Cross Effects 3.0 - April 13, 2015—June 23, 2016

[Elf]

Rin

Rin frowned and looked between Rider and Armor-san.  She asked, "Did I miss something that happened with the two of you?"


Forest

Forest grinned and said, "You'd be surprised about a lot of fanboys."  She eyed the wooden sword with a slight bit of trepidation and said, "Hey, you may face someone who has a severe weakness to wood you know.  So did you just happen to wander in Nexus?"

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider sighed as Vanguard started to speak to her in an almost-patronising manner, seemingly trying to encourage her. Still, she knew he meant no harm, and she had no real issue with him. She was quite happy to fight alongside him for as long as he was Sakura's loyal servant.

She continued to watch as the sentient suit of armour paced around in circles, thinking, before he spoke up once more.

"Still, it would be unwise to leave Sakura's side at the moment", he said. "There is no reason to leave at once, and our master is clearly troubled at the moment. I think it would be best to support her from the sidelines at the moment. What if Sakura went into another outburst like earlier? We would not be able to ensure Emiya's safety then. This command seal certainly did not help back then. It is still unsafe."

Rider pondered his words. She didn't think another outburst from Sakura was a real danger. Whilst Rin had seemingly been genuinely frightened by what had happened, Rider was pretty sure that Sakura was not being aggressive towards her. After all, Sakura's shadow magic was not something that would easily cause harm to humans, at least not without an intentional effort. They were more useful for grabbing things. Most likely, the shadows were a magical attempt at a hug. And, even if Sakura could have perhaps harmed Rin, Rider could not see any conceivable circumstance where she might harm Shirou. She had a strong subconscious instinct against doing so, as had been proven several times during the Grail War.

Still, despite that, Vanguard had a point. Sakura was in a fragile state at the moment, and going out might make her feel worse. Particularly Rin, who Sakura was very, very frightened of losing once more, and who was likely to be a sitting duck if targetted by whatever had killed Faust. But, at the same time, it was not true that there was no urgency to this. Any clues about what had happened to Faust would rapidly disappear, if they did not go searching now, then they likely would never discover what had happened.

Rider's thoughts were interrupted by Rin, who looked at the two of them, frowning.

"Did I miss something that happened with the two of you?" she asked.

Rider nodded in denial.

"No, there's no problem between us", she said, matter-of-factly.

"Vanguard, I do not think Sakura poses any threat to Shirou. Or to Rin, for that matter. Her earlier outburst looked scary, but I believe it was harmless. I do not think she would have hurt Rin even if she had succeeded in grabbing her. And, she has an even bigger mental block on hurting Shirou. He will be quite safe. However, you are nevertheless correct that it would be better to remain here rather than seeking a fight whilst Sakura is so unstable. She needs emotional support right now, not us putting ourselves in danger. However, if we are to discover who killed Faust, we will have to go now. If we leave it until tomorrow, then it will be too late, the evidence will be gone. So, I am not sure what the best approach is."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

Vanguard shrugged.

"Truth be told, I was never a schemer." He said flatly. Even if that earlier incident wasn't as dangeorous as he thought, he wasn't sure about Rider's words.

On one hand, she probably knew Sakura more than him. Even so, he had a gut feeling leaving would be upbringing a tiger for disaster.

Then, a brillant idea came to be.

"What if we found a way to investigate before said evidence vanished all without putting ourselves in danger? Let us say, by the use of remote familiars or sentinels. Rin is a mage, perhaps she could be of assistance in that matter. Either way, the ideal would be to not die tonight. Does that sound good?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Urthemiel

The Old God began to pace as he viewed each of the five canvases on the ground. He had convinced the owner of this hovel to allow him in and proceeded to make the bumbling fool toss himself out the window. The dragon of beauty had no need for such a graceless oaf. Nothing could be allowed to disrupt him as he worked. He looked slightly different now. Most of the feminine features were left to cause a bit of confusion in onlookers and hair had been lengthened and tied into a luxurious ponytail.

