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

[Milbunk]

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald

"Then I will take your offer, you have my gratitude sir. Then if you'll excuse me, I wish to rest for the night."

With a final polite nod Kayneth left the room and towards the direction Grenth had pointed out to him.

As Kayneth traveled through the aging wooden halls he was reminded of his past nearly five years ago.

Back then he had just lost his base of operations and nearly lost the love of his life. With no allies around and only enemies abound he was desperate for help, and he found it in the old man, the archmagus Zouken Matou.

It was a naive hope, even Kayneth knew that but he had no other options, he couldn't do something as reckless as attack the Master of Saber especially in his weakened state due to his battle with Rider earlier that day, and not only had he taken on the full strain of Lancer's magical energy, he also put his utmost into healing Sola to the best of his abilities.

And so with a restless heart he traveled the aged Matou Mansion similar to this very own darkened abode. His mind ever the weary, and though he did not hold a Servant this time around he was always prepared.

Even with his Mystic Code currently in it's container he could activate it in the span of a second should he require its aid. There was no need to fear, and though this Grenth seemed rather rude for an impressive magus, Kayneth held him in trust for now just like he did back then. For better or for worse.

Yes for tonight he would rest his weary eyes and allow his mind to relax from the day's fatigue. Tomorrow he would focus on researching this so called land of the Nexus.

[Panda]

Goddammit kid, Guts muttered as he quickly turned to his side, drawing Dragonslayer and planting the blade in the ground just in time for the first few rounds fired from the officers to flatten themselves against it uselessly. While the sword wasn't normally wide enough to provide cover along the mercenary's front profile, it was easily enough to cover his sideways profile. A different sound issued from one of the officers' weapons as Guts registered twin pinging noises, like tiny steel darts bouncing off of Dragonslayer.

Meanwhile, the blonde dived off to the side while drawing a larger version of those cannons, squeezing off a few rounds while Guts took advantage of the reprieve to withdraw a ramrod and a small cannonball, quickly loading up the arm. The officer behind the door faltered as the round pierced through door and into his thigh, dropping him as another of the rounds smashed into the grenade-launcher-wielding officer's arm, throwing off his aim as the pain forced him to tense up. Unfortunately, this resulted in a tear gas round being sent the mercenary's way.

Meanwhile, the officer with the taser quickly drew a second taser, aiming at Neo this time before firing, while Guts found himself being engulfed in weird reddish smoke. Not wanting to take any chances, the mercenary promptly starts to hold his breath while he pulls up a facecloth normally hidden in the armor. Closing up his arm once more, Guts feels about for a moment while the sole uninjured officer fires off a few rounds in Neo's direction. Finding the canister that was the source of all this smoke, Guts quickly kicks it in Neo's direction as he takes off at a run for the kid himself, dragging Dragonslayer along as he palms a pair of the ever-useful spike bombs.

[Ivan The Mouse]

Goddammit kid, Guts muttered as he quickly turned to his side as he drew Dragonslayer, blade planted in the ground just in time for the first few rounds fired from the officers to flatten themselves against it uselessly. While the sword wasn't normally wide enough to provide cover along the mercenary's front profile, it was easily enough to cover his sideways profile. A different sound issued from one of the officers' weapons as Guts registered twin pinging noises, like tiny steel darts bouncing off of Dragonslayer.

Meanwhile, the blonde dived off to the side while drawing a larger version of those cannons, squeezing off a few rounds while Guts took advantage of the reprieve to withdraw a ramrod and a small cannonball, quickly loading up the arm. The officer behind the door faltered as the round pierced through door and into his thigh, dropping him as another of the rounds smashed into the grenade-launcher-wielding officer's arm, throwing off his aim as the pain forced him to tense up. Unfortunately, this resulted in a tear gas round being sent the mercenary's way.

Meanwhile, the officer with the taser quickly drew a second taser, aiming at Neo this time before firing, while Guts found himself being engulfed in weird reddish smoke. Not wanting to take any chances, the mercenary promptly starts to hold his breath while he pulls up a facecloth normally hidden in the armor. Closing up his arm once more, Guts feels about for a moment while the sole uninjured officer fires off a few rounds in Neo's direction. Finding the canister that is the source of all this smoke, Guts quickly kicks it in Neo's direction as he takes off at a run for the kid himself, palming a pair of the ever-useful spike bombs as he runs.

