared the roof, intending cut the Servant down where he stood.

[Cherry Lover]

Sakura entire being perked up upon hearing Rider agree to form a contract with her. She’s going to do it Sakura was elated. She quickly went through her head, going over the steps of forming a contract with a familiar. She paused, took a deep breath, stepped back and began to speak.

“My name is Sakura Matou. Before me is Medusa, heroic spirit of the Rider class. I come before you seeking to form a contract.” A magic circle materialized beneath Rider’s feet.

Seeing the way Sakura instantly perked-up on her answer, Rider knew she had made the right choice.

This is worth it just to see her smile like that.

Then, Sakura stepped back, and started to speak.

"My name is Sakura Matou. Before me is Medusa, heroic spirit of the Rider class. I come before you seeking to form a contract", she said.

With that, a magic circle appeared under Rider's feet.

Hmm, odd, I don't remember this method. I guess it's something she's picked up from Faust.

“The terms are as follows: You shall serve me loyally, and obey my call and commands. In return, I shall provide you with prana to survive, and act as a spiritual anchor. I ask of you, do you accept the conditions of the contract?“ she continued.

Rider paid little attention to the words. She knew that these ceremonies required formality that went beyond the simple friendship she and her master possessed. They were, after all, designed for entities that were not necessarily quite so friendly.

Of course she would indeed serve Sakura loyally. She always had. Obeying her every command was another matter, though, Rider would always prioritise Sakura's well-being over following her orders.

Still, she saw no reason not to accept. She didn't think Sakura would have either the desire or the ability to enforce obedience, and her loyalty was not in question.

"I accept those terms", Rider said with a smile.

[Panda]

LANCELOT

A fireball that the mad warrior couldn’t see slammed into his makeshift shield, but the car, now granted conceptual power on the level of a Noble Phantasm, easily endured the blazing heat, protecting the man behind it.

When the ground suddenly turned into boiling mush, he barely even noticed at first. Then the boiling mud started to cling to his feet, dragging his legs deeper and hindering his movement while burning everything it touched. It was more painful than actually damaging, but if he remained for very long his own armor would be turned into a makeshift oven, roasting him inside. There was also the fact that his progress toward the Servant had been slowed, enough to give the enemy another chance to attack before he could get inside of the caster’s range. He instinctively knew that hindered as he was, it was better to take the initiative out of the enemy’s hands than risk being attacked.

Yowling in fury, the berserker dropped his appropriated street sign for a moment to grip his stolen car with both hands, lifting it up over his head before hurling it at the man hovering above the hospital roof. It made a poor throwing weapon, but his strength and skill made up the difference, and 1,400 kilograms of super-empowered modern transportation flew towards the magician like a blast from a cannon.

Taking his improvised weapon back from the tar where he dropped it, Lancelot madly powered through the hellish goo bent on slaughtering the enemy. Making it to the end less than three seconds later, he sprinted to the nearest wall of the hospital before making an implausibly high jump, even hindered by the weight of his armor the barbarous strength in his muscles carried him over halfway up the side of the building before gravity clutched at him, halting his ascent. Refusing to be denied, the mad warrior grabbed at a windowsill, thin but enough for his armored gauntlet to grasp. Bracing his feet on the wall, he launched himself the remaining distance and easily cleared the roof, intending cut the Servant down where he stood.

Did he just throw a fucking car effectively?! Damn, that's actually pretty cool.

Well, fuck that anyway.

Just before the car had been thrown, the Shield Concepts had been ready, and Adjutor was able to track the car after Lancelot threw it.

With another Focus word, Adjutor launched a Concept Shield at the thrown car, accounting for the car's movement speed in relation to the Shield's easily enough and blasting it out of the general area just before it would've hit Faust. With that threat deflected, he turned his attention to Lancelot, who was now trying to climb the building.

Also fuck that.

This time, Adjutor simply pulsed the Building Shield, rapidly extending it out a meter from the building before letting it snap back into place, throwing the mad knight off the building.

Armor up?

Not like we can hold back with this one.

Adjutor takes a moment to try to blast the knight with two more Shields, the second one just in case the first misses, and then focuses on the tattoos covering his arms and on the mana he'd cordoned off earlier.

"Armos," he says, starting the process. Within the span of about half a second, metal flows out of the tattoos in copious amounts, flowing up his arms and covering his body entirely before solidifying into a mass of small interlocking plate, like especially thick scale armor. The armor didn't leave a single inch uncovered, instead clinging to him like a second skin. The only real variation in the black metal armor was three red lines across the face as a visor of some sort.

