Cross Effects- The RP

[Arch-Magos Winter]

"And if it was Jack who caused it, I want first crack."

"If you're talking about the state that thing was in..." I said, stepping out towards the heartbeats. Lancer. Some girl I didn't recognize but who smelled like a hint of chalk and a little like Finn. Rider. "Yeah. It was either frenzy on everyone in the room, or frenzy on that fucking monster."

Blood dripped down out of my jacket. Fuck this. I pulled it off, letting the bloodstains on it speak for themselves... that and the bit of a rib -  wait no, several ribs - I just noticed was sticking out of my chest. Looks like that'll need some healing. "'Course, if you're talking about something else, I ain't got a clue." I really didn't. "And if anyone has some blood or something that'd be nice..." The beast was growling in its cage, desiring more food. "I sorta got fucked up with that guy."

It was then I noticed that my entire spine was practically fractured at impossible angles, and I wasn't exactly standing up straight. Motherfucker.

[Milbunk]

Medea and Sissel
Secret Base

After their initial confrontation Sissel and Medea started working together. Combining their unique skills they set to work on their plans  turning a once weakened apartment into a mighty fortress.

While Sissel worked on capturing more prey for their research, Medea worked on fortifications and research into her projects being careful not to be to expose herself with her magical energy sucking skills. She admitted silently to herself that she had hit a stroke of luck, whether Sissel had knew it or not his base was on an area of the city ripe for gathering energy almost like a leyline in everything but appearance.

They saw the Castle appear out of nowhere, they saw Downy's crazy plans, but yet they kept quiet. Allowing others to do their dirty work without even knowing that they were there. Always watching from the shadows, silent as could be. There was nothing they didn't know and there was no one who knew them.

Finally after one month had passed and events unwinded before them they decided that then was the best time to take action.

[Mooncake]

Lucas



The armored man steps into my kick, and I only get him in the ribs; my strike at his head only ends up mangling the armor around his arm and giving him a large gash. Something hits me in the side, but I barely feel it as the man steps forward, pushing me against the wall and casting another spell. I feel drowsy, but-

Forest didn't move, she didn't have to.  She just harnessed every ounce of anger, grief, and guilt she was keeping tight inside and bundled it together.  Then she focused on the thing before her before shoving her mind into his with all the force and subtlety of a battering ram. 

She wanted to hurt the thing who invaded her house.  Chances were that he was responsible for Shuya, Isa, and probably Vanessa's deaths.  So she made the mental invasion as brutal as possible.

-!

"▂▂▃▃▂▂▃▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

The same inhuman howl that I let out earlier rips itself from my throat again. A psychic attack hits me full force, shattering the effects of what could have only been a sleep spell of some sort. The attack searches through my mind with tremendous force, learning everything about my motivation for coming here and the events that took place in an instant.

Even as this happens, I react, shrieking from the pain. I focus on all the memories of the wounds I have received during my time in this compound and bring that experience to the forefront of my mind, trying to make the attacker experience that pain in a very crude defense. I break an arm free from the armored man's hold, and shoot it forward at his eye, only to suddenly be halted as my attacker tries to take over my nervous system.

No.  You're not getting out of this that easily, you wanker, she said, moving to take control of the being's nervous system, You came looking for me.  Well, I hope I don't disappoint.

Through the pain, I give her a brief response, trying to fight her powers.

DiE ALoNe aND UnlOvEd!

[Aiden]

'You enjoy this too, I see. When was the last time someone gave as well as took?' Valda whispered silently through the warmth passing between them and to the Salamander in the young man's heart. 'How hard has it been for you, observing from within poor Luka?'

"S-Shut up," Salamander gasped, her arousal impossible to hide. "I've dominated dozens... hundreds!" The metaphorical air around the flame spirit was steaming, as her sweat and juices evaporated instantly from the heat, both hers and Valda's. Indeed, it was true. The spirit, while considered a bit of a reclusive hermit by most monsters, still took her fair share whenever she felt that itch. At the same time, this was a completely different feeling. Salamander's fingers twitched, playing around her opening, dripping with unrestrained desire. "No one gives... that's not how it is..."

'Did nobody wear such things for him to take off? Or were they simply... made differently, where you are from?' she inquired of the Salamander, if she could even bring herself to the right state of mind to respond. 'Or perhaps they simply did it themselves, as a prelude to taking what they wanted.'

