Author Topic: Cross Effects 3.0 - April 13, 2015—June 23, 2016  (Read 13747 times)

Umbra of Chaos

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The Prisoner

As its mind wandered and explored the nature of this mysterious plane of existence the prisoner's thoughts were drawn back to the material world. These shards of darkness combating the flying pest were... annoying. Their existence would no longer be tolerated.

It held out a hand and blinding light burst into existence on its palm. Something akin to a miniature star burning with power. Then it expanded. Shining power that wiped every shadow out of existence. So bright that no being or construct of darkness could possibly withstand it. To look upon it was to risk blindness. It had grown to swallow up the ruins of the station and a few adjacent buildings before fading.

And after it released the light the prisoner returned to probing the nature of this world. These things were barely worth that spark of might after all.

Elf

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Rin

"Does he have some crazy Servant ability where money just comes to him?  That would actually be very handy," Rin mused.  Archer's special ability had been "housework" and "making the best cup of tea that Rin had ever had"; which were admittedly good skills in hind sight.  Except the making the best cup of tea ever.  Even in England I haven't had a cup of tea to match his.  That bastard.

Rin gave Sakura a smile and said, "Well I'll have to meet him and see.  I might sort of stammer when he goes riding on the back of magic crows in plain sight though, but you're right about Rider.  Other than hitting on Ayako, she's mostly quiet.  At least at home."

SINIB

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Sakura

“He has a skill, yes. It’s really quite incredible. You know, this part might interest you: he’s found boxes filled with gems a few times before, just laying on the ground!” Sakura giggled. “And well, you know, subtlety isn’t his exactly his highest priority in general, he likes to be flashy. But almost everyone in the Nexus knows about magic, it’s not a big deal around here! And so your Rider is the same as mine! That’s wonderful!” Sakura almost glowed with happiness. “But you need to bathe now!” Sakura lightly stomped her foot in mock annoyance. “You can’t catch a cold, I won’t let you!”

[5:20:13 PM] francobull III: "I fuck dead animals"

francobull3 - Today at 10:15 PM: when will skeleton bullying day end

Kotomine_Rin

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Richard Maxwell

"Are you..."

Without really thinking, Richard hugged the woman and held her as close as he could. He could feel her heart beating madly, as if she was terrified of something. He didn't knew why, but he felt like this fear was not unlike one that he had known. Even if he wouldn't have minded killing her earlier if she proved to be a threat, he realized that he had completely misjudged the situation.

She felt... warm. It wasn't unlike someone he knew. His expression blank and emotionless, Richard wiped her face with his scarf.

Elf

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Rin

Rin held up her and said, "Fine, fine, I'm heading to the shower.  I promise I won't catch a cold."  Chuckling to herself, she walked to the bathroom, shut the door and proceeded to strip.  Once she was free of the wet clothing, she opened the door enough for her hand to shove the clothing out.

Cherry Lover

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Sakura

Sakura followed Irisviel through the winding corridors of the castle until, finally, she stopped in front of a white door.

“Here we are!” she said, cheerfully, as she opened the door to reveal a large, somewhat old-fashioned but exceptionally nice room.

Wow, Sakura thought as she stepped in and took a look around.

There was a fully-functional fireplace, a massive four-poster bed, a wardrobe, chairs and a table to sit at.

“It's really nice, thank you”, she said with a smile. “We should get back, Togan is probably waiting for us”.

Kat

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Emily

In hindsight, Emily noted that she probably should've taken into account that, distracted or not, Mordred was actually a fighter while most certainly was not. The Changeling's grip was just short of painful, but Emily stared back at her resolutely regardless.

"I'm trying to make sure we don't end up easy pickings for whoever attacked us earlier," Emily stated, "Maybe you had a run-in with some Kindred back before you got here, but we have no way of knowing that vampires here are the same as vampires there. Think for a moment, if this place has Changelings who haven't even gone through a Durance, Changelings who didn't even come around the same way we did, think of what other differences there could be! That aside, I'm not looking forward to meeting a vampire either, but unless she keeps regular correspondence with these two here, chances are that we won't even have to bother with her. Now if you're going to go out at night hunting vampires, I can't really help you there, but can you please focus on the immediate concerns? Like whatever shady group that one bitch who beat the hell out of belonged to, assuming she was part of one?"