Adjutor, with his vision unrestricted by the armor, looks down at his hands for a moment, clenching his fists and general making sure that all the kinks have been worked out before starting to prepare more Shields in anticipation of the berserker's next attack.

[SINIB]

Seeing the way Sakura instantly perked-up on her answer, Rider knew she had made the right choice.

This is worth it just to see her smile like that.

Then, Sakura stepped back, and started to speak.

"My name is Sakura Matou. Before me is Medusa, heroic spirit of the Rider class. I come before you seeking to form a contract", she said.

With that, a magic circle appeared under Rider's feet.

Hmm, odd, I don't remember this method. I guess it's something she's picked up from Faust.

“The terms are as follows: You shall serve me loyally, and obey my call and commands. In return, I shall provide you with prana to survive, and act as a spiritual anchor. I ask of you, do you accept the conditions of the contract?“ she continued.

Rider paid little attention to the words. She knew that these ceremonies required formality that went beyond the simple friendship she and her master possessed. They were, after all, designed for entities that were not necessarily quite so friendly.

Of course she would indeed serve Sakura loyally. She always had. Obeying her every command was another matter, though, Rider would always prioritise Sakura's well-being over following her orders.

Still, she saw no reason not to accept. She didn't think Sakura would have either the desire or the ability to enforce obedience, and her loyalty was not in question.

"I accept those terms", Rider said with a smile.

The magic circle began to glow brightly. Sakura nodded, and reached into her pocket with her off hand and pulled out a small knife. She took a deep breath and cut her finger with the knife, drawing blood. She shook the knife at the circle, splattering blood onto the circle.

“In confirmation of this contract I have drawn out my own blood as a seal. The contract is now complete.”

The magic circle flared up in a brilliant red, then faded away. Did it work? She probed inside, searching for a spiritual connection. After a few moments, she felt a significant new drain upon her prana supplies.

“It worked!” She exclaimed with a grin. She ran forward and hugged Rider. "It worked.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yowling in fury, the berserker dropped his appropriated street sign for a moment to grip his stolen car with both hands, lifting it up over his head before hurling it at the man hovering above the hospital roof. It made a poor throwing weapon, but his strength and skill made up the difference, and 1,400 kilograms of super-empowered modern transportation flew towards the magician like a blast from a cannon.

Faust watched as the berserker lifted the car over his head, with growing concern. Oh hell, he’s going to throw it! Before he could begin to dodge, the enormous car was rapidly approaching his position. He threw himself out of the way, desperately trying to escape the kill zone. I’m not going to make it!

Just before the car had been thrown, the Shield Concepts had been ready, and Adjutor was able to track the car after Lancelot threw it.

With another Focus word, Adjutor launched a Concept Shield at the thrown car, accounting for the car's movement speed in relation to the Shield's easily enough and blasting it out of the general area just before it would've hit Faust.

Faust watched with surprise and relief as the car was deflected by the shield. That could have killed me

This time, Adjutor simply pulsed the Building Shield, rapidly extending it out a meter from the building before letting it snap back into place, throwing the mad knight off the building.

As he watched the berserker get thrown off by the pulsation of the shield,after a sigh, he called out to the Adjutor. “I thank you again, that was extremely close.” He stood up once more, and prepared to fire off another volley of spells.

[YOLF]

Sarse

A pleasant chill ran up Sarse's spine from Ann's touch. He remembered past encounters, the most of recent of which had been decades go by now; and he remembered the restrictions that bound him a long long time ago.

The Servitors of the Demon Prince of Death were not allowed to celebrate life. And yet, now, he was at the brink of exchanging those affections with one who was Death herself. The thought was... surprisingly refreshing. Liberating, even. It almost made the shadow of Saminga that had been over his head since his Redemption laughable.

Sarse didn't finish putting his pants on. Ann found herself pulled from behind him and pressed against a wall with her back, and her mischievous hand against his hardening member.

The angel ducked his head to speak against her neck, "I would really rather do this on a bed."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Ann

Ann practically purred in approval as Sarse pushed her against the wall of the stall. "I'm afraid that I'm too impatient for that, Little Angel"

Her hand withdrew from the angel's length and made its way to her crotch and she began to play with herself. Her hand teased her clit and nether lips. For a while the only sounds emanating from the stall was Ann's light moans. Then, instead of finishing herself she slowly removed her fingers, slick with her own fluids, and pushed them into Sarse's mouth.

[YOLF]

Sarse

Sarse's lips enclosed her fingers, and he sucked on the taste of her. The angel grabbed her hand and ran his tongue over her skin, cleaning her fingers one by one. His other hand slid up her leg to her waist, pulling their bodies together as he rained light kisses between her fingers, and then down her palm.