Neo did not see the officer with a taser having another loaded taser with him, which resulted with him being shot with it. But Neo was no stranger to pain itself, having an absurdly long history of violent criminality and military service. He was lying supine in the ground when he was shot with the taser, and he had no apparent choice but to pull out the electrodes on his body before they can stay any longer. However, while Neo did manage to pull out the electrodes, the shock of taser still had its after-effects on him, which meant that his muscles were still shaking when he fired back at officer with the taser, therefore somewhat skewing his accuracy.

But yet, another armed and uninjured officer fired a few shots at Neo, so he was hit on the torso twice, but the blonde punk still soldiered on through the pain and bleeding by firing back a few more times. This was further exacerbated by the fact that a gas canister was hurled on his way, which Neo managed to kick away to a random direction while he was still lying on the ground.

"Fuck this." Neo uttered as he tried to quickly lift himself up to stand again, but it was a painstaking process due to his injuries.

[Panda]

Goddammit, kid! Guts found himself cursing the impulsive youth for kicking away the smoke canister as he lit the fuses on the bombs with the ignition cord on his arm, tossing them under one of the cars as he scooped the kid up with his non-mechanical hand, hefting him up on his shoulder as he tosses Dragonslayer forward a short distance. Fortunately, the smoke still provides a modicum of cover for Guts as he takes aim at the approximate location of the second cruiser with his metal arm, lanyard already gripped in his teeth.

Unfortunately, the cover still proves insufficient, with one of the cops managing to tag Guts as he takes aim. It isn't enough to deter him, however, as he gets a solid grip on the lanyard in his mouth before pulling it.

The hand on the cannon arm drops away to reveal a barrel, from which bursts a gout of fire as the roar of cannon-fire precedes the cannonball's impact on the the side of the cruiser's hood, blasting through and mangling the engine as the bombs tossed under the first car explode with enough force to render it unusable, the shrapnel from both explosions putting the officers out of commission, though the placement of the blasts ensures that any injuries won't be lethal.

Emerging from the smoke cloud, Guts doesn't bother looking back as he takes up Dragonslayer with his mechanical arm, the magnet in the hand allowing him to drag the sword behind him as he escapes into a nearby alley, still carrying Neo.

[Ivan The Mouse]

Emerging from the smoke cloud, Guts doesn't bother looking back as he takes up Dragonslayer with his mechanical arm, the magnet in the hand allowing him to drag the sword behind him as he escapes into a nearby alley, still carrying Neo.

Neo was laughing heartily while he was being carried off by the mercenary. He was glad to prove that the two of them have fighting chances instead of just opting to sit in jail without even trying to resist. "Duuuuude, dat shit was fuckin' awesome! I knew we could fuck 'em up!"

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Archer frowned a little bit as his new host burst into a string of what he assumed was profanity. Her answers to his questions, instead of silencing them, simply caused more to spring up. How did she know about his magical talent? How did she know about the seals? How did she know in any manner about him? This wasn't anywhere he'd ever been before in life or in service after it. The Nexus. Strange.

Pulling himself free of the wreckage, Archer dusted himself off briskly, regarding the busted table once again. He wasn't lying when he said it was pretty much beyond repair. "Good luck with fixing that then."

Fourth one of what? Whatever that one had been talking about, how did he relate to it? There couldn't be other servants here; he'd have to have been summoned for that. So what the hell was going on? He turned his eye back on his host.

"So, miss, I haven't caught your name. Sorry about dropping in unannounced by the way."

[Elf]

Forest

Forest stared at Adjutor and asked, "Wait, you've seen three other Servants here?  Bloody hell, Saber's going to have kittens at that . . ."

She pushed some of her hair from her face and looked at Archer.  Confusion was flickering in those steel gray eyes of his, but he wasn't voicing it.  Instead, he asked for her name.

She frowned, took an unneeded breath and said, "I'm Forest, and as Miss Juggernaut is getting her knickers in a twist about, I am a vampire.  This is Nexus . . .  Its a dimension between dimension and things and people get sucked here, but like a roach motel they can never leave."

The blond sighed and leaned against the wall with a shake of her head.  "I know, I've been trying for a year."

She looked at Adjutor and his rather large friend.  "You two can both come in, if your friend isn't going to be a prejudiced cunt, and I'll try to explain things the best I can." 

[Panda]

So that's what they're called...