"We take," the spirit sighed, her mind slowly steaming up as Luka's fumbling fingers finally managed to undo the clasp of Valda's bra. "We take what we want, from who we want. No one stops us, not Heroes, not Goddesses... that's the way the world is." Perhaps it was feedback from being in close proximity to a kindred spirit, or Luka's lust carrying over to his mind's tenants. It was the best explanation for why the ageless spirit was so turned on by what was in all appearances an ordinary human woman. "But you... not even a Succubus could be this subtle. The boy never learned to deal with someone like you. What... what are you?" A rhetorical question. Salamander knew exactly what Valda was, and the spirit's fear of being consumed by her greater counterpart had twisted into a forbidden desire.

Meanwhile, Luka stiffened again upon finally seeing Valda's mostly naked body. Her bare breasts and barely covered hips tantalized his instincts, blanking out any rational thought. "Goddess..." he murmured.

For the first time in his life, Luka took. He moved, all gentleness gone, replaced only by blind hunger as a lifetime's worth of repressed instincts announced their awakening with an inaudible roar. He surged forward, enveloping Valda's lips with his own, and her breasts with his hands, paying no mind to thoughts of foreplay. Clumsily he imitated what his partner had done with her tongue, doing his best to take the lead, all while knowing that he was, in fact, being manipulated into doing so. His fingers sank into bare flesh, his palms felt Valda's raised nipples rubbing against them, and Luka revelled in hearing a pleased gasp from the woman who held the lead, even as she soon gave back just as much.

From within, the previously silent spirit spoke. "Lower..." Salamander hissed.

Luka obeyed. His left hand cupped Valda's breast, two fingers gently pinching and squeezing a nipple while his right crept lower, towards her promised, hidden spot.

'

'I am like nothing you have ever beheld, dear flame. Your world is as I will it to be. I will give, he will give, and your ways will give way to mine.'

Oh, but she found the word 'goddess' coming from his breathless lips so... agreeable.

'And you will thank me for the gift. I promise.'

Luka was just so clumsy; his inexperience with a woman this way, giving him any measure of freedom to act, was even more obvious now with this. Yet despite that, she wanted more. He had so much enthusiasm to share with her. He was trying; grasping and kissing until her body shivered from his eagerness, so unlike the uncertain and uncomfortable boy from before. She giggled into his mouth as his fingers pressed against her soft and heated skin, unintentionally tickling her; with their tongues entwined this was almost completely muffled.

It did not matter. She pushed him, just a little, a bit of roughness in return. Her nipples stiffened, and it had nothing to do with the cool air contrasting with her natural warmth this time. It was like this incarnation of her's had returned to younger times, eager to play with her crumbling food here.

Valda's skin, so sensitive and warm, flushed beneath his hands. Luka's fingers were trapped between her pants, held in place by her sitting position on the ground, and the warm folds between her legs that were his desire. She squirmed just a little, not sure if what she felt there was discomfort at the pressure or just a psychosomatic response from her mortal form to her anticipation.

She shifted her hips away from him, ignoring the uncomfortable friction of the ground beneath her so that her pants would get out of the way and he could appreciate her properly. Then Luka came up from her lips for air, at last.

Valda leaned forward until their foreheads were touching, her long blonde hair brushing again their faces while they caught as much air as they could.

“Slowly,” she breathed out against him, before a very fortunate touch made her shudder and smile. She tilted her head back and to the side a little, exposing her neck to him invitingly.

Harmless wisps of steam slipped from her fingertips, pressed against the bare skin of Luka's chest, and seemed to seep into him. And 'dear flame', the Salamander, had been promised truly, as each wisp seemed to gently wrap around and caress her in her host's heart. The essence of heat, hungry and alluring, rubbed against her like delicate silken scarves. So easily broken and blown away, if she wanted them to be.

But Valda already suspected that she would not, and so it was only a matter of time before Salamander breathed her in and partook of her gift.

'Is voyeurism all you... ah... want to do, little one?'

Her sweet temptation was interrupted... or perhaps enhanced, by the sighing and squirming that she needed no acting to embrace.