But none of that was important right now. What demanded his attention was the seven paintings and the memories they brought back. The first was the largest of them all. A magnificent, dark dragon whose every feature declared his endless might. Dumat. The Dragon-God of Silence. The greatest among all of them. He who wielded Secrets known only to Razikale herself. His temples filed with fires that lapped at the bones of slaves and rare incense. Altars that dripped with the blood of sacrifices that never died. Despite his title he was the voice of the Old Gods. His actions displayed his attitude much better than mere words could. When Silence was displeased all the world would know of it. The world would never forget the Kingdom of Barindur. Only the Old Gods would truly know what happened to the city that had been swept from the face of the earth. That it had been buried under a wasteland of rock and encased in volcanic ash. The inhabitants seared and smothered in an instant. His high priest, The Conductor of Silence, bowed in quiet supplication before the greatest of the gods.

The next was not quite as large. Similar to some of the others Urthemiel had taken a bit of artistic license in the portrayal of Zazikel. Every scale was a different hue and some of the colors even bled into each other. A maddening mess more than fitting for the Dragon-God of chaos, or was it freedom? It was so very hard to tell. Zazikel was caught in a moment of utter destruction. Mouth opened to unleash a grand roar as it rampaged within a prison of stone. More attention was given to the background as it showed gouges in the earth and shattered stone. The utter disharmony of it all could almost be called art. Urthemiel had memories of beauty in destruction and meaning found in absolute chaos. The servitors of the Old God had always been a bit odd compared to the others. His services filled with a complete lack of tradition and decorum yet still managed to maintain a semblance of holiness. Before the dragon stood his high priest, The Madman of Chaos, looking as if he was about to spasm or dance or die on the spot.

Then there was another. Toth in all his burning glory. It was hard to make out the color of his scales in the blazing inferno the Dragon-God of Fire was nearly consumed in. The horns on his head were a burning red and his eyes blazed with an inner flame that threatened to consumed everything around him. The world around him was flooded with tears of fire and molten rock. The blood of the earth dripped onto the snout of the Old God but that only seemed to make him look even more enraged. From his jaws came a brilliant sea of flame. It almost seemed as if it would burst from the painting and utterly consumed you. His work had always been grandiose. Endless blazes that would never be snuffed out as long as the priests lived. Living sacrifices condemned to fires hotter than the greatest forge. His high priest, Forgewright of Fire stood in a smaller blaze. Hands clasped in prayer as the hungry flame burned his flesh and charred his bones.

And yet another. A dragon with scales that seemed dyed in scarlet blood with dark brown horns adorning his head. The countless chains wrapped around one of its limbs and attached to the countless people within the cavern easily proclaimed him as andoral. The Dragon-God of Slaves. Under it one could spot countless limbs and even faces. A myriad of people crushed under the dragon as it asserted its dominance over those left alive. The slaves were elves and slaves and dwarves. Men and women from all different walks of life. All of them shared the look of sorrow as they were held by the chains that held them. Each one linked to Andoral. He could always afford the largest of sacrifices. His servants were given the largest quantities of blood to perform their magic. Dumat may have led them yet the blood of the endless slaves who served Andoral was necessary for their work. An ocean of blood was necessary. His high priest, The Appraiser of Slavery, stood with another multitude to bind to the Old God.

Finally was him. Urthemiel. The Dragon-God of Beauty. The most glorious of them all. Purple scales shone even with the smallest sparks of light that were seen within the prison. He was undoubtedly the most beautiful being to walk the base earth and take flight. He was the very epitome of grace. His prison was smooth and flawless just as he was. From this angle it appeared more like a stage for the Old God to showcase himself than a place to bind him. The others busied themselves with miracles, acts of war, and grandiose temples. The Tevinter Imperium was his monument. Every city was created by his whispers. Their civilization itself was built upon his desires. Every spiraling towering, castle, and statue made with his instruction. He brought the grandest designs to earth. But while the cities of the Imperium may be his monuments to the world that did not mean that he neglected his temples. Each was a work of art unrivaled by any of the other Old Gods. Only the finest of foods would be served there and only the greatest of entertainment would be preformed. Plays and symphonies without equal. His sacrifices would only be the most beautiful specimens. Their end would be so complete nothing would be left, their beauty given up to him alone. And before him was his high priest, The Architect of the Works of Beauty. Dressed in the finest clothes in the entirety of the Imperium. The Architect was the hand through which he crafted the greatest works of art. Only he could design their tool. The Claw of Dumat. The hand that would tear the Veil open and ascend the magisters.

