CE 3.0 2017-2018

[Kotomine_Rin]

Dark Vlad

As what could only be described as a burning daemon ascended, it was met with an imposing masked figure, a pristine body standing in its path with the radiance and beauty that could only be attributed to a great king. And without resistance, almost as if his body was chained by its own burns, its commands sent his body on the ground, as if pressed by a massive hand. He grunted, surprised, and looked up at the magnificent ruler that wished to dominate his body.

"Oh! What is this sorcery, to make my limbs move so without my permission? Could this be enough to defeat me? An authorithy even greater than my dominance over flames themselves...?"

How beautiful, how terrible! But he'd refuse it. His body trembled, shook, and in an extraordinary display he managed to take the first step forward. Then another, and his body slowly began to feel lighter as he gradually unleashed his own burning will before the king. He didn't know what was the meaning of this, and he did not care. But he would not be dominated, he would not be denied!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! HOW ABSURD! I SHALL TRAMPLE ON THIS COMMAND AND BURN IT TO CINDERS!" He cackled madly as flames enveloped his metal gauntlet. Countless burning runes enveloped the room, quickly inscribing the air with burning powers as they tangled up like a string of webs. Then, flames surged forth from the corners of the halls, every direction burnt and advanced before the king with mad speed, seeking the apex in order to combine and burst as an unified, infernal pillar.

[VergAvesta]

King of Humans

The barrier of the King flared into being, the monstrous flames halting before it and being extinguished with ease. Implacable. Invincible. This was the will of their king. Then one of the humans walked forward, one of the former wardens with a rugged beard and grey eyes. "You are human as well. To oppose the King is to oppose the will of mankind, what reason could you have for doing so?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Dark Vlad

The mad pyromaniac winced at the effect of his spell, or rather the lack thereof. But what truly made him react was its vassal's words, words that had his heart bubble with rage as the flames of its body intensified tenfold.

"Human? Hardly! I threw that title away once I embraced the flames. I am Dark Vlad, count of cinders, and no one else!" He declared with a cackle, though his laughter was all but pleased. His anger at the haughty words was nearly palpable as he roared and summoned a grand skeletal hand formed of countless fiery human bones. The massive limb was erected from a vortex of fire on the floor, and was quick and large enough to grab the man, smashing him into the floor behind the King with crushing force.

"Why? Why!? You let that hero do as he please, even after what he did to Eliane! You humans helped him, knowing I was innocent! Why would I side with those who denied my vengeance!? I will not rest until I burn down everything he loved! Like this!" He spat out a massive fireball in the direction of the king, certain that the blast would be enough to shatter the barrier. It seemed he really didn't take opposition well...

[VergAvesta]

King of Humans

The people succumbed to fire and heat, other crushed by the flailing limbs of flame. All of them dissolved into light, not even leaving ash to be destroyed. Yet the King itself was unscathed. It stared at the man unwaveringly as the hall filled with light and every human that the sorcerer had just killed returned from death itself completely unharmed. And the warden spoke again. "Many things may change the nature of a man, but he is a man nonetheless. You have suffered yet you have not lived amongst the humans of the King. We understand loyalty and justice, for it is the King who administers both."

He stepped forwards into the flames, unwavering as heat licked at his form. Fat bubbled and boiled, flesh melted, bones charred, but he spoke with unwavering conviction. If your vengeance is deserved then it is justice, and the King shall administer it. Even if we must journey across worlds and sort the innocent from the guilty, it shall be done. That is the glory of our ruler. Our covenant." Eventually his form gave out, perishing and breaking apart into light only to reappear once more unharmed and unscathed.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Dark Vlad

He couldn't belive what he saw, it was almost surreal. He had dwelled in the dark arts of necromancy, and studied ways to bring the dead to life, but nothing like this had ever been written in the books of lore. He had never seen something like this, but he was sure that she could have done something similar with time. In this case, could that king...

No. That was impossible, she was dead. Not a single trace of her had been left from the spell's reaction, there was nothing to bring back. The one thing that could make him bend the knee was something that would never come. But there was still his vengeance.

"No, I will not accept that! The only one who can avenge her is me, it is I who must burn him as he burnt me! Not your king, not anyone else!" He spat vehemently, roaring with the might of his flames. "I, Dark Vlad, will not accept another outcome. I will not entertain a future where he does not burn by my hands!"

[VergAvesta]

King of Humans

"Then you will be content so long as it is your flame which punishes him in the end? You may fight your foe, slay him if you wish, but will you simply rush about and destroy everything in your path until you find him? Is that even vengeance? Unless you have been driven utterly mad you will understand you are not invincible, you know that such an act will draw consequences beyond your ability to handle. Our King promises you the battle and vengeance you seek, and the means to make it to that point. Life eternal. But not merely that. Any body has limitations, it can only do so much before it breaks down. But you can advance yourself until your body shatters only to rise again and continue, you can fight with the fullness of your strength and not fear perishing before that fated battle. You can measure your limits and draw upon the greatness of your spirit not once but as many times as you wish."