[Alice]

Tom, Archer, and Rin looked on in bemusement as Satoshi attempted to heal the unconscious intruder. Rin was slackjawed. Tom had announced the man's ability to regenerate after all, even beyond death, and from the damage done to the room it obviously took a lot to take him down, so why would this idiot try to heal-

But before anyone in the room could protest, the fae (rather unsurprisingly) took the first chance he could to try and escape.

The assailant was tranquilized by Shirou and the Imbecile chanted some nonsense that Tom suspected that was a spell. Doubtless it would have little effect coming from this idiot.

Then he felt it. He felt Forest focus all her rage, and grief into one brutal telepathic assault as she took hold of the fairy creature's nervous system.

Tom found himself conflicted. A part of him reviled at it, for he himself knew what it was like to have another take all control from him, and he could not help but feel some anger. But on the other hand...

This wasn't cold and calculated like what he had suffered. This wasn't causing the suffering of another merely for personal gain. This was fueled by pure, unbridled rage, and he knew that if he was equally consumed by anger, he may have tried the very same thing if he felt unbridled hatred towards his victim. So what anger there was towards Forest's actions there was overwhelmed entirely by understanding, his feelings for her, and... well, perhaps even a bit of fear. Both of himself and Forest.

He reminded himself not to ever go out of his way to get on her bad side.

But this enemy was strong, both physically and mentally. The latter was fueled by madness, his mind beyond most human comprehension, beyond what most could fathom. But these words at least were perfectly clear.

DiE ALoNe aND UnlOvEd!

The psychic entered the fae's mind for a moment. Only for a moment, as he didn't want to interfere with Forest's assault too much.

I think not.

The creature was telekinetically yanked into the air, and floated up to the left and higher on the wall, where he could be hit without hurting anyone else.

Tom turned to the other people in the room. We need to pin him to the wall like he was before. The swords weakened him because of the iron in them, is there anyone here that can produce swords out of thin air just like Shirou could?

Tom wasn't optimistic, as he suspected it was a rather rare ability, but a man that looked almost exactly like Archer spoke up. There was a faint bit of bemusement in his voice, more that he was having this discussion with a giant psychic cat than anything.

"I can. Stand back, I'll pin up your fae for you."

"Like shooting fish in a barrel," Archer muttered to himself. "Not my cup of tea, but... It looks like there's not much choice here."

With that, Archer projected a pair of swords, and threw them at the fae's shoulders.

Off to the side, Rin quietly snuck over to where the darkened Archer stood.

"We need to make sure that idiot over there doesn't mess things up again," Rin whispered, low enough so only Archer could hear. "Knowing what I've seen of him so far, it wouldn't shock me if he did."

[Ivan The Mouse]

"Okay, what the fuck is this shit?" The blonde haired man complained. "After all that failed transaction with the motherfucking shitskin gang, we landed on some weird-ass shithole that steals shit from other cities. We saw motherfucking Lady Liberty over there, now I fucking see Eiffel Tower on the horizon. I mean, where are we, China?"

"But Neo-san," The black haired lady beside him said. "That is not the Eiffel Tower, that is the Tokyo Tower."

"Oh, so yo' telling me that this shit over here is a fucking imitation of Japland's Eiffel Tower imitation." Neo snickered and replied. "This shit's getting mo' impressive by the fucking minute and whoever designed this city seriously has some brass balls. I just wonder why nobody ever gets sued for this shit."

The brown haired man, who is beside the lady and observing his surroundings, commented "But that's the thing about landmarks, Neo. Anybody can reconstruct them in their own lands and nobody will get the right to litigate. China, as you mentioned it, can freely build imitations of traditional European cities in their land and nobody minds it because there is no international law that states you can't do such. The only thing that keeps other countries from doing such is that they don't want to get ridiculed."

"And Rattus, man, I think we just found the second fucking country to do the same shit as those cunt-eyed Chinks." Neo commented and nodded to himself.

"But what is this country, Rattus-san?" The black-haired woman asked.

"I don't know, Yukina." Rattus replied. "I have no idea."

Neo then looked at his back and saw the tugboat that delivered them to his place. They moored the tugboat right beside the one of the city's piers in its docks, fearing that the merchandise that they have in that boat might drift away. Neo then asked "Man, we still have a lot of unsold gats in that boat. What we gonna do about it?"

"Find new buyers, of course." Rattus answered. "Since this is a new city, we might as well as expand our operations in here."