Mordred

"Vampires are still vampires, to treat someone sucking blood from humans as not dangerous is naive. I refuse to step into her lair without being armed and on a hunt. And do you think I have to get involved with them to avoid the enemy? I happen to know someone who already backed me once when I was attacked by someone more powerful than I would handle otherwise." she declared, not forgetting about the magician who helped her back in the pinch.

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Than'Sanel

Riding on a vehicle was not something the half-elf was used to, but he did his best to stay balanced and not fall off, which was rather embarrassing. He dreaded awkwardness to the core of his being, so he paid little attention to the more normal denizens of Nexus as they sped along.

Quickly orienting himself, he queried, "I know that something disturbed you and I couldn't sense it, so you're going to have to fill me in a little bit before we get there. If you don't mind, Sarse."
Spoiler for Best -monogatari:

theunknownhero

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Shirou (HF)

The tension between the two servants is distinct as they reply to each other. The boy had addressed the mysterious Caster (Faust), but at that moment he simply told Shirou that he had another errand to run living the two in with a mysterious talking helmet who addressed itself to him as Vanguard. Shirou taken off guard by the unusual site, and was left speechless at the sight, until he finally managed to gather his thoughts and respond.

"A... a... talking helmet... I don't suppose you can fill me in on the nature of this strange place?"
Even I have something I must protect.

YOLF

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Rachel

Rachel brought down her binoculars with a noticeable cringe, still reeling from the shiver that had pierced her body head to toe the moment everything went to shit and that thing appeared. Apparently from the chalice, if the very similar aura (although noticeably more foul to the point she was practically feeling her lunch and breakfast backtracking) was any indication.

Shit shit shit Shendy's gonna be piiiiissed.

She pondered for a few seconds whether she should call her boss, because at this point she was so far out of her league she'd have to mail herself to the stadium. Rachel hesitated because, well, she did say she was going to do it, and she severely doubted the big mean fire demon was going to be too happy about the artifact he wanted exploding into muddy confetti and something that felt even more dangerous than him.

Her momentary exasperation was not helped by the sudden vibration in the inner pocket of her jacket. It turned out not to be her cellphone, but rather the little chinese amulet sealed in a bag that she carried.

Speak of the devil and doth he shall appear.

As she pulled out the omamori, it lit up and thundered with the disembodied voice of Shendu. "Finnigan. Have you decided to play  hardball with the item?"

"Ohhh bossman, I was just about to ring you up!" she began, forcing out a cheery tone. "And no, what gave you that idea? You know I don't like baseball."

She had the distinct impression Shendu only really liked quips when he was the one making them, from the guttural rumble he responded with. Or maybe it was just the situation.

"Do not attempt to slither out of my questions," the demon sorcerer demanded. "The already amazing evil chi you were to bring to me has swelled immensely. What has happened?"

Rachel clicked her tongue and looked to the side innocently. Before responding, she licked her dry lips and calmly breathed in. "See... about that. I had pulled back after a, ah, scouting mission, planning my assault, when it all happened. The person who had the artifact with said evil chi used it to destroy a police station and then... I think someone tried to blow it up with some really hardcore magic, and whatever was in there seems to have gotten out."

She was wise to drop the amulet in precaution, for it sparkled briefly with arcs of green energy that accompanied Shendu's next growl of displeasure.

"It seems we need to play hardball then." Rachel wondered what he meant by that, but didn't get to ask before the connection was cut off and the amulet stopped shining.

The mercenary felt another chill run down her spine as if in forewarning.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2015, 03:29:46 AM by YOLF »
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Cherry Lover

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Shirou

No! No! Shirou thought as he felt himself losing his grip on his wife's hand as they were shaken around.