After his long speech the man fell silent as the King walked forwards. It stared up at Vlad, a good deal shorter than him, yet there was never any feeling as if it was ever the lesser. "Vengeance shall be yours and you shall belong to it. Become my burning hand, my wrath, and even if all the worlds must be conquered the only future is shall be where your vision becomes reality. That is my covenant."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Dark Vlad

He listened carefully to their words, the king's words as well. How small, how truly small, and yet so many small things together might just become gigantic. In that case, he might get what he was after by following them. But that would be all, and it wouldn't be enough. Realizing that, he laughed, laughed at the idea that they'd be so deluded to propose him eternal life. No, he cared not for a single extra second of his own wretched self. All he wanted was one thing, to see her smile again. His own life, the hero's life... nothing else mattered.

But it wasn't enough, the hero had to burn, for denying him this wish, for the sin he committed. Yes, that was the only way. That alone would make the pain go away.

"Don't make me laugh!  You are a monarch who'd rather buy an enemy than crush it. A charming little king you make, but I am fire, I burn without discrimination! None shall escape my burning embrace, while I can escape this prison with ease, nothing you or your men can do will change anything, and you know that! Without power, you can only send ants to die. The words of a king who hides behind a mask mean nothing to me." As he declared that, the flames raged harder between the two, fiercer than ever.

[VergAvesta]

King of Humans

"Hide? Only those who fear hide. This mask is for the sake of my people. If you are so fixated on it then it shall be removed." And so it was, vanishing as if nothing was there at all in the first place. The King's face had been revealed, and perhaps one could say that it was similar to some other girl's in aesthetics. However, in every other way they were completely different. The endless chill and great emptiness in its eyes. No, not quite emptiness. It was utter obsession, a hungering will that devoured everything else.

There was something almost funny as the King looked at the burning man. They were both humans, yes. Their attitudes could not change their fundamental nature. However, a mere exchange of looks said everything. They were both beings so utterly consumed by their goals that anything resembling what others would call 'humanity' had long since been smothered or burnt to ash. The King was no person, it was a mechanism. It was the means by which humanity could be gathered up and made strong. It desired nothing else. It wished for nothing else. It would trample over everything thoughtlessly in order to do so. Indeed, they were both monsters. But while one of them looked the part, perhaps it was more horrific to see such a thing framed within the features of a young girl.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Dark Vlad


For a second, the flaming face ceased smiling. Whatever he saw through that mask was enough to leave him speechless, left with a stunned expression. He grabbed his head, clutching it in disbelief, and laughed. It wasn't in any way to mock the king or any one else, rather than his own blindness, and perhaps even his fate.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! A GIRL!? THAT IS THE ONE WHO'D WISH TO MASTER DARK VLAD'S FIRE!? HAHAHAHAHAHA! HOW ABSURD, HOW RIDICULOUS! YOU!? A MERE CHILD!? LAUGHABLE, IRREDEMABLE, BEAUTIFUL, MARVELOUS! HAAH, HAHAHAHAHA!"

Why? Why!? Why did she look like her? He couldn't understand it, he almost wished he couldn't. Because if she was here, then what of his vengeance? He sounded nearly pained, like a relentless machine that had just been stopped in one way or another. No, not quite stopped. Rather, it was only now truly beginning.

But the pain and rage had long since ate at his sanity, while he was by no means irrational like a crone locked in one of those asylums, it was only logical that his mind would cling to the nearest hope. Even if it was impossible, to him the semblance was very real. Logic and knowledge were irrelevant to the pangs of his burning heart, even now he still hadn't changed.

"How can I refuse help when it's offered so freely? That would be crazy! Even for someone who has given up on his sanity! This must be fate, that the one who would free me would be you, my love." It was without an order that he knelt and clasped the king's hands, almost as if trying to make sure it was real. For a second, he didn't look like such a monster, but a terribly broken man, victim of his own circumstances.

If he had not already been lost, it would be quite sad to behold. But how could it be sad, when he sounded so happy? When, by its very nature and being, the King had offered him what no one else could, hope! Even without a chain or a whip, a man's obsession was enough to drive him to this. In that case, if his delusion was not denied, his loyalty would be only matched by his mad zeal.

"It's me, Valder, don't you remember me? Please, just let me look at your face. You are even more beautiful than I could remember...You have such a likeness to her, it's almost like you're really here. But how? "

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lance

"Now, redheads are quite cute. But don't worry, I'm not the discriminating type." He rubbed his chin and grinned,  moving along with her pace while having a casual chat with the woman he was hired to kill, not increasing or decreasing the distance between the two. "And what's so strange about that? I'm a genius artist by day, a pious priest by evening and valorous crime hunter by night. Has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree?"

Honestly, he wasn't really trying to look down on her, even if she was a bit short. But if it came to that, he'd at least like to get a feel of who he was up against, at least as a person. In the end, he shook his head and chuckled.