"Well, startin' ova' again, huh?" Neo said. He then pulled out his butterfly knife and checked its blade. "That shit's as easy as pumpkin pie, motherfucker."

"Can we then go home after that, Rattus-san?" Yukina asked again. "I do not have a good feeling about this place."

"Again, I don't know, Yukina. Perhaps it would take us a while before we get back home." Rattus said to her. "As for now, I think we should remove the merchandise from the tugboat and secure them to better location."

"Great fuckin' idea, I don't want that shit flying away either." Neo agreed.

Rattus and Neo then hopped back into the tugboat to carry the crates out of the vessel. Meanwhile, Yukina awaits at the pier with a warehouse trolley, where all the crates that have been taken out of the boat have been loaded in, when the boat is finally empty and the trolley full, they quickly pushed the trolley into one of the warehouses in the dockyard, where they finally unloaded the trolley and secured the crates. "I guess they will be there until we can find a buyer for them, I think." Rattus said, then pulled out a hip flask, from which he took a long drink before keeping it back inside his coat.

Then all the came out of the warehouse to check if anyone saw them. When they scanned the area with their eyes and saw that there were no witnesses, Yukina finally asked another question. "What should we do now, Rattus-san?"

[Mooncake]

Wanderer



For a very long time… how long? Longer than the lives of all the humans in the world. That's how I got this name, you know. Wanderer, who never stays in one place, moving with the wind and the sun and the clouds. One day I simply wandered here while I was waiting for the end of things. It was rather humorous, actually; I walked right into a hole in space without looking. It lead me to this place, with no way back.

The longer I stay here, the easier it is to see that this city is beginning to realize my presence - I can feel the battles breaking out over the city as I walk. Before, when I had all of the land to wander through, I could merely leave a place for a while, and the effects of my presence would fade away unless the war was too far gone. This city is big enough that wandering from district to district seems to slow things down, but soon something will happen.

I can feel it. I sit on a powder-keg of the factions, conflict, feelings, and rivalries of this city, and my presence will spark it if I stay here. I keep moving, my feet aimlessly wandering down the street. I have my trench coat and my hat on, the brim low enough to cover my eyes. I carry my shotgun slung over one shoulder as I walk - here, it seems that carrying unconcealed weapons is not so uncommon.

As my feet carry me through this place, I see a bar. The very sight invokes the memory of bars in the land that I walked through, ranging from simple wood to grand affairs of stone and metal. Lacie followed me into such places, sometimes, even though I told her to stay behind. She always was so very curious about everything...

Just being in there for a little while should not spark the tension that brews alongside the beer in almost every bar. I walk in, my leather boots echoing on the wood. The place is somewhat crowded; I should not stay for too long, then. I walk over to the bar, a slight hush falling over the crowd as they go about their business. In humans, even though they cannot understand who I am without my telling, my presence inflicts unease. In this place it should not be so great - these humans are distracted by their drinks and boasts and games of chance.

This city is full of strange things, creatures and begins from all aspects of the universe(s) gathering in one spot, and this place is no exception. At the bar, besides a crowding of humans competing for the attentions of the fae barkeeper, I see a spirit and another faerie. Perhaps I might stay a little longer than I had planned, perhaps not. It is not often that I meet the fae races, and the two at the bar are interesting enough. The spirit I pay less attention to, but nonetheless I nod to him, and the other two beings in this place.

I look over at a human, a simple, cursory glance, and he vacates his seat almost immediately. My ever-changing eyes seem to unnerve him, and I take his seat as he moves away. My voice is a little rough as I hold up a hand for the bartender.

"A shot of whiskey, please. Any kind will do, as long as it's strong."

[Aiden]

Rose

"Ah, but isn't that such waste of good tea?" she asked of her spectral patron of Eastern spirits, as earnestly as one possibly could ask such a question. Tsk tsk, she shook her head. "But then again, I suppose he did get to enjoy it before the end."

Humans really had to be more appreciative of the positive sides to things like that. Why, she would bet good odds that the man hadn't even thought of such a thing before the strange lightning stopped flashing in his head meat!

Then she held up a finger as if to tell Uchiten 'wait'.

Wynn entered the bar and felt eyes upon her.  Some overweight patron was forced out of his seat to make room for her.  Wynn bowed her head in thanks before striding over to the seat, her long raven braid swishing behind her like a tail. 