"Servants?" Adjutor considers the term for a moment as he steps inside, "Well, that would certainly explain that why Caster and Rider kept calling that girl 'Master'..."

Xarrest?

You can do it yourself.

Already did to fix our clothes after that fight with the werewolves. Just because we're familiar with the Concept doesn't mean both of us don't need to practice.

Fine.

With that, Xarrest takes a moment to gather the requisite mana from their reserve as he focuses on the Concept.

Restore. Reform. Repair. Restore to the previous state. Reform the pieces to restore what they were pieces of. Repair.

"Moeskarne," he mutters under his breath, hand held out towards the shattered remains of the table.

With that, the pieces start to slot together, coming together just like the once-destroyed hallway at the hospital, until, after a few moments, the kitchen table is made whole, as if it had never suffered the wrath of the Robo-Golem in the first place.

Taking a moment to ease the slight strain caused by use of the Concept, Adjutor lets out a slow breath before turning to the vampire.

"And I've completely forgotten my manners," he says, holding out a hand to the vampire, "Adjutor Xarrest...Well, it kinda depends on which one of us you're talking to, but that's besides the point. Anyway, nice to meet you and thank you for inviting us in."

With that, he turns to the Servant, "And you as well."

Not going to tell her about Darius?

Best not to get her hopes up.

[Alice]

Rin

The blond nodded and said, "That would be best.  For this, we should rest up for the quest tomorrow.  Shirou and Rin, would you care to join me for dinner?  I can provide funds to cover your meals if needed."

Rin smiled. "Sure, I could do with something to eat. Though I don't mind covering the meal or paying you back later." She looked over at Shirou. "What about you, Emiya-kun?"

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Caster. Rider. Saber. A flash of memory burst forth, of a woman in silvery armor with golden hair. Archer blinked. This... this was odd. This was something he could never have expected to happen. The same was true of the Adjuctator's apparent ability to take a splintered table and return it to perfect condition.

The least expected thing however, was the nature of his host. A vampire. A pretty, blonde, firey vampire. Now that, that made him hesitate a moment before nodding at Forest's offer. Her kitchen seemed extensive enough, too. Maybe there'd be some sort of tea there. And maybe, he would be able to see if her Saber was his. He shrugged. "So we're all stuck here then? In some sort of pocket dimension?"

[Elf]

Forest

So neither of them freaked out that I let out I'm a vampire. Well, wicked.

She blinked as the wizard guy repaired her table back to new.  "Oh.  Wow, thanks," she said as she studied the newly reformed table. 

"And I've completely forgotten my manners," he said, holding his hand out to her, "Adjutor Xarrest...Well, it kinda depends on which one of us you're talking to, but that's besides the point. Anyway, nice to meet you and thank you for inviting us in."

He reeked of fresh blood.  His own fresh blood and she noticed he was covered in it.  She took his hand and shook it.  "You're welcome.  I'm a bit of a daft bat when it comes to letting people in need in."

She then bit her lip.  She didn't see an open wound on him, but offered, "So Adjutor, would you would like a shower and a change of clothing?  You're soaked in blood.  Which isn't exactly the smartest thing to be here."

Then she looked at Archer, sighed, and said, "Aye.  And it sucks.  A lot."

[Panda]

"It's kinda my fault it got broken in the first place, so it's the least I can do," Adjutor says, cocking an eyebrow at the term she used for herself.

"Daft?" he says inquisitively, "Kindness is hardly a quality normally associated with daftness..."

Then the fact that he's still covered in his own blood, something that had slipped his mind since the impromptu interrogation, is pointed out.

...How did I forget about that?

You tend to forget about how messed up you get when you know you can heal...

"..." Adjutor allowed a slight grimace at the realization that, politeness aside, Forest was still a vampire and he was covered in what could potentially be her sustenance, "Apologies for that, a shower would probably be a good idea..."

"About those servants, though..." Adjutor says to the red man, "There was another one, not one of the purplehead's, that simply would not stop screaming. He also endangered a hospital in his battle with the other two, and it seems like you know more about them than I do."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Wiseman

"Let's. You have sparked my academical interest,"

The sorcerer rose from his seat and moved behind the seat of the butler immediately. His Wings of Heart materialized in a flash of light but instead of continuing their circular pattern the dagger-like constructs floated around the abhuman and began to shift hues extraordinarily quick. "I have to admit that I have never seen a case as unique as your own, Butler. Brace yourself, this may be a little invasive.