That was what they had said. And that was all that Urthemiel remembered. Even when separate from that child the past was still so elusive. Memory was heavy like stone. Their intent with The City would continue to evade the Old God. It was infuriating but not unexpected. Even as his annoyance began to subside he stared at the paintings once more. He had included only these five for a reason. Even as inspiration took hold of him he knew there was meaning behind their creation. Nothing was made by accident. And as his gaze shifted from image to image he understood why it was these specific dragons. And as thoughts of his twisted, grotesque form from before came to mind slitted eye narrowed in draconic fury. His hands burst into flame and with an angry shout he blasted each of the paintings into oblivion. The flame quickly began to spread to the rest of the room but the feminine man was unphased. He simply made sure that his robe would cover his neck before angrily walking out of the smoking building. As his chest ached from the pipe that had been tossed at him earlier he was assured that this would be a terrible night.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw Balagan

Tohuw was strolling the streets, swaggering his way trough the alleyways without a care in the world. Glancing all over, he grinned. Humans, humans crawling everywhere and painting this city with so many odd colours. It was...

"Beautiful."

But something was missing. Something crucial to this painting. It lacked passion, gusto. This whole place was nothing but a fancy box filled with dynamite. Even with all this life, even with all those actors, there was not a trace of entertainment to be found.

Without a big fiery blast, this place was completely worthless.

What this city needed was a spark to have the whole world go boom, something to set this whole slumber party ablaze. The visit to the blast furnace was only a cheap way to kill time, base entertainment that might dull his boredom a little. Well, he didn't mind cheap plays. And who knows? Perhaps he'd be able to fire that tragedy into straight old comedy!

So he kept walking. The blast furnace might bring some entertainment, but there was no hurry. After all, the night was still young and the city so large. Surely if he dug a little deeper he'd find all sorts of colourful surprizes. Oh, just the thought of the countless possibilities filled his heart with childlike glee!

But there was something very, very wrong! And it wasn't the cake. No, he almost forgot. How could he spoil this show for himself without his precious muse? Tsk tsk, how crude of him to keep the front seats for himself. If he were an actor, he'd be showered by boos right now.

That wouldn't do at all. Shaking his head, he snapped his finger and had his precious cane appear out of thin air in a crimson flash. Smiling deviously, he proceeded to give it a lick.

Mhhhhh, cherry.

For a second, an ominous aura fickled from the blood-red gem, its intensity growing along with the demon's grin.


The demon was swaggering around town some more when he noticed an abnormal sight. His snake-like purple eye brimmed with curiosity as he came to face what looked like a very very big hole. The demon's sly grin only stretched further into a toothy smile when he noticed a woman digging around. Interesting, so very interesting. Her action was strange enough to pique his interest.

Surely this strange action of hers would have an even stranger motive!

So he stepped forward and appeared right behind her. Then, he laid his gloved hand on her shoulder before giving her a polite smile. The demon spoke up gently, casually. It was as if he spoke to an old friend, no different than the tone one takes when having a chat over a cup of tea.

"What's up?"

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

Medaka continued to shift through the dirt, searching her mind for where their bodies may be.  She matched a mental image of the station with the crater, hoping to uncover the bodies in the spot where she remembered them dying.  However, that didn't work, she found nothing.  Eventually, she made her way to the center of the crater where the shot had landed.  Her second plan was to simply to find something of that girl, the one who started the whole mess.  If there was something left of her, then there was defiantly something left of the others.  She crouched down, clawing ferociously at the dirt with her hands before she felt someone come up behind her.  The next sensation she felt was a hand on her shoulder.