She perched herself upon the bar stool and held out her hand to get the barmaid's attention.

And her other hand reached out and took hold of kin. A wide, thorny smile overcame her face at the sight. "Oh, but you look so thirsty! What will satisfy you tonight, fair night bird?"

Her other hand idly poured a whiskey for the wanderer who asked, as well; she didn't take her eyes away from her fellow faerie throughout.

The glass slid his way, and not a drop was spilled.

-------------------

Marius

The familiar sensation of another Kindred's Beast pressing against his own, alerting them to its presence, shocked him out of his rapidly accelerating breakdown through simple force of instinct. Fight or flight, the need for confrontation and evaluation, a challenge to his Arete as the Greeks would have put it across the Meditteranean.

It must be one of the Africans, to perceive and provoke him in such a way; it is the only way he would have been recognized at all. His unattended nails clicked against each other as his hands clenched into fists, and he turned to face the foreign creature.

A pause.

It dressed strangely, as the living in this place and time appeared to. It... he, was some form of Gallic from the northern territories, or at least the descendant of one. He had that look about him.

His eyeless face must have shocked the northerner, because he saw the twitch as they resisted the urge to step back. Marius' thin face stretched into something resembling a smile, as he took the initiative from his observer.

"Ave."

[Alice]

"S-sorry Finn, Ruu can't be friends with you anymore."

Tears rolled from the little familiar's eyes as it- no, he, finally fell silent, forevermore.

Mille stood there, silent herself, unable to look away from Ruu's remains. She felt... numb, inside. She couldn't quite place why. Was it because he mentioned her brother's name? Was it the sad, regretful tone in his voice? Was it the tears? Mille didn't know. She just knew she felt nothing when she knew she should be feeling something.

She didn't notice the arrival of the two Servants, barely even processed Rider's words. Something about what just happened... had left her dumbstruck. And it made a part of her want to scream.

She watched as Lancer performed the last rites, and wished him well in Tír na nÓg, in Paradise. And even still, her mind was numb, her heart was numb.

Why? Why couldn't she feel anything? Did it mean she didn't care? She'd never felt this way before. So why? Why now?

She turned away. And caught sight of the Dead Apostle. And his many injuries, ribs sticking out and all. Suddenly, despite that will of steel, her lack of experience with such carnage and sorrow got the better of her.

She quickly moved a short distance away so she wouldn't disturb the area around Ruu's body. Her chest began to heave, and soon what little had been in her stomach stained the pavement. She was shaking a little, her skin white as a bedsheet.

"Hmph, some tough as nails magus you are~" Still, Ruby's taunt was gentler than usual, and the rod even bent down to give the girl a few awkward pats on the back.

[Arch-Magos Winter]

She turned away. And caught sight of the Dead Apostle. And his many injuries, ribs sticking out and all. Suddenly, despite that will of steel, her lack of experience with such carnage and sorrow got the better of her.

She quickly moved a short distance away so she wouldn't disturb the area around Ruu's body. Her chest began to heave, and soon what little had been in her stomach stained the pavement. She was shaking a little, her skin white as a bedsheet.

"Hmph, some tough as nails magus you are~" Still, Ruby's taunt was gentler than usual, and the rod even bent down to give the girl a few awkward pats on the back.

"...What, I don't look that bad." I said, scowling at the holes in my coat I was starting to notice.  Not that it mattered anyway. Liquified organ stains ain't exactly the easiest to get out of any sort of fabric. This coat wasn't exactly salvageable anyway, at least for polite company. Maybe some lucky homeless guy would gain a new coat. Good for him.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider nodded at Lancer's confirmation that this was Isa's killer, and then watched with a mixture of relief and some sadness as Lancer said a prayer for the boy before cremating the body.

Normally, she would be happy that Isa had been avenged, but the familar's final words had sounded regretful, and made her feel he was not fully responsible for his actions.

Her suspicions were confirmed by Lancer's next words.

Rider nodded sadly at Lancer's statement, feeling sympathy for the boy despite what he had done. She knew all-too-well what it was like to have someone she cared for used as a tool to kill others, after all. She was just fortunate to have had allies who could help save Sakura before it was too late. Even then, it had been a close-run thing, and Sakura still felt guilt about her actions to this day.