The prismatic constructs pressed themselves against the servant as Wiseman moved his hand to grasp some invisible force. Then, seemingly holding nothing but air, he yanked his hand back and light began to emanate from Butler's back.

Wiseman made a small frown. If this had been any human the wings should have already emerged. This was odd but could be ascribed to the servant's strange nature. So instead of pondering this more Wiseman gave another yank as he coaxed the soul out. Then the manifestation fully burst out of the butler's back. Its form was still fluid considering how the light continued to shift and change but they were vaguely wing shaped and that was fine for now. Something as immaterial as the soul took a little while to adjust to the physical world.

Wiseman's own Wing's of Heart withdrew and floated behind his back as he pulled back and sat back down in his seat and broke his perfect posture in order to lean back a little bit. That was slightly more taxing than it should have been. "Give it a little while. You're human enough to have wings but it'll take a few minutes before your soul manages to express itself correctly. It won't even take a moment after this time since the manifestation would already have a defined form."

[SINIB]

Noel and the paramedics quickly reloaded into the ambulance; they were soon on the way to another hospital. Noel absent mindedly looked out the window, watching dawn begin to break on the horizon. The morning sun peeked over the skyline, bathing the city in a pinkish glow.

“It’s the birth of a brand new day, it calls to all the creatures in the city, it’s time to wake up!” Noel murmured to herself while she scribbled in her notebook.

Eventually, the party arrived at another hospital, this one thankfully in good condition. They disembarked and entered the hospital.

An attendant tried to stop Noel and Grendel, “I’m going to need to ask you to leave your weapons outside, I’m afraid.”

“Oh!” Noel fished around in her pocket and pulled out a badge, showing it to the attendant. “It’s alright, I’m an officer.” She leaned towards the man and whispered a follow up comment in a voice she thought would be too quiet for Grendel to eavesdrop. “Make sure you make him disarm.”

[Cherry Lover]

Wait, Goethe? Didn't he write about Faust...? Rider thought, vaguely recalling that she'd heard the name somewhere.

As she opened the book and began reading, Rider's suspicions were confirmed, and she chuckled to herself slightly.

Hmm, he really wants me to read his story? Well, let's see what happens....

She knew some of his past due to his nature as a Heroic Spirit, but her knowledge was somewhat limited. Learning more about him would be very helpful.

She continued reading for hours, becoming more and more disturbed by his treatment of Gretchen. Not that she really cared about her, as such, but if he was willing to treat her in that manner, then what was to say he would not do the same to Sakura?

Continuing to read, she reached a part about a witches mountain-top orgy, and couldn't help but be amused, and somewhat aroused, at the thought of her master and her sister dancing around naked in some evil orgy. Although, admittedly, from what she knew of Sakura's sexual drive, she could almost believe the orgy thing, if not the "evil" part....

However, at the same time, her opinion of Faust became worse and worse as she saw him dancing around without a care in the world, forgetting about poor Gretchen and her plight. What if that were Sakura? Would he treat her in the same way?

She continued reading and, to her relief, Faust finally showed some moral backbone on seeing Gretchen's apparent state. Perhaps he wouldn't be quite so bad after all. Still, she needed to know where this would end up, to know more about the sort of person he really was. Instead, though, the next chapter seemed to be a small intermission, mostly filled with thinly-veiled tirades at people Goethe presumably hated. She continued to read when ,suddenly, there was a bright flash in front of her.

What the hell?

She looked at the source of the flash, and saw a giant armoured man kneeling before her. Before she could ask what was going on, he spoke with a booming voice.

"I have heard and heeded to your summons at once. I ask of you, are you worthy to be served by my blade?" he said.

What? Is this a servant? If so, how did I summon him?

Rider pondered her response for a moment, sensing a new influx of mana from the now-awakened Sakura as she did. She wanted to accept the offer. After all, more power for her meant more ways to protect Sakura, including from Faust if necessary, and she had no idea how this being would react to her suggesting an alternate master. At the same time, though, she knew that, whilst Sakura trusted her absolutely, Faust had no reason to do so. She did not wish to give him good cause to question her loyalty to Sakura, as an unqualified acceptance would imply. After a few moments of thought, she replied carefully.

"I am unsure if you would consider me worthy, but I would be glad for you to serve me. However, I myself serve another person, and I will use everything I can to protect her. To become my servant is to become her servant also", she said.