Death having such an attractive form was a strange proposition. Even then, it wasn't as if celestials were so easily attracted to flesh. But beautiful things were beautiful - and Ann's ministrations had sparked his memories of how this sort of intimacy could feel. So he would return the sensations, to the best of his ability.

The hand at the waist trailed back down again, tracing the curves of her ass and grabbing a firm handful. Their bodies were glued together, Sarse's still hardening length pressed against her. His mouth passed Ann's wrist and laid touches along her arm, before he dove at her neck again, nibbling down to her breasts.

[Cherry Lover]

As soon as Sakura finished speaking, Rider saw the magic circle flare up, before vanishing. Shortly after, she felt prana flowing into her, regenerating her depleted supply.

“It worked!” exclaimed Sakura, happily, before running towards her and grabbing her into a hug, which Rider happily returned.

"It worked”, repeated Sakura, the relief clear in her voice.

"Yes, master, it did. I can feel my prana supplies replenishing", said Rider, happily, still holding Sakura tightly in her arms.

She was still not certain if making this contract would cause problems in the future, but seeing the smile on the face of the girl in her arms made her certain she'd made the right decision. The girl had obviously been through a lot, being cut off from everyone she'd ever known and loved, and if Rider could give her back even a small part of the happiness she'd once known, then she would do everything in her power to do so.

[YOLF]

The lord of the castle motioned for Wiseman to come closer, and gave him instructions in a clear, powerful voice. "I have decided. You will be brought into my service, 'Wiseman', and your payment shall be as you have named. There is not much shortage of wealth, here... in the meantime, I would have you given room and board. Butler," Vlad called over to his loyal servant. "Show our newest member to the large room on the lower floor, next to the workshop. I believe he will find the location to his liking."

Butler bowed without a further word, and looked to Wiseman.

"Please follow me." He announced simply, going ahead to open the door for the mage.

So, the butler led Wiseman to his new habitation through the rich halls of the castle on the lower floor. Once they got there, to an elaborate dark door, Butler produced a pair of keys from his pockets and unlocked it. After lighting the room, he allowed Wiseman to step inside and analyze it himself. It was a great room in royal colors and tones. A large bed, several armoires, a wide desk, a bookcase with glass windows filled nearly to the brim with books that covered almost an entire wall, and a door at the back that led to an attached bathroom; these were the main display pieces of the chamber.

With slow steps, he went over to the far wall, and pulled to the side the drapes of the small, elevated windows of the room with his new instrument.

He turned to Wiseman with a solemn nod, saying, "I hope this is to your liking, sir Wiseman. It is fully furnished and the interior of the desk has writing materials, but for now it does not possess any specific tools. If you'll tell me what you need, I'll to my best to bring them as soon as possible. Of course, if you wish me to make some adjustment to the decoration, or add anything to the furniture, feel free to say so. I am at your service."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Ann

Sarse's lips enclosed her fingers, and he sucked on the taste of her. The angel grabbed her hand and ran his tongue over her skin, cleaning her fingers one by one. His other hand slid up her leg to her waist, pulling their bodies together as he rained light kisses between her fingers, and then down her palm.

Death having such an attractive form was a strange proposition. Even then, it wasn't as if celestials were so easily attracted to flesh. But beautiful things were beautiful - and Ann's ministrations had sparked his memories of how this sort of intimacy could feel. So he would return the sensations, to the best of his ability.

The hand at the waist trailed back down again, tracing the curves of her ass and grabbing a firm handful. Their bodies were glued together, Sarse's still hardening length pressed against her. His mouth passed Ann's wrist and laid touches along her arm, before he dove at her neck again, nibbling down to her breasts.

The smirk on Ann's face as Sarse sucked and licked her fingers was soon replaced with a look of pleasure as his mouth traced it's way all the way to her breasts and his hand clutched her bottom.

For someone like Ann time was something that passed quickly but even to her it had been ages since her last hedonistic period and the angel was good. There was experience and purpose behind his gentle kisses and bites.

As her moans grew a bit louder and her body grew a bit hotter Ann could feel Sarse's hardness pressing against her. One hand began to stroke the shaft and tease the head every few seconds. With her other she grabbed the angel's head and directed it towards her and for a few moments she pressed her lips against his. Her tongue met his for a short instance before she broke the kiss with a breathy cry and pushed Sarse's head down towards the wetness between her legs.


Wiseman

Standing in the room Wiseman could feel all his years. He had stood in the presence of beings greater than the lord of this castle but he was younger than, and while he may have grown more powerful in magic as the years passed his body suffered time's constant march. For a moment his straight posture and vitality wavered and he looked truly weary but it soon faded.