As for Jack, though, if he was responsible for what happened, then there was no doubt he had to die. Both the little familiar, Ruu and those he had killed deserved justice. However, she had no particular issue with letting Lancer do the job, as long as she could be sure he would succeed.

“Hmm, I see”, Rider said, sadly.

“Well, if he was programmed to act like this, then I don't hold him responsible. I know what being a familiar means, even if I was fortunate enough to be summoned by a kind master who won't abuse her position, and I understand what it's like to have someone you care for forced to do horrendous things, too. I hope the poor boy and Isa can be happy in the next life.

As for Jack, if he is indeed responsible, he must be destroyed. What he has done is unforgivable, and he is simply too dangerous to be allowed to live.”

Just as she spoke, Jack walked into view.

Speak of the devil....

Rider couldn't help but gape at the state he was in. There was blood everywhere, bits of rib sticking out of his chest, and he was standing oddly, as if his back was broken.

"If you're talking about the state that thing was in... Yeah. It was either frenzy on everyone in the room, or frenzy on that fucking monster”, he said.

Rider practically growled at him. For all that Ruu had done, she didn't think it was fair to call him a “monster”. He was, after all, a familiar, just like her.

"'Course, if you're talking about something else, I ain't got a clue." I really didn't. "And if anyone has some blood or something that'd be nice.... I sorta got fucked up with that guy."

Rider stared at him angrily, considering whether to attack. He had obviously killed Ruu, but that in itself was not a bad thing, given what the familiar had been doing. The question was whether he'd set Ruu off in the first place. He'd admitted to what Lancer said, but she wasn't sure if he really understood what Lancer was asking.

Before she could say anything, though, she noticed Mille standing staring at Ruu's corpse, before bending over and throwing up the contents of her stomach over the pavement. She was clearly not coping well with what she'd seen.

"Hmph, some tough as nails magus you are~" said Ruby.

Normally, Rider would have laughed, but right now she too felt hollow. Isa, her friend, was dead, and poor Ruu too.

"...What, I don't look that bad", said Jack in response to Mille throwing up.

“You look pretty awful to me...”, said Rider.

“Anyway, do you know what caused Ruu to act like this?” Rider asked, wanting to determine if he was responsible.

“And, no, I don't have any blood, at least not real blood.”

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Rider nodded at Lancer's confirmation that this was Isa's killer, and then watched with a mixture of relief and some sadness as Lancer said a prayer for the boy before cremating the body.

Normally, she would be happy that Isa had been avenged, but the familar's final words had sounded regretful, and made her feel he was not fully responsible for his actions.
Her suspicions were confirmed by Lancer's next words.

Rider nodded sadly at Lancer's statement, feeling sympathy for the boy despite what he had done. She knew all-too-well what it was like to have someone she cared for used as a tool to kill others, after all. She was just fortunate to have had allies who could help save Sakura before it was too late. Even then, it had been a close-run thing, and Sakura still felt guilt about her actions to this day.

As for Jack, though, if he was responsible for what happened, then there was no doubt he had to die. Both the little familiar, Ruu and those he had killed deserved justice. However, she had no particular issue with letting Lancer do the job, as long as she could be sure he would succeed.

“Hmm, I see”, Rider said, sadly.

“Well, if he was programmed to act like this, then I don't hold him responsible. I know what being a familiar means, even if I was fortunate enough to be summoned by a kind master who won't abuse her position, and I understand what it's like to have someone you care for forced to do horrendous things, too. I hope the poor boy and Isa can be happy in the next life.

As for Jack, if he is indeed responsible, he must be destroyed. What he has done is unforgivable, and he is simply too dangerous to be allowed to live.”

Just as she spoke, Jack walked into view.

Speak of the devil....

Rider couldn't help but gape at the state he was in. There was blood everywhere, bits of rib sticking out of his chest, and he was standing oddly, as if his back was broken.

"If you're talking about the state that thing was in... Yeah. It was either frenzy on everyone in the room, or frenzy on that fucking monster”, he said.

Rider practically growled at him. For all that Ruu had done, she didn't think it was fair to call him a “monster”. He was, after all, a familiar, just like her.

"'Course, if you're talking about something else, I ain't got a clue." I really didn't. "And if anyone has some blood or something that'd be nice.... I sorta got fucked up with that guy."