"Well, I guess that doesn't matter. Don't worry though, I'm not out for your head. I'm just supposed to stop you one way or another. But damn, for a lady this cute I get the feeling you're more than you let on." He shrugged. "Well, that and the whole eating hearts business. I'd really appreciate if we just settled this peacefully, is that gambit still on the table?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

His eyes widened at Medaka's sudden burst of raw force. Incredible, it was almost like gazing into the eyes of a great war god. Immature, but even so he couldn't help but notice two things. His lips were curled up bitterly, and his hands were shaking. Could this be what humans called fear? No, not at all. He had lost that emotion, he had no reason to fear anything. Even the gods's advent could not change that.

But seeing that girl's resolve truly flare up for the first time, with his own eyes. It brought his empty vessel into a strange sense of elation.And as he was brought to that indescribable high, he spread his arms widely and smiled, laughing like an old and rusty gear being scraped onto rock until it broke.

"Hahahahaha! Why, is't it obvious my dearest child of destiny? I need you, only with a true hero's vessel could I achieve my dream. But a hero requires hardships, struggles! This entire stage has been set to reap the seeds of my dream. So I may save the world!" He declared with what could only be described as joy, a transformation so far apart from the girl's solemn wrath. And yet, when applied to a man like him, it was nothing short but chilling. He clasped his face and tried to restrain an eerie giggle that almost resembled a sob.

"You should be able to understand the pain, being unable to save anyone, having to constantly watch as those you loved fall. I can still hear their cries, itching at the back of my skull. Save me! Why! Why!? You promised us! You were supposed to be the hero! Liar! Oathbreaker! Kuhuhuhuhuhuh..."

And then, his face shifted back. Whatever had been revealed by the chink in his armor had been swiftly murdered by his iron will, and his expression changed into that of the warrior he had sworn to be. Hard, implacable, and infinitely cold. And as he did lightning began to crackle around his body.

"Ah, do forgive me. You know, lately I've been feeling I am not quite myself. It's vexing, having to stitch my soul with other identities has been eating at my own for quite a while. But I wouldn't be a hero if I couldn't shoulder these many souls, could I? Which is why I'd appreciate if you followed me without further resistance. You may not understand yet, but I am not your enemy."

[Bern]

? ? ?

With a skight nod from her the blonde arrogant asshole slunk back into the shadows. His overall mood seemed pretty down right now compared to before, not even voicing a single complaint. Perhaps he had finally learnt his lesson, although knowing him it was ver unlikely, he'd probably be back at it later today.

"Do not fret needlessly over that Hero. He was a mistake and he has now learned his lesson."

His assumption about her being more than she let on despite her cuteness actually succeded in provoking a light chuckle from her. Contrary to the previously distorted sound that had come from her this time it was unusual in a different way, a much more pleasant sound, like a choir of angels singing for you.

"Perhaps I will tell you if you tell me your name Hero, or do you plan on having me refer to you as such throughout this..... Date, ah yes that's what humans call this." As if she didn't know his name, this was naught but a test.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lance

"Haha! Well, that doesn't sound too bad." He laughed at her proposal with good humor. A date huh? Well, that sounded like the best possible outcome! Not that he'd expect anything less from a prodigious negotiator such as himself. His manly charms and irresistible physique were utterly unparalleled! So he tipped his hat and pointed at her with a big wide grin, striking a cool pose.

"The great Lance Jackson, with a big fat bold capital J, And don't you forget it!" Indeed, this was certainly a scene no one could forget, for better or worse. But it was what happened next that could've shocked anyone. In a blur as fast as a bullet, he thrust his arm forward and offered her a rose, as if conjured in thin air. "To whom do I owe the honor?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Lucy

So the group all ended up having a few treats at once of the local cafes, and Lucy had deigned to even sit on a chair instead of in a lap! Truly, she was capable of many sacrifices. "So, howdya meet up with those two crazy people, anglepire?"


Xiu

"How bold. One might think that your previous curiosity was just a ruse to get yourself closer to me." She said such words, but her easygoing smile would tell the green haired man everything. So she leaned in a bit and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "If you are so interested then perhaps it would be best to speak somewhere more private?"

[VergAvesta]

King of Humans

A name? Such a request could never be heard. The King was not capable of such wishes or desires, of recognizing his misery and attempting to assuage it in any reasonable manner. Instead the figure leaned in, until her face was a bare few inches from the mage's. Her eyes were as empty as ever as she spoke, her voice so cold that it seemed that it could smother the flames of the pyromancer with words alone.

"I am the King, and I see only he who will stand by my side. Rise, Vlad. My vengeance."

Every word was heavy. It did not carry the weight of command but the promise of loyalty itself. More binding than the thickest chains, more powerful than the greatest words, the words that would acknowledge her would outlast the mountains and skies themselves. It would span all the worlds. So long as he answered.