A quick look at the room revealed its extravagance. It was truly a beautiful room that revealed a bit of the wealth and power Vlad held. He looked towards the Butler as the servant spoke and replied, "There is no need to call me sir, Butler. We are both currently servants of the same master, and even though we serve him in different capacities I would not believe that I deserve any more respect than you do. Wiseman is more than enough."

Then the warlock reached into his robe and removed one of the cards in his possession from inside it before holding it out to the butler. "I would like to request a few favors from you, Butler. Seawater from the nearest ocean would be exceptionally useful in one of my newer creations. After that I would enjoy to speak with you later this night over tea. If we are to work together than we might as well begin to become familiar."

[SINIB]

As soon as Sakura finished speaking, Rider saw the magic circle flare up, before vanishing. Shortly after, she felt prana flowing into her, regenerating her depleted supply.

“It worked!” exclaimed Sakura, happily, before running towards her and grabbing her into a hug, which Rider happily returned.

"It worked”, repeated Sakura, the relief clear in her voice.

"Yes, master, it did. I can feel my prana supplies replenishing", said Rider, happily, still holding Sakura tightly in her arms.

She was still not certain if making this contract would cause problems in the future, but seeing the smile on the face of the girl in her arms made her certain she'd made the right decision. The girl had obviously been through a lot, being cut off from everyone she'd ever known and loved, and if Rider could give her back even a small part of the happiness she'd once known, then she would do everything in her power to do so.

Sakura snuggled up close to Rider, tightly wrapping her arms around her. She buried her face in Rider’s shoulder, breathing softly. Sakura continued standing there for about a minute, softly humming to herself. She began absentmindedly playing with Rider’s hair, but after a while she began to notice the sounds of battle outside again. She slowly stood up, and disengaged the hug.

“Rider, I think Caster may need your help.” She smiled. “He lost a good deal of magical energy while fighting you, after all.”

[Panda]

Henderson sped through the city street at the usual speeds (breakneck) and with the usual respect for traffic laws (none), searching for the Seven-Eleven that the nice young man had mentioned. He soon finds one, with a tanker covered in snow as it refills the station's holding tanks. Henderson parks along one of the parallel parking spots about a block away from the gas station and taking a closer look as he passes by. The station is situated at an intersection, with another T shape intersection a few blocks down with an alleyway.

"Hmm...No sign of any o' them Yellow namblies, but you can never be too careful..." He mutters to himself, popping open his glovebox and removing a large pocket knife and his flare gun, loaded with a fresh flare, which he clips to the waistband of his shorts. He briefly considers bringing that explosive putty stuff Simon loaned him after that dinner party, but decides on a molotov instead. He also loads Betty up with breaching rounds this time, deciding that he may peruse the shop's wares after he gets finished here. Getting out of his car, Betty in hand, he makes his way to the gas station, kicks open the door and is about to start shouting when an unearthly roar echoes out from the alleyway.

"What in the name o'-" Henderson starts to mutter, then he looks at the alleyway properly this time, to see an unrecognizable mass of flesh and bones.

It's a trap! Those namblies have gotten smarter...

Remembering a previous incident of similar nature, Henderson takes a moment to snatch a Slim Jim from the nearest rack, dashes outside to his Buick, reaches in, grabs the block of putty and sprints to the tanker, which is still filling the station's holding tank, smashing the passenger side window with the butt of his shotgun and unlocking the door before sliding in, deciding that there was too much snow on the windshield.

Not having the time to sweep it off, Henderson levels Betty at the window and proceeds to blast it out before taking the block of plastic explosive and wiring it to be triggered by the activation of the airbags. He then proceeds to hotwire the truck and slam on the accelerator to get it started, lining up with the alleyway from a few city blocks away.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider held onto Sakura tightly as she felt her snuggle up closer, burying her face into Rider's shoulder. Sakura's contented humming made Rider feel equally happy. She knew she had done the girl's mental state a world of good by accepting this contract, and was overjoyed she'd had the opportunity to help another Sakura move towards happiness.

Finally, after a few minutes of affection, Sakura stood up and pulled herself out of Rider's arms.

“Rider, I think Caster may need your help”, she said, smiling. “He lost a good deal of magical energy while fighting you, after all.”

Rider smiled back at Sakura.

"If you wish for me to fight, then I will happily do so", she said, walking towards the exit.

Oh, wait a minute, the barrier is still up, she thought, suddenly.

"Sakura, I can't get out unless Adjutor opens the barrier. Not without demolishing the hospital in the process...", she said.

She looked outside briefly, and noticed Adjutor in the middle of fending off a flying car.

"And, I think Adjutor is a little.. busy at the moment...", she added.