Rider stared at him angrily, considering whether to attack. He had obviously killed Ruu, but that in itself was not a bad thing, given what the familiar had been doing. The question was whether he'd set Ruu off in the first place. He'd admitted to what Lancer said, but she wasn't sure if he really understood what Lancer was asking.

Before she could say anything, though, she noticed Mille standing staring at Ruu's corpse, before bending over and throwing up the contents of her stomach over the pavement. She was clearly not coping well with what she'd seen.


"Hmph, some tough as nails magus you are~" said Ruby.

Normally, Rider would have laughed, but right now she too felt hollow. Isa, her friend, was dead, and poor Ruu too.

"...What, I don't look that bad", said Jack in response to Mille throwing up.

“You look pretty awful to me...”, said Rider.

“Anyway, do you know what caused Ruu to act like this?” Rider asked, wanting to determine if he was responsible.

“And, no, I don't have any blood, at least not real blood.”

"No fucking idea. No fucking idea about what set him off." Some blood flew out of my mouth as I spoke. Oh that sucked. And what sucked more was that the blush was fading, with the amount of physical damage I'd taken.  Hunching over, I voided my stomach as well. Whiskey and blood, mixed together. "And I don't give a shit, at the moment. Any blood. Anything at all. I'm in serious pain over here." Oh, not as much as I should be, but did this hurt somewhat? Yeah. More like a slight headache than anything else.

[Bloble]

The castle was even bigger from up close.

The ruddy man looked up, craning his neck to stare at the castle's parapets. Beside him, several upright skeletal warriors stood idly, awaiting their next command. On the ground a half dozen police officers lay sprawled, their uniforms trashed and weapons destroyed. The man had little fondness for law enforcement. He had even less for displays of power worthy only of the Middle Ages.

"Go," he growled around sharpened incisors. As one, the mass of Dragon Tooth Warriors obeyed.

The gate had been breached before, and the supernatural strength of the warriors was soon set upon breaking it open again. While that group became a battering ram, others scaled the walls with inhuman agility, finding an untiring grip in even the smallest of cracks between stones. The scuttled, spreading over roof and jumping into any open courtyard they could find and spreading out like a spider's web.

They had not been ordered to refrain from violence, only to make attempts to spare the lives of those they defeated, for further interrogation. Any movement would be met with near mindless aggression.

It had been a bit presumptuous, the man 'behind' the man knew, but he couldn't bring himself to care about disposable troops. Doubtless the owner would soon return and find his palace ransacked, but that was fine as well. Putting their name out into the city was almost as important as finding information about its visitors and inhabitants. Stories of walking dead would spread fear into people's hearts, and if they were lucky, those without hearts as well.

And if they ended up slaughtering the place's inhabitants, there would be no regrets.

The man walked to one of the fallen policewomen and prised a cell phone out of her hand. He flipped it open and dialed a number.


Many miles away, a similar situation was preparing itself. A woman with dead eyes and an undead body gazed at an ugly apartment complex without blinking, a mobile phone pressed against her ear. Around her, and around the complex, a much smaller group of skeletal troops had formed up, surrounding the place from the ground. Behind her, a collection of junk and metallic parts shifted around, growing and coming together like some kind of sentient monstrosity.

The woman had been standing there for a few hours. The camera set up on a tripod beside her had been there for more than twenty four of them. She crouched down next to it, and with clumsy fingers replaced its battery. It had been beaming its video to a different location all day, and it would need to last at least another hour to document the events that were about to take place. It had seen explosions, assaults, slaughter, and some rather creepy cult-like behaviour, but it had yet to see what truly mattered.

"Bait," the woman said. The dozen skeleton warriors, as one, let out an inhuman howl, not from any sort of theoretical emotion, but as a calculated announcement of their presence to the Law Unto Herself. As one mass, they trudged forward, their only goal to get inside the apartment building while killing anything in their way. Unknown to their non-existent minds, their true purpose was simply to stir up the hornet's nest some more. The cameras secured to the insides of their rib cages would show those watching everything they needed to see.

The main camera's light beeped red to show it was on and broadcasting, as did countless other cameras all around the complex.

The woman dialed another number on her cell phone.


Even more miles away, on the other side of the city, a man in a red suit relaxed on a recliner on a balcony. He closed the phone in his hand and pocketed it. He took the bottle of alcohol on the small table beside him, twisted off the cap, and poured a small portion into a glass in his other hand, taking a flavourless sip before replacing the bottle and glancing at the second, untouched glass next to it.