"Whats up?" Said a warm voice.

She turned around to see a rather slender man wearing an pristine outfit.  The thing that stood out most to her was his blue eyes and singular tooth.  Perhaps he had some sort of overbite.  She lowered her eyes in disappointment.  More than anything Medaka wanted to see a friendly face, anyone she had already met.  Seeing this stranger was somewhat isolating to her.  Still, it was better than no company at all.

Medaka stood up and faced the stranger.  She then scanned the wasteland with her eyes before returning her gaze to the man.

"I am looking for something."  She said before pausing.  "Something important.  Is there any reason you decided to come all the way out to this crater to talk to me?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw Balagan

Tohuw gave the lady a dulcet smile before bowing his head courteously.

"I was simply walking along the street when I happened to stumble on a beautiful woman alone in the middle of a hole in the middle of the street I was walking along of. If I may allow it, I could say my interest was piqued."

Then, he looked straight in her eyes. They were quite pretty, like a polished gem. Despite that, they were dulled. That look was the look of someone who stood on the edge. Perhaps it would be fun to push her a little and see what happens.

Tilting his head lightly, he spoke soothingly.

"To look for something so late at night, it must have been really important, right? Right. Let me guess, ummm.... It's your left sock isn't it? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us."

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

The blue haired girl chuckled.

This man has an odd sense of humor.  She thought.

While that observation was enough to distract her for a second, she immediately returned to her somber state of mind as soon as the sensation of laughter left her system.

"Well, I guess you could say I am looking for someone.  I want to help them.  Or perhaps I need to help them.  A sock would actually be rather nice right now..."  She said before her voice trailed off.

It still was bugging her, the fact that he was here in this crater.  She assumed that the ordinary citizens would stay away from the crater and the police were not investigating this area, despite the fact that they were obviously aware of it.  This man was out of the ordinary, making him rather suspicious.  Still, it was not in her nature to distrust others, even with her current state of mind.  Therefore, she won't.  He is as trustworthy as her closest friends.

"Truthfully, I have lost track of time.  I was completely unaware that it had turned dark.  Would you like to help me look?"  She asked in a friendly tone.  Despite her voice, her eyes maintained a drained look.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw

Tohuw raised an eyebrow and gave the girl and odd look of bemusement. This was getting more interesting by the second.

"Of course, I'd love to help." He said cheerfully, smiling gleefully. Yay. As soon as he said that, a sock appeared right in the woman's hands. White with pink polka dots. Classy.

"But you know, I can't help but feel even more curious. You said you were looking for something, but now you say you are lookng for someone? I'm not very bright, confusing things make me confused when I'm confused you know? I'm not saying I am confused, but I don't get it."

Then, he sat where he once stood indian style.

"Would you kindly fill me in on the details?"

[yinsukin]

Medaka

Medaka looked at the sock that had materialized in her hand in amazement.  She then fixed her gaze on the man.

"You... You can use magic?"  She said with amazement.  Maybe he could help her.  She sat down in Seiza out of respect.

"Well..."  She began suddenly before trailing off again.  She looked down before taking a deep breath.  "My friends died here in this crater.  I am looking for their bodies." She continued before looking around.  A perfect image of their last moment together filled the space as she scanned the crater.  She could still remember his face as he got his gun back from that silver haired officer.  She suppressed that image and moved on.

"I need to find something, anything left of them.  I need to give them a proper burial. I am sorry I know what I said was rather vague but...."  Her eyes lowered.  "...but I suppose I was hoping that I would find him here if I searched hard enough."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw Balagan

Tohuw's face lit up in a bright smile and froze for a while, not moving a single muscle. Then, tears began to roll down his face like marbles. Then, he took a handkerchief out of his sleeve and wiped his tears away.