Their contact lost, the two of them drifted apart in the ether. Shirou could hear Sakura shouting for him, and see her reaching out for him, but it was too late. She was drifting further and further away, out of reach.

I hope she'll be OK, he thought, unsure if he'd be able to contact her when they arrived.

Still, at least he was pretty sure they had crossed into the new world before being separated, so they should arrive in the same world if not in the same location. Which meant it was just a matter of finding her.

What should I do about my body, though? he thought.

Without Sakura, he had no way of obtaining prana, and without that he could not survive more than a few weeks. And, if he were to waste away and die, then Sakura and the children would be heartbroken. That was not something he could allow.

Shirou's thoughts were interrupted when he found himself standing on what felt like a carpet. He couldn't tell, however, since the room was pitch black. Before he could contemplate the situation any further, however, he felt something stab into his right wrist and right ankle.

“Aaahh”, he screamed at the sudden, unexpected painful sensation.

What the hell?

“Trace...” he began to say, before his attempt at summoning a weapon was scuppered by another stabbing sensation in his other arm, followed by his arms being pulled behind his back and sewed together.

At the same time, he felt a stabbing sensation in his other leg, his legs being pulled together in much the same way as his arms had been, causing Shirou to lose his balance and fall face-first to the ground, his nose smashing into the fortunately-somewhat-soft carpet.

No, no! he thought as the threads sewed his arms and legs together, unsure of what was happening to him, or why.

I can't die, Sakura will be sad if I die.

Shirou lay on the floor, writhing around in agony, desperately attempting to think of a way out of his predicament. He could try tracing a weapon and cutting himself free, but he somehow doubted that that would be sufficient for him to escape from the pitch-black room and whatever it was that was assailing him, and given the way he was bound, any attempts to escape would likely add to the already-significant damage he'd suffered.

Fortunately, it seemed like whatever was doing this wanted him alive, at least. If it had desired to kill him, it could have easily done so already. On the other hand, the unnecessarily brutal method being used for capturing him suggested that his captor was not particularly kind or merciful. Still, for Shirou, there was no such thing as a fate worse than death (except, of course, serious harm coming to Sakura or one of their children), so the lack of any killing intent was a relief. He would gladly suffer any amount of torture if it meant he could one day see Sakura's beautiful smile again.

I think it's best if I just wait and see what they want. Maybe I can make a deal with them, he thought.

“W..what do you want?” he shouted at the unknown assailant, the agonising pain he was in clear in his voice.

yinsukin

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Nova Tiburtius

A young man walked down the streets.  He had deep, almost glowing red eyes and brown hair that catches the light very subtly.  He was wearing two layers of thick long sleeve shits and somewhat loose jeans.  It was pretty light considering how cold it was outside but he kept this attire so he could move quickly at a moments notice.

This city was always dangerous and always filled with the supernatural but it seemed like today this strange city was particularly restless.  He overheard some citizens gossiping about a downed police station.  In addition, there was a strange but powerful light in the distance, likely a struggle between giants.  It was time he gathered information on some of the major players in this city and he knew just the place to start.

Using the basics of what he was taught, he was able to track a extended exertion of magical power.  As he got closer, he noticed the source of that magic was rather large.  It was like it was drawing mana from somewhere else.  He kept walking towards the source before he noticed a beautiful  woman standing atop a building.  She was obviously the source.

He stood at the bottom of the building.  It wouldn't take much energy to use a portal to teleport to the top.  With that thought, he snapped his fingers and a faded white portal appeared in front of him.  He walked through, arriving at the top behind the woman.  Not trying to startle her, he talked as polity and calmly as possible.

"Hey, my name is Nova Tiburtius.  Whatcha looking at?"
« Last Edit: May 27, 2015, 06:17:46 PM by yinsukin »

MissingMandible

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Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
Mathew was focusing on the next step, right, then left, then right again. Main Objective: Get as far away as possible from that figure. Who knows, it might not notice him. Yeah, that would be grea-

He was then snatched from the air and lifted up. "I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" He began shouting in response.