"It's begun," he said to the hooded sorceress on the other side of the balcony. "Tequila?"

[Ivan The Mouse]

After a long silence from the three, Rattus finally spoke out. "Take out your bags from the tugboat."

"Wait, we fucking forgot that but not the guns? Goddamn, I swear this group's having a fucking collective memory loss. We're all being fucking senile!" Neo commented.

"Uwaah... It cannot be helped." Yukina said rubbing the back of her head. She and Rattus then jumped back into the tugboat to get their bags. Neo stayed behind in the pier.

"Neo, are you not going to get your belongings?" Rattus asked him from the boat.

"Just toss them to me. And don't fucking drop them into the water, you asshole." Neo said, before he pulled out from his leather jacket a packet of Lucky Strikes. He pulled a cigarette stick out from the packet before he kept the rest back into his jacket. He then put the stick on his lips, flicked his fingers which created a small flame from the tip of his pointer finger and lit the cigarette before he waved his finger around to extinguish the flames. By the time Neo was done lighting his cigarette, his two fellows were done unloading the tugboat with their belongings. Except Neo's bags. He noticed this and asked "Okay, why the shit didn't you get mah bags?"

"I suggest, in order to keep our privacy regarding our personal effects and not blame each other for any damage to any of our belongings, that you get onto this boat and get them by yourself." Rattus flatly said, as per typical of his voice.

Neo stared at him for a while, then looked away and snickered out of disappointment. He then uttered "Fuck you." before hopping into the boat, getting his bags and tossing them into the pier before the three of them moved out of the boat. They then carried their own personal bags and walked away from the pier.

Rattus then said, "I was planning to buy us a small house or rent a hotel room for us in this city but we don't know what country is this, so I don't know what currency they are using."

"Well, this is where I do my fucking awesome magic." Neo commented.

"Is that so? How would you deal with this situation?" Rattus inquired.

"This is all I need." He said as he pulls out his butterfly knife. "If you don't rememba', I used this as a money-making machine on the streets back in the good ol' days. If it's a different fucking place, it doesn't matter, this can get you far. Same shit, different city."

"B-but maybe we could just ask the people who live in this place what money they use, right? We do not have to have any bloodshed." Yukina intervened, hesitant of Neo's method.

"Bullshit. If they knew were fresh off the boat, they'll con our asses, that's the name of fucking game." Neo retorted. "And besides, I also get some extra moolah this way. That is, if Ratt allows me to do my work..."

Rattus and, by extension, his fellows went silent about making a decision. But he finally arrived to it with the words "Neo, you have my permission. Do your work. Report back with results. Try not to get caught."

Neo chuckled for a couple seconds and said, "You don't fucking trust me, don't ya'? Put this shit in your minds, I ain't gonna fail." Neo then kept his blade back and started to walk away from the two of them and out of the dockyard.

Yukina and Rattus looked at each other, before he said "Yukina, let's go bring out bags to the warehouse, take a rest and wait for Neo to finish his assignment." She nodded in agreement and the two of them went back to the warehouse.

[Mooncake]

Wanderer



The shot of whiskey slides over to me, gliding across the surface of the counter without spilling a drop. That's good. The barkeeper knows what she's doing. I raise it a little in appreciation to her, even though her focus is entirely on the other faerie, and toss it back. It burns on the way down before evaporating as it enters my stomach, the flames that sit inside burning it away. No matter how much I drink, I can never seem to get drunk... Lacie never had that problem. She used to sing and dance upon the tabletops... those were good times, while they lasted.

I set my glass down, about to signal the bartender for another, but she seems to have shifted entirely to the other faerie that sits upon the bar, smiling with a mouth that contains countless teeth. Never be fooled by the illusions of the fae, if you can. Always remember that they are not human, and very few bear love for the mortal folk other than as pets or pieces in a game.

I am not human either, of course, and the sight of the thorny teeth inside the mouth of the barkeeper does not disturb me. I wait, as she touches the hand of the dark-haired fae that stirs next to the dark spirit and myself. I turn to take inventory of the bar - it is still as crowded as it was, but I might stay here a little longer. I tap the surface of the bar with a single finger, with the brim of my hat covering my eyes. The barkeeper can refill me when she has the time; for now, I'll sit here and drink.