"Sorry for crying all of a sudden. I was just happy because I met such a wonderful considerate friend." He sniffled with a happy face, his tears staining the hello-kitty dotted piece of cloth with tears. Then, with a final stroke, he  covered his face with the handkerchief and swung it in the air, making it dissappear.

The once gladly crying face was now dry and pristine, his now deviously fierce eyes not the ones of one who shed tears recently. His expression changed as well. It was not a gentle sugarcoated smile, but a devilish grin.

"I've made up my mind. I will help you find your friends! After all, we're friends right?"

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

Medaka's face lit up with hope.

"Yes of course!  I will happily accept your friendship!"  She said with a warm smile.

She ignored the man's odd change of facial expression as well as his devilish smile.  He was her friend.  Friends trust one another.

Medaka looked around the crater once more before facing the man.

"I have been looking for a while now and I haven't found anything.  To be honest, before you showed up, I was beginning to lose hope."  She said with a somber tone.    Then, her face lit up once more as if she had an epiphany.

"Oh I am sorry.  I forgot to introduce myself.  My name is Medaka Kurokami."   

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw Balagan

"That is a beautiful name. You should be thankful to your parents." Said Tohuw with a polite smile.

Then, he rose up and looked around. Fondling his chin, he sighed with a bitter smirk.

"You know, I don't think we'll find anyone in an empty crater.  Besides, what good will finding a few scraps of dead person or dead person's thing do? At best, you'll have an object to remind you of your grief for the rest of your life. At worst, this will only cause the pain to grow further. Clinging to those sad things is't good for you."

Then, he gave her a comforting hug, patting her back gently.

"Here, here. You've been trough a lot. Having your friends die isn't easy, it must have hurt a lot. It's fine to be hurting over this. But you know, looking for nothing in an empty crater won't bring your friends back. That is what you want, right?"

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

"You know, I don't think we'll find anyone in an empty crater.  Besides, what good will finding a few scraps of dead person or dead person's thing do? At best, you'll have an object to remind you of your grief for the rest of your life. At worst, this will only cause the pain to grow further. Clinging to those sad things is't good for you." Said the man.

Tears began flowing down Medaka's face.

"I know that!  But If I can find some piece of them, then maybe I can save them.  Magic exists in this world.  There might be someone who can revive the dead.  Besides, even if there isn't I can at least bury them.  I may have failed them in life but I can't in death.  I just can't."  She wailed as the man held her.

"Here, here. You've been trough a lot. Having your friends die isn't easy, it must have hurt a lot. It's fine to be hurting over this. But you know, looking for nothing in an empty crater won't bring your friends back. That is what you want, right?"

Medaka stoped crying and separated herself from the man.  "Yes, more than anything I want them back.  I miss them.  I feel so lonely.  I feel so worthless."  She said, feeling utterly defeated.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw Balagan

Tohuw's cheerful smile crawled further towards his ears as soon as he noticed Medaka cry. Not that she could see it, he wasn't facing her directly after all. He was enoying himself, every moment of it. Taking a walk tonight was the best decision he could have taken. This was simply perfect, ecstatic.

Then, the crying girl let go of him and spoke up, stating her true intentions. It was so beautiful, so sincere, so very human. So he gave her a kind polite smile and nodded in understanding.

"I know that. It's fine, I don't expect anything else from a good friend like you. You must be very lonely, Medkaka. It's fine, you don't have to be lonely. If there is anything painful, anything sad that you don't want anymore, I can change it for you. Because that's what friends do, right?"

Suddenly, the demon bowed and  took a slightly more formal tone. He was still smiling, but his tone was slightly more serious. His voice was warm, contrasting his icy blue eyes.

"Earlier you asked if I could use magic.  Please, do not take me for some conjuror of cheap parlor tricks. What I can do is so much more. I call it 『NO FICTION』, the power to turn fantasy into reality. Do you see where I am getting at?" He asked with a sly grin.