During the sweep up, the Dragoon accidently let go of the Volleygun, and it was now hanging by the cord below him. He found himself stuck between the assailant and another body, but his panic-filled mind prevented him from picking out any details of the two. With a guttural cry, he struggled to gain a hold of his close combat knife to do a last ditch attack...

YOLF

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Tar

The demon understood this woman's view point. Or, if not understand, he at least empathized with it. She had a point. It was absolutely presposterous that so many things went unanswered and unaccounted for. No matter if something changed or someone had a realization, and from a certain point onwards all those crimes would be addressed; everything that had already come and been let go could not be fixed or judged, and the victims could not receive compensation, only vengeance. Tar could not accept the selfish who manipulated and deceived and used others for their own gains, who got away with such unresolved sins. No more would he allow it.

Henry, as people would know him, agreed with these thoughts even if he did not speak them. He was angered by injustice and unlawfulness, by corruption that so often claimed unrelated innocents before anyone else. Regardless of the past, he could not abide to the wrongs before his eyes, and so worked every day against them. So he wasn't going to tell the woman not to complain. She had a point! But there was no use in being bitter about the past if it stopped you from doing the right thing in the present.

Henry let out a sigh and scratched at his scalp impatiently.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go," he said. "Whatever we're looking for is probably big and ravenous, seems to have at least one spiked or jagged tendril like limb, and apparently devours people whole."
« Last Edit: May 27, 2015, 07:25:40 PM by YOLF »
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

SINIB

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Sakura

Sakura sighed in relief at her sister’s acquiescence and buoyantly followed her sister to the bathroom, humming a merry tune to herself. She took Rin’s clothes and stowed them underneath her arm.

“I’ll leave some clothes for you outside; they won’t fit well, but it’s better than nothing.” Sakura called through the door. “And take your time! I’ll have your clothes washed as soon as possible!”

With her piece said, Sakura turned around and walked towards the washer with a small skip in her step. “Hmm-hmmm-hm-hm-hm...” She continued to hum her song, stopping to twirl in place, now tightly holding Rin’s clothes close to her chest as she did so.

Suddenly, all her senses were bombarded with warning sirens, screaming at her that there was an intruder in the basement. Less than a second later, she felt the guardians burst to life in order to defend the house. Sakura dropped what she was doing and ran down the stairs with a rage and terror akin to that of a cornered animal. NonononononoNO! She’d just gotten it back! She’s just begun to get her life back!
“No!” She yelled.
She wasn’t going to let someone, something, just barge in and take hold of her life and pluck her loved ones away from her, one by one. Not again! Never again!

You can't Something deep inside her whispered. You’ll fail. It gloated at her weakness, mocked her for her losses. You don’t deserve this.

Sakura, however, steadfastly ignored it. She stoically ignored it as she tore down the stairs to the hidden basement. After all, allowing it to shake her was meaningless. She had already made her decision, she would fight. She had resolved to fight against, to demolish, anything that would interfere with her happiness. She’d promised herself this. She couldn’t second guess herself now.

With her purpose in mind, she therefore darted around the corner and into the dark penetralia of the house without a second thought.
“Who!” She yelled at the intruder with acrimony, true malice filling her entire being.

However, as soon as she reached the wretched invader and realized who he was, her rancorous attitude dissipated, displaced first by confusion, and then a bizarre mixture of sadness and happiness. She tried to cry, but couldn’t. She could only grab him in a tight embrace as her emotions choked her. “W-what? Why? How did you?” She asked him with monosyllabic words. “How did you get here?” She finally finished a sentence and made the diabolic defense system disengage itself from Shirou, laying on top of him with Rin’s clothes splattered on him and the floor, absorbing the trickle of blood that had begun to pour out of him.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2015, 07:36:20 PM by Sinib »

[5:20:13 PM] francobull III: "I fuck dead animals"

francobull3 - Today at 10:15 PM: when will skeleton